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Cow Cuddling Therapy
Move Over Therapy Dogs. Hello, Therapy Cows.
Even without a psychology degree, Bella’s natural talents made her an excellent therapist: She is calm and accommodating of a range of personalities, with the patience to listen to endless problems without so much as a judgmental moo.
From a lush, secluded pasture on the Mountain Horse Farm, a 33-acre bed-and-breakfast in the Finger Lakes region of New York, 3-year-old Bella and 2-year-old Bonnie are the highlander-angus crossbred cows that provide animal-based therapy.
Cow cuddling, as the practice is called, invites interaction with the farm animals via brushing, petting or heartfelt chats with the bovines. The experience is similar to equine therapy, with one game-changing difference: Horses tend to stand, but cows spontaneously lie down in the grass while chewing their cud, allowing humans to get even more up close and personal by joining on the ground and offering a warm embrace.
[...] Each session is overseen by two human counterparts: an equine therapist, usually Ms. Vullers, who can read the animals’s moods to ensure a safe, positive interaction with their new human friends, and a second handler, who keeps a watchful eye on the other animals in the field.
Neither has a psychology degree, which is kind of the point: “Whatever they’re going through, they don’t have to talk about it,” said Ms. Vullers. “It’s not like therapy, right?”
Tell me moo about your problems.
Related: Alaskan Ranch Offers "Reindeer Yoga"
I found a Big Lou's
Not bad at all. I was afraid 1 7/8" at the nut might still be too narrow, but no, it's enough.
Pickups aren't great but I've definitely heard worse. The geometry is nice, very comfortable.
Didn't buy it, I think they have it rather overpriced. It's this model: https://www.biglouguitar.com/product/el-dorado/
It's not badly worn, though you can tell it's been played, it's pretty near new. Action is reasonable, all frets work, no buzzing. But the whammy bar and the tip of the three-way switch are both missing. And they're asking $320!
If you used that link you may have noticed this model is available brand new, with the missing parts, for $380.
So of course there's no way I'm buying it at that price, but I want to see how low they'll go on it. This same store had advertised the same guitar at the same price or very close, back in the spring, but by the time I got over there to take a look it was gone. They have several locations, so I'm pretty sure they just bounced it around to the other locations, where it didn't sell, and now it's back where it started.
The big boss wasn't in today, and the guys that were there couldn't bargain it down below a floor of about $270, which frankly I still think is a bit high. So I took numbers and I'll call the big boss himself on Monday and see what he can do. If they've really been bouncing this thing between stores for several months they should probably be willing to come down a good bit further... I hope.
Ah well, if not at least I learned something to go forward.
So anyway, the question for anyone that cared enough to keep reading and get here; what do you think would be a good price on this?
Trump Labor Secretary Resigns; R. Kelly Arrested
Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigns amid pressure from Jeffrey Epstein sex traffic case
Labor Secretary Alex Acosta said Friday he will resign amid controversy over the way he handled a sex crimes case against wealthy businessman Jeffrey Epstein a decade ago when he was U.S. attorney for southern Florida.
Acosta made the announcement to reporters while standing next to President Donald Trump outside the White House. Trump said Acosta had called him Friday morning and that it was Acosta's decision to quit.
R. Kelly Arrested on Federal Sex Trafficking Charges: Law Enforcement Officials
Singer R. Kelly has been arrested in Chicago on federal sex crime charges, according to two law enforcement officials.
The 52-year-old was arrested by Homeland Security Investigation agents and NYPD Public Safety Task Force Thursday night on sex trafficking charges, officials tell News 4, and it is expected he will be brought to New York.
The 13-count indictment includes charges of child pornography, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice, U.S. attorney spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick tells The Associated Press. Further details on the case are expected to be announced Friday out of the Eastern District of New York.
They were trapped in the closet.
See also: R. Kelly is arrested by feds on new charges while walking his dog in Chicago
Previously: R. Kelly Contracts Ligma
R. Kelly Exposes Himself
R. Kelly Meltdown
Previously 2: Epstein Charged Again (Southern District of New York)
Euphemisms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isMm2vF4uFs
Final Moments of Himalayas Climbers Caught on GoPro
Recovered GoPro video shows final moments of Himalayas climbers
Indian authorities have released footage showing the final moments of the climbers who died in the Indian Himalayas in May.
The video was found on a "memory video device" near the Nanda Devi East, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) said Monday, which showed the group of climbers moving slowly near the summit on the unnamed peak.
The group of eight climbers -- four Britons, two Americans, an Australian and their Indian liaison officer -- went missing when they were attempting to scale a previously unclimbed peak on May 26.
The final final moments were not released.
Leaked Intel Lineup Shows 10 Cores at $409
(Wccftech incorrectly labels Intel Core i7-10700K as $339 instead of $389, so refer to this blurry table from the source article.)
Intel feeling the heat, or just a deepfake?
The AMD X570 Motherboard Overview: Over 35+ Motherboards Analyzed
Interesting comment:
Jansen - Tuesday, July 09, 2019
The ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace has officially validated ECC support. This is a really big deal, as Ryzen has usually only had unofficial ECC support. It opens up a whole other revenue steam for AMD that Intel has deliberately cut off in order to drive Xeon sales.
Micron is ramping up its 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 ECC modules MTA18ADF2G72AZ-3G2 specifically for this market.
X-37B Photographed in Orbit
Mysterious X-37B Military Space Plane Caught on Camera (Photo)
Rare image of US Air Force's secretive space plane in orbit
Related: USAF Secret Plane Makes Longevity Record
What is the X-37B Doing Up There?
Modified X-37B Spaceplane Could Act as "Astronaut Ambulance" for the ISS
As Hurricane Irma Looms, X-37B Poised for First Flight Atop SpaceX Falcon 9
Epstein Charged Again
Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein arrested and accused of sex trafficking minors, sources say
Florida-based billionaire Jeffrey Epstein has been indicted on new charges related to alleged sex crimes involving minors, law enforcement sources told CNN on Saturday.
Epstein was arrested Saturday and is expected to appear in federal court in New York on Monday. Epstein faces charges brought by US prosecutors in Manhattan, after previously evading similar charges when he secured a non-prosecution deal with federal prosecutors in Miami.
The charges, contained in a sealed indictment, involve alleged sex trafficking crimes committed between 2002 and 2005, according to law enforcement sources. The indictment alleged that the crimes occurred in both New York and Palm Beach, Florida.
[...] A team of federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, along with some in the public corruption unit, have been assigned to the case. Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, is one of the prosecutors, according to a source with knowledge of the case.
COMEY?
Jeffrey Epstein, Billionaire Long Accused of Molesting Minors, Is Charged
He is expected to appear before a federal magistrate on Monday, more than a decade after he first gained notoriety with lurid accusations that he had paid dozens of girls for sexual massages in Florida.
Mr. Epstein had avoided federal criminal charges in 2007 and 2008 in a widely criticized plea deal whose lenient terms continue to roil the Justice Department and are facing new scrutiny in the #MeToo era.
Before the plea deal, Mr. Epstein, a former hedge-fund manager, had been friendly with Donald J. Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
[...] Women who said they were Mr. Epstein’s victims have repeatedly assailed federal prosecutors for agreeing to a nonprosecution deal with him more than a decade ago.
[...] The plea deal that protected Mr. Epstein from federal charges was signed by the top federal prosecutor in Miami at the time, Alexander Acosta, who is now President Trump’s labor secretary.
In February, a judge in Florida ruled that the prosecutors led by Mr. Acosta violated federal law when they failed to disclose Mr. Epstein’s nonprosecution agreement to his victims.
Check to see if "prince andrew epstein" is censored by GOOG autocomplete. Looks like it is.
Will the Epstein story have a... happy ending?
Previously: Jeffrey Epstein Settles Suit
Jeffrey Epstein Plea Deal Must Stand
Amazon Sells "Tiny Home" Kits
Something like this is what comes to mind when I hear "tiny home/house", not necessarily a "mobile home". Although they can be even smaller than this $19k cabin kit.
220 Square Foot Tiny House (compare to $19k cabin which is 292 sq. ft. + the loft)
2 of 3 of the reviews on the $19k cabin are bad, pointing out that it is expensive and requires insulation and more stuff to make it liveable. There are better options out there.
"Needed" for no frills house: solar panels, battery, Starlink, camp cooking equipment or a grill, water source, outhouse or shit pit. DIY insulation probably won't cost a lot for something this size. Maybe you could swipe a couple hundred Tyvek envelopes from the post office to help waterproof it some more. You could use the wooden frame to set up brick/concrete/etc. walls if you want more protection.
Bass is easy
First off, at the most obvious and fundamental level, the statement is simply wrong. No instrument is easy.
But it's good to interpret the opposition as far in their favor as you can go. So I'll move down a level.
I think what most people actually mean to say, when they say this, is 'Bass is easier.' Easier than what? Easier than the little guitar with six strings.
So let's evaluate that interpretation instead.
It's not entirely untrue. There are senses in which it's easier. Almost all bass players (sorry Lemmy) play one note at a time, almost all the time. Six blades often play two or more notes at once.
But does that really make it easier? I would argue not necessarily. Depending on where the two notes are located, etc. But perhaps on a general statistical level it makes things a little easier, considered in isolation. And what about lead playing, supposedly the hardest part? That's single notes, like the bass, only with freer time, no?
A better argument, though, and one that I suspect many people with no musical experience actually rely on in making the judgement, is simply that there are fewer strings. And that's one case where the novice is right and the mid-level student often wrong - fewer strings is way easier, in one sense at least. Because every time you ring one string you need to mute all the others. Fewer strings to mute means easier, in isolation.
Another argument that the less musically experienced might rely on, but not such a strong one in my opinion - most songs you hear have simple bass lines. On the surface, that seems like it translates to easier, at least, if not actually easy. But that's a misunderstanding. Many bass lines are simple not because the instrument itself is easy, but because of ways that it's actually more demanding. It's easier to get away with something melodically complicated but loosely timed on virtually anything besides the Bass. It's much harder to express yourself while still holding down the rhythm section function, as opposed to doing so in free time over a solid rhythm section.
So while the Bass *can* expand beyond the rhythm section functions in the hands of an expert, it's much easier to do that with virtually any other instrument. Very much not easier.
Physicality comes into it too. Six blades are very finely tuned to the size of the folks that tend to buy guitars. And with six strings to worry about, often expecting several to ring at once, this is important. Relatively easy if your hands fit, relatively hard if your hands are larger.
Bass strings aren't really spread much wider. BUT you virtually never need to fret one while another rings further up the board, as is so common on six string. And the frets are more widely spaced, of course. Whether this makes one or another easier or harder though? Entirely dependent on your own dimensions and what you want to do. I can fret cleanly all the way up every Bass I've tried it on, I often can't do that with a six string, especially a 24 fret, at the 24th fret the distance between frets is much less than my finger takes up, it's not impossible to hit the note but it's virtually impossible to do so quickly and reliably. If I center my finger where it's supposed to go, I mute the note. If I press it down just right, behind the 23rd fret and rolling up, that works, but it's slow and awkward.
That's the main point, I think, it's not easier or harder, without context you can't tell. Context is always key.
But the consequences of giving generations of kids a hasty generalization as if it were absolute truth? Well that's another layer to this. There have been some incredible bassists, even as the trajectory has been for it to be where you find the least talented and least capable member of each band.
So I'll leave you with a positive example. Perhaps a slightly older one than you were expecting.
Perhaps one more topical in 2019 than you imagine as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CUeI9funsk [The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again - Studio/Recorded]
