—Sarah Palin has resigned as governor of Alaska!–No more shooting wolves from aircraft!!!
(–does the fox Dance of Joy!)
Archive for the ‘furry’ category
Woo-Hoo!
July 5, 2009“Bubbles” Lives!
July 4, 2009
–-Michael Jackson is survived by a furry friend as well as his three children. Bubbles the chimp was part of Michael Jackson’s entourage in the 1980’s, and he and Michael often wore matching outfits (–does this surprise you?). Jackson adopted Bubbles at age 3 from a cancer research clinic in Texas. — Well, when Bubbles got too big and too hard to control (anger issues), he was kept by an animal trainer until 2005, at which time he was sent to an animal sanctuary, the Centre for Great Apes, in Florida. Bubbles currently resides there with 41 other chimpanzees and orangutans.
Shown in the picture during better times in 1987, Bubbles is now described as “huge and ugly,” but hey, who looks like they did 22 years ago? He likes painting and listening to flute and guitar music, and also spends much time sitting quietly in trees with his best friend Sam, a 40-year-old chimp. Bubbles will not be attending Jackson’s funeral, and could live to be 60 years of age. It is not known whether Jackson provided for Bubbles in his will…
“Agent P” Rocks!
July 2, 2009
— Disney stuff is usually too mainstream and white breadish for me, but I have to love Perry the Platypus, pet of the title characters in the Disney Channel show, Phineas and Ferb. Unknown to his owners, Perry (aka “Agent P”) lives a parallel life as a secret agent for The Agency, a government organization of animal spies. Pretending to be a mindless house pet, Perry is secretly a fedora-wearing secret agent who enjoys romance soap operas and potato chips.
While Perry’s exploits are secondary plots to those involving the human owners, it’s worth tuning in to see Perry thwart his evil nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz. This is usually fairly easy for Perry to do as his archenemy doesn’t even recognize the platypus unless he is wearing his trademark fedora; another stereotypic scientist portrayed as lacking rudimentary common sense <sighs>.
How many other platypus ‘toon characters can you name? — And perhaps the notion of leading a parallel life is all too familiar to those of us who are furry…
…I wonder if The Agency is hiring?
Cat’s Cradle
June 9, 2009
– – Experts originally thought that the Egyptians were the first to domesticate the cat about 3,600 years ago, but recent genetic and archaeological discoveries indicate that cats were being tamed nearly 10,000 years ago in the Mediterranean.
In 2004, a 9,500-year-old burial site of an adult human and a cat was discovered on the island of Cyprus, where cats are not native. Cats were accordingly thought to have been brought there by boat, long before the Egyptians began keeping them as pets…
…and they’ve owned us ever since!
All God’s Kitties Got Wings?
June 3, 2009
– – Not wishing to alarm you, valued readers, but you may wish to know that a cat has been born in Chongqing, China with wing-like growths on their back…moreover, other cats with this feature were noted in Sichuan province in China in August of 2008 (pictured).
“…and why not?,” you may ask. “Don’t the Chinese manufacture everything else these days?”
The point is well-taken. It is to be stressed that these are only wing-like growths, not true wings, even though there is bone in them. The growths are non-functional at present, and do not seem to be causing the kitties any discomfort or emotional distress. The speculation is that the growths resulted from exposure to chemicals in utero, or may be a genetic defect.- -The wings may even be the remnants of a cojoined twin!
All of this poses some interesting questions:
…if cats can fly, will pigs be far behind?
…are you in danger from aerial hairballs?
…wouldn’t “Skycat” be a great new Japanese anime character?
…would wings give “Sylvester” an unfair advantage over “Tweety?”
…would wings improve “Scratchy’s” odds against “Itchy?”
…wouldn’t “Catwoman” be even more awesome if she could fly?
(Directions: Break into small groups to discuss the above. Alternative activity: sketch “Skycat”)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
– -Clearly, what is now needed is a cat with a set of wings that work… and I ask you, why isn’t MonsterQuest on top of this story?! 😉
Today’s Thought…
June 2, 2009
– – “If you talk with the animals they will talk with you, and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them, and what you do not know, you will fear. What one fears one destroys.” — Chief Dan George
Missing Link?
May 26, 2009
– – The History Channel aired a most intriguing presentation on the evening of May 25th called, The Link. It concerned possibly the oldest and most complete human ancestor, a 47 million year old fossil primate revealing an over 95% complete skeleton and even a soft body outline!
Discovered in Germany in the 1980’s, locked up for 25 years, and then secretly but intensely studied by a team for two years before revelation, this is the fossil of a small female arboreal primate less than a year old who lived in Germany in the trees of what was then an ancient rain forest. Named “Ida” after the daughter of Dr. Hurum who acquired the fossil, the fossil may be that of a transitional species, a “lemur-monkey” which captures a crucial stage in evolution, incorporating features from both the human and non-human evolutionary line.- – The fossil is visually stunning and conceptually mind-boggling!–This puppy could be big!
If this fossil is a fraud as some are already saying, it’s an extremely good one. The fossil incorporates a deformed right wrist which was likely broken and badly-healed. – -Heck, the remnants of Ida’s last meal are even represented in the stomach area! The fossil also shows a shape adaptation in the Talus bone of the foot towards assumption of an upright posture.
If a true transitional fossil or “missing link,” this discovery will likely dominate textbooks for 100 years; this could be an awesome find! As also expressed on the show, for those uncomfortable with the notion of evolution, “Ida’s existence will be a problem for many.”
The Fox Spirit…
May 24, 2009
— The belief systems of indigenous peoples throughout the world share an almost universal faith in Animal Spirit Guides, who help the people in their daily lives by offering protection, guidance, and healing…
…while foxes are often called sly and cunning, keenly observant and highly adaptable might be a better description. Instead of asking the world to change, those guided by the Fox Spirit trust in the possession of all the skills necessary to adapt to whatever circumstances life throws our way…
…by being flexible, shrewd, and showing ingenuity, we may, as the Borg might put it, adapt and prevail… 😉
Life After People…
May 18, 2009
–The human race needs an attitude adjustment, and Life After People should help provide a badly-needed dose of humility…
…mankind tends to think and behave as if it always has and always will be here, whereas in reality, it ain’t necessarily so. In effect, the human race is the new kid on the block, with a track record that can’t hold a candle to the dinosaurs, which we presume to call clumsy and stupid now that they’re safely dead.
Enter Life After People on the History Channel, initially a special but now a series. The show considers the durability of human engineering and creations given the impact of natural forces assuming that ole Homo sapiens is eradicated from the planet, and it ain’t a pretty picture. In a few hundred years, most of the cities are in ruins, and we see this spectacle through extremely realistic computer simulations. It’s sobering and humbling, as well as awesome to watch structures like the Empire State Building crumble and fall right before your eyes; there goes the Statue of Liberty again, after the decapitation it endured in Cloverfield! We also get to watch also the resurgence of animal species (hog futures are up), and the natural environment itself gradually swallows up the last traces of human existence.- -The furry shall inherit the earth!
I wouldn’t call the show depressing, but it is sobering and allows human arrogance to re-consider its own impermanence against a big time perspective…as the show poses the analogy, were time compressed into a 24-hour period, man’s reign to date occupies thirty seconds. – -Two paws up for Life After People!
The Tasmanian Tiger!
May 15, 2009
– – The Thylacine, also called the Tasmanian Tiger, is a carnivorous marsupial presumed extinct for about 70 years. The subject of a recent MonsterQuest episode, over 350 reported sightings of the Thylacine has led some to conclude that the beast is not extinct after all! However, photographic images of the supposed Tassie have been of poor quality, and an analysis of hair samples was inconclusive; the best evidence MonsterQuest could produce was a footprint requiring further study.
Looking like a cross between a dog and a tiger, the Tasmanian Tiger by some accounts smells terrible (like rotten meat, some say) and has the uncanny ability to open its massive jaws to an angle of 120 degrees, an almost surrealistic trait documented in earlier film images. Both the male and the female also have pouches, the male’s a scrotal one. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, bounties were offered on the creature as it preyed on livestock. Extinction came as a joint function of over-hunting, habitat erosion, and competition with other species. The last captive thylacine, named Benjamin, was captured in 1933 and lived in the Hobart Zoo until dying in 1936.
Although MonsterQuest couldn’t produce a thylacine, science someday may, with preserved specimens yielding bits of DNA that have been replicated through a process known as Polymerase Chain Reaction. The next big step would be to assemble an entire genetic library of the animal, which in turn would serve as a springboard towards reproductive cloning of the animal, likely through fertilizing an embryo in a near relative like the Tasmanian Devil…
…the outcome of that would make for a great Bugs Bunny cartoon!
FOXSYLVANIA 
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