Denver,CO ...another problem she has with the parade is the lack of public restrooms. She says people constantly ask to use her restroom, which is
available to paying customers only.
"We cannot have a public restroom here," Prestidge said. "I don't know if they're providing public restrooms, but they're not telling me. We have people come in that are
just furious that they can't use the restroom."...
Source: Steve Shultz/YourHub.com
on 12/18/2006
Passenger Prompts Landing At Dulles
Man Approached Cockpit Despite Ban
By Lyndsey Layton and Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writers Nov 13, 2001; Page A08
U.S. sky marshals on a flight from Pittsburgh to
Reagan National Airport suddenly ordered a plane to land at Dulles
International Airport yesterday, after a passenger got up and started
walking toward the cockpit, authorities said. The passenger, Raho N. Ortiz, 33, refused to follow a
new federal rule requiring passengers to remain seated in the last
half-hour of an approach to National, said Chris Murray, an FBI
spokesman. About 15 minutes before the plane was to land at
National, Ortiz got out of his seat and started walking briskly toward
the front of the plane, where a restroom and cockpit are, said
David Castelveter, a spokesman for Arlington-based US Airways. As Ortiz neared the cockpit, a sky marshal in
plainclothes seated near the front yelled, 'Stop!' said passenger Mike
Cannon, of Arlington. Two sky marshals -- one with a gun drawn -- and a
third man ordered Ortiz to get on the ground. He complied without a
struggle, Cannon said. He "kept saying: 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I
just wanted to go to the bathroom.' " ... [ Deleted
Text ]
[Source
…] www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A17692-2001Nov12?language=printer
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
National Diverts Plane After
Landing Code Mix-Up
By Katherine Shaver
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 27, 2001; Page B03
An America West flight bound for Reagan National Airport was forced
to divert to Dulles International on Sunday after the cockpit crew
failed to give the correct code for landing at National, federal
officials said. Flight 90 from Columbus, Ohio, arrived three hours late at National
after spending 1 1/2 hours on the Dulles tarmac, where passengers said
they had a frustrating, full-bladdered
experience. Passengers said the pilot told them that the FBI
was forcing the plane to land at Dulles but did not say why… [ Deleted
Text ]
… The tension inside the plane mounted,
Dunnebacke said, because passengers were not allowed to use the plane's
restrooms for about 45 minutes after landing at Dulles and
were not allowed off the plane. "People were ready to rush the door to
get out of the plane and get to a bathroom," Dunnebacke
said. Monahan said the FBI asked that the airline not
permit the 119 passengers to get out of their seats or use the bathroom
or cell phones until the FBI cleared the plane at Dulles... [ Deleted
Text ]
[Complete
article …]
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
{Org Note} -
In
addition to the 45 minutes on ground, restroom use is not allowed for 30
minutes before landing.
| MEET
BETTYE ROUSSOS: A REAL PERSON WHO HAD THE CONDITION |
| It was while accepting a sales award
at a large banquet that Bettye Roussos, 57, of Ormand Beach,
Florida realized that her overactive bladder was ruining her life.
"I was drinking water and wine and suddenly the urge to empty
my bladder hit me full force," she recalls. "I remember
thinking, 'as soon as they announce the winner I'll make my exit
for the restroom.'" The winner turned out to be Bettye.
"I was in a state of panic," she remembers, "and I
had no choice but to make my way up to the podium." To
complicate matters, she was also expected to make a speech.
Although Bettye usually wore a pad to catch the urine she
sometimes lost when she didn't get to the bathroom right away, she
didn't have one on that night because she didn't want
it to show through her clingy evening dress. Standing behind the
podium with her legs crossed, Bettye could feel the urine pouring
down her legs. Although her stockings were drenched, she felt
fortunate that her dress was spared. Somehow she made it through
the picture-taking which followed, smiling bravely and just
wanting to run from the scene. "It was a moment of pure
hell," she states. Although it was her worst
experience with an overactive bladder, the mother of three says it
wasn't the first. Working the sales floor of a large department
store, she would sometimes be with a customer and have to take off
running. "I actually developed a swishy kind of walk in which
I held my legs together as I raced to the bathroom." There
were times she left a trail of urine behind her. As time passed, her condition
worsened. Bettye was wearing large pads every day and soaking
them. She became fearful of going anywhere that was more than an
hour's drive. When she went out to eat or shop, the first thing
she did was find the location of a restroom. In trying to cope
with the problem herself, Bettye started using the bathroom every
hour to keep her bladder empty, and began wearing loose, oversized
clothes that wouldn't reveal her accidents. At night she would
typically get up four or five times to use the bathroom and wake
in the morning exhausted. Bettye made the mistake that most
people suffering with an overactive bladder make. She thought that
the symptoms of urgency and the frequent need to empty her bladder
were just something she had to learn to live with. In speaking to
her physician, she learned about a drug that was in the testing
stages for overactive bladder, and immediately volunteered to be a
part of the study. "It gave my life back to me," says
Bettye. "Not only did it cut my bathroom visits in half but
I'm now able to manage those once out-of-control urges and no
longer have to worry about accidents." Amazed by the results,
Bettye now lectures to groups about overactive bladder. She
stresses that not only is it not a normal part of aging but it can
affect anyone. "I've had men and women of all ages approach
me after my lectures saying that they suffer from the same
problem," she states. "One of the women was a reporter
in her 20's who was covering my lecture; most are amazed to learn
that help exists." Bettye believes that more doctors
need to make questions about bladder control a part of every adult
physical. "They ask about your heart, your blood pressure,
your breathing; everything but the bladder," she states. Too
often, sufferers also think they need to go to a specialist to
address he problem. "Tell any doctor and take it from
there," says Bettye. "If you're too embarrassed to bring
it up, hand them a pamphlet about overactive bladder and say 'I
think I suffer from this.'" The main point that Bettye stresses
is the importance of getting help. Unfortunately, she states, the
topic remains taboo for most. Only one-third of those who could
benefit from treatment actually seek help. "Too many people
have needlessly become reclusive, prisoners in their own homes
because of this," says Bettye. "This is something that
no one should tolerate particularly when it can be treated,"
she adds. "It's a horrible problem, it's embarrassing, but
there is help; you don't have to let this control your life."
Today Bettye says her life has
never been fuller. She's enjoying being with her young
granddaughter, has started coordinating weddings on the side,
enjoys making quilts and gardening and has a large circle of
friends. Says Bettye, "I've finally gotten my life back and I
intend to keep it!"
Source AMWA OVI
|
| It was while accepting a sales award
at a large banquet that Bettye Roussos, 57, of Ormand Beach,
Florida realized that her overactive bladder was ruining her life.
"I was drinking water and wine and suddenly the urge to empty
my bladder hit me full force," she recalls. "I remember
thinking, 'as soon as they announce the winner I'll make my exit
for the restroom.'" The winner turned out to be Bettye.
"I was in a state of panic," she remembers, "and I
had no choice but to make my way up to the podium." To
complicate matters, she was also expected to make a speech.
Although Bettye usually wore a pad to catch the urine she
sometimes lost when she didn't get to the bathroom right away, she
didn't have one on that night because she didn't want
it to show through her clingy evening dress. Standing behind the
podium with her legs crossed, Bettye could feel the urine pouring
down her legs. Although her stockings were drenched, she felt
fortunate that her dress was spared. Somehow she made it through
the picture-taking which followed, smiling bravely and just
wanting to run from the scene. "It was a moment of pure
hell," she states. Although it was her worst
experience with an overactive bladder, the mother of three says it
wasn't the first. Working the sales floor of a large department
store, she would sometimes be with a customer and have to take off
running. "I actually developed a swishy kind of walk in which
I held my legs together as I raced to the bathroom." There
were times she left a trail of urine behind her. As time passed, her condition
worsened. Bettye was wearing large pads every day and soaking
them. She became fearful of going anywhere that was more than an
hour's drive. When she went out to eat or shop, the first thing
she did was find the location of a restroom. In trying to cope
with the problem herself, Bettye started using the bathroom every
hour to keep her bladder empty, and began wearing loose, oversized
clothes that wouldn't reveal her accidents. At night she would
typically get up four or five times to use the bathroom and wake
in the morning exhausted. Bettye made the mistake that most
people suffering with an overactive bladder make. She thought that
the symptoms of urgency and the frequent need to empty her bladder
were just something she had to learn to live with. In speaking to
her physician, she learned about a drug that was in the testing
stages for overactive bladder, and immediately volunteered to be a
part of the study. "It gave my life back to me," says
Bettye. "Not only did it cut my bathroom visits in half but
I'm now able to manage those once out-of-control urges and no
longer have to worry about accidents." Amazed by the results,
Bettye now lectures to groups about overactive bladder. She
stresses that not only is it not a normal part of aging but it can
affect anyone. "I've had men and women of all ages approach
me after my lectures saying that they suffer from the same
problem," she states. "One of the women was a reporter
in her 20's who was covering my lecture; most are amazed to learn
that help exists." Bettye believes that more doctors
need to make questions about bladder control a part of every adult
physical. "They ask about your heart, your blood pressure,
your breathing; everything but the bladder," she states. Too
often, sufferers also think they need to go to a specialist to
address he problem. "Tell any doctor and take it from
there," says Bettye. "If you're too embarrassed to bring
it up, hand them a pamphlet about overactive bladder and say 'I
think I suffer from this.'" The main point that Bettye stresses
is the importance of getting help. Unfortunately, she states, the
topic remains taboo for most. Only one-third of those who could
benefit from treatment actually seek help. "Too many people
have needlessly become reclusive, prisoners in their own homes
because of this," says Bettye. "This is something that
no one should tolerate particularly when it can be treated,"
she adds. "It's a horrible problem, it's embarrassing, but
there is help; you don't have to let this control your life."
Today Bettye says her life has
never been fuller. She's enjoying being with her young
granddaughter, has started coordinating weddings on the side,
enjoys making quilts and gardening and has a large circle of
friends. Says Bettye, "I've finally gotten my life back and I
intend to keep it!"
|
AMES, IA—A local resident's search for a public bathroom became an
epic odyssey of alienation, humiliation, and human cruelty Monday.
 |
 |
| Above: Webster revisits one
of the many establishments to reject him during his harrowing
ordeal. |
"You have no idea what I've been through," said Pete
Webster, 27, recovering from the harrowing ordeal in his apartment.
"From endless 'Bathroom For Paying Customers Only' signs to toilets
so disgusting they're unsuitable for vomiting, I saw it all."
Webster's bathroom search began at approximately 1:15 a.m., 30
minutes after leaving Burrito Bob's, where he consumed a double
enchilada platter and a 32-ounce Pepsi. Though he felt fine upon exiting
the popular late-night eatery, he soon felt an overwhelming need to
defecate. "I should've gone at Burrito Bob's," said Webster, who had
spent the night barhopping with friends. "But I didn't have to go
when I left. Besides, I figured I could always just dart into a gas
station or some 24-hour restaurant and do the deed." "What I failed to factor in," Webster continued, "is
the unfathomable darkness of the human soul." Rather than head back to his west-side apartment, a 25-minute walk
from the downtown area, Webster made the fateful decision to search for
a public restroom. His first stop was the Rite-Aid 24-hour pharmacy on
West Gentry Street. Asking for the bathroom, he was told by a cashier
that the facilities were for employee use only. "I offered to buy a candy bar or something, but this bitch
cashier said that wouldn't make any difference," Webster said.
"How could a drugstore not have a public bathroom? Explain that one
to me. Isn't public health in the interest of a drugstore? What's a more
basic public-health issue than having to take a shit?" The pressure on his bowels steadily building, Webster was able to
obtain the key to the men's room of an Amoco gas station on Kellogg
Avenue at 1:50 a.m. But an unspeakable horror awaited him. "The toilet was backed up, and sewage had slopped over the lid
of the toilet onto the floor," Webster said. "There was no
toilet paper, no soap, no paper towels, and no stall door. Still, I
decided to go for it."
|
 |
| Above: The alienated Webster
stands on the outside, looking in. |
Gingerly attempting to hover above the bowl without making contact,
Webster stopped himself when he was suddenly overcome by a fear of
splashback. He promptly returned the key to the gas-station attendant.
"I told the guy the restroom was unusable," Webster said.
"He gave me this look, like I was acting like some sort of
diva." Unable to find a place to defecate, Webster decided to give himself
partial relief by urinating. Even this effort, however, brought nothing
but torment and pain. "I snuck behind a tree to piss, but I couldn't get the piss
going without the rest coming out, too," Webster said.
"Sometimes, I can take a piss when I actually have to do more, but
this time it would've been too much to hold back." At 2:10 a.m., Webster encountered a group of Iowa State University
students, who directed him to the school's student union. "They said, 'Oh, yeah, there's a bunch of bathrooms in [the
union]. Just head a few blocks down Marston and take a right at 12th
Street, you can't miss it,'" Webster said. "When I got there,
the whole place was lit up. I can't tell you how happy I was running up
the steps of that building." The building was locked, closed since midnight.
"When I saw the union was closed, I started thinking about that
one guy who was having a hard time keeping a straight face while the
other rattled off the directions," Webster said. "I guess they
decided to have a little fun at my expense. I didn't know them, and they
didn't know me. It was just a bit of senseless, cruel fun. I guess they
didn't realize they were toying with a broken, desperate man."
The student-union episode was followed by several more
spirit-crushing glimpses into the howling void. Webster encountered a
Port-A-Potty in a local park which turned out to be padlocked, was
denied restroom access by the acerbic employees of a bail-bonds office,
and came across a convenience-store restroom dubiously declared
"out of order" by a makeshift sign scrawled on notebook paper.
Finally, at 2:45 a.m., Webster decided to accept defeat and begin the
25-minute walk home. Within moments of opening the apartment door,
relief was his. "In retrospect, I should've just gone home right at the
start," Webster said. "But I really thought it'd be faster to
find a place downtown than to walk home. Even when I hit the one-hour
mark, I still thought I'd find one any second. That's the thing about
bathroom searches: No matter how bad it's going, you still think some
mythical golden stall with a clean seat and a fresh roll of paper is
just around the corner."
The ordeal has given Webster new perspective on society's treatment
of outsiders.
"Before last night, I never realized what second-class citizens
people without ready access to toilets are," Webster said.
"I'll tell you one thing: If I ever encounter someone in that
situation, I will not put them through this. I'll let them use my own
toilet, or personally drive them around until we find a halfway-decent
crapper."
NO METRO FACILITIES
Washington Post June 19, 1998; Page A24
Section: OP/ED
Word Count: 179
A few weeks ago a friend and I took advantage of Metro
no-fare subway rides (Transit Day) to check out the localities around
stations we had never used. In general our experience with Metrorail was
pleasant, with one exception. We noticed that many of the parking lot
stairways had a smell of urine. I got angry, at first, with the kind of
people who do these things. I'm now wondering why a major transit system
has no restrooms, or at least portable toilets, near the parking lots…
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
Metro's Not-So-Sweet Smell of Success
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 3, 2002; Page B01
Cindi White boarded car No. 3198 at the Silver Spring
Metro station, took one whiff and was overwhelmed by a scent redolent of
a locker room, with a hint of sweat socks and notes of a dank basement.
"It smells like a smelly rug," sniffed White, a secretary at
the Department of Agriculture who has been riding Metro for four years
but just noticed the odor on certain trains in the past year. "It's
a kind of moldy, unpleasant, wet smell." ...
... Reeking rail cars are an affront to a transit system that has forged
a national reputation for cleanliness. "Nobody wants to ride on a
stinky car," said Joel Wexler, superintendent at Metro's Greenbelt
yard, where Green Line cars are housed overnight and cleaned. ...
... "They have a musky, urine smell all the time," said Angel
Spates, a federal worker from Manassas who rides the Orange Line.
"You can smell it as soon as you get on. It's awful." Gregory
Robinson, 31, who cleans Green Line cars from 8 p.m. until 4:30 a.m.
each weeknight, acknowledged that urine in the trains is a problem,
especially in the secluded area of the rail car directly behind the
operator's cab. ...
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
THE WORD ON . . .
Tourist-Friendly Public Toilets
August 13, 2000; Page E3
Section: Travel
Word Count: 807
Mary Ann Racin recently launched
thebathroomdiaries.com, a Web site that allows travelers to search a
database of the world's most tourist-friendly toilets. David Wallis
interviewed her by telephone from her Virginia headquarters.Q: How did
you come up with the name?A: "Let's Go" was taken.Q: Okay,
let's get to the bottom of this. What's the story behind the site?A:
Last summer, I was in Paris with my 3-year-old daughter, and when she
had to go.
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
REHOBOTH POLICE STAKE OUT ALLEYS USED AS
BATHROOMS
Jackie Spinner Washington Post Staff Writer
July 3, 1998; Page B1
Section: METRO
Word Count: 1118
It's Long Island Iced Tea night, as Tuesdays are known
around this popular beach resort, and the authorities are enforcing a
new, no-nonsense policy to combat that blight of the boardwalk:
scofflaws who relieve themselves in public. The police spot two young
men urinating in the parking lot of a senior center behind the Summer
House Saloon on Rehoboth Avenue. The patrolmen arrest the two and inform
them that their names will be sent to the newspapers and the local radio
and TV...
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
Stories related to the lack of
Facilities at Metrorail Stations
'SIT BACK, RELAX, AND LET METRORAIL GET YOU THERE'
|
Getting
from Alexandria to Baltimore without the nuisance of driving
through rush hour traffic seemed easy enough. All I needed to do
was walk 15 minutes to the Braddock metro and stay on for about
50 minutes to the Greenbelt metro, then hop on the bus and enjoy
the one hour leisurely ride to BWI. What I hadn't anticipated
was that at no point was there a public restroom. About halfway
to Greenbelt I began to feel the uncomfortable fullness of my
bladder. Believe me I was the first one off the train. Running
up to the attendant I asked for the restroom and was told there
wasn't one. Hoping that I could make it to BWI without
embarrassing myself. I pulled my luggage outside and
waited for the bus. The schedule said the bus arrived at 6:14
which meant 10 minutes. I was angry and in pain. The bushes
began to look more and more welcoming. Finally, in
indignation, I rolled my suitcase back to the attendant and
pleaded that it was an " emergency.
|
|
I
was again told that there was no public facility. Another worker
outside of the kiosk caught the brunt of my complaints.
Obviously there was a facility otherwise how could they work
there all day. Wasn't it interesting that my tax dollars paid
for this system and I was being treated this way and on and on.
What a picture I made, young woman in a business suit bending
over holding her stomach area obviously in dire need of a
toilet. Finally he told me I could use the employee restroom. He
unlocked it and stood guard as I relieved myself then promptly
locked it back. I was much relieved physically but not
emotionally. I left this situation feeling degraded and
humiliated. As I went back to the bus stop I noticed a man
urinating on the bushes. Is it any wonder that half the metro
stops smell of urine?"
"R. Kennedy, M.Ed.
Public Health Professional"
|
PLEADING WORKS FOR 73 YEAR-OLD WOMAN
|
On
June 13, I walked into the Gallery Place Metro station when I
suddenly realized that I had to go to the bathroom NOW. I
had had a few prior experiences like that--maybe three in 10
years--and, each time, the stationmaster graciously let me use
the bathroom. So I was quite confident when I
approached the stationmaster who was in his enclosure. When I
asked him to use the bathroom, he just shook his head
"no." When I insisted more urgently, he pointed
up the escalators as if to say that there were bathrooms up
there. Although I really knew that there are no public
bathrooms in Metro, I went up the escalator, but realized that I
did not have enough time to go to one of the restaurants across
the street.
|
|
I
went back down the escalator. This time I said to the
stationmaster: "PLEASE, let me use the bathroom; I am
having AN EMERGENCY NOW. He did, but very
reluctantly.
This is the closest I have ever come to a bathroom disaster in
public, and I am VERY frightened that it will happen again.
Of course, the episode was embarrassing and demeaning.
I am a 73 year-old female, but I still enjoy Imax and Wolftrap
and the Kennedy Center. I can certainly understand the
problems and pitfalls of public restrooms, but I hope that
some solution can be found in DC.
DBB {Email
to Metroped}
|
NO METRO FACILITIES
|
A
few weeks ago a friend and I took advantage of Metro no-fare
subway rides (Transit Day) to check out the localities around
stations we had never used. In general our experience with
Metrorail was pleasant, with one exception.
|
|
I
got angry, at first, with the kind of people who do these
things. I'm now wondering why a major transit system has no
restrooms, or at least portable toilets, near the parking
lots…
Washington
Post June
19, 1998; Page A24 Section: OP/ED
|
Metrorail fails WW II Vet
|
Before
Pop died, he visited at my suburban D.C. home. As a World War II
pilot, he was anxious to see the Air and Space Museum. He had
never used Metrorail, and seemed excited as we drove to the
station. On the escalator, Pop said he’d hit the men’s room
while I got the passes.
|
|
“Pop
there are no restrooms”. His face expressed
disbelief. "Ask the attendant, he might let you use
his". He was too proud to ask, and looking much
older, said, “We better head back."
"R.Brubaker
Advocate,
Metroped
|
|
