Frank Shamrock retires from American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting

Frank Shamrock (Frank Alisio Juarez III) announced he's retiring from American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting at at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum Saturday at HP Pavilion.

Frank Shamrock is the four-time defending, undefeated MMA champion and a 7th degree black belt in something called "Submission Fighting," which is a type of wrestling sport.

Shamrock's four time title defense included some memorably brutal battles, like the one against Igor Zinoviev in 1998 that ended in a knockout. It was called the most violent slam in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. (Warning, the video is violent.)



Shamrock stopped UFC fighting in 1999 after what's considered to be the one of the greatest fights in UFC history against Tito Ortiz. After that fight, Frank Shamrock was considered the greatest ultimate fighter in history.

After a brief stint as an actor, Shamrock returned to fighting in 2001 and had a number of memorable bouts through 2009, when he was defeated by TKO by Nick Diaz.

Shamrock lives in San Jose

Frank Shamrock lives in San Jose, California with his wife Amy and daughter Nicolette. His official website is at FrankShamrock.com.

USA vs Ghana World Cup 2010: Oakland watches Golden Goal

USA vs Ghana World Cup 2010: Oakland watches Gyan's Golden Goal: USA loses 2-1 in OT

And so another nail-biting FIFA World Cup Soccer game ends for the USA, this time the wrong way. The USA lost 2-1 in overtime as this blogger returned to the Era Art Bar on Grand and Broadway in Downtown Oakland, CA for the anticipated single elimination Saturday match. But in the process, Soccer's importance to Americans grew by fantastic proportions, and in no place was this more evident than Oakland, California.

The USA loss was a sad end to a great run by a USA team that wasn't really picked to go far in World Cup competition. But the hustling team paced by USA Soccer star Landon Donovan tied England 1-1 to start match play, then tied Slovenia 2-2 in a controversial match that the USA really won 3-2 but for a mistakenly discounted goal by FIFA referee Koman Coulibaly. Finally the USA won a match, beating Algeria 1-0. All that set up today's exciting overtime win.

The Era Art Bar was packed

Ghana fans were all over Era 

If you arrived at the Era Art Bar at 11 AM and with the idea of getting a seat, you were out of luck; the place was packed.

Kevin Best, the bar's owner, said he was going to open the loft section and that was a good idea if only to have a place to go where one could have some space. But for those who love being in the crowd as things are happening, downstairs at Era Art Bar was the place to be.

The room was surprisingly a bit less "pro USA" than I expected and that reflects not just Oakland's diverse immigrant population, but Americans who simply wanted Ghana to win for various reasons. Some, like my friends Rosa Cabrera and Qaid Aqeel, were torn between USA and Ghana because of their Latino and African heritage, but as Qaid said "It's like James Brown said 'Living in America.'"

Others were clearly for either Ghana or the USA. In the case of Kevin Best, he wanted the USA to win "so this crowd would come back next week." For a time, it looked like he might get his wish.

Michael Hunt celebrates in the air

Ghana took the lead 1-0 to end the first half of match play. But the USA tied 1-1 it in the second half on Landon Donovan's free kick, sending the Era Art Bar crowd into a frenzy. Even the normally stoic Michael Hunt, former aide to Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, got excited, jumping up over the crowd to celebrate.

But by bar regular Rob Pape's detailed analysis, the USA was not playing well enough to win. To say that Pepe, wearing a "USA SOCCER" jersey, was disappointed in USA team manager Bob Bradley is an understatement, and that was at halftime. Pepe said "I'm having trouble watching it, Zennie. Cause I think Bob Bradley put the wrong lineup in. He should have started Adu, at least for Clark. He probably should have started Gomez for Finley. Or at least Buttle for Finley."

Rob Pape offers Soccer wisdom

Rob Pape said that in the last two game we (the USA) started their best lineups and controlled the center of the field. That was not the case today.

The Oakland Era crowd was surprisingly informed about the game of Soccer. But given the popularity of even pick-up games along Lake Merritt, I should expect what I witnessed: Oakland's a Soccer town. Oaklanders know the game.

The USA team lost but won

USA hopes sank on Asamoah Gyan's golden goal in the third minute of extra time, putting them ahead 2-1. This time, there was no miracle goal at the last minute. No loud celebration. But there was the feeling that Ghana deserved to win and that the USA team made America, and Oakland, very proud. It's too bad we have to wait another four years for The World Cup. But as Rob Pape said "Soccer's like life. It doesn't always go your way."

No kiddling.

Apple IPhone 4 Hell by Suzannah B. Troy

I have bought every Iphone model since the first one.   I wrote Apple constantly telling them if I had a better quality camera with zoom I could have made the Giuseppi Logan documentary on my phone, hopefully the first to make a doc on their phone and show at Sundance.

When the 3GS came I had no problem picking up the new model but this time around it was Apple hell.

As far as I am concerned, the Apple Store that I had my IPhone reserved at, in my opinion  "stole my Iphone" and gave it to someone else.  The Apple manager claimed I was sent a notice that if I did not pick up the phone within 24 hours the phone would be given away.

We searched my mail and we could not find any such notice.

My last experience with the 3GS which gave me no clue nor did any Apple sales person that I might have to stand in line for many hours, perhaps even half a day.

If any sales person had told me that I would have to stand on line for hours, I would have said mail it to me when I reserved my IPhone.   I have had occasional problems finding emails, contact info, dates in my calendar but I can't tell if that is NYC's hectic pace, me or tech.

I did not have the new IPhone mailed to me because I read in The New York Post thieves were stealing IPads right in front of the Apple Store on the Upper West Side.  I thought if my IPhone gets stolen better it is stolen being delivered to the Apple Store than to me.

Big mistake.

Although the dynamo Steve Jobs has battled cancer when it came to picking up Iphones at stores in NYC it was only the young and fit,  for people that have time and stamina to stand on line.  Also people wealthy enough to pay people to stand on line and for celebrities as exposed by The New York Post including, Jason Bateman who was booed as Bateman past the reason Apple is a success, loyal customers.   Steve Jobs and Woz and many others are extremely rich -- thanks to  the loyal long term customers...like those that stood in line for enormous amounts of time that Bateman just breezed past.  Thank goodness for booing.

I have had 2 knee surgeries and I have other health issues that would make the line impossible.  I was stunned at the insensitivity by Apple  to people with handicaps and health issues but it seemed  Apple got carried away in the marketing and did not give a dam about their customers except for those willing and healthy enough to stand on line for hours and in NYC it was close to 90 degrees.

I love Apple and they radically changed my life and others I have helped like Giuseppi Logan for the better but this rates as the most awful Apple experience ever.

Everytime I walked up to a Apple customer service person and asked about the long lines and the wait -- it was their responsibility to warn me if you don't pick up your phone you reserved in 24 hours it will be given away.  I was never told that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2ME0sWl8kM

I thank Apple computer in the YouTube above for helping me to help Giuseppi Logan reunite with his son 40 plus years later who thought his Dad was dead.   I believe my filming Giuseppi, using Imovie, Apple teacher Ben teaching me how to put my work on YouTube helped Giuseppi Logan to make his first record in 40 years and to give his fans who bought his records in the 1960's great joy that he was in fact alive, eager to compose more music and more...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTssjT9rAmQ

Here is the video I found right away when I posted my first YouTube on Giuseppi Logan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSb-JgMIeuA

I never imagined the little boy in this YouTube from a british film maker thought his father had died and I would reunite them 44? years ago....   My first YouTube of Giuseppi Logan playing Begin the Beguine and the clip on YouTube by the British film maker were written up in Signal to Noise by the publisher Peter Gershon in his powerful piece "Out from the Shadow".

I felt my YouTube series, Pete's powerful piece, Giuseppi's drive to continue to compose, play is about being so lost and yet so late in life finding some kind of dignity and redemption through the power of music and for me the power of Apple teaching me and opening up my world with their technology and education.

If I had the IPhone I got today and was filming with the phone 2 years ago I believe I would have had the first film made and edited on an Iphone.

With the new IPhone I can now do this and with the lessons I learned in Apple one on one.

Throwing out my Dell and buying an Apple MacBook was the best choice I made.  Wish I had had an Apple as a kid.  I can't imagine how much better my life would have been.

Buying this newest Iphone was an awful experience.  I would never reserve an Iphone and pick up at an Apple store ever again.   It was like age and health discrimination with no warnings.  It wasn't pretty to put it mildly and the communication on this and the fact APPLE WOULD GIVE AWAY YOUR PHONE if you didn't pick it up in 24 hours and I did not know this is just DISGUSTING.

It was a rotten apple experience but Apple is so good and their teaching and support is out of this world, excellent I am sticking with Apple.

I can only say this was the worst experience ever in my short love affair with Apple and the IPhone nightmares of calls dropping still lives.  I try to remind myself to hold the phone anywhere but on the sides at the bottom because it disrupts the antenna but telephone calls are dropping.

I was interested in buying the protective cover called a bumper but they were all sold out.

Another Apple hell note:  I was forced to sign another 2 year contract with AT&T.  I deeply resent being forced to sign contracts for years with companies that are providing service that is not as good as let us say Verizon.  Verizon has 4G.  Let's do math...what is better, 3G or 4G?

I will be over 50 when my contract runs out.  I hope by that time Apple gets their act together and that means a better Iphone with no contracts and choices in carriers.

Apple got me a replacement phone for the one in my opinion they stole from me and gave to someone else since I was never aware of any notification sent to me if I did not endure standing in extremely long lines that my phone would be given away.

So far I am still having trouble accessing the internet in certain places in NYC with 3G and E which is short for Edge meaning the phone is worthless as a computer and Apple would say that is an AT&T problem but Apple makes me use AT&T.   Phone works as crappy as before in terms of phone calls dropping, actually worse than my 3GS getting my emails,   but the screen is some how crystal clear sharper and the camera video options way better.

Vince McMahon Mixed Martial Arts Albany Doomsday by Suzannah B. Troy

Is Vince  McMahon going to welcome a new kind of fight club if Governor Paterson succeeds in passing a measure that would allow "mixed martial arts" here in NYC or will this cut in to his and Linda's mega-bucks cash cow, the WWE?

The accidental governor is trying to push "mixed martial arts" here in NY because New York State is in a budget catastrophe and it is correctly believed this form of fighting will make big bucks and raise money for the city and state.  The only people besides peace loving vegetarians who won't be welcoming mixed martial arts are the McMahon family and martial art purists perhaps?

Note:  I called Vince McMahon at the WWE's offices but it is Saturday and there is no way to leave a voice mail asking him for a comment for my blog posting.

I posted this comment on The New York Post website on the article, "Ultimate fight for every dollar".


Quick call Vince McMahon and ask him if he welcome mix martial arts to NY if they accidental gov passes this.  Better yet let's send McMahon and his tv crew to Albany to film the clowns of Albany.  Maybe we could get the public to pay attention to the fact the people are being ...... you pick the verb.

And someone posted this comment after mine:

canyoudoanybetter

06/26/2010 6:50 PM

This Moron and all the his Cronies in Albany have it ALL WRONG!!! 25% ACROSS THE BOARD CUTS, NO EXCEPTIONS!! IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE FROM POLITICS AS USUAL!!! Bring in Ultimate fighting is like putting a band-aid on some one who just lost their head!!!!!

For those who have not checked in recently the budget deficit is currently 9.2 billion dollars and the clowns of Albany have not yet balanced the budget.

The budget was supposed to be balanced April 1, 2010.    Monday is "doomsday part 2" and this will be the 2nd Monday this year where we find out if we will have a historical shut down by the clowns of Albany.  They avoided a humilating shut-down last time and again if they don't they plunge the State and City of NY in to a possible official depression and I am not talking an emotional state but an economic state of depression although some New Yorkers are already living that way....sad to say.

For more info on the clowns of Albany read "Gov's doomsday deadline".
From NY1 a report that leads us to believe Albany will not shut down tomorrow.
Hold on tight and stay tuned...

Gen. Stanley McChrystal: McChrystal is not a systems thinker

In the wake of President Barack Obama's sacking of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was the commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and due to comments in Rolling Stone magazine from McChrystal and his subordinates that were negative and derogatory toward the President and civilian military officers, an April 26, 2010 New York Times article takes on new meaning. Indeed, it should have been a indication to President Obama that he had the wrong man in charge, assuming Obama saw the article. And why is that?

Gen. Stanley McChrystal is not a systems thinker

Gen. Stanley McChrystal 

The article has two titles, reflecting the New York Times' bumbling when it comes to digital media. The page title best for search is "Enemy Lurks in Briefings on Afghan War - PowerPoint - NYTimes.com, and the title on the page itself is the one most referred to: "We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint." (As an aside, the best search-oriented title should have been "PowerPoint fails in US Afghanistan Briefing.")

The centerpiece of the article is a giant system dynamics (or "SD") causal relationship diagram (presented above) that shows how key factors and actions in Afghanistan are interrelated. The New York Times author apparently does not know that it's a system dynamics model, because she does not refer to it, but to the place the SD model diagram is on: PowerPoint.

The article takes off on PowerPoint, while missing the real problem: it's a really a model that can be ran and we can see the graph and statistical outcomes of different decisions. You need a computer and a presentation projector and a place to run the model like the platforms provided by Porio Business Simulations. Then you need to run the model and test different decisions.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal joked about the diagram

Instead of that, this is what happened according to the New York Times' Elisabeth Bumiller:

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the leader of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, was shown a PowerPoint slide in Kabul last summer that was meant to portray the complexity of American military strategy, but looked more like a bowl of spaghetti. "When we understand that slide, we’ll have won the war," General McChrystal dryly remarked, one of his advisers recalled, as the room erupted in laughter.

The simple fact that McChrystal didn't understand the slide is why we're not only not winning the war, but not seeing that we should not be in Afghanistan. The seeds of the reasons why are actually in the system dynamics model.   If Gen McChrystal understood systems thinking, and then system dynamics, he would have asked for a computer to run the model,  rather than joke about a picture.

If he did, he would have seen a the impact of the part of the model called "Popular Support."  One of the key factors in that variable area is something that is just called "anger" with both the US Government and the Afghan Government.

The idea is that by the government helping the economy and infrastructure, this anger is reduced.  But then insurgents destroying that same infrastructure harm this effort.  So what happens if you just took the US Government out of the picture?  In other words, just remove "Coalition Capacity and Priorities", which would cause the elimination of "Coalition Domestic Support" and we remove the factor the Afghan population's reacting to in the model: the United States.

The problem with the model is it's designed to show how US and Coalition forces can impact Afghanistan, but then it implies our very existence in the region is pissing some of them off, causing a set of problems that we have to spend money to deal with.

If you want to see a one version of a simple type of the same SD diagram that takes you through how the factors are related, here's a model created by Chris Soderquist for the IEE Systems Thinking Blog and Forio Business Simulations and presented in a blog post called "We have met an ally and it is storytelling":



(Alternatively, use this link for the model.)

If Gen. McChrystal knew systems thinking, and were honest, he'd realize the best course of action is not to be in Afghanistan. Of course, if Gen. McChrystal were a systems thinker, he would not have got himself into the trouble that cost him his job.

Mel Gibson accused of slapping girlfriend by Suzannah B. Troy

Dear Blog Readers:  What I express to you in this blog posting are my opinions on a low life, anti-semite....
Thank you,
Suzannah B. Troy

Adulterer, liar, anti-semite Mel Gibson is back in the news again and it is not for acting like a good Christian.   Surprise!  Surprised?  Not at all!

Mel Gibson is Yiddish for anti-semite, low life.

Adulterous partners in sin, Gibson and gal pal,  have both filed restraining orders against each other  but Gibson is rumored to be the violent one here.    He got her preggers and had a baby girl while married which doesn't make him a poster boy for being a good Christian but apparently makes him an expert on Christ.   The girlfriend and mom of their illegitimate daughter accuses him of beating her up badly according to TMZ.

TMZ at the forefront of Celebrity Dish and Disasters has the newest installment and that is Mel says she is lying.    Do you think Mel Gibson is an expert on lying?  I do.

I don't mention her name because she is of no interest to me except that she is a victim of alleged violence at the hands of a rich, Hollywood brute and America's most famous  anti-semite who has done his best to spread his hate and propaganda message using his movie.  I don't mention the name of the high tech propaganda flick embraced by Rome which is very telling as well. 

Let's see.... I believe, poster boy for the Church, Mel Gibson still is legally married to his wife,  who he has 7  children with.  The wife married him when he had no money or fame.  Do you think what's her name would have given Mel, the construction worker, the time of day?  I don't think so.

What's her name  accuses him of domestic violence.    Mel being the charming, classy guy that he is is rumored to be playing hard ball with her not only fighting the charge but filing a restraining order against her!  Mel the anti-semite, drunk, adulterer has never been one to step up to the plate and take responsibility.

Why should he?  In America if you are rich, a celebrity, a politician, "connected", you don't have to plead guilty.  The well connected have a special plea just for them..."no contest" something like that...it is a plea designed for spoiled rotten people so they don't have to plead guilty when they are as guilty as sin!

That is the American justice system blinded by money, celebrity, etc.

Classy guy, Mel the anti-semite and maybe the Pope will plug him as "Father of the Year"!   I would be happy to fly to Rome and discuss  this with the Pope; why I think it is deeply anti-semitic and very disturbing for the Church to embrace Mel Gibson and his anti-semitic film.  True or false?  The Pope has an email and I emailed him this piece.  True.

How a vile, low life like Mel Gibson even could make an anti-semitic film  so over the top in every way about Christ but that is "Holly-woo-wood Babylon" and didn't  a woman die of a heart attack  watching it?  The film was clearly too much for her.  Is that considered murder?

I don't care about these creepy people but if you do Radar on Line has an exclusive interview with Mel's ex-girlfriend, mother of his newest child and she claims to be the victim here.  I do believe her.  I just don't think she is a nice person.

I care about the oil spill crisis and the massive destructive effects including the mass murder of sea life and long range results.  I can't help but feel greed and stupidity are to blame for devastating effects people can't understand yet but when I read about Hollywood's most famous drunken anti-semite I have to speak up.

Mel Gibson's father is a Holocaust denier.   I would like to sit down with the Pope and discuss Mel Gibson, adulterer, liar, cheater and also Holocaust deniers like Gibson's creepy, vile dad.

And what does the Pope and Rome do?  They take a film by such a low life,  Mel Gibson, a man that forged his fortune selling sex, violence and used Jesus who was Jewish and to make an anti-semitic film! 

Mel Gibson being exposed as an adulterer and liar....do you think that was the first time?  If he did hit his girlfriend, do you think that was the first time he roughed up a woman?  Gibson turning around and blaming the victim if true...do you think that was a first time?  He has been exposed for adultery -- I am sure that was his first time (not.) 

Mel Gibson likes to tell people he has Jewish friends.  I am so glad I am not one of Mel Gibson's Jewish friends.  I am glad I am not married to him.  I don't date married men although I have met men that pass themselves off as single when they are not but it is hard for Hollywood celebrities who are married to pass themselves off as single so Mel's newest baby's mama knew she was dating a married man and she and Mel in theory knew how to use birth control.   I would not want to be in a car with drunk driving Mel Gibson who makes anti-semitic comments to a Los Angeles Police Officer and gets away with it.

Mel Gibson is disgusting...He is worse than disgusting.  I am sure the little girl he had out of wedlock is the newest Mel Gibson victim based on his vile behavior and if someone made a film right now exposing Mel Gibson including how uses money and religion Rome would not be eager to embrace the Mel Gibson further exposed now as anything but a good Christian.  Mel Gibson is not qualified to make a film on Christ and apparently he is an awful husband and boyfriend and father.

Mel Gibson is such a creep and yet he can easily find people willing to kiss his rotten to the core ego.

Mel Gibson is a big mess and he has as much chance of cleaning up his emotional oil spill as BP but I care about the oil spill off of the Gulf, all the deaths because of it and the long range disaster as well.  I don't know how this happened and ditto for Mel Gibson making a proganda film on Christ that Rome would back but Rome also let pedophiles abuse innocent children for way too long.