Picks for this weekend...
Jets in a close win over the Colts...
Falcons in an upset over the Packers...
Browns in a close win over the Steelers...
Giants in a blowout over the 49-ers.
Saturday, January 4, 2003
The Ohio State University--National Champions in College Football
Congratulations to Ohio State. I thought they would win but I know that anyone who follows sports will question how they ultimately won. Officiating played a crucial role in extending the game but I thought the call the official made in overtime was the correct one. Ohio State of course would never have been in overtime if they had been more conservative in the first half and kicked a field goal on fourth down and less conservative in the second half when big "mo" was on their side.
Congratulations to Ohio State. I thought they would win but I know that anyone who follows sports will question how they ultimately won. Officiating played a crucial role in extending the game but I thought the call the official made in overtime was the correct one. Ohio State of course would never have been in overtime if they had been more conservative in the first half and kicked a field goal on fourth down and less conservative in the second half when big "mo" was on their side.
Thursday, January 2, 2003
Candidates for the annual Stella Awards
The Stella's are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonalds. That case inspired the Stella awards for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in the United States. The following are this year's candidates:
(Thanks to my friend Hank Morgan for sending these along)
1. K R of Austin, Texas, was awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving little toddler was Ms. R's son.
2. A 19-year-old C T of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a
Honda Accord. Mr. T apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his
neighbor's hub caps.
3. T D of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't reenter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, and Mr.D found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.
4.J W of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his
next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury
felt the dog might have been just a little provoked at the time by Mr. W who was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.
5.A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay A C of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $113,500 after she slipped on a soft
drink and broke her coccyx (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms. C had thrown it at her boyfriend 30
seconds earlier during an argument.
6.K W of Claymont, Delaware, successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the
bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while Ms. W was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.
7. This year's favorite could easily be Mr. M G of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. G purchased a brand new
32-foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and
calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed
and overturned. Mr. G sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner's manual that he couldn't actually do this. The
jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in
case there were any other complete morons buying their recreation vehicles.
The Stella's are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonalds. That case inspired the Stella awards for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in the United States. The following are this year's candidates:
(Thanks to my friend Hank Morgan for sending these along)
1. K R of Austin, Texas, was awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving little toddler was Ms. R's son.
2. A 19-year-old C T of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a
Honda Accord. Mr. T apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his
neighbor's hub caps.
3. T D of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't reenter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, and Mr.D found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.
4.J W of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his
next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury
felt the dog might have been just a little provoked at the time by Mr. W who was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.
5.A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay A C of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $113,500 after she slipped on a soft
drink and broke her coccyx (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms. C had thrown it at her boyfriend 30
seconds earlier during an argument.
6.K W of Claymont, Delaware, successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the
bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while Ms. W was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.
7. This year's favorite could easily be Mr. M G of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. G purchased a brand new
32-foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and
calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed
and overturned. Mr. G sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner's manual that he couldn't actually do this. The
jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in
case there were any other complete morons buying their recreation vehicles.
Twentieth Anniversary of Al Gore's founding of the Internet
vnunet.com Happy 20th birthday to the internet
vnunet.com Happy 20th birthday to the internet
First Baby of 2003 has Two Moms
A New Year's Baby With an Additional Difference: 2 Moms (washingtonpost.com)
A New Year's Baby With an Additional Difference: 2 Moms (washingtonpost.com)
A Story Neglected by the Press in the U.S.A.
Yahoo! News - Cameraman flies over cyclone-hit South Pacific island; reports devastation
Cyclone Zoe, packing winds of up to 360 kph (225 mph), hit Tikopia and Anuta islands in the Solomon Islands on Sunday. It wiped out communications and made initial damage assessment impossible. There was no word on possible casualties.
"Every tree on the island has been blown over or shredded, the island is completely denuded of vegetation," Geoff Mackley reported on his Web site after flying over Tikopia.
"Almost every building has been damaged, a few remain intact, while others have been shredded, and the sea has come through some villages, burying them," he added.
Yahoo! News - Cameraman flies over cyclone-hit South Pacific island; reports devastation
Cyclone Zoe, packing winds of up to 360 kph (225 mph), hit Tikopia and Anuta islands in the Solomon Islands on Sunday. It wiped out communications and made initial damage assessment impossible. There was no word on possible casualties.
"Every tree on the island has been blown over or shredded, the island is completely denuded of vegetation," Geoff Mackley reported on his Web site after flying over Tikopia.
"Almost every building has been damaged, a few remain intact, while others have been shredded, and the sea has come through some villages, burying them," he added.
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