Archive for the ‘furry’ category

“Skunk Fu” Worth A View!

January 19, 2009

skunk-fu-foxThe Cartoon Network tends to be a mixed bag, with some decent ‘toons and some better left forgotten.   A cute, funny, and very viewable series that didn’t originate there is Skunk Fu, featuring a panda kung fu master and a variety of martial-arts trained anthropomorphic animals.  Skunk is a likable, spunky title character given to laziness at times and seeking shortcuts.   Vulpines are well-represented by Fox, a vixen who is quite graceful and alluring and uses agility rather than strength to defeat her opponents;  Rabbit has a serious crush on her. Other animal characters include an ox, a snake, a turtle, a tiger, a bird, and a pig (among others that include insects).

Recurring enemies include a baboon with an Aussie accent, his legion of seldom-effective ninja monkies, and a dragon mastermind who was once a friend of Panda’s. The dragon had been assigned  to guard the animals of the valley, but grew arrogant and so was punished by Heaven with imprisonment; now he’s angry and bitter, and blames the animals for his situation.   Most of the other characters also have histories and at times, issues

Intended for children, Skunk Fu can be appreciated for a variety of things, including fight scenes uncommonly fluid for ‘toon characters…

Bird Strike Downs Jet!

January 16, 2009

birds–Early reports sugest that a bird strike caused a jet plane to crash in the Hudson River near Manhattan on January 15th.  Such incidents occur when birds, usually gulls, raptors, and geese, are sucked into a jet engine and strike an engine fan blade.   The impact displaces the blade so that it strikes another blade and a cascade effect occurs, causing engine failure.  It isn’t good for the birds, either.

A twelve pound Canadian goose striking an aircraft going 150 mph at lift-off generates the force of a 1,000 pound weight dropped from a height of ten feet.  Flocks of birds are even more dangerous as they can result in multiple strikes.

Now large aircraft are certified to be able to keep flying after impacting with a four pound bird, but 36 species of birds in North America weigh more than this.  Birds are especially dangerous to aircraft in the first several thousand feet after take-off, where birds are likely to be flying.

More than 200 people have been killed worldwide as a result of wildlife strikes with aircraft since 1988.  A Canadian military jet was taken out by a bird strike in 2004.   In the case of the Hudson River crash, the birds apparently took out both engines…

…maybe Alfred Hitchcock in The Birds was right!–Caw, caw!

Looney Tunes

January 8, 2009

elmer_fudd_bugs_bunnyQ:–What is a wok?

A:–It’s something that you throw at a wabbit!

If you are like me, your early development as a  furry can be traced to, or is indebted to cartoons that you watched as a cub or kit, especially things like Looney Tunes. These classics were way ahead of their time, and for the most part have aged well.–Bravo, Bugs Bunny!

Romeo, The Lone Wolf of Juneau

January 3, 2009

romeoNear  Juneau, Alaska resides a handsome black wolf who lives a solitary existence apart from a mate or wolf pack.  The locals call him Romeo, as he may be the mate of a deceased female wolf called Juliet, who was found dead in 2003. Romeo is estimated to be about eight years old, and for the past six years he has appeared for a six month stretch beginning in November when the glacier’s lakes start to freeze.

Romeo is often seen patrolling Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier.  As predators go Romeo is gregarious, clearly at ease with humans walking within a few hundred yards.  He seems to seek the company of people walking their dogs, and is as curious about humans as they are of him.

Moving with strong, graceful strides, Romeo leaves paw prints the size of some  adult human hands, and has a lonely, howling cry…he is mysterious and magnificent!

(P.S.–A very Happy New Year to all of my valued readers!)

Forever Feline, Forever Fierce…

December 28, 2008

eartha-kitt1Eartha Kitt died recently of colon cancer at age 82, and we remember her here for playing the unforgetable Catwoman in the original, campy Batman series of the 1960’s.

While her portrayal of Catwoman was not my favorite, she brought an intelligence and smoldering sexuality to the role; she was hardly a brainless sex kitten.  Eartha Kitt’s Catwoman could have held her own against any man in the boardroom as well as in the bedroom.–Did you know that Ms. Kitt was fluent in several languages?–Don’t forget that she dared to criticize the Vietnam war while in the Johnson White House!

–and as for Catwoman, she could own me!

Schwarzenegger Mice!

December 28, 2008

mighty-mouse–Mice have been genetically engineered that can run twice as far and about an hour longer than their unaltered brethren.  The mice also stay in peak condition, even without exercise or a good diet!

Delta class proteins from the peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) are felt to be responsible, doing so by increasing the amount of slow-twitch muscle, which burns fat, resists fatigue, and provides energy for sustained, high-endurance activities like running…

…so thanks to the humble mouse, lazy humans may someday be buff jocks without even trying!

The Christmas Tree Cluster and Fox Fur Nebula

December 23, 2008

fox-fur-nebula–The Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC 2264) is a well-studied region in the Monoceras (the Unicorn) constellation.   The Christmas Tree Cluster, the blue reflection nebula surrounding bright stars,  was so named because it looks like a tree in visible light…alright, use your imagination!

The Fox Fur Nebula (imagination required, puh-leeze!) is a strange shape originating from fine interstellar dust reacting in complex ways with the energetic light and hot gas being expelled by the young stars.–And it’s all only about 2,500 light years away…

…field trip, anyone?–Merry Xmas and Joyous Festivus from Foxsylvania!

The Yowie

December 19, 2008

yowie–Not to be confused with Howie Mandel, a Yowie is an unidentified hominid reputed to lurk in the Australian wilderness of Queensland.  This cryptid is similar to the North American Bigfoot and the Himalayan Yeti.

The creature, said to be a cross between a human and an ape with big red eyes, large canine teeth, and fangs emerges at night to eat whatever it can, including humans.  Grainy, blurry photo and video exists of the beast, including a video from  May of 2007.

Reports of Yowie-type creatures are common in the legends and stories of Australian Aboriginal tribes.   There were a wealth in sightings in the mid to late 19th Century, with reports having continued to the present day…

White Lion Cubs Born

December 18, 2008

whitelions121008–Two rare white lion cubs were born at the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia recently; aren’t they cute?   The mother of the cubs was a white lioness, while their father was a regular-color lion. White lions are not a separate species, nor are they albino.

A 2004 study counted only 30 white lions in the African wild; although considered divine by local African people, they are unfortunately also prized by hunters…

Lion-Hearted Dog

December 12, 2008

d-boy–In Oklahoma, a gunman burst through the front door of a woman’s house, and ordered her to the ground.  Her pit bull, D-Boy,  then rushed in from another room, attacked the intruder, and was shot three times by the home invader–twice in the head, being hit initially before he could even reach the gunman! Despite his injuries, the dog continued to press his attack,  at which point the gunman fled from the house.

As of this posting, the dog with the spirit of a Klingon warrior has survived the attack…