(The views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly those of the author.)

Health officials are again bracing for yet another wave of illness linked to Easter gifts of baby chicks and ducklings. Last year 68 people got salmonella in 20 states from handling baby chicks and ducklings, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost a third were under age 6.

Don't touch that turtle! Don't touch that one either! And stop touching yourself! Second City TV: great or greatest show ever? But good advice for those who want to hang around raw food and live animals of various kinds. Bacteria happen. Biology happens. “It’s not a deal, nor a test nor a love of something fated.”

As part of our month-long campaign to encourage pet owners to ‘scoop the poop’, the Evening Mail is publishing a series of articles looking at the impacts of dog fouling.