Black bear encounter

A man in California was texting, and ended up face-to-face with a black bear — and it was captured on video:

It took three tranquilizer darts to subdue the bear and he will be released into the National Forest.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/black-bear-passes-out.html  This reminds me of my own close encounter with a black bear in Snowmass, Colorado, several years ago. I was sitting on the balcony of a rented apartment, reading my book...then I looked up and came face-to-face with a black bear standing several feet away. He looked at me but he wasn't aggressive and he eventually sauntered away into the woods...much to my relief!

This makes me think of a "bear market" which is a general decline in the stock market over a period of time. It is a transition from high investor optimism to widespread investor fear and pessimism. According to the Vanguard Group, "While there’s no agreed-upon definition of a bear market, one generally accepted measure is a price decline of 20% or more over at least a two-month period."

The bear is very symbolic to Native Americans and is believed to hold special powers. Many North American tribes thought highly of the bear, especially the Sioux and the Pueblo. Some tribes even considered the bear to be a sacred animal with the power of healing. It is portrayed as a gentle, noble but also fierce animal. Due to this diversity the bear has symbolized good and bad throughout history.  The Celts felt the bear was a symbol of warfare and bravery. Christians viewed the bear as a symbol of evil and cruelty in the Old Testament...but modern Christianity views the bear as a symbol of resurrection.