Roger, the internet famous bucket crushing kangaroo, has died

RIP Roger, the internet famous kangaroo.
RIP Roger, the internet famous kangaroo.

Image: The kangaroo sanctuary/mashable composite

2016%2f09%2f16%2fe7%2fhttpsd2mhye01h4nj2n.cloudfront.netmediazgkymde1lzex.0f9e7By Johnny Lieu

If you’ve spent quite a bit of time on the internet, you might’ve stumbled across Roger. But now, the famed marsupial is no longer with us. 

The impressively buff red kangaroo has died aged 12, announced by The Kangaroo Sanctuary — the Australian refuge where he lived — in a Facebook post Saturday morning.

SEE ALSO: Please enjoy this photo of a seal with an eel stuck up its nose

“Sadly Roger has passed away of old age,” reads the post. “He lived a lovely long life and was loved by millions around the world. We will always love you and miss you Roger.”

Roger became internet famous around 2015, when photos of him crushing buckets and looking frighteningly muscular circulated online. 

Standing two metres tall (6 foot 5) and weighing 89 kilograms (196 pounds), Roger was found by the Sanctuary’s manager Chris Barnes as an orphan joey back in 2007.

Roger spent the rest of his life roaming The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, where he fought other kangaroos from time to time. As he got older though, Roger became less aggressive.

“He’s an old man who’s retired. And we love him a lot,” Barnes explained in a Facebook post earlier this year. 

According to the University of Michigan, red kangaroos can live up to 22 years in the wild, but the average lifespan in captivity is 16.3 years.

Here’s to Roger, who’ll be crushing all the buckets in heaven.

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Huawei CFO seeks bail on health grounds as China summons US envoy

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of China’s telecom giant Huawei, has argued that she should be released on bail while awaiting an extradition hearing, citing fears for her health while incarcerated in Canada along with other factors, according to court documents.

The release of the documents on Sunday came as China’s foreign ministry summoned the US ambassador to protest Meng’s detention at the request of he United States and demanded Washington cancel an order for her arrest.

The 46-year-old, who is is in custody awaiting a Canadian court’s decision on bail on Monday following her arrest on December 1 in Vancouver, faces US accusations that she misled multinational banks about Huawei’s control of a company operating in Iran.

This deception put the banks at risk of violating Washington’s sanctions and incurring severe penalties, the court documents said.

The arrest has infuriated Beijing, which demanded Meng’s immediate release, and stoked tensions during the trade war trucebetween the US and China, the world’s two largest economies.

The arrest has roiled global markets as investors worried it could torpedo attempts to thaw trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.

In a sworn affidavit, Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, said she is innocent of the allegations and will contest them at trial in the US if she is surrendered there.

Meng said she was taken to a hospital for treatment for hypertension after being detained. She cited hypertension as a factor in a bail application seeking her release pending an extradition hearing. She also said she has longstanding ties to Vancouver dating back at least 15 years, as well as significant property holdings in the city.

Her family also sought leave to remain in Vancouver if she was granted bail, according to the court documents, with her husband saying he plans to bring the couple’s daughter to Vancouver to attend school during the proceedings.

China hits back

Earlier on Sunday, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng summoned US ambassador Terry Branstad one day after he called in Canadian envoy John McCallum to voice China’s displeasure.

“Le Yucheng pointed out that the US side has seriously violated the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, and the nature of the violation is extremely bad,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The Chinese side firmly opposes this and strongly urges the United States to attach great importance to China’s solemn and just position,” it said.

Beijing also urged Washington to “take immediate measures to correct wrong practices, and revoke the arrest warrant against the Chinese citizen”, while warning that it would make an unspecified “further response” in light of the US actions.

Washington has been looking since at least 2016 into whether Huawei shipped US-origin products to Iran and other countries in violation of U.S. export and sanctions laws, the Reuters news agency reported in April.

In the Canadian court documents released on Sunday, Huawei said its Iran operations were “in strict compliance with applicable laws, regulations and sanctions” of the United Nations, US and European Union.

In a company presentation from 2013 that was released with the Canadian court documents, Huawei said it communicated with US government agencies on a “day-to-day” basis to obtain what it called “professional guidance” on trade compliance.

Companies are barred from using the US financial system to funnel goods and services to sanctioned entities.

US Senator Marco Rubio said on Sunday he would “100 percent absolutely” introduce a measure in the new Congress that would ban Chinese telecom companies from doing business in the United States.

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Biden hits Sanders’ home turf as he tests 2020 waters


Former Vice President Joe Biden

Since late 2017, former Vice President Joe Biden has traveled to 24 states to publicize his book — and, perhaps, lay the groundwork for a presidential campaign. | Scott Olson/Getty Images

2020 Election

The former vice president decried ‘naked nationalism’ during a sold-out event to promote his book.

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Joe Biden on Sunday waltzed into the backyard of potential future opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders sounding an awful lot like a 2020 candidate.

Six days after saying he’s “the most qualified person in the country to be president,” Biden took the stage here and railed against “naked nationalism,” “phony populism” and a GOP that is “not your father’s Republican Party.”

Story Continued Below

“If you have a problem, what’s the problem? The other. The other. That immigrant, that black guy, that woman,” he said of populism, without mentioning President Donald Trump by name. “That’s the problem, instead of facing up to the problem called greed.”

But Biden — speaking at an event to promote his book “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose” — equivocated on the question of whether he’d challenge Trump. Biden has said previously he would decide on a run in the next few months.

Novelist Jodi Picoult asked Biden how he wanted to spend the rest of his life. The former vice president said only that he would keep his promise to his late son, Beau, to stay involved in public life.

“I gave my word, as his dad, that I’d stay engaged,” said Biden.

He added, however, that he also wants to “spend as much time as I can with my family.”

Sunday’s event was Biden’s second-to-last stop on his “American Promise Tour,” which has been advertised as “a series of conversations that will go beyond the 24-hour news cycle and 140-character arguments to connect friends and neighbors around the topics that matter most.”

Since late 2017, Biden has traveled to 24 states to publicize his book — and, perhaps, lay the groundwork for a presidential campaign.

He’s done six events alone in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, the Rust Belt states that helped put Trump in the White House, and three in the critical battleground state of Florida. Biden’s supporters believe he can win white working-class voters who defected to Trump in 2016 after twice backing former President Barack Obama.

The Burlington Free Press remarked that Biden’s stop in Sanders’ state is “an interesting way to test the waters” for 2020.

A Reuters-Ipsos poll of potential presidential Democratic candidates found Biden in the lead at 29 percent, with Sanders (I-Vt.) nipping at his heels at 22 percent.

An estimated 1,400 people attended Sunday’s sold-out event, according to staff at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets were advertised for $45 to $90 apiece. VIP tickets, which included a photo with Biden, were priced at $375.

Before Biden took the stage, audience members were handed copies of his book and shown a slick four-minute video depicting his life story.

The fact that Biden was on Sanders’ home turf never came up during the event. Afterward, POLITICO asked Biden why he traveled there.

“Because I love Vermont!”

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NFL fans lose it after Dolphins upend Patriots with a wild trick play

Image: RHONA WISE/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

2016%2f09%2f16%2f63%2fhttpsd2mhye01h4nj2n.cloudfront.netmediazgkymde1lza2.c97cfBy Adam Rosenberg

Most fans of professional football that don’t live in or have family ties to Boston hate the New England Patriots. Those people are very happy on this late-season Sunday.

It looked like a Patriots win was all but secured as the game clock ticked into its final seconds during an afternoon match-up against the Miami Dolphins. But that’s when it happened, a real-deal NFL miracle. The “Miami Miracle,” as it’s now been dubbed.

SEE ALSO: The golden age of streaming sports isn’t perfect, but it’s still damn good

Miami, down by 5 points with just seven seconds to go, delivered the most unexpected touchdown play. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect to see at the end of a sports movie, when the underdog team completely trips up the reigning champs by pulling off a trick play that nobody saw coming.

This is one of those obscure pro football rules that most people, even casual fans, don’t necessarily know about. In the NFL, forward passes can only happen from behind the line of scrimmage — the place where players set up before a play begins. But lateral passes, which don’t move the ball further down the field, can happen anywhere and at any time after a play has begun.

That’s what you’re seeing here: Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill let the ball fly to his waiting receiver, Kenny Stills. It looked like a dead play right there, with Stills facing an imminent tackle as soon as he took possession of the ball.

That’s not how things went though! Stills dumped the ball to a nearby player, who then tossed it again to another nearby player. The dizzying few seconds of action caught the Patriots by surprise and opened the door for Miami to score a final touchdown on the last play, multiple seconds after the game clock hit zero.

It’s the kind of football maneuver that transcends fandom and goes down in history. You don’t have to fully understand the sport to appreciate what happened here. The replay video tells the whole story.

Predictably, this brief, made-for-the-movies moment drew a loud and excited response on social media.

The Dolphins are chanting “Ted” in the locker room, referring to Ted Larsen, who sprung the game winning block for Kenyan Drake.

— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) December 9, 2018

Ryan Tannehill said the Dolphins call that final play “Boise.” It’s the same one Boise State used against Oklahoma in that legendary Fiesta Bowl, though Tannehill admitted they ran it “a little cleaner” than Miami did.

— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) December 9, 2018

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Kittle Destroying Broncos

  • Bleacher Report NFL @BR_NFL

    Incredible 1st half for George Kittle

    7 catches for 210 yards, 1 TD https://t.co/Dfoy3RPiW2

  • NFL @NFL

    GEORGE KITTLE JUST WENT 85 YARDS! 😯

    📺: CBS #GoNiners https://t.co/C2FhgyOi5W

  • Kevin Jones @Mr_KevinJones

    George Kittle https://t.co/krq215stEx

  • Vic Lombardi @VicLombardi

    Broncos trying to chase down George Kittle. https://t.co/grSVPmxvJ6

  • Jerod Brown @JerodBrown_

    Teams still trying to cover #49ers TE George Kittle with linebackers and getting burned?

    https://t.co/wgz0BmZPBr

  • NFL Network @nflnetwork

    CAN’T. STOP. KITTLE.

    #GoNiners

  • hoveround with liftkit @TheJordanCox

    #DENvsSF”

    George Kittle is only 4 yards away from breaking Shannon Sharp’s receiving yard record with 2 quarters to go.”

    Shannon: https://t.co/NHK6ATCRpl

  • iLL.WiLL 🇵🇷 @LopeWill421

    @Michael_Fabiano Live look at George Kittle on his way into the 49ers locker room for half time https://t.co/P8KkZDsUUW

  • Michael Fabiano @Michael_Fabiano

    George Kittle is only on pace for 420 yards in this game. That’s it.

  • The Ringer @ringer

    When you see George Kittle’s stat line. #GoNiners https://t.co/U6opapgL5q

  • Kyle Madson @KyleAMadson

    George Kittle is elite.

  • Corey Spadafore, MS @Spaddy_Daddy

    George Kittle with 210 yards at halftime https://t.co/HPt3NiX7uJ

  • scott pianowski @scott_pianowski

    I’ve never seen a tight end run away from people like George Kittle.

  • SB Nation @SBNation

    George Kittle has 210 receiving yards

    … in just one half https://t.co/28UPPMgCCx

  • Jason Young @YNGR49

    Niners fans watching George Kittle on pace for 420 yards today. #49ers https://t.co/Yx8esAMKLs

  • Benjamin Allbright @AllbrightNFL

    George Kittle finished the half with 210 yards of offense by himself.

    As a team the Broncos finished with 65 total yards.

  • Ian Rapoport @RapSheet

    Update: I am also playing against George Kittle. So… I may not pull out a W. (Clinched a playoff spot for next week, regardless tho). https://t.co/ARpBVj4nCX

  • Mina Kimes @minakimes

    @MalloryRubin just realized you have kittle https://t.co/DeOEmEeQgx

  • C.D. Carter @CDCarter13

    Kittle’s on pace for 420 yards. https://t.co/Yfz3JIBi5c

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    Hey ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ fans, here’s a Season 6 trailer. Get hype.

    Brooklyn Nine-Nine is coming back Jan. 10 for a sixth season on NBC, against all odds after Fox’s cancellation failed to stick.

    Now there’s this new trailer, freshly released on Sunday, to get you in the mood. You can hit play without fear of spoilers. This is more of a random riff on Die Hard and other action movies, with Andy Samberg’s Jake taking on the hero role.

    It’s fun! It should be! We all had every reason to think Brooklyn Nine-Nine was never coming back after Fox dropped the hammer on it, so every episode from Season 6 (and potentially beyond) is technically a gift, for both the actors and their fans.

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    Dolphins Stun Patriots on Miracle Play

  • The Checkdown @thecheckdown

    IT’S A MIRACLE IN MIAMI https://t.co/PvNMIaXBAB

  • Skip Bayless @RealSkipBayless

    HOW CAN A BILL BELICHICK TEAM ALLOW A LATERAL PLAY TO BEAT THE PATRIOTS ON THE FINAL PLAY FROM 70 YARDS?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

  • NOTSportsCenter @NOTSportsCenter

    Live look-in at Patriots fans: #NEvsMIA https://t.co/5MMiTzwbrF

  • SB Nation @SBNation

    lmaoo https://t.co/AxhDKKdfjo

  • Austin Stanley @AustinStanley81

    Gronk’s missed tackle allowed a 69-yard TD by Kenyan Drake… because #nice @RobGronkowski

  • Brandon Lee Gowton @BrandonGowton

    Second game the Patriots lost in 2018 where they scored 33 points.

  • SB Nation @SBNation

    DID THE MIAMI DOLPHINS JUST DO THAT!?!? https://t.co/b9shAiYoyH

  • Jacoby @djacoby

    The Patriots should just forfeit all games in the state of Florida forever.

  • Doug Gottlieb @GottliebShow

    It’s a Christmas Miracle

  • Cameron Grant @coolcam101

    Tom Brady trying to get out of the Dolphins stadium after the game.

    #Patriots https://t.co/bA7rli39iB

  • NFL on ESPN @ESPNNFL

    LIVE LOOK AT MIAMI https://t.co/DqFkJCpzw0

  • Peter Stringer @peterstringer

    Missed kicks, 3 shots at end zone before the half, and it all comes back to kill them in Miami. #Patriots

  • CBS Sports @CBSSports

    https://t.co/svcWXpSlHk

  • Dianna Russini @diannaESPN

    New England just can’t win in Miami!

  • The Ringer @ringer

    Patriots fans right now. https://t.co/ZoBGXY9m0z

  • Bill Simmons @BillSimmons

    That was the dumbest Patriots loss of the entire Belichick era.

  • Robert Flores @RoFlo

    Here’s another angle of Gronk trying to make that tackle.
    #dolphins #patriots
    #finsup https://t.co/bjBm3YLDun

  • Albert Wilson II @iThinkIsee12

    😳😳😳😳

  • Henry McKenna @McKennAnalysis

    Kenyan Drake tells CBS of that final play: “To tell you the truth, I just kind of blacked out.”

  • uSTADIUM @uSTADIUM

    OMG DOLPHINS

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    Ayers won’t be Trump’s chief of staff


    Vice President Mike Pence's Chief of Staff Nick Ayers

    Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, is leaving the administration to join a Trump-aligned outside group, officials said. | Vice President Mike Pence’s Chief of Staff Nick Ayers

    Nick Ayers, the longstanding favorite to take over as President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, is no longer getting the job, according to a White House official.

    Ayers, who currently serves as Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, confirmed in a tweet on Sunday that he would be departing the administration, though he made no mention of White House chief of staff.

    Story Continued Below

    “Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honor to serve our Nation at The White House,” he wrote. “I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause.”

    Ayers and Trump had been negotiating over the terms of the position and were unable to agree on how long Ayers would serve, the official said. Ayers, who has young children, has told associates that he hopes to return to his home state of Georgia and that Trump wants his next chief of staff to commit to serve for two years.

    While both Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, supported Ayers’ becoming chief of staff, other senior aides are deeply skeptical of him, arguing that he is a sharp-elbowed ladder climber.

    Two White House officials said Trump would make a final decision on his next chief of staff by the end of the year. One of the officials said he was considering four candidates, including Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.).

    Ayers, who had told White House aides that he planned to step down in December, is leaving the administration to join a Trump-aligned outside group, officials said.

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    11 festive holiday light shows you can watch without leaving the house

    Come December, many elect to adorn their homes with lights and decorations. And some take holiday decorating to the next level by curating intricate light shows.

    Holiday light shows have become an American tradition over the past couple of years. Using  special lighting equipment and a ridiculous amount of holiday decorations, people have created entertaining shows set to an array of music. These light shows have become so popular that they even spawned the popular seasonal reality show, The Great Christmas Light Fight.

    SEE ALSO: You can’t escape the ‘Baby Shark’ song, not even in holiday light displays

    Whether you’re looking for a classic holiday spectacular, or a more modern dubstep bonanza, you’re bound to find everything you’re looking for on YouTube. 

    1. A snow-inspired “Let it Go” light show

    Watch Frozen‘s biggest hit, “Let it Go,” come to life in this snowy and intricate light display. 

    2. A delightful remix of all your favorite holiday songs

    This wildly impressive display used 17,000 computerized lights to create its many different effects, all to the tune of holiday classics like, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “Jingle Bells.”

    3. A light set up Clark Griswold would approve of 

    This light show perfectly captures the famous Christmas Vacation scene when the main character Clark Griswold tries and fails to get his Christmas lights to, well, light up. 

    But not to worry, there’s lights a plenty! 

    4. This take on an old holiday classic

    “Carol of the Bells” gets beautifully reimagined in this bright, twinkling, light celebration — complete with ringing bells, of course.

    5. A perfect Grinch tribute

    From the singing Santa hologram to the green lights, and scenes from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, this is one of the best salutes to the old animated Grinch tale.

    6. Ping Pong, but make it lights

    You wouldn’t think a light show that drew its inspiration from ping pong would have much to offer, but this is a surprisingly creative and delightful techno-filled experience.

    7. Your favorite Christmas Carol, “Sexy and I Know It”

    Wild how adding a simple Santa Claus hat can add a sense of holiday festive-ness to anything, even this flashy rendition of LMFAO’s hit single, “Sexy and I Know It.”

    8. A flashy homage to Star Wars 

    Tired: Star Wars laser shows. Wired: Star Wars-inspired holiday decorations.

    9. This beautiful residential rave

    I’m sure this person’s neighbor dreads the holidays, but for everyone who does not live next door, this is quite the treat.

    10. A dubstep light show for the ages

    A light show as electric as the music it’s set to, this holiday display will get your heart racing and your body moving.

    11. “Amazing Grace” gets … updated?

    The hymn “Amazing Grace” gets an uplifting and colorful update in this fun holiday light show.

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    Smokey Bear’s world is on fire. But the old mascot stays relevant.

    The real Smokey Bear narrowly avoided death in the pine-filled Capitan Mountains of New Mexico, nearly 70 years ago. 

    Just west of the town of Roswell, firefighters found the bear cub clutching to the upper reaches of a tree, with singed paws and legs. The stranded black bear would almost certainly have perished amid the ashy land, but foresters saved him, and ultimately brought the tiny omnivore to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. 

    Here, the newly named “Smokey Bear” lived out his domesticated life, well beyond the wild threats of the American West, where forests burn, and indomitable fires are king.

    Today, of course, Smokey Bear lives on as a 74-year-old message, the longest-serving public service campaign in U.S. history. He is stern, though approachable. Authoritative, yet gentle. He only says one thing, ever.

    “Only you can prevent wildfires.”

    But as Smokey the campaign — run by the U.S. Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and the non-profit advertiser the Ad Council — approaches his 75-birthday, he has entered changing climes. Earth’s temperature has been rising for over a century — a rise that is indisputably caused by humans. But over the past four decades, this rate of warming has accelerated.

    <img alt="A Smokey illustration in 1995, as he puts out a forgotten campfire." class="" data-caption="A Smokey illustration in 1995, as he puts out a forgotten campfire." data-credit-name="Rudy Wendelin/U.S. department of Agriculture
    ” data-credit-provider=”custom type” data-fragment=”m!8270″ data-image=”https://ift.tt/2L7YOHT; data-micro=”1″ src=”https://i.amz.mshcdn.com/xHRvv90-3Y6faKflWR0xewUL_t4=/fit-in/1200×9600/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F893205%2F512a30dc-c8f8-47bd-861e-94a53d29bad2.jpg&#8221; title=”A Smokey illustration in 1995, as he puts out a forgotten campfire.”>

    A Smokey illustration in 1995, as he puts out a forgotten campfire.

    Image: Rudy Wendelin/U.S. department of Agriculture

    Though the nation’s fire woes are a complex confluence of potent culprits, Smokey’s modern world, parched by heat and dryness, is increasingly aflame, and climate change is making it worse. 

    Wildfires are burning more than twice as much land as they were in the early 1980s (when modern record-keeping began), and these blazes are burning for weeks — not just days — longer. 

    Yet Smokey’s message — though imperfect — remains relevant in an increasingly fire-damaged nation. 

    “You can prevent wildfires — that’s a great message,” Mike Flannigan, a fire scientist at the University of Alberta, said in an interview. “I like to think every human-caused fire is preventable.”

    Globally, humans are responsible for starting around 95 percent of fires, said Flannigan, whether by downed power lines, a sparking vehicle, or a campfire gone wrong. So, encouraging Americans to be careful in fire country — by drowning campfires in water or not carelessly tossing cigarette butts into the woods — is unquestionably valuable, if not critical.

    A Smokey PSA from 1947.

    A Smokey PSA from 1947.

    Image: Ad Council, US Forest Service & National Association of State Foresters

    But limited to five words, Smokey’s famous adage — while memorable and enduring — comes with a catch.

    “Smokey’s other message is not as obvious,” said Flannigan. “It’s ‘Fire is bad’.”

    “Smokey’s other message is not as obvious”

    But, emphasized Flannigan, “Fire is not bad — it’s nature at work.”

    “Smokey has a place,” Stephen Pyne, a wildlife historian at Arizona State University, added in an interview. “The problem is when Smokey’s message gets generalized.”

    Smokey’s modern message

    There are bad fires, and there are good fires. “We want fires of the right sort,” said Pyne.

    Wildfires improve the wilderness. They open up sunlight while removing dead brush. They fertilize the land and crack open pine cones, spreading seeds. And, critically, they thin the forests and woodlands, depriving large fires of the fuel they relish when growing into towering conflagrations

    In a modern world besieged by fires, then, we also need fire. In fact, when it’s possible, many fire experts promote intentionally and intelligently lighting fires — to thin out forests that we’ve let become overgrown. This is called prescribed burning.  

    “Some fires we need to fight, and some we need to light,” said Pyne. 

    That’s why Pyne suggests a mild alteration of Smokey’s legendary message.

    “Why not just have him say ‘Help Smokey stop bad fires?” wondered Pyne. 

    Or, perhaps, it’s time to let Smokey retire and hand over the reins to Smokey’s cubs to carry the modern message, while leaving Smokey to walk into the sunset, with his furry head and iconic flat-hat held high.

    “Let him retire with dignity,” said Pyne. 

    SEE ALSO: The EPA has lost its mind

    It’s quite unlikely, however, that Smokey will be retired. 

    He’s not just a massive advertising success, perhaps one of the most successful in U.S. history — who doesn’t know Smokey Bear? 

    His message, though oversimplified, remains important not because of his legend, but because of his relevance to the future. Because forests, especially in the Western U.S. and Canada, are growing more susceptible to flames. 

    “The climate is changing,” said Flannigan. “We’re getting more extreme weather for fire, and there are more people on the landscape.”

    “The climate is changing”

    This is a recipe for catastrophic flames, which recently proved historically deadly in the California town of Paradise. 

    Though this blaze might have been caused by flawed power lines, not poor campfire etiquette, the consequences of accidental fire can be identical: towering, unstoppable flames. 

    A Smokey PSA from 1953.

    A Smokey PSA from 1953.

    Image: Ad Council, US Forest Service & National Association of State Foresters

    Thousands of years ago, before hundreds of millions of people had populated North America, lightning strikes likely started nearly every fire on Earth. Lightning however, is more limited in scope, in part because lightning has a season.

    “But now with humans, as long as the fuels are dry and the weather is conducive, you can have a fire any time of the year,” said Flannigan. 

    After all, in the parched West, all it takes is a spark.

    Under the right conditions, once a fire reaches the crowns of trees, humans are generally powerless to stop the flames, noted Flannigan. Even massive 747 aircraft swooping over fires and dropping loads of crimson retardant has little effect.

    “Dropping retardant makes a nice picture,” said Flannigan, “But you might as well be spitting on a campfire.”

    Smokey’s survival 

    Smokey has survived through 14 presidential administrations, largely immune to America’s contemporary episodes of social unrest, warring, and economic tumult. 

    Yet, how successful has Smokey been at stopping, or avoiding, wildfires?

    A smokey PSA from 2017.

    A smokey PSA from 2017.

    Image: Ad Council, US Forest Service & National Association of State Foresters

    It’s nearly impossible to say. As the Ad Council pointed out over email, “there are difficulties measuring something that never happens.” 

    What is understood, however, is that Smokey is well known. Of over 6,700 outdoor recreationists recently surveyed, 8 of 10 could identify Smokey, according to the Ad Council. So his message is likely being heard. 

    And Smokey has evolved and changed his message, in a nuanced but relevant way. In 2001, his message shifted from “Only you can prevent forest fires” to “Only you can prevent wildfires.” 

    This was appropriate, as some of the America’s largest wildfires don’t occur in forests, but in scrublands and chaparral.

    Whatever Smokey’s true success rate, the U.S. Forest Service still considers the anthropomorphized bear as one weapon in its battle to stop accidental fires. 

    “The objective of wildfire prevention strategies, whether engineering, enforcement, education, administration or the Smokey Bear campaign, is to prevent human-caused ignitions from starting,” the federal agency said in a statement. “Smokey’s message is about preventing a wildfire from starting in the first place.”

    Although seasoned fire experts — like Pyne, who grew up with Smokey — think his message can be refined, it’s hard to argue Smokey isn’t an important part of the modern solution to climate change-enhanced infernos.

    After all, we’re going to need all the help we can get.

    Money alone, to fight fires and treat the land (reducing fuels in heavily wooded forest) won’t solve the problem. And the U.S. Forest Service knows it.

    In 1995, 16 percent of the agency’s budget was devoted to fighting fire. Now, it’s up to 50 percent. And by 2025, “two out of every three dollars the Forest Service gets from Congress as part of its appropriated budget will be spent on fire programs,” the agency concluded in a 2015 report.  

    An illustration of Smokey reading his fan mail in 1979.

    An illustration of Smokey reading his fan mail in 1979.

    Image: RUDY WENDELIN/U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

    “We’re seeing expenditures go up and up and up,” said Flannigan. “Despite how much we’re spending, our area burned has more than doubled.” 

    Solving the nation’s modern wildfire woes doesn’t have a silver bullet solution — regardless of what leading politicians, like Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, contend. 

    Yes, it will mean reducing overgrown vegetation, or fuels, in our historically ill-managed forests. It will mean dramatically lowering global societies reliance on carbon emitting fossil fuels. It will mean fortifying communities against fire

    And it will mean not acting foolishly in fire country. That’s where Smokey, with his unpretentious, chummy demeanor, comes in.

    “The status quo is not an option for the future,” said Flannigan. “We can’t spend, spend, and spend and continue to get our butts kicked. When you have a battle with a lion you lose.” 

    “We’re losing.”

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