It’s one thing when you are bombarded daily by news articles, it’s quite another when you want to buy a custom teddy bear and are treated to a video lecture on global warming. That’s why I’ll never buy anything from this company and advise my family and friends with children to avoid them also.
www.buildabear.com – their main page below looks just like any normal toy page with a Christmas theme, but visit the games section and you enter a whole new winter wonderland.
Apparently “build-a-bear” is quite the fad, now in 17 countries. But they had a dirty little secret, they were pushing an agenda under the guise of a cartoon designed to entertain the kids.
Maura Flynn writes at biggovernment.com
Attention Santas:
This missive is directed at the guardians of, and donors to, tiny humans. If you fall into that category you likely are already familiar with Build-A-Bear, a world-wide corporation that provides the most innocent of services. They sell customizable stuffed animals. Make your own bear, dog…penguin. Cute concept.
So cute, in fact, that the Build-A-Bear empire sweeps across nearly every state and into 17 other countries. You’ll find their outlets in shopping malls everywhere and even some ballparks. The company also has a website called Build-A-Bearville.com where children can play an interactive video game that, on it’s surface, is unlikely to raise suspicion or sound alarms.
But when your unsuspecting tot logs on and hops a virtual train to the North Pole…you should know that he or she will be informed — by Santa Claus — that Christmas may be canceled this year due to Global Warming. Below is part two of the 3-part video.
Here’s an excerpt (1:07-2:22):
Girl Elf: Santa, it’s gone!
Papa Elf: It’s gone, It’s gone!
Santa: What’s gone?
Girl Elf: Tell ‘em, Dad!
Papa Elf: The North Peak.
Santa: A mountain? A mountain’s gone? How is that possible?
Ella the polar bear: Santa, sir, that’s why I’m here. That’s why we’re here. The ice is melting!
Santa: Yes, my dear, we know, the climate is changing. There’s bound to be a little melting.
Ella: It’s worse than that, Santa, a lot worse! At the rate it’s melting, the North Pole will be gone by Christmas!”
Santa: My, my…all of this gone by next Christmas? I don’t think so.
Ella: No sir, not next Christmas, this Christmas! The day after tomorrow!
And this is merely the tip of the dialogue iceberg, if you’ll forgive me for putting it that way. You can view parts one and three here and here. Children of the world can look forward to priceless exchanges such as, “Oh my! Where will the polar bears live?” and my personal fave: “Where will the elves live?”
I suspect you’d like to think it can’t get any worse than that. Thus, it pains me to tell you that animated characters actually break into a discussion of satellite photos and that Mrs. Claus conducts a rather unscientific experiment involving ice cubes.
Needless-to-say, this constitutes brainwashing on the sleaziest and most sinister level. The good news is that this nonsense isn’t coming from our government this time and the rocky economy is our friend here. People, we have the means, if we have the will, to topple these charlatans who shamelessly prey on little children. So boycott Build-A-Bear. And, more importantly, tell the world why.
They apparently have been getting overwhelmed with letters, because today they posted this:
December 22, 2009
We have received inquiries regarding our online webisodes and would like to provide you with the following information.
Our goal is to entertain and engage the imagination of children with our stuffed animals, our store environment, and online. Our intention with the Polar Bear story was to inspire children, through the voices of our animal characters, to make a difference in their own individual ways. We did not intend to politicize the topic of global climate change or offend anyone in any way. The webisodes concluded this week with Santa successfully leaving on his journey to deliver gifts around the world. The webisodes will no longer be available on the site.
I started Build-A-Bear Workshop as a place for families and children to come for a fun experience combining imagination, creativity and empowerment. I have always placed great value in the trust that our Guests have in our brand.
At Build-A-Bear Workshop we also strive to encourage kids to help others by participating in their communities. We listen to parents and kids about topics that they are interested in and care about. We especially value the input of parents. We are listening and taking all points of view into consideration for the future.
If you have questions, please contact us:
Guests with questions should contact:
Guest services
314-423-8000
866-232-7269
Media with questions should contact:
Jill Saunders
314-423-8000 ext. 5293
314-422-4523 (cell)
Investors with Questions should contact:
Investor Relations
314-423-8000 ext.5353
Sincerely,
Maxine Clark
Founder and Chief Executive Bear
Build-A-Bear Workshop
There’s an important word missing from that letter, that word is “apology”. Global Warming and Christmas have no business being together, and hopefully this will be a lesson for other companies that try to put an agenda into children’s stories. Sadly, I suspect we’ll see more of this though.
If you already bought one of these, my advice is to call their customer service and ask for a full refund.
(toll free) 1-877-789-BEAR (2327)
J.Peden (12:45:19) :
Um, no. Kinetic energy is not the same as the amount of energy it takes to maintain a certain speed (kinetic energy is significantly lower). Most energy that you consume driving a vehicle is wasted through myriad inefficiencies.
You can test this simply by driving your car and noting your gas mileage at 50 mph and 70 mph (gas mileage is a fair guage of fuel consumption). I’m quite certain it is not cut in half at the upper speed for any car. My car, an Xterra, gets almost identical gas mileage at 50 mph and 70 mph.
Mark
Nice name drop for the most stupid disaster movie ever made.
“…Global Warming and Christmas have no business being together…”
Just shows that Santa was one of the biggest contributors to AGW – putting lumps of coal in all those stockings.
Scott Base – Ross Island, Antarctica
is very cold for this time of year today max temp -6.1c thats -4.9c on last year.
may be Santa could move here hehe .
http://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/weather/SBweather/sbweather.html
>>At Build-A-Bear Workshop we also strive to encourage kids to help others by participating in their communities.
They should strive to encourage kids to build stuffed animals in their stores. That should just about do it. I don’t think any parent is counting on Build-a-Bear, Inc. to help their kids learn about being responsible citizens. That’s the thing about liberal do-gooders. They think that if they so much as supply plastic spoons to a school cafeteria, they have a license to play a role in raising the children who eat Jello with those very spoons. I don’t suppose it ever occurred to the Build-a-Bear CEO that parents might have significant areas of their child-rearing responsibility under control, and that they are not in dire need of Build-a-Bear’s assistance.
Our protests made Fox News at 6 pm!
D. King (04:46:32) :
Bilderberg….Build-a-bear I don’t know, I’m just saying…
More like Star Trek: Build-a-BORG
kadaka (11:15:26) :
If you think you can aim and time that head shot as the polar bear is charging at you with their usual head-bobbing gait, then you’re a better shot than… virtually everyone.
Everyone knows the way to stop a bear is with a .22 air rifle. A well aimed pellet to the genitalia works every time.
When in the woods, wear little bells to warn the bears of your presence, and carry pepper spray.
And learn the difference between black bear poo which is contains berry seeds; and grizzly poo, which contains little bells and smells of pepper.
Used to be… personally I think 2012 beats it by a mile.
tallbloke (16:55:53) :
kadaka (11:15:26) :
If you think you can aim and time that head shot as the polar bear is charging at you with their usual head-bobbing gait, then you’re a better shot than… virtually everyone.
“Everyone knows the way to stop a bear is with a .22 air rifle. A well aimed pellet to the genitalia works every time.”
Why would I want to stop a bear? I’d rather he went right on by. And lying in wait for one to roll over so I could get a good shot at his genitalia somehow doesn’t sound wise. I know it would not be wise for someone to do that to me, and I’m nowhere near as rude as a polar bear.
“When in the woods, wear little bells to warn the bears of your presence, and carry pepper spray.”
Good advice for New York City perhaps, but again why warm bears of your presence? It warns them you are in their territory. And the pepper spray would not put you out of your misery anywhere soon enough before the bear started ripping arms and legs off, no matter how much you inhaled.
“And learn the difference between black bear poo which is contains berry seeds; and grizzly poo, which contains little bells and smells of pepper.”
Ok now I know. Now what? Fling the black bear poo at the grizzly, and the grizzly poo at the black bear? How’s that going to help my arms being ripped off by a polar bear because I didn’t have an express rifle?
@ur momisugly tallbloke (16:55:53) :
My favorite in-the-woods advice along those lines is when confronted by a grizzly or similar large bear, simply roll up into a fetal ball. The bear will bat you around like a cat’s play toy, it may break some bones, but you’ll be okay.
I’ve seen enough nature shows to know what their claws look like, I would expect some lacerations. So one could be bleeding next to the bear and giving off a lovely “fresh meat” scent. Then after the bear of course gets bored and wanders off, you can be bleeding, with broken bones, presumably with the little pieces still attached and functioning (like fingers, eyes, head), in the middle of deep forest. And you’ll be okay.
I wonder if I can find an online guide on how to naturally, in the wilderness, process a furry hide for a fabric-type use, like a cloak or a rug, with advice on how to patch large holes. Could be useful someday.
Mark T (14:30:24)
Yeah, though I did say “In theory”. I’ve heard Dr. Bill Wattenberg use the kinetic energy equation, in theory relating to practice, as it relates to fuel consumption. He’s one of the most accomplished, knowledgeable, and practical scientists around, and will mention everything else relevant if you want him to. He has a 10pm – 1am Pacific Time, Sat. and Sun. radio show on KGO, 810am, San Francisco. You can call him up and ask him anything. He loves it and seems to be one of these people who never sleeps, or something. He was onto the MBTE gas additive scam before it went down – testified against it and told the politicos what was going to happen, has solved several big Bay Area problems free of charge, owns and runs constrution companies and heavy epuipment whilch also fights the area Forest fires, etc., etc.. He worked in Iraq putting out the oil well fires, is a working expert on nuclear whatever,….
J.Peden (21:25:51) :
Sure, I noticed that and almost included a bit mentioning that. Probably should have.
Eliminate inefficiencies, which basically amounts to the generation of heat in one fashion or another, and it would be a great thing for the world. Unfortunately, our cows are not perfect spheres in vacuums, are they? 🙂
Mark
Has this been overlooked? Just like Coke and the WWF,
“March 7, 2006–Build-A-Bear Workshop(R) announced today it has given $1 million to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through the sales of its WWF Collectibear(R) stuffed animal series.”
http://ir.buildabear.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=182478&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=827820&highlight=
“The WWF Collectibear(R) stuffed animals not only raise funds to support our work but also bring awareness to the plight of threatened and endangered animals.”
It appears they were also bringing awareness to “the plight” of polar bears and Santa.
Ok, Glenn (23:14:40), I understand(ish) you concern with Build-a-Bear and the Santa video, but if buying a Build-a-Bear helps protect an endangered bear such as the Panda, how is that bad? It is not, it is actually the shame of AGW that it distracts from these more pressing environmental issues.
To you folks who mention bear encounters, you both have it wrong. Do NOT wear bells, at least not in U.S. Grizzly territory…many bears are actually drawn to the sound. DO shout out, sing and clap every once an awhile, especially when rounding blind corners in the wilderness.
Also, Do NOT roll up in a ball if the bear attacks. Assuming you have a backpack, lie flat on your stomach (protect those soft parts!) and put your hand on the back of your neck. Of course, this assumes you forgot your bear spray (super large container of pepper spray that blast up to 10 yards).
I had an encounter with a Griz just this past summer and fortunately good ‘ol fashioned hand waving while backing up slowly and yelling “hey bear, hey bear” did the trick.
Yes, Grizzly scat often smells like pepper spray and has little bells in it.
Mark
“Of course, this assumes you forgot your bear spray (super large container of pepper spray that blast up to 10 yards).”
The best defense? Always take someone who runs slower than you do.
ZOMGZ Build-A-Bear was right! The pole is almost gone. Witness the Googlemaps new follow Santa link:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/noradsanta/index.html#utm_campaign=en&utm_medium=hpp&utm_source=en-hpp-na-us-gns-norad
I fear all the polar bears have drowned because Santa is standing on the last piece of ice in the Arctic. It´s only a matter of hours before that disappears too!
I almost ran right into a Ma Bear who had just shooed her two cubs up a tree about 25 yds. off. I heard the cubs going up before I saw them and knew what it was, but it was too late to do anything except keep jogging like nothing was happening. It was almost instinctive and it worked. I had a .38 with me and it was comforting. But I wasn’t going to shoot the bear if I could avoid it , maybe get off a warning shot if she started at me, because the old logging road I was jogging on was turning away from the bears almost as soon as I saw them. So I might have had time to warn the bear first. 25 yds. wouldn’t have been enough, though. Bears are really fast and I was too close to the cubs.
I think Ma Bear was kind of confused about what I was, maybe because of the jogging? She didn’t look or get aggressive at all.
From an article I read in 2007 in reply to Al Gores propaganda movie :
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YmFiZDAyMWFhMGIxNTgwNGIyMjVkZjQ4OGFiZjFlNjc=
“Polar Bears. Polar bears are not becoming endangered. A leading Canadian polar bear biologist wrote recently, “Climate change is having an effect on the west Hudson population of polar bears, but really, there is no need to panic. Of the 13 populations of polar bears in Canada, 11 are stable or increasing in number. They are not going extinct, or even appear (sic) to be affected at present.’ ”
When you think about it, polar bears do not NEED floating ice, they need seals who bask or nap on floating ice. If there is no floating ice the seals need to go elsewhere, probably making it easier for polar bears to catch them. If there is any effect of reduced floating ice it may be on the seal population.
I shot a black bear (approximately 450 lbs) with a .270 Winchester at 30 yards one fall while hunting elk; the bullet went in the ribcage and out the other side (2 holes in the hide). The bear ran downhill for about 200 yards before finally collapsing. I’m just glad it didn’t head my way; it could have taken me apart before I had a chance for a second shot.
That black bear was much smaller than either a grizzly or a polar bear. The ballistics for a .270 Winchester are somewhat equivalent to a 30-06, and far superior to a .223. Should I ever have to kill a griz or polar bear before it ate me, I’d want to be packing something like a 300 Weatherby Magnum or it’s equivalent. That’s pretty difficult for a hiker or jogger to do.
My grandfather helped to erradicate the grizzly in the Teton Basin area in Idaho. He was appalled when they reintroduced it. Like him, I see absolutley no reason for the grizzly in areas where humans live since co-habitation isn’t possible without significant conflicts. As I see it, the only reason the griz was reintroduced was to force humans out of certain areas. Lets put grizzlies in Central Park in NYC and see how those tree huggers like it.
My same sentiments apply to the wolf.
As I see it, the only reason the griz was reintroduced was to force humans out of certain areas. Lets put grizzlies in Central Park in NYC and see how those tree huggers like it.
My same sentiments apply to the wolf.
Amen. I “carry” when hiking, trying to jog, etc., which I do very very frequently. The protected Cougars are already getting damn dangerous around here. One local rancher shot one as it was confronting his 12 yr. old kid in the daylight right at the house. Another person told me she was riding down a trail and a Cougar tried to jump on the back of her horse.
Even the reintroduced Wild Turkeys seem to be set to take the place over. They’re neat animals, but are multiplying and moving up-canyon rapidly. A couple of years ago there were only a few who showed up, but last Summer someone saw at least 60 in one flock about a mile away.
I asked one local outfitter-packer what he does about the hordes which show up at his place in the Winter. He said, “I use the mason jar solution”. He says he just “cans” them, but that would be about a full-time job, and he’d end up with his license removed. He was joking.
Dave F (23:52:49) :
“Ok, Glenn (23:14:40), I understand(ish) you concern with Build-a-Bear and the Santa video, but if buying a Build-a-Bear helps protect an endangered bear such as the Panda, how is that bad? It is not, it is actually the shame of AGW that it distracts from these more pressing environmental issues.”
You missed the point, “bringing awareness” to children that want stuffed bears is the problem. I’d consider any “awareness bringing” whether it’s disappearing ice or Panda to be improper in this context.
J.Peden (01:35:40) :
Yes, the “Without a Paddle” defense.
Mark