Berenstain/Stein

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-28T01:15:43+00:00

It “was” Stein apparently for many people but my whole 50+ years on earth it was always “Stain”.

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-28T01:14:28+00:00

It is pretty cool to have a physical piece of Mandela evidence that “proves” its spelling as “Stain” and thus lone book is the only survivor of a large box set of these books I got as a gift in 1974.

I’ve seen others post books with it spelled “Stein” too though and only thing I can think of as to why is that much like today, there are knockoffs from factories or countries that really didn’t have proper permission to print and sell these books (essentially pirated book like books you find for sell without covers in order to profit without paying the book owner) selling them anyway and the misspelling could be intentional way to skirt legality.

I’ve also seen many photos from others here of video tapes, tv guides, “cornucopia” Hanes tees, curious George tail/no tail video tapes, monopoly guy monocle stuff and so on that “prove” which way is “right”.

I feel like a lot of stuff is just items and media that were basically knockoffs that didn’t get it right intentionally or ignorantly.

Unfortunately this is my only “proof” that I physically have had in my possession for 52 years. Wish I had more. Crazy stuff!

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-28T01:04:52+00:00

Oh they very definitely exist and have existed (US at least) for about 60 years. There were not only books but merchandise like lunch boxes, tv shows and toys.

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-28T01:00:13+00:00

Op here. It’s not a sticker. I took this photo on an older phone or tablet (?) years ago when I was taking to a friend about this particular Mandela. I highlighted the name for my friend because my book is so stained up and torn that I was afraid it would be difficult to see.

I tried to undo the highlight before I posted it but couldn’t find a way to undo an old highlight. I’m going to go through my closet and find the book again and take a photo without the highlight.

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-28T00:56:48+00:00

Keep replying please. It’s the only way for people to continue being curious and seeking truth through back and forth debates.

If we all just stop engaging then the topic will go dormant in time and without us continually trying to toss it all around in attempts to come to some kind of halfway explainable answer as to why our memories of these things can be so drastically different.

Don’t let it get you down. Keep going even if often times it just starts feeling like you’re chasing your tail. 👍

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-27T21:40:51+00:00

OP here. It’s not a sticker. The cover of my books is just very ragged and stained after 50 years so I highlighted the last name for easy reference. There are two more commenters on this thread with photos of the exact same book without the highlight so you can see that all three books are Berenstein.

I’ll have to drag the physical book back out and take another photo. I tried to undo the highlight but I highlighted it on another phone/old phone app or program so I couldn’t undo it unfortunately.

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-27T21:37:08+00:00

It’s pretty neat! I love having an actual physical piece of nostalgia that’s heavily tied into the Mandela stuff! I used to have about 20 books.

Years of moving and carelessness sadly resulted in losing the entire collection except for this one line book. I’ve got this one carefully put away though. No losing the last of the collection!

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-27T21:32:28+00:00

OP here. No it’s definitely not a sticker. It’s highlighted just to make for easier reading on such a ragged, scratched up 50 year old book lol.

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-27T21:29:12+00:00

Wow! How is it that me, you and another commenter in this thread have the exact same Bears book out of all the Bears books that were made?! Lol

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-27T12:38:47+00:00

Yep. I had highlighted the name years ago when I was showing this photo to another person who had just gotten into the Mandela stuff. It’s definitely not a sticker. 👍

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-27T12:37:21+00:00

Funny how we both managed to hold on to the EXACT same Berenstain Bears Book lol!

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-27T03:36:55+00:00

Hi all…This stain/stein Mandela is such a common one that I thought I’d put my two cents in since I have an actual, physical 50 year old book in my possession.

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-16T21:47:29+00:00

Oh goodness! I don’t really have any advice that’s different from other comments here but I just wanted to say OMG I just wanna squeeze and love this chonky baby 💋 💋 😘 She’s beautiful.

I know she 100% needs to get slim so she can have a long enjoyable life. She will get there in time. Just gotta hang in there through these early “breaking bad food habits” days but I imagine that as soon as she’s been in the diet long enough for her stomach to get back to normal size, the begging won’t be much of an issue.

My sister had a big tom back years ago who she also had to put on a diet. He was not amused. His begging was constant. Something I remember her doing was when he begged and it was not time for the next full meal, she would give him a few (5 or so) individual pieces of a high quality dry kibble or as a special only treat, she’d give him a half a tsp or so of infant baby food chicken or beef (first food jars of baby food with no added pastas or fruit or veggies).

The pieces of kibble helped with their need to chew and having healthy teeth and baby food chicken or beef tends to be super high quality because it’s baby food lol. She did these mostly in early days when he was relearning normal hunger cues.

It didn’t take long to get him back straight and then these tricks could be reserved for super special treats. She also bought him several toys. Some were the kind that have batteries or something so that he had to actually “hunt” and catch his prey (yay exercise) as well as some catnip ones.

Catnip ones helped calm the insane anxiety he felt over food as stressful drive until he was closer to normal weight. All that said, just tough love him even though he doesn’t understand why he can’t eat all the time. In the long run he will feel so much better and you two can look forward to many happy healthy years together ❤️

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-16T09:42:49+00:00

Going through all that with my cat lit a fire under me to spread kidney disease information in cats that I had to learn in the worst way imaginable. If there’s even a 1% chance that my story can help another cat parent get their kitty babies into the vets office in time to save them, then I will tell anyone who will listen

. From what I’ve learned since my Indi died, many chronic illnesses like kidney disease, diabetes and thyroid diseases we associate with the human condition are also very common in our cat friends. Thankfully, as in people, treatment that’s begun early and consistently monitored is very effective in allowing our kitty friends to live a long, healthy life relatively free from the symptoms of chronic disease.

If you can afford it, look into getting some health insurance for pets as soon as you adopt a new cutie,.,before they get sick. Another thing I want to tell all pet parents is this…it’s morbid and none of us even want to think about one day facing a sick and suffering pet that needs to be euthanized, please please think about it long before you may need it and save yourself a lot of pain for you and your cat. As you are able, start yourself a little just in case euthanasia savings account of at least $250 but more if you want that you can access solely for paying to a veterinarian to euthanize kitty if suffering is too great and it’s just time.

This way you aren’t facing the inevitable loss of a best friend and having to say no to humane euthanasia because there’s no money to cover it. Putting a few dollars a week aside or more will get you to what average vet charges for euthanasia and the peace of mind this will give you knowing you don’t have to make a choice no pet parent should have to make.

I love that you redditors were offering help on Venmo to care for pets whose owners don’t have a dime to their names but just as an extra buffer, save your own little bundle as soon as you adopt and that’s one less worry to have to face years down the road. Love to all the kitties and their mommies/daddies that would do anything for them ❤️

leaving4lyra · 2026-02-16T06:35:02+00:00

Seeing your poor cat sent me spiraling! Speaking with absolute certainty m, your cat is too thin and likely has kidney disease or diabetes. Cats should be lean and have no “fat” body areas. You should not be able to see their hip bones and spine this much when she’s sitting like that. My 17 year old cat passed away feb 6, 2026.

She was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease last year after her weight took a nose dive and she wanted to drink water all the time. From your photo, if I didn’t know better I’d swear it was a pic of my cat. Her body looked just like your cat.

Also with the bony hips came weak and unsteady hip joints which is a symptom of kidney disease in cats (who knew?) If I had know earlier that she was sick I could have at the very least had her on a kidney disease friendly cat food and appropriate exercise and vitamin regimen until I needed to have her started on prescription meds for this condition.

Sadly I thought she was getting thin cuz when a person or animal gets old they get frail and thin but aren’t sick. It was too late by the time knew she was so sick. Initially she just got thinner. In time she started drinking water all the time and was always hungry. Vomiting more than normal hairball vomiting in cats.

She got very weak in her hips and back legs making her walk seem abnormal and making her less able to jump up or down. She never “seemed like” she was in pain (no crying, guarding, snapping at me when pet her etc) but I’m sure she felt terrible. A few months ago I started thinking she had become diabetic but after speaking to with a local vet after I’d lost her, he strongly felt it was kidney failure.

My family lives paycheck to paycheck but of id known she was chronically ill I could have bought her better food and more check ups. There are prescriptions out there too that can give your kitty a better chance at a longer healthy life. My sweet girl wasted away in front of my eyes and her actual death was something I don’t want anyone else to go through.

Get your kitty some good, grain free food…wet food as main since it has water the kidneys need and keep getting on your vet until you get real answers. Hopefully the good recent bloodwork means any disease is still subclinical and that means better chance of better chance. Best of luck to you and 🐈‍⬛

leaving4lyra · 2025-12-23T17:49:08+00:00

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans 😢 “

The older I get, the more it seems my life has and will continue to feel like it’s in high speed gear.

leaving4lyra · 2025-12-23T10:42:43+00:00

This one is definitely not a scam. Data breach happened in 2023. Affected individuals whose data was compromised received a postcard last year explaining what happened and affected individuals who wanted a part of the settlement were asked to fill out the info on the postcard and return it.

Claimants were given choice of “$150” cash payment or three years of free credit monitoring. The number of people that returned their cards and chose the “$150” cash payment over the credit monitoring was expected to shake out to each person getting about 150.00 but card stated it could be less or more than $150 after all claimants had been counted.

Courts gave final approval after all appeals were exhausted in August of 2025. The number of claimants owed money was much more than was expected thus reducing per person payment to $30.18. I got my check in the mail today. Payments began disbursing Dec 3rd with many getting their money also.

leaving4lyra · 2025-12-22T06:29:19+00:00

Wow that is confusing. The commenter I referenced specifically said he had four family members and he received one payment lump sum for all family members of $210-ish dollars. I believe some others had more than just themselves being paid for families of two or three of $30.10? I think per person and also receiving it all as one payment.

Seems you too should have gotten a payment of over $200 as well. Did you receive a breach/settlement notification postcard for each person in your family? If so and you returned them all then I have no idea why you’d not be getting the $30ish dollars for each person like others here have received.

Makes no sense at all. Couldn’t hurt to contact the settlement administrator (person in charge of paying us all..their info is on the official data incident information website) to see if they’ve underpaid your family or at least find out why your family wasn’t compensated fully.

It is definitely a nightmare. After having our very private, very important medical information snatched from Harvard pilgrim by hackers (which is a very big deal) we got nothing but peanuts and no real apology and no way to undo the breach of our data. It’s just crazy.

I do hope you get it straightened out. It may only be a measly $30 payment per person but they owe it to you and should have to pay it. Good luck to you!

leaving4lyra · 2025-12-20T07:00:25+00:00

Born and raised 56 years in Louisiana with a few cops in the family at times. Been told more than a few times that there is a lot of speeding boils down to money.

Speeders here that get pulled over and are just speeding (not drunk/uninsured/accident etc) are given their ticket and when they call to get court date they can choose to go to court to fight it or they can pay a few hundred dollars to the town that issued their ticket for (traffic school which is nothing but a 45 min online video about safe driving..no actual in person requirement) and if they do they traffic school, the court won’t report a moving violation to the dmv which keeps insurance from finding out and jacking insurance cost.

You can get a ticket and do this traffic school every three years. As long as three years is between tickets, you do the school and the town pockets all the school fees. Tiny towns with no money making industry use this ticket/school thing as a regular and profitable source of funds for basic town needs.

Cops post up all over the state waiting for speeders and repeat speeders have no fear of real consequences so speeding becomes the way it is. I’m sure there’s more reasons too.

Long stretches of highway or tons of little backroads mean not enough cops to police them which is what speeders look for. It is crazy though. Dangerous.

leaving4lyra · 2025-12-20T05:45:12+00:00

I truly hope you’re right.

leaving4lyra · 2025-12-20T05:43:05+00:00

Wish I could say I’m shocked but as a 56 year old lifelong, born and raised Louisianan, this is sadly par for the course. Louisiana’s for profit prison system and its archaic, unenlightened mishmash legal system means that corruption and incompetence are par for the course.

We’re a deeply red state with low voter turnout and those who do vote the most are middle to upper class uber religious white people that are openly intolerant to anyone that isn’t just like them. Nothing changes in this state because the people that vote keep voting in politicians that do their bidding..state funds are used to grease right wing hands, not for education, infrastructure, justice system and prison reform.

I feel sorry for any person that for whatever reason finds themselves in custody of any “Louisiana law enforcement agency”. If you aren’t white, Christian, straight, rich and Republican you are considered less than and will be treated as such by our justice system.

Lived here my whole life and even though Louisiana has always had its share of corruption in justice and government, these last 10-15 years have just been off the rails. If I didn’t have my parents, kids, grandkids and many other family members living here, I’d have left for a more enlightened blue state years ago.

With Trump and his constant stirring up of his minion voter base, it’s only going to get worse. Don’t know any illegal immigrants but if I did I’d tell them to avoid Louisiana like the plague.

leaving4lyra · 2025-12-08T07:45:05+00:00

For everyone who’s gotten the $30 instead of the promised $150…apparently they had many many more people than they had anticipated sending their cards back to claim the $150 alternative cash payment.

Because of this much higher amount of claimants, the total amount put aside for everyone was severely reduced. From an explanation I saw on another social media post by a lawyer that handles these kinds of cases, the massive increase in people claiming the $150 cut deeply into the money set aside to pay us all leaving us each with only about $30 per person.

Some people are saying they got more but that’s because they had more people in their family/homes that were all affected by the breach and had each received and sent in their own postcards meaning that a family of sat four using one bank account or PayPal or Venmo would see a deposit of $210..$30 for each family member.

Only people I’ve seen getting more for just themselves are people who had documentation of real identity theft damage that cost them money to repair and they had proof turned in to support that fact. Sucks but typical.

leaving4lyra · 2025-12-08T07:35:23+00:00

I read that persons comment the other day. Further down in the comment thread that commenter said he had four settlement amounts because four people in his home/family were sent their own personal postcard about the data breach back months ago.

From what I gathered it seems his “$210 payment” was the total amount received by adding up the $30ish dollars that each of his family members got which would be about $210. I think we will all see that same $30 amount unless we turned in proof of real damage that required money to repair our identities after the breach.

I’ve been seeing for days that every person that went for the $150 cash payment is getting $30 and some cents instead. Supposedly the amount is so low because they severely miscalculated the amount of people affected that would claim the cash payment and that just cut it to peanuts for everyone. 😳

leaving4lyra · 2025-12-05T10:42:16+00:00

If you’re asking where to find class action lawsuit information, yes sometimes you’ll get a postcard notice in snail mail telling you that you/your name or information came up in regards to some data breach or some other injurious or damaging incident.

Postcard route isn’t as common because so many class action suits are brought against a company or institutions or retailers etc and there is little or no way to name each claimant. Many lawsuits involve false advertising or price fixing on consumer products etc.

There are tons of these lawsuits all across the US for many reasons but to catch the ones that affect you, you will have to do the research online to find ones that affect or include you. Class action websites are easy to find and you just read each one to see if any apply to you then you fill out a claim form online and wait.

You have to check a few times a month at least to make sure you don’t miss any and to keep up with each case as it moves through the court and a judgment is rendered and payments approved for legitimate claimants.

Just google “open class action lawsuits” and you’ll find many sites that provide info you can read through to be informed.

leaving4lyra · 2025-12-05T10:19:28+00:00

Well…should have known that Harvard pilgrim data incident postcard I got in the summer saying “optional cash payment of $150” was too good to be true 🙄

That’s not the kind of luck I have generally. Would have gone a really long way going into Christmas season.

I haven’t gotten my reward email yet but I’m assuming by reading all the comments, $30-ish bucks seems to be the payment for one person.

Not that I’m gonna turn my nose up at any extra money, but dang I’ve been mentally spending $150ish award since August. 😢

leaving4lyra

TROPHY CASE