Bear

For other meanings, see Bear (disambiguation).

Bears in popular culture

Bears, usually anthropomorphized, appear frequently as characters in popular culture; see List of fictional bears.

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Some bears have been famous in their own right, like the bear that the U.S. president Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt refused to shoot in Mississippi. That bear became the prototype for the Teddy bear, which is a stuffed animal toy;

Related Topics:
Bears - U.S. president - Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt - Mississippi - Teddy bear - Stuffed animal - Toy

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In the stock market, a bear market is a period of declining prices. Pessimistic forecasting or negative activity is said to be bearish, and one who expresses bearish sentiment is a bear. Its opposite is a bull market, and bullish sentiment from bulls.

Related Topics:
Stock market - Bear market

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Many cultures regard bears as possessing healing powers. The peoples of China, Japan and Korea use bears' body parts and secretions (notably their gall bladders and bile) as part of traditional Chinese medicine. This has had a major impact on populations of bears around the world. Thousands of bears are farmed for their bile in China, Vietnam and Korea. They are kept in appalling conditions and usually have bile drained from their gall bladders using catheters inserted into their abdomen or with hypodermic needles. There is no evidence to suggest that farming bears has reduced pressures on wild bear populations. Indeed the farming of bears in China has led to a huge increase in consumption of bear bile since the 1980's with many people prepared to pay very high prices for the 'superior' bile of a wild bear.

Related Topics:
China - Japan - Korea - Gall bladder - Bile - Traditional Chinese medicine

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The bear, the bruin, or specific types of bears are popular nicknames or mascots, e.g. for sports teams.

Related Topics:
Bruin - Nickname - Mascot

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The constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor represent bears.

Related Topics:
Constellation - Ursa Major - Ursa Minor

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In CB slang, "bear" (or "smokey," in reference to Smokey Bear) is a nickname for law enforcement.

Related Topics:
CB slang - Smokey Bear - Law enforcement

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In Homosexual Slang, the term "Bear" refers to male individuals who posess physical attributes much like a bear. Such as, a heavy build, abundant body hair, and commonly facial hair.

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Microsoft Bear is an unofficial mascot hidden in Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.

Related Topics:
Microsoft Bear - Mascot - Windows 3.1 - Windows 95

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