Posted on 12/06/2003 7:29:58 AM PST by BigWaveBetty
People walk down a snow covered sidewalk on New York's Fifth Avenue, December 5, 2003. The New York area is expected to get up to eight inches of snow in the next two days. REUTERS/Jeff Christensen
Northeast this season was threatening near whiteout conditions from New Jersey to Maine on Saturday after burying Pittsburgh under 7 inches of snow, delaying flights from Boston to Washington, D.C., and creating hazardous driving conditions blamed for at least five deaths.
As much as 2 feet of snow was forecast for Massachusetts by the end of the weekend, and northern Pennsylvania was bracing for as much as 20 inches.
"We're hoping the forecasters are wrong, but if they're not, we're trusting that people will be staying home with their families and off the road so we can get our job done," said Anna Farneski, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Drivers on Friday braved slick highways, and commuters shuffled along frozen sidewalks as they tried to make their way home through the wind and snow. In New York City, traffic slowed to a crawl.
"The salt is here, the trucks are ready, the chains are on, and New York is prepared for the assault," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday.
The storm was blamed for at least five traffic deaths, including the 74-year-old driver of a van that collided with a school bus in Pennsylvania. None of the three dozen children on the bus was hurt. Two people were killed in Virginia and two in New Jersey.
More than 80 fender-benders were reported on the New Jersey Turnpike, where the speed limit was reduced from 65 mph to 35 mph because of dangerous conditions.
The storm brought several inches of snow to Virginia and Maryland on Friday, and road crews were preparing for a second onslaught with flurries overnight expected to turn to heavy snow. Four to 8 inches was expected in the Baltimore region.
Dave Martin, a National Weather Service (news - web sites) Meteorologist in State College, Pa., said the two-day storm was dumping a large but not overwhelming amount of snow on an area stretching from the Carolinas to New England.
"What's unique is the fairly big accumulation, but what's making it relatively easy is that it's over two days," Martin said Saturday.
Forecasters predicted accumulations of up to 20 inches in northern Pennsylvania, up to 15 inches in New Jersey, and 12 to 18 inches in New York City and its suburbs by the end of the weekend.
Flights were delayed or canceled early Saturday at Logan International Airport in Boston, where wind gusts were at 35 mph, an airport spokesman said. Cancellations and delays also were expected Saturday at New York's La Guardia and John F. Kennedy airports and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
About 100 flights were canceled at Philadelphia International Airport on Friday, and some flights were delayed at Washington Dulles International Airport.
While the storm disrupted or postponed outdoor plans — including Frederick, Md.'s downtown Kris Kringle parade, which was delayed for a week — some people embraced the seasonal weather.
"We're loving it," said Tana Graham, visiting New York City from Jackson, Miss. "It's putting us in the Christmas spirit."
Others were dismayed at the prospect of digging out. Sucie Stevenson looked dejected while inspecting a shovel she had just bought at a home and garden center in Orleans, Mass.
"I love storms, but I don't like shoveling," Stevenson said.
Many schoolchildren got an early start to their weekend when dozens of schools closed early on Friday. Some high school students got a lucky break when several schools canceled Saturday's scheduled Scholastic Aptitude Tests.
P.S. It won't work if you've got a pop-up zapper.
Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, seen in these Nov. 6, 2003 file photos are married, according to the Santa Barbara County clerk-recorder's office. Last week, Paltrow announced she was expecting their first child next summer. County officials confirmed that the couple applied for a license last Friday, and that appears to be the date they tied the knot, in a short, secret ceremony. (AP Photo/Kim Myung Jung, pa, File)
U.S. first lady Laura Bush meets with a group of teachers from Afghanistan in the Yellow Oval Room at the White House in Washington, December 10, 2003. The teachers are in the United States on an educational exchange sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Afghan Women's Council. REUTERS/Susan Sterner/White House photo/Handout FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY
He gaffed by vowing to court Confederate flag fans, and pro-Dean comics used the n-word for blacks at a fund-raiser in New York.They used the N-word? I'd read about the f-word profanity at that event two nights ago, but this is the first I've heard of their using the N-word.An embarrassed Dean said the jokes were "wrong," but the incident could well come back to haunt him.
LOLOLOL! JFKerry, Hildebeaste, now Nikita Dean...well, the Dems are just a party of profanities.
ROTFL! I wonder if Registered could create an image of rapper Dems.
No, you are correct. There would be a public lynching, that's for sure. Did they censure Byrd? Did they censure Kennedy? Did they censure the Beaste?
Hillary Aides in Dean-bashing Blitz
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to pressure fellow Democrats not to support presidential front-runner Howard Dean – a move some say raises new questions about her own intentions in 2004.Nasty Bob. He seems to be right in there with the politics of personal destruction.Aides to Sen. Clinton have begun contacting party movers and shakers in a bid to discredit Dean and dispel the notion that the Vermont Democrat has the nomination sewn up.
"Hillary Clinton's people – and I know, I get these calls all the time – call and bash on Dean," Democratic strategist Bob Beckel told Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" late Wednesday. Beckel managed Walter Mondale's unsuccessful 1984 presidential bid.
I still think she's too chicken to run against GWB but... Bring 'er on!! :-)
Dems Criticize Bush, Omit Facts Sometimes
So much more needs to be reported especially in this country but it's a start.
From Jay Nordlinger's columnROTFLOLOLOLOL!!!!!Interviewed by Judy Woodruff on CNN, he talked religion, and his departure from an Episcopal church over a dispute concerning a bike path: "You know what it really says? [The "it" refers to public curiosity over this bike-path affair.] It says the Republicans are talking like they're out of the Pharisees. Because if you're a Christian, you're a Christian. I don't believe it ought to matter what kind of a denomination you are. As a matter of fact, if you're a religious person, you're a religious person. I don't think it ought to matter what religion you are."
I will keep quoting: Woodruff: "Was it just over a bike path that you left the Episcopal Church?" (Even Judy Woodruff seems incredulous, doesn't she?) Dean: "Yes, as a matter of fact it was. I was fighting to have public access to the waterfront, and we were fighting very hard in the citizens group to allow the public to use it. [Notice how these people are always "fighting"?] And this particular diocese decided to join a property-rights suit [please gasp here] to close it down. I didn't think that was very public-spirited. One thing I feel about religion, you have to be very careful not to be a hypocrite if you're a religious person. It is really tough to preach one thing and do something else. And I don't think you can do that."
His English is incoherent, his reasoning shallow, his understanding weak. The amazing thing is that Democrats, and probably not a few others, consider this guy the mental superior of George W. Bush. Dean doesn't reach to Bush's knees.
Tiefed from grannie9
Hope you're doing well.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.