October 23, 2006
Austrian removes 'sexist' urinals
VIENNA, Austria - An Austrian businessman announced Thursday that he would get rid of urinals shaped like a woman's mouth from a public toilet near Vienna's national opera, after facing pressure from politicians who demanded their removal.
The urinals, which are located in the "Opera Toilet," a lavishly decorated public restroom, feature thick, lipsticked lips, a set of teeth and a bright red tongue.
"We think that it's tasteless, misogynistic and offensive," Marianne Lackner, media spokeswoman for the Vienna Department of Women's Affairs told The Associated Press.
The department, headed by Social Democrat Sonja Wehsely, said it was appealing to the owner's good will, but was also exploring the possibility of legal action.
Monika Vana, the Green Party's spokeswoman for women's affairs, also denounced the toilets, telling the Austria Press Agency that they are "sexist and inappropriate."
"The owner thinks the idea (of the urinal) is funny," Lackner said, adding that it seemed he was not prepared for the hostile reactions.
Neuhold Gerhard, owner of the toilet's operator Neuhold Gerhard Limited, said in an interview Thursday with Austrian public radio that he would remove the urinals.
"If there is such outrage in Austria then it's not a problem," he said. "We will remove them in the next 14 days."
Gerhard added that he thought it odd that public interest has only now been focused on the urinals, as they have been around for three years.
The urinals first made a splash during recent campaigns for national elections, as they were the only facility available near Austria's National Opera.
"The thing that surprises us the most," Lackner said, "is that no man has ever said anything about this."
Posted by ronnie at 07:30 AM | Comments (0)
March 01, 2006
DNA Tests Ordered for Urine Toolbox Prank
BATON ROUGE, La. - A Baton Rouge hospital, hoping to get to the bottom of an office prank, is ordering 25 employees to undergo DNA testing or be terminated.
Leaders at Woman's Hospital say a man who works in Building Operations returned from several weeks off to find that someone had placed urine in his toolbox.
After hearing of the incident, hospital administrators sent a memo to 25 employees who also work there telling them that DNA testing would be done unless someone came forward admitting guilt. Since no one came forward, the hospital said the DNA testing will begin within the next few weeks.
"We checked with our legal counsel first and this is the next step in using technology to help solve a workplace incident," hospital supervisor Stan Shelton said Monday.
The DNA testing, to be conducted by ReliaGene Technologies of New Orleans, will cost the hospital $25,000, he said.
Attorney Jill Craft worked with litigation involving swabs taken during the investigation into the South Louisiana serial killer cases. Craft fought for the rights of those swabbed during the probe that eventually resulted in the arrest of Derrick Todd Lee.
Craft said she believed the employees' rights are being violated. "It's the intrusion by finding out what your DNA looks like, your unique pattern, which in my opinion, violates someone's right to privacy," she said.
Posted by ronnie at 02:53 PM | Comments (0)