The Best and Worst of 2007

[Guest guest]

Now that 2007 is over and we all have perfect 20-20 hindsight, here are my

choices for the best and worst veg*n/animal rights ( " AR " ) news stories,

people & events of 2007:

 

Veg*n news story of the year: Bagged spinach recalled from stores across

the USA. This story reminded folks that, even if you're a veg*n, you have

to be concerned about what you eat.

 

AR news story of the year: Football player/dog fighter Michael Vick pleaded

guilty to federal animal cruelty charges. This huge story educated the

public to the horror of dog fighting and the need to eradicate it from this

planet forever.

 

AR activist(s) of the year: The Best Friends Animal Society of Kanuba,

Utah, which convened a group of religious leaders from all backgrounds who

produced the proclamation in support of compassion to animals.

 

Veg*n activist(s) of the year: Robert Cohen of NotMilk.com for his

never-ending efforts to save us all from the ill health effects of cows'

milk. As Robert says it: " Got puss? "

 

AR media event of the year: PBS documentary " Chimpanzees: An Unnatural

History, " which told the stories of hundreds of chimpanzees saved from

research labs, two of which -- The Coulston Foundation of Alamogordo and New

York University's Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in

Primates -- were shut down.

 

AR victory of the year: Animal shelters across Israel prepared to take in

new tenants after the Knesset passed a law outlawing all animal testing for

cosmetic and

cleaning products. The law, which passed a final reading and went into

effect immediately, freed the 2,000-3,000 animals that were used to test

consumer products.

 

AR disappointment of the year: The State of California repealed its

longstanding ban on the importation of kangaroo products.

 

" They just don't get it " award: It's a toss up between the Jewish

environmental group Hazon for slaughtering 3 goats at their annual

conference and Greenpeace Australia for urging people to eat kangaroos to

fight global warming. With friends like those, who needs enemies?

 

Mondo Bizarro story of the year: Just when you thought things couldn't get

any weirder, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to allow

the sale of food from cloned animals.

 

Wildlife news of the year: 2 whales lost in northern California's

Sacramento River found their way back to the Pacific ocean.

 

Celebrity of the year: Sir Paul McCartney for calling for a veggie world to

prevent global warming.

 

Idiot of the year award: Food writer Nina Planck for her " Death by

Veganism " op-ed hit-piece in the New York Times.

 

So bye-bye to 2007. Let's hope that this new year brings more progress and

less disappointment in our efforts to make this a more compassionate,

healthier and environmentally sound planet.