Archive for March 2010

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride…

March 31, 2010

– – Anecdotal accounts have existed for thousands of years of animals foreseeing natural disasters such as earthquakes; birds, dogs, snakes, cows, and other creatures have been attributed with such abilities, while documentation could not be reliably made.

A pair of behavioral biologists, Rachel Grant and Tim Halliday, have recently documented proof in the current issue of the Journal of Zoology that large numbers of toads fled a breeding area five days before a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck L’Aquila, Italy in April of 2009. With weather variables such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and rainfall normal,  it is speculated that the toads may have picked up on environmental signals prior to the earthquake such as foreshocks or changes in naturally occurring magnetic fields that encouraged them to flee.

Scientists who are already studying amphibians in earthquake-prone areas such as Indonesia are being looked to in order to determine if the behavior occurs again...listen to the animals, humans, or ignore them at your peril!

Philosoraptor Rules!

March 30, 2010

– – An image macro and one of a number of Advice Dog variations, Philosoraptor originated on 4chan with the image starting out as a T-shirt design on Lonelydinosaur.com.  Philosoraptor challenges the reader with his deep, existential, and Paleolithic questions…in my book, he’s far cooler than Advice Dog!

The Urban Dictionary defines Philosoraptor as one who engages in aggressive moral or ethical debate tactics…you are alive (for the moment) when the Philosoraptor engages you in Socratic dialogue, so try to show a little respect or he will open your mind using eighty razor sharp teeth and two 4-inch sickle claws…

Barf the Mawg…

March 28, 2010

– – It’s still hard for me to believe that John Candy is dead, taken way too young of a heart attack in 1994 at only 43 years of age.  John created many memorable characters, but as a furry I love him most for his creation of the half-man, half-dog (or Mawg, also seen as Mog) Barfolomew in the 1987 Mel Brooks movie Spaceballs, an obvious parody of Star Wars and Barf a cheaper version of Chewbacca. The film did modestly at the box office, being issued as it was ten years after the movie it parodied.   Brooks’ blend of slapstick and genre parody was getting old even in 1987, but the film remains funny and a cult classic.

Memorable quote: “It’s not that we’re afraid, far from it, it’s just that we’ve got this thing about death…It’s not us!”  Who better to be his own best friend than this marvelous John Candy creation?– –RIP, John, and thank you…

–Awesome!

March 27, 2010

– – We’ve done it…100,000 hits! Just a note of thanks assisted by the Courage Wolf to mark the occasion  here on humble little Foxsylvania!

Thanks so much for reading this wonderful nonsense, and for making this place one of the stopping points in your on-line travels!- –Two paws up!

–Food Fight!

March 26, 2010

– – Now this is disturbing, not that the Burger King isn’t;   food which fights back as people attempt to eat it! The new Grey’s campaign for Tums features furious and funny food fights (– -Holy alliteration, Batman!) that are tamed only by the fast-acting antacid!  Talk about food coming back on you…

There are three spots, in one of which a spicy chicken wing whacks its would-be consumer repeatedly across the face, complete with kung fu movie sound effects!  The guy winds  up with his face liberally decorated with barbecue sauce…PETA would love this!   Another spot features tacos of terror…(of course, tacos and other foods have been known to come back for another round the next day!)

Tums, not surprisingly, takes the fight out of the pugilistic entrees.  (–Imagine a classic martial arts film on G4 or the like in which Bruce Lee enters a Kentucky Fried Chicken and challenges to take on any poultry wing in the place!- -Or perhaps,  Night of the Living Dead Shrimp!) This does, however, add new meaning to the warning to watch what you eat…be afraid, be very afraid!    😉

“America’s Wolfman” on MonsterQuest

March 25, 2010

– – The America’s Wolfman episode of MonsterQuest promised much but delivered little.   It was, at any rate, not another feral dogs or killer bees episode. Described as being a husky 7-7-1/2 feet tall with a large head, dark hair, and pointed ears, the American Wolfman seen in the midwest walks on his hind legs, has a foul odor, and uses his forepaws like hands.

Also known as the Michigan Dogman (similar but not to be confused with the Wisconsin Dogman),  the creature was supposedly revealed on the Gable Film acquired in 2006 with the backstory of having been originally made in the 1970’s and acquired at an estate sale.   The Gable Film was later revealed to be a hoax staged by a family.  A sequel, Gable 2, followed in 2008 and detailed a police investigation of the first film.

In its usual dutiful manner, MonsterQuest in this episode sent its team to the Manistee Forest area in Michigan where sightings have occurred, and camera traps were set revealing footage of deer and other animals suitable as a food source for a wolf and coyote population. Footprints were also found which were judged to be a member of the dog family, specifically a wolf.   Some experts regard the creature to be a misidentified timber wolf, or just an unusually big wolf…right!

Eyewitness accounts related included a fall of 1979 hunting encounter when a hunter discerned a large creature who moved when he did.  In another incident in 1987 in Michigan, claw and puncture marks as well as blood and slobber were found on a cabin with canine footprints in the area.  Other accounts are numerous, and date back to Native American folklore.

Does the Michigan Dogman exist?- -As the episode concluded, “Who’s to say?  It doesn’t want to be seen.” We’ve heard this all repeatedly before…

…but I still like the big guy!

Monkey Business…

March 24, 2010

– – In another safety drill at Tama Zoo in Tokyo, an employee dressed in an orangutan suit acted out the scenario of a primate escaping the perimeter fence in the orangutan enclosure.

A member of the staff was seized by the beast before he met his match in a keeper armed with a tranquilizer gun…

A Far Side cartoon is begging to be drawn with zoo visitors viewing obvious “animals” in fursuits, perhaps the result of budgetary cuts…and even the old Planet of the Apes series had far better orangutan costumes!

Japanese Zoo Captures Furry!

March 22, 2010

– – As if furries didn’t get enough disrespect, a Japanese zoo in February practiced response to a tiger escape using…and I swear I am not making this up…a guy in a tiger suit!

A Tokyo animal park conducted the drill to train the zookeepers in emergencies such as a tiger escaping.  About 100 firefighters took part in the drill, together with police and one person in a tiger fursuit.    To his credit, the cute stunt tiger evaded authorities for minutes while zookeepers practiced taking shots with a tranquilizer gun and eventually capturing the ferocious furry.   He did knock one of them down, and they will probably remember him…this is, after all, the Year of the Tiger!

Bee-Venom Therapy?

March 20, 2010

– – I, for one, don’t like being stung by insects, and have gotten more than enough of that while mowing the lawn.   There are those who think, however, that being stung by bees is good for what ails you, including conditions such as arthritis, tendonitis, multiple sclerosis,  fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and even depression. – -Hey, let’s go out and get stung!- -That ought to give us a lift!

Now believers in apitherapy don’t wait for random insect attacks, but rather tend to use groups of up to 100 honey bees raised for the purpose.  Self-treatment seems to be common, while more formal treatments are offered in the orient for the equivalent of about $18.

Does it work?- – Persuasive personal testimonials are out there, but so are sightings of aliens and Bigfoot.   Supportive research studies are few and far between.  Studies in Greece and South Korea have shown anti-arthritic effects in mice, which of course we like to see lively and flexible.  Most results are not conclusive, and while the benefits of such therapy are uncertain, the dangers are clear with about 2% of the population susceptible to allergic reactions from the stings of bees and wasps.   Those considering a full bee barrage should also consider the fact that your body tolerated the first 99 stings doesn’t guarantee it can handle the 100th…

Leprechauns on “Destination Truth”

March 19, 2010

– – Right on time for St. Paddy’s Day, Destination Truth opened its new season with episodes featuring paranormal activity at Masada and the possibility of leprechauns.

The Ghosts of Masada installment was handled far more seriously as befitted the historical occurrences at the site, and we won’t dwell on it here.  The attribution of sounds heard at the site to reverberations from the surrounding geography was logical, while the visual image captured of an apparent robed figure was striking, and not as readily explained.

When it came to the matter of leprechauns, Josh Gates and his team knew better than to take the matter seriously, and it was all done in good fun.  Downing a few pints at a local Irish pub in the name of “research” set the tone which continued with the presentation of a leprechaun “skeleton” at the pub (apparent chicken bones), and went so far as a spirited discussion on the components of Lucky Charms cereal.  There were also the bones extracted in the field which turned out to be those of a sheep.- –May all the saints preserve us!

Fun and games aside, the historical and cultural Celtic background of leprechauns was fascinating, and I prefer my leprechauns on the dark side rather than cutesy.  In earlier times, belief in fairies and woodland spirits paralleled current belief in UFO’s.

Sure wish we could find some leprechauns…competent cobblers are hard to find these days!  And we can always catch some Lucky Charms; they’re magically delicious!