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Letter to the editor

The skinny

By Times Wires
Published December 19, 2007

Accidental charity

Spread some cheer, and be able to prove it

State Bank & Trust in Fargo, N.D., is giving its employees money for the holidays, with the caveat that it be used for people in need. Full-time employees got $1,000 and part-timers got $500, and they were told the money could be used for an individual cause, or pooled for a larger project. "We're going to really see some huge impact on our community," COO Michael Solberg said of the $502,000 plan dubbed "Pay It Forward." And it will probably be on YouTube, because the employees were asked to document their deeds with videocameras and given a June 30 deadline. There was no word on whether Haley Joel Osment would need to die for the employees to truly understand the significance of their actions.

Shoppers give to avoid paying tax

No one really saw this side effect of the currency equity coming: With Canadian shoppers heading south to take advantage of the stronger loony, U.S. shopping malls on the border are finding their parking lots, dressing rooms and restrooms littered with old clothes. That's because if the savvy shoppers don't wear their new duds over the border, they have to pay a duty on them. The malls have gotten wise, though, and are placing bins in conspicuous locations, collecting the old clothes to give to charities.

The Santa files

Sometimes, the ol' elf isn't all that jolly

- A dry cleaner in Cherry Hill, N.J., needed a court order to get back on Santa's nice list. Last year, Santa, doing business as Max Weisberg, above, brought his suit in to Royal Cleaners, which returned it to someone else. They offered to reimburse him half the $400 value of the suit, but he wanted 100 percent. A judge agreed.

- Someone did something naughty while on Santa's lap in Danbury, Conn. "The security officer at the mall said Santa Claus has been sexually assaulted," police Detective Lt. Thomas Michael said of the complaint. The complaint did not go into what happened, but said Santa was "shocked," and a woman has been arrested. She's denying everything, though.

- A British Santa, doing business as Bill Winton, is refusing to don the pillow that transforms his sleek frame into a bowl full of jelly because he says it promotes childhood obesity. "I hope other Santas across the country follow suit so that parents start taking responsibility for their children's diets."

Take me to your leader

Japanese official eager to meet aliens

The official stance of the Japanese government on UFOs is that it has "not confirmed sightings of unidentified flying objects believed to be from outer space." But that doesn't mean anything to Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura. "I definitely believe they exist," he told reporters. He was responding to questions about a lawmaker's call for an inquiry into "frequent reports of UFO sightings."

Compiled from Times wire services and other sources by staff writer Jim Webster, who can be reached at jwebster@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 19, 2007, 01:20:57]