Tom Tomorrow, �The Wrath of Sparky�
In case you hadn�t noticed, there is a general theme in the books I pick in terms of subject matter: The standard is one non-fiction book, one fiction, and then one graphic novel, as I have an equal amount of all of these.
But I blew it the other day, finishing up the book I had in a surprisingly quick amount of time. It was technically time to read a non-fiction book, but I was drinking coffee near my work and didn�t have a replacement book with me. It was also close to the end of the month and I wanted to be able to finish whatever I started before the end of the month came.
I went into work to see what would qualify. Nothing did. But then I noticed this collection of This Modern World comics.
What the hell, I thought, this is more truthful than the majority of cultural and media criticism books I read.
That statement proved even more true after I finished this and started working. During a quick e-mail check, I happened to get a forwarded message from my pink sister. The e-mail was showing the results of the newest �Stella awards,� showing the results of what were deemed the most frivolous lawsuits of the year.
The opening paragraph explained that the awards were named after Stella Liebeck, the elderly lady who spilled McDonald�s coffee on her lap and was awarded $3 million when she took the fast food chain to court.
To quote the comic:
- �That �whiner� was 79 years old, and the coffee was so scalding hot that she received third degree burns across her groin, thighs and buttocks. She underwent skin grafts and spent eight days in the hospital, resulting in a medical bill of more than $10,000. McDonald�s offered her $800. So she went to court, where she was awarded the famous $3 million settlement � which, incidentally, she never received, since it � like almost all punitive damages awarded by juries � was later reduced substantially.�
What I really hate about this example is that I already knew all about that. It�s everybody else who doesn�t.
Truth hurts, don�t it?
