What can I say? I like sheep. A very friendly ewe named Jody lived at my Grandparent's farm, I named her after the main character from "Today's Special" which aired on Nickelodeon in the 80s. (Both had beautiful eyes and beautiful 'fros). Some sheep seem very kind and empathetic, others earn names like "Mr. Buck" for being aggressive with annoying-little-sister type children; ram the child's rear with head, step back, wait for child to start running, ram the child's rear with head again, repeat as necessary. Of course I liked Mr. Buck for carrying out my wicked wishes, I was just careful to avoid him. In any case, I get along with sheep too well to consider eating them. Wear their wool? No problem.
Chickens
On a related tangent, I never really got along with the chickens on my Grandpa's farm. As a kid, one of my "farm chores" was collecting eggs so my Gramdma could wash and package them for sale. (It was also my "job" to tame barncats - farm life was GREAT). When I was about 6, my Grandparent's rottweiler dropped a chicken head at my feet, and rather than wigging out, I giggled because I suddenly realized WHY my Grandma fixed chicken all the time. I think that chickens should live happy lives, free to wander around outside and eat bugs - their eggs are fantastic and ultimately they make a great meal. I feel bad for cage-raised chickens, and avoid eating them or their eggs, besides the fact that they taste nasty.
Cows
I could never figure out cows, and was afraid of being stepped or sat on by one. They didn't seem to particularly like me. Cows too should live happy lives on the farm, without being pumped full of chemicals or unhealthy feed - ultimately send them to a _civil_ slaugherhouse, and then make that beef LAST. Americans eat a discusting amount of meat. JUST A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY, and in my humble opinion is a useful addition to a vegetable-rich diet. This is vastly different than eating beef from commerical establishments: I know where my beef lives while it is "on the hoof" and can ask the farmer questions.
Vegetarianism
So, I'm not a vegetarian, just a very choosy meat eater. I _really_ admire legitimate vegetarians, especially those who don't seem nutritionally deprived. I am unnervingly frustrated by people who call themselves vegetarian yet they eat the occasional serving of fish or chicken. I have to restrain myself from smacking people who call themselves vegan yet they eat cheese or eggs. Why not say "I'm mostly vegetarian" rather than LIE. I once had a (dishonest theif of a) roommate tell me "Vegetarianism is a process, I am weaning meat out of my life". Ya know what?! Wait 'till you get to the end of that process and haven't eaten meat for a couple months THEN you can go on a "more zen than thou I'm-an-enlightened-vegetarian-and-you're-beneath-me" rampage. I'll even buy wine and fix vegan stir-fry to celebrate.
LONDON (AFP) - British scientists have found a seemingly unlikely way to soothe
anxious sheep, a report said -- by showing them photographs of other sheep.
Much as humans find a picture of loved ones a reassuring item to carry in their wallet, the sight of a friendly face appears to lower stress levels in sheep, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said.
Scientists in Cambridge, eastern England, placed individual sheep in a darkened barn and measured their stress levels, based on signs such as heart rate, blood samples and bleating.
When the animals were shown the faces of other sheep, they had fewer signs of agitation than when they saw goat faces or images of triangles, the report said, citing findings in a publication by British science organisation the Royal Society.
"In this sense, sheep may provide a comparison with us carrying around pictures of our loved ones in our wallets, handbags and so on," said Professor Keith Kendrick, who led the study.
Kendrick also found that sheep can remember the faces of at least 50 other sheep, even in profile, the newspaper added.
450 Sheep Jump to Their Deaths
By The Associated Press posted: 08 July 2005 11:22 am ET
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) _ First one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others followed, each leaping off the same cliff, Turkish media reported Friday.
In the end, 450 dead animals lay on top of one another in a billowy white pile, the Aksam newspaper said. Those who jumped later were saved as the pile got higher, cushioning the fall, the daily newspaper Aksam reported.
"There's nothing we can do. They're all wasted,'' Nevzat Bayhan, a member of one of 26 families whose sheep were grazing together in the herd, was quoted as saying by Aksam.
The estimated loss to families in the town of Gevas, located in Van province in eastern Turkey, tops US$100,000 (euro84,000), a significant amount of money in a country where average GDP per person is around US$2,700 (euro2,268).
"Every family had an average of 20 sheep,'' Aksam quoted another villager, Abdullah Hazar as saying. "But now only a few families have sheep left. It's going to be hard for us.''
