I can see the PETA nuts comin' out of the woodwork as we speak. Save the
world, eat your veggies. I'm surprised our good friend Little Richard, AKA
dick, has not spoken out already LOL
mike
"Andrew Stephenson" <ames@deltrak.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1165842085snz@deltrak.demon.co.uk...[color=blue]
> In article <xn0eutamr1t7sga008@news.readfreenews.net>
> [email]REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com[/email] "badgolferman" writes:
>[color=green]
>> Meet the world's top destroyer of the environment. It is not
>> the car, or the plane,or even George Bush: it is the cow.
>>
>> [...][/color]
>
> This is a good example of how old news can be rediscovered and
> presented as new news. (Not that I'm saying the news shouldn't
> be presented; but we should keep our ears open better, to catch
> it the first time around. Eg, global warming, which was being
> discussed by (eg) SF in the 60s.)
>
> As far back as the 70s, "New Scientist" magazine (which presents
> serious scientific developments for the non-specialist reader, a
> bit like "Scientific American") ran an article on what bad news
> cows are for places like Africa. They trample the ground with
> clunky hooves, mashing its surface and young plants. Their way
> of eating tends to tear out the whole of grass if it's young.
>
> Gas emissions we've also heard about, though anything that eats
> plants seems set to make methane. There's now a trend to ferment
> cow manure, with other vegetable waste, to make methane -- which
> then gets burned to make electricity (or just hot water). This
> was being promoted in India, at local level, in the 70s; it also
> helped with fuel shortages for cooking. Left-over solid matter
> has value as fertiliser.
>
> The NS article pointed out that native African species were much
> better at using the available grazing. Each tends to graze at a
> different level: one nibbles tips of young grass; another chomps
> the older blades; another eats the drier stuff. Etc. And those
> native species are a d*mn sight more efficient at converting food
> into meat than cattle, which evolved in more verdant environments
> and didn't need to conserve resources so carefully. Antelope is
> healthier to eat -- though first you've got to catch the things.
> --
> Andrew Stephenson
>[/color]
