Author Topic: Small Animal News  (Read 187254 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #120 on: January 31, 2012, 12:27:40 pm »
In regards to the perpetrators, the following is the best translation.

"We don't know who is doing this. As this is happening on a massive scale, it is likely that an organized group or several groups are behind this."

"The matter is currently under investigation.  At this time, please take all necessary counter-measures!"

Worldwide, volunteers are investigating to find the people and/or group(s) of people responsible for the attacks.  Measures have been taken to assist in the coordination and exchange of information.

Samantha, who spent several months in Japan supporting a relief effort following the earthquake, believes the threat may be related to the upcoming olympic games, but Mikey added that there is no concrete evidence to specifically support that.  In other words, just a hunch on her part.

Mikey believes the attacks will continue and may even get worse as time goes on. 

"The only real long term defense is to build infrastructure to stop them.  All we have at the moment is volunteer teams 'looking into it'.  We don't know who 'them' is at this point, but we will find out.  In the meantime, we just have to keep our paws together[1] and do our best to design and deploy infrastructure to counter this threat."

[1] 'sit tight' or equivelent

Personally, I don't know if relying only volunteers is the best strategy, but Mr. Sparkles notes that volunteers have been more effective than paid employees or state workers in the past.  Samantha adds that the Bunny Brigade is an all-volunteer force, and it seems to be plenty effective at preventing and/or responding to local small animal attacks.  "There's no reason it can't work on the worldwide scale.  [Give it some time.]"

---

Another quote:

"Some of us may say 'someone' tells imposters to kill, or they attempt to put an imposter in her place.  But it's fruitless to say that we will begin blaming each other to spend all the thread[1].  There is no evidence, stay cool.  No matter who attempts to get profit, we can fight against them in the same style to save her."

[1] Is that some kind of sewing analogy?  I have no idea, I'm really not sure about this one.

Needless to say, sometimes, it can be difficult to understand with any precision the words written by small animals.

---

I'm told they use the designation "WVD-01".  I have no idea what that stands for, or how to contact them.  I'm not even sure who they are.  Mikey says he overheard them being discussed in a small animal bar, but the only concrete thing he heard was that they was that "some Panda" was assisting them.

---

That's "bunny N"  See the earlier post:
« Reply #79 on: December 13, 2010, 07:54:50 pm »

---

Revisited:

"Some of us may say 'someone' tells imposters to kill, or they attempt to put an imposter in her place.  But it's fruitless to say that we will begin blaming each other to spend all the thread.  There is no evidence, stay cool.  No matter who attempts to get profit, we can fight against them in the same style to save her."

I think I've got the proper translation of this now, basically s/he was saying that it might seem like since all the attacks have been on, say, bunnies, that it might seem like the motive is to make, say, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, ferrets, and other small animals more popular by 'bringing down' the popularity of bunnies. 

And by now, someone else has commented that even this assertion isn't true, the attacks haven't been limited to just one like that.  According to Mikey, "They're going after everything.  And everyone.  Indiscriminately.  There's no obvious pattern."

---

It just came in, here is a quick translation of her statement.

"[CFM] is in agreement, and our agents are gathering information.  That is a real group, but we don't know if there is any real connection.  We have sent communications to them, and await a response."

So really now that they are aware, we can just be patient and wait.
Sad state of things that this has come too... the attacks started in November of last year and only now they (the authorities) are starting to take notice?  Small animals need to be more of a priority for them.  Someone needs to -- someone will -- stand up to whoever is doing this and start fighting back.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2012, 11:30:02 pm by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #121 on: February 07, 2012, 10:21:57 pm »
They do not.  It's an impostor.  It's been confirmed through their own statement (or there is more subterfuge going on here, ie. someone in their group acting without any knowledge, or they 'disavow all knowledge' of unseemly activities like in the TV series 'Mission Impossible'.  All doubtful.

---

I think this is the situation.  Other than a (relatively) small number of followers, bunnies and guinea pigs mostly, the rest of the small animals aren't so much enamored with the guy.  The things that keep coming up, like him banning the snake, when it was that same snake that is widely thought to have brought things back from nearly falling over the edge, make people question if he's really any better.  By now everyone knows the cat is on the way out, and he's likely to be replaced by someone who really is better, or is at least a known entity.

Small animals know what's going on, word can travel much faster than people realise.  As strange as it sounds, the snake actually has his own followers and has certainly made no secret of it.  And there are those in his own organization showing marked discomfort over these situations; and these people probably aren't going sit on it forever.

---

In response to "Most of the attacks are on bunnies".

(Household % among total households with small animals, Total Population in the US)
Bunny:  40%, 5.3M
Hamster:  29%, 3.7M
Guinea Pig:  18%, 1.4M
Ferret:  10%, 1.0M
Rat or Mouse:  10%, 1.6M
Gerbil:  8%, 1.0M
Chinchilla:  3%, 231K
Hermit Crab:  2%, 220K
Pot-bellied Pig:  2%, 297K
Hedgehog:  1%, 55K
Other:  15%, 4.0M

Yes most of the attacks are on bunnies, more precisely bunnies from one and a half to two and a half years old.  But bunnies are also the most common small animals in the US, so it's not much of a stretch really.

Also, most bunnies are kept in a household only a few months.  Many are bought around Easter and then 1-6 months later, they are no longer wanted and 'let go' into the wild.  As for the 'one and a half to two and a half years old' gap, that is the earliest age where statistics are compiled, bunnies younger than one and a half years presumably fall into that age bracket.

---

Your small animal cannot add comments until she/he is signed up for the event.  Once your small animal is signed up as "Yes", the 'post' feature will become active and then she/he will be able to add comments.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2012, 10:43:01 pm by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #122 on: February 14, 2012, 07:50:32 pm »
Note:  A direct translation is almost impossible, there are so many colloquialisms that would make a direct translation nearly unintelligible.  But the general situation is this:

When the attacks were active, the eastern volunteers were acting in concert with us (westerners) to fight against them.  But now that the attacks against small animals have largely subsided, at least for the time being, heavy infighting has broken out among the eastern volunteers who were far from united to begin with.  The infighting has shut down most of their communication network and resulted in utter chaos among their defense organizations.  While some of the eastern volunteers are still supportive and want to continue to fight, others apparently feel the bunny brigade or just bunnies in general have too much say in the Chain of Command and the actions of the defense groups.  But honestly it's totally unclear who feels what or in what numbers[1].

[1] literally, from Samantha, "Most of the non-bunnies to the east don't even know what they really feel"

When the brigade has tried to establish communications with the individual defense groups to the east, sometimes the leader is cool and willing to listen.  But other times bunnies are ignored or simply told that they are unwanted and to go away.  While being ignored appears quite common, in reality there is no way to tell if [our] bunnies are being ignored or simply not responded to because the communication network is down.

Mikey commented that most of the eastern volunteers are hamsters, which tend to be older (not in terms of years, but in terms of lifespan -- hamsters have a much shorter lifespan than bunnies which can regularly live 9-15 years.  "We found in most cases the relatively younger bunnies of the bunny brigade were dealing with hamsters who were middle-aged and older.  And this is only true among the eastern volunteers.  The rest-of-world, west included, bunnies are most common volunteers and the ranks of defense groups are filled with younger bunnies and then some guinea pigs.

It's not that bunnies haven't had infighting before, we only need to go back a few years to recall the incidents with Yue-bing or the fiercely debated Bunny Caucuses of the past.  But, there's probably a bit of a gap along these lines.  "In the east, the hamsters feel they should a bigger say in the way things are run because they are 'older'.   But in the rest of world, bunnies are in the majority so they feel they should have the most say.  And the way that small animal politics work[2], that's more or less the way it ends up.

[2] majority rule, or largely democratic, versus say the politics of the neighborhood cat gang.

---

It is '80% figured out', according to an insider (no comment on who).  The other 20% is in progress.

"Very few people know.  Most of the Vanguard knows, but that's it."

---

(subjects) First, slow down.  Embrace and do it slowly, gently.  Don't apply too much pressure, it looks bad.  Hold hands.  Hold for a couple of seconds.  No tongue (looks bad).  (photo) Some fill flash, as two people tend to block the light.  Watch the angles.

---

Yes, it is now confirmed that the Cat (cat F) will be there. 
From Mikey:  "Even if you don't like her, please don't harass/stalk/abuse/tease/etc. her.  In the end she's just a cat.  Sure she out-schemed Cat Y in order to take over his old show, the show he basically made into what it was, but that's how cat politics works.  Someday another cat will come along, and do the same to her."

---

She is not, so please do not ask.  She's just sticking with her usual VO/TO stuffs.  At least that's as of 'right now'.

BTW often times she claims something like "I'm going to do this, and this, and this, and this, and this..." but then in the end only ends up doing one of those things.
« Last Edit: February 22, 2012, 01:26:55 am by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #123 on: February 28, 2012, 05:07:26 am »
All that shows is a textbook case of 'how not to run your gang'.

Cat L was in charge for roughly a year, from September 2009 until the time his owner left town, September 2010.
In that time, he looted gang coffers, taking roughly 650,000 carrots for himself and 240,000 carrots for his cronies over the course of the year.  But the cat's real damage was in expenses, legal, travel, operational, etc.  These went from roughly 9,600,000 carrots to 14,500,000 carrots.  Gang revenue from shakedowns, collections, protection fees, etc. seemed to be holding steady at around 10,000,000 carrots, but in reality accounting tricks were used (see 'Kitty Kat Accounting') -- deferred revenue[1] increased roughly 1,400,000 carrots in order to hide a drop in actual revenue of 12% to 15%.  Also notable was a 'settlement' paid out to C for roughly 280,000 carrots.

At the end of 2010, the gang was roughly 3 million carrots in the red, with less than a million or so carrots in their stash.  Cat L was long gone and the hapless Cat P had taken over, and would soon make a deal with another cat in exchange for a loan that even then fell short of the roughly 3,600,000 carrots that would have been required to keep things going for another year.

All carrot figures are approximated at the current exchange rate.

It would be about two to three months before Cat P would cave and make a deal with his ex-rival, Cat F.  Cat P was under great pressure, cats from affiliated gangs were clawing at his door almost daily demanding their kickbacks and fees, which he had no hope of being able pay.  Protection money and collections from small animals was far below expectations, leaving few actual sources of income.  He had narrowly escaped a few scuffles in dark alleys with a mysterious bobcat, and would have probably perished were it not for his ever - loyal and determined - to - stick - with - him - to - the - end assistant, Cat T. 

In the end, Cat P's paw was forced and he sold out the gang that had survived several generations of cats on its own for a mere 2,000,000 carrots to Cat F.  This was not enough to outright save the gang, but enough to keep it going for a couple of months more.  Unless 'something big' happened, the gang was still a goner, and Cat F would walk away with anything of value they still had. 

[1] A difficult concept to explain to non-accounting people, think of deferred income like a shop that sells 'gift certificates' at a discount in order to create cashflow (get more cash on hand) or increase reported revenue during a particularly bad quarter.  Many gangs will have some form of deferred income, kickbacks, protection fees, shakedowns, and other things that are paid up front for a set period of time.  But a dramatic rise in deferred income almost always means one of two things, either the gang is providing its 'services' at a discount in order to try to create short-term cashflow, or they are 'calling forward' future unproven revenue (with equivalent expenses) in ordue to try to disguise a drop in currently reported revenue.  The latter case might be known as an 'accounting irregularity' in human accounting practices, but it is par for the course among cats.

---

I think it's some new drug.
Don't do drugs!  Also don't support/take/buy drugs that were tested on animals.
"After-effects include:  drowsiness (67%), depression (44%), nausea (32%), dry mouth (54%), difficulty breathing/shortness of breath (22%), seizures (17%), suicide (7%), non-suicide death (3%)."

---

I wouldn't be too concerned.  It honestly seems, roughly half-and-half.  There are some rumors of political problems and such, but hard to say how much (if any) is real. 

"Everyone knows where the UT/VO/TO groups are going to be."
« Last Edit: April 20, 2012, 11:45:27 am by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #124 on: March 06, 2012, 11:27:23 am »
Unfortunately no.  Everything was proceeding as planned, but then he stepped in and canned the whole thing.

A lot of us have big doubts about their current manager; if you know his temperament, honestly they could not have picked a worse guy to run things.

From Tuan Tuan - "The only thing he has going for him is that he has no life, and therefore plenty of time.  Otherwise, he has no real positive qualities.  Let me say this:  very few Pandas aren't welcome in Wolong[1], but he's one of them."

So that's pretty much it.  Pandas as a whole are very laid back, and harsh words coming from another Panda are practically unheard of, except in the most egregious of cases.  Normally the bunny brigade would try to intervene, but they're in a more important operation against the gang to the north.  It's more important to have that succeed than to try to deal with an errant Panda. 

[1] Wolong National Nature Reserve, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolong_National_Nature_Reserve

A bunny who has been intercepting their electronic communications reported over the past months that their communications seem to have lost touch with reality. 

"Many e-mails seemed to refer to imaginary things like sections of the venue that do not actually exist, for instance making repeated references to events held in the 79th floor of the Von Borscht building (no such building exists, nor does any building the venue have anywhere near that many floors).  Others seem to be simple paranoia, in which he imagines a bunny who works in bookkeeping is engineering a conspiracy to overthrow him.  There was even one set of e-mails where the Panda was discussing his attempts to sell the organization to 'a media company from Canada' for a large sum that is never fixed, varying between three to seven million dollars."

"Even worse are the podcasts in which the Panda is supposed to discuss things but instead talks about the everyday goings-on in his life.  Honestly he spends most of his time 'blowing up' and getting mad, at one point he even smashed the
camera and all you can hear is audio until his assistant replaced it.  Nothing of import is ever discussed, it's always just stuff like about how he's really upset he got sacked in a virtual football game or yelling at the camera so loud it's unintelligible what he is actually trying to say."

BTW I honestly don't know if they will be at one of the summer events.  Perhaps the one to the far north?
But almost certainly, they will be in the local area for November, and January.

---

The girl I talked to last night said the bunnies were 'hopping mad' and pretty much in a full revolt.

When asked what the deal was, like does he hate her, the response was "No, he's just fscking incompetent."

There's huge gaps in the schedule, so it's not like they were overbooked or anything. 

From Mikey "They're at the point where they're no longer a small group, they need some structure and some people to be in charge.  But, they haven't really figured out who they want to be in charge yet.  Like Tuan Tuan said, it's not the people who are the most qualified who are in charge, because this type of person has their own lives and hence not enough time to take an active role.  It's the no-lifers who don't play well with others and and really don't have any skill at what they do."

---

Yes, one of the local small animal groups will have a table, just make sure you find the right one.
If it's not the right one, you will know.

Also, Killer Lolitas and Scary Shoujo - Sunday 4:30p to 5:50p.  (Higurashi Fan Panel)
« Last Edit: March 09, 2012, 10:56:42 pm by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #125 on: March 12, 2012, 10:39:12 pm »
I just got word that the team will be there, I don't know how many but the message I just received (it was actually sent three days ago) was that at least some of the guinea pigs and bunnies are being deployed to the local area for a 'burrowing' type operation.

"At least a small vanguard is being detached, more details will be discussed at the all paws meeting at 11am this Saturday.  Look for the guinea pig with the megaphone or the bunny, both will be in black and silver outfits."

I don't know how many Pandas will be there (if any at all) I'd venture a guess that they aren't just going to take this one sitting down.

---

Friday

FanVibe Presents: Convention Story Time
Friday            12:30 PM-11:50 PM            Pacific Salon 2

2pm Area 2 (by the pool) - Adventure Time Gathering / Parade (if my friends are in it)

Jabronie Pictures
Friday            2:30 PM-3:20 PM            Towne

Adventure Time
Friday            3:30 PM-4:50 PM            Sunrise

Saturday

FIRST: From Fantasy to Fact!
Saturday            10:00 AM-11:20 AM            Esquire

11am Area 3 (by the Royal Palm Tower Gazebo West) - Vocaloid Gathering, immediately followed by a dance contest

12pm Area 1 (by the Rose Garden) Final Fantasy Gathering

12:30pm Area 1 (by the Rose Garden) South Park Gathering

1pm Area 2 (by the pool) General Shooter Gathering

2pm Area 3 (by the Royal Palm Tower Gazebo West) - My Little Pony gathering[1]

3:30pm Area 3 (by the Royal Palm Tower Gazebo West) - Hetalia Gathering

Sunday

School Life in Japan: Is it REALLY like that?
Sunday            11:30 AM-12:20 PM            Pacific Salon 3

Christina Vee Q&A
Sunday            12:00 PM-1:20 PM            Pacific Salon 1

Hetalia: Dating Game Show
Sunday            2:30 PM-3:50 PM            Pacific Salon 2

Killer Lolitas and Scary Shojo (18+)
Sunday            4:30 PM-5:50 PM            Pacific Salon 3

[1] - I will NOT be there under any circumstances, please do not even ask.

---

It's still uncertain, but I'd say it's probable.  So I did send a request out.  I don't know if they'll be able to do anything about it, though.  They're probably logistically challenged just like the rest. 
« Last Edit: March 14, 2012, 01:12:36 am by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #126 on: March 19, 2012, 09:37:32 pm »
It was causing a problem at first, but it was mainly with the hotel employees and not the staff who were always helpful towards small animals (can't say they had the same attitude when dealing with people).  Mr. Sparkles and Samantha smuggled themselves in by hiding underneath the Miku wearing the big turquoise 'wedding dress', I know once we found that Miku, several guinea pigs and even a guy who could not afford a badge were getting smuggled hiding under her dress.  They didn't even have a clue, or if they did, they couldn't do anything about it.

Bunny S and her group of three other bunnies were treated well by the staff, though I cannot say the same for the way they treated people.  Word of mouth, I heard bad things, but then I couldn't confirm anything bad either (other than mentioned in prior posts).  Of course, you also have to consider that Bunny S and her group were prized by [H] and and his minions, [H] had seen them at [DELETED] and wanted them so much... so he and his minions were probably paying special attention to them. 

Granted the people I was with, we were always able to get what we wanted by being assertive and throwing our collective weight around.  You had to talk to people, you had to find and talk to the right people, and be patient, but doing these things we didn't have any major problems. 
« Last Edit: March 22, 2012, 08:29:36 pm by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #127 on: March 23, 2012, 11:19:18 pm »
That is not the truth, the 'kitty games' have no use for the theatre and it was actually one of Cat P's rallies that got them kicked out. 

"The theatre and the other areas are owned by a number of different entities, but they are run by the same staff, security and otherwise."

"Several months ago, when morale was at an all-time low, Cat P was running one of his 'pep rally' type events in an adjacent facility.  He was giving out free catnip and some of the cats got a little out of control and started shredding the seat cushions and scratching the seats and walls."

"By the end of the event they had probably done a [few thousand dollars] in damage to the facility.  Cat P refused to pay for the damage so they were blacklisted from that facility and most of the other surrounding ones run by the same people."

So really you can blame it on those guys.  It's too bad, but that's how it is.

---

The reason is, they can't do it yet.
Hopefully they will be up to that level in a few months.  But with the state of things now, I just don't know.  When I asked, I was told 'wait until May'. 

---

I am going, along with at least 5 other friends, I just signed up today.  It's big enough that I should be able to stick to the preferred focus (VO/UT/TO).

I know he is planning on being there, he said the whole gang should be there so I presume they will, unless somebody decides to be a jerk like the last time.  But I think he has a lot more juice in the local area, after his previous performance.
« Last Edit: March 30, 2012, 01:52:41 am by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #128 on: March 30, 2012, 11:21:15 pm »
I already summarized this in #123, it is now long past and you can read all about it in the public sources.  There's no reason for me to report or comment on the past, it's the future people really want to know.

From an insider -- "When the article was released [February 3], cat P nearly exploded.  Cat W nearly had a heart attack.  It wasn't a good day in the gang's headquarters.  At least what was left of it."

What I can report is that the transfer of power from the old leadership is nearly complete, and Cat K is readying the gang to fight his arch enemy, the also locally based Cat X.

From Mikey "Cat X, a mysterious figure surrounded by much uncertainty and, well, mysterious-ness.  Secretive to the extreme, said to be very careful, very conservative in his actions, acting with a heightened sense of, almost, paranoia.  It's rumored that he's one of the reasons that the small animals in neighborhood cat gang territory have risen up, refusing to pay up to the gang's protection racket and those mysterious dog sightings and attacks against the gang?  It's rumored he's behind them too.  He's said to have his own protection racket nearly three times larger than what the neighborhood cat gang controlled at its height, and perhaps now has extended into their own territory while they were collapsing."

So using the party line, feeding the rumors, asserting that Cat X is the source of all their problems, Cat K has in a sense drafted the whole gang to fight his target.  Cats are like that, you might be leader, but you still need to give them a reason to band together and fight.  And fight they will, but do they really have a chance of standing up to a rival gang that is three times their size?  In the end, he wants to claim to claim X's territory for himself, and the gang is just a tool or bunch of stooges to be thrown away for his senseless pipe dream.  Certainly, I wouldn't bank too heavily on their chances of long term survival.  Now maybe the cat can succeed in the end, he has his own followers and if he gathers all them up, he still doesn't have as many as his enemy but it's enough to stand a chance at winning if he goes all out.  It may simply be that the cats sold out by Cat P are being set up to be the front line, the sacrifices or 'cannon fodder' of his crusade.

From Tuan Tuan - "For the best?  The best, for who?  You never know what happens, at least in the short term.  I wouldn't write it off just yet.  [1] They say a man burns brightest before he burns out, but is 'burning brightest' last year, this year, or next year even?"

[1] Old Chinese saying, he's actually quoting from 'Tiger and Bunny'

---

Mr. Sparkles has now formally opened the pool, your small animal can place wagers on either of the two belligerents at the current returns (check his twitter).  To place a wager, small animals need to mail (snail-mail) the carrot slips to his address along with a written description of who they are bidding on, dated and signed with a paw-print, or they can send carrots through Samantha's new "Paypet" website (follow the instructions on the site.  The recipient is MR-SPARKLES-493 and the item number is S-79.  Be sure that your small animal includes the belligerent they are wagering on in the "Notes for Recipient" field and a valid e-mail address.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2012, 01:53:39 am by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #129 on: April 04, 2012, 01:33:37 am »
That's right, but here's the problem.  There's a whole one guy (snake Z) in good standing[1] with the gang who the small animals have any kind of open contact with, and that's only from time to time.  There's a few others not in good standing like Cat Y or K, but these guys can't be counted on to know a whole lot.  Other than that, there's no one in the organization who openly talks to small animals, or who small animals talk to on any kind of regular or semi-regular basis.  If your small animal wants to get a hold of the bunny brigade, black bunny squad, or Mikey's group that handles local security, it's very easy.  But trying to get a hold of these guys, it's close to impossible.

So most of the information comes from spies, defectors, etc.  While the information these guys provide can be reliable and insightful, it's not always current or even relevant.  Cat gangs as a whole are quite uncivilized, brutal, and deadly; spies have to tread very softly and often have to prioritize survival over gathering information and timely reporting. 

[1] relatively good standing...

Likewise the gang is so large that it takes a long time for information to move up and down through the ranks.  It's not unusual for it to take a month or even more for some vital piece of information that is known by members of the vanguard to filter down to the rank-and-file.

---

It's somewhat unclear, but multiple sources have reported on their demise both before and after the fact.  I think we all know what happened, it's no secret that the rank and file were not happy with the leaders and now they have all but abandoned them.  The leaders themselves may try to continue, but without followers they can't hope to have much of an organization in the future.

In the meantime it is fully expected that the rest will continue to do _something_, they are said to have significant funds, 200,000 carrots thereabout.

---

Today, Mikey released a report detailing information revealed by Cat M's defection from the gang.

"Cat M held a high position in the gang, as part of Cat P's vanguard and in charge of the 'special committee' that handled internal security duties within the gang.  Her specific reason for defecting was that her name was misspelled below the gang's photo of her on the website.  When she tried to go to Cat P to fix this, Cat P told her that a few other's also had their name misspelled and they never came to him to complain.  Enraged at having his afternoon nap schedule disrupted, he ordered her not to come to him over such a trivial matter again."

"After this, Cat M avoided contact with Cat P but still overheard a great deal.  On more than one occasion she overheard Cat T, Cat P's right-paw cat, reporting on attempts and threats by other gangs in their territory.  Cat P had a totally ambivalent attitude toward these threats, refusing to take any action at all."

"When Cat K took over the operation, he left Cat P in charge of day-to-day operations for a short period.  Believing farther demotion was imminent, Cat P seemed to be scheming in secret with Cat T and some others.  She wasn't able to figure out what they were scheming, but what happened next was more than telling."

(aside by Mikey) The mysterious Cat X's gang was Cat K's long time enemy from when he was just a kitten.  Evidently Cat K had wanted to be part of Cat X's gang, but was denied due to his general lack of physique.  At one point, one of Cat X's minion had told him he just 'didn't have the back legs for it' and Cat K then made it his lifetime goal to build an empire capable of taking on Cat X's gang.  Both control national players, Cat X has many more minions, and more territory; but Cat K is a very astute at business and is quite popular among his minions.

"Presumably knowing the war with Cat X's gang was imminent, Cat M had overhead Cat P secretly briefing his agents to relay messages to Cat X's gang in secret.  The would ally themselves with Cat X's forces, and in exchange they would be allowed to maintain their own organization as a new part of Cat X's gang.  She thought Surely if Cat K found out about this, he would be incensed and it would be the end of Cat P."

"But when she want to Cat K and ratted out Cat P's plan, Cat K just smiled and purred about it being his plan all along.  'This is exactly what I foresaw.  Cat P is toxic, utterly incompetent and hated by those under him.  His only redeeming quality is that he has a knack for escaping certain death and will do whatever it takes to stay in power.  He takes over this area's operations working for the X gang, and over the next few years continues to run things into the ground.  He wastes a lot of their funds, angers many cats, and creates a bunch of logistical nightmares and PR disasters for them.  And I'm sure you can figure out what happens next.  [while purring contently].  If you want to work for me in a few years, you're always welcome.  Think it over, why don't you?"

"With that, Cat M just couldn't take it anymore.  She defected from the gang completely, and seems to want to nothing to do with other cats anymore."

(from Mr. Sparkles) She spends her days curled up in her owner's lap, or sometimes on top of (his) XBOX while he is playing it.  It's an older style model, one of the one of the ones that has a tendency to overheat.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2012, 08:29:47 pm by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #130 on: April 07, 2012, 12:35:33 am »
Yes, it is in the works.

The bunny brigade was mobilized a few days ago and sent north into that region.  They are already there and have been a few days.

The small animals are pretty sure this is 'it', the cats in the area are engaged in a low intensity three faction battle that could blow up at any time.  Some were asking for assistance so the brigade responded.

Samantha has sent back only one report, brief and to the point.  "There isn't a single small animal left here that doesn't want to revolt.  Morale is high, everyone is very motivated.  They recognize that now is their best shot to taking back this area and driving out the cats for good."

Everyone is getting ready, they are getting the logistics set up, handing out carrots, getting their radios working, gnawing on wood[1], getting organized into respective companies and so on.

Really I expect it will only be a matter of time now. 

[1] This is how a lot of small animals sharpen their teeth.

---

Basically your standard burrowing and gnawing type of operation, that is my understanding at least.

---

They aren't that uncommon, but they have their own ways of dealing with those guys.

From Mikey, "We know the type, they talk about how great of a fighter they are, how many cats they have killed or such but in reality, they haven't done a single thing.  The best we can do with these guys is segregate them to their own unit, tell them they have been chosen for the most elite unit out there with others like them.  We treat this unit like the cats treat their vangaurd, get them up there, front-and-center and out in the open.  The first time a cat shows up, it would be funny if it weren't so [damned] predictable, these guys are whizzing all over the place, some freezing in place, others turning and running, etc.  Quite a comical scene to watch, really."

« Last Edit: April 12, 2012, 10:22:37 pm by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #131 on: April 19, 2012, 12:50:30 am »
I don't know the answer to that.  The gang is seriously weakened, and has had to seriously curtail expenditures.
The loyalist faction consists of Cat P and his followers, that is, Cat T, those in the Vanguard who are still loyal to him, and about half the mid-ranking cats in the organization.  The revolutionary faction has no clear leader, but their members look up to Snake Z, the dispossessed Cat Y, and others like this.  They have about the other half of the mid-ranking cats behind them, and the majority of the low-ranking cats.  Cat K's faction has is led by Cat K and doesn't have many cats in the gang specifically behind him, but enough cats outside the gang and many within it at least look up to him.

For what it's worth, many of the animals in the revolutionary faction are small animal sympathizers, and have a loose alliance with the bunny brigade as they both want to unseat Cat P.  The loyalists have made several attempts to launch an attack against the revolutionaries, but without any dedicated troops, these attempts have amounted to little more than 'hissing matches' where he and his minions get in attack posture, hiss menacingly, and make threats at known members of the revolutionary faction.  When Cat P has tried to lead his minions into battle, they have all broken off, leaving him severely outnumbered and forced to retreat.

There's really not a huge amount of cats that are still active in the gang.  In better times, the gang had around 700 cats but in its current state, their numbers have fallen significantly.  In the prelude to the most recent 'hissing match', Cat P was only able to muster about 30 loyalist supporters to face off against roughly 50 revolutionaries.  When it comes down to it, there are only about a hundred cats who the gang can claim as members right now.  There are roughly 200 more on their lists, but these are 'members in name only' who aren't motivated enough to actually do anything for the gang or participate in its affairs.

---

Yes, it's true, a few days ago the hapless Cat P did try to off Snake Z by poisoning his meal.  But the cat failed to realize that snakes are immune to many types of poisons, and upon seeing the snake alive the next day, he suffered a heart attack.  The other cats were beginning to write him off, but he was saved when Cat T administered mouth-to-mouth CPR; his heart recovered around a minute later.

---

About a week ago, someone mailed Mr. Sparkles a package of roughly 50 assorted "Zhu Zhu" pets (we don't know who -- there was no name or return address on the package).

Mr. Sparkles had no use for the robotic toys, but he figured it might be of use to the bunny brigade, so he sent it up north to Samantha.

Samantha came up with the idea of using the Zhu Zhu pets as a decoy to launch a major operation against the neighborhood cat gang headquarters.  While she knew it was unlikely she could occupy the headquarters for any length of time, she knew her saboteurs could inflict significant damage to the compound in a matter of minutes if she could somehow get most of the cats and other security forces out of the compound.

Samantha hired the black bunny squad to spray-paint a warning on the front door of the headquarters at night -- that the newly created 'fifty hamster heros' rebel group would attack Cat P's owner's house the following day at exactly 12pm noon. 

The next day, Cat P and his trusted right-paw cat, Cat T, camped out at his house in order to repel the threatened attack.  Cat P left (another) Cat named T (hereafter referred to as T2) in charge of the headquarters.  Meanwhile, Samantha and a small team of bunnies set up the Zhu Zhu Pets on the sidewalk pointing towards Cat P's owner's house driveway.

About a minute later, the hamsters were making their characteristic noises and moving around randomly in Cat P's owner's driveway.  Cat T noticed this and went to wake up Cat P, who upon being awoken and appraised of the situation, immediately phoned Cat T2 in a panic and told him the house was under attack by the hamster heroes and to rally up and send all the cats in order that the attackers could be killed for their insolence.  As the commanding officer, T2 took control and ordered Cat P to stay inside and make sure none of the hamsters entered his owner's house through doors or windows.  Then he marched out to Cat P's owner's house with every cat he could find, about thirty, in formation.  In the meantime, Samantha and her team of bunnies had cleared out of the area.

The main force of bunnies was waiting at the border and started hopping at full speed toward the gang headquarters when their forward scouts reported Cat T2 and a large complement of cats marching out in the direction of Cat P's house.  Cat T2, once he got near Cat P's owner's house, ordered his troops to create a perimeter around the house and then start closing in, killing any small animals that they came across in the process.

With Cat P holed up in his masters' house and unable to participate in the combat, things unsurprisingly went quite well for the cats at first.  After a few minutes, the perimeter circle formed by the cats had closed to about a hundred feet, and the deaths of several feral rats and a stray bunny had been reported.  At a neighbor's house, a dog barked incessantly, but the cats remained indifferent to him/her.

Meanwhile, a large force of almost 200 bunnies had reached the gang's headquarters, including 12 specially trained saboteurs who were adept at causing electronics to fail by chewing up wires, network cables, phone lines, power connections, etc. 

The mass of bunnies quickly overwhelmed the few cats who were unlucky enough to have been left to guard the headquarters.  In a matter of minutes, the specialists took nearly all of their communications equipment offline, causing the gang's website, online forums, and live chat to go offline.  The mass of bunnies destroyed anything soft, or even slightly edible, inflicting about 400,000 carrots worth of damage to various furniture, building infrastructure, and the like.  After several minutes, they quickly left.

The battle at Cat P's owner's house came to a head, as the cats had surrounded the mass of Zhu Zhu Pets and were within striking range.  Spies report that the Zhu Zhu Pets did not attempt to defend themselves in any way, and the battle lasted about several seconds before Cat T2 recognized they had all been had and ordered his force to return to base.

What happened next is the matter of some debate, but according to Mikey's best reconstruction (from the reports of several spies and those who would defect in the next few days following the incident) -- Cat T2 radioed the cats that had been back at the base, and when he received no response, he knew he had to get back to the base as soon as possible.  He spotted a nearby car and had his entire squad break in, shattering one of the back windows with a large rock before he used his expertise to hotwire the car and peel off.  Driving for this group of cats was not the best, Cat T2 had taken the wheel while several cats floored the gas pedal with all their might.  After running several red lights, they collided with a large SUV with a family of four in it.

Local small animals report that the scene caused 'quite a ruckus'.  Cat T2 and several others had perished in the collision, while the family of four was 'mostly okay, just a little scratched up'.

When the cats finally did make it back to their headquarters, Cat P ran to his office and would not let anyone come in for several hours.  Afterwards he announced that several cats had perished as a direct result of combat operations, and tried to use this to rally his troops behind him.  However, it didn't help, and several days later, several prominent cats defected from the gang including Cat J.

Cat T2 was one of the few competent battlefield commanders left in the neighborhood cat gang.  He perished at a rather young age of four and a half years.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2012, 06:40:52 am by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #132 on: April 25, 2012, 06:49:16 am »
Yes, his defection is pretty recent (last few days), and Mikey's group has debriefed him in full.

From Mikey -- "There's no reason to doubt what he says." 

You can read his public account, there's no reason for me to report anything else here.

From Tuan Tuan - "I guess this completes Cat F seizing of the gang's TV show -- if she still wants it, that is.  With his defection, all her rivals have now been eliminated.  And she did it without lifting a paw, if nothing else I have to complement her on that."

---

One thing not mentioned is details behind the TV show.  At first, the TV show was supposed to be a general informational type of thing.  The gang wasn't supposed to be a major part of the content. 

From another defector, cat U:
"Over the 12 years[1] the show ran, over time it became a centerpiece for gang publicity.  Both Cat J and Cat Y fought against this, but honestly they could only do so much.  In the beginning, the show was maybe 90% informational, now it is maybe 20% informational, if that.  The show may be canceled altogether unless Cat P can find a suitable stooge to host it, now."

[1] Cat years, this is roughly 2 years in human terms. 

---

Cats and other animals near him now report that Cat P has 'gone bonkers...', as in completely lost it (mental).

"He thought he saw a rat.  He called in Cat T, and Cat T played along to humor him.  But it obvious to everyone there that there was no rat there.  But it was the strangest thing.  He was talking to the rat.  Rather than catching it, or eating it.  He thought the rat was his friend, and he was talking to it."

"A days after Cat T2 perished, he thought Cat F was Cat T2 for a whole hour.  Cat J, who had not defected from the gang yet, tried to set him straight, but he persisted.  About an hour later, he finally realized she wasn't him, and then abruptly started to come on to her (Cat F).  He continued his unwelcome advances until she bit him in the nose.  It was a really nasty bite, he had to get stitches."

---

Mikey reports that intelligence now indicates the gang's factional infighting has come to a head -- things are moving toward an all-out 'turf war' between gang members.

"Cat J's defection has got the vanguard and most of the cats who get votes in the Kitty Caucus jumping up and down.  Cat P has become extremely paranoid, locking himself in his office and not allowing any cats to see him other than Cat T and a few in the vanguard."

From Samantha - "Radio Traffic from the gang has dropped to nothing.  It seems like they're using runners again for all types of communication.  Infighting continues and seems to be escalating, but nothing too serious yet, still waiting for the opportune moment to attack."
« Last Edit: April 28, 2012, 12:46:36 am by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #133 on: May 01, 2012, 02:15:52 am »
It's already been considered.

From Samantha (old quote -- months ago) -- "We thought about allying with C to fight the gang, but, honestly, we just don't trust him."

From Mr. Sparkles - "He's basically made himself a sworn enemy of the whole gang, all its factions.  His understanding of intrigue is poor, and he doesn't understand 'divide and conquer'.  He doesn't choose his battles judiciously, and he makes enemies unnecessarily."

From Tuan Tuan - "Honestly, C's forces are weak.  The only thing they have going for them is morale.  They're under-equipped and under-funded, and his operation runs a considerable deficit.  Though, everything is relative.  Financially, he's not a badly off as the gang.  Not yet, at least."

Probably the red flag for this type of thing is how he makes enemies without reason.  Not a good trait or one you'd want for a potential ally. 

---

I can't stop laughing at this one, it's a joke people, get over it!
Actually it is something of a debacle.  It was suppose to be an 'april fools' type joke, but the Panda they put in charge has horrible vision.  And he's so full of himself, he's delusional.  When April Fools came around, he insisted it wasn't April first and refused to do the joke.  But then when May 1st comes along, again he's now convinced it's April 1st so he did the joke that was originally planned for a month ago.

"He's one BAD Panda..." - Mr. Sparkles

---

Alright I am getting too many calls on this.

According to Mikey, there is a minor thing going on in the local level.
But it's really just an attempt to "kill a bunch of birds with only one stone."

Let it play itself out, there is method to this 'madness'.  The real war is being fought in the shadows.

From Tuan Tuan:

"There is a power grab going on, a lot of animals are trying to get their paws around as much grub as they can.  The gang's upper echelon is crumbling, and all the cats and others are scrambling to see who will be the new 'top cat'."

"This puts creatures like the Snake (Z) in a very advantageous position.  It allows the revolutionaries to go head to head with the loyalist faction, at least for the time being."

"And locally, it should push them over the edge.  Which is honestly what we've been trying to do all along."

---

I have been asked multiple times now, basically, "Why do [things] appear and disappear?"

It's not random.  It's just a sign of the factions battling it out -- the conflict in the shadows.  On a given day, one faction may be in control of the server, so they put all their propaganda up and silence the other factions.  Then, the next day, another faction might gain control of the server, so they do the same.   Whether it's the central server, the facebook page, the forums, the official e-mail address, etc., all these things are contested and control of them can change from one day to the next.

Sometimes it's a case of one cat who manages that item, and being recruited / coerced / bribed / etc. by one faction or another.  Other times a cat perishes and is replaced, and there are some cases where multiple cats all have some partial control of the item and will battle it out day by day.

This kind of structure isn't at all unusual as far as groups of cats go, it's closer to the norm than not.

---

It's because the snake is one of those 'rare cases', like a bear or mountain lion who has fed on people and developed a taste for (only) them, avoiding his standard diet of small animals in exchange for a diet consisting of other types of snakes.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2012, 10:31:45 pm by Sindobook »

Offline Sindobook

  • Moderator
  • Maetel Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 662
    • View Profile
Re: Small Animal News
« Reply #134 on: May 15, 2012, 01:09:31 am »
According to Tuan Tuan's acquaintance, Panda M, late this week and weekend (May 18th, May 19th, etc.) is when the meeting is planned.

From Tuan Tuan - "They couldn't have chosen a worst time.  A more inconvenient one, that is."

"I'd expect a major house-cleaning.  Major.  Of course that's what's needed, much to the chagrin of (Panda) M and some of the other animals there.  But a house-cleaning that comes from an outside source, it's likely to do more harm than good."

"The big question is, who's doing the house cleaning?  Or who's going to show up?  If it's Cat P and his lackeys, they better recognize this is hostile territory, and Mikey's no slouch, even without the bunny brigade.  If it's someone like Cat K, he might be able to talk his way post the local security forces, but he's virtually unknown in these parts and isn't likely to be well received either.  Only someone like the snake has a chance of both pulling off the thorough house cleaning that needs to be done, and not causing an outright revolt.  But would they send him?  I wouldn't count on it, really."

Note:  You can check the facebook page.  It's something like Saturday at 4pm. 

"...Crescent room on the Regency Ballroom side of the property (which is on the side we were on year 2) This meeting is on Saturday the 19th starting at 4PM. Parking will be free if you let the hotel know you were at the..."

---

Reports are that Cat P's owner dropped off his "napper" cat bed in the gang's headquarters, and Cat P basically lives there now.  He disappeared into his office, and no one has seen or heard from heard from him in almost a week.

From Samantha:  "Things have been real quiet lately.  By the look of it, everything's at a standstill."

"According to the last defector we spoke to, two days ago, the door to Cat P's room had been closed for several days, and no one had seen him or heard anything from him.  Without their leader, the vanguard is paralyzed, and the warring factions are at a standoff."
« Last Edit: May 18, 2012, 01:34:43 am by Sindobook »