Bear

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News stories from Wikinews. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the terms used by other players beforehand. Bears, usually anthropomorphized, appear frequently as characters in popular culture; see List of fictional bears. Every paintball field has its own lingo for various obstacles, bunkers, and landmarks that are unique to the site. A bear also features prominently in the legend of Saint Romedius, who is also said to have tamed one of these animals and had the same bear carry him from his hermitage in the mountains to the city of Trento. "Mercy" - This is yelled by the shooter if s/he holds an upper hand on an opponent within a close range; this is done to give the enemy a chance to surrender without being shot. In the arms of the bishopric of Freising (illustration, right) the bear is the dangerous totem animal tamed by Saint Corbinian and made to carry his civilized baggage over the mountains: the allegory of the civilizing influence of Christianity is inescapable. "tricked out" - A term used to describe a gun that has numerous upgrades and enhancements, oftentimes providing dubious or non-existent performance benefits.

Bears are a common symbol of heraldry. The snake is a unique setup because it allows a player to advance a considerable distance while still being protected from being hit from most locations on the field. The bear is also the name-emblem of Berlin. "Snake" (n)- In hyperball, speedball, and airball a snake is a long, low structure (less then 1 meter/3 feet high) usually located either in the middle or to one or both sides of a field. Numerous cities around the world have adopted the bear as a symbol, notably the Swiss capital Bern, which takes its name from the German for bear, bär. This allows referees with sound-activated timers to monitor rate of fire during games. The theory of the bear taboo is taught to almost all beginning students of Indo-European and historical linguistics; the putative original PIE word for bear is itself descriptive, because a cognate word in Sanskrit is rakshas, meaning "harm, injury" [1]. In response to the popularity of ramping (and the difficulty of catching violators), some organizations have abandoned a strict semi-auto-only policy and adopted a 15 ball-per-second cap in its place.

In the Finnish countryside, the word for "bear" remains taboo to this day. Many "ramp boards" also incorporate elaborate schemes to conceal this feature from tournament referees, including a simple "panic button" trigger press sequence to turn ramping off before a marker can be confiscated and tested, and randomized rate of fire to mask the fact that the trigger activity doesn't match the actual firing of paintballs. Thus four separate Indo-European language groups do not share the same PIE root. "Ramping" (v)- A feature enabled in many aftermarket electronic marker 'mod boards' that functions as de-facto full-auto; while in ramping mode, pulling the trigger faster than a preset lower limit (typically 5 or more times a second) causes the marker to "ramp" to its maximum preset rate of fire, which can exceed 20 balls per second, or to fire as quickly as the hopper can supply balls to the breech. Arthur), Sanskrit *ṛkṣa, Hittite hartagga) seems to have been subject to taboo deformation or replacement (as was the word for wolf, wlk^wos), resulting in the use of numerous unrelated words with meanings like "brown one" (English bruin) and "honey-eater" (Slavic medved). "Maxed" (n)(v)- In tournament play, a team successfully eliminating all opposing players, losing none of their own players and successfully hanging the opponent's flag within the allotted game time is said to have "maxed" the other team (that is, they have achieved the maximum points possible in the game). In addition, the Proto-Indo-European word for bear, *hr̥ktos (ancestral to the Greek arktos, Latin ursus, Welsh arth (c.f. It can also be used to describe a situation in which an individual or team excercised a great advantage to defeat the other player or team.

There has been evidence about early bear worship in China and among the Ainu culture as well. It is often used to describe someone who has been marked several times. This is why the bear was a greatly respected animal, with several euphemistic names. "Lit up" - An expression connotating overwhelming victory. The prehistoric Finns, along with most finno-ugric peoples, considered the bear as the spirit of one's forefathers. These electronic laser systems help prevent chopping in markers and help markers reach higher rates of fire consistently. Anthropologists such as Joseph Campbell have regarded this as a common feature in most of the fishing and hunting-tribes. If a ball enters the breech, the laser will be reflected back into the eye, indicating that a ball is ready to be fired.

There is some evidence for prehistoric bear worship, see Arctic, Arcturus, Great Bear, Berserker, Kalevala. Reflective sends a laser across the breech from one eye. The discovery has shown that while all other Brown Bears share a Brown Bear as their closest relative, those of Alaska's ABC Islands differ and share their closest relation with the Polar Bear. When a ball enters the breech of the marker, it breaks the laser, telling the marker that a ball is ready to be fired. The researchers discovered that their DNA was unique compared to Brown Bears anywhere else in the world. Breakbeam incorporates two eyes which send a laser across the breech to one another. Researchers Gerald Shields and Sandra Talbot of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Arctic Biology studied the DNA of several samples of the species and found that their DNA is different from that of other Brown Bears. There are two types; breakbeam and reflective.

There is also evidence that, unlike their neighbors elsewhere, the Brown Bears of Alaska's ABC Islands are more closely related to Polar Bears than they are to other Brown Bears in the world. "eye/eyes/ACE" (n) - A laser detection system installed on electronic markers. The many similarities between the two pandas are thought to represent convergent evolution for feeding primarily on bamboo. "chop a snake" - A process in which one player will fire over the head of an opponent located behind a snake, pinning him down, while another will advance along the lengh of the snake eliminating the opponent. Others place it with the racoons in Procyonidae or in its own family, the Ailuridae. Many markers have special technology to prevent them from firing before a paintball has fed completely or to reduce the speed of the bolt so that it can't break a partially fed paintball. The status of the Red Panda remains uncertain, but many experts, including Wilson and Reeder, classify it as a member of the bear family. Chops are usually caused by a marker shooting too fast for the speed at which the loader can feed it, or sometimes by misshapen paint that does not feed properly or low pressure or mechanical failure that causes the bolt to actuate more than once in quick succession.

Although there has previously been much discussion as to whether the Giant Panda belongs to the bear family or the raccoon family, recent DNA analyses have shown that the Giant Panda is a member of the Family Ursidae and as such is more closely related to other bears. The force of the bolt of the marker moving forward will then cut the paintball in half inside the marker's chamber, creating a rather unpleasant mess that will prevent the marker from shooting accurately until cleaned. Extinct bear genera include Arctodus, Agriarctos, Agriotherium, Plionarctos and Indarctos. "chop" - Sometimes a marker may fire when a paintball has only fed partially into the breech. This genus radiated in Asia and ultimately gave rise to the first true bears (genus Ursus) in Europe, 5 million years ago. Necessary because hits on hard equipment may not be noticed by the player, and hits that do not leave a mark do not count, so a player may need another person to check to see if a hit broke when it is on an area of the body the player cannot readily see. Cephalogale gave rise to a lineage of early bears, the genus Ursavus. "paint check" (v) - When an official or another player inspects a player for hits.

The origins of the bears can be traced back to the raccoon-sized, dog-like Cephalogale from the middle Oligocene and early Miocene (approximately 20-30 million years ago) of Europe. If the teammates are looking the wrong way, or there are no teammates left, an opposing player can often run straight up to the player's bunker without the player seeing him and "bunker" the player by shooting directly over or around the side of the cover. Although bears are often described as having evolved from a dog-like ancestor, their closest living relatives are the pinnipeds (walruses, seals, and sea lions). "bunker" (v) - When a player is behind a bunker, the bunker blocks that player's view of the field in front of him, forcing the player to occasionally look out from behind the bunker (and risk being hit) or rely on teammates to prevent opposing players from advancing through that area. Other members of the Caniformia include wolves and other dog-like mammals (family Canidae), weasels, skunks, and badgers (family Mustelidae), raccoons (family Procyonidae), and walruses (family Odobenidae), seals (family Phocidae), and sea lions (family Otariidae). In speedball, vrtually all objects placed on an otherwise empty grass field are "bunkers", and in most modern speedball tournaments, bunkers are inflatable vinyl obstacles (like river rafts with more basic and varied shapes). Bears are members of the order Carnivora, suborder Caniformia, and family Ursidae. In wooded play, a bunker may be a large fallen log, a collection of wood, a constucted obstacle of wood, barrels, or other material, or even a dug-out depression in the ground.

A number of hybrids have been bred between American Black, Brown and Polar Bears (see Ursinae hybrids). "bunker" (n) - A non-natural obstacle on the field of play suitable for use as cover. The Asiatic Black Bear and the Polar Bear used to be placed in their own genera, Selenarctos and Thalarctos. Sometimes refered to as "Extra Love". The genera Melursus and Helarctos are included in the genus Ursus. A player may receive bonus balls due to the increasingly fast rate of fire of markers in tournament play, walking through a spot another player is shooting, or occasionally by being intentionally shot by an opponent. Sun Bears are the smallest, only a bit smaller than the average person. "bonus ball" (v)- Hits a player receives after being eliminated, usually while leaving the field of play.

Kodiak Bears are the largest type of bear (Polar Bears are the heaviest though), indeed one of the largest extant carnivores. Paintball is ranked ahead of snowboarding by a large margin. The Brown Bear is Finland's national animal. According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association International's (SGMA) 2005 stats, paintball is the third most popular 'extreme sport' in the world, following skateboarding and inline skating. Bears have an average life expectancy of 25–40 years. Growing Popularity. Bears in captivity used to be trained to dance, box, or unicycle, but it is now controversial to use animals in this way. Good equipment does lend a competitive edge, but it is possible to get good results with relatively inexpensive equipment, and skill trumps gear quality.

Laws have been passed in many areas of the world to protect bears from hunters or habitat destruction. Many players believe that more expensive and higher quality equipment determines how well a person plays. Higher body heat and being easily roused may be adaptations because female bears bear cubs during this winter sleep. Quality of Equipment. Unlike rodents, bears are easily awakened when disturbed. Many fields forbid the use of full-auto markers, which are illegal in many countries (for example the UK). Recycling urine is quite a physiological feat. Paintball fields require anyone near the field to wear a face mask, and that markers shoot at a velocity of less than 300 feet per second.

They do not wake normally during 'hibernation' therefore do not eat, drink, urinate or defecate the entire period. As long as the players follow the rules, paintball is an entirely safe sport. The body temperature of bears, on the other hand, drops only a few degrees from normal and heart rate slows slightly. Recent statistics from various insurance companies have proven that paintball is actually safer than traditional sports, such as football. It is difficult to awaken them by disturbance. Another common misconception of paintball is that it is dangerous. In true hibernators, body temperatures drop to near ambient and heart rate slows drastically, but they periodically rouse themselves to urinate or defecate and eat from stored food. Injury and Danger.

While many bear species do go into a physiological state called hibernation or winter sleep, it is not true hibernation. Tournaments include aspects of traditional sports: players wear bright colors as fans watch the action behind safety netting and film crews record nearly all top competitive events for DVD or TV. Many bears of northern regions are assumed to hibernate in the winter. And "scenario" paintball games seek to re-enact historic wars and battles, not to encourage violence. Normally, bears are very solitary and will not remain close together for long periods of time. Today's markers are generally not designed to mimic firearms. The cubs are more sexually mature at seven years. Paintball fields do not tolerate physical violence (contact with an opponent is usually forbidden) nor even verbal abuse.

However, they will still remain nearby for three years. The paintball community generally works to dispel this image, increasing the public's exposure to paintball is seen as crucial to breaking down stereotypes. Then, they are weaned. Additionally, paintball has been used for close combat training by both law enforcement agencies and terrorist groups. They will be fed by milk at first and will start hunting with the mother in three months. One common misconception is that paintball simulates war and encourages violence, thanks largely to vandalism, and the small, but noticeable resemblance of markers to firearms and the donning of camouflage for woodsball. The cubs, usually born in litters of 1–3, will stay with the mother for six months. War and Violence.

Cubs come out toothless, blind, and bald. Various misconceptions are held by players as well as people who have never seen a paintball marker. Bears reproduce seasonally, usually after a period of inactivity similar to hibernation. Paintball has proved to be an extremely safe sport and its good record comes from the uncompromising emphasis on safety. The bear's courtship period is very brief. Chronographs or "Chronos" can be found from $60-250 and can greatly help the safety of everyone playing. The only exceptions are polar bears and large adult brown bears, whose heavy weight makes it difficult to climb trees. It is recommended that everyone playing outlaw games, get their guns "chronoed" or speed check before playing.

Most bears are able to climb trees to chase prey or gain access to additional vegetation. Many players involved in outlaw games will tend to have their guns firing "hot" or above this speed. They use their excellent memories to return to locations where food was plentiful in past years or seasons. The allowed speeds usually range from around 250 Feet Per Second to the highest allowed speed of 300 FPS. Bears travel over large territories in search of food, remembering the details of the landscape they cover. This reduces the possibility of mask failure, and will leave less of an injury when you are hit. Male young usually leave their mothers to live in other areas, but females often live in an area that overlaps that of their mother. Besides mandatory use of masks, fields require that markers don't fire above certain speeds.

A male and female may live in an overlapping home range, each defending their range from other bears of the same sex. Do not be surprised if you are pushed down or otherwise covered by players and/or refs. Other bears may live alone but exist in a social network. Players or refs will come running to help. Giant pandas may also form small social groups, based on recent evidence, perhaps because bamboo is more concentrated than the patchy food resources of other bear species. If your mask falls off during a game, drop to your knees and cover your eyes with your arm or hands while yelling for assistance and/or a ceasefire repeatedly. Alaskan brown bears group in the same area to feed on salmon during the annual salmon runs, when the fish swim upriver to reach their spawning grounds. A ref or another player will lead you to a safe area.

Bears form temporary groups only when food is plentiful in a small area. If you find your mask is covered with paint, sweat, or dirt, and you cannot see well enough to safely get off the field, stand with both hands in the air and yell (usually "Fogged!") for assistance. Bears mostly live alone, except for mothers and their cubs, or males and females during mating season. Under no circumstances should eye protection ever be removed on a live field. They will, however, defend their cubs ferociously. This means players must wear only paintball-specific goggles and facemasks at all times while playing, even if they are out. For the most part, bears are shy and are easily frightened of humans. Safety is paramount while playing paintball and is strictly enforced.

Some of the large species, such as the polar bear and the grizzly bear, are dangerous to humans, especially in areas where they have become used to people. If you think you may have been hit the ref of the current game will run over and complete a "paint check" to evaluate whether you have been marked or not. Hunting times are usually in the dusk or the dawn except when humans are nearby. The idea is to get as close to the opponent as possible, as fast as you can, so that you can catch the other player off guard, giving them little to no time to react, and giving you little to no chance to miss due to the close range. Bears will commonly travel far for food. This refers to running/charging up to the bunker or barricade that an opposing player is behind and tagging them at very close range. They can also go to a river or other body of water to capture fish. Another popular move is "bunkering".

They eat lichens, roots, nuts, and berries. Moves such as a 'run through', where a player sprints down the field shooting as many of the opposing team as he can, have developed over time and are now very important plays. They are mainly omnivorous, although some have a more specialised diet, such as polar bears. If you catch an opponent off guard, you are free to fire at him. Bears live in a variety of habitats from the tropics to the Arctic and from forests to snowfields. In almost all tournament play, there is no surrender rule. Bears living in the wild tend to die younger than their zoo-counterparts. Keep in mind that while waiting for a response you can still be hit by other opponents.

A bear's life span seems to last about 25 to 40 years. However, if they refuse and attempt any hostile action (such as turning to fire at you), you may fire upon them. Large male polar bears may weigh twice as much as females, while smaller male and sun bears are much more similar in weight. If your opponent complies (verbally, see above or by raising their hand or marker), they are considered marked and are out of the match. In all bear species, males are larger than females, but the difference between sexes varies and is greatest in the largest species. Some fields require that if you are within a certain distance of an unaware opponent, you must demand their surrender (by yelling "Surrender!") before you may open fire. Several species, such as the sun bear and spectacled bear have a light-colored chest with facial markings. This is you and one other teammate are eliminated from the current round for cheating.

For example, American black bears may be black, brown, reddish-brown, or bluish-black. In most instances a penalty of 1 for 1 will be called. Colors of a bear's fur can also vary within species. This is cheating in its lowest form and could get you banned from the field. Fur color varies among species, ranging from white, blonde or cream, to black, and white to all black or all brown. Some people, when hit, will wipe off the paint and continue playing. A bear's fur is long and shaggy. If you believe that you have tagged another player, but they are not calling themeselves out, you can always shout for a paint check on that person.

They are also stronger than most carnivores and their limbs are more flexible and agile. If you are lucky, a paintball will simply bounce off of you, and will not count as a hit. Although slower than most carnivores, a running bear can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h (30 mph). You should always check to see if a paintball that has hit you has indeed broken. They walk with their weight on the soles of their hindfeet, with the heel touching the ground, while the toes of the forefeet are used more for balance. Remember that even if you are not marked, exclaiming "I'm hit" will eliminate you from the game. While most carnivores tend to walk on their toes in a way that is adapted for speed, bears have a plantigrade stance. In some cases, depending on the field's rules, being checked by a referee does not make you invulnerable.

These claws can be used to climb trees, rip open termite nests and beehives, dig up roots, or catch prey, depending on the species. Usually, if there is any spot that isn't clearly a hit or larger than a quarter, it will not be considered a hit. Each paw has five long, sharp claws that are unretractible, unlike cats. A referee will come over and make a judgment call. Bears have four limbs that end in paws. If you believe the paintball broke before impact, or if you cannot see the area to confirm a hit, then you should call for a paint check (by yelling "paint check"). Bears' molar teeth are broad, flat and are used to shred and grind plant food into small digestable pieces. Generally if you are marked (hit) anywhere on your body, or on anything you are carrying (marker, hopper, pods) and the paintball broke upon impact, you have been marked.

Normal canine teeth in a carnivore are generally large and pointed used for killing prey, while bears' canine teeth are relatively small and typically used in defense or as tools.
. Bear teeth are not specialized for killing their prey like those of cats. For information on tactics, see paintball strategy. Depending on the species, bears can have 32 to 42 teeth. These are the most common regulations, and do not include tips for playing. Black bears, and likely other bears, have color vision to help them identify fruits and nuts. Variations of the following rules are in effect at most fields.

A bear's eyesight is probably similar in acuity (sharpness) to the human eye. When playing at a field for the first time, be sure to check up on the field rules. Their claws are used for ripping, digging, and catching. Major scenario and tournament events may sometimes occur at other locations like fairgrounds, military bases, or stadiums, essentially creating a temporary paintball park, including the trained staff and insurance found at permanent commercial paintball parks. Their teeth are used for defense and tools and depend on the diet of the bear. Private landowners may also be liable for injuries sustained on their property, especially if there are any fees for play. They have broad paws, long snouts, and round ears. While less expensive, and often less structured than play at a commerical facility, due to the lack of standards, instruction, and oversight, the vast majority of injuries incured by paintball players occur in a "renegade" setting.

They are capable of standing up on their hind legs. Some players play on private land, often refered to as "renegade" play. Bears have a large body with powerful limbs. Commercial fields adhere to specific safety and insurance standards and have employed staff (often called referees) whose job is to make sure players are instructed in proper play and play in a manner that insures all participants' safety. Common characteristics of bears include a short tail, excellent senses of smell and hearing, five un-retractable claws, and long, dense, shaggy fur. Additionally, some commercial fields offer fast-paced indoor game play, often with multiple rooms. . A paintball park may be an area of woods, a complex of speedball fields, or a combination.

The adjective, ursine, is used to describe things of bearlike nature. Most players play, and most scenario games and tournaments occur, at commercial, insured paintball parks. A bear is a large mammal of the order Carnivora, family Ursidae. While these two groups differ in style of play and appearance, the most devoted members of both groups may spend thousands of dollars per year not only on paintball equipment, but also on travel to paintball events. The Bear by William Faulkner. These frequent participants can generally be divided into two groups: Scenario players and tournament players. Bears of the World, Terry Domico, Photographs by Terry Domico and Mark Newman, Facts on File, Inc, 1988, hardcover, ISBN 0816015368. According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association, of the approximately 10 million people who participate in paintball annually, only about 15% (1.5 million) of them play 15 or more times per year.

The harder you try, the better the bear you are!. Recreational players may play at commercial, insured paintball parks, or on private land (often referred to as "renegade"). To try like a bear means to try your hardest to catch the attention of a certain lady. The recreational class of player encompasses a range of levels of involvement in the sport, from occasional players like members of church groups or people attending birthday or bachelor parties, through more regular players who may own their own entry-level equipment, but do not play in tournaments. Stephen Colbert frequently attacks bears as "godless killing machines" mobilized against humanity on The Colbert Report. Players usually fall into three categories: recreational, scenario or big game, and tournament. Microsoft Bear is an unofficial mascot hidden in Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. The leagues consist of a whole circuit of paintball tournaments, but smaller regional and locally-sponsored tournaments are very common.

In homosexual slang, the term "Bear" refers to male individuals who possess physical attributes much like a bear, such as a heavy build, abundant body hair, and commonly facial hair. The major leagues are National Professional Paintball League (NPPL), Paintball Sports Promotions™ (PSP), and Millennium Series. In CB slang, "bear" (or "smokey", in reference to Smokey Bear) is a nickname for highway patrol. Due to the competitive nature, most tournament players use high-end markers capable of higher rates of fire. The bear is a common national symbol for Russia (and the Soviet Union), as used in the Ronald Reagan political ad "Bear in the woods.". There is a set number of people on each team (commonly three, five or seven), and modern tournament play is primarily speedball. The constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor represent bears. Tournament paintball is played by the same rules as normal paintball, but in a more competitive environment.

for sports teams; and a bear cub was mascot of the 1980 Summer Olympics. The Millennium Series, the Nordic Series, the former European X-Ball League, the Centurio Circuit, the XSPL, the Paintball Association in the UK and many more leagues exist and draw large numbers of teams and fans. The bear, the bruin, or specific types of bears are popular nicknames or mascots, e.g. These aren't the only leagues, however, as most regions both inside and outside the USA have leagues. Indeed the farming of bears in China has led to a huge increase in consumption of bear bile since the 1980's with many people prepared to pay very high prices for the 'superior' bile of a wild bear. Current professional and semi-professional leagues, such as the NXL (National X-Ball League), NPPL (National Professional Paintball League), NCPA (National Collegiate Paintball Association), CFOA (Carolina Field Owners Association) the NEPL (New England Paintball League),the WPL (World Paintball League) and the SPPL (Scenario Paintball Players League), regularly hold high-class, well-organized events. There is no evidence to suggest that farming bears has reduced pressures on wild bear populations. Some paintball parks have added dedicated reball fields.

They are kept in appalling conditions and usually have bile drained from their gall bladders using catheters inserted into their abdomen or with hypodermic needles. A reball is more expensive than a paintball, but since they can be reused, they are cheaper over the long term. Thousands of bears are farmed for their bile in China, Vietnam and Korea. While they do not break open to leave a paint mark on players, the lack of filling makes them useful for indoor locations where accumulation of paint from broken paintballs would be a problem. This has had a major impact on populations of bears around the world. Reballs are approximately the same size and weight of a paintball, but do not contain a paint filling. The peoples of China, Japan and Korea use bears' body parts and secretions (notably their gall bladders and bile) as part of traditional Chinese medicine. A "reball" is a solid, dense-foam substitute for a paintball.

Many cultures regard bears as possessing healing powers. The first team to reach a set point total (commonly 5 or 7 points), or the team with the highest point total after game time has elapsed, wins the match. Its opposite is a bull market, and bullish sentiment from bulls. The X-Ball Light variant has one period, typically 15 minutes long. Pessimistic forecasting or negative activity is said to be bearish (due to the stereotypical posture of bears looking downwards), and one who expresses bearish sentiment is a bear. X-Ball has taken root at the national level, although variations are found in regional and local competition. In the stock market, a bear market is a period of declining prices. Players who receive penalties are not permanently removed from the game, but placed in a hockey-like penalty box for several minutes.

That bear became the prototype for the Teddy bear, which is a stuffed animal toy. Unlike most tournament formats that forbid players to communicate with people on the sidelines, X-Ball allows a coach to advise players on the field. president Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt refused to shoot in Mississippi. Teams of up to 18 players field five players at a time. Some bears have been famous in their own right, like the bear that U.S. The winner is the team with the most victories after two 16- to 20-minute halves. Subspecies Borneo Sun Bear (Helarctos (Ursus) malayanus euryspilus). A newer tournament format, X-Ball pits two teams against each other in multiple rounds of Center Flag played one after another until time runs out.

Sun Bear, Helarctos malayanus