IN TIME OF PERIL

This "perfect storm" called Sandy is a real monster, touching and affecting many lives over an incredibly vast area. My heart and prayers go out to those affected, and I hope it ends up less catastrophic than predicted.

Living on an island in the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast of Florida, I appreciate the fear and dread of such storms. We were hit by Huricane Charley on Friday, August 13, 2004 and had a condo essentially destroyed, which had to be stripped down to bare walls and rebuilt, but, fortunately, no lives were lost. The possibility of a big storm is a reality with which we learn to live.

The flooding from Sandy triggered memories for me. In September of 1938, a hurricane hit New England. My middle brother (who later was killed in World War II) was on a train on his way to a prep school outside of Boston when the storm hit full blast. The train had to be evacuated, and my brother received a commendatory letter from the Governor of Massachusetts (along with several others, I'm sure)  for helping an old lady and carrying her off the train through waisthigh water to safety and then helping other rescuers assist distressed off the train.  My brother told how many people performed selfless acts of safety to evacuate people from that train.

In every catastrophe you have your share of idiots or stubborn fools who refuse to face the reality and danger from such storms and lose their lives or their homes. You also have the scum of the earth who take advantage of such catastrophes to loot or steal. But, thank God, you also have the heros, everyday people who do the right thing instinctively to help others in peril. A catastrophe, such as this perfect storm, brings out the worst---but also the best---in humanity.

Again, let's pray that few suffer or die and that damage is confined.

OCTOBER OBSERVATIONS

As we approach Halloween and after this last weekend of sports activity, it is a good time (or excuse) for me to comment.

PRO FOOTBALL:  Are you as delighted as I by the showing of Peyton Manning, who certainly killed any rumors of being a has-been?

Are the Atlanta Falcons for real or will reality strike home in the last half of the season?

The Jets have a dual quarterback problem, Also a running back, offensive line and defense problem.

Cream is beginning to rise to the top. Watch the Pack, the Patriots, the Oilers and the Giants. The Steelers may be coming alive, as well.  Dark horse, Denver.

 Tony Romo almost pulled off an Eli Manning but missed by a hand.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: I still think Ohio State is overrated but less than I did. Wisconsin and Michigan will prove tests. Braxton Miller and Denard Robinson---hmmmm.

Alabama still the class of football. L.S.U. will be their last real test.

K-State will be tested by Oklahoma State and (bare possibility) Texas.

Will Notre Dame have one "Hail Mary" left to beat U.S.C.?

Oregon has three tests ahead of them in U.S.C., Stanford and Oregon State---that's a handful.

Anyone think we need a playoff system, more than ever?

BASEBALL:  I feel better about my Reds losing to the Giants, the supreme masters of coming from behind and snowballing momentum. It was a "mo" World Series with the the the two hottest teams at the right time duking it out. Obviously, the Tigers got defanged and had nothing left in their tank.

MISCELLANEOUS:  Isn't it great to see Indiana back in the basketball mix? Seems like old times.

A new "mano a mano" shaping up in golf with Rory and Tiger squaring off .

Explain to me how women's tennis (the W.T.A.) devolves a ranking system where Serena Willams is ranked third, having won Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, two gold medals in the Olympics and the W.T.A. championship? What labyrnthian thought process came up with this seeding?

May the wirches and ghouls bring you treats.

ROUND 3

Thank God it's over, the last of the debates. Please hurry, November 6!

It was close, but a slight edge to Obama for controlled aggression. He snuck in a few goodies like "the horses and bayonets" bit.  Romney was in his "look and act Presidential" mode. The basic agreement on foreign policy was evident: at one point Romney reeled off a summary of what we've done and should do, and I'm sure the President smiled because it was pretty much a carbon copy of his policy.

I still think Obama missed a good opportunity to demonstrate the inconsistency and opportunism of Mitt Romney by not needling him regarding his progressive Health Care plan in Massachusetts and his present position of his first act being the repeal of Obamacare. And I think he should have retorted when Mitt Romney stressed his own abilty to work both sides of the aisle in Massachusetts by questioning if Mitt had a Mitch McConnell and a host of rabid Tea Partyites how well he would have reached across the aisle to deal with an implacable enemy whose first mission was to defeat his legislation and second mission not reelect him.

There is no question that Obama dug a deep hole in his first debate. He has tried to climb out of it and has acquitted himself more aggressively, but he let Mitt Romney gain momentum---and that is hard to stop.

It's going to be a tight one. My prediction: Obama by a nose or even a photo finish.

MAYBE THE WORLD IS FLAT...

 "Medieval" Court Convicts Scientists: Headline on AOL News

An Italian court startled the international community by handing down six-year prison sentences to a group of Italy's top experts Monday.

Now I’ve heard it all. Seven seismologists were convicted Monday of failing to predict the earthquake that devastated L'Aquila, Italy, killing 308 people in 2009.

The whole scientific community is in an uproar because of this incredible decision. Has anyone ever predicted with pinpoint accuracy any earthquake---or tsunami? Scientists are able to predict trends but never the exact day or time. These scientists weren’t quacks but a group of respected scientists.

What’s next? Will a court claim that scientists in the U.S.A. should be able to predict tornados and where exactly they will strike? Will the devastating fires in the west be subject to prosecution if the scientific community does not see them coming? Or, living here in Florida, Mississippi or Louisiana, should we go after the climatologists who didn’t predict the terrible hurricanes and their devastation?

This is the ultimate blame game. Someone wanted a pound of flesh---or several pounds, it would appear. This is also the ultimate triumph of emotion over reason. I hope some higher court can step in and render order out of this chaos.

ROUND TWO

What do you know, Barack Obama showed up for the second debate last night! In the first one, I don't know where he was or what he was trying to prove, except perhaps he thought by being quiet and restrained he would look Presidential.  Obama took a severe cuffing from the pugnacious mitts of Mitt and seriously (not fatally) hurt his cause.

Last night he remembered it was a debate and not a photo-op in dignity. Debates are rarely won by logic but by scoring points that keep your opponent off-balance  and edgy. The President's aggressive style, though perhaps repugnant to him, was effective against an opponent who just keeps boring in. (To me. most of Mitt's points are boring, but aggressive he is...) I believe Obama stanched the flow of blood and demonstrated that he could mix it up when necessary and score some points.

It  was a political Ali-Frazier rematch. Mitt as Smokin' Joe just keeps boring in, trying to corner his opponent, while Obama as Ali, rope-adoped on occasions and got in some good telling shots that hurt. So, round two to Obama.

Going into the third round. they're now even in debates. You can be sure Mitt will continue smoking and jabbing with his "Jobs, Jobs Jobs" punching. The President must continue his controlled aggression, taking a few shots to counter with bigger ones of his own. I still think, in addition to poking fun at the inconsistencies of Mitt's "new math" in reducing the deficit, he should also nail Mitt on his inconsistencies: i.e., how do you create a health plan for Massachusetts, the model for Obamacare, and then turn about and totally reject it,except on grounds of fear of losing his conservative base--- how could it be so wrong and yet so effective in Massachusetts? And he shouldn't be afraid to use his mantra of "the 47%" a few times. Obama also needs to deal in some specifics as to programs desired, stress again the obstinacy ever since he was elected by the Republicans to block any plan he backs (for example, Mitch McConnell stating that the main job of Congress from 2008 on was to stop Obama's legislation and get him beaten in 2012), even when he tried to reach across the aisle.

As I said, you don't win debates by being gentlemanly. The president doesn't have to sling mud---but he can be aggressive in defense of his programs and antagonistic to Mitt's philosophy. It should be very stimulating.

RYDER CUP II

God, now I'll probably have to wait another thirty-odd years for another chance: my Cincinnati Reds have blown it again! The San Francisco Giants came back from two games down and beat the Reds. Thirty-odd years would put me in the area of being 120, so I may be S.O.L. or so old I won't notice.

How you can win two games away and then blow three at home absolutely baffles me, but somehow the Reds found a way .  It was fun while it lasted---but not the last three days.

Dusty Baker and boys, meet Davis Love III and his cohorts...

MY FAVORITE MOVIE REVISITED

I happened to pick up on the web the other day a notice from Fandango that on Thursday, October 4, there would be selected showings in key cities of the 50th Anniversary Edition, digitally remastered, of my favorite film---"Lawrence of Arabia". One of my daughters is visiting who had only seen bits and pieces of it on TV, and she was interested, as was my wife who loved the original in 1962. Another friend expressed interest, so I purchased and printed four tickets, and off we went to Fort Myers and the Regal Belltower stadium for the matinee. It started at 1:00 p.m. and ended at 5:20 p.m.

In addition to the film interviews with the powers and crew at Sony Entertainment who did the restoration, there was a wonderful interview with the great director Martin Scorsese who saw it as a young teen and was captivated, plus newsclips of the Royal Opening in London attended by the Queen and , of course, all the stars. Films of the making of the picture in the Moroccan desert (simulating the deserts of Saudi Arabia) showed director Sir David Lean ("Bridge Over the River Kwai". "Doctor Zhivago", "Great Expectations","A Passage to India". "Oliver Twist", etc.) and his crew and stars. It was the first film for Peter O'Toole, then 28 and an experienced stage actor, whom Kathryn Hepburn saw on the stage and recommended to Lean. The vicissitudes of heat, wind and sun played havoc with the production, but they succeeded in having it ready for fall showing in key theaters around the world and in December of 1962 for the Queen's Command Performance.

I saw the original production in 1962 in New York at one of the big theater houses and was awed by the film. I've seen it a few times on TV including the restoration version  in 1988, but nothing could compare with what I saw on the big screen yesterday where all the power of modern computer technology was applied painstakingsly to this "modern" version.

It took your breath away in its scope and majesty. The original was in CinemaScope and impressive in scope---but nothing like the new version. Every pore of Lawrence's face in a sand storm, every mote of sand was crystal clear. And Lean's incredible panning of cameras from sky to desert was totally vivid.

This classic was not like so many films of today which depend less on acting and plot but more on special effects. Certainly the computer magic was there, which complemented the superb cast of actors and the fascinating story of this iconic hero of Arabia and the World War I battles against the Turks where this one man galvanized the many tribes of Arabia into a fighting and conquering force. The complexities of the man, his mixture of hero, sado-masochist, mystical introvert, politician, and daredevil extrovert, were evoked by Peter O'Toole's multi-dimensional performance. A cast including Alec Guiness, Anthony Quinn. Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains, Anthony Quayle, Arthur Kennedy and the charismatic Omar Sharif (already a star in Egypt but now a star in the west) was stellar. The famous music and Lawrence theme by Maurice Jarre still ranks, along with "Gone with the Wind", as one of the greatest cinematic musical scores ever created.

More than ever, it is my favorite film. Go buy the 50th Anniversary bluray edition and see it on a big screen HDTV. It won't equal the theater, but you'll still be awed, as I was.

THE FIRE STARTER

The Ryder Cup Matches were great theater with everything but a happy ending for the Americans. You have to give the Europeans credit for an amazing and courageous comeback.

Many heroes for the Europeans abounded, but one in particular stands out as a symbol of resolution, pure grit and combativeness---Ian Poulter. This Florida-based Brit has a history of performing well in match play---man vs. man. His Ryder cup record is incredible over the years, and he even won the World Match Play Championship a few years ago against the world’s best.

It was Poulter who ignited the turnaround with his incredible run of five successive birdies to stop the American avalanche in foursome golf. His was the momentum builder; his was the inspiration; his was the symbol of undying resistance as he stood with clenched fists and body pumps when he made his string of birdies. He did not lose a match, completing his sweep with a close one-up victory over U.S. Open Champion Webb Simpson mid Sunday afternoon.. It was about mid-afternoon that you began to get the message that the European tide was about to engulf the Americans.

All the big European guns came through when it counted. Rory McIlroy, number one in the world, who was almost late for his tee time due to a time misunderstanding, stopped the hot young American, Keenan Bradley. Luke Donald, the number three, always a stalwart in Ryder Cup, had had a mediocre record in this Cup but came through and outplayed Bubba Watson. Lee Westwood, number four in the world had a horrible losing record this year until the final singles match when he came through and defeated Matt Kuchar. Paul Lawrie, an old stalwart for Europe, whipped the hottest (until the Ryder cup) American player, Brandt Snedeker, who had just win the Fedex Cup Championship and Final, collecting $11,000,000. Snedeker quickly found that Ryder Cup pressure is stifling. Sergio Garcia nipped Jim Furyk in a tight match, calling on the ghost and memory of Seve Ballesteros, his friend and the late great Spanish star who tragically died of brain cancer last year and whose silhouette was on every European golf bag and sport shirt. Justin Rose, number six in the world and climbing fast, birdied the last two holes to steal one from the gallant Phil Mickelson by a stroke in an awesome display of grace under pressure (Hemingway’s famous definition of courage). And then of course, the Fire Starter himself, Ian Poulter, edging Simpson.

Only Jason Dufner, a fast-rising golfer, and the two Johnson Boys, Zach and Dustin, were able to win for the U.S.A. Tiger Woods lost every match until the final singles when he missed a three and a half foot putt and drew with Francisco Molinari.

It was a total deflation and crushing of hopes in a single Sunday afternoon . All the Americans can do is lick their wounds and hope that the scars heal quickly. Perhaps this crucible of experience under heat and pressure will harden their resolve for future encounters. In the meantime, hats off and bows to the Fire Starter and his friends.  Captain Jose Maria Olazabal, a former Ryder Cup stalwart with his friend and mentor, Seve Ballesteros, openly wept tears of joy. I think he and Seve planned the whole thing