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June 2025
Summer’s Here — Let’s Not Get Hurt
A SEASON WORTH SLOWING DOWN FOR
I don’t know about you, but summer is one of my favorite times of the year. My family doesn’t have one big trip we always take, but we have a rhythm. We usually make it to the beach at least once and the mountains at least once — sometimes more if we’re lucky. It’s hard to beat a week up in the Smoky Mountains or a few days in Charleston, Hilton Head, or Myrtle Beach. This year, we’ve got our eyes on maybe renting a house in Pawleys Island. We’ll see if it works out. While I love everything that summer brings, including the change of pace, road trips, and time spent outdoors, I also know what tends to come along with it. I’ve been practicing law for over three decades, and I’ve seen the patterns. Summer is one of those seasons when accidents happen more often. People are on the move, kids are out of school, and we’re all a little more relaxed than usual. Back when I ran TV ads, I paused them during the summer. Not because things slowed down in terms of accidents — if anything, they increased — but because people were too busy to pick up the phone. Then, like clockwork, they’d call right after Labor
Day. That’s always stuck with me. Summer might feel slow and easy, but things always happen behind the scenes. Car wrecks also increase at this time of year. Traffic ramps up, and everyone’s rushing off to the beach or mountains, thinking about vacation and not entirely focused on driving. I always tell people to drive like no one is paying attention to them because, chances are, someone on the road is distracted, in a hurry, or both. I’ve also seen more workplace injuries in the summer. It makes sense. Most people who do heavy, physical jobs work outside, and the summer heat makes everything harder. No matter how fit you are, the heat can catch up to you fast. I’ve seen it lead to fainting spells, bad falls, and even serious heart and breathing problems. So, it pays to take that heat seriously if you’re working outside or supervising people who are. And it may be surprising to hear, but barbecue grills are another summer hazard most people don’t think about. We’ve had more than one case where someone rolled out the grill after winter, fired it up, and it exploded. It turns out that if a grill has been sitting in the garage or out in the weather, spiders or insects can clog the gas jets. It doesn’t take much for a grill to turn into a fireball. So, before the first cookout, give your grill a good clean — even if it’s been stored inside. My partner and I have seen all kinds of things over the years, and I’m proud of the work we’ve done helping people through tough moments. But truth be told, I’d rather people not get hurt in the first place. So, if you’re reading this and making summer plans, just keep your eyes open. Whether you’re behind the wheel, on the job, or flipping burgers in the backyard, stay sharp. The memories will still be there. Hopefully, the injuries won’t be.
Call00.com | 1 –Bryan Ramey
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A MILESTONE RULING
Supreme Court Upholds Gun Ban for Domestic Abuser
Protecting citizens’ Second Amendment right to own a gun is vitally important to many Americans. However, domestic violence and gun ownership can be a lethal combination. Assault on a spouse or partner can easily escalate to murder when one partner has access to a gun. In an 8–1 decision in U.S. v. Rahimi, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a person can be disarmed if they pose a credible threat to another person’s physical safety. The 18-page decision overturned a lower court ruling that banning gun ownership and possession for persons under a domestic violence restraining order violates the Constitution. Advocates for domestic violence victims welcomed the decision. Battered spouses are at greatest risk after leaving a relationship, filing a police report, or petitioning for a restraining order against their partner. In a 2023 study of 25 years of data, 56% of female homicide victims were murdered by men who were former or current
judiciary by setting a strict “history and tradition” test for the constitutionality of gun laws, according to The Trace, an independent, nonprofit news organization. In the Bruen ruling, the Supreme Court upheld individuals’ right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense, reasoning that a gun regulation must have an analog in early American history in order to be constitutional. That decision called into question a large number of earlier court rulings holding that gun regulations could be evaluated in the broader context of modern research, circumstances, and technology, sparking numerous challenges to gun laws and a flood of conflicting judgments. Based on the Rahimi ruling, proponents of gun control hope the courts will also uphold other laws restricting gun ownership under exceptional circumstances, including prohibitions for felons, people with severe mental illness, and individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others. Justice Clarence Thomas authored the lone dissenting opinion in the Rahimi case based on his absolutist interpretation that, at the time the Second Amendment was written, it did not regulate firearms possession by people who threaten physical harm to others. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts disagreed, reasoning that, since the nation’s founding, firearms laws have restricted citizens bent on hurting others from legal access to a gun. Those laws should not be explicitly limited to rules that existed at the nation’s
intimate partners. Other research links a domestic abuser’s access to a gun to a five-fold increase in homicide. The ruling is encouraging to proponents of gun control. It creates breathing room in the wake of the court’s February 2023 ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. The Bruen decision sent ripples throughout the
founding. Instead, he wrote, “When an individual poses a clear threat of physical violence to another, the threatening individual may be disarmed.”
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TAKE A BREAK
The Hidden Health Risks of Burnout Canary in the Coal Mine?
ADVENTURE BAREFOOT FATHER GEMINI HIKING JUNETEENTH PARK PICNIC PRIDE SANDALS SUNBURN VOLUNTEER
Does your job or housework leave you feeling burnt out? If so, you aren’t alone. Burnout is a common affliction in our technological age. An estimated 48% of employees and 53% of managers claim they’re burned out, according to a 2022 Microsoft survey of 20,000 workers, and stress levels have worsened since then. Career-driven people, overworked employees, and working people from all walks of life can experience alienation, extreme exhaustion, loss of meaning, and reduced performance, all hallmarks of burnout. The term was coined in the 1970s to denote the exhaustion often experienced by people in the helping professions. Burnout is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, the professionals’ guide to diagnostic standards. However, the World Health Organization recognizes it as a factor in people’s health. Some doctors use the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a scale measuring a person’s level of exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy, to diagnose burnout. Items include, “I feel emotionally drained by my work.” The symptoms of burnout can serve as the canary in the coal mine — an early warning that overload, overwork, or stress may be on the verge of harming your health. Consider an extended break from work to ease the strain. If your ennui deepens into low self-esteem, guilt, hopelessness, or thoughts of suicide, a vacation or long weekend isn’t likely to help. Clinical depression or anxiety requires different treatment by a therapist or mental health professional. The bottom line: If you’re feeling burned out, it’s time to put on the brakes, check out for a while, and tune in more closely to your overall well-being!
SIMPLE SUMMER GARDEN PASTA Inspired by TheKitchn.com
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil • 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, to taste) • 1 tsp kosher salt Ingredients Directions 1. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper and toss until well coated. 2. Cover and let the mixture sit at room temperature while the pasta cooks. 3. Add pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook per package directions until al dente. 4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water to add to the tomato mixture. 5. Coarsely chop the basil leaves. 6. Add the pasta, Parmesan cheese, and chopped basil to the tomato mixture and toss again until combined. 7. Serving suggestion: Add cooked, chopped chicken for more protein! • 1/2 tsp black pepper • 1 lb angel hair pasta • 1 cup fresh basil • 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese • Cooked, chopped chicken for serving (optional)
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Looking Ahead to a Safe Summer
1
Pivotal High Court Ruling Opens Door to Limited Gun Restrictions
2
Simple Summer Garden Pasta
3
How Burnout Can Signal Depression
The House That Spite Built
4
TRAFFIC STOPPER A HISTORIC TINY HOME BUILT ON SPITE
Tiny homes may be all the rage for budget- conscious house hunters these days. But none has as engaging a history as the diminutive Alexandria Spite House in Virginia. Brickmaker John Hollensbury built this 7-foot-wide rowhouse nearly 200 years ago — not to live in, but to fill up the alley next to his splendid two-story brick home in what is now the Old Town district of Alexandria. Hollensbury was bothered by horse-drawn carriages trying to squeeze through the alley, scraping against the brick walls of his and his neighbor’s houses, and loiterers gathering in the area. Hollensbury decided to close the alley forever by building a house in it — not to create living space, but to block the alley — thus its name, the Spite House. The little
dwelling is squeezed in so tightly that its neighbors’ exterior walls serve as its interior. Its 25-by-7-foot area is spread over two floors, producing a total floor space of 325 square feet. The little home is comfy enough that one couple lived there for 25 years. Its most recent owner bought it in 1990 for $130,000 and used it occasionally. The Spite House at 523 Queen St. is Alexandria’s best-known tiny home, but it isn’t the only one. Three other tiny houses, all 1–3 feet wider, were also built in alleys during the 19th century. This may seem like a cheap way to build since all that is needed is a roof and rear and front walls. Nevertheless, based on the latest available sales data from 2014, one of these alley houses sold for a cool $424,000!
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