UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

With liberty, justice and toilets for all

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Potty parity is still pending for female politicos at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, says a law professor pushing for porcelain proportionality.

John Banzhaf, a public interest law professor at George Washington University Law School, said in a news release Monday that while there are slightly fewer toilets and urinals for men than for women -- the Pepsi Center has 45 toilets and 129 urinals for men and 198 toilets for women -- female delegates will still probably have to stand in line longer because it takes them at least twice as long per visit.

The problem will probably be less pronounced at Invesco Field, where Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., will accept the party's presidential nomination, Banzhaf suggests, because there won't be the same need for many people to use restrooms simultaneously.

Banzhaf notes the situation is worse for female members of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington. Congresswomen on the House floor must walk down a long hallway, through former Rep. Richard Gephardt's offices, hang a left, then a right into a small, windowless bathroom with three stalls. Congressmen need amble just a few feet off the House floor to take advantage of six stalls and four urinals.

Banzhaf has filed a formal complaint, arguing "the House appeared to be in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution."

He notes the Senate and the U.S. Supreme Court resolved this dilemma years ago.

Flapping flag OK, painted flag is not

MONTREAL, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A judge in Canada has ruled a man can fly a Greek flag on his property but can't have one painted on his garage door.

Quebec Superior Judge France Charbonneau ruled last week Theodore Antonopoulos of Montreal's Pierrefonds borough violated municipal streetscape restrictions by painting blue and white stripes on his garage door, The Gazette reported Monday.

"A municipality has the authority to set uniform standards within its jurisdiction and for the buildings within it," Charbonneau wrote in supporting a lower court's ruling.

"It's a shock to me. I haven't been informed, and the flag is still there," he told the Montreal newspaper Sunday. "I will speak to my lawyer and see if there are grounds for an appeal. None of the neighbors have complained to me about it. None at all."

Antonopoulos painted the flag in 2004 to celebrate Greece's victory over Portugal in the European Soccer championship that year. That soon drew a $138 ticket, triggering his legal journey.

While a lower court judge called it "visual pollution" that was "not harmonious with the neighborhood," Antonopoulos's attorney counters the municipal ordinance violates the freedom of expression guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Human Rights.

Dandelions may be dandy crop

HUNTER RIVER, Prince Edward Island, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A Canadian farmer has found that if dandelions grow in a row they cease to be pesky weeds and blossom into a bountiful cash crop.

Raymond Loo of Hunter River in Prince Edward Island province says there's a market for dandelion roots in Japan where, roasted and processed, they are made into a coffee-like drink. Loo also said he thinks he can develop markets for dandelion wine and salad, too.

"Most people don't think of the value of the dandelion," he told the Globe and Mail. "Everyone will think different if you make money off them. If you plant them in rows they're a cash crop."

Food Network television chef Michael Smith vouches for tender, young dandelion greens.

"We always got a great reaction because they taste good," he said. "To think of things as weeds is kind of one-dimensional."

The weed's leaves become too bitter by the time the root is large enough to harvest, he said. Still, Smith gives Loo props for thinking progressively.

"Raymond is very well respected, he's a forward-thinking guy," he said to the Globe and Mail. "Raymond is a very good example of what it will take for our small family farms to thrive."

Marvel to redesign heroes for Japan market

TOKYO, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Marvel Entertainment says it's not going to merely adapt but rethink its superhero properties for Japanese anime versions due out in 2010.

The company has teamed up with renowned Tokyo animation studio Madhouse to develop new versions of characters such as Spider-Man and Iron Man for use in four new anime series, The New York Times reported. Marvel says that will mean redesigning its characters' looks and changing their back stories to better reflect Japanese culture.

"It will create an entire parallel universe for Marvel," Simon Philips, president of Marvel International, told the newspaper.

Madhouse company officials said they're excited for the opportunity to re-imagine the familiar Marvel Comics superheroes.

"Marvel today is so open-minded," Madhouse President Jungo Maruta told the Times. "Marvel gives creators freedom to fly."

The newspaper said Madhouse, founded in 1972, includes in its stable such creative talents as Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the director of "Vampire Hunter D," and "Tokyo Tribes" manga series creator Santa Inoue.