The Newark Bear!

First of all, what are the cosmic chances of having NEWARK in the title line 2 days in a row? Nifty, huh? There's also a little pun in the title, given that Newark's minor league baseball team is the BEARS. But Cory Booker's first morning as mayor-elect coincided with yet another historic event...a BEAR in Newark. I'm still stunned almost a full day later. Now let's be clear...it's not like the estimated 6-foot black bear was waltzing into Prudential downtown during lunch hour. The drama unfolded on Newark's far western border, near Seton Hall and Irvington...but STILL!! It is still less than three miles from downtown! Crazy! I LOVE IT!! I was excited yesterday when the bear was spotted in Livingston...and before I heard the news today, was thinking how awesome it would be if a bear could somehow make it to Newark or the Kearny area...I mean, I was literally looking at a map to see how a bear may accomplish this -- wooded areas, major highways blocking it, things like that. HA! God, I kill myself. Just another glimpse into my deliciously bizarre mind. So, I nearly dropped my hot tea to the floor when I heard them say the bear WAS in Newark, darting across streets in the pre-dawn hours, then running through yards. I proceeded to then waste more time mapquesting the streets the news mentioned, YEARNING for Mr. Bear (or Mrs?...not sure) to somehow hop the Parkway and scurry toward downtown. Sadly, this was not to be. About 1:20pm, the bear was found and cornered in a backyard on Ruth St. in Irvington...even closer to downtown, I'll have you know, and only blocks from the Parkway. But Urban Bear was then shot dead with a rifle...about 7 times. Why...no one's exactly sure. What happened to tranquilizer darts? I mean, the bear was just sitting there in plain sight, not harming anyone. No one was in imminent danger. A shame. Poor thing brought some peculiar surprise to the area...and is then killed. You just don't SEE bears in Newark...ever. Until today. It really is something. To me, at least. And to think I used to get excited if deer were spotted in Union. Fuck that! I want a BEAR...in NEWARK! Told ya I was a closet country boy...