Goats work as caddies at this Oregon ranch kraken13 To most, goat is simply the name for a horned ruminant mammal. For those in sporting circles, it’s a four-letter acronym bestowed upon the greatest of all time. Venture through the myriad pine forests and winding creeks into the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon though, and both apply simultaneously. https://kraken13.at-kraken17.at kraken22.at Silvies Valley Ranch offers a slice of Wild West luxury to travelers and – for the golfers among them – the opportunity to be caddied for by a rigorously trained team of goats. A world first when launched in 2018, the current team is the best to ever do it, as far as Silvies owner Dr. Scott Campbell is concerned – and they have even convinced some initial skeptics. “A lot of people said it was a stupid idea,” Campbell told CNN. “They thought it would make people call us a goat track. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everybody has a good time … People come from all over the world.” New career path The radical setup was born from a practical problem. McVeigh’s Gauntlet – Silvies’ seven-hole challenge course – was far too steep for golf carts to safely traverse. With players only requiring a few clubs to play the course, carrying such a load was well within the capabilities of the ranch’s 3,000 grazers, whose ancestors were transporting cargo long before golfers were planting tees. “The goats were asking for different career opportunities, and as an equal opportunity employer, we developed a new career path for them,” Campbell joked. A three-month evaluation process sees potential caddies as young as six months old scouted on their friendliness and physical aptitude. Those that progress to the next stage are fitted with a custom-made golf bag – tailored by Oregon-based company Seamus Golf – to see if they’re comfortable carrying it. The bag is near-empty for training, but for full-time caddies contains six clubs, extra balls and tees, six drink cans and their daily wage: a few dozen peanuts. Chosen candidates are taught the course and put on a carefully monitored physical and nutrition regime before starting their new role from two years old, working six-hour shifts three to four days a week. An on-site vet visits the caddy shack – situated next to the club house and open to visitors throughout the day – on a weekly basis. Eight goats make up today’s caddie team – Chunky, Mulligan, Harry, Bogey, Birdie, Charlie, Carrot and Jack – with nine yearlings in training and 10 three-month-old prospects waiting in the wings.

The original occupant of an Egyptian sarcophagus was unknown. Then a tiny ornament revealed a very big name tripscan darknet A sarcophagus discovered in 2009 in an Egyptian burial chamber came with a complicated history: Ancient writing on the stone container showed that it had been used twice, but while its second occupant, the 21st dynasty high priest Menkheperre, was known, the first owner had remained a mystery — until now. New clues have surfaced as a result of Frederic Payraudeau, an associate professor in Egyptology at Sorbonne University in Paris, reexamining a fragment of the granite sarcophagus and deciphering the hieroglyphs engraved on it. Tucked away in the cartouche, an oval-shaped ornament often found in tombs, he found a name of a very recognizable figure: Ramesses II. Payraudeau said the inscription is evidence that the artifact was originally from the tomb of the famous pharaoh and had been reused after looting. “Clearly, this was the sarcophagus of a king,” Payraudeau said. “The cartouche dates back to its first usage, and contains Ramesses II’s throne name, Usermaatra. He was the only pharaoh to use this name during his time, so that cleared any doubt that it was his sarcophagus.” The findings, published in the journal Revue d’Egyptologie, add to the lore of Ramesses II, also known as Ozymandias and one of Egypt’s most celebrated pharaohs. It also fills a gap in our understanding of how sarcophagi were used to entomb kings. Ramesses II was the third king of the 19th dynasty, and his reign — from 1279 to 1213 BC — was the second longest in the history of Egypt. He was known for his victorious military campaigns and an interest in architecture, which led him to order up important monuments and statues of himself. His mummy is at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo. Another coffin belonging to Ramesses II was discovered in 1881 near Luxor, but the sarcophagus fragment analyzed in the study was found in Abydos, a city about 40 miles (64 kilometers) to the northwest in a straight line. “That is less bizarre than it seems,” Payraudeau said, “because we know his tomb was looted in the antiquity, maybe two centuries after his death, and he’s certainly not the only king to have been looted.” The granite fragment, which is a nearly complete part of the longer side of the sarcophagus, was previously believed to have belonged to a prince. “But I always found this strange, because the decoration on this carefully crafted piece was indicative of a king, and had elements traditionally reserved for kings,” Payraudeau said.