Teddy Bears - Stuffed Toy Or Best Friend?

Teddy bears have been a symbol of affection, love and cuddles, in excess of a century. They are often given away at carnivals as prizes. It's the one possession that children feel safe with at night time when they go to sleep. Teddy bears are a source of comfort and warmth. Try taking away their teddy bear from a young child and be prepared for tears!

Of course, there have been many famous bears throughout time. Who can forget Winnie The Pooh, Fozzie the Bear from The Muppet Show, The Care Bears, Sooty the teddy bear glove puppet, Humphrey Bear, Baloo in Jungle Book, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Paddington Bear, Rupert the Bear, Smokie the Bear and Yogi Bear? We have all grown up with these lovable characters. We have been taught by them, laughed at them, and admired them. Who hasn't heard the famous song "Teddy Bears Picnic" That song has been around since 1907!

Some Famous People and their Teddy Bears

Perhaps the most famous bear story is in the origins of the teddy bear name. It has been commonly reported that the teddy bear got its name from President Teddy Roosevelt when he refused to shoot a bear cub, which had been chained to a tree for him by his hosts, who wanted to make sure he was successful during a hunting trip. Some other famous personalities have had their very own teddy bears. Elvis had a teddy bear called Mabel when he was a child. It sold for $75,000 at auction. In 1989 a Steiff bear sold for $88,000 in a Sotheby's London auction! Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean had "Teddie" which featured often during the series. Donald Campbell, the world record breaking land and water champion took his "Mr Whoppit" bear along with him on record attempts. Aviation pioneers Alcock and Brown took their teddy bear mascots with them on their record breaking first non-stop Atlantic flight in 1919.

Ask any adult what their favourite toy was and they will probably tell you it was a stuffed toy, and a large percentage of those will certainly say, "my teddy bear". While there are many different types of toys on the market today, the teddy bear still remains a strong favourite for many children. In fact, eBay reports that on any day there are over a staggering 20,000 teddy bears up for auction!

Brian Parkin is an ex Geordie (from Newcastle, England) who now lives in Brisbane, Australia and currently operates an online store promoting personalised gifts. To learn more about personalised gifts, particularly personalised teddy bears, please visit Parkin's Patch at http://www.parkinspatch.com

For further information, you can contact Brian via email at brianparkin@parkinspatch.com

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Wind Turbine Bearings

Let me start by covering a little bit about bearings in general. They are highly engineered and precision made components, which enable various aspects to move at high speeds. You can tell just how important bearings are for the fact that pretty much any form of machinery or piece of technology that twists or turns probably has a bearing in it.

When it comes to wind turbine bearings, the manufacturers need a bearing supplier with experience and capability to support critical pitch, yaw and gearbox applications in systems. It is highly important that you only enlist the help of an experienced supplier when it comes to wind turbine bearings due to their size and their use.

Wind turbine bearings need to be corrosion resistant due to their constant exposure to the elements. Without this resistance the bearings ability would be slowly reduced, affecting its performance, which would then go on to cause the wind turbine to stop working. In order to ensure that all wind turbine bearings are corrosion resistant they should come available with a wide range of surface treatments. If for whatever reason this isn't the case then you should enquire into what forms of surface treatments are available as the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of money on your bearings only to find that they need replacing in a short space of time. But what exactly should you be looking for when it comes to wind turbine bearings?

Well with all modern forms of wind turbines you will find spherical roller bearings as the main bearings that are present. So what does this mean to you? Well the term spherical means that the inside of the bearings outer ring is shaped to resemble a cross section of a ball. The reason for this is that it allows the inner and outer rings of the bearing to appear with a slight slant and they are out-of track in relation to each other without damaging the bearing while running.

The inner and outer rings of the bearing can slant to a maximum of half a degree. This may not sound like a large amount but this is all that is needed as it is a big enough slant to ensure that any possible small errors in alignment between the wind turbine shaft and the bearing housing will not give excessive edge loads, which could result in possible damage to the bearing.

With the spherical bearing you will find that it has two sets of rollers, which both allow for absorption of radial loads, which come from across the shaft from the weight of the rotor and shaft etc and from the large axial forces, again across the shaft, which results in wind pressure on the rotor.

With wind turbines the main bearings are mounted within the bearing housings, which are bolted to the main frame. The quantity of the bearings that are present is a factor that varies among the different types of wind turbines that are available. For example if you have a small wind turbine, which includes 150kW then they will be fitted with two bearings. If you have 250/300kW however they will only have the one bearing. Each of the bearing arrangements that are available come with their advantages and their disadvantages but the amount of bearings that you will need is basically calculated through the amount of wind turbines that you have and the size of these turbines.

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Ganz Teddy Bears - A Collectible

The charm of a Ganz teddy bear is both straightforward and awesome. They were originally created in the 1950s, and are still being made today. These teddy bears give you a shoulder to cry on, and love you unconditionally. Sometimes, if you listen closely, they will tell you "take me home." The love affair between us and these Ganz teddy bears shows no signs of slowing down.

Often used to calm and reassure children, this is an enduring and traditional stuffed animal. The price of these teddy bears has recently increased as they have become collector's items. It is very hard to picture a world that didn't have the Ganz teddy bears to provide a listening ear and a warm hug to both young and old.

The teddy bear has been a part of the world for a long time. The history of the teddy bear began in the year 1902. Not only did it make its entrance into the United states that year, but also made its entrance in Germany.

In the United States, the teddy bear got its name from a cartoon featuring Theodore Roosevelt. In the early 1900s, society woman liked to carry these bears around with them and kids had photos taken with their cuddly friends. U.S. toy makers were creating bears of all different sizes and styles, including roller skating teddies and ones with eyes that lit up. However, our firms had to deal with lots of competition from German bear makers, so quite a few of them went out of business.

The German tradition of toy making is legendary and the creation of fine teddy bears was made famous by companies like Bing, Schuco, and Hermann, combined with Steiff. This laid the groundwork for an innovative kind of mass-produced bear - the artist-designed manufactured bear. Currently this type of bear is sold by Ganz and it gives collectors the chance to own an artist-designed bear that is less expensive because it is mass produced.

A lot of outfits and clothes for teddy bears are also available. You can learn making personal teddy bears online or by purchasing books meant for that purpose. Everyone certainly needs the teddy bear's gift of unconditional acceptance, love, and reassurance more than ever.

Teddy bears have been a favorite toy since the beginnings of the twentieth century. Teddy bears were developed at about the same time in both America and Germany. In America, the toys were based on a cartoon involving President Theodore Roosevelt, and became a favorite of society women. In Germany, artist designed bears were available from various manufacturers, and included a high level of detail and customization. Children love teddy bears and ganz teddy bears are high quality examples of these toys. Online shoppers have the pleasure of making personal teddy bears and buying outfits and clothes for teddy bears.

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Collecting Vintage Bears

If you're new to vintage bear collecting, you may wish to think about which particular type you find the most appealing. A shelf-full of modern and antique, standard sized and miniature vintage bears will look a bit of a mish mash, whereas a small collection, of similar size and from the same period, will compliment one another. You may be drawn to the teddy bear brands of your childhood on a nostalgic level, or the exclusivity of antique bears. Perhaps the decadence of the Steiff appeals to you, or the quirkiness of Care Bears. The key is: collect what you love. If you decide later that you want to branch out (and you probably will!), you can always start another collection!

COLLECTORS' TIPS

1. Condition

Significant damage will compromise the value of your teddy bear, and possibly your enjoyment of him too. It's far better to pay more for damage-free teddy, than one who has very obviously been through the wars! Of course, vintage bears will show some signs of age. A well-loved teddy may have a bald snout, his fur rubbed away by a thousand goodnight kisses! If your antique teddy bear has clothes, these may have yellowed a little or faded. Do not be tempted to clean the clothes of an antique bear yourself - it may do much more harm than good. Stiff joints, worn pads and missing eyes can be fixed by an expert, though it is worth bearing in mind that serious collectors are looking for teddies with original features. If your antique teddy has no clothes and is a touch on the bald side, it may be time to get him an outfit and give him a new lease of life!

2. Authenticity

We're all familiar with the renowned Steiff buttons and dream of stumbling across the perfect teddy with one of those in his ear! Many teddy makers got into the habit of marking their bears, either with a button or label somewhere on the body, and this can be a good indication of authenticity. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that many parents saw these appendages as hazards to little hands and mouths, or just found them unsightly. Often, these little indicators have long since been removed, though it is worth checking for traces - an indentation in the ear, a sliver of label in a seam - these telltale signs are key. The serious teddy collector may wish to invest in a book so that they may learn what other attributes to look for, e.g. face and body shape, colour or material of the eyes and nose, etc. If in doubt, ask! There are fakes on the antique teddy bear market, and the maxim 'caveat emptor' holds as well here as anywhere else. If the vendor can provide documentary evidence or photographs as evidence of authenticity, you'll want him to pass these on to you at point of sale. If you come to part with your teddy in the future, such evidence is highly prized by collectors and will help you attain a better price. It is also useful for insurance purposes.

3. Scarcity

It often follows that the lower the number produced, the more highly prized the vintage bear.

4. Age

It usually follows that the older the teddy bear, the more sought after he'll be by collectors and the higher the price Ted will achieve! Antique teddy bears produced before World War I are generally the most valuable. There are, however, exceptions to every rule. Louis Vuitton made a small number of bears in 2000 fetching as much as £130,000 when they went under the hammer.

5. Size

It often follows that the bigger the teddy, the higher its value.

6. Expression

It is usually the case that the happier the teddy bear appears, the more sought after he will be. Other factors must be taken into consideration, however. Sussenguth's Peter teddies are open mouthed and snarling - far from happy bears! Parents were put off because these bears frightened their children. This led to the line being quickly discontinued, bringing us back to the issue of rarity. Despite their fierce expressions, these bears are much in demand now because of their exclusivity.

7. Accessories

Antique teddies which come with their features intact and, if clothed, with their original garments, are much more sought after. If they come complete with original accessories, e.g. jewellery or hats - even the box- so much the better as far as the teddy bear collector is concerned.

Lindsay Coope
The great news is that if you shop online for Vintage Bears or for Vintage Soft Toys you can find unbeatable deals at great prices!

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Food Safety to Help Avoid Bears in the Wilderness

If you plan on venturing into the wilderness on a camping or hiking trip, you need to be prepared to deal with potentially dangerous wildlife. Bears in particular need to be respected and avoided. One of the easiest ways to avoid bears is to be careful with storing and preparing food.

Choosing the Safest Camping Food

Strong smelling food like tuna or garlic can attract bears easiest. When you choose which foods to pack, try to avoid foods that have strong odors. Canned or dried food is a much better choice. Not only do these types of food last longer, but they give off fewer odors too. Individual packaged food is better than larger packages that have to be manually resealed.

Safely Storing Your Camping Food

One mistake many campers make is not taking adequate precautions for storing food. All too often food is stored either in the same tent you sleep in or in a nearby cooler. This can be a very bad idea. You are essentially drawing the bears right to wear you are vulnerably sleeping.

Your food should be stored a good distance away from your tent (at least 100 meters). To prevent food odors from blowing through your campsite, your food storage location should also be downwind from your campsite. When picking a location to store food, think of how close to your campsite you would be comfortable having bears. Obviously that is not very close at all.

For actual food storage, you have a few choices. There are bear proof containers available in a variety of sizes. These bear proof storage lockers make it nearly impossible for bears to get at your food. It might not be practical to carry one of these durable containers to camp though.

The more traditional method for camping food storage is to hang your food up in a tree in an airtight bag. Since bears do have some tree climbing capabilities, it is best to hang the food at least 5 meters above ground and at least 4 feet away from the trunk of the tree. A bear could easily reach a bag if it is too low or too close to the trunk of the tree. This is not the most secure method because using too small a branch makes it possible for a bear to break the branch and using too large a branch makes it possible for a bear to climb out to your bag. Bears can also chew through ropes holding bags up in trees. So if you plan on hanging your food, counterbalance the rope with a second bag. Then use a long stick to retrieve tour bags afterwards. Or you can suspend the food bag between two trees. Some camps have existing ropes or poles setup to use instead of hanging food from branches.

As a last resort, you could also store your food in the trunk of your vehicle. This should be avoided though, as vehicles are not airtight and odors could leak out. This could lead to a bear scratching up your vehicle to get at your food. Bears with previous human contact may recognize coolers or other food containers. So don't just put food easily in sight in the front seat of your vehicle.

As your garbage may also have food odors, it is recommended that you also safely store your garbage with your food supply. Other fragrant items such as soap, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant and perfume should be stored with food too. If any of your clothes smell like food, be on the safe side and store these garments with your food. Ensure that no extra snacks are still in your daypack when you go to sleep. Tampons, napkins and toilet paper can also lure bears if not stored properly.

Safely Cooking Food While Camping

Another mistake campers make is to cook food in the middle of the campsite. This will leave traces of food odors throughout your camping area. Assume that bears will come investigate your cooking area and position it away from your tent with your food supply.

While you are cooking, try to keep the area well ventilated. If you are inside a tent, open the flap to air out some of the odors. You don't want these areas still strongly smelling like food when you go to sleep. Do not cook in the tent you plan on sleeping in! Covering any frying food prevents excess odors too. When you are done frying food, completely burn any excess grease and oil.

Many people like to go fishing while they camp. If you are one of these people, don't clean your fish near your camp. Ideally, you would gut the fish in the middle of a lake where a bear would not smell the remains. Burying fish remains nearby is a bad idea.

Another tip for camp cooking is to avoid cooking too much food. Don't cook more than you can eat as leftovers smell more than packaged food.

Cleaning Up To Prevent Bears

Keeping your campsite clean of garbage and food scraps will help keep bears away. Immediately after cooking and eating, you should thoroughly clean all your dishes. Strain the pieces of food from your dishwater and store that with the rest of your garbage and food. To dispose of the dishwater, dig a shallow pit. Then poor in the dishwater and cover it with ashes or disinfectant. This will stop odors and decomposition.

While some people do not recommend burning any garbage while camping, it may be a good idea for any food scraps and food wrappers. It is better to burn these items leaving a temporary odor rather than keeping the items emitting bear attracting odors.

Always pack out what you pack in. Leaving any garbage behind can turn the campsite into a regular bear hang out.

Conclusion

Be aware of the necessary food storage and cooking precautions while camping. Do everything you can to keep food odors away from your camp. Taking these precautions is the easiest way to prevent a bear encounter.

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Bear Spray - The Only Way To Protect Yourself In The Event Of Attack

So you may think that only a gun can really protect you in the event of an angry Grizzly coming toward you, well it may be time for you to reconsider that opinion.

Nearly one half of people that try to defend themselves with a firearm against a bear attack end up getting injured. Compare that to the under ten percent who sustain injury while defending themselves with bear spray.

So, why is bear spray so effective in protecting humans from bear attacks? The answer is pretty simple, unlike the less effective methods of protecting yourself in the event of an attack; you don't have to be particularly close or particularly accurate for it to be effective. With a firearm you need pinpoint precision to takedown a bear, and considering the stress of the situation it's unlikely that even a seasoned hunter will be as accurate as needed.

Bear spray is the best way to protect yourself during an impending attack, because you can use it from a longer range. The spray will travel a minimum of twenty-five feet, creating a fog between you and the bear, that when entered will irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs of the bear, stopping it in it's tracks before it even gets close enough to do any damage.

Bear spray will also reduce fatalities to bears, which probably wouldn't be your utmost concern when attempting to protect yourself in the event of an attack, but Grizzly Bears are protected as a threatened species. If you shoot a Grizzly and it's found that you or someone else wasn't in imminent danger at the time of the shooting you could be subject to some rather severe penalties under the law, including a six month stint in prison or a fine of up to $100,000.

Keep in mind that bears are very rarely out hunting for humans. Most bear attacks can be avoided by educating yourself and by following all the proper precautions; bears should never be approached or taunted, food should never be left out at a campsite, bears should never be fed and garbage should be disposed of in a proper and timely manner.

Bears should always be respected and treated with caution, but when left alone will usually leave humans alone.

No method of defense will ever be one hundred percent effective, but studies show and experts agree that the absolute best way to protect yourself in the event of a bear attack is by using a bear spray repellent.

When camping, it's never a bad idea to bring along a few cans of bear spray, especially if there are multiple campers. Always keep a can and a flashlight within your reach in your tent in the event of a nighttime attack. You can purchase a holster with your bear spray for a few extra dollars that can be strapped to your belt or fastened to the shoulder strap of your pack, this is extremely important. If an attack occurs it will most likely happen very fast, your bear spray needs to be within your reach for the best chance of halting the attack. If a situation were to occur, and you had to waste time removing your pack to hunt for the bear spray, you and your fellow campers would run the risk of being seriously injured before you could come to the rescue.

It's particularly advisable to carry bear spray in any situation where an encounter may occur, but in the not too distant future visitors of all national forests in grizzly bear country may be required to carry bear spray due to that fact that it's the most effective method of protection in reducing or eliminating injuries to humans and bears alike.

Before your next visit to bear country you should pick up a couple containers of Guard Alaska Bear Spray. Consider Muzzle Dog Repellent for any possible encounters with man's best friend.

Ken Potter is the founder and owner of Protect Your Home and Family and Eyes Undetected. Please visit http://www.ProtectYourHomeandFamily.com and Eyes Undetected where you can buy self defense products and security cameras to protect your home and family. On these sites you will find a variety of personal protection products, including pepper sprays, a variety of stun guns, kubotans, telescopic stun batons, college safety products, cell phone stun guns, wireless security systems, surveillance cameras and many other self defense and personal protection products.

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Bear Spray - The Best Defense Against Charging Grizzlies

One of the major questions that is often asked among people going on some serious adventure camping for the first time is whether or not bear mace works. Does bear spray really work? The answer is, yes. This is a good question because after all, if you're wrong, you could be lunch. An angry charging grizzly bear is a much bigger issue than a raccoon looking for a snack at night.

If you're thinking about using bear spray, it makes sense to know whether or not that deterrent works before the angry grizzly charges. Hikers, campers, bikers, and travelers alike in certain parts of the country use bear spray, and studies show that actual bear pepper spray, when used correctly, is more effective than a firearm.

There are several problems with using a firearm for self defense. The first and most obvious is the people carrying around a hand gun aren't always excellent shots. Being an okay shot with a revolver is not enough when a bear charges. In fact, there are expert marksmen who have been mauled because the shot bear just got angry and kept on coming, even with several well placed shots.

The second part is that a bear that is shot is only likely to stop or slow about two thirds of the time. The other third the bear actually becomes more angry and aggravated from the pain and actually becomes more intent on harming you. On the other side, studies from the last 30 years showed that bear spray turned back charging bears or over curious bears an amazing 92% of the time.

Bear spray can cause incredibly severe pain to humans, but an accident with bear spray will put you in extreme pain for some time, but it won't be fatal the way a firearm could be. A person that just catches a downwind whiff of this is often on the ground in pain for five minutes or more. A bear's nose is hundreds of times more sensitive than a human's, which is why the bear spray is so effective and repulsive to even a full sized grizzly.

Like with most things, the key to using bear spray effectively is to know how to properly use it. If a bear is getting too close are charging, spray the bear spray in front of you. It should form a cloud in the air, and the moment the bear hits that cloud it will fall on its haunches and then 19 out of 20 times it will tuck tail and run.

That's a far better result than having it charge through two bullet wounds to its next meal.

If you liked this article and want to learn more about bear spray, please visit my website about Bear Spray.

Thanks for reading!

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