Beautiful Clouds Over Balboa Park

Posted on by georgefattell

I found the cloud formations over Balboa Park quite stunning yesterday (08/24/13). I’m glad I had my camera with me so I could capture a few images. I first noticed the clouds while waiting for the Trolly at Old Town. I was going to take the trolly to Little Italy and walk back home to Cortez Hill after I run a few errands in the Old Town area, but I decided to jump on the #10 Bus from there and got off at 5th Avenue in Hillcrest. From there I walked to the park and took a few pictures. Here are a few of my favorites…

Balboa Park, San Diego. 24 August 2013.
Balboa Park, San Diego.
24 August 2013.
Cabrillo Bridge, Balboa Park
Cabrillo Bridge, Balboa Park
Sixth Avenue, San Diego
Sixth Avenue, San Diego
Southwest 737 approaches Lindbergh Field
Southwest 737 approaches Lindbergh Field
The view from the west side of the park, looking toward the Museum of Man.
The view from the west side of the park, looking toward the Museum of Man.

74% Rarely or Never Use Mass Transit – Rasmussen Reports™

Posted on by georgefattell

74% Rarely or Never Use Mass Transit – Rasmussen Reports™.

I am going to come back to this post and add some add comments about this topic. I was a little surprised that so many people in this country never use mass transit. I think more people will use mass transit in the future, but the figures in this report indicate that a lot of work remains to be done to get more people on mass transit.

Rand Paul: ‘Old guard’ losing elections – James Arkin – POLITICO.com

Posted on by georgefattell

Rand Paul: ‘Old guard’ losing elections – James Arkin – POLITICO.com.

I think Rand Paul is absolutely correct about the GOP’s “Old Guard” and I think Paul will prove to be a very formidable candidate for President in 2016. I look forward to Paul engaging in an ideological battle with the representatives of the Old Guard (Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, John McCain, Peter King, et al).

Scenes from Comic-Con 2013

Posted on by georgefattell

Welcome to Comic-ConWell, San Diego’s annual celebration of the entertainment arts is in full swing and I have spent the last few days taking quite a few pictures of Comic-Con displays and the people (I use that term loosely in some cases) who attended the massive event. I’m sorting through my pic’s right now and I’m going post the ones I find to be the most interesting, bizarre, entertaining or funny (some could be all the above).

I live on Cortez Hill, in downtown San Diego, about a mile from the San Diego Convention Center and the Gaslamp Quarter is even closer to my neighborhood, so it has been fairly easy for me to trot on down to where all the Comic-Con action is. I really lucked out this year because I did not have a pass, but I was able to attend the preview night of the convention because I bumped into a few people in the Gaslamp who were handing out free passes on Wednesday, the 17th, when everything kicked off.

Comic-Con was already a pretty big deal by the time I moved to San Diego from New York City back in 2003. That year the attendance was 70,000. I had heard of Comic-Con prior to moving to SD, but I didn’t fully appreciate what an important event it had become for serious fans of comics, sci fi/fantasy movies and TV shows, video/computer gamers, etc. until I saw how downtown San Diego was invaded every summer by the Comic-Con folks. As you might expect, it attracts mostly younger people, but it does draw a fairly diverse group of people. It is multi-generational and draws people from all over the States as well as many foreign countries. The last few years the attendance of the 5 day event has surpassed 130,000. The first Comic-Con was held at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego back in 1970 and the attendance was 145. Back then it simply an event that gave comic fans an opportunity to buy, sell and trade comic books. Over the years it evolved into something that covers all forms of media related to the entertainment arts.

Has Comic-Con become too big? I don’t think so, but I’m not so sure I would want to see become any larger than it is right now, but I think it probably continue to grow. The city of San Diego agreed to expand the size of the Convention Center in order to ensure that Comic-Con stays in San Diego for at least the next few years.

Here am I leaning on a replica of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) frozen in carbonite. All of you Star Wars fans remember how that happened to Solo. Those of you who don’t can watch The Empire Strikes Back or just search for the scene on You Tube.

GMFCC2013

Here are some more pictures from inside the Convention Hall

#SDCC
#SDCC

Hulk at CC2013

Yes, they still buy, sell and trade comics at Comic-Con.
Yes, they still buy, sell and trade comics at Comic-Con.
Pacific Rim Comic-Con
Pacific Rim Comic-Con

A lot more to come, but I think I’m going to put up a separate post for the pictures I took outside the Convention Center.

UFC 162 Silva vs. Weidman – Las Vegas

Posted on by georgefattell

UFC 162 appears to have the potential to be outstanding MMA event. Any UFC event that features the great Anderson Silva is going to be special, but this event has a lot more going for it than just Spider Silva vs the formidable Chris Weidman in a fight for the UFC Middleweight Championship. I think every fight on the main card could be good, if not great. Although would also say that every one of these fights, with possible exception of one is a very tough call. I can’t say that I would want to bet a lot of money on any of the fights on the main card.

Middleweight Championship

Anderson “Spider” Silva (-260) vs. Chris Weidman (+220)

Well, here is another case where I am faced with a choice of who I want to win vs. who I think will win. I want Chris Weidman to win. I like Weidman for a variety of reasons: He is from the NYC area, former D-1 All American wrestler at Hofstra Univ., he is has become a great MMA fighter (9-0) So, overall, I think Weidman has a great story.

I think CW does have a real shot at defeating Anderson Silva tonight, but if I had to bet I would bet on Silva because he is simply the best UFC fighter of all time and although he is 38 years old there are no signs that Father Time has slowed him yet. Silva has had 37 MMA fights (33-4) and he is undefeated in the UFC, having successfully defended his title 11 times. Both of these fighters have KO ability, but Silva can knockout opponents out with either his hands or his feet. I watched a few of CW’s fights and I think he leaves himself open to strikes too much to survive against Silva’s precision striking. If CW is able takedown Silva multiple times he may be able to submit Silva or pound him out, but that will be a very tall order. As we have seen time and again, Silva just waits for his opponent to give him one opening and then he ends it (20 KO’s).

Silva win by KO in the 3rd round.

Featherweight

Frankie Edgar (-550) vs. Charles Oliveria (+425)

This is the one fight on the main card in which the Sports Books have installed a heavy favorite, in this case former UFC Lightweight Champ Frankie Edgar at -550 (meaning you have to bet $550.00 to win $100.00).

Gotta go with Edgar, the Jersey guy, in this fight.

Edgar wins by TKO 3rd Rd.

Middleweight

Tim Kennedy (-145) vs. Roger Gracie (+125)

This will be the first UFC fight for both of these gentlemen, who both moved over to the UFC from Strikeforce.

Interesting stylistic match-up here. Kennedy, a U.S. Army Special Forces Vet, is a very good all-around MMA fighter, but doesn’t have a single MMA skill that really stands out. At 5’11” Kennedy a compact, powerful striker who can also wrestle well, but may not want to go to the ground against the 6’4″ Roger Gracie, who is a highly decorated Jiu-Jitsu Champion. Yes, Gracie, is from the famous Gracie family, who are legendary in the world of Jiu-Jitsu.

Roger Gracie is 6-1 in MMA competition, his one loss coming against Muhammed Lawal back in Strikforce, when Lawal KO’d him in the 1st Rd. I think Kennedy may be able to do the same thing, but perhaps not in first round. I would also add that Kennedy was able to avoid a submission by Jacare Souza during the course of a 5 round fight they had back in Strikeforce. Kennedy did lose that fight to Jacare by decision, but Jacare is an absolutely top notch Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and grappler, so Gracie may find that Kennedy is very difficult to submit.

Tim Kennedy wins by TKO 2nd Rd.

Middleweight

Mark Munoz (-135) vs. Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch (+115)

Both of these guys are very solid middleweights. They have similar strengths, both are excellent wrestlers and solid strikers.

This fight is really a toss up in my view. Will they both be in good shape? They appear to be.
Boetsch win by decision.

Featherweight

Cub Swanson (-225) vs. Dennis Siver (+185)

Swanson is on 4 fight win streak, with an overall record of 19-5.

Siver is a dangerous kick boxer from Germany, with a record of 21-8.

This could could be close, but I think Swanson is the more powerful striker and will prevail.

Cub Swanson wins by decision.

Visit to the California Palace of the Legion of Honor

Posted on by georgefattell

I visited San Francisco for a few days back in February and one of the highlights of my trip was my visit to the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, which more commonly known as the Legion of Honor (LOH). I visited SF to explore a job opportunity and my time was limited, but I did have about half a day free for sight seeing and I used that time to visit the Ocean Beach section of San Francisco, as well as the Lands End Trail and the nearby Legion of Honor. I had visited San Francisco 5 or 6 times prior to this trip, but I had never visited that part of the city previously. The LOH is located on the northwest tip of SF. The museum itself and the works of art within it are very impressive and the setting the LOH is in is spectacular.

A reader asked what the museum honors. The answer is the 3,600 men from California who died on the battlefields of France during World War I.

Here is some background from the museum’s website:

“Alma Spreckels persuaded her husband, sugar magnate Adolph B. Spreckels, to recapture the beauty of the pavilion as a new art museum for San Francisco. At the close of the 1915 exposition, the French government granted them permission to construct a permanent replica, but World War I delayed the groundbreaking for this ambitious project until 1921. Constructed on a remote site known as Land’s End—one of the most beautiful settings imaginable for any museum—the California Palace of the Legion of Honor was completed in 1924, and on Armistice Day of that year the doors opened to the public. In keeping with the wishes of the donors, to “honor the dead while serving the living,” it was accepted by the city of San Francisco as a museum of fine arts dedicated to the memory of the 3,600 California men who had lost their lives on the battlefields of France during World War I.”

The Legion of Honor
The Legion of Honor
The entrance to the LOH
The entrance to the LOH
El Cid
El Cid

LOH The Thinker

Fountain at the LOH

This is the view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Lands End Trail.

Golden Gate Bridge from LET

NBA Playoffs 2013: Conference Finals

Posted on by georgefattell

Right before the playoffs started and in the preseason as well I predicted that the Miami Heat would meet the OKC Thunder again in the Finals. Of course, I made that prediction based on the assumption that both teams remained healthy and didn’t lose any star players to injury. Unfortunately, the Thunder lost All-Star guard Russell Westbrook in the first round of the playoffs and that pretty much ended any hopes they had of advancing to the Finals. I didn’t think OKC would get past the 2nd round without Westbrook and that is indeed what happened, as they lost to Memphis in the 2nd round.

So, now we have Miami vs Indiana and San Antonio vs. Memphis.

Frankly, I don’t see how any of the remaining teams defeat the Miami Heat in a 7 game series.

I’m sure Indiana will put up a good fight against the Heat, but I don’t think they have enough offensive firepower to overcome Miami. Indiana plays very solid defense, as the NY Knicks found out, but they don’t have scorers that can match MVP LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen.

Spurs vs. Grizzlies should be a real dog fight. I think that series goes six or seven games. I’ve gone back and forth on this series, but I now think the Spurs will win. Can either Western team beat a healthy Miami Heat team? I don’t think so, but it should be fun watching them try.

UFC on FX 8: Belfort vs. Rockhold

Posted on by georgefattell

I want to watch this event mainly to see the UFC debut former Strikeforce Champ Luke Rockhold and the man he won that belt from, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Both Rockhold and Jacare are considered top ten Middleweights and it will be very interesting to see how they fare against UFC competition tonight and going forward. So far, the Strikeforce fighters that were brought over to the UFC have performed very well and Rockhold and Jacare were two of the best fighters from that promotion, if not the two best. I expect both of them to do well in the UFC and I think it is possible that they will both challenge for the UFC Middleweight crown within the next few years.

Middleweight

Luke Rockhold (-115) vs Vitor Belfort (+105)

From what I have seen most Sports books are installing Rockhold as a very, very slight favorite for this fight, but the odds are essentially even. I think this fight is an extremely tough one to call and I wouldn’t want bet on it one way or another. If I had to pick I would take Rockhold, but the veteran Belfort is very capable of winning this fight in a variety of ways, with either his fists or his feet. Just ask Michael Bisping, Vitor’s last KO victim, who was leveled by a head kick that came out nowhere and then pummeled by punches that swiftly ended their fight at the 1:27 mark of the 2nd round. Belfort has had a long MMA career and previously has fought in the Heavyweight class and Light Heavyweight class. He has pretty much seen it all and done it all and has a record of 22-10. His only losses since 2006 have come to Anderson Silva and Jon Jones, both current Champs.

Rockhold, the last Strikeforce Middleweight Champ, also possesses a multi-faceted MMA game. His MMA record is 10-1. He a very good wrestler and is a former IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Champion. Rockhold has also become a fairly good striker and trains at the highly respected American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, CA. AKA is also home to the current UFC Heavyweight Champ, Cain Velasquez, as well as Daniel Cormier, Jon Fitch, Gray Maynard and Josh Thomson, among others. I think AKA has probably prepared Rockhold very well for this fight.

I think Rockhold, who is right in his prime at 28 years of age, has the skills to avoid a submission or KO and may outlast the 36 year old Belfort. This fight is in Belfort’s native Brazil and if Rockhold can go in there and secure a victory over Belfort in a hostile environment it will be a defining moment for him and may lead him a fight with with another legend, current UFC Middleweight Champ Anderson Silva.

Rockhold wins by decision.
Middleweight

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (-570) vs Chris Camozzi (+480)

Jacare is also from Brazil and he will no doubt want to put on a good show for the home crowd. The 33 yr old Jacare has been a grappler and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner for well over a decade. He is a 5 time World Jiu-Jitsu Champ and holds a professional MMA record of 17-3-1. 13 of his victories were by submission, but he has now developed dangerous striking skills as well, so he is indeed a very well rounded MMA fighter.

I haven’t seen much of Camozzi, but he seems to be well regarded by the MMA media. He took this fight on short notice as a substitute for the injured Constantinos Philippou. Probably a smart move on his part, because he is not expected to win, but if he does pull off the upset it will be a huge boost to his career. Even if he challenges Souza and gives him a good fight it will probably raise his standing in the UFC. Camozzi is very big 185’er at 6’3″, has a record of 19-5 and is on a 5 fight win streak in the UFC. However, he has never faced anyone nearly as good as Souza. To be honest, I’ll be shocked if Jacare loses this fight.

Jacare wins by submission, 2nd Round.