Archive for August 2013

The Unexplained Files…

August 29, 2013

20130829-074934.jpg  — The Unexplained Files, a new show on the paranormal, aired on the Discovery Science channel in my area August 28th. Running an hour, the series debut was comprised of two half hour segments which essentially represented territory previously covered elsewhere, one a pilot disappearance following his UFO report, and the second a summary of some Chupacabra sightings in Texas…

The UFO segment involved the disappearance of a young pilot in a small plane in Australia in 1978 following his radio reporting of being buzzed by an unidentified aircraft; no wreckage was ever found. The transmission ended with a metallic buzzing sound, with the inference made that an alien abduction occurred at that point of both pilot and plane. Pilot error has been officially ruled as the reason for the disappearance, although family and expert opinion were presented during the segment indicating that the pilot was not suicidal, and that the aircraft piloted would not long function if flown, say, upside down. The pilot’s transmission to a ground controller lasted for about seven minutes, however, and while agitated the pilot appeared rational and coherent, his last words rather disturbing, to the effect saying that what was hovering about him wasn’t an aircraft…(Twilight Zone theme plays)

Next came the Chupacabra stories, including footage shot through a deputy’s window as he pursued a canid creature with an elongated head and snout. There were also interviews with the woman possessing an alleged corpse, with independent DNA testing of the same matching no known species; the usual “coyote with mange” official explanations were given, although animals so afflicted are quite sick, and usually wouldn’t be expected to keep ahead of a jeep which pursued one at 45 mph over rough territory in another occurrence reported…the things are breeding, too, with pups seen along with adults. Don’t look to adopt one at PetSmart any time soon, however…

While this new series I found somewhat weak and drawn out, hounds of the paranormal are eager for anything that they can find these days.  Couldn’t they have gotten into more current mysteries, however…like what the deuce happened to Miley Cyrus?!  Anyways, next week’s episodes will reportedly include cattle mutilations; now that’s something I can really get my teeth into, ahahahaha!

 

Love Stinks!

August 24, 2013

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 – – Skunks often get the short end of the stick because of their stink, but Pepe Le Pew is one of the few cartoon characters fighting for skunk liberation, to say nothing of the male libido…

…a second tier yet memorable Warner Bros. character, Pepe was a stereotypic Frenchman in the same manner that Speedy Gonzalez was a stereotypic Mexican. Pepe would perpetually stroll about Paris in the spring, foisting his totally unwelcome romantic attentions upon an unfortunate black feline, Penelope Pussycat, whom Pepe would always mistake to be a female skunk. Penelope’s resemblance to a skunk was often generated by some plot device such as the cat crawling under a freshly painted white fence, and emerging with a white stripe down her back; Pepe was readily deceived, perhaps because of his own eagerness. Much of the ensuing cartoon antics would then center about Pepe’s persistent pursuit of the misperceived female, and her frantic efforts to escape his amorous intentions.

Little would deter or dissuade the amorous French skunk, even acts of physical violence against himself by the cat, which Pepe interpreted as playing “hard to get.”  Pepe’s self-assurance and rock-solid sexual confidence always propelled him forward, with reality seldom intruding on his belief systems; he was a soft-core sexual predator unaware of his own repugnancy for whom the pursuit was everything. The Pepe Le Pew cartoons traded in absurdity, and perhaps resonated within any person who had ever experienced an irrational and hopeless love attraction or been the recipient of unwanted romantic advances…

New Mammal Discovered!

August 18, 2013

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— New species are discovered every year, although many of them are insects. Now insects don’t quite do it for me, and I tend to become far more excited about the discovery of a higher animal, especially a mammal, since I happen to be one myself!  What’s been identified is the olinguito, which resembles a mini-raccoon with a teddy bear face, and is almost unbelievably cute. The creature is indigenous to the rain forests of South America, and found in countries such as Ecuador and Columbia.  Running about 14 inches long with an equally long tail and and rust-colored fur and weighing in at about two pounds, the olinguito escaped classification for so many years owing to its nocturnal and tree-dwelling habits, and the fact that it was confused with the olingo, a larger and distinctive sister species.

The National Zoo in Washington actually housed an olinguito for a year, mistaking it for an olingo and expecting it to breed with them, which it sensibly refused to do. The species has accordingly been hiding in plain sight for some time! Looking like a cross between a teddy bear and a house cat, this smallest member of the raccoon family certainly possesses the “awww” factor!

Cernunnos…

August 11, 2013

20130811-064213.jpg – – Cernunnos is a righteous dude, and perhaps an early furry lifestyler!  Also known as the horned god, Cernunnos is the antlered “God of the Forest” and often considered “God of the Animals” who is often portrayed as sporting a rather significant set of deer, elk, or moose horns; moreover, he wears them well!  An anthropomorphic being, Cernunnos is often depicted with an impressive rack while the head beneath is sometimes human and at other times shown as that of a stag. The body tends to be human, ending in feet that in some depictions are cloven deer hooves.

Celebrated in Celtic mythology and also incorporated into pagan and Wiccan traditions, Cernunnos represents a number of things, mostly good; he is the lord of the hunt, associated with both the hunter and the hunted, and is kind of an embodiment of nature; he would certainly be an unapologetic tree-hugger. Cernunnos also represents prosperity and abundance, for which purpose he is often pictured with an overflowing purse of coins. Cernunnos is also associated with life, death, and rebirth, for which reason some images of him depict an antlered skull head, while I consider him more of a vigorous life force embodiment.  Along these lines, Cernunnos is also identified with male sexuality, fertility, and the celebration of it; he is, after all, horny!  The deity holds or is in the presence of a snake in many images, another phallic symbol. In some images, the deity is shown as quite a hunk who could probably sell products to housewives easily; advertisers please note!  He is mysterious, elemental, and rather medieval in an enticing “Game of Thrones” way…

Cernunnos is associated with the fire element and the life-giving power of the sun. Being all of these things and more, Cernunnos has rather big hooves to fill, but serves all of his roles admirably and well.  I rather like the dude and could work for him; note the fox by his feet in this image…

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The NYC Subway Shark…

August 10, 2013

subway– – We can remember Chevy Chase’s classic SNL “land shark” routines, and it sounds like a plot for another outrageous Syfy channel movie, but this one’s real…a shark was found on a New York City subway car!  I swear that I am not making this up…

Dead, unfortunately, and certainly a fish out of water tale (–yeah, I know it’s technically not a true fish), it seems that a small shark washed up at Brooklyn’s Coney Island. — Well, a few kids picked up the deceased shark, and had their pictures taken with it, kids loving scary and gross things.  The corpus delicti then wound up beside a roller coaster, where a 31-year-old man decided to take it home with him…the perfect gift for every occasion, and all.  Then the gentleman thoughtfully decided to leave the shark on the subway for his fellow New Yorkers to enjoy.   This the denizens of the City that Never Sleeps did, taking pictures of the late shark and with it, some even propping cigarettes in its mouth and a MetroCard by its side.  New York is truly a tough city, you see, known for taking things in stride.  A shark to a New Yorker would be a minor inconvenience.

At least the shark got a good send-off, going for a great ride on the N train at the end…and it all suitably transpired during the beloved Shark Week on the Discovery Channel!  I love happy endings…

Artificial Meat…

August 8, 2013

artificial meat– – Few things are cool but creepy at the same time; artificial meat is one of them!  We had earlier posted about the possibility of artificial meat, a prospect which has now become reality…

Mark Post, a Dutch scientist, led the team that grew the meat from shoulder cattle stem cells in the Netherlands.  The cells were put into a nutrient solution to help them develop into muscle tissue, and they grew into small strands of meat, nearly 20,000 of which were used to make a 5-ounce patty, which was cooked and eaten by two volunteer tasters in London on Monday.  The tasters gave the hamburger good marks for texture but faulted it for taste, most probably due to lack of sufficient fat and commonly used seasonings.

The animal rights group PETA has gone in favor of laboratory-produced meat as it does not involve the slaughter of a complete living animal for food but rather the cloning of cells.  Lab-grown meat may eventually help feed the world and fight climate change, but artificial meat remains highly experimental and cost-prohibitive at the present time, however, so don’t expect to see it in your “Happy Meal” anytime soon…

Mike’s Hard Lemonade “Deer Head” Commercial…

August 5, 2013

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– – It’s kind of a “night of the living dead venison”  commercial; a guy is shown kicking back with three male friends in a comfy room, the mounted head of an antlered deer hanging on the wall.  The doorbell rings, and the guy answers the door.  There standing at the door is every hunter’s worst nightmare; the body of the slaughtered deer, minus its head!  It gets creepier; you can see the headless torso breathing! 

“Who is it?,” asks the head of the slaughtered deer from the wall; you can see its mouth move, and its eyes blink.  The guy is too stunned to say anything, so the deer head repeats its question; “Seriously, who is it?”  Again, the host is unable to answer, the headless body lingering in the doorway…end of commercial!

First airing in July of 2012,  this is creepy yet wonderful stuff, imparting the message that Mike’s hard lemonade is different, and that as the host tells a friend of the lemonade, “sometimes you gotta change things up.”  If every hunter was visited by an undead version of their slain prey, it might indeed make a world of difference…(Twilight Zone theme plays in the background)

Wonder Woman vs. Cheetah

August 3, 2013

 

20130803-080124.jpg— Does it get much better than Wonder Woman versus the Cheetah?  Not by much it doesn’t; I’d want to pull up a chair and watch this one!

There are relatively few female villains worthy of note, and fewer still of the furry persuasion; Cheetah fills the gap purr-fectly!   As with most comic book superheroes and villains, Cheetah has gone through a number of re-imaginings, ranging from the rather ridiculous to the superbly menacing. I like my Cheetah anthropomorphic and ferociously feral, thank you!  She’s evil yet alluring and seductive, more than enough to make a good boy turn bad. In the world of female furry felines, Catwoman remains the gold standard but Cheetah prowls not far behind, roaming closer to the jungle and lacking the breakout status Catwoman has achieved.

The Cheetah was originally portrayed as a woman in a costume, but over the years has come to be shown as far more than that. The character even had a heretical stint in a male incarnation!  I like the character’s portrayal as Barbara Ann Minerva, kind of a cursed/blessed archaeologist who through supernatural intervention has transformational powers.  Her status as an archenemy of Wonder Woman has at times been rooted in a desire to possess the Amazon’s golden “Lasso of Truth,” while at other times it’s more of a bruised ego thing.  At any rate, it makes for memorable cat fights which are usually inconclusive or open-ended; you don’t really want to kill off a great villain or villainess as they are what makes for a better story and a more appealing protagonist.

At any rate, I’d secretly root for the Cheetah.- – Long may she vex Wonder Woman, and perhaps someday she’ll achieve the stand-alone and cult status that Catwoman enjoys.  In one animated outing, the Cheetah did have a tryst of sorts with Batman, who saw that she although in league with villains lacked true criminal intent; she just needed money to further her scientific research, what with funding cuts and all.   Many of us have felt that pinch, and I wouldn’t mind feeling hers…Rrowr!