• Christians in a Portuguese village carry on a curious tradition during Epiphany: They encourage their young children to smoke cigarettes. Vale de Salgueiro locals told Fox News that nobody is sure what the smoking symbolizes, but the centuries-old tradition persists. And Portuguese authorities don't intervene, despite the fact that the legal age to purchase tobacco in Portugal is 18. Writer Jose Ribeirinha researched the tradition and said that since Roman times, villagers in the region have done things that were out of the norm during winter solstice celebrations. [Fox News, 1/7/2018]
• Siera Strumlauf and Benjamin Robles of California, and Brittany Crittenden of New York, saw their complaints go up in steam on Jan. 5 when U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed their lawsuit against Starbucks for underfilling its lattes and mochas. According to Reuters, the judge cited lack of evidence brought by the plaintiffs, who accused the coffee chain of fraud by making its cups too small and instructing baristas to skimp on ingredients and adhere to low "fill-to" lines on milk pitchers. The suit also claimed milk foam should not be counted toward advertised volumes, an opinion Rogers said reasonable customers do not hold. Starbucks and the plaintiffs had no comment. [Reuters, 1/7/2018]