Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Bare-bottom bride sues dress designer CHIAVARI, Italy, July 7 (UPI) -- A woman said she is suing her Italian wedding dress designer after the nearly $4,000 garment fell apart at the altar, exposing her bottom to her guests. Advertisement The bride, 30, said her wedding day in Chiavari, Italy, went down the tubes because of faulty sewing on her dress, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday. The woman's attorney, Alberto Figone, said her wedding was ruined and it "turned out to be the worst" day of her life. "She was left extremely embarrassed because the stitching of her dress came apart at the altar, slid down and revealed her bottom to the whole congregation," he said. The woman is seeking about $40,000 from the designer for "moral damages as well as financial damages," the newspaper said. Since the woman's 2006 wedding took place, she and her husband have separated, the Telegraph said. Advertisement Teens opt for texts as e-mail loses speed SACRAMENTO, July 7 (UPI) -- Many young Americans say e-mail is becoming an outdated mode of communication as the popularity of text messaging and Internet networking sites rises. Studies last year by the Pew Internet & American Life Project revealed teens are using e-mail less and less, The Sacramento Bee reported Monday. Ninety-two percent of adults said they frequently sent e-mail, while 16 percent of teens said they used e-mail daily, the studies indicate. "I'm just attached to my cell phone. I really only use e-mail for (sending) attachments or keeping up with (school) assignments," Terren Wing, 16, of Sacramento, told the Bee. Some professional adults say e-mail is used frequently, just not as much for short conversations as in the past. "I've noticed that, in my circle of friends, we use e-mail mostly for notifications rather than actual conversations. The real-time aspect of other platforms is more attractive -- e-mail just gets lost in the junk drawer," Layton Wedgeworth, 27, of El Dorado Hills, Calif., said to the newspaper. Claim: Kids who say 'yuck' may be racist LONDON, July 7 (UPI) -- Toddlers who say "yuck" when given flavorful foreign food may be exhibiting racist behavior, a British government-sponsored organization says. Advertisement The National Children's Bureau in London released a 366-page guide counseling adults on recognizing racist behavior in young children, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday. The guide, titled Young Children and Racial Justice, warns adults that babies must also be included in the effort to eliminate racism because they have the ability to "recognize different people in their lives." The bureau says to be aware of children who "react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying 'yuck'." "Racist incidents among children in early years settings tend to be around name-calling, casual thoughtless comments and peer group relationships," the guide says. Staff members are advised not to ignore racist actions and to condemn them when they occur. Sneaky snake bites Wal-Mart shopper PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., July 7 (UPI) -- A Florida man survived being bitten by a poisonous pygmy rattlesnake while browsing the garden department at Wal-Mart, rescuers say. The man was injected with an antidote at Memorial Hospital Miramar after being taken from the Pembroke Pines shopping center, The Miami Herald reported Monday. Officials said the man was bitten on his right hand by the foot-long snake. ''(The bite) wouldn't have been been fatal with an adult male. But you could lose a finger,'' Miami-Dade County Fire/Rescue Capt. Ernie Jillson said, adding that the bite could kill a senior citizen or child. Advertisement Jillson said the bitten man is expected to make a full recovery. Wal-Mart employees said they called for emergency help quickly after the man was struck and are cooperating with officials who are looking into the incident. ''This is clearly an isolated situation. Customer safety is always a priority,'' Wal-Mart spokeswoman Daphne Moore told the Herald.
