5 Things: Another Snowy Weekend?

1. LAST CHANCE to win a brand new color Nook! Bedford PTG's 2013 Barnes & Noble Day Book Fair, originally scheduled for Feb. 8-9 at Barnes & Noble at 1741 South Willow Street, Manchester, has been rescheduled for today, Feb. 15, and tomorrow, Feb. 16. Be sure to mention BEDFORD PTG at the time of your purchase to help earn money for our schools! Shop online through the 19th by using Bookfair ID #11006897, the Bedford PTG will receive a percentage of the sales to be used to help support our schools! Don't forget to put your name in the hat and enter our raffle for a Color Nook!  Visit www.bedfordptg.org and download our flyer with an attached raffle ticket. Raffle tickets are $5.

2. White weekend? No, Bedford won't see another two feet of snow this weekend, but the forecast does call for snow showers Saturday (60% chance) and Sunday (70%) with temperatures dropping into the mid 30s Saturday and low 20s Sunday. Monday looks to be a bit nicer, however, with sun in the forecast, though the predicted high rises to only 29.

3. What about today? According to Weather.com, today's forecast calls for another beautiful February day with generally sunny skies with light winds throughout the day and a high temperature projected at 42 degrees with a 10-percent chance of precipitation.

2. February Vacation approaches. Bedford students and teachers DON'T have President's Day off this coming Monday, Feb. 18, but February Vacation begins a week later and runs from Feb. 25 to March 1.

5. The birth of the Teddy bear. On this day, Feb. 15, 1903, the first two 'Teddy' bears were placed in the toy store window of inventor Morris Michtom, who had petitioned President Theodore Roosevelt for permission to use his nickname to market the bears. Teddy agreed and other toy manufacturers also began using the nickname with their furry stuffed animals.

According to History.com:

One of Theodore Roosevelt's hunting expeditions provided the inspiration for the Teddy bear. Ironically, though he was an avid conservationist, Roosevelt-led hunting trips often resulted in excessive slaughter, including one African trip during which his party killed more than 6,000 animals for sport and trophies. However, the idea for the teddy bear likely arose out of one of Roosevelt's more compassionate acts.

Reports differ as to the exact details of the inspiration behind the teddy bear, but it is thought that while hunting in Mississippi in 1902, Roosevelt came upon an old injured black bear that his guides had tied to a tree. (The age, sex and state of health of the bear remain contested.) While some reports claim Roosevelt shot the bear out of pity for his suffering, others insist he set the bear free. Political cartoonists later portrayed the bear as a cub, implying that under the tough, outdoorsy and macho image of Roosevelt lay a much softer, more sensitive interior.

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