First it was FLOOD. The Fire Next Time? New South Wales Australia is experiencing UNPRECEDENTED FIRES. LIKE CALIFORNIA?

I checked my world map to see where Adelaide is vis a vis New South Wales. Far enough away that you aren't in jeopardy. Just yet. So you are suffering with the dought we were for years and years and years. Funding cuts. You too? The motormouth threatens to withhold federal funds for California. He scolds us when we are on fire. SIGH. Thank you for your informative and helpful reply R and Happy Saturday. By the by isn't it enough that you have Ash Barty? You got Alex de Minar too? Sheesh!

I grew up in NSW and all of my brothers, sister and Dad still live there. One fire worried me, at Woodford in the Blue Mountains, but that one is under control now. A few miles from where my father lives. I feel for those in the north of the State where fires are still raging, but don't personally know anyone there.

De Minotaur isn't number one and it's unlikely he ever will be. The kid is good, but not great.

Ash on the other hand is a juggernaut. Fed Cup final and she was Uber Eats - delivered two bagels to Caro Garcia, clobbering her 6-0 6-0 in somewhat less than an hour. She reminds me of Evonne Goolagong - equally gracious in victory and defeat, a true lady as well as an astonishing sportswoman. Did you know she quit tennis to pursue professional cricket for a while, before returning to the court? This post was edited by Slartibartfast at November 9, 2019 6:07 AM MST

I know he is isn't RIGHT NOW. Why the Minotaur? Alex de Minaur isn't it? Why do you say that about him? Jim saw Ash eat up Garcia. I HATE when anyone bagels. I feel so bad for anyone who doesn't even win one game and get on the scoreboard.

I know all about Ash. I know she was out playing cricket until she realized she missed tennis and had a real passion to get in the game. I think the break was the best thing she did. It solidified her focus and you can see what that has wrought so far.

Anyway maybe you're right about Alex. I think it's kinda early to write him off but well you're the Aussie not me. Thank you for your reply. Ash has a sparklilng bulldog personality. By that I mean she is charming and sweet and gracious but a tough gal on the court and very focused. She is much prettier than a bulldog. I speak TENACITY. See ya.

When he first arrived, social media was making all sorts of jokes about anybody beating him being Theseus, due to the similarity in names. Just add two letters.
As for his game, I haven't seen the power in the ground strokes of a Nadal, the sureness of a Federer or the booming serve of an Ivanesevic. He's about the nicest guy on the court atm but you know what they say about nice guys.
Ash on the other hand can be a little erratic (she went precisely nowhere at Wimbledon) but when she's "on", forget it. Unbeatable.

May I remind you that Federer got beaten when he first showed up. So did Rafa. So did Djokovich. THEY GOT BETTER AND DEVELOPED THEIR SIGNATURE SINGULAR GAMES.

No one is as good right out of the packaging as they are later on when everything comes together better. I'm just sayin' you could be right but it's a tad bit early to come to that conclusion in my opinion. A few weeks ago you were down on Ash. Remember? So I say relax kick back watch and wait and then decide. Just a thought sweetie! :) This post was edited by RosieG at November 9, 2019 6:41 AM MST

I wasn't "down" on her, I'm not sure that she's at her best on fast surfaces is all. She does tend to be below her best on grass. She's devastating on European clay, that's slow. Rebound Ace and cement are faster, grass is fastest of all and she didn't fire at Wimbledon. I'll reserve the comment that is being bandied about, ie "greatest of all" for the time being. Margaret Court still holds that one, "The Arm" won a whopping 64 slams including a calendar year Triple Grand Slam (singles, doubles and mixed at all four tournaments in a single year), a feat unmatched before or since. Her comments post tennis have been deplorable, but her on-court feats were almost unbelievable. I have a sneaking suspicion that her antipathy towards homosexuality has less to do with her religious beliefs and more to do with her hatred of one particular homosexual - Billie Jean King.

Margaret Court dislikes Billie Jean King? I remember decades ago when Billie Jean first came out. I was surprised at the time but that was all. Billie Jean has done a lot for women's tennis. I mean she has a stadium named after her at Flushing Meadows. So why the antipathy? I guess I just don't why someone sexuality is anyone else's dam* business! How does it affect anyone but her and her partner? Some folks go way out of their to get their nose bent out of shape don't they? Ya know I like that question so I'm gonna ask it. I LOVE Steffi Graf. Don't like Martina Navratilova much especially as a commentator.  She seems kinda SNIDE. I love it when Lindsay Davenport or Mary Jo Fernandez or Pam Shriver do the commenting or Chrissie Evert. I used to see them play. I also didn't like Martina Hingus after her meltdown in her loss to Steffi Graf I think it was. She was shameful. But I digress. Good luck with your excellent tenns stars..past, current and future. :)

How very true...

That there was a catastrophic flood in the Near East in late prehistory is almost undeniable, many texts from the region and even as far away as India mention it. Only the name of the protagonist changes - Noah, Sargon, Gilgamesh etc. It was probably the inundation of the fertile valley that is now the Black Sea - that was "all the world" they knew. The tsunamis from that event would have lapped at Mt Ararat, so to that fits too.
The account in Genesis was lifted almost word-for-word from the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. Moses DIDN'T write it, the Torah was set in its final form during the Babylonian captivity, so a little syncretism was inevitable. The Priests tweaked it to fit their narrative better.