From National Geographic: "What sets off these spillovers—the initial spread from animal to person? Opportunity. Some human comes into contact with an animal that's carrying a virus. It seems to be happening more in recent decades, probably for two reasons: First, we're better able to identify and track these diseases. Second, we're increasingly coming into contact with wildlife. More and more, we humans are going into tropical forests and the other really diverse ecosystems on the planet. We're cutting trees, killing animals, building timber camps, building mines, causing destruction—and we're offering the viruses that live in the wild animals of these places the opportunity to get into humans, and then pass from one human to another."

talented Ann Arbor blogger and teacher beth kennedy wrote this haiku (or "hai-sue") in honor of my birthday:gee, so charities combating hunger are now in cahoots with the meat industry? feeding the poor is.....BUT killingto do so is NOT essential...besides, if we care about people, consuming rotting (though "artificially" preserved) cadavers and corpses is not healthy for those we might wish to help.since cattle are born to eat grass, let us take a tip from that fact of nature. the spin about human beings needing huge quantities of animal protein is a money-maker for those who are selling us a bill of goods.wait! we get protein from devouring grass-eating bovines? how very odd. the cattle do not need animal protein...if they did, the massive number of them bred every second ("artificially" usually....there is that word again), for PROFIT (for the special brutal few) AND FOR DUPING THE PUBLIC INTO EATING WHAT IS SO WRONG FOR US, the cattle might just turn on us and eat us up!not enough grass on earth for the over-reproduction of these naturally grazing mammals and that is why they are fed each other (the genesis for "mad cow" disease) and jelly beans and lord knows what.pandemics like MERS, swine flu, wasting disease and bovine and human tuberculosis, the return of polio?do not be fooled by duplicitous acts of "charity" claiming that the poor need meat and that those who provide it are not always looking out for number one...we cannot condone slaughter through rationalization of slaying out of "kindnesses" (someone at the top has fooled us into believing) that are supposedly shared in "soup kitchens" -- wrong-headed and devious and self-serving lack of logic.we ourselves are lambs being led to slaughter by brainwashing and propaganda. look for the $$$$$$$$ signs behind publicity for "charity" always -- 10 times out of 10 the hidden agendas become quite visible. somebody somewhere is laughing all the way to the bank.________________________Be sure to catch us at this Saturday's Big Read Dearborn Wrap-Up party. I contributed an essay as well as the cover photo toand will be part of the author meet-and-greet!All the info can be found here . The theme is "Call of the Wild" with all kinds of animal-themed activities. Saturday, May 17, 2-4 pm, Henry Ford Centennial Library, 16301 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, Michigan.________________________Kim Elizabeth Johnson: "Excellent point made! 'Feeding the poor' your 'kill' sickens me. Sounds like something that Nugent creep would say."________________________Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language ; Columbia City's Memory Lane North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum ; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark And you can download from iTunes Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't