Calves

Pneumonia killed one dolphin calf at the National Aquarium last month while internal bleeding took the life of another baby days later, according to results of a necropsy released Friday. The aquarium has yet to resume its popular dolphin shows because the surviving dolphins remain distressed by the deaths. According to the necropsy, the deaths of the two 2-month-old calves were unrelated, said Brent R. Whitaker, the aquarium's deputy executive director for biological programs.

CHATSWORTH, Ill. -- Any other year, Ken Kurtenbach' crossbred beef cows would be out in the pasture by now, tearing at the sweet spring grass and watching their newborn calves hop in the sunshine.But this cold, wet spring, the grass is only beginning to turn green, the mud is deep enough to suck a boot off, and Mr. Kurtenbach and his 25 cows are still in the barn, battling a mystery plague that is felling newborn calves by the hundreds across the Midwest.The problem, which has veterinarians baffled and farmers like Mr. Kurtenbach worried sick, is loosely termed "weak calf syndrome."

SEATTLE - As federal investigators search for cows that were imported from Canada with the Holstein that was found to have the nation's first case of mad cow disease, Washington state officials have begun a process that will kill the sick animal's offspring. The cow - which was sent from a dairy farm in Mabton, Wash., and slaughtered Dec. 9 - gave birth to a bull calf shortly before slaughter. That calf was sent to a feedlot in Sunnyside, about 10 miles north of the Mabton ranch. But because officials cannot pinpoint the calf, they plan to kill all bull calves in the feedlot herd of 464 animals that are younger than 30 days, the same age as the sick cow's offspring, said Linda Waring, a spokeswoman for the state's Department of Agriculture.

Marine mammologists at the National Aquarium in Baltimore are taking a happy, but cautious approach to the apparent pregnancy of two bottlenose dolphins at the new Marine Mammal Pavilion."

At 6 feet 3 and 337 pounds, defensive tackle Anthony Bryant is hard to miss. But the one body part that gets the most attention is not his broad shoulders, massive arms or expansive chest. It's his calves. Bryant's calves are 20 inches in circumference, a byproduct of doing 1,000 calf raises a day with 100-pound weights as a teenager in Newbern, Ala. Naturally, Bryant's legs have earned him the nickname "Calves" from teammates such as linebacker Terrell Suggs and defensive end Trevor Pryce.

GRANADA, COLO. -- The snow curled up before the massive plow blade fitted to the front of one of John Duvall's tractors. The 58-year-old rancher clenched his jaw as the vehicle trembled and then stalled. There were still a hundred yards of snowed-in road he had to clear before he could haul hay to the starving herd of cattle clustered in a small clearing. "This is [what] you put up with every day," Duvall said. "You're working your butt off, and looking at your livelihood go down the drain."

WASHINGTON - A cow that died of complications from calving in April might have been infected with mad cow disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said yesterday. There is no danger to the human or animal food supply, said Dr. John Clifford, the department's chief veterinarian, because the carcass was destroyed where the cow died after tissue samples were collected. Clifford said a sample of brain tissue was submitted by a veterinarian who treats animals in "a remote area," which he did not identify.

Every morning, around 5 a.m., before the sunlight splashes on the beige bedroom walls of the weathered farmhouse in Upperco, Charlene Miller stirs, yawns - and prays. Thank you, Lord, for helping me come through the night . She doesn't get up. Several hours later, she nudges her husband of 49 years. Fred Miller wakens grumbling, as usual. But the old Baltimore Colt lineman rises, circles the bed and kisses her gently on the cheek. Charlene stays put. Fred lumbers downstairs, rustles up breakfast and starts his chores around the 46-acre farm.

"Liver and onions - the poor man's gourmet delight. " - Stevens Bunker, retired Baltimore sea dog The taste sensation of beef liver is like licking a piece of smooth, shiny metal. To the bite, the texture is akin to corduroy - wide wale and brown - and leaves a subtle film across your tongue and the roof of your mouth. Liver and onions - a staple of working-class communities with strong German heritage, and therefore an old favorite in old Baltimore - endures here as a savory snapshot of the way our grandparents ate. "It reminds me of shopping with my Nonnie, my Italian grandmother," said Kathleen Birrane of Dulaney Valley of adventures some 40 years ago at the Pantry Pride in Mount Washington.

*TC 25 Years Ago (Week of Oct. 13-19, 1968):* Four Guernsey calves were rustled from a barn at Doughoregan Manor. The following day, Sen. James Clark reported that four of his Holstein calves had been stolen. Two men were arrested the next day and charged with grand larceny.50 Years Ago (Week of Oct. 17-23, 1943):* The final report on the sale of war bonds in the county showed that Howard County sales totaled $393,345.25, or 196.5 percent of the $200,000 quota set for the county.* A woman was found dead in a tourist cabin on WashingtonBoulevard in Laurel, and her husband was found semi-conscious on the floor of the cabin.