ah to be a cow

Farmers low at hemp ban for cows
By Alan Little BBC News, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein milk farmers have been stirred up by a government ban on their feeding hemp to their cattle.
They are the most chilled-out, laid-back, carefree cattle in the world, and happy cows produce better milk.
What is it that keeps the cash cows calm? Hemp, which is related to cannabis. And that's why Liechtenstein has banned its use.
This has in turn enraged the country's dairy farmers, who say that the hemp relaxes those jangly bovine nerves.
Hemp farmers are less then mellow about the new law.
"Hemp is good for cows because it is serves as a very small tranquiliser," says hemp farmer Jean-Pierre Egger.
"Many of the cows are stressed nowadays. If they eat hemp, they calm down. Now, a milk cow which is calm produces better milk. That is a fact."
No high
In neighbouring Switzerland, hemp is grown legally for industrial purposes but farmers are also banned from feeding it to cattle.
The authorities there say the trouble is that a chemical called THC - the chemical that helps give the "high" associated with cannabis use - can get into the milk.
The only thing which gets high is the quality of milk and the quality and general health of the cow Jean-Pierre Egger Hemp farmer
Peter Malin, of the Liechtenstein Department of Agriculture, has similar concerns.
"We don't want to have to contaminants such as THC which doesn't occur naturally in milk," he said. "And we don't want it to be consumed by people, especially by children."
But farmers say this European hemp has none of the narcotic properties found in its Indian cousin.
The cattle here may be relaxed, but they are not stoned.
"The only thing which gets high is the quality of milk and the quality and general health of the cow. That's how high the cows are feeling," says Mr Egger.
But there are some other dairy-cow farmers who are sceptical about the milk-yield benefits of hemp. They welcome the ban.
Dairy farmer Simon Schiprscher says he never feeds his cows hemp.
"I thought the people that did were a bit exotic and alternative," he said.
So consumers of Swiss chocolate and Gruyere cheese can, well, relax.
For the cows who will have to change their diet though, life is about to become a little less laid back.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/4699945.stm

okay......

Spectators cheered as entire Cambodian Midget Fighting League squared off against African Lion
Tickets had been sold-out three weeks before the much anticipated fight, which took place in the city of Kâmpóng Chhnãng.
The fight was slated when an angry fan contested Yang Sihamoni, President of the CMFL, claiming that one lion could defeat his entire league of 42 fighters.
Sihamoni takes great pride in the league he helped create, as was conveyed in his recent advertising campaign for the CMFL that stated his midgets will "... take on anything; man, beast, or machine."
This campaign is believed to be what sparked the undisclosed fan to challenge the entire league to fight a lion; a challenge that Sihamoni readily accepted.
An African Lion (Panthera Leo) was shipped to centrally located Kâmpóng Chhnãng especially for the event, which took place last Saturday, April 30, 2005 in the city’s coliseum.
The Cambodian Government allowed the fight to take place, under the condition that they receive a 50% commission on each ticket sold, and that no cameras would be allowed in the arena.
The fight was called in only 12 minutes, after which 28 fighters were declared dead, while the other 14 suffered severe injuries including broken bones and lost limbs, rendering them unable to fight back.
Sihamoni was quoted before the fight stating that he felt since his fighters out-numbered the lion 42 to 1, that they “… could out-wit and out-muscle [it].”
Unfortunately, he was wrong.