Francesca Schiavone Electrifies the Tennis World Twice at the Australian Open: Great Commentary from ESPN Broadcasters

Francesca Schiavone at the Brisbane International, in 2009

To be a witness to two women's matches for the ages, orchestrated by one peak performance player in successive rounds is indeed a rarity.

And that's exactly what I was privileged to see--brought to us 'live' on ESPN TV.

The performer was Francesca Schaivone who it seems has flashed across the skies like a comet that debuts once in a century.

This small Italian powerhouse electrified the tennis world by winning the 2010 French Open at 30 years of age. (Really, who had heard of her before this sensation?)

So high was her level of play, so full -throttle her gutsy shotmaking that she captured not only my attention, but pumped up my adrenaline level as well. She nearly knocked off the number one player in the world -- not even 2 days after playing a fatiguing 4 hour and 44 minute match in which she bested her opponent Svetlana Kutznetsova 6-4, 1-6, 16-14.

I watched tennis history being made in a brilliant three-set round of 16 match between Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kutznetsova. The Italian player successfully fought off 6 match points to outplay her opponent. Along the way to the 16-14 win, both players called on their trainers--simultaneously-- to help overcome severe cramps and fatigue; they then played at an even higher level of tennis.

The nearly 5 hour match was the longest in the open era.

Two early AMs later (early evening in Melbourne), Schiavone raised her game to a higher level playing against the much more rested, 20 year old number one seed, Caroline Wozniacki.

Here is the poignant pivotal commentary by the ESPN tennis team:The score is 3-6, 6-3, 5-2 and Wozniacki serving at 40-15, with a double match point. Schiavone saves the first match point.

Dick Enberg: She truly honors the game.

Schiavone then saves the second match point with a crisp passing shot.

Mary Joe Fernandez: Outstanding

Dick (TV camera panning to Wozniacki's dad): Father Peter (is wondering) 'where in the world that Italian is finding these shots?'

Mary Joe: You have to give her an ovation because of the desire, the will that's carrying her through.

Pam Shriver: She has fought off 8 match points [in two consecutive matches].

The game in now tied at deuce. Wozniacki wins the next point to take an advantage for a third shot at the match.

In the next point Schiavone drop shots her opponent to save match point number 3.

Mary Joe: Got it!

Schiavone then wins the next two points to break serve and tightens the score to 5-3. The crowd breaks the hushed silence with a standing ovation.

Mary Joe: I'm standing....that's worth a standing ovation...that game.
....................I mean unbelievable!

....................God loves you Francesca Schiavone.

The ESPN team says it all so well and Francesca gave it all....Two matches and stars to remember for all times

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Coming Home to Katrina: Celebrating the Festival of Hannukah at Spanish Plaza, New Orleans: Part IV

Kindling the Festival Lights of Hannukah in the Wake of Katrina,

Spanish Plaza, New Orleans, Lousiana, December 2005

Photographer, RJ Schwartz, Stamford, CT

After returning from Biloxi, Mississippi, I took a tour of the Lakeview District of New Orleans and witnessed more heartbreaking scenes that reminded me of a wasteland. Traffic lights were not functioning, strip mall shopping centers were boarded up, homes were abandoned with water line marks clearly visible. Signs were posted by the Army Corps of Engineers on condemned property.

Congregation Beth Israel, established in 1903 and once the largest Synagogue in the south and located not far from Lake Ponchartrain presented a frightful sight. 7 Torah scrolls were destroyed by the rising waters of the hurricane as were over 3000 prayer books. The doors to the sanctuary were surprisingly unlocked and I tip-toed in. Though the stain glass windows were intact, the floors were water stained, the pews removed and the holy ark de-sanctified.

Congregation Beth Sholom in the Lakeview District

of New Orleans, December 2005, Photo by RJ Schwartz

One morning, Rabbi Rivkin, the spiritual leader of the Chabad House in New Orleans appeared on a local morning TV show and announced his support of an outdoor community Hannukah lighting event in Spanish Plaza.

LJ Goldstein and I volunteered to remove all the accumulated wax on the huge Menorah that is pictured above. We spent the better part a day with a power sander removing hardened wax from last year's lighting.

Dancing to live klezmer music at Spanish

Plaza, New Orleans, December 2005

That night, LJ and I danced along with hundreds of participants, ate middle eastern foods and were entertained by local klezmer musicians. It was great being part of an enlightening event which uplifted the spirits of all who attended.

In early 2006, the Rabbi's wife sent a kind letter thanking me--meaning primarily my high school students mentioned earlier--for a generous donation to Chabad for the repurchase of valuable school supplies, hebrew books, machbereses (writing books), writing and drawing utensils, paper, etc--all of which had been lost to Katrina.

Part I of this 8th transformative event begins here.

Drawn to help the victims of Katrina; Part III, Metarie, Louisiana and Biloxi, Mississippi

Rededication of Torah Scrolls at Congregation

Shir Chadash, Metarie, Louisiana, December 2005

At last my Christmas vacation was rapidly approaching and I booked reservations aboard Delta from LaGuardia airport. I had a full 10 days and planned to spend my entire vacation there.

Delta Airlines, I discovered was offering special inexpensive fares to those who would book their tickets in advance by visiting a ticket agent at LaGuardia. Was I ever impressed that a major US Airline was actually doing a small act of kindness to encourage similar acts of kindness for those who had a burning desire to help Katrina's victims.

Here are some of the highlights of my two trips to New Orleans.

I visited five Synagogues (prayed at three) in both New Orleans and Biloxi, Mississippi to lend support to those members who had chosen to remain and rebuild after the storm's devastation.

I hooked up with L J Goldstein a New Orleans lawyer and photographer and the two of us particpated in the rededication of Congregation Shir Chadash in Metarie. The president told how much he appreciated my coming down and participating in the relocation of the Torah scrolls to the ark.

The Torah scrolls, which had been in storage for 3 months were once again placed in the ark; then the Hannukah candles, which commemorate the rededication of the Temple in the Hasmonian times, were lit.

The Congregation lost nearly one-third of its members just after Katrina struck and slowly these members were filtering back from Memphis, Atlanta, Houston and other locales. LJ and I were treated to an elaborate Kosher Chinese buffet dinner. (slide show of this event is forthcoming).

An off-shore casino boat was washed ashore

at Biloxi, Mississippi, photographer RJ Schwartz

A trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, a two hour drive from New Orleans, showed the devastating effects of Katrina upon this gulf community. A large casino ship in the harbor was destroyed and brought ashore. There were bare remains of waterfront estates. It was like bombs had dropped from the sky leaving only bare foundations of homes. Acres and acres of concrete steles (pillars) were like gravestones in a huge cemetary.

Seagulls usually in abundance, were not to be seen. (I took a photo of a solitary bird flying the coastline)

Destroyed Mansions along Beach Boulevard. in Biloxi, Mississippi

The area resembles a mutilated graveyard, December 2005,

photographer RJ Schwartz

There were no streetlights, no restaurants, no grocery stores, no gas pumps. Biloxi was a deserted town. The Synagogue, needless to say was shuttered; people were still in shock.

To be continued.

Drawn to Help Katrina's Victims: Part II of the Eighth Transformative Event of the Decade

New Orleans Scene of Devastation in the 9th Ward

Photo Credits, RJ Schwartz, Late December 2005

As soon as Katrina images flooded the media at the end of August in 2005, I knew that I had to be in New Orleans to personally give support to those souls who had weathered the storm.

I was teaching full time .....so the earliest I could fly down would be late December during the holiday break.

Meanwhile, my thoughts were daily reaching out to those who I felt needed comfort and help. I had seen images on TV of the 9th ward, where the water levels had reached record heights after the levees had broke. I saw images of the elderly, lacking the means and the will to flee, who had to be rescued by motorized boats from their homes.

Looters were carting off TV sets, appliances and anything moveable from the shops in the French Quarter and the rest of the downtown. I had read stories of brave IDF soldiers who tried valiantly to rescue seven Torah scrolls from a flooded ark in a Synagogue in the Lakeview district.

FEMA was bringing in trailers to house the homeless which proved inadequate.

Tens of thousands of residents had fled the city for places north to be with relatives. Houston reached out to provide food and shelter to those in need

Meanwhile, I galvanized my Biology students into donating money to a fund which I planned to distribute to those in need.

To be continued.

Coming soon slide show of my trips to New Orleans and Biloxi.

Six and a half transformative events in the first decade of the 21st Century

Here's a summary of my first six and a half (for the 'half', see Katrina Part I, below) blogs on major transformative events that have and continue to have strong influcences not only on me-but by inference also on my (our) family, community, Congregation, State, Nation and the World.

My decade began with the destruction of the world trade center towers.

I had personally witnessed the horror, the pain and loss that this devastation brought to two families living adjacent to each other. By extension, thousands and tens of thousands of Americans and citizens of other countries likewise suffered loss of dear ones.

I made a flight to the Holy Land where I discovered the extreme economic downturn to the small state of Israel in the loss of tourist dollars. I personally witnessed the hatred of America and her ally Israel in a walking tour of a Palestinian neighborhood where I had been 'attacked' by a young group of ragamuffins shouting "Ugly, f___ing American, Go home American"

I had toured the Cholon municipality near Tel Aviv to witness the small impact of my grandfather's building mission on the reclamation of acres and acres of sand.

My Hebraic roots were rediscovered on the journey: I re- celebrated my Bar Mitzvah and had the privilege of teaching ethics, culture, trope and cantillations to pre-teens students.

An exciting and rewarding year of my life involved teaching journalism skills to inner-city students at Jamaica High School to republish the Hilltopper, once the best High School newspaper in the nation; here as well, I had the privilege of teaching ESL to most appreciative students-- newly-admitted proud young citizens to a country that built its success as a result of welcoming tens of millions of immigrants to its shores for the last 400 years.

Next, I successfully dealt with my fourth divorce: my adopted 12 year old daughter, rescued from the abuse of an orphanage, had been given a new lease on life; I exited the marriage on good terms with both my 'daughter' as well as her mom. The secrets of maintaining lasting harmony with exes will be explored.

Next, dear reader, join me on my continuing odyssey where I will show you how Katrina (see Part I) gave me the opportunity to perform small acts of kindness that can-- individually and collectively--help transform our ailing nation--ailing economically as well as spiritually.

To begin with the first transformative event click here.

Hurricane Katrina Presents me with an Opportunity to Perform Small Acts of Kindness: Part I

President Bush aboard Air Force I Surveying

the Damage Caused by Hurricane Katrina

Katrina began as a category I storm as it hit Southern Florida with winds clocked at about 75-95 miles per hour. She left as many as nine people dead according to the BBC.

Instead of moving west towards the Florida panhandle, she turned southwest to hug the Florida coast. From there she changed direction and headed northwest toward the Louisiana Mississippi coast and by the time she struck the Louisiana coastline she had been upgraded to a category 4 storm with winds reaching 131-155 miles per hour.

Mayor Ray Nagin's repeated SOS's calls to the White House were at first ignored. The President had been informed by the National Weather Service that the levees protecting New Orleans were being breached.

The Superdome had been opened to accommodate over 30,000 residents. Food, water and optimal sanitary conditions were soon exhausted with people urinating and defecating whenever and wherever they could. There were reports of rapes.

The President's first glimpse of the horrific natural disaster took place from Air Force I, on Wednesday August 31st--nearly 4 days after the disaster struck. (see photo above)

The media flooded us with images of devastation and the horrors of a city of anomy amidst a sea of chaos.

Image source (1)

To be continued

For the first seven (of eleven) transformative events of the last decade begin here

The Grey Lady Lets Her Hair Down with Berlusconi Story

The front page of the New York Times

from July 29, 1914

For perhaps the first time in her 160 publishing history, The New York Times has let her aging grey hair down.

The front page of the Week in Review Section this Sunday looks like it could be a page out of Rupert Murdoch's New York Post.

The occasion is the hot story that is going global about Italy's media magnate and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's alleged affair with an 18 year-old night club dancer that began when she was 16.

Innuendos abound, rumors swirl around with the lady in question throwing a screen about her age, her remunerations, her purported domestic abuses at an early age.

The truth is buried somewhere and, perhaps, will emerge in time.

The real news here is the large tabloid type, a sensual photo of the lady in question- eclipsing part of the title page line- and her remarks that she "Invented a Parallel Life" as well as the word SURREAL in extra large type.

The new deliberately shocking format is certainly an eye-catcher on the Times part and is perhaps 'signs of the times' ; Rupert Murdoch, the king of media, is beefing up his weekend edition of his Wall Street Journal in an effort to steal market share in a media war that is sure to further heat up.

Stay tuned....Meanwhile hats off to the NYT.

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