Bears! Bear witness to the arrival of this email in your inbox. It's been more than a month since our last bandy about with the bears, which is downright sad considering the inhabitants of the IMPORTANT BEAR NEWS Cave have had two whole weeks of vacation time in the interim. (Granted, those weeks were full of weddings and errands and boutique spin classes and other assorted items of nonsense, so, step off, probably). But the bears, per usual, took not a day off. The bears interrupted elementary schools, disrupted national park celebrations and even rode across the state of New Mexico on the back of a garbage truck. Bears! They wait for no man / woman / person / truck! Like any good news consumer, the bears have also been watching the rapidly approaching presidential election this November, but never you worry -- there will be NO political coverage in this bear-related newsletter. No politics, just bears -- that's the IMPORTANT BEAR NEWS Difference™. (That said: have YOU registered to vote yet? It's easy -- and you can do it right here!)

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National Parks Are 100 Years Old, Bears Notice
Bears And Trash, Part Un
Bears And Trash, Part Deux
Bears And Trash, Part Trois
Bears And Trash, Part Quatre
Pedals Doesn't Need Your Worries, Thanks
Distinguished Bear Marks Distinguished Anniversary
Bear Watcher States Obvious Bear Fact
CANADA, WHY ARE YOU LIKE FLORIDA NOW
Not True, Still Cute
Whatever, Science, YOUR Diet Is Inflexible 
Apocalypse Pooh Is Everything, Sorry
Bears Will Play Whatever Instrument They Damn Well Please
Silly Ol' Bear
Big. Bold. Beautiful. Bears.
England: Why You. No. Don't.
Happiness Is Not, In Fact, Two Kinds Of Ice Cream
'No Fear In Those Bears,' Part One
'No Fear In Those Bears,' Part Two
Bears Demand Equal Educational Access
Florida, You Got A Problem, And This Is NOT It
Somebody Here Is Hefty, And It Isn't The Bear

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Qinling panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis), a subspecies of the giant panda.Not formally recognized until 2005, the Qinling panda is the first official giant panda subspecies to be formally recognized. The Qinling panda features a smaller head and dark brown/light brown fur pattern, compared to the larger hard and black and white fur pattern of its giant panda relatives. There are currently roughly 300 Qinling pandas in the wild.

food: Like the species dominant, Qinling pandas largely consume bamboo and other native plants near its central Chinese home region.

habitat: The Qinling panda is found in the central Qinling Mountains at elevations between 4,300 and 9,800 feet. Attempts to capture and breed Qinling pandas have largely been unsuccessful.
(via Wikipedia / Creative Commons)

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How Massachusetts Teaches Race (Part 1) | (Part 2)
All The Finest Data Gaps, Fairy Doors and Sheep 
Never Change, Boston
Live Your Best Tweet, Everybody
Powerful Story On Grief And Queer Culture
I Feel You, NYT Comment Moderators. I Feel You.