The Vent and Rant Thread

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I'm fortunate to be able to get meat that I know where it came from and how raised.

Helen, you do know there is no such thing as cow tipping, right?

Actually I don't know that. I also don't know for a fact that it does exist. I do know that there those who brag about doing it. In East coast Canada, it was considered an amusing sport when I was young to put dead animals in a stream or well to pollute it. People can be unwholesomely bizarre at times.

Helen

[Stitchawl]

A 2005 study led by Margo Lillie, a zoologist at the University of British Columbia, concluded that tipping a cow would require an exertion of 2,910 newtons (654.2 lbf) of force, and is therefore impossible to accomplish by a single person. Her calculations found that it would take at least two people to apply enough force to push over a cow if the cow did not react and reorient its footing. If the cow did react, it would take at least four people to push it over. Lillie noted that cattle are well aware of their surroundings and are very difficult to surprise, due to excellent senses of both smell and hearing, but that according to laws of static physics, "two people might be able to tip a cow" if the cow were "tipped quickly—the cow's centre of mass would have to be pushed over its hoof before the cow could react".

Flamingos should be easier...

Stitchawl

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

A 2005 study led by Margo Lillie, a zoologist at the University of British Columbia, concluded that tipping a cow would require an exertion of 2,910 newtons (654.2 lbf) of force, and is therefore impossible to accomplish by a single person. Her calculations found that it would take at least two people to apply enough force to push over a cow if the cow did not react and reorient its footing. If the cow did react, it would take at least four people to push it over. Lillie noted that cattle are well aware of their surroundings and are very difficult to surprise, due to excellent senses of both smell and hearing, but that according to laws of static physics, "two people might be able to tip a cow" if the cow were "tipped quickly—the cow's centre of mass would have to be pushed over its hoof before the cow could react".


Flamingos should be easier...

Stitchawl

Interesting. I have never thought/heard/read that cow tipping was a solitary practice, I always assumed it was a bunch of stupid drunks. Maybe it is all an urban myth. Hopefully the cow would react by squashing them like bugs

I lived in a hotel once that had flamingos strolling around, and it is my opinion that it would take a brave person or group of persons to confront a flamingo even from behind. Same with geese or swans. A family member, who has never been in his right mind, once confronted a goose in Stanley park. Three times as big as the goose, but he was ignominiously and comically defeated in no short order and chased for quite a bit. Imagine what could happen if geese or flamingos were pack animals (birds) who all joined in the attack.

Helen

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Three times as big as the goose, but he was ignominiously and comically defeated in no short order and chased for quite a bit.

With geese you need to stand up straight and point at them with your arm, and hiss. i.e. you must be a bigger goose (or gander).

[speakingtohe]

A mildly humorous look at the myth.http://modernfarmer.com/2013/09/cow-...h-or-bullcrap/

Glad it doesn't happen and sort of knew the cows could get up again afterwards. Sad that people do brag about doing it.

I stand corrected.

Helen

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

With geese you need to stand up straight and point at them with your arm, and hiss. i.e. you must be a bigger goose (or gander).

Good to know Lotta geese where I live in the spring.
Not that they seem to be violent if you leave them alone, but I may encounter a rogue goose.

Helen

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

With geese you need to stand up straight and point at them with your arm, and hiss. i.e. you must be a bigger goose (or gander).

A friend had a pair of geese. One day I looked into the eyes of the male and spread my arms. Sure enough, he was ready to rumble. I lowered my arms, declared him the winner, and walked away. He strutted a little prouder after that, having put me in my place.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Interesting. I have never thought/heard/read that cow tipping was a solitary practice, I always assumed it was a bunch of stupid drunks. Maybe it is all an urban myth. Hopefully the cow would react by squashing them like bugs
...
Helen

Cow tipping an urban myth? I don't think so!

It's obviously a rural myth!

[Rumpelteazer]

My sequin container just fell off my desk on the floor .

I managed to pick up 90% of them and the rest I vacuumed up. I had them all sorted by colour in a big pill box. Now they're all mixed together in a, hopefully, more secure container. I might just buy a jar with a screw on lid to keep them all in. I don't feel like sorting them by colour again.

The mess on the floor did look cheery, though.

So having a library account for two strictly online ebook libraries has always lead me to keep track of the latest additions at those. This morning having been without the time or Internet access to check for the latest ebook additions for almost two weeks I was browsing that category for both. Doing this has always lead me to at least glance at the titles of books that I would never have paid any attention to in a traditional (paper) library or book store. Doing this always brings to my attention titles obviously selected by the book author to grab the coat tails of a very popular and well regarded work, not necessarily even a book, in order to boost the attention paid to the author's offering.

So the ebook title Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire caught my eye. I don't mean to single out this book or author in particular (I know nothing about either), but the attempt to associate the book with the very popular and well regarded film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon from some years back makes me suspect that the book may be something much less that a literary masterpiece. That and the fact that it's apparently yet another sexy young vampire series.

Having been on the road for the last 12 days, until last night actually, I had been out of touch with the news (world, national, and local). This morning I made the mistake of watching the morning news. So I now know that those religious extremists ISIL have just murdered some poor Japanese journalist. That and it's Super Bowl Sunday and included in the usual hyperventilating about that there is the big “Deflate Gate” controversy, something that I should have been aware of since it apparently impacted the Green Bay Packers, even though I don't give a damn about professional football. Then there was the usual local (North Florida now) news about murders, sex crimes, political clowns, . . .. No more news for me, I'm on a break.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Discussions of the morality of killing animals for food belong in P&R. Thank you.

I quite agree -- perhaps the existing discussion can be split off, then?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I quite agree -- perhaps the existing discussion can be split off, then?

I'd rather people just started a new discussion in P&R if they really want one.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by cromag

Cow tipping an urban myth? I don't think so!

It's obviously a rural myth!

Ahh, I will refile it as soon as I have enough rural myths inmy cabinet.

Helen

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

My sequin container just fell off my desk on the floor .

I managed to pick up 90% of them and the rest I vacuumed up. I had them all sorted by colour in a big pill box. Now they're all mixed together in a, hopefully, more secure container. I might just buy a jar with a screw on lid to keep them all in. I don't feel like sorting them by colour again.

The mess on the floor did look cheery, though.

Buy more pre-sorted sequins is my advice. Still I would probably do the same.

Helen