Currently, Rory Mercury merchandise is basically limited to cosplay outfits and wigs, t-shirts, book covers, and… beef curry rice. I didn’t see any delicious cake.

Never do this again. (Not Safe For Shoggoths)

I know we haven’t spoken recently, but that’s mostly because Idolpimp has been pasturing out the grownups and spending his time on spin-off groups (again). Still, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve got my eye on you. If only because I have to look away from how you’re dressing Reina…

I found six half-grown kittens on the front porch last night. I went out to Safeway around midnight, and when I got home with a fresh supply of ice tea and bagels, there they were. Clean, healthy, well-socialized little purring machines, but no collars, so I suspect their mother lives at one of the nearby houses, and some kid is nominally in charge of caring for them.

Three of them were orange, so I suspect that my old friend the cranky neighborhood tom has been getting busy.

When I went out his morning, the black one was sitting on my chair, but none of the others were in sight. I suspect I’ll have to be careful going in and out of the house for a while.

[Update: 11:30am, still in the chair; no sign of the others. The purring was audible from six feet away.]

[Update: 5pm, still claiming the chair; this is starting to remind me of how I acquired my first college girlfriend.]

[Update: left around 9:30pm Monday night, haven’t seen any of them since.]

Q: Why is Shizuka Nakamura dressed like this?

A: Who cares? Especially since the movie also features Nonoka Ono in a sexy-cop outfit?

The plot, such as it is, of Sensitive Detective Jasmine, is that rookie detective Jasmine (Shizuka) has one of those convenient psychic powers that lets her pick up clues by touching objects, and along with rookie NYPD detective Youko (Nonoka), tracks down a murderer. Bathing and sexy cosplay are apparently their primary weapons. And the machine translation of the plot summary at Rakuten is hilarious.

Sunbather attacked by muslim women for wearing bikini.

ObBugs: “Of course you realize this means war.”

Mr. Lion is rightfully angry with the Minnesota dentist whose African trophy hunt recently blew up in his face.

It’s possible he’s not a willing criminal, if he really did get all his permits and relied on his well-paid “professionals” to keep him legal. It’s definite that he’s not, as his statement claims, a responsible hunter. Jacklighting for leopards with a crossbow and shooting at a lion that takes the bait is not the act of a “responsible hunter”, especially when it leaves one of Ma Nature’s best killers pissed-off and on the loose for 40 hours.

Setting aside the issue of whether luring an animal to your position and blasting it with spotlights counts as “hunting”, if you’re using a single-shot weapon, you have a responsibility to get a clean kill. Especially at night. Especially large carnivores. If you can’t guarantee that, don’t take the shot.

Not that it matters now, since Cecil is dead, the mob has destroyed Our Villain’s business, and his money is going to be spent on lawyers instead of trophies for quite a while.

I’ve never really understood the trophy-hunter mentality. I’ve read Capstick and Cooper, I’ve known plenty of folks who hunt for meat, and I’ve considered a guided boar hunt to do my part in California Pest Control and fill the freezer with sausage, but trophies? What are you really celebrating, if the animal didn’t have a decent chance of taking you home?