Smarter than the average bear

I have missed quite a few bear updates in recent months - but one caught my eye today that I had to post.

Apparently Yogi isn't the only smart bear. A bear cooled off in a swimming pool in New Jersey. In the bear's defense, it has been very hot lately.

Another bear in NJ was found earlier this month and was captured. People need to learn to respect the bear.

And in news about famous bears: Winnie The Pooh was just released in theaters last week.

Bears!

So yesterday I was in a social media class. Randomly, my teacher started to talk about blogs. And what example did she use for a blog subject? BEARS!! She respected the bear. I was proud.

McDonald's is showing bears more respect now...perhaps this is an attempt at an apology after a bear was rudely denied service at a drive-thru a couple years ago.

What does bear hibernation have to do with space travel? Maybe more than you think.

Scientists respect the bear - and so should you.

Don't shoot the bear!

You have to check out this ad. I should have posted it when I first saw it...but its great! You can dance with a bear, watch tv with a bear, take a picture with a bear....and more! I love the bear appreciation, and I love that the hunter doesn't kill the bear.

Unfortunately I have another sad story to report. It's not about a bear, but it reminds me of when that bear wanted a sandwich at Subway and was killed after not harming anyone. In Florida, an alligator knocked on a family's door looking for breakfast. He waited patiently on the porch and didn't try to hurt anyone. But authorities decided to harvest him for meat and skin. As a Gator myself, this story upset me. I say FREE THE GATOR!!! Also - do alligators alligate? (Thanks Ralph Wiggum for that awesome question!)

As always...respect the bear! ...and respect gators too.

How much does a polar bear weigh? ...Enough to break the ice.

Unfortunately, not everyone respects the bear. Today is the opening day of bear hunting season in Massachusetts. Come on, hunters...respect the bear!!! In 2005 they had an "official beat count" of 3,000. I wonder how that was conducted. Did bears have to fill out a survey and send it back? Was it like the census? That would be awesome. Nissan respected the polar bear in a recent commercial. Way to go, Nissan! Not only did they respect the bear, they admired the bear. I wish I could hug a polar bear like that guy does at the end of the commercial. What is it about polar bears that makes them so attractive for advertisements? They're apparently very marketable. Coca cola is perhaps most famous for its use of polar bears in commercials. National Grid used a polar bear too. Polar bears are the largest bear (and largest land carnivore), and yet, people seem least intimidated by them of all bears. Intriguing...

Hungry Bear

Lesson learned: Never leave a peanut butter sandwich in your car. Yogi doesn't only steal from picnic baskets - he'll steal from your car too. A teenager in Colorado unfortunately learned this the hard way. Please read that article, and please watch the video of the aftermath. When I read this, I have this image of a huge bear stuck in a car rolling down a hill, the horn is blaring and the bear is struggling and panicking. The image just makes me laugh. Enjoy, and remember to always respect the bear!

Everyone wants to be a bear

In a 2007 episode of Family Guy, Peter Griffin buy a pair of red, footed pajamas. His new sleepwear drives his family nuts as he continuously rubs his feet against the floor and shocks them. He claims that draping himself in this full-body pajama suit makes him feel like a bear. He says when he first got married he talked about what it would be like to be a bear, and is excited that a pair of pajamas allowed him to temporarily live his dream of being a bear.

But Peter Griffin isn't the only person who dreams of being a bear. During coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in Galveston, a man acted on his dream of being a bear - and his dream to get on television.

And who could forget the Man vs. Beast competition from a few years ago on Fox when IFOCE Champion Takeru Kobayashi's eating abilities were compared to those of a bear. Kobayashi competed in a hot dog eating contest against a kodiak bear. This was the first time Kobayashi lost in a hot dog eating contest. Even though Kobayashi is known as one of the world's greatest competitive eaters, even he is no match for a bear. After losing the last two Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest competitions on July 4th (2007 & 2008) to Joey Chestnut, perhaps Kobayashi should investigate ways to emulate a bear to gain an advantage over his competition.

Bears

Don't bears seem to be making headlines a lot more frequently these days? My cousin Howie has told me for years that he has the deepest repect for bears. I've actually caught Howie rubbing his back up and down against a tree because he claimed he saw a bear do it. And of course, "bears know all."

Well, recent news has made me think there must be something special about bears.

It started in June. A bear was hungry. And stealing picnic baskets is dated, so naturally the bear chose a convenient McDonald's drive-thru. It seems McDonald's isn't too fond of serving bears, so the bear was denied his morning Egg McMuffin.

Within the next couple weeks, another bear made headlines when a man rode a bike into a bear. I'm not really sure how a bicyclist can miss a 500-pound bear, but evidently it is possible. I don't ride a bike too frequently, but I know if I'm riding in a car at 45mph, I would notice a bear blocking my way. But maybe in Colorado it's not that strange. The article references a woman who ran into a bear during a triathalon in 2007. After the man rode into the bear, he was a little banged up, but he was feeling well enough to pedal his way to the hospital.

But this man going to the hospital wasn't the only bear-related news this year involving a hospital. Strangely, it's not even the only one where no one got seriously hurt. In late September, a bear in a hospital made news without even making contact with humans. This bear walked through the automatic doors of a California hospital, but seemingly got scared by the second set of doors and left.

Most recently, a hungry bear made news in Canada for trying to "eat fresh." Now, this story upsets me. A bear walks into Subway in search of food, and the so-called "Sandwich Artist" at Subway runs away. What kind of service is that? Being ignored, the bear attempts to serve himself. After being ignored, the bear is clearly offended by the lack of service and leaves the shop. Authorities found the bear and killed it. ...And that's the part I don't understand. Did I miss something? Did this bear hurt someone? ::sigh:: Silly Canadians....

More bear news to come!