Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

The Bears are glad you're taking care of yourself.  :)
That makes their job a little easier. 

Sending "Get-Well Vibes" from Pennsylvania to Sydney apparently takes a lot of work.  That's a distance of 9,600 miles or close to 15,000 kilometers!  But they say they can do it...  I believe them.

They tell me they've got some kind of synergy thing working for them that helps amplify the energy.  It's all very scientific, dontcha' know!  They explained it to me, once, but it was all very complicated.  I didn't understand much of it.  But, what the heck!  It's "Bear Science!"  It's not supposed to make sense to us humans.  Is it?  I guess it doesn't really matter.  All we need to know is that there are 1,000 of them all sending their energy in your direction.

Now, there is one thing I do understand from all their pseudo-science.  You get a lot better reception of the signal if you have a Bear with you to act as a receiver who then relays the "Get Well Vibes" to you.  Get a good Bear and point him in the direction of this Bear den.  That would be about 85º by the compass.  Strangely enough, that's almost due east but, if you check a map, you'll see that's the shortest distance between two points.

Okay...  So get a good Bear and set him up some place where he can receive the vibes from Us Bears.
We'll send the vibes in your direction.  They'll rebound off the earth's atmosphere somewhere around Hawaii and your Bear will pick them up and relay them to you.

All you've got to do is obey doctor's orders.  The Bears will do the rest.  You'll be good as new in no time at all!   

Sandra,

If your doctor have you any therapy exercises to do, it would be wise to keep up with them, religiously.
My wife had an injury to her wrist when a large, heavy painting fell on her.  One of her coworkers was also injured in the accident.  The doctor gave both of them exercises to do.  (Squeezing a rubber ball and things like that.)  Melanie did her exercises every day.  Her coworker did not.

By the time she went back for her six week checkup, Melanie was almost all healed up.  They took the wrappings off and told her to take it easy.  ("If it hurts too much, don't do it.")  She kept up with her exercises and in just a couple more weeks she was all better.

The coworker did not keep up with her exercises and it took about twice as long to be cleared by the occupational health doctor and, to this day, she still has soreness in her arm whereas Melanie has been pain free for almost 10 years.

I don't know what kind of therapy your doctor may have given you but, if he did, I recommend you keep up with it.  If you do, you'll be right as rain in no time!

And, just for extra luck, the Bears in this den all have their "radar" turned on for you! 

Aah!  But, if kitty wants another treat he'll sit patiently and wait for his human to give him another cat cookie.
Yes, the appeal to greed works on cats and dogs too!   

I would also hazard a guess that feeding a cat from chopsticks prevents it from learning to take food from the hand.  I'll bet that taking food from the hand makes it more difficult to train the cat with treats.  I think that using chopsticks breaks the association between "food" and "human", thus making cats more patient to sit and wait for food.

And, upon reading the article, I kept thinking that it would be better to be around bears whose habits you know and can predict as opposed to unpredictable bears you have never seen before.

In other words, "Better the devil you know than the one you don't know." 

I've never heard of it before but I went looking for more information.
It seems that polar bears and dogs play together all the time!

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/ … seen.shtml

Never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it!

Cute!  :D

This guy also trains his cats to roll over and to play the piano!

Roll over:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q01o1J7zy5A
Piano:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEAyHkFd6F4

He's got a whole bunch of other cute ones too!

http://www.youtube.com/user/sweetfurx4

All the Bears in this den are absolutely happy that you keep your Bears so well-fed!  They want to know what kind of chocolate they get to eat.  They are all pretty jealous because they know about the fine chocolates that are produced in Belgium.  All that yummy Belgian chocolate must make your Bears very happy!

Just be careful when you say, "There's always room for one more Bear!"
If you say that too loud you just might wake up one morning to 1,000 Teddies on your door step, all wanting to taste your chocolate!

Don't worry!  They won't eat much...  They are already STUFFED! :dance:  :crackup:         

Good idea!  :)

I'm sure you also know Marguerite Steiff's first creation was an elephant.  Right?
I'd say that puts you in good company!   

Her elephant was of the four-legged variety but there's no reason you couldn't look at one of hers for inspiration.  Right?  :)

P.S. - This is an image of a modern recreation of her original design.

I think you are right on that.  You know what the world's thee biggest lies are?

1)  The check is in the mail.

2)  Yes, honey, I'll respect you in the morning.

3)  I promise I won't steal your photos.

It's so hard to decide, sometimes.  But, if you don't know for sure, it's probably better to err on the side of caution.  In this case, I think the best reply is no reply.  If she sends you another message you can reevaluate your thoughts.

In any case, you are still not obliged to reply to an e-mail from anybody you don't know.

You are not obliged to reply to any e-mail if you don't want to, regardless of who sent it or why.  You just don't have to reply.  No explanation needed.

I don't know whether it's fishy or not.  It doesn't sound Kosher but it could be.

Do you know how to read e-mail headers?  Can you tell where the message actually came from?  (Which may be different than the person claims to be from.)  If the header information doesn't add up, you can safely infer that the message is bogus.

It could be a ploy to get e-mail addresses for spamming purposes.  If somebody sends you a message and you reply to it, they know there is a live person on the other end and they know they can spam you or target you for viruses via e-mail.

You are also right that it could be somebody who will hijack your images for their own purposes.

Like I said, don't reply.  You are not obliged to.
If the person is legitimate and has a real interest in your work they will send another message.  If/when they do, you can reevaluate the situation.  Right now, the best course of action is to do nothing.

I like this one better than the first.   

I'm happy that the Bear didn't get hurt in this one.  (You still never told us if you used a "Stunt Bear" in the first episode!  )

The part with the blender was funny!
Thought the shaving was cute but a bit of a non sequitur.  Bears have fur.  Shaving fur didn't make sense.  However, you could have had a lot of fun with a hair dryer!  :D
Regardless of the constructive criticism, it was still funny!  :)

I understand that Misery Bear is kind of like the "Charlie Brown" of the Bear world.  I don't want to mess with your artistic vision too much...  But is there a way that Misery Bear could get just a little ray of sunshine at the end of the episode?

Consider Charlie Brown.  He waits by the mail box all day long but never gets a Valentine's Day card even though everybody else gets one.  He's depressed and lonely but, just at the very end, when there doesn't seem to be any hope, he sees "The Little Red-Haired Girl" from across the street.

I LIKE the fact that Misery Bear breaks with a lot of the old Bear tradition.  Too many people think that Teddy Bears are all "Sunshine and Lollipops."  That's just not so.  Bears have bad days too.  I like Misery Bear because he's a more realistic depiction of every day life, even if he does have a black cloud over his head.

Bears are also steadfast.  They never give up, even when things seem darkest.  Teddy Bears have great perseverance.  Misery Bear sure shows his perseverance.

But, like I said, there needs to be just a little bit of silver lining in the dark clouds.  Not so much it spoils the Misery Bear theme but just enough that people don't feel too depressed watching Misery Bear's episodes.

There are lots of tough times going around in the world today.  The economy isn't very good.  World politics aren't going very smoothly.  We have wars and flu epidemics.  It's rough going out there!  I think Misery Bear can be a reminder to us all that, no matter how bad things seem to get, we can still persevere as he does.
That's why I think there should be a silver lining in Misery Bears cloud.  It would help us, the viewer, keep our chins up.

I also think there could be some comedy potential in a "turnabout" ending where Misery Bear goes through all his daily troubles but, at the end, he finds out things aren't quite as bad as they first seemed.

These are just my ramblings.  Take what you like and leave the rest. 

Still, I really like what you've done so far.  Keep up the good work!   

I think Brenda is onto something.
Sounds like some kind of territorial thing to me.

I don't know...  Maybe there is another cat in the area and he is making it known that THIS IS HIS HOUSE!

When my theater is on summer break (it's a college theater) the local police sometimes use it to train their police dogs.  They'll bring scent canisters and hide them in various locations throughout the auditorium for the dogs to find.

Hey!  As far as I'm concerned, it's a great idea!  If there's ever trouble in a theater (especially MY theater ) the dogs will now how to maneuver between the rows of seats and all around the stage equipment.  Everybody benefits.  :thumbup:

Even during the summer, there are still students and members of the public around.  When they dogs go in, there is always an officer at the doorway.  If anybody tries to go in the theater or approach the dogs while they are on call, the handler yells, "Dog Working!"  You wouldn't believe the reaction of all the people in the area!  They all snap their heads around and look.  It's a sight.   

So, I'm just wondering if you could use that technique in any way.
You're not a cop and you don't have that kind of authority but I don't think most people will make the differentiation if you use something similar.

How about, if somebody approaches your dog, you simply say in a polite but firm voice, "Sorry, dog working."  Then just keep right on going about your business and ignoring the other person?

Yes, it might feel a little bit rude at first but you've got to ask yourself who's really the rude one?

I think you have the right to reject unwanted attention from other people who would distract your dog from his duty.  Dont' you?  Sure, politeness is important.  It feels bad when you have to reject other people in that way but I've found that, if you don't stand up for yourself, people are likely to walk all over you.

I don't care whether the dog is a working dog or a pet.  All people, children especially, should always ask before approaching a dog... ANY DOG!

You don't know if the dog is friendly or not.  You could get bitten.

If it's a working dog you could distract it.  If the dog is distracted, its master could get hurt.
(Yes, I know working dogs are trained so they don't get distracted but the point is still valid.)

Finally, and most importantly, IT'S NOT YOUR DOG!
You don't pet somebody else's dog without permission!  Period!  It's rude!
Parent's who don't teach their children manners really frost my shorts!
If I pulled something like that when I was a kid, I would have gotten an a$$-whipping!  I don't necessarily believe in that kind of discipline today but I think I make my point:  Kids need to use manners around other people.

BTW:  I know you already know this but working dogs are allowed in almost all public places by law.  If that store manager would have thrown you out without a COMPELLING reason the store could have gotten a stiff fine!

"GroupMail" or "MaxBulk" or any similar program is a stand-in for your regular e-mail program.

Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail are PERSONAL e-mail programs which manage your personal one-to-one communications.  A bulk mailer does something a little different.  It is meant to manage large lists of names and e-mail addresses then efficiently send messages to the names on your list.

You are not replacing your original e-mail program.  You are just using another program temporarily.  It's kind of like changing channels on TV.  You can switch back and forth.

Okay...  What's all this "SMTP" stuff they're talking about?
"SMTP" stands for "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol."  In short, that's the way your e-mail program talks to your e-mail provider via the internet.
When a program is asking for your SMTP server name it is basically asking, "Who is your e-mail provider?"  It needs to know how to connect to the internet so it can send your mail.

What is the company you use for internet and e-mail?

For example, let's say you use Verizon.
Your SMTP server is probably something like "mail.verizon.com" or something like that.

The program will probably ask you for other information about other information to access your e-mail account.
If you have any more questions, give a holler.  We'll try to help you out.

Absolutely agreed!   

While I was concerned to hear the news, after reading on the subject, I'm not very worried.  As long as people use common sense, I don't think this flu outbreak will be much problem for the majority of people.

Yes, in the link to dailymail.co.uk, (the one that Susan posted) the caption under the fourth picture from the top of the page says:

The picture is either a bear that has not lost its hair or one of a bear before its hair fell out.  The caption is unclear on which is true.

I've been doing some reading on the subject.

First, H1N1 flu (nor any disease) can not be contracted by a human or an animal if they are never exposed to the virus.
If you don't have it and your pets don't have it, neither of you can get it unless you come into contact with a source of the flu.  It is believed that the cat in question caught the flu from its human family.

Second, this is not a new phenomenon.  H1N1 flu is a "Type-A" influenza virus.  It has been known for more than 30 years that Type-A influenza can be transmitted from humans to animals.  In fact, scientists sometimes use animals to do research on Type-A influenza.

Third, not all animals are susceptible to the Type-A influenza.  Cats, ferrets and birds are.  Of course, pigs are.  That's why they call it the swine flu.  Some other animals are susceptible too.  I don't have an exhaustive list. 
Dogs are not very susceptible to it.  They can get it but it's not likely.

As far as cats go, Type-A influenza is NOT maintained in the population.  In other words, one cat or a few cats can catch the flu but it is very unlikely that it can be transmitted from cat to cat or from cats to humans.

So, at least in this instance, we have a problem that is worth taking note of but it's not anything to be worried about any more than the flu bug, itself.  This is just another characteristic of the flu that nobody bothered to publicize until now.

Ask yourself this question:  If you were a public health official and you knew that some animals can catch the flu but you also knew that it was not a big threat, would you publicize the fact and risk causing a panic?

If it was me, I sure wouldn't unless there was a compelling reason.

I think that was a "before" picture.

Google Translate is your friend!  :lol:
http://translate.google.com/translate?h … r-zoo.html

The site does have an English version but I wasn't able to locate the story in the English site so I used Google to translate instead.  It's a fairly faithful translation.

If you want to make an omelet you must be willing to break some eggs.  ;)

It is good that you are open to all the creative options open to you as you design a Bear.  However, until you have an idea fixed in your mind you are not going to be able to create a good work of art.  It's kind of a vicious cycle.   But, during the creative process, there comes a time when you just have to make the call and begin cutting.  If you don't, you'll never make a Bear.

I suggest putting the project down for a day or two.  Do something else.  Take your mind off it completely.
After a short time, pick it up again.  Take a look at it.  Make your final decision on the design and start working.

If you don't you might never get finished.

Here is a link to a page that can help walk you through using Outlook to send messages to many people without disclosing the list to each sender.:  http://email.about.com/od/outlooktips/q … closed.htm

However, I would not use Outlook or any other personal e-mail client to send messages to more than a dozen or so recipients.  You need software that can help you keep track of who you are sending to, when and how often.

Quy's link is a good one, I think.  It is a free application and they offer a paid version.  I think this software will do what you want.

There are on-line services like Constant Contact, however, I'm the kind of person who prefers to do things himself.  It's extra work but things get done the way I want them to and nobody else has knowledge of my mailing lists or the people I do business with.
Yes, website based services promise confidentiality.  I'm sure they do everything they can to maintain confidentiality.  But the truth is the only way to ensure the security of your property, physical or intellectual, is never to let your property out of your control.  Therefore, I prefer to use bulk e-mail software on my own computer instead of a webstie based system.

Here is the software I use to do mass mailings:
http://maxprog.com/site/software/intern … eet_us.php

It's good software.  Fairly intuitive to use.  It does the job efficiently and it's not very expensive.
You can download it for free and use it as trial software.  If you like it, you can pay the $60 shareware fee and unlock all the features of the program.

I use MaxBulk at work and it does everything I need it to do.

So sad for the bears!   

I wonder if somebody knitted them a sweater, would they wear it?
They need something to keep them warm until this gets sorted out.

Y'Know, I like Joanne's idea.
I can imagine how seeing the bear's actual shape instead of their outline in fur would make it easier to design realistic looking Bears and the clothing to fit them.

At least the bear's troubles wouldn't be all for naught.

I have used Max Bulk Mailer where I work.

It takes a little bit of time to learn the system but, fortunately, it's fairly intuitive.  Once you learn to use it, the system is fairly automatic.
If you take the time to learn, you can create some really nice looking e-mails with graphics and you can even merge names, etc. into the messages to personalize each message as it is sent.

There are also a few companion programs that go along with it which help you manage your mailing lists more effectively.
There is one called "Bounce Handler" which helps you track e-mails that bounce back from the sender's account so that you can remove bad names from your list.  There is also a verifier which helps you figure out which names on your list are valid e-mail addresses.

Throughout the manuals of this software there are also a lot of good tips to help you send more effective e-mails and to help you keep from being tagged as a spammer.

The "Max Bulk Mailer" program can be downloaded as shareware but the "Pro" version is only $60.
The other companion programs are only $20, more or less.  They sometimes offer all the programs as a bundle for one price.