"The Year in Meat: 2009"

I haven't been a regular reader of Erik Marcus' Vegan.com blog, but I plan to start. He not only writes this blog but is the author of The Ultimate Vegan Guide and Meat Market: Animals, Ethics, and Money.

On his blog he has posted a 5,000 word piece titled "The Year in Meat: 2009" which is a summary of noteworthy events in publishing, industry, media, and other venues related to animal welfare, veganism, factory farming, etc. It's a quick and easy read and is filled with more than 175 links to relevant books, films, news items, web sites, and other resources that he mentions. A quick perusal revealed things I (not surprisingly) missed via the MSM—such as the attempt by some agribusiness leaders to prevent Washington State University from making Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma required reading for 4,000 entering freshmen. When word of the censorship attempt got around, a WSU alumnus paid for the books and ensured they were made available. Or the gifts of beef by Texas cattlemen to fire houses in Texas after Austin, TX, firefighter Rip Esselstyn's vegan diet book, The Engine 2 Diet, began making national headlines.

These and many other 2009 events are covered in Erik Marcus' year-end review.