Bears on the Battlefield?

The US military is developing the future of teddy bears as we speak. The Battlefield Extraction Assist Robot (BEAR) is being designed to rescue wounded troops in action and transport them to medics. Naturally their BEAR will be sporting a ‘friendly appearance’ for the added comfort of injured soldiers.

This 6 foot, super-strengthed, Nightingale is all set to be a worldwide hero. However, it does prompt the question of whether their next move will be to create a RAMBO BEAR equipped with endless ammo and a red bandana?

You can read the full article with pictures here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6729745.stm

Bears on the Internet

More bears, and other furry friends, than ever before are logging on to the internet. Here are just a few of the surfers we’ve seen about.

Of course, there are always a few who take things a little too far…

The Bugadoo Bear Wins!

And he did it in style. In ladies clothing to be accurate. Clever and controversial. A bear that pushes back the boundaries. In a more even match than last week’s Univeristy Challenge, Warwick beat the reigning champions Manchester 170 - 140. There’s a bright future out there for The Bugadoo Bear.

University Challenge

Last night we saw a very smart bear go through to the University Challenge Finals as part of the Warwick team. They beat UCL by a very impressive 235 - 85.

Known as The Bugadoo Bear, he describes himself as a polar bear (Plar approves of this good role model for the species), and his interests include the Russian autonomous region of Chukotkaand, and prominent egomaniacs. He has continually proven himself throughout the competition.

So tune in for the final next Monday 16 April at 8pm on BBC2.

Shocking Bear-Napping Increase

Two recent stories have come to the attention of Fab News anchor Parkwell Cleary (image right), showing a disturbing increase in incidents of bear-napping.

Firstly this story regarding the daylight attempt to steal a 3-year olds friend. [from ABC11TV]

“A woman who reached into the open window of a car and stole a 3-year-old’s teddy bear faces a felony charge for breaking and entering, Jonesboro police said Tuesday. Tonya Marie Taylor, 24, of Bono has a court appearance set for May 31 for allegedly taking the bear on Thursday, Jonesboro Police Detective Vic Brooks said.

Police were called to the parking lot of a video store, where the child’s mother reported the theft. The woman said she was sitting with her toddler daughter when Taylor approached.

“(Taylor) leaned into the car and grabbed a stuffed bear from the child’s arms and started walking away,” the woman told police in an affidavit. The mother told officers that Taylor may not have noticed there was an adult in the car until after she leaned into the vehicle.

Brooks said that investigators think the theft was a random act.

“She never would give a reason why,” he said.”

Then this report from the BBC about a theft and bear-napping.

“Burglars have stolen a collection of antiques, including a teddy bear and a cuckoo clock, from a Berkshire home. The thefts took place between 0930 and 1130 GMT on Tuesday from an address in The Meadway

Thames Valley Police are appealing for anyone who was in the area on Tuesday morning to contact them.”

It’s hard to know what has caused this alarming rise in crime, but bears are warned to be extra careful of strangers. And please help the authorities if you have any further information.

Teddybears vs. Sandwich

We’re not exactly sure what’s going on, but on the other side of the pond it seems New York City is experiencing a Teddybear uprising. See for yourself.

Most confusing of all is the un-named bear head on some form of electronic life support, who appears to be the mastermind behind it all. Nevertheless, we are amused.

Hallo Bear

Are you a neglected bear? Alone on top of the wardrobe? No one to play with? Forgotten about since your old friends ‘grew up’? Now, while everyone else is out, you can log onto Bear and Beyond - a new blog run by bears, for bears. Bringing you some long needed fabric based entertainment and current affairs. It’s not just bears though, as our many varied actors, explorers, and writers will prove to you over the coming months and beyond. We’ll also be taking a look at some aspects of human culture to see how they equate. Expect posts from all the different members of Bear & Beyond. We’ll get things started momentarily.