R.A. Andrade's Blog, page 4

Is it Bunnyfluff or Bunny Fluff for a Nickname?

A topic that should be on everyone’s mind is the origin of the nickname, “Bunnyfluff.” Exposed to the name Bunnyfluff for the first time when watching a movie many years ago, I thought it to be exceptionally funny and so it has always stuck in my head. Which movie you ask? I will reveal the movie later in the post. As the years passed, I attempted using Bunnyfluff as either an user name or password on online services, networks, or entertainment sites. I imagined it to be very unique…and still hilarious. But I was wrong. Every attempt indicated the name or password was taken. Bunnyfluff 1, bunnyfluff2, bunnyfluff3, and so on…all taken. When I started this post, intending to research the origin and history of the name “Bunnyfluff”, I anticipated a wealth of information since it seems to have somewhat frequent usage. Wrong again. The name is sometimes used as an identifier, but nothing seems to indicate its origin, or even if it is one or two words: Bunnyfluff or Bunny Fluff.

Bunny by Delilah

 

 

Fluffy Bunny

Searches for Bunnyfluff often return information on “Fluffy Bunny.” The first definition of fluffy bunny is just that: a very fluffy bunny or rabbit. Intuitive, but not very interesting, although for people who have bunnies, I suspect it is. However, the second definition is more fascinating: A derogatory term that describes a fake Wiccan, ignorant of the genuine beliefs of that religion. It is generally believed that fluffy bunnies obtained most of their knowledge from the TV series, Charmed, which began in 1998. Those episodes were about three witches.

Bunny Fluff Examples Today

Bunny Fluff Farms – Rabbits, The Other White Meat
Bunny Fluff Beat Box Music – Songs & music – an example
Bunny Fluff YouTube Channel – Personal channel with no recent updates (no link provided)
Bunny Fluff –Listed on LinkedIn as employee of Warner Brothers Canada (no link provided)
Bunny Fluffz – Art on Flickr – 1.2 K followers

True Bunnyfluff Origin – My Theory

A movie released in 1980, Galaxina, combines themes used in Alien, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica. It is a spoof and rated poorly by critics, so do not expect serious science fiction. The plot as described by IMDB: Crew of interstellar police ship is sent to recover a mysterious crystal, the Blue Star Star. The ship’s female android and a crew member fall in love. Alien is spoofed as the captain gives birth to an alien who grows up on the ship thinking the captain is its mother.

Laser sound effects in the movie came from Battlestar Galactica and many of the door sound effects are taken from Star Trek.

Notable quotes:

“Robot woman like clock; pretty face, pretty hands, pretty movement, but hard to regulate when she get out of order.”
Thor: “Children. We can’t have children.                                                                                                                                     Galaxina: “Yes we can. They’re in the catalog too.

In the movie, Sgt. Thor affectionately addresses Galaxina as “Bunnyfluff “in one scene. It may be the origin of the nickname. Since I do not have a copy of the script, I am unsure if that is one or two words.

Dorothy Stratten, a former Playboy Playmate, intended to focus on a serious acting career, played the role of Galaxina. Sadly, her husband murdered her later that year with a shotgun blast to her face.

Note: Post prompted by the following passage from The Field Trip:

“About in position. Things not going well?”

“No, not very well. But I’m working on it.”

“Seems I’ve heard that before,” Oswald teased. “Did that guy call you Bunnyfluff?”

The post appeared first on R. A. Andrade.

Crying is Telling

 

Why do people cry? This post is not about the emotional reasons in our lives that initiate crying, such as having a serial killer stalking you in your home, or crying over the joy of winning $10 from an Elvis slot machine at a casino. From a human species evolutionary perspective, why do we cry?

 

Do Animals Also Cry?

The predominance of scientific studies suggests that emotional crying is exclusive to humans, although many anecdotal examples exist about animals also crying. Notable cases have been reported involving rhesus monkeys and elephants shedding tears over the loss of mates. I do not intend to debate exclusivity of tears concerning emotional behaviors to humans. Clearly, the subject of people crying about emotional events is as complex as the spoken language relates to animal calls and sounds for communication.

 

So Here’s Why We Cry

Charles Darwin felt crying served no adaptive function in evolution, considering it only incidental in humans. Darwin was probably wrong. Many scientists now believe that crying may have given early humans an adaptive advantage. Some studies suggest crying have physical benefits such as:

Flushing the body of chemicals produced by negative emotions.
Boosting the immune system
Lowering blood pressure at times of stress

While there may be some physical benefits related to crying, the more likely advantages relate to social communication regarding emotional status. Crying provides the following:

Visual indications that someone is in pain or danger and needs help without alerting predators by sound.
Signaling helplessness, especially during childhood when humans are most vulnerable.
Showing submissiveness to a potential attacker, eliciting mercy and sympathy.
Possible strengthening of interpersonal relationships through an action that is more intimate.
Signal appeasement and need for attachment in times of grief or loss.
Promotes greater mutual trust and social connectedness.

Crying likely evolved in humans even before more complex language skills as it allowed instant communication of an emotional status with a single tear in the corner of an eye. Crying also transmits the emotion of empathy, like weeping for joy about beautiful music, poetry, and visual arts.

I would recommend considering the following books for anyone wanting to delve deeper into this fascinating aspect of human existence:

Dr. Ad Vingerhoets at Tilburg University : Why Only Humans Weep

Professor Michael Trimble, London: Why Humans Like to Cry

Also a publication in Science News:

Dr. Oren Hasson of Tel Aviv University: Article in Science News, Why Cry?

 

Note: Topic of this post prompted by the following passage in The Field Trip:

Her eyes begged for understanding, but his returned with impassive indifference. Her speech ended in a flood of tears and she fled from the room.

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Go Ahead, Make My Day

One of the most quoted lines in current culture is “Go ahead, make my day.” Spoken in the 1983 Dirty Harry movie, Sudden Impact, the line gained instant fame. The main character, Harry Callahan played by Clint Eastwood, is having his morning cup of coffee at a diner when he discovers a robbery in progress. After Callahan disposes of all robbers but one, the remaining culprit holds a gun to the waitress’ head, threatening to shoot her. Callahan points his revolver at the man’s face, daring him to shoot and says, “Go ahead, make my day.” This famous sequence was filmed at a Burger Island restaurant in San Francisco, California. Today it is a McDonald’s.

Video of “Go ahead, make my day” scene.

ORIGIN

The line, written by independent filmmaker Charles B. Pierce for Sudden Impact, originated from Pierce’s father. Story goes, his father threatened his son, “Just let me come home one more day, without you mowing that lawn, son just go ahead…make my day.”

Although almost academic since Clint Eastwood became synonymous with the line, a very similar line was used in the 1982 movie, Vice Squad. “Go ahead scumbag, make my day.”

SOCIAL IMPACT

The phrase was voted in a 2005 poll by the American Film Institute as the number 6 most memorable line in cinema history.
“Stand-your-ground” legal statutes referring to rights of self-defense are sometimes called “make my day” statutes.
President Ronald Reagan quoted the line when speaking out against taxes.

Video of Reagan Speech

SO WHAT ARE THE FIVE VOTED AHEAD OF “…MAKE MY DAY” BY THE AFI?

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a dam.” – Gone with the Wind 1939
“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” – The Godfather 1972
“You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” – On the Waterfront 1954
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” – The Wizard of Oz 1939
“Here’s looking at you, kid.” – Casablanca 1942

OTHER CLINT EASTWOOD “DIRTY HARRY” MEMORABLE LINES

“You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?’ “
“Smith & Wesson – and me.”
“You forgot your fortune cookie. It says, ‘You’re shit out of luck.’ “
“It’s a question of methods. Everybody wants results, but nobody wants to do what they have to do to get them done.”
“What did you want me to do, yell ‘Trick or treat’ at ’em?”

 

Note: Post topic origin in “The Field Trip”

The major chomped on his short, cold cigar, pushed the .45 closer to Ross’ forehead, and said, “Go ahead, make my day.”

“Aaaaa…kind of a worn cliché, isn’t it Major?”

“Yeah, but I’ve been wanting to say it for years. Where’s your girlfriend?”

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R. A. Andrade Appearance at Grey Wolfe Scriptorium

This is a news post about my writing.

October 29, 2017 @ 2pm

An Afternoon with R. A. Andrade

 

For those interested, I will be appearing on October 29th at the Grey Wolfe Scriptorium bookstore which is located at 145 East Fourteen Mile Road  Clawson, MI  48017.  I will offer a reading from The Field Trip, a discussion about writing,  and sign books between 2 to 4 PM.

An adventure mixed with a touch of fantasy. Add a twist of love.

Although clumsy with women botany professor Ross Barton possesses the quality of fearlessness when confronting danger. Relieved to be escaping routine school work and a bad relationship for a field research trip, a strange woman and danger are the last of his expectations.

 

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Spooky Owls

The image featured in this post is that of an Eastern Screech Owl. I encountered one while intending to camp in the woods nearby my childhood home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Two of my cousins and I planned to build a campfire, eat candy, and then squeeze into a two person tent for then night. We didn’t discuss this plan with our parents…we were about eight years of age. My cousins backed out of the undertaking when we met after dinner. I don’t recall the details but it had something to do with their mothers views on the plan. I decided to go it alone.   I thought it was a great adventure until the woods began getting dark with approaching nighttime. I heard many birds giving their final chirps as they settled down for sleep, and then all became quiet. The trees and bushes around me only dimly visible in the waning light, a haunting, demon animal call broke the  peaceful silence. I imagined some horrible creature, like those on all the horror movies my cousins and I frequented at the local theater.  Unknown to me, that was the call of the Eastern Screech Owl. I had my tent disassembled and escaped to a nearby field in under two minutes. That experience and the unique call of a screech owl never left me. They are beautiful, small owls, but their call can be quite creepy to an unknowing susceptible mind.

This is the eastern screech owl’s call I heard that evening. They frequently use it for territorial defense.

http://www.raandrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Owl_EasternScreech_Whinny.mp3

 

The owl’s call used by families to for routine chats.

http://www.raandrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Owl_EasternScreech_Trill.mp3

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Catapults Can Be Fun

This is not a post giving a detailed history of catapults. Nor does this post supply insights for design approaches for such devices. This post attempts to give an overview of the progression of the invention from its inception, to current day uses and misuses of the technology through videos. As weapons go, the catapult is my all time favorite, although discouraged in most neighborhoods.

Catapult: A device in which accumulate tension is suddenly released to hurl an object some distance. Probably originating in the 5th century BC, the catapult was commonly used in the medieval period as a siege weapon against castles and fortified walled cities. Today the catapult is used to launch planes from aircraft carriers, although the design differs from those applied to throwing stones at castle walls.

Videos On Catapults

The History For Those That Care
A Short Demo
An Example Gladiator Attack Against Catapults
“Games of Thrones” Demonstration
Trebuchet Siege Demonstration in Wales
Mangonel Siege Demonstration
Farmers Use A Catapult
Marijuana Catapult
Handyman’s Inadvertent Catapult
Human Catapult
Scottish Version of Human Catapult
Catapult Prank Gone Wrong
Catapult Competition Mishap
Squirrel Catapult (For the record I like squirrels)
A Cat’s Revenge

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The Secret Life of Jellyfish

I recently had the rare opportunity to interview the world-renowned authority on jellyfish, Amelia Kashian. Not only is she the youngest expert on jellyfish, but multitalented in the arts. Amelia contributed the artwork below  and an exciting video clip for this post .

   Jellyfish Art by Amelia Kashian

 

Click on this image to view Amelia’s Jellyfish Video:

 

 

 

  Interview with Amelia on Jellyfish

http://www.raandrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Jellyfishinterview3.mp3

 

I would like to thank Amelia for the time she stole from her busy schedule in devoting her expertise and talents to this post on jellyfish.

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Upcoming Novel & Theme For Posts Revealed

Occasionally, these posts will depart from the ongoing theme to cover the topic of writing as outlined on my home page. This post is one of those departures.

     Sunshine At The Oasis

Sunshine At The Oasis

“Sunshine At The Oasis” has been the working title of my upcoming novel since the first words of the story were written in pencil. There is a tab on this website menu for the current state of “Sunshine At The Oasis.” For your awareness, this may not be the final title. I wrestle with this topic almost daily as I continue to work with my editor on the manuscript.

Theme For Posts

I hereby reveal the theme that connects the subjects of my posts. I know there are individuals who have read many of my posts but still can not determine what the topics have in common. They are all subjects mentioned in some form in “The Field Trip.” The topics frequently are not of major significance in the story line, but rather something a character may say, see, or do.

For example, the post on hot chocolate is popular in many countries. This is the line in the book that brings up that topic:

Sipping his hot chocolate, he watched Jay over the rim of his cup through the rising steam.

A second example is the post on woolly mammoth. That subject arose in a couple lines of dialogue:

Ross’ face flushed slightly. “I’d rather mate with a woolly mammoth.”

“They are extinct,” Jay informed him, then started forward.

 

In summary, I consider the topics of the posts somewhat like a companion to The Field Trip, or simply stand on their own as a diverse range of subjects.

 

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What Can Be Smoked, Eaten, Exploded, And Reported? – Cigars

A cigar is defined as a rolled bundle of fermented tobacco leaves for smoking. Historically, cigar smoking has been frequently associated with successful business people wearing fine clothing, or sometimes with some seedy character sporting a short, stubby, soggy, and used version of the product clenched in their teeth.

Many scholars claim the origin of the cigar nomenclature dates back to the Mayan civilization’s word “sikar,” a term for smoking. The tobacco plant was likely first cultivated in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico and used by the Maya of Central America. Christopher Columbus is generally credited with the introduction of tobacco to Europe.

Culturally, cigars became ingrained into society, an example being the expression, “close but no cigar” originating from the practice of giving cigar prizes in games at fairgrounds. A cigar company contracted C. M. Coolidge to create a series of paintings popularly know as “Dogs Playing Poker” around 1910, which is the subject of a previous post on this site.

Quotes From Famous Cigar Lovers

Winston Churchill

“If smoking is not allowed in heaven, I shall not go.”—Mark Twain

“I drink a great deal. I sleep a little, and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred-percent form.”—Winston Churchill

“If you can’t send money, send tobacco.”—George Washington to the Continental Congress in 1776.

“My boy! Smoking is one of the greatest and cheapest enjoyments in life, and if you decide in advance not to smoke, I can only feel sorry for you.”—Sigmund Freud said to his young nephew after he decline a cigar.

“A cigar has…a fire at one end and a fool at the other.”—Horace Greely

“They had no good cigars there my lord; and I left the place in disgust.”—Alfred Lord Tennyson

“It has been my experience that folks who have no vices, have very few virtues.”—Abraham Lincoln

A Little Cigar Humor

NASA is sending up an American, Japanese, and Russian astronaut on a two-year space mission. Since it’s going to be two years up there, each may take any form of entertainment weighing 150 pounds or less. The American approaches the NASA board and asks to take his 125-lb. wife. They approve. The Japanese astronaut says, “I’ve always wanted to learn Greek, I want 150 lbs. of books to learn Greek.” The NASA board approves. The Russian astronaut thinks for a second and says, “It’s going to be two years up there. I want 150 lbs. of the best Cuban cigars ever made.” Again, NASA okays it.

Two years later the spacecraft lands and everyone is gathered outside it to see what each astronaut got out of his personal entertainment. Well, it’s obvious what the American had been up to since he and his wife are each holding an infant. The crowd cheers. The Japanese astronaut steps out and makes a 10 minutes speech in absolutely perfect Greek. The crowd doesn’t understand a word of it, but they’re impressed and they cheer. The Russian astronaut stomps out, clenches the podium until his knuckles turn white, glares at the first row while waving a chewed up cigar at them and says, “Anybody got a match?”

You Can Eat Cigars

Somewhere in time, handing out cigars for the birth of a child became a tradition. Some creative mind modified that concept to produce chocolate cigars, labeled “It’s A Boy,” or “It’s a Girl.” Far healthier, and consumable by children and adults alike. Many companies manufacture chocolate cigars for celebrating childbirth and just pure fun today.

Cigars That Explode

Cigars can be packed with a small chemical explosive charge near the lighting end for the intended purpose of a practical joke. Reportedly, Ernest Hemmingway presented an exploding cigar to one of the bodyguards of a Turkish general. When the cigar went off, all four guards drew their guns, aiming at Hemmingway. He escaped without injury.

Ulysses Grant gave Horace Norton, the founder of presently defunct college in Chicago, an exploding cigar. But unaware as to the nature of the gift, Norton saved the cigar and kept it on display at his college’s museum. One hundred years later, Norton’s grandson lit the cigar at a college reunion celebration and it exploded after two puffs. There are other versions of this story with different recipients of the delayed exploding gift, so the possibility remains that this tale about Grant and the exploding cigar is an urban legend.

A more sinister use for an exploding cigar involved assassination. The CIA ran a covert operation in the early 1960’s developing many assassination ideas against Fidel Castro of Cuba. There are several stories relating to one of the ideas attempted using a lethal exploding cigar to eliminate the troublesome leader. While numerous sources indicate this as fact, at least one claims it to be just a myth. True or not, the CIA’s exploding cigar plot inspired the cover of the October 1963 issue of Mad Magazine.

Cigars In The Sky

Cigars also cover the UFO sighting topic. How? Throughout the history of UFO sightings, one of the common shapes reported is that of being “cigar shaped.” UFO enthusiasts identified a cigar shaped UFO orbiting the planet Mars while looking through NASA photos take by the NASA Curiosity Rover on that planet.  Is this proof that cigars are appreciated beyond our planet?

One good resource for anyone interested in delving deeper into the topic of cigars is Cigar Magazine.

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Flying Around Sequoia Trees in The Dark is a Bad Idea

The sequoia (aka giant sequoia) along with the dawn redwood and coast redwood make up the redwood family of trees. Fossil records of the most amazing of these trees, the giant sequoia, date back to the Jurassic period, more than 200 million years ago. Sequoias towered above the head of Tyrannosaurus Rex. You want to watch out for one of these when flying a helicopter or plane—the sequoia, not the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Why Are Sequoias Amazing?

Giant sequoias are the largest single trees and largest living organism on the planet by volume. The honey fungus is larger in size, covering an area 2.4 miles across. A quaking aspen called Pando, which is a clonal plant possessing an extensive root system connecting multiple trees, weighs an astounding 13 million pounds (6 million kg).
There are 2 billion leaves on the 3rd largest sequoia, The President.

The largest living sequoia, The General Sherman, weighs approximately 3 to 4 million pounds.
Giant sequoias are among the oldest living organisms on the planet. The oldest known based on ring count is about 3,500 years old. High concentrations of the chemical tannin in the sequoia bark gives it resistance to rot, boring insects, and fire.
The largest of the sequoias are as tall as a 26-story building. Record trees have been measured to be 311 feet and average sequoia heights are in the range of 165 to 280 feet.
A large sequoia may have about 11,000 cones and spread 300,000 to 400,000 seeds per year.
Typical specimens range from 20 to 26 ft. in diameter (6 to 8 meters).

Where Are They?

Present distribution of groves of naturally growing sequoias are limited to Sierra Nevada, California but prehistorically was a somewhat common species in across North America and Eurasia. Fossil of sequoia from the Cretaceous era have even been found in New Zealand. Giant sequoia have become an ornamental tree in many areas of the world today, including the following regions:

Southwest British Columbia in Canada
Southeast Australia
Chile
Pacific Northwest and limited eastern United States
Britain
France (tallest sequoia outside the United States – 189 feet (56m meters)
Italy
Denmark
Germany
Serbia
Czech Republic

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