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Weekdays: 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Where y'at?
Thanks for taking me home with you every afternoon on
Magic 101.9's "Stress-Free Ride Home!" It's the perfect
music to help you unwind after work! If you wanna get to
the house or the "happy hour" feeling good... tune in.
I'll keep you updated on your favorite Soft Rock Artists
and posted on all the fun stuff going on around town.
We'll also keep the good news coming on our recovery
and rebuilding.
Something about me:
I am a local... born and raised in the French Quarter.
From being baptized at St. Louis Cathedral, being part
of a great family and now a happy Old Arabi resident,
life’s good! I've been a voice in New Orleans radio for
over 30 years. There is no place quite like the Crescent
City, I love it! I like fine dining and strolling in the French
Quarter. When I get a break I do some traveling and like
fishing on my cabin cruiser, The Iris.
pal
A young Pal on-air...my first radio gig.
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Elton's Flavor...
You know you’re a pretty big deal when you get a Ben & Jerry’s
ice cream flavor named in your honor…well, Elton John can add
that to his many accolades. The ice cream called “Goodbye Yellow
Brickle Road” will be sold in Vermont for his first ever Vermont
performance.
The special Elton flavor will be sold for a limited time and sold only
in Ben & Jerry’s stomping grounds of Vermont. It’s a take-off on his
1970’s album title and song Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The flavor
is chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle
and white chocolate chunks. The proceeds will benefit the Elton
John AIDS Foundation.
Source Associated Press
New Kids on the Block is coming to the Crescent City. Back in 1984 the
group was born out of Boston and the rest is history! They were the first
of the so-called “boy bands” from the ‘80’s and into the ‘90’s. They paved
the way for Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and others.
At the top of their game they sold over 70 million albums worldwide and
won the American Music Awards’ favorite pop group and album award in
1990. They were also very popular in concert and drew thousands of fans.
The guys reunited back in April and will be in concert here in New Orleans,
October 18th at the New Orleans Arena.
Members are:
Donnie Wahlberg
Danny Wood
Joey McIntyre
Jordan Knight
Jonathan Knight
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia gets married…
Well, one of my all time favorite female stars and she sings too, just got
married. Olivia Newton-John tied the knot with Australian entrepreneur,
John Easterling, in a secret ceremony in Malibu. The cool part is that the
guests thought they were going to a Fourth of July barbecue.
They were almost forced to cancel the ceremony because a brush fire had
erupted in a nearby canyon. But, that didn’t stop Olivia who was determined
to get married and said nothing was going to interfere with her special day!
Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 1992. She divorced her first
husband, Matt Lattanzi, in the mid-1990’s after he had a fling. In 2005, her
boyfriend of nine years went missing on a fishing trip off the California coast.
For more Usmagazine.com
Can You Eat Your Way to Happiness?
Do you routinely feel "down in the dumps" or experience a constant uneasiness, worry
or fear?
If so, you're not alone. Depression and anxiety affect more than 50 million people in the
US. And those numbers are rising dramatically.
The World Health Organization predicts by 2020 "depressivedisorder" will affect more
people than cancer, arthritis, and diabetes, making it the 2nd leading cause of disability,
behind heart disease.
Why are mood disorders soaring across the nation?
Stuart Tomc, a health educator and former consultant to the World Health Organization,
says one major reason for America's emotional meltdown can be traced to the absence
of a single nutrient - a nutrient lacking in 99.9 percent of American diets.
"The meals we eat in restaurants and in our homes contain little or no omega-3 essential
fatty acids - and this dietary deficiency has triggered a variety of unpleasant mental and
emotional problems for tens of millions of children and adults," says Tomc.
"Coldwater fish is a great source of omega-3, but eating enough fish to produce a change
in mental outlook is hard to do," says Tomc.
While Tomc states that mineral-depleted soils, vitamin-depleted plants, and a mile-long
list of toxins blanketing the food chain are all important factors degrading one's mental
health, he says because of the composition of the brain, insufficient dietary intake of the
omega-3 fats is especially debilitating.
When asked for a list of foods that trigger bad moods, Tomc says it's far easier to name
the foods that promote good moods.
"Look for food products, that list omega-3 as an added ingredient, eat plenty of green leafy
vegetables, and coldwater fish and you'll be feeding your brain what it needs to be happy,"
says Tomc.
"To correct a lifelong omega-3 deficiency and help beat back depression and anxiety,
pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements are recommended."
From an interview with Stuart Tomc, former consultant
to the Chief Medical Officer of the World Health Organization
from: theprgroup.com
A Cool Dad with a Cool Job...
My dad, Al Nassar, Sr. when he was a young man was a merchant marine.
He was a chef on-board the Delta Line ships out of New Orleans. The ports-
of-call were along the east coast of South America. The stories he told about
his trips to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Montevideo and many others were
always exciting.
The Delta Line ships that he sailed on were known as the three Dels, the Del
Sud, Del Norte and Del Mar. Their unusual design made the ships unique and
made the port of New Orleans one of the world’s great passenger ports. The
ships were three revolutionary passenger-cargo ships. They also helped re-
establish U.S. trade to South America after World War II. In 1963 the Del Sud
was the first passenger ship to travel the MRGO here.
The Dels were about 500 feet in length and the passenger accommodations
were quite luxurious. The Del Sud was the first fully air conditioned liner in
the world. The food on-board was always great when you consider one of the
chefs was from New Orleans! Dad sailed from the late 40’s until about 1972.
Delta Line's S.S. Del Sud
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Fat vs. Carbs?
Millions of Americans are trying to lose weight. Are you one of
them? If so, you probably wish your diet was more effective and
what’s more … long-term.
Different types of starch and different types of fat have varying
effects on the body. Scientists now know that on the molecular
level a calorie from fat will cause a similar amount of weight
gain as a calorie from carbohydrate.
So, low-fat diets and low-carb diets overall are equally effective
and most of the time neither will help you keep weight off long-
term. The quality of the diet is more important than just looking
at fat versus carbohydrates…you’re missing where all the action is!
For more : Time.com
New Bike Lane...
OK, all of you Warehouse District and Uptown latte’ drinkers and Lakeview
folks, who would have thought New Orleans’ first bike lane would open on
St. Claude Ave? It’s the first in a comprehensive city-wide bicycle route
network.
The new St. Claude bike lane connects the Marigny, Bywater, 9th Ward and
Arabi neighborhoods. The ribbon cutting took place at St. Claude and St.
Rock in the Marigny, when the lane was completed a few weeks ago.
The new lane is really nice, well marked and pretty wide and runs along
the right shoulders of St. Claude. Since it’s my route to work, I’m seeing lots
of folks on bikes making good use of it.
It’s really great to see this progressive “going green” effort in our recovery.
Biking is a good way to go with these high gas prices. Now if we can only get
some good restaurants and cool coffee shops opened along historic St. Claude.
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Soft Rock Hits The Road…
Some Summer Tours:
John Mayer has plans for a summer amphitheater tour. It kicked-off July 2nd
at Milwaukee’s Summer Fest…also look for a new live concert CD/DVD out
this summer.
Martina McBride is also on tour this summer in amphitheaters…she wants
to do her shows outdoors for her Waking Up Laughing tour. The July 11 show
in Claskston, Mich got it all started.
Bryan Adams has got some plans for a US acoustic series of concerts.
His new album 11 will be hitting the shelves soon. He’ll also be joining-up
with Foreigner and Rod Stewart soon.
Santana on the road this Summer – Fall…of course doing a great show here
at Jazz Fest. He’s tacked on a new series of North American dates to the
Live Your Light tour.
Also on tour this summer look for Journey (new singer and all) with Heart
and Cheap Trick hittin’ the road. They also kicked-off in July and will hit more
than 40 cities. June 3 was the release date of Journey’s long awaited multidisc
set called Revelation.
The final show of the Police's reunion tour...the concert, which features
opening act the B-52's, will be held Aug. 7 at New York's Madison Square
Garden.
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On The Tube…
Late Night TV...
We’ve all grown up with “heeere’s Johnny” on TV at night. Johnny
Carson hosting The Tonight Show now seems so long ago. Well, NBC
has recently announced the new late night line up…Jimmy Fallon will
be the new host of Late Night, when Conan O’Brien moves to The
Tonight Show next year replacing Jay Leno. I’ve always been
a Letterman fan.
Congratulations to David Cook…The American Idol!
Both Davids along with the rest of the top ten will be on the American
Idol tour. The tour kicked-off July 1st and the closest show to us is in Houston,
August 24th.
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The House in the Bend of Bourbon...
I was raised in the French Quarter and it made for a pretty interesting
childhood. But, what’s even more interesting was our family home. The
house became known as “The House in the Bend of Bourbon Street.” It's
the title of a children’s book about the house and French Quarter, written
by New Orleans’ television pioneer Terry Flettrich. The historic home
is pretty famous, it was once owned by the Claiborne family. W.C.C.
Claiborne was the first U.S. governor of Louisiana. Legend has it that
Andrew Jackson even spent time there!
The house, a grand brick center-hall Creole cottage, was build around
1825. Bought in 1922 by our family, it was the Nassar-Catan home for many
years. We all called it "the big house" and it was at the center of everything
we did. In 1964 the family sold it to businessman Clay Shaw, who later was
prosecuted in connection with the assassination of President John Kennedy.
He was found not guilty. Terry Flettrich acquired the house from Shaw, who
never lived there. It was the Flettrich home for many years.
The home is located at 1445 Bourbon St., which is technically in the Faubourg
Marigny, right in the “bend of Bourbon.”
Book Published by Terry Flettrich in 1966
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A 1957 Lincoln Premier Convertible
The Yellow Bird...
As a kid I can remember a car my mom had. We had it for a pretty
long time and we went everywhere in it. It was a big ole tank of a
car... we called the “Yellow Bird." Mom was quite the looker, a
platinum blond driving her Lincoln. It was a canary yellow Lincoln,
but I couldn't remember the year or model. Well, I went surfing the
web and came across some pictures of the same model car and yes
...it’s yellow!
My brother and I attended St. Mary Italian school on Chartres and
Ursuline in the Quarter. The school was run by the Cabrini nuns. The
thing I remember most is mom taking the nuns shopping in the car
all of the time. My brother and I had to be on best behavior on those
shopping trips! That big car wasn't easy to park in front of our house
on Bourbon St. and yep, even for those days it was a gas guzzler.
The car was a 1957 Lincoln Premier...boy, what a great car!
Lil' Pal Al next to the "Yellow Bird"
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Viva Papa!...
The hearts of many were filled with joy over the visit of Pope
Benedict XVI to the U.S. We here in New Orleans were especially
moved by the Pope’s blessing and acknowledgment of the pain
and suffering caused by hurricane Katrina. We also thanked him
for the special papal gift of a silver chalice. Archbishop Hughes
celebrated a Mass with the chalice at St. Louis Cathedral, where
it is permanently displayed.
 His visit should encourage all of us to boldly face
the many challenges of our rebuilding and to better
handle the loss. Like the visit of Pope John Paul II
to New Orleans back in 1987, it instills hope in all
of us. With prayer and divine intervention Mother
Nature will give us a long reprieve before the next storm!
Go Divas…
Recently on our Soft Rock Spotlight page, a story talked
about Mariah Carey and Madona breaking two of Elvis
Presley’s Billboard records. Considering he’s the “King”…
I was surprised. Both Mariah and Madonna are making
history. Mariah’s latest single, Touch My Body, a few weeks
ago, beat Elvis’s no. 1 hit singles record. She’s now second
only to the Beatles! Meanwhile, Madonna beat the King
with her latest song called 4 Minutes, it was named her 37th
top 10 single.
Striking a pose has paid off big time for Madonna. She
recently topped the Cash Queens of Music list of female
singers on Forbes.com. According to the financial web site,
she earned a whooping $72 million in just a 12 month period.
I guess records are made to be broken. Mariah andrecently
topped Madonna are two great Soft Rock Artists. We’ll
continue to play their great music on Magic 101.9 and I guess
they’ll continue to break records. But, Elvis is still the King!
I ain't no Don Dubuc, but we do our fair share of fishing...
Oh, and lots of crusin' too!
 
The IRIS, Sea Fox Cabin Cruiser off Breton Isle, La.
A Big Fish Story…
I caught a whale of a fish last summer in Lake Borgne. It
could have been a record breaker! It was a huge black
drum, I don’t know how much it weighed, but it was a
whopping 45 inches long! I was told when drum are that
big they’re not good to eat, so we didn’t keep it.
On the recent PBS Nature special...Superfish:
Across three oceans and for more than two years, marine
biologist and filmmaker Rick Rosenthal set out to capture
on film the biggest, fastest, most dangerous game fish in the
sea –the ancient and amazing creatures known as billfish.
The group includes the graceful sailfish, the menacing
swordfish and queen of them all, the marlin. Marlin can top
speeds of 60 miles an hour on migrations that can span
9,000 miles! The largest, always female, weigh in at 1,000
pounds and more, and are known as granders. Hemingway
immortalized them in The Old Man and the Sea, but to his
great disappointment never landed one of the prize fish.
My fish was no billfish but, was still pretty big.
Tony and his black drum fish
My fishing buddy Tony hooked a big black
drum under the Hwy. 11 Bridge on Lake
Pontchartrain. It was on a recent weekend
fishing trip on my boat The Iris.
The trip over-all was pretty good, we had fun
and we all caught a few. On the way heading
home we saw lots of dolphins and a beautiful
sunset.
Sunset on Lake Borgne from The Iris
The Iris beached near the Rigolets
The Laura Marie docked in Hopedale 1956.
The Laura Marie...
We all grow up in the shadow of others and some of us are lucky
to have good role models. I had a great childhood. My family spent
many lazy weekends and long fun summers at my grandparents ’
camp in Hopedale, Louisiana on the bayou. I grew up on the water,
swimming, loving boats and fishing with my brother, sister and
cousins. And there on the bayou was a fine boat, the Laura Marie.
My dream, when I grew up, was to one day own one like her!
The Laura Marie was a classic, built by two of my favorite uncles,
Harold Thomas and Gene Dudenhefer. The boat was that of family
legend! She was a sleek 27 foot wooden cabin cruiser built by hand
from the ground up back in 1955. She was a beautiful sea worthy
vessel that saw lots of great fishing, hours of just cruising and over
night trips. She was named after my Uncle Harold’s daughter.
The boat was built in Uncle Harold’s backyard in Gentilly. As the
story goes, while she was under construction, a good friend of my
uncles paid them a couple of visits. The gentleman was Harold Halter.
Mr. Halter, a future boat builder, was very interested in the boat and
asked if that boat could be built of steel. Mr. Halter being inventive
and a good business man later founded Halter Marine. It became one
of the world’s largest supply boat builders and was based right here
in New Orleans.
Hence, a good family story about friends sharing
common interests and an ole boat named the Laura Marie.
Laura Marie cruising down Hopedale bayou.
GOING GREEN?
Everybody’s talking about “going green” these days. At the
supermarket, it’s paper or plastic? Have you bought one of
those ridiculously expensive hybrid cars yet? What about
around the house, are you recycling and keeping an eye on
that thermostat? Have you bought any of those real expensive
“energy” light bulbs? What about high rated insulation and
solar panels? What's your Carbon Foot Print? Are you
conserving water? Oh, we don’t need to worry about that
around here, we got plenty water, I had 6 feet in my house
for Katrina!
Are you buying local, so it’s not stuff shipped from who
knows where? Shop the farmers market, it’s local. What
about those gas prices? Are you worried about global
warming? Have you seen Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient
Truth? Even Hollywood types are jumping on the
“green” bandwagon as they fly high in their private jets.
The 50’s was the decade of rock n’ roll, a good hamburger,
great milk shakes and awesome cars! The 60’s it was civil
rights, the 70’s, hippies, flower power…you get it. I guess
when we look back; this will be the “green friendly”
decade…considering we still have a planet!
My dad, Big Al and our dog Hunter
Hunter was rescued from the SPCA in New Orleans eight
years ago.Give a shelter animal a chance at a loving home | 
