Ebook Sample Content Preview:
You may not be familiar with the name Stella Liebeck, but you’re almost certainly familiar with her story. Stella is the lady who became famous after she sued McDonalds because she spilled hot coffee on her lap. While driving her car.
Stella has become the ‘poster girl’ for everyone who is driven to distraction by the ‘sue nation’ we’ve become. Even The Stella Awards, which are dedicated to highlighting frivolous lawsuits, are named after her. In short, it’s nearly impossible to even think about the idea of stupid lawsuits without the image of The McDonalds Coffee Lady springing to mind.
However, there’s a little more to Stella’s story than meets the eye… Firstly, Stella didn’t just suffer from the short-term discomfort that we might normally associate with spilling hot coffee. She actually suffered third-degree burns on 6% of her body. Burns that required skink grafts! (If you’re not to squeamish, you’ll find the pics on Google Images.)
The fact is, coffee that’s served at about 185° Fahrenheit (79° Celcius), as was the case, will result in serious burns in a matter of seconds. The coffee you have at home, on the other hand, is usually about 135° Fahrenheit (57° Celcius), which won’t immediately burn you.
Secondly, Stella tried to settle for $20,000 at one point, but the ‘Big Mac’ refused. This made Stella unhappy so the case went ahead.
Thirdly, despite what you might think, Stella didn’t receive ‘millions’. The final settlement was $640,000. And, when you consider that she had big medical bills to pay, it no longer seems quite so excessive.
BUT, she had that coffee open on her lap while driving. It’s her own fault! Well, despite what everyone seems to think, she wasn’t actually driving. Yes, she was in her car, but the car was stopped.
And, besides, the jury took this into consideration when making the final award. They estimated that Stella was 20% responsible for what happened, so they reduced the compensatory damages portion ($200,000) by 20%. So you see, the much-vilified Stella is not quite the silly, ridiculous, overreactive, take-no-responsibility-for-my-actions type of person that the media portrayed her to be.
Despite the fact that “it’s kinda obvious when you think about it” shaving body hair does not, as many people believe, make it grow back thicker or coarser. But don’t take my word for it, here’s what renowned dermatologist Dr. Jerri Hoskyn of the University of Arkansas has to say about it…
"Shaving […] has no effect on the part of the hair shaft beneath the skin surface, which is where growth and color occur. […] Although the hair may appear to grow faster after shaving, this is just an illusion […] the blunt, stubbly ends of new growth can give the appearance of darker, coarser hair.” Remember, the hair we shave is already dead. The living stuff is safely tucked away beneath the surface. Nothing you do with your ‘dead’ hair will have any influence on future growth or growth patterns.
- License: Private Label Rights
- Category:Ebooks
- Tags:2011 Ebooks Private Label Rights