It is a good media day for the vegan diet. Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons is singing its praises on CNN, and a leading heart surgeon is epousing it on the front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

When Russell Simmons was interviewed on CNN's "American Morning," Tuesday, June 10, much of the interview focused on his vegan diet, which he discusses in his new book. He was asked why he follows a vegan diet, and he answered:
"Well, just to cause less harm and one of the things that we do know, and the U.N. reports that a vegan diet is -- or the consumption of animals causes more harm to the environment than all the forms of transportation put together since we talk about the environment. That's one thing.
And, of course, I don't think when they said dominion over the animals they meant the abuse of 10 billion farm animals every year, which is what we do here in America. So it's just a nice statement. I feel better.

My friends report to me over the last 15 years I look better. You know, so it's a big change for me and you have more clarity. And I think that all of us want to be more clear, want to look younger, want to feel better, and want to be a greater contributor to good on the planet."

You can watch the interview on line at: http://tinyurl.com/6guwp7

Even if, having read the quotes above, you don't have time to watch, just clicking the link lets CNN know that the video they have headed, "Simmons is Vehemently Vegan" is of interest to viewers. And enthusiastic supportive comments from viewers will definitely make that clear! Please send comments to http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.am.html

Hip hop moguls aren't the only ones pushing veganism. The Cleveland Dealer front page has an article, by Harlan Spector, "Ex-surgeon Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. espouses a noninvasive cure for heart disease."

Esselstyn is a retired surgeon who has been affiliated with the famous Cleveland Clinic for 40 years. We're told that he suggests:

"Learn to live with no meat, no fish, no dairy or oils of any kind, and make yourself 'heart-attack proof.""

We read:
"Drug companies are in fierce competition to find a cholesterol drug that does what Esselstyn argues can be done better through diet. The call to attack artery-clogging plaque naturally is a challenge to the medical profession and an unspoken threat to the bottom line of the medical industry."

And also, "Many doctors might agree with Esselsytn, but few are likely to push the no-mercy diet on patients, simply because it's thought to be unachievable."

You'll find the full article on line at http://tinyurl.com/5mj24w
(My thanks for Jennifer Kaden at Mercy for Animals -- www.MercyforAnimals.org -- for making sure we saw it.

Clicking on the link lets the paper know you read the piece. You can also comment at the bottom of that web page. Or, best of all, keep the discussion alive in the Plain Dealer with a letter to the editor. The Plain Dealer takes letters at http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/lettertoeditor.ssf

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read reviews of Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals" and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video.