Archive for the ‘animals’ category

“Liquid Fence” Animal Repellent Commercial

May 20, 2013

liquid fence– – We who have gardens know that unwanted animals can invade your territory, and lay waste to the fruits of your labors.  For that reason, animal repellents are commonly used, both of the home variety and those commercially made.  In a commercial aired by Liquid Fence, they take a rather idyllic-looking yard and divide it neatly in two, protecting part of it with bars of soap, scarecrows, shiny things, an ugly fence, ninjas, and “a Pomeranian (dog) who only works the day shift.”  The other half of the yard is protected by Liquid Fence.- – Guess which half of the yard most effectively repels the unwanted wildlife?- -You guessed it!

So if you don’t want the dwatted wabbits getting at your tender vegetation, you now know what to do.  I’ll be in the yard portion infested by the wabbits, mesmerized by the shiny things…

Buick vs. Dinos

May 16, 2013

Buick dino– – You’ve probably heard certain types of vehicles referred to as “dinosaurs,” or perhaps as “big boats” or “land yachts“- -Well, in a commercial for the 2013 Buick Encore, the crossover vehicle has to navigate around a variety of dinosaurs including a stegosaurus, triceratops, and possibly an apatosaurus as they go plodding along city streets and even trying to park.  The message is that the time of “big luxury” cars has passed, and the next big thing in luxury vehicles is small and nimble.  This is somewhat ironic in that Buick in its day has made some of the biggest and softest luxury cars around; we also continue to burn fossil fuels aplenty, so perhaps the dinos shouldn’t be mocked.  The commercial’s voiceover is by Kevin Bacon, and the music in the spot is “The Guitar” by They Might Be Giants

Perhaps Jurassic Park was having a clearance sale…and kids of all ages seeing this commercial are likely to want to have a dinosaur rather than a Buick…

Woman Devoured by Vultures…

May 7, 2013

Ruppell's Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) perched– – The following story I forewarn you is not for those of delicate sensitivities, good readers…but if you enjoy a good gross-out and are not yourselves eating, read on!

Nature can be cruel but it is efficient, and wastes nothing…and so it was that when a woman in France fell to her death off a cliff in mid-April, her body was devoured by vultures in just 45 minutes, before rescue workers were even able to reach the remains. The 52-year-old woman was hiking with two friends in the French Pyrenees when she plunged more than 980 feet to her death. By the time rescuers reached the body, there were only clothes, shoes, and bones left on the ground…

Griffon vultures were the species involved, and they are protected by law. The gruesome incident may further the cause of area farmers who want permission to shoot the vultures, claiming that the ban has led to a swelling in their population with livestock being threatened. Vultures have been deprived of animal carcasses due to a European law requiring farmers to burn the bodies of dead animals. In effect, this has turned the griffon vultures from scavengers to predators in regions of southern France and Spain, with livestock animals literally being eaten alive…

Thunderbirds, Skinwalkers, and More!

May 2, 2013

skinwalker– – The season finale of Monsters and Mysteries in America went off with a bang in their “Desert Wasteland” episode, treating us to tales (and tails) of thunderbirds, skinwalkers, nightstalkers, and not to be forgotten, aliens!  The American Southwest may be a desert wasteland, but it’s rich in really cool folklore!  Of course, I was hooked, and wouldn’t have been disturbed unless there was an earthquake or I was on fire.

Now since at least the 1960’s, cattle mutilations have been reported in this domain, and it ain’t Ronald McDonald or the Burger King that’s doing it!- – Now who could be mutilating the cattle, excising pieces and organs of them with bloodless, surgical precision?  This question served as the springboard for an introduction to things supposedly possessing the capability for such mayhem, namely thunderbirds or skinwalkers.

Now Thunderbirds here do not refer to the legendary Ford sportscar, but rather to pterodactyl-like flying creatures with wingspans of perhaps thirty feet or so, long referred to in Native American folklore.  Skinwalkers are my personal favorite of the things covered, a kind of demonic assassin created by magic to harass and harm.  A type of male witch, the skinwalker can change form at will, often taking the shape of wolves or coyotes although owls or other bird forms are also known, and any shape is possible!  Skinwalkers execute curses at the behest of someone else, and in human form could be anyone, even a neighbor.

Nightstalkers as presented are an enigmatic bipedal creature that can come in different shapes.  Their form is indistinct, although red eyes are commonly noted.  As their name suggests, they tend to come at night, and can haunt dreams.  Claw-like scratches on flesh and metal are reported by those who contend that they have encountered them.

Aliens are commonly considered as potential cattle mutilators, presumably possessing the technology capable of bloodless organ excision.  In the southwest, alien grays have been reported to abduct and “harvest” humans, in one case supposedly removing a fetus from a pregnant woman.  The biological father of this child reported being again abducted years later, and introduced to the product of that pregnancy.  Presumably the kid would get some pretty advanced schooling!

All in all, the episode had great, captivating stuff, but did I  believe all of it?  I see the purpose of such shows as being to entertain and inspire wonder, and to cause us to consider alternative explanations of phenomena.  I love such shows dearly…but I’m not quite ready for the tinfoil hat brigade yet!

“Sheepsquatch”

April 30, 2013

sheepsquatch– – Mysterious shadows, screams in the night, hairy hominids, and a hair-raising sense that something is watching me…these are a few of my favorite things!  Few cryptic creatures are as laughably strange, however, as is the Sheepsquatch, a crossover between mutton and man reported throughout West Virginia and in the southwestern region of Virginia. 

Also known as “the white thing,” Sheepsquatch is described as a goat-faced, ram-horned Bigfoot clone that’s about the size of a bear with completely white, wool-like fur.  The head is long and pointed like a dog’s, sporting long saber-like teeth.  The creature has horns like those of a young goat, which some observers have mistaken for a second set of eyes.  Curiously, the front limbs of Sheepsquatch are reported to end in paw-like hands, similar to those of a raccoon but larger.  Bringing up the rear is a long and hairless tail.  As a topper, this “sheep that’s gone savage” is reported to smell like sulfur!  No wonder it’s elusive…

Western Kentucky’s “Goatman”

April 23, 2013

goatman– – Seldom are cryptids described as goat-like, but the “Goatman” of Western Kentucky is an exception.  As characterized on the Discovery Channel’s show, Monsters and Mysteries in America, the Goatman is reputed to have hypnotic powers of a sort, to be able to imitate voices, and to entice people to climb the Pope Lick railroad trestle to lure them to their doom.  

The Goatman is reportedly a hybrid creature, part man and part goat who is also associated with Louisiana, Maryland, and Texas.  Urban legends tell of the Goatman killing young lusting couples in parked cars as well as family pets.  Goats have traditionally been associated with Satan and satyrs, and the Goatman as might be expected from such linkage is also reputed to be a bit, heh, horny, breaking into houses and raping the occupants regardless of their sex.  This is not Gabby Goat of Looney Tunes fame, a one-time sidekick of Porky Pig.  Both Goatman and Gabby have an attitude, but that’s as far as the comparison goes.

Accounts of the creation of the Goatman vary, with some describing him as being a sideshow freak escaped from a circus train wreck, another considering him a genetic mutant or experiment, and still another regarding him as the product of a farmer’s unnatural attraction to his livestock…but such stories get my goat, Ahahahaha!

The Aflac Duck in Physical Therapy…

April 17, 2013

physical therapy– – As you’re likely aware, the Aflac Duck was recently injured, suffering damage to his beak and a wing.  Now the waterfowl is fighting his way back, with help from physical therapy and the inspiration of Rocky Balboa!  In the 60 second commercial, we are shown the duck struggling with such therapy tasks as climbing stairs, treading water, working on a gym station, and jumping rope…slow and sad piano-accented music plays in the background.  It’s so hard for the doggedly-determined duck…but then he starts to get his energy and range of motion back, and as the soundtrack of “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor plays in the background, we see the duck working out like a champ!

The underlying message is that with Aflac to pay his bills so he doesn’t have to worry, the duck can focus on therapy and getting better…and there’s no keeping a good duck down!  He’s gotten 35,000 get-well cards, according to Aflac’s chief marketing executive, who considers the duck and the brand to be not an image but an experience.   But will he suffer from post-traumatic stress, and require therapy?  This is the 58th commercial to feature the Aflac duck, if you’re counting…

 

Dr. Pepper Ten and the Manly Beverage

April 8, 2013

pepper hawk– – Wouldn’t you like to have a hawk for a friend that obligingly drops off a cold drink when you’ve a hankering for one?  The dude in the “No Man’s Land” commercial for Dr. Pepper 10 does, and also frolics with a bear in the wilderness, tears and chews bark right off a tree, and effortlessly carries a huge log with one arm!  Such things are apparently possible when you partake of  “The Manliest Low-Calorie Soda in the History of Mankind.”  Welcome to the manly world of Dr. Pepper 10, so manly it’s packaged in gunmetal-gray cans.- -Would Hillary Clinton drink this?- –I think not!

‘Ya see, diet sodas are frequently perceived as wimpy drinks unfavored by manly men, so the good folks at Dr. Pepper have brought us this neo-version of Grizzly Adams to counter this perception.  Partaking of it’s “bold flavor” and ten calories enables us to be “wild and free,” or so they would have us believe; all that’s missing is a drum circle.  So much for guys being sensitive and in touch with our feelings, and I like my diet drinks just fine.- -I’ll gladly take a friendly hawk and a bear buddy, though, if anyone’s offering…

Fishy Business…

April 4, 2013

merman – – Many of us yearn for a furry transformation, but there are those who wish for a more uncommon conversion.  Among these rare and exotic types are those who are into mermaids, or their male counterparts, mermen.  Both according to legend are alluring and seductive sea creatures who possess the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish.  They tend to make themselves visible to ships during storms, using their siren-like singing to lure the opposite sex into the water.

Now interest in mermaids and mermen was spurred by Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and interest can translate into obsession.  Some people enjoy the fantasy to the extent that they relish role-playing it by means of acquiring mermaid fins.  Mermaid swimsuits are available, and may be visible as a beach fad this summer.  The fantasy doesn’t come cheap, however, with  mermaid tail suits starting at about $169, and deluxe silicon versions running close  to $3,000.  There are mermaid/mermen lifestylers who are into their interest as much as those who don fursuits and attend conventions. 

Strange?- -It’s all relative, and almost everyone is someone else’s idea of a freak…or so I think, very much at home in my fox mask.  Thus endeth our tail for today…Ahahahaha!

Shatner vs. The Gorn, Redux!

April 2, 2013

gorn-shatner– – Back when special effects were a lot less special in the 1960’s, we were treated to an episode of Star Trek (The Original Series) called Arena where a young William Shatner’s James T. Kirk fought a powerful but ponderous and slow-moving reptilian creature called a Gorn.- –Well, 46 years after their original encounter, Shatner is again rematched with his scaly rival in a commercial for a Star Trek video game debuting this month.  The duo is comfortably seated on a sofa in a cozy living room, each one armed with a video controller and engaged in virtual on-screen combat!

Things get a little heated, and the two arise to their feet to engage in hand-to-hand combat, complete with sofa cushions being thrown, and the legendary Starfleet captain dodging clumsy swings by the reptilian!   When the combatants clinch, Shatner breaks the reptile’s hold by smacking his palms over its ear orifices.  As the Gorn moans in pain, Shatner accuses it of overacting, and out of breath admonishes it that, “We’re both too old for this kind of thing!”- -Wonderful stuff!

The Gorn depicted is true to the original creature, complete with bulky costume and compound eyes.  A computer-generated Gorn as later seen  in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise was considerably more agile, and moved quickly.  This flashback, however, reminds us of what may be Gorn, but not forgotten…