oddly enough

oddly enough

Michigan deploys talking urinal cakes in DUI fight

DETROIT

Michigan hopes to keep drunks off the road with the help from a special message in men’s bathrooms featuring an attention-getting woman’s voice.

Talking urinal-deodorizer cakes have been distributed to Michigan Licensed Beverage Association members in Wayne County, including Detroit, state officials announced. A recorded message will play reminding men who step up to the urinals to call a cab or a friend, if needed, to get home safely.

“Not only do we want to turn some heads and get people talking, we hope everyone takes the message to heart,” Michael L. Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, said in a statement.

Bay, Ottawa and Delta counties also are getting them. The motion-activated messages are part of a statewide Fourth of July education and enforcement effort. The federally funded drunken-driving crackdown runs through Sunday. It also includes stepped-up patrols in 26 counties involving a number of agencies.

“At first it may be seen as humorous, but the seriousness of the message will stand out and encourage patrons to find a safe ride home,” said Michigan Licensed Beverage Association Executive Director Scott T. Ellis.

Talking urinal cakes have been used in other states for similar efforts.

Pa. high school puts itself up for sale on eBay

LANGHORNE, Pa.

Forget magazine drives and candy sales. A cash-strapped high school near Philadelphia hopes to raise money by auctioning itself on eBay.

The starting bid of just under $600,000 for The Learning Center in Langhorne, Pa., is designed to offset steep budget cuts. A tongue-in-cheek listing describes the alternative school for at-risk teens as “pre-owned” and “slightly used.”

The winner won’t own the facility, which is part of the Neshaminy School District. But he or she will get a plethora of goodies, including a naming opportunity, a free large pizza, a personalized school coffee mug and the chance to deliver a speech at graduation.

Not to mention the satisfaction of “delivering an education to a group of kids who could really use it,” according to the ad.

Neshaminy officials did not immediately return requests to comment Monday. The 7,000-student district has endured a pair of teacher strikes this year as the school board says it can’t afford to meet the union’s demands.

Learning Center Principal JoAnn Holland says she hopes the auction idea will draw the attention of a wealthy benefactor. Bidding ends Wednesday.

“I know it’s crazy,” Holland said in a statement. “But with the good The Learning Center does, it’s crazier not to do it.”

Associated Press