Archive for the ‘strange’ category

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Divine Burgers?

January 14, 2012

 – – At a restaurant aptly named Hamburger Mary’s in Tampa, Florida, an image of the Virgin Mary has been reported on a stainless steel wall near the kitchen.  Remarkably, the diner has been known for gay karaoke nights and drag queen shows. 

The mark of a superior being or saint has likewise been seen in a Walmart receipt, cheese sandwiches, candle wax, Cheetos, rocks, overturned trees, walls, pizza pans, and even on a fish stick!   Some of these items have been offered for sale on internet auction sites.  Verily, the Lord moves in mysterious ways…

The perception of religious imagery in natural phenomena is sometimes called simulacra, and studies have shown that even visual perceptions can be affected by wishes, preferences, and desires.  The human mind prefers to perceive patterns, especially the pattern of a human face, in otherwise random phenomena.  Perception of an image is additionally mediated or filtered through culture, politics, and worldview…

Categories: psychology, research, science, strange, strange happenings, weird
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Comments: 3 Comments

Roadkill Harvest…

January 10, 2012

 – – It’s an inherently gruesome topic, but our distaste for roadkill doesn’t eliminate the existence of it, and  it’s a problem that must be dealt with.  In many areas, state highway crews or private contractors are brought in to remove animal carcasses along roadways; in my area, one private contractor is a grandmotherly-looking woman.  For those with sufficiently strong stomachs, roadkill removal is a fairly lucrative business; removal of a single deer carcass can bring $50 or so.

In Illinois, a “roadkill bill” took effect last year that allowed anyone with an Illinois furbearer license to salvage pelts or even food from the unfortunate fauna that lost a fight with steel-belted radials.  The promoter of the bill was a retired state conservation officer who thought it was a waste to allow  animal pelts to rot along the roadside, and saw it as an opportunity for some people to make a little money.

At least 14 states have laws related to roadkill, including those that allow motorists to keep animals that they hit although some laws pertain only to deer or bears… 

(Pictured is a desktop from Roadkill Toys.)

Categories: animals, furry, strange
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Female Lycanthropes…

December 9, 2011

 – -Males tend to dominate the werewolf world, but accounts of female werewolves do exist and are noteworthy!  One such tale takes place in the Fichtel Mountains of Germany, where in the 18th century a local shepherd hired a hunter to kill a strange, huge wolf which had been devouring lambs in his flock…

…well, the marksman supposedly located and fired upon the creature, and although at least one hit the predator head on, the bullets had no apparent effect!  The plot thickened when the shepherd the next day observed an old woman long suspected of practicing witchcraft hobbling down the street as if wounded!  The shepherd deduced that the witchy woman was a female werewolf who would transmogrify herself into a large wolf at night to attack his sheep.  The shepherd reported the woman to local authorities who arrested her and chained her to the floor of a prison cell, Miranda rights being unknown in the 18th century.  The resourceful werewolf had vanished, however, when authorities went to question her the next day!

Two nights later, the shepherd was again out in the woods with the hunter looking for the shapeshifting witch when she obligingly sprung at them!  Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on whose side you’re on, the hunter had in his possession a silver knife with which he slashed at the poor lycanthrope,  causing her great pain and to writhe on the ground in agony where she morphed into the human form of the old witch, proof positive that she had been a female werewolf!

Since such things seldom end well for those of the furry persuasion, the wolfy witchy was buried 20 feet deep (“that oughta hold her!”) in a grave topped with what is now called the Wolfstone cross, erected in the hopes of sanctifying the location and containing the evil…

…but to this day, locals claim that eerie phenomena such as spectral lights are seen near that accursed site…ahahahahaha!

Categories: animals, anthropomorphic, furry, strange, unexplained
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The Mario Tanooki Suit Controversy…

November 22, 2011

 – – It’s best not to look to the long-running Super Mario Bros. video game series for biological authenticity, or you may stomp on a turtle’s head and anticipate seeing a coin materialize out of its behind.  I confess to having played Mario Bros. in my day, and I also confess to liking the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and agreeing with many of their positions.  There are times, though, when PETA can become a bit, err, overdone.

The point of being over the top may have been reached in PETA’s opposition to the Tanooki suit as worn by the character of heroic plumber Mario in Super Mario 3D Land.  Now an actual tanuki is an animal native to Japan that looks like a raccoon but is more closely related to a dog, and by wearing a “Tanooki” suit, PETA feels that Mario is sending the message that it’s OK to wear fur.  While at points in the video game Mario dons a raccoon-ish looking “Tanooki” suit that enables him to float in the air and swat bad guys with his tail, he is never shown slaughtering an animal to get the suit; rather, Mario acquires the suit magically from hovering squares in the air. 

In protest irregardless, PETA has created its own game called “Super Tanooki Skin 2D” in which a skinless Tanooki chases a sinister-looking Mario who is in a fur suit dripping with blood and adorned with a raccoon-like head.

Nintendo’s response to PETA’s claims has been that Mario often takes the appearance of certain animals and objects in his games, with such things having included a frog, a penguin, a balloon, and even a metallic version of himself.  The whimsical transformations are intended  to give Mario different abilities and to make the games fun to play, with no statement intended beyond the games themselves…

Categories: absurdities, animals, furry, strange
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Mainstream Misfit Toy?

November 7, 2011

– – As most of you are probably aware, kids have an almost endless fascination with bodily functions, so I suppose it was almost inevitable that a game was developed that involved a plastic dog and, err, bodily function number two.- – I swear that I am not making this up!  Contestants feed the dog plasticene, work a pump, the plasticene is processed through the plastic dog, exits the appropriate end with flatulent sounds, and the player who winds up with the most doggie doo’s wins the game!- -Won’t that be a great preparation for adult life?- -Should be a real winner at church functions and below the old Xmas tree this year!

 

The concept for the game has been in existence for about 15 years, although rudimentary standards of taste and questions of corporate image kept it from being further developed and marketed in the U.S. until recently.   Europe, however, knew how to appreciate a toy dog with excremental functions, and the game has been a runaway hit there.  Now you too can buy Doggie Doo in this country, and the game featuring a poopy dachshund is poised to be an American hit, available at major retailers this year…

Categories: absurdities, animals, furry, strange, trends
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Comments: 4 Comments

Invasion Imminent?

October 27, 2011

 – – I wish to inform you of this in order that you might make proper preparations; a giant LEGO man has washed up on a beach in southern Florida!  This is not just some kid’s toy lost in the surf; no, this sucker is eight feet tall!  I regard this to be the advance vanguard of a possible invasion force, and accordingly it is something to be taken at least as seriously as a zombie apocalypse.  And just look at the expression on his face; LEGO man knows something, but he ain’t talkin’…and I doubt that you’ll be able to get the truth out of him!

Even more alarming is the fact that several years back, another giant LEGO man washed up in the Dutch resort of Zandvoort…the same figure also appeared at a Brighton beach in the United Kingdom.  The Assistant Brand Relations Manager at LEGO has declined to comment, but did say that the “stunt” was “in no way endorsed or sponsored by the LEGO group or its affiliates.” 


Of course not!  The League of Nefarious Intent may be involved…

Categories: absurdities, strange, strange happenings, unexplained
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Cyclops Shark!

October 25, 2011

  – – It looks like it’s made of rubber, but it’s real…an albino fetal Cyclops shark cut from the belly of a pregnant dusky shark in the Gulf of Mexico this past summer.  Shark researchers have examined the preserved creature and found that its single eye is made of functional optical tissue…it’s unlikely, however, that the malformed shark would have survived outside of the womb. 

Less than 50 examples of an abnormality like this have been recorded in sharks.   Cyclopia is a rare developmental abnormality in which only one eye develops,  and it has been seen in a variety of species…

Categories: animal oddities, animals, aquatic, cool things, strange
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“Deadliest Warrior’s” Zombies vs. Vampires…

September 18, 2011

 – – We’ve posted here before about the Spike TV Deadliest Warrior series in which combatants are matched from vastly different cultures and time periods who would not and could not have possibly met much less fought in reality; if you sit through about fifty minutes of debate about the weaponry, fighting styles, and characteristics of the warriors and watch ballistics gel torsos get shot and sliced in tests of weaponry and techniques, you are eventually rewarded with brief but realistic combat footage of the two featured warriors engaged in mortal combat.  Sample matches shown in past episodes have included a pirate versus a knight, and a ninja against a Spartan…the winners in those matches were the pirate and the Spartan, respectively. 

It’s kind of a permutation of the fantasy combat match-ups that guys have entertained themselves with and delighted in since the dawn of time, and it’s great guy entertainment!  Well, the Deadliest Warrior guys kicked it up a notch for this year’s series finale, and featured a closing match of vampires versus zombies!   This added a mythical or otherworldly dimension to the usual reality violations routinely accepted on the show, but hey, why not?! Being familiar with the attributes of both groups yet not identifying strongly with either, I was strangely prepared to be relatively objective and impartial, being at core by my very nature a were-animal guy; that’s where my loyalties lie.


Since a vampire is easily the superior of a single zombie (whose strength lies in numbers), they set a ratio of one vampire for every 63 zombies in the match, and even against such odds the vampires were able to prevail although two of the three starting vamps were ultimately swarmed by zombies and overcome, and it was also strongly hinted that the sole survivor was infected.  While outrageous stuff it was great fun as well, and if similar extreme fantasy “warrior” matches are held in the upcoming season, werewolves would certainly like a crack at this season’s winners…

Categories: cool things, strange, television
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Old Spice “Swagger” Sea Captain and Squid…

September 16, 2011

 – – He’s self-described as not being a “well decorated sea captain who battles monsters on a large nautical vessel,”  but thanks to Old Spice’s Swagger, he smells like one!  The character we see depicted kind of plays out like Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo as seen on a bad acid trip…he walks into a room with a patently fake killer squid attached to his left shoulder at which the captain throws half-hearted punches throughout the commercial while endless gold treasure pours from his pants, quickly filling the room!

Apparently, Old Spice is trying a variety of spokesman, and this bizarre sea captain is part of a new ad campaign to “smell better than yourself.”  Smelling better than yourself may be fairly easy if you routinely smell like squid, and the squid in this one is wonderful, looking like a low budget creature feature creation from 1950’s or 60’s Chiller Theater type offerings.  I like the little guy, who features moving eyes, teeth, and flailing tentacles…the punches thrown at him don’t seem to faze the persistent squid much, and I keep waiting and hoping for him to remove a chunk from the captain.  Failing in this, perhaps we could arrange a steel cage death match for him with SpongeBob…

Categories: absurdities, furry commercials, humor, Invertebrates, strange, television
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Batmanning…

September 14, 2011

 – – People with entirely too much time on their hands have always found something to do, often by inventing fads or trends, for example cow-tipping or planking.  One of the latest ones is simply called Batmanning, and it basically involves hanging upside down by one’s feet from a door, bar, gate, ledge, or whatever.  It may be done by individuals alone, or in a group of any size as illustrated here. 

To hang like a bat requires a fair degree of athletic and acrobatic skill to say nothing of lower-body strength.  We do not recommend that you try this, or you may experience Emergency Rooming…

Categories: absurdities, strange, things humans do, trends
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Comments: 4 Comments

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