By Emily Rosen M.S., M.A.

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

 Should I write about the woman sentenced to 20 years in prison for having shot in the air at her abusive husband?

Should I write about Syria, Iran and Russia and the U.N.’s attempt at showing new “muscle?”

Should I write about Ted Cruz, Obamacare, the debt ceiling and the government shutdown?

None of the above, while I am sitting in the hospital ICU watching my 87-year-old husband fight for life, and with a mind more lucid than it’s ever been, making his own quality of life decisions.

Yesterday, it was hospice care. This morning, he was dictating his obituary until he took a last-ditch test that, surprising to everyone concerned, indicated that he would actually be able to ingest some food and that he, therefore, had a chance of some kind of recovery.

He is now infused with hope. HOPE is good, even when it denies reality.

Illness in old age carries with it the extra burden of existential questioning about the value of life, the probing of one’s belief system, and the actual challenge that calls for the decisiveness of action or the passiveness of inaction. When is enough, too much? When does a person let go and accept the inevitable; when does he or she fight, struggle and submit to a mountain of indignities, probings, heroic measures that can never return him/ her to full youthful vigor, but MAY POSSIBLY keep him breathing and alert to pleasant physical surroundings and the warmth and caring of those who love him?

It helps to realize that other people have been faced with these kinds of conundrums for ages and, until it happens to YOU, there are no resolves that are binding.

So we go for the “one day at a time” model that seems to work, even as days turn to weeks and months. This gives us time to count blessings, probe each other’s minds, reminisce, look at old family pictures and mostly sharpen our sense of humor. Laughing has been the best medicine for both of us – laughter and total honesty about all aspects of the situation.

And then there are the tender moments that only many years of marriage (59) and the prospect of “an end” can elicit – different indeed from the passionate erotica of “new love.”

And when my husband assures me not only of his love, but of his conviction that I have been a perfect wife for him – adding, “Even better than Rita Hayworth or Marilyn Monroe,” I know I have done much better even than having my hands enshrined in The Hollywood Walk Of Fame at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

And the beat goes on.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach coach Allen Jackson had a feeling his team might start off slowly in its District 11-8A opener against rival Douglas on Friday night.

After all, the Bucks hadn’t been challenged in their opening two contests as they outscored Northeast, 37-0, and Blanche Ely, 46-6, before having last week off with a bye.

“We knew this was going to happen,” Jackson said. “Both teams came into the game undefeated and a win is a win. We’ll take it any way we can get it. This is a big, big, big win. Deerfield hasn’t been 3-0 to start the season in a while.”

Senior running back Aeron McNeal rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns as visiting Deerfield Beach rallied for the come-from-behind 47- 31 district victory over Douglas.

McNeal was ejected from the contest with 8:30 remaining in the game after being called for his second personal foul penalty in the game. It is unknown what his status will be for this week’s game against Coral Springs. The Bucks were penalized for 160 yards in the game.

“We aren’t sure what is going to happen with that,” Jackson said. “Our athletic director (Vinnie Tozzi) was going to talk to the officials and see what is up.”

Douglas (2-1, 0-1) took a 7-0 lead on a 15-yard scoring toss from Brett Israel to Tate Lehito. The score capped a 9- play, 68-yard drive. Deerfield Beach answered as it took the ensuing kickoff and marched 77 yards in eight plays as McNeal scored the first of his two touchdowns in the first half to tie the game at 7-7.

The Eagles scored off a fake punt to grab a 13-7 lead as Israel found Corey May with a short pass and he went 41 yards for the score with 11:35 remaining in the first half.

Deerfield Beach (3-0, 1-0) took the lead for good at 14- 13 on a 34-yard scoring run by Brandon Powell with 8:22 left in the first half. Douglas was driving for a go-ahead score late in the first half, however Israel’s pass was deflected and Powell returned the interception 53 yards to set up McNeal’s 48-yard TD run with 1:24 remaining in the first half.

“That gave us the momentum right there,” Jackson said. “It was what we needed and we were able to straighten things out after that.”

Douglas’ Davian Daley pulled the Eagles to within 21-19 as he scored on a 1- yard run to cap a nearly 9- minute drive to open the second half.

Deerfield’s McNeal broke off right tackle and scampered 20 yards to push the lead the 27-19 with 1:03 left in the third and the Bucks iced the game on a 73-yard TD pass from Danarious Graham to Leonard Scott with 8:30 remaining in the game. Douglas closed to within 34-25 on a 5-yard TD run by Khalil Herbert; however, Justin Morgan caught a 20-yard scoring toss from Graham, and then returned an onside kick 50 yards for the score to up the lead to 47-31.

The Eagles added a 24-yard scoring toss from Israel to Ryan Allison in the fourth quarter.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

When I was growing up, local movie theaters like Wometco Deerfield Ultravision used to have midnight movies on Friday and Saturday nights. They featured Grindhouse movies or LIVE concert documentaries, like Wings Over America or It’s Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper.With the advent of Saturday Night Live and home video, these movies became an endangered species.

Leave it to producer Charlotte Huggins to bring back nostalgia for a time gone buy. A veteran of 3-D family entertainment, Huggins has produced Metallica: Through the Never, a concert video with a surreal visual narrative thread. This film may not be for the “Lawrence Welk” lovers, but Heavy Metal heads my age and younger will want to experience it.

As the band Metallica (James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Urlich, Robert Trujillo) begin performing their sold-out apocalyptic concert, Trip the roadie (Dane DeHaan) is sent on an errand to retrieve a leather bag. Much like “Rosebud” from Citizen Kane or the briefcase from Pulp Fiction, the bag is the plot’s “MacGuffin,” and Trip’s quest to retrieve the bag takes on epic proportions.

There are some fantastic visuals of Trip confronting a vicious van accident, a street battle between anarchy and order with drops of apocalyptic terror mixed in. The unrelenting guitar shreds the viewer’s nerves, but there is a soothing denouement.

The beauty of seeing this concert in 3-D is that one can study the details. Monster Maven Kirk Hammett’s blistering guitar solos are enhanced by his movie poster tributes to Vincent Price and Boris Karloff that can be found on his guitars. With this attention to detail, one can appreciate the depth of this film.

For those seeking to continue the concert experience on the big screen, the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery & Science IMAX Theater will be presenting The Laser Light Experience with four laser experiences, two by Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall), and Laser Zeppelin and Laser Vinyl Classics.

In 45 minutes, Laser Vinyl Classics contains nine anthems of Rock ‘n Roll with laser visualization throughout the theater. Van Halen, KISS and Aerosmith are highlights, but Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody steals the show.

Both Metallica: Through the Never and The Laser Light Experience should be a field trip for the Bucks’ Class of ’83 reunion next month.

Syria is the focus today, not so much in the church as in the news.

One might think we have attention deficit disorder given we still have troops in harm’s way in Afghanistan. We’ve been out of Iraq for such a short time despite almost everyone’s interest (theirs and ours) in our departure. “Thank you, America. You can go home now!” Things have grown more violent in Iraq in our absence. Curious how that happens …

If there might be a moment of calm in the world, then maybe we’d refocus on the threat of North Korea, as they march toward a nuclear capacity already enjoyed (I use that word loosely) by Pakistan and Israel, to name a few.

If we were to have a lull in crises, we would surely shift our focus back to Iran’s nuclear development progressing in the shadows of Ahmadinejad’s promise to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Should we have a lull in crises, we might then focus on the conflicts of every continent, including our own.

No wonder the world barely noticed Sept. 21 was the International Day of Peace.

The United Nations and the world’s powers, including and especially our own nation, aim to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons for obvious reasons. There are fanatics who would love to kill a million people rather than a few thousand or a few hundred.

If you’ve been awake the last several weeks, you know it was the use of chemical weapons in Syria (chemical weapons sometimes referred to as “the poor man’s nuclear bomb”) which prompted the threat of military intervention by the U.S.A.

By conservative estimates, more than 100,000 people have been killed in the past two years in Syria, 2 million refugees have fled the country and, most notably, on Aug. 21 of this year, almost 1,500 men, women and children were killed with sarin gas. We may argue as to who is responsible, but no one can dispute the inhumane suffering of so many innocent people.

There are millions of peaceloving Syrians. Are they better off with the Assad regime, a Russian-supported secular government many believe is corrupt, or with rebel forces, many of whom have ties to Hezbollah and Al-Qaida? Do we even know? Do our political leaders really know?

What is unfortunate is we don’t seem to know and what is even more unfortunate is Syria is not the only mess in the world today.

Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world...”

Can we turn the other cheek to a jihadist who threatens to remove our head? Can we wage war against an enemy and love them at the same time?

Even the Prince of Peace points to the inevitability of war in this conflicted world when he says, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, though the end is not at hand. For nation will rise against nation …” (Matthew 24)

Jesus also teaches that much is expected of those to whom much is given. This is true of nations as well as people.

Thank God there are nations able to confront regimes that build concentration camps with gas chambers for these are regimes and chambers that must be torn down.

In these times when there are too many conflicts for even the world’s superpower to contain or even completely understand, then surely we will turn to the Lord.

Pray “the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire…” [Psalm 46]

God’s Kingdom is our focus today, not so much in the news, as in the church.

Dennis Andrews is the Pastor at Community Presbyterian Church, “Steeple on the Beach,” located five blocks south of Hillsboro Blvd. on A1A. Sunday Services are held at 8:30 and 11 a.m.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach Raiders coach Bobby Cooper took in stride his Pop Warner Tiny Mite team’s loss to host Delray Rocks.

The Rocks got touchdown runs of 50 and 32 yards from Jayden Parrish, a 43-yard TD run from Zandher Mesidort and a 50-yard scoring run from Courtney Brown to improve to 3-0 for the year. Deerfield fell to 1-2 with its second consecutive loss.

“That is a very good team right there and our kids have got nothing to be ashamed of,” said Cooper, who has been coaching youth football for the past eight years. He took over the Raiders just eight days before the season opener. “Our kids kept fighting to the end. They didn’t quit and I am really proud of them. They are right about where they should be, considering how young and inexperienced they are.”

The Tiny Mite Division is composed of players ages 5- 7, who weigh between 35 and 75 lbs. The majority of the players on the Raiders team are 13. There are three players who are 7 and one who is 6 years old.

By contrast, the undefeated Rocks have an experienced team.

“We have 15 returning players from last year’s team, so they have been doing really well,” said Delray Rocks coach Anthony Guy, who has been coaching for 12 years, including the past six with the Rocks. “The best thing about this process is seeing the work that they put in on the field before the season is paying off.”

Cooper agreed and said his team is looking to rebuild from the bottom weight class. They have three teams in the program ranging from the Tiny Mite program to the Midget Program.

“The hardest part about working with 13 5-year-olds, and you only got two who have ever played (football) before, is to have patience,”

Cooper added. “The key is to have a lot of patience. If you don’t have patience, you don’t need to be out here.” Cooper and his staff concentrate on the basics with his Treasure Coast-based Pop Warner program.

“We teach them about teamwork and we like to get the families involved, especially the fathers,” Cooper said. “We try and get the families to spend time with the kids. We are teaching them everything they need to know. It also isn’t about winning. We want them to learn important lessons and sports will do that.”

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

For almost 15 years, Roadside Attractions has distributed independent motion pictures with consistently profitable results and mostly critical acclaim. Super Size Me was their first documentary to be nominated for an Academy Award, The Cove won the “golden idol” and has become a blueprint for many documentaries about animal rights.

Regarding their fictional projects, they have earned a reputation for high artistic standards with a frugal budget. Winter Bone, Biutiful and Albert Nobbs earned Oscar nominations for Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem and Glenn Close, respectfully. With this success rate, highpriced actors often take a cut in salary to be in a motion picture distributed by Roadside Attractions.

Thanks for Sharing must have been produced when Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow had some free time during the production of The Avengers. With moments of light-hearted comedy, this film deals with sexual addiction.

Much like an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting, Thanks for Sharing introduces three characters on a first name basis. Adam (Ruffalo) is celebrating five years of “sobriety” (actually, celibacy). Adam’s sponsor is Mike (Tim Robbins), a married man with a troubled son Danny (Patrick Fugit). New to the Sex Addiction Meeting is Neil (Josh Gad), a medical doctor who makes inappropriate moves on his boss and females in the subway.

At first, dealing with addiction is treated like a comedy. Adam and Phoebe (Paltrow) exchange banter like Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn. Being the youngest of the three, the overweight Dr. Neil gets involved with moments of slapstick and video technology. Being the oldest of the three, Mike shares some quiet moments with his wife (Joely Richardson) while performing miracles for strangers.

Of course, relationships unravel and the three men must confront outside forces that make their addictions more profound. At this point, the film tries to change its tone from comedy to tragedy. The transition is not successful, despite some interesting performances. (Kudos to rock singer Pink, a.k.a. Alecia Moore, as the one with the worst sexual addiction issues).

Based on the Judy Blume novel, Tiger Eyes, which opens tomorrow at Cinema Paradiso, won the Best Feature Award at the recent Palm Beach International Film Festival. Jewtopia also opens tomorrow. Based on the Off- Broadway play, this comedy about the marriage of a Jewish woman and gentile man stars Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Jon Lovitz and Rita Wilson as potential in-laws.

Many people come to Yiskor Memorial Services with a mixture of emotion. They may still be grieving. They may be sad or angry over their loss, and, yet, they also long to find ways to honor the memory of their loved ones. Yiskor gives people a chance to do that.

Honoring memory has been on my mind a lot lately; after all, we recited the Yiskor Service on Yom Kippur and will do so again on Sukkoth. So, I have been focused on ways to create holy memories.

I know that many people are always looking for a huge miracle in their lives. Many are so busy watching for a big miracle that they seem to miss all the little miracles that occur on a daily basis. For instance, take the pumping of the human heart. This miraculous organ loyally does its rhythmic beating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether we are awake or asleep. Yet, how often do we take time to thank G-d for this miraculous organ?

Most of us don’t even give a thought to the beating of our heart until we experience severe palpitations; then, we take note. And how many of us take the time to thank G-d when those momentary palpitations stop and our heart goes back into normal sync?

What if the heart is not capable of going back into normal rhythm by itself? What then? Well, how many of us have thanked G-d for giving us the intellect and the ingenuity to create life-saving devices like a pacemaker or a defibrillator?

As you can see, I am focused on the heart so let me get to the heart of the matter pertaining to honoring our dearly departed.

In the past, anytime someone was going through the loss of a momma, a Yiddishe momma, one of the questions I would ask is if the momma had played Mahjong. The response was always accompanied by an immediate smile with a, “Yes, she did; she loved the game; in fact, I have her Mahjong set.”

And I would explain how it would honor their momma’s memory if, whenever they played the game, they used their momma’s set. And sure enough, each time they played using that set, they would remember the joy that that game gave to their momma, and they would realize how they were keeping that joy, her joy, alive.

But nowadays, when I ask about Mahjong, the response is usually, “Oh yes, momma played the game, but I don’t.” And, when I ask what they are going to do with momma’s Mahjong set, I am usually told that they plan to sell it on e-Bay.

And that’s when I try and get their heart in sync with honoring their momma’s memory. I suggest that, instead of selling the set, they take some of the tiles and have someone drill a hole in each one and put a chain through it making necklaces that can be given to every member of the family and to the friends who used to play Mahjong with their momma.

This gives something of sentimental value … something of heart that each of them can wear near their heart, and my prayer is that, each time they wear it, they should be filled with joyous memories.

And that is my wish for each of you, my dear readers. May you hold joyous memories of your dearly departed close to your heart.

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and of the Association of Professional Chaplains, He works professionally in this capacity with a number of healthcare facilities in the area, and with hospice.

Rabbi Ezring is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach. We welcome you to join our warm and caring family for Shabbat and festival services. We’ll make your heart glow…who knows, you might even fall in love with Shul all over again.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Since the terrorist attacks 12 years ago, I’ve made a point of doing something constructive every Sept. 11. Whether over-tipping at a bar or donating my Thespian services to a film production (by director Jose Prendes). This year, though a Kickstarter campaign, I will be involved in an independent film titled Reach Me, written and directed by John Herzfeld. This is an uplifting story about a “self-help” book (titled Reach Me) that inspires people. This ensemble cast features Sylvester Stallone, Kyra Sedgwick, Kelsey Grammer, Thomas Jane and Tom Sizemore. Sizemore received the Lifetime Achievement Award last May, from the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival.

Next month, the 28th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) kicks off Oct. 18- Nov.11. For the third year in a row, Muvico Pompano will be included in the mix. Actress Lea Thompson (Back to the Future, Howard the Duck, Some Kind of Wonderful) is scheduled to attend an Oct. 20 screening to promote her latest movie The Trouble with Truth.

FLIFF is making an attempt to balance independent artistic inspirations with mainstream entertainment values, best represented with Anna Paquin’s appearance. Currently on the vampire television show True Blood,

Paquin earned a Best Supporting Oscar for The Piano, starring Holly Hunter. She is also best known for her role as Rogue in the X-Men movies, including next year’s future blockbuster – X-Men Days of Future Past. Paquin, along with director Shana Betz, will be opening the fest with Free Ride.

Paquin portrays a single mother who is immersed in the South Florida drug trades. After the screening at Cinema Paradiso on Friday night, Oct. 18, there will be an opening night party at Villa di Palma hosted by philanthropist Steve Savor.

Legendary actors Tab Hunter, Ed Asner, Ann-Margaret and writer of Boys Don’t Cry, Aphrodite Jones, are expected to be honored this year. Tickets are selling at a faster pace this year. Get your tickets soon. For more information, contact the box office at 954-525-FILM (3456) or visit www.fliff .com.

Mademoiselle C, a documentary about Carine Roitfeld, the operations manager for French Vogue, opens tomorrow [just as Fashion Week ends in NYC]. This film looks at Roitfeld’s transition from the magazine medium to starting her own business involving QR Codes.

Do you remember where you were? Do you remember what you were doing? Well, I sure do remember exactly where and when! I was driving to work on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. I remember because I was a little late to work that day and I was still in the car when the reports starting coming over the radio. I remember because at first I thought it was one of those radio pranks that the radio announcers play from time to time, although I thought this one was a little wild and cruel. I remember thinking it had to be a joke because there is no way this could actually be happening … no way could it be happening to the good old United States of America on our own soil. We need to make sure that we never ever forget what happened that day.

The word “remember” is in the King James version of the Bible 148 times. There are things in the Bible that God wanted us to always remember and never forget. There are things that God thought were important for us to store in our memory banks and never let them leave. God wants us to remember His teachings from the Holy Bible.

2 Peter 3:2

2 I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.

NLT

2 Kings 17:38-39

38 Do not forget the covenant I made with you, and do not worship other gods.

39 You must worship only the Lord your God. He is the one who will rescue you from all your enemies.”

NLT

It has been 12 years now and we need to make sure we remember that we as a united country turned to God in our time of need and He brought us comfort. I remember all the members of Congress standing on the capitol steps and praying to God for help. I remember seeing men and women risk their own lives to try and save those who were in the middle of those disasters with no fear. I remember our enemy trying to scare us and intimidate us on our own soil, in our very own country. I remember a great country and a great people rising up together and turning to God for help. With God’s help (because we asked for it), we rose above what our enemy tried to do to us. I even remember feeling anger when we went to New York City the following year to visit family and being able to see the two holes in the ground that were left.

Please do not ever forget the tragedy that happened that day. Do not forget the lives that were taken in those horrible events. Do not forget the lives that were given by our civil servants. Do not forget that God helped us through that horrible time and allowed us to begin to heal. Remember and pray for those that who lost lives and also for those who gave their lives to help others.

Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship church.

By Gary Curreri

If Friday night’s contest was any indication, the third time could be the charm for Deerfield Beach football coach Allen Jackson.

Brandon Powell rushed for 144 yards, caught two passes for 40 yards and scored three touchdowns as host Deerfield Beach blanked Northeast, 37- 0 in the season opener for both teams.

Jackson went 3-6-1 in his first year with the program and failed to make the playoffs. The Bucks went 5-5 last year and fell to state runnerup Cypress Bay, 41-13, in the regional quarterfinal round of the Class 8A state playoffs.

“Last year helped a lot for the simple reason that we figured out what we had to do, and the kids bought into the weight room during the offseason, and we’re trying to get the team continuity back together,” Jackson said. “That told them they could play. They were able to do that and we were able to bring the core of the kids back, and I think that worked out well for us.”

Northeast (0-1) looked good on its opening drive as it took the opening kickoff and marched 44 yards to the Bucks’ 22, but lost the ball on downs when quarterback DeAngelo Fulford’s pass was incomplete. From then on, it was all Deerfield Beach.

Powell and Aeron McNeal each scored twice in the first half as the Bucks (1-0) scored on its first three possessions to grab a 21-0 lead.

“They are a great 1-2 punch,” said Jackson, whose team will face Blanche Ely this Saturday. “They got over 2,000 yards last year, and we are hoping they could duplicate that this year. We added a quarterback (Danarious Graham) this year and we have some receivers so we will be able to throw the ball a little bit more this year and it will take the pressure off them. The basis of our team is still running the ball.”

Powell, a University of Miami commit, bolted to a 67-yard TD run on the Bucks’ third play from scrimmage to give Deerfield Beach a 6-0 lead. McNeal capped a 5- play, 45-yard drive with a 1- yard plunge and Powell caught the 2-point conversion pass from Graham to make it 14-0.

Powell extended the lead to 21-0 with 10:09 remaining in the first half when he hauled in a 35-yard scoring toss from Graham. The Bucks picked up a safety and McNeal added a 12-yard scoring run to propel the Bucks to a 30-0 halftime cushion. Powell, who finished the game with 15 carries for 104 yards, added a 10-yard TD run in the third to push the lead to 37-0 and force a running clock. McNeal had 12 carries for 79 yards, while Graham threw for 110 yards and added another 40 yards on the ground.

The Bucks defense is led this season by defensive ends Tyler Sayles (FIU commit) and Jason Strowbridge, and a freshman linebacker in Emmit Bruton. Justin Morgan, Artez Levine, Vernon Thompson, James Pierre all have experience in the secondary.

“I am very excited about the season,” said Jackson, whose team graduated 15 players from last year’s team, including seven starters. “We set our goals high and the kids know this is it. We have to strive for it. I am realistic, and I know you need a lot of luck. You need a lot of things to go your way. If we stay away from injuries, stay healthy and the ball falls our way, I think wecan do pretty well.”