SANDISK - ANNA MONTGOMERY

Here is a SANDISK commercial that niece Anna Montgomery just did in English - listen to the first ad and then Anna's version, which is much better, sez her non-biased uncle!!

CALIFORNIA MEDLEY

Sitting onboard a 777 for a couple of hours allows one to vegetate and listen to some tunes both familiar and new.  I heard some of the old California-themed tunes and thought I'd put a few together - hope you enjoy.

California Girls With A Twist

And Probably My Favorite

BLOGGER TEMPLATES

Blogger has lots of templates to choose from, so I decided on a change of pace - let me know what you think [as if I care!!]

EVIL NUMEROLOGY

Shamelessly stolen from the Comments Section over at the Sensuous Curmudgeon and the comments below:

666 = Evil
333 = Only half evil
667 = Evil and then some
18 = The sum of evil
1.6666... = Evil divided
216 = The product of evil
443,556 = Really evil [evil squared]
25.804 = the root of all evil
0.0015015015.... = 1/evil = good, which is infinitely repeating
-0.017641646 = si(g)n of evil
666.0015015.... = good plus evil
666^666 = Evilplex, the ultimate evil
√-443556 = Evil "eye"  {√-443556 = 666√-1 = 666i, where i is the usual symbol for √-1  Thanks for explaining that one JR}

h/t to the Tomato Addict for money = the root of all evil

RIP FALLING BEAR

Sadly, Boulder's famous falling bear was killed on US 36, just a few days after it was sedated and taken back into the mountains.  Here is the account from the Daily Camera:

Boulder's famous 'falling bear' killed on U.S. 36

By Joe Rubino, Camera Staff Writer

The bear famously tranquilized on the University of Colorado campus last week, and immortalized in a viral photo by CU student Andy Duann, met a tragic death early Thursday in the Denver-bound lanes of U.S. 36.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said a 280-pound black bear that died on U.S. 36 after being hit by a car at about 5:40 a.m. Thursday was the same bear that became known worldwide last week after wandering onto the CU campus near the Williams Village dorm complex.

The bear, photographed in a now-famous image by Duann in mid-air falling from a tree after being tranquilized, was picked up by wildlife officials Thursday morning about a half-mile from the Cherryvale bridge southeast of Boulder.

Jennifer Churchill, spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, confirmed that officials positively identified the bear as the same animal tranquilized April 26 and relocated to a wilderness area about 50 miles west of Boulder.

"It's a bummer. It's so hard to go through this and not be able to give these bears a good place to live," Churchill said. "The community sees relocating bears as a kind of perfect solution, and unfortunately it's a really difficult proposition."

Colorado State Patrol Trooper Josh Lewis said two cars were involved in the accident, resulting in minor injuries to one of the drivers.

The first car to hit the bear was a 1992 Toyota Camry driven by Hugo Silva-Arellano, 31. Lewis said he was transported to Boulder Community Hospital with minor injuries, and his car was towed from the scene.

The second car was a 2002 Ford Focus driven by Kale Broeder, 22.

Reached by phone Thursday night, Broeder's father, Gary Broeder, said his son was fine but the car was totaled. He said his son was on his way to work in Louisville from his girlfriend's apartment in Longmont when the accident happened. As Kale Broeder told his dad, he was in a group of cars in the right lane of U.S. 36 when he saw a car in front of him put on its hazard lights and pull off to the right side of the road.

"He saw (the first car) move over to the right with flashers on, and he moved over to the left lane and that's when he hit the bear," Gary Broeder said. "It was in the middle of the road."

Churchill said officials were able to identify the bear by an ear tag placed on him after the brush with authorities at CU.

The problem with relocating the animals, she said, is that Colorado lacks a sufficient wilderness area to accommodate all of the bears that wander into heavily populated areas. And a relocated bear often views the area where it was captured as its home range and does its best to return, Churchill said.

"A couple years ago, there was a bear we moved ... from Table Mesa all the way to the Wyoming border, and he came back within a month," she said.

Churchill said she hopes Boulder-area residents will keep Thursday's incident in mind when it comes to cleaning up trash and other items in their neighborhoods that attract bears.

"(With) Boulder in particular, once (a bear) hits town and they start getting to food sources in town, they become a town bear," she said. "We need everybody to clean up every attractant they can, especially trash and bird feeders and any other food sources outside their homes."

Duann's photo of the now-deceased bear became an instant Internet sensation last week after appearing on the website for the CU Independent and Daily Camera on April 26. The "falling bear" ended up with its own Facebook page and Twitter account and appeared in countless newspapers, magazines and television programs around the nation and world.

RECOGNIZING THE LIMITATIONS OF MELOBALL

Well, the folks in New York have finally figured out what we Nuggets fans have known for a long time - you cannot win with self-centered 'star' Melo.  Here is an article from the NY Times by Howard Beck

Alone on a podium late Thursday night, Carmelo Anthony wrapped himself in comfortable catchphrases and verbal deflections. The Miami Heat had not shut him down. He was simply “missing shots that I normally make.” 

The Knicks, down three games to none in the playoffs, were not defeated. “Our confidence is high.”

Anthony’s tone was unwavering, his faith absolute. This is how elite talent speaks, with a self-belief that borders on the absurd and occasionally veers into self-delusion. 

The Knicks, who have been outscored by 60 points in the series, are not going to be the first N.B.A. team (out of 100) to overcome a 3-0 deficit. Anthony, who is shooting .344 and has twice as many turnovers (12) as assists (6), is not going to lead them back.

The Knicks will soon exit the postseason, their 12th straight year without winning a series. Their 13-game losing streak is the longest in playoff history.

“I wasn’t here for them losses,” Anthony bristled this week, though he has now been here for seven.

His dismissiveness misses the larger point: the Knicks traded a bounty for Anthony — four starters and three draft picks — to end their decade-long drought, to make May and June matter again at Madison Square Garden. Anthony demanded a trade on the premise that he, along with Amar’e Stoudemire, would turn the Knicks into a reasonable facsimile of the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade Heat.

So far, the Anthony-Stoudemire Knicks have accomplished no more than the Stephon Marbury-Tim Thomas Knicks (swept in 2004).

They have had their misfortune — injuries to Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups in 2011, injuries to Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert in 2012 — but great teams find a way to win. And when they fail, the great players absorb, reflect and rededicate themselves. 

Anthony is not the reflective type. He has rarely taken responsibility for his team’s failures, preferring to shift blame toward injuries, coaches or the playbook. But the N.B.A. is a star-driven league, and Anthony — a star by reputation, if not achievement — must eventually confront his own résumé.

In nine postseasons, Anthony is 16-36 — the worst record among active players with at least 50 playoff games. He has won a first-round series only once, in 2009. Since then, he has lost 11 of 13 playoff games. If the Knicks lose Sunday, it will be Anthony’s third time getting swept in five years.

Anthony shot .375 against the Boston Celtics in last year’s sweep. He is shooting miserably against Miami, but he is still taking 30 percent of his team’s field-goal attempts while the offense stagnates and the Heat loads up its defense. 

Playing Meloball — in which Anthony dominates the offense, usually in ball-pounding isolation sets — got the Knicks through a critical late-season period, without Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin, with a 9-4 record. Anthony was brilliant in that stretch, shooting high percentages and collecting 30-point games while the defense did the rest. 

But we are now seeing the limitations of Meloball. It can win 45 to 50 games (as it did in Denver), but it cannot beat a team as talented and disciplined as the Heat.

Stoudemire hardly saw the ball in the first two games of this series. The Knicks’ 3-point shooters are not getting open looks, because the ball is not moving. 

Anthony is a great scorer. He is not yet a great player, because he does not consistently elevate his teammates. He averaged a modest 3.6 assists per game this season, and has a career average of 3.1.

By contrast, consider his close friends from the 2003 draft class: Wade has averaged 6.2 assists per game for his career, and James 6.9. Both Miami stars can control a game through their playmaking alone. The same goes for Kobe Bryant (4.7 career average), when the mood strikes.

In Cleveland, James led his teams deep into the playoffs (including the 2007 finals) despite a lackluster lineup, proving that a selfless star is infinitely more valuable than a single-minded gunner.

Kurt Rambis — a former teammate of Magic Johnson and a former coach of Bryant — put it best in an ESPN podcast, saying of Anthony: “One of the things he has to learn is how to involve his teammates more. There’s a lot more to winning ballgames than just scoring points.” 

George Karl and Mike D’Antoni tried in vain to sell Anthony on this virtue, costing Karl years of aggravation and D’Antoni his job. 

Initially, D’Antoni asked Anthony to play point forward, giving him the ball control he desired, but with equal responsibility for scoring and playmaking. Anthony accepted the role grudgingly and played it poorly. 

Once Lin emerged, the Knicks’ playmaking needs were resolved. But Anthony was uncomfortable in a point guard-dominated offense and admitted as much a week before D’Antoni resigned.

So far, the only offense that seems to please Anthony is one where everyone else passes and he shoots.

“Melo is going to have to raise his game,” Coach Mike Woodson said Friday, suggesting that Anthony needs some growth to escape his personal playoff rut. “He’s got to change that.” 

Woodson, an interim coach with no leverage, has necessarily catered to Anthony’s desires. With a little job security, he might not be so forgiving. Phil Jackson, if he were enticed by the Garden’s riches, would certainly demand a more team-oriented game. 

Anthony will be 28 this month — old enough to be considered a veteran, young enough to learn. The Knicks will never be an elite team until he matures. And he will never truly be a star until he evolves.

A 10 FOR STYLE

I was going to post this picture when it first appeared in the Daily Camera, and was going to only comment "10 For Style, 10 For Degree Of Difficulty."  But, I did not get around to it [dang knotweed].  Then another story appeared in today's Camera - seems that the image went viral and that there was a dispute between CU and the student photographer as to who owned the image.  Dumb.  Regardless, cool move by the bear, who is now relocated back up in the mountains.