The lead story on the CBS news show "Sunday Morning" on April 26 was about the and the benefits of a vegan diet as told to us by a brigade of Austin firefighters who have gone vegan. I waited to send this out hoping you could watch it on line, but unfortunately, while CBS has posted the story and some photos, the page doesn't also share the video. So you don't get to see vegan firefighter Rip Esselstyn doing his set of wide arm chin-ups with his oxygen tank on his back, but you do get to read the fun and informative story.

Esselstyn is the author of "The Engine 2 Diet: The Texas Firefighter's 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds."

The CBS story tells us:

"Rip Esselstyn started his buddies down the road to meatless living back in 2003, when one of the guys found out his cholesterol level was dangerously high. "

Rip's father, renowned cardiologist Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, is also interviewed. He shows us pictures of a withered artery in a man, then the same artery 32 months later, strong and clean, after the man has been eating a plant based diet. You'll find those photos, and photos of the firefighters preparing meals, and also the text of terrific Sunday Morning on line, at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/26/sunday/main4969460.shtml

Please check it out, leave a comment at the bottom of the page, and then email it to all of your friends. You'll be spreading the good word among them and also helping to encourage similar stories in the future as stations take note of which stories get the most forwards.

Finally, please tell the producers directly how much loved the story. Positive feedback encourages similar coverage. Go to http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/feedback/fb_news_form.shtml to leave your comment.

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 and see a fun celeb-studded video and an NBC news piece on Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of 2008."