What’s up with the birds and fish?
What happened to the fairy tale ending of this story?
My favorite song of all time; eulogy to an artist
See Bob Higgins on page 4
See Curtis Robinson’s column on page 5
See Mark Curdo’s column, page 5
SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2011
VOL. 2 NO. 241
PORTLAND, ME
PORTLAND’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
699-5801
FREE
PETA finds fertile ground for bikinis, vegan message Portland a popular venue for group’s events BY DAVID CARKHUFF THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
Yoga instructor Zeile Dougher sits in her new studio, The Heart Opening, at 225 Congress Street. Specializing in low-impact Svaroopa yoga, Dougher’s studio is part of a growing trend of cheap yoga options in the area, offering free, sliding scale and barter-based classes. (MATT DODGE PHOTO)
St r e t c h i n g your dollar Cheap yoga on the rise in Portland BY MATT DODGE THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
As a yoga instructor offering classes for barter at a studio called The Heart Opening, one wouldn’t expect Zeile Dougher’s motto to so closely mirror the sen-
timents of Machiavelli and words of Malcom X. “Yoga needs to be accessible by any means necessary,” said Dougher who is still hammering out her business plan, but hopes see YOGA page 7
The group known for staging naked fur protests returned to Portland Friday with a pair of young women in bikinis braving Friday’s winter weather. This time the “Lettuce Ladies,” scantily clad young women who waved to passersby in Tommy’s Park, were not so much anti-fur as pro-vegan. It’s no accident that the Port City was the only American city on Friday to be favored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals with its tongue-in-cheek publicity event, dubbed “Turn Over a New Leaf: Go Vegan.” “We’ve been here before with other demonstrations and we’ve gotten such positive response, and people were interested in learning more about adopting a vegan diet,” said PETA’s Ashley Byrne, senior campaigner with international grassroots campaigns. Some people stopped to snap photos on their phones. Others paused to accept cups of soy cocoa. “People are very excited to see the lettuce bikinis,” said Byrne. “It’s a fun way of getting people to pay attention to serious issues.” Last March, PETA staged a similar showing in Congress Square, when two young women in bikinis posed on a bed on a public sidewalk wearing nothing but their underclothing and holding a sign reading, “Fur-Out, Love-In.” It was part of PETA’s Northeast anti-fur tour. For the noon hour
yesterday, the “Lettuce Ladies” — Tracy Patton and Hayden Hamilton, dressed in green bikinis with flaps that resembled pieces of lettuce — handed out vegetarian/ vegan starter kits. “We want to use some humor,” Byrne said, explaining the chilly stunt. “Sometimes it’s better to bring some health issues and animal cruelty issues, the ways that animals suffer on factory farms, to people’s attention by approaching them in a light-hearted way.” A similar campaign was waged in western Canada, while the Portland rally was the only one of its kind in the United States yesterday, she said. Portlanders proved respectful, some showing an interest in the cam-
paign, Byrne said. “We had actually quite a few people who told us either they had been trying to adopt a more vegan friendly diet or I believe a couple said their New Year’s resolution was a vegan diet,” she said. The event will be repeated in other parts of the United States in the next week, while the new year remains fresh in people’s minds, Byrne said. And yes, the girls will be out there. “We are sure to send people away with our vegan starter kits because we know the lettuce bikinis might grab people’s attention at first but when they get home we hope they’ll read up on why going vegan is important to their health,” Byrne said.
Hayden Hamilton (left) and Tracy Patton promote the vegetarian lifestyle Friday in Tommy’s Park with materials from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)