Watercooler Stories

Short skirt incident leads to lawsuit

RICHMOND, Ky., Aug. 29 (UPI) -- A Kentucky college student has sued an anonymous poster on a newspaper forum who said she had exposed herself to a woman and children at a mall.

Kymberly Clem, 20, a student at Eastern Kentucky University was ordered out of the Richmond Mall Aug. 9, allegedly because the hemline of her dress was too high. She filed a lawsuit Monday against "an unknown person posting on the Richmond Register Web site as '12bme,'" the Register reported.

Jim Todd, the editor of the newspaper, said "12bme" has been banned from posting on the site and the comment has been removed. He said the comment violated the terms of service on the site.

"People think they can make these posts anonymously, but there is always a means of finding out," Wesley Browne, Clem's lawyer, said in a news release. "People are entitled to their opinions. We understand and respect that, but creating lies to hurt someone who is already so vulnerable is not only disgusting, it is a violation of law."

Survey: British office romance commonplace

LONDON, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- A British recruitment firm said its survey of Britons in the workplace suggests 40 percent of office workers have had a romantic relationship with a colleague.

Office Angels said its survey of 1,200 office workers suggests the average employee spends an estimated 600 hours in the course of a career gazing at other workers they find attractive, The Telegraph reported Thursday.

The firm said average employees will receive 320,000 e-mails and will attend 13 job interviews during their careers, the survey indicates.

"Day-to-day working life may whiz by week after week, but it's fascinating to see how the average person's working life stacks up into Post-it note and e-mail mountains," said David Clubb, managing director of Office Angels.

"There are so many exciting prospects available in employment today that my advice would be to take the opportunity, wherever possible, to sample new career paths," he said. "Ask your employer about any job swap opportunities or different responsibilities you can undertake to keep your working life exciting. Variety is the key."

Suit filed over pole-dance studio permit

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- A lawsuit filed Thursday alleges constitutional violations in a Pennsylvania community's decision to deny a permit for a pole-dancing studio.

Stephanie Babines planned to teach erotic moves exotic dancers make while sliding up and down a metal pole at strip clubs.

The American Civil Liberties Union went to bat for Babines and sued Adams Township for violating her First Amendment rights by barring her from teaching ideas about a lawful art form, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said.

Township leaders apparently thought the studio would be a bit too spicy for the citizenry and denied her an occupancy permit.

Babines insisted that despite classes titled "Stiletto Strut" and "Power Lap Dancing," the classes were strictly for fully clothed fun with no spectators in the studio, the Post-Gazette said.

School bullies set to be graded in Italy

ROME, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Bully fellow high school classmates in Italy and you may receive a failing grade in behavior and be held back a grade level, school officials said.

Italian Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said in response to the problem of bullying in Italian high schools, officials have decided to institute a behavior grade that could result in bullies having to repeat a grade level, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

''This is a necessary move. If they don't make the grade they will have to repeat the school year," Gelmini said.

The governmental move will bring back the so-called conduct grade that Italy abolished a decade ago.

Italian Pediatric Society data indicate that the number of bullying reports in Italy has increased 6 percent during the last two years, ANSA said.