– – You’ve probably seen at least some of Geico’s “Happier Than” series in which we are shown people basking in the glee of improbable situations, such as Gallagher smashing watermelons at a farmers’ market and Christopher Columbus with a speedboat. Two comfortably scruffy folksingers called Ronnie and Jimmy then appear to draw the parallel that people saving money on Geico insurance sure are happy, happier than say, a witch at a broom factory…
My fave in the series involves two anthropomorphic antelope standing in the savannah equipped with night vision goggles that easily enable the duo to see a lion lurking in the tall grass. “Look who’s back…again!,” quips one antelope to the other. “We can see you, Carl,” an antelope addresses the lion. “Yeah, we can totally see you!,” confirms his companion.– So much for the stealth advantage! “Have you thought about going vegan, Carl?,” they ask the apex predator, and laugh. This could totally disrupt the food chain…and if the lion sleeps tonight, it will be with an empty belly!
– – Another Bigfoot sighting has been submitted from Utah’s Provo Canyon where two hikers saw from a safe distance on Sunday what they initially believed to have been a black bear; they stood there for some time fumbling with their camera before getting it to work. When the “bear” suddenly stood and stared directly at them, the hikers fled from the massive animal through the woods, abandoning their camping gear and heading to their car. The camera continued to run during their flight, with images unclear from that point but revealing something moving upright with massive arms (pictured)…
– – Wild boars are attacking!–And please note that we are talking about the animal spelled “boar,” not “bore,” although lord knows we have an abundance of such creatures. Anyways, while Americans have been battling with Hurricane Sandy, China and Germany have been hit with wild boar attacks. In Berlin, Germany, a wild boar appeared out of the woods, and attacked four individuals before eventually being shot by a police officer. Then in Shantou, China, a boar broke into an office, in the process breaking down a glass window, smashing a water pipe, and attempting to get at a cook. The Chinese boar eventually escaped, and has yet to be found by investigators.
– – Described as “visually stunning” and “the next Avatar,” an upcoming November 21st movie Life of Pi is a 3D magical adventure tale based on the best-selling 2001 novel by Yann Martel which centers on Pi Patel, the 16-year-old precocious son of a zoo keeper who has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal psychology and behavior. The Indian teenager is the only human to survive the sinking of a freighter, and finds himself on a lifeboat with several animals that include an orangutan, a hyena, a wounded zebra, and a Bengal tiger. While on the surface a tale of survival, Life of Pi holds spiritual dimensions as well, although there is no preaching going on here, and more questions are raised about faith and belief than answered. Pi himself practices not only his native Hinduism but also Christianity and Islam; paralleling the story of the young man and the tiger, this is a zen-like tale about coexistence, tolerance, and the reconciliation of opposites…something the world could use more of!
– – A not-so giant mammoth excavated from the Siberian permafrost in late September 2,200 miles northeast of Moscow near the Sopochnaya Karga cape was a 16-year-old at the time of his death who stood two meters tall (6’6″) and weighed 500 kilograms (1,100 lbs). He was named Jenya after the 11-year-old Russian boy who found the animal’s limbs sticking out of the frozen mud. Jenya was missing a left tusk, a fact which handicapped him for fighting and may have contributed to his early death tens of thousands of years ago.
– – There’s a rather controversial and disconcerting experience that’s becoming quite the rage in some circles; swimming with tigers!
– – In another of the Degree Chain of Adventure commercials, three average guys are equipped with “meat ponchos” and then have a pack of wolves released upon them! “Sweat is like tasty gravy to a hungry wolf,” explains survival expert Bear Grylls.- –Well, only one of the three meat poncho wearers is still standing alive and dry at the end of the commercial, and it should come as no surprise that he’s the guy wearing Degree deodorant! 
– – Bear Grylls is a British survival expert and adventurer who hosts the show Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel. He also does a number of commercials for Degree deodorant, one of which shows us a poor subject pacing in a primitive “perpetual motion simulator,” which is really a large wheel set into motion by the movement of the guy walking inside it. “Feelin’ fresh and dry!,” assures the hapless subject as he moves at a leisurely pace. The deodorant’s protection is activated by movement, ‘ya see, so to kick things up a notch, the survival expert tosses the wheel walker a trout, and a bear is introduced in pursuit behind him!- –Now things are getting interesting!
– – I’m usually not much for family-friendly movie monsters as they tend to be overly sanitized, but Wayne the Werewolf from the upcoming movie Hotel Transylvania may be a redeeming grace, or at least a focal point for furry aficionados.
FOXSYLVANIA 
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