■ UNITED STATES
Not so wonderful Tiggers
Officials in a California school district might not think Tiggers are such wonderful things after paying US$95,000 in lawyers' fees to five families who sued the school over its dress code. The suit was filed after a student was disciplined for wearing socks with the Winnie the Pooh character Tigger to school last year. A district superintendent said on Thursday that the settlement money is for the plaintiffs' lawyers. The settlement also says Redwood Middle School may no longer require students to wear only solid-color clothing.
■ CANADA
Phone bill shocks lonely guy
An oil-field worker, stunned to get a C$85,000 (US$83,700) cellphone bill, has had the charges reduced to C$3,400, but is still fighting them. Piotr Staniaszek, a 22-year-old oil and gas well tester in rural northwest Alberta, became a figure of media attention last week when his father went to the press to complain about the size of his son's bill. He said his son thought he could use his phone as a modem for his computer as part of his C$10 unlimited browser plan, and downloaded information unaware of the charges. "He's working in the field sometimes, alone, in the shack. What to do? Drink vodka or go on the Internet?" the father said.
■ CANADA
The perils of teen drug use
After catching his 15-year-old smoking pot, a father sold the hard-to-get Guitar Hero III video game he bought his son for US$90 for Christmas at an online auction, fetching US$9,000. The sale took place after the father spent two weeks searching for the video game. "So I was so relieved in that I had finally got the Holy Grail of Christmas presents pretty much just in the nick of time," the father wrote on eBay. "Then, yesterday, I came home from work early and what do I find? My innocent little boy smoking pot in the back yard with two of his delinquent friends." The man, a teacher, said he sold the coveted video game to punish his son and to discourage him from smoking dope.
■ VENEZUELA
Gucci wearer touts socialism
A video of a Gucci and Louis Vuitton-clad politician attacking capitalism then struggling to explain how his luxurious clothes square with his socialist beliefs has become an instant YouTube hit. Interior Minister Pedro Carreno was momentarily at a loss for words when a journalist asked if it was not contradictory to criticize capitalism while wearing Gucci shoes and a tie made by Louis Vuitton. "It's not contradictory because I would like Venezuela to produce all this so I could buy stuff produced here instead of 95 percent of what we consume being imported," he said. The clip had been viewed more than 15,000 times by Thursday, a day after being posted.
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