Bear. Hot Tub. Margarita & DAILY NEWS FROM NRP 3JUL13

There have been bears visiting a few times this year at my mom's house in Scandia, PA. Very cool no matter where you see them as long as it is not a surprise for them and you know how to act and react around them. Followed by the rest of the stories in the NPR daily news letter for 3 JUL 18.  

Bear. Hot Tub. Margarita

You may be just a few hours away from the Fourth of July holiday. Now, may we present to you a video of a bear that is truly channeling the spirit of a mellow summer BBQ.

This encounter happened on Friday afternoon, just as Mark Hough of Altadena, Calif., was settling into a relaxing margarita. Suddenly, a bear appeared in his backyard.

It could have been a terrifying event — until Hough noticed the bear had lowered itself into his hot tub and was having a "grand old time," he told The Associated Press. He started filming.

AP West Region

✔@APWestRegion

Video of a bear lounging in a California hot tub only tells part of the story. Read more of the margarita-lapping bear's antics here: http://apne.ws/rXRAhG2 

6:46 PM - Jul 2, 2018

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The bear splashes around in the sunshine and appears to dunk its face in a jet, plays with the chlorinator and munches on flowers.

After that, Hough tells the AP, the ursine bather "popped out of the bushes, walked right over to the margarita, knocked it over and lapped it."

The bear was spotted a short time later in a tree, perhaps sleeping it off. "So he had his margarita, he had his Jacuzzi, and now he's ready for an hour nap," Hough said.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

FIRST UP: What you need to know now Here’s the buzz: Drink coffee and you might live longer Mounting evidence suggests coffee — including decaf — is totally good for you. For instance, coffee drinkers have a lower risk of early death. (Quick, someone tell Mugs of NPR!) Which Trump should we trust on Roe v. Wade? The president promised voters he’ll put only pro-life justices on the Supreme Court … and now says he doesn’t have a litmus test. Yes, the president changes his mind with some frequency, but NPR’s Ron Elving says that’s not what’s happening this time. A contradiction on contraception Fifty years ago, the pope declared artificial birth control “intrinsically wrong.” But most American Catholics think contraception is A-OK. Has the disconnect changed how Catholics view the church? KEEP AN EYE ON THIS Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images Update On The Missing Boys: Found, Yes. Rescued, Not Yet The missing Thai soccer team has been found alive (!) in a flooded cave system (!!) more than a week after they went missing (!!!) … but they’re still trapped (!!!!). Rescuers are sending supplies and trying to figure out how to get them out safely. Stay tuned.

IN THE NEWS: Digging deeper Flawed Teachers' Grant Program Is Still Mired In Mistakes The Education Department is reviewing what happened with a federal program that was intended to supply grants to teachers who agreed to teach a high-need subject in a school that serves low-income families. The federal grant is supposed to help the teachers pay for college or graduate school. NPR has reported that, to their shock, thousands of teachers learned their grants were converted into loans, which they're expected to pay back. Many teachers can't afford to pay back the loans. Now NPR has learned that the government ordered an outside company to fix the problem for teachers whose grants were wrongly converted. This effort was led by the company whose mistakes caused the problem in the first place. So the Education Department hired a second company to repair the problem, but it turns out that this effort crashed, too. And that's on top of the discovery that thousands more teachers were affected by the surprise loan conversions than initially believed. A group of 19 U.S. senators has now written Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, citing NPR's reporting and demanding that the mistakes be fixed. The Education Department has released a statement, saying it's "committed to improving this program, and is currently reviewing all aspects of its administration of the program to ensure that we provide students who want to teach in underserved communities the resources and support they need." But the agency is telling affected teachers to call the student loan ombudsman office. If you believe you’ve been affected, you can also reach out to NPR reporters to share your story — details are at the bottom of our latest piece. POP QUIZ!  What country makes the vast majority of fireworks used in the U.S.? Boom.  Which country supplies the most humanitarian aid in the world? Give it a go. BEFORE YOU GO Jose Luis Magana/AP Flags will be flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the Capital Gazette shooting — after a request for the honor was initially denied. It’s a baby ... planet! A team of international astronomers has captured a nifty image of a new planet that’s still forming around a star.  Actor Steven Seagal and Russian President Vladimir Putin are BFFs. How’d that happen? Meet matchmaker Bob Van Ronkel, the “Forrest Gump” of U.S.-Russia relations. DEET, definitely. Citronella? Nah. Perfume? Actually … yeah. Just in time for your holiday barbecue, here are the mosquito repellents that actually work. Ha, ha, hooooo boy. Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette is called a comedy special, but it’s really a scorching piece on art, trauma and humor. This is a margarita-drinking bear in a hot tub. ( Look for the bare necessities ) Today's newsletter was written by Camila Domonoske and Korva Coleman. The news never stops, but the newsletter is taking tomorrow off to throw some pork ribs (for Korva) and veggie burgers (for Camila) on the barbecue. Happy July 4! Send news tips, grilling tips, or any other tips that come to mind tocdomonoske@npr.org.

VISITORS TO MY MOM'S HOUSE IN SCANDIA, PA 22MAI18

MOMMA black bear and her three (yep, THREE cubs) came to visit at Mom's house in Scandia, Pennsylvania this afternoon. My brother Kirk said Smiley, mom's little mutt dog was out on the deck when all of the sudden he was barking and snarling and charged off the deck. Kirk came out it time to see momma bear treeing her cubs and then she turned, stood up facing Smiley and was growling. Kirk was out on the deck screaming for Smiley to come back to the house because that bear would kill him with one good swipe of her paws (the cubs in the picture are just a little bigger than Smiley) and he finally did come back t the house unharmed. Kirk said they went back into the house and momma got her cubs out of the tree and they eventually wandered off into the woods. 

HEY WHERE'S MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT?????

Today, we're going to court to protect Tongass habitat! EARTHJUSTICE, BECAUSE THE EARTH NEEDS A GOOD LAWYER 3FEB16

GREED, not need, is driving industry and governments to destroy, piece by piece, areas so beautiful and so rare, like the Tongass National Forest, that we run the risk of loosing them forever. If we allow the Tongass be destroyed forever we better make sure all the pictures are destroyed too so future generations don't see them and curse us for taking the Tongass from them. Please click the link and donate to fund this court case by +Earthjustice against the Big Thorne timber sale (any amount will help, I donated $10.00) if you can, and share this with others! More environmental actions and updates on this blog here.....

Today, we’re going to court to stop vast swaths of the Tongass from being clear-cut. Will you help us win? Make an urgent tax-deductible gift to help us fight back to save our natural world! DONATE NOW After the U.S. Forest Service approved the Big Thorne timber sale—the largest, most destructive old-growth clear-cutting project in the Tongass National Forest in decades—my team and I sprang into action. And today, we’re going to court to fight back! Will you help us win? We can’t stand by while vast swaths of the Tongass National Forest—one of the last ancient coastal rainforests—are clear-cut. And the courts are our last line of defense! Make an urgent tax-deductible gift today to help us fight in court to save Tongass habitat and the wild. If our opponents get their way, the Tongass will see more road building and extreme old-growth logging for years to come. But with you by our side, we’ll protect this crown jewel of the national forest system, home to towering stands of 700-year-old trees that provide vital habitat for bears, salmon, Sitka black-tailed deer, goshawks, and the rare and dwindling Alexander Archipelago wolf. Now more than ever, we need your help. Your gift will be put to work immediately to help us save the wild! For decades, Earthjustice has fought to protect the Tongass from clear-cut logging—and we’ve won. We defended the Roadless Rule in the region and protected wild lands throughout this magnificent forest. And today, with your gift, we’ll stand up for the Tongass—and all wild places—before it’s too late! Thank you for your help,

Holly Harris Staff Attorney Alaska Office DONATE NOW

P.S. We’re fighting to save the Tongass and prevent vast swaths of ancient coastal rainforest from being clear-cut—but we need your help! Make an urgent tax-deductible gift today to help us take on this and other critical fights in court.

STOP THE PEBBLE MINE! HERE IS THE AD IN THE LONDON FINANCIAL TIMES TODAY 19APR12

HERE is the ad from the NRDC that ran in the NY Times on 16APR12 and is in the London (U.K.) Financial Times today while representatives of the NRDC and other environmental organizations as well as residents of Bristol Bay and the area of of proposed mine testify against the mine at the annual shareholders meetings of anglo american and rio tinto in London.

		You Helped Us Turn Up the Heat! Thanks to you, our full-page ad exposing the mining giants behind the Pebble Mine ran in Monday’s New York Times. Pressure is building on the companies to take No for an answer. View the Ad Again. We did it! Thanks to donations from thousands of supporters like you, our hard-hitting ad slamming the two British-based corporations behind the disastrous Pebble Mine appeared in Monday’s national edition of The New York Times. The ad will also run in London’s Financial Times on Thursday, the same day that both companies will be holding their annual shareholders meetings -- forcing investors to ask themselves if they really want a share of this environmental and financial disaster. NRDC will be delivering 400,000 new Letters of Protest to those meetings and we’ll be testifying, alongside representatives from Bristol Bay, against this unacceptable assault on one of America’s last and greatest wild places. Thanks to you, our public mobilization campaign is reaching millions of people -- on both sides of the Atlantic -- with the ugly truth behind this toxic mega-mine. Thank you for standing with us in this fight. I’ll be sure to keep you updated in the days and weeks ahead. Sincerely, Frances Beinecke President Natural Resources Defense Council

TAKE ACTION: Land Grab Bill Threatens America's Rainforest from EARTHJUSTICE 2APR12

THERE are just some areas of this country that should be left alone, untouched, wild, primitive. Look at the picture below and you'll agree the Tongass National Forest is one of these areas, it definitely should not be turned over to sealaska or any other corporation for clearcutting and / or development. Click the link to send Sec of Agriculture Vilsack a message telling him to save Tongass N.F. from sealaska and any other corporation!

TAKE ACTION! Land Grab Bill Threatens America's Rainforest
	Congress is considering a bill that would give away some of the best old-growth habitat in Alaska’s magnificent Tongass National Forest to the Sealaska Corporation for clearcutting. Take Action Today!
Right now, Congress is considering the fate of many of the finest stands of coastal temperate rainforest in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest—considered to be the crown jewel of the U.S. National Forest system. If passed, this legislation will hand over tens of thousands of acres to Sealaska Corporation for clearcutting and commercial development. Gone will be towering stands of trees as old as 500 years and as big as 10 feet in diameter—some of the richest prizes in this vast old-growth rainforest. Gone, too, will be the home they provide for eagles, bears, wolves, salmon and countless other species. Also harmed will be the many southeast Alaskans who live off these lands and waters for their subsistence lifestyles and livelihoods, and the many others from across the country who rely upon and visit the Tongass for world-class recreation, hunting, tourism, and sport and commercial fishing. Sealaska has already received over 290,000 acres of land from the Tongass in a previous Congressionally approved deal to settle native land claims that the corporation sought back in 1976. This current legislation (H.R. 1408 and S. 730) would change that deal and give Sealaska new and many of the best areas of the Tongass. Allowing this single corporate stakeholder to gain control and ownership of the most valuable areas of the Tongass undermines the Forest Service’s plan to transition out of old-growth logging and into more sustainable economic development through ecosystem restoration, fishing, and tourism. The proposed legislation also gives away numerous smaller parcels scattered throughout the Tongass, including popular anchorage areas, hunting and fishing hotspots, and many of the best sites that sit at the edge of wilderness areas, heads of bays, and mouths of salmon streams. Privatizing these sites for commercial development by Sealaska Corporation would restrict public access and jeopardize the number of tourism and outfitter businesses, sport and commercial fishermen, and local Alaskans and visitors who rely on the Tongass for their livelihoods and recreational enjoyment. Don’t let this corporate earmark legislation irreversibly harm the national treasure that is the Tongass. Join with us and urge the Obama administration to steadfastly oppose the legislation as the bills work their way through Congress. Please act now to save this magnificent place by sending this letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack—who oversees the U.S. Forest Service—asking him to protect the Tongass National Forest and oppose the Sealaska Corporation legislation. Sincerely, Rebecca Judd Legislative Counsel Earthjustice

©2012 Earthjustice | 50 California Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94111 | 415-217-2000 | action@earthjustice.org

STOP PEBBLE MINE! Don't let a foreign mining company destroy one of our last wild places.from NRDC 29SEP10

PLEASE JOIN IN THIS ACTION FROM THE NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL AGAINST THE PROPOSED PEBBLE MINE IN ALASKA....SEE BELOW FOR INFORMATION AND CLICK THE HEADER TO SEND A LETTER TO ANGLO-AMERICAN......

I urge you to speak out now to save the wildlife Eden of Bristol Bay from corporate mining giant, Anglo American. That company wants us to believe it can safely store 10 billion tons of mining waste in an active earthquake zone -- FOREVER. Please tell Anglo American you¹re not buying it. Tell them you care more about Bristol Bay¹s moose, caribou, wolves and salmon than about one company¹s profit-driven scheme.

It will only take a minute to send your message -- and it could save one of our last great places for generations to come.

Do You TRUST Anglo American to Protect Alaska’s Wilderness? BP promised a major oil spill would never happen in the Gulf. Now Anglo American is promising its massive Pebble Mine won’t despoil Bristol Bay. Do you trust a mining giant with a wildlife Eden? Dear Craig, Last Spring we ratcheted up the pressure on Anglo American and its disastrous plan to build a mega-mine in Alaska’s pristine Bristol Bay watershed. We presented a Petition -- signed by 100,000 concerned Americans -- at Anglo’s Shareholder’s Meeting on Earth Day! But in the wake of the Gulf oil spill disaster, we need to do more. It’s time to tell Anglo American we’re not buying its promises of environmental responsibility. BP made plenty of promises, too. Then it proved that corporate claims ring hollow and worst-case scenarios do happen. Tell Anglo American you don’t want another corporate giant gambling with the future of a priceless ecosystem. Oil, gas and mining companies like to say, “Trust us.” Anglo American is promising plenty of studies and environmental impact statements. They will claim that a massive release of mining waste is a “worst case scenario” that will never happen. They will claim that Bristol Bay -- the world’s largest salmon fishery and home to abundant bears, moose and caribou -- is in no danger from the colossal Pebble Mine. How gullible do they think we are? Every large copper and gold mine on Earth has suffered spills and other disasters, including acid runoff and mercury contamination. Anglo American’s own plans say that the Pebble Mine will spew some 10 billion tons of mining waste, laced with toxic chemicals, that must be stored behind massive earthen dams FOREVER in an active earthquake zone. Nothing lasts forever. The only question is, when will those dams fail? The wildlife, fishermen and Native communities of Bristol Bay cannot afford to find out the answer, because they stand to pay the ultimate price in a devastated ecosystem. Please stand in solidarity with them by telling Anglo American you won’t let them roll the dice with Bristol Bay. Polluters like to think our attention spans are short. They believe they can wait until “the storm blows over,” and then go back to business as usual. Let them know they’re wrong. Tell Anglo that, after the Gulf spill, you’re not buying any more corporate promises. Sincerely, Peter Lehner Executive Director Natural Resources Defense Council