From the BBC: US woman fights off lion with pen.

Statistics show that mountain lion attacks on people apparently increased dramatically since 1986. For example, in California alone, there were only two fatal attacks in 1890 and 1909, and then no further attacks for 77 years, until 1986. From 1986 through 1995, nine verified attacks occurred, an average rate of almost one per year.

Recent incidents involving cougars and humans in southern California, western Texas, and eastern Colorado have compelled authorities in these states to issue warnings to the public about the dangers of attacks.

But hey, ""it's only a few of them, right? Nooooooothing to worry about, so don't, right?  I mean, just look at this mean motherfucker:



Typical of his kind.

I'm sure a lot of people in South America felt the same way about a certain tiny, aggressive Africanised honey bee in Brazil once upon a time. But then again those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

!i!

But you're talking about the acts and opinions of a vocal minority of mountain lions here.  Don't expand that to assuming that all mountain lions want the death of humans.

I'm sure that most of them are perfectly content to just gnaw off a leg, and then let the bloodied and maimed victim crawl away.

What symbol do these wannabe furries use for their worship? I gotta know what to burn on their lawn.

maybe nox knows

(sorry, couldn't resist)

i for one welcome our feline overlords

Quote from: James McMurrayWhat symbol do these wannabe furries use for their worship? I gotta know what to burn on their lawn.

A Burning Wheel? :O

-clash

Maybe they worship the KKK. Wouldn't that be ironic?

Quote from: beeberi for one welcome our feline overlords

You would.  Cat-lover.

!i!

Something I didn't know about mountain lions: their bite is poisonous. Sort of. The dude who recently got mauled has taken a turn for the worse because of bacterial infection. Cat bites, it seems, get infected much more easily than dog bites. This seems mostly due to the fact that cat teeth, being sharp and needle-like, essentially inject bacteria deep into the bite.; however, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that the bacteria in cat mouths are different from other animals', in a way that facilitates infection. (This study is suggestive, but since it's based on bite wounds as opposed to saliva samples, the difference between cats and dogs may simply be a matter of the cats having a more efficient bacteria-injection method.)

One could speculate that the bacterial infections caused by cats are useful to them as predators. At least one other animal, the Komodo dragon, is believed to benefit from having bacteria in its saliva; its bite, if not immediately fatal, often leads to fatal infections. Prey that succumb can then be tracked by smell and consumed.

Aren't feline teeth also serrated in a manner in which canine teeth aren't?  You know, the reason a knife kept kashrut can't have nicks in the blade is essentially to avoid pockets that harbor trace bits of food and generate bacteria that can contaminate other foods.

By the way -- to further villifiy the evils of cats -- just this Saturday night I was at a friend's house.  One of their cats took a liking to me and very gingerly set up nest in my lap for a while as I scritched behind her ears.  Later that evening -- long after the cat was gone, but before washing my hands -- I absent-mindedly rubbed my right eye, which then proceded to swell shut in a massive allergic reaction.

Bastards.  Dirty, colluding bastards.

!i!

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaYou know, the reason a knife kept kashrut can't have nicks in the blade is essentially to avoid pockets that harbor trace bits of food and generate bacteria that can contaminate other foods.

That's an interesting rationalization, and may well be true, but a lot of religious customs have no recorded meaning or motivation except what was inserted after the fact. E.g., the need for a perfect blade has also been explained on humane grounds, to minimize the animal's suffering. (Again, maybe true, maybe not.)

Point taken.  Where I stated "essentially", I should have used the word "functionally".  From a modernist point of view, kashrut boils down to a system of hygiene.  From a traditionalist point of view, it is a system of principle and moral discipline.  Either way, it's something those fucking mountain lions with their serrated teeth will never understand.

!i!

What's really cool is how little legal protection the bastards currently have. We can do all the things they deserve to them and nobody'll care!

What about Florida?  Don't the Feds protect their cowardly, fur-covered asses down there?  I believe they call themselves "panthers" there. :rolleyes:

!i!

Maybe, but all in due time brother. All in due time.

Quote from: James McMurrayWhat's really cool is how little legal protection the bastards currently have. We can do all the things they deserve to them and nobody'll care!

Well you could try...but I'd put my money on the lion.