Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Point of origin

For the longest time, we thought that America was the land of the free and the home of the bizarre court cases. After all, it's not in every country that you hear about someone suing because coffee is hot, ice is cold, or air is breathable. And it certainly isn't anywhere other than America where you can find documentation of a case revolving around a multi-million dollar pair of pants.

That's been changing steadily as of late, as opportunistic members of the global community are seeing the potential for a big payday from companies that may not be aware of the previous trials. Sure, California has determined that drinking paint could be hazardous to your health, but has Queensland, Australia? And do stepladder makers in Seoul know that there needs to be a warning about that top stop?

Leave it to part of Greece to carve it's own niche in this field. Thanks to the Greek court system, we know now exactly what to call gay women. For some of you playing at home, yes, the answer is, "Hot". For everyone else, the answer is "Lesbian". This puts a crimp in the plans for some natives of the island Lesbos, who wanted to get the term's use put to an end. The judge decried that the term did not specifically apply to residents of the island (who may start referring to themselves as "Lesbonites", or the ever popular "Greek"), and therefore it could be used exactly as it has been.

The problem now for the island of Lesbos? Just how to get that lucrative Birkenstock endorsement.

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