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OPENING STATEMENTS DECEMBER 2022 WWW.LAWYERSREADYTOFIGHT.COM 317-934-9725 | INFO@RDLAWOFFICE.COM
December Holidays December 1 - Eat a Red Apple Day December 2 - National Fritters Day December 3 - National Roof over Your Head Day December 4 - Santa’s’ List Day December 5 - Repeal Day - The 21st Amendment ends Prohibition. I’ll drink to that! John Razumich FROM THE DESK OF
THE HISTORY BEHIND OUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS IT’S A TIME-HONORED TRADITION
December 6 - St. Nicholas Day December 7 - Pearl Harbor Day
December 8 - National Brownie Day December 9 - Christmas Card Day December 10 - Nobel Prize Day December 11 - National Noodle Ring Day December 12 - Poinsettia Day December 13 - Ice Cream Day December 14 - Roast Chestnuts Day December 15 - Bill of Rights Day December 16 - National Chocolate Covered Anything Day December 17 - National Maple Syrup Day December 18 - Bake Cookies Day December 19 - Look for an Evergreen Day December 20 - Go Caroling Day December 21 - Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year December 22 - Crossword Puzzle Day December 23 - National Egg Nog Day
Every year, Americans across the country gather on Dec. 25 to celebrate Christmas. It’s a time often spent opening presents, eating delicious holiday favorites, and spending time with those we love most. Before bringing everyone together for the festivities, we need to decorate the house. That means hanging lights inside and out, putting up a tree, and of course, hanging ornaments. Have you ever wondered where the Christmas ornament tradition began? To fully understand the history behind Christmas ornaments, we need to travel back to the year 723. Saint Boniface was walking through Germany one night when he came across a pagan gathering. Pagans danced around a decorated oak tree as they prepared to sacrifice a baby in honor of Thor — not the one you recognize from the Marvel movies. Boniface stepped in and chopped down the oak tree in the name of Jesus Christ. Behind the oak tree was a much smaller fir tree. Boniface explained to those gathered that the fir tree symbolizes the one true God. He then gave a short sermon and converted the former pagans to Christianity. Of course, this story is only a legend. There’s no telling how much truth is behind it, if any. Another story states that the beginning of Christmas trees and ornaments dates back to 16th century Germany. At this time, Christians were just beginning to decorate their trees or pyramid-shaped stacks of wood in anticipation of the Christmas holiday. The protestant reformer, Martin Luther, walked home on a snowy evening after giving a sermon. He noticed
December 24 - Christmas Eve December 25 - Christmas Day
December 26 - National Candy Cane Day December 27 - National Fruitcake Day December 28 - Boxing Day December 29 - Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day December 30 - Bacon Day December 31 - New Year’s Eve
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the moonlight shining off the snow, resting on the trees. He was enamored by the beauty and wanted to share this sensation with his family. He decided the best way to do so was to place lit candles on his Christmas tree to give off the appearance of snow dancing in the moonlight. Some sources state that Martin Luther may have been the first to use a fir tree to decorate his home for Christmas. When people first started decorating their homes with Christmas trees, they used various items to act as ornaments. Paper flowers, cookies, and nuts showed that spring and new life would return in the upcoming months. Other baubles were hung simply to add color to the decoration. Traditional ornaments gained popularity in the 1800s after a depiction was released of Queen Victoria celebrating the holiday with her family around a decorated evergreen tree. From that point on, Christmas ball ornaments were the most sought-after Christmas decoration. By the 1890s, Woolworth’s Department Store had sold American shoppers $25 million worth of German-imported ornaments made of lead and hand- blown glass. Since then, ornaments have been released in all shapes and sizes. For many families, it’s become a Christmas tradition to pick out a new ornament for each family member every year. If you want to do
something really special for your kids that will create lasting memories and treasured keepsakes, try to make your ornaments each year. You can design them from scratch or buy a pack of plain Christmas ball ornaments and paint them with whatever you like. Make an event out of it, and your entire family will surely have the time of their lives.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a very merry Christmas!
TOO HOT TO HANDLE The Celebrity-Ridden History of Parental Advisory Labels
Besides ’80s hair, it’s hard to imagine what Prince, Dee Snider, and Tipper Gore have in common. But they all played a pivotal role in the parental advisory stickers that eventually dotted CDs for decades. Parents once had to listen to their children’s preferred music to determine whether or not it was objectionable — but that all began to change in 1985. The star-studded saga started when then-Sen. Al Gore’s wife gave her daughter a copy of Prince’s smash-hit album “Purple Rain.” But she was shocked by the lyrics of one song, “Darling Nikki.” Unlike most parents, Tipper Gore had the political connections to take action. She co-founded Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) with other so-called Washington wives. They promptly began a crusade to put warning labels on explicit record albums. The PMRC contacted individual record labels and requested a classification system with different markers for violence, profane language, and sexually explicit content. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) extended an olive branch by suggesting a generic one-size-fits-all advisory label. But PMRC refused and used their connections to secure a hearing in Congress instead. The goal of the hearing was not to pass any law; it was to put pressure on the RIAA to change its tune. But the event became a televised spectacle
when musicians appeared on Capitol Hill
to defend free speech. Avant-garde rocker Frank Zappa declared the hearings a waste of time and that politicians’ wives abused their power. Meanwhile, Daniel “Dee” Snider, lead singer of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister, arrived sans lipstick to speak eloquently about how lyrics are open to interpretation and often impossible to classify. But the star witness of the hearings turned out to be the mellow singer-songwriter John Denver. With his clean-cut image, Congress had assumed he would support the PMRC’s demands. Instead, he presented an impassioned monologue about differing opinions on what can be considered offensive and warned Congress of the dangers of censorship. Ultimately, neither side got what they wanted. The RIAA moved forward with an industry system of generic warning labels that read “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content.” Ironically, the prominent sticker became a badge of honor among many music fans and an effective marketing tool for record labels. These days, warnings still appear on streaming services, but with CD sales at rock bottom, those infamous parental advisory labels are essentially a relic.
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How the Grinch Stole Our Hearts
BEHIND THE TIMELESS CHRISTMAS TALE
As regularly as Rudolph does, the Grinch appears on our television screens every December. Despite his negative attitude and nefarious intentions, the protagonist of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” remains a family favorite more than 60 years after the animated TV special first aired. The Grinch’s transformation into a cultural icon began with a 1957 children’s book. Author Dr. Seuss had recently experienced great success with “The Cat in the Hat” and was a hot commodity. He published “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” later that same year, and the black-and-white book was an instant smash. The story might have ended there if Dr. Seuss had his way. Dr. Seuss was protective of his creations and didn’t trust them in anyone else’s hands, but his filmmaker friend, Chuck Jones, eventually persuaded him to reconsider. Still, the story required some changes. Jones assigned the Grinch his signature green color, and the Grinch’s dog, Max, was given a more prominent role to increase the special’s runtime. But the songs were the most important of all. The TV special contains nine total musical numbers, the most famous featuring lyrics only Dr. Seuss could have written. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” is a hilariously clever song and a highlight of the program. The filmmakers also secured a big win in the voice talents of horror movie legend Boris
Karloff, who provided an alternatingly sneering and tender tone to the production.
Thermometer! Take a break! are more fun than menacing, and his story produces a reliably happy ending. As its greatest gift, an annual viewing can leave even the most hardened Grinch feeling as if their own heart has grown a size or two. Why does the Grinch endure? Dr. Seuss based the character on himself, so it may be that there’s a little bit of the Grinch in all of us. Unlike that other well-known holiday-hater Ebenezer Scrooge, he gives those who aren’t full of Christmas cheer a favorable mascot. The Grinch’s wild schemes and comical complaints Thanks to its full animation technique featuring 25,000 drawings, Variety says “The Grinch” may have been the most expensive television special made until that time. Later, Hollywood upped the ante with a live-action adaptation in 2000 and an animated full-length film in 2018. Both movies were box office successes, but neither has overtaken the 26-minute TV special as our favorite way to enjoy the Grinch.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Snowballs
Inspired by TheFoodieAffair.com
Ingredients
• 1 cup powdered sugar • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tbsp softened butter • 1 lb white chocolate candy coating
Directions
1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. 2. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, peanut butter, and softened butter. Mix until evenly combined. 3. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on the lined cookie sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm. 4. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate candy coating in increments of 30 seconds, stirring occasionally until smooth. 5. In the same bowl, use skewers to dip peanut butter balls into the chocolate before placing them on a lined cookie sheet so they can harden. 6. Chill until ready and then serve!
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of John Razumich PAGE 1 Why Do We Use Christmas Trees and Ornaments? PAGE 1
The Strange Story of Parental Advisory Labels PAGE 2
You’re a Mainstay, Mr. Grinch PAGE 3 No-Bake Peanut Butter Snowballs PAGE 3 These Bugs Love Takeout Containers PAGE 4
THESE ‘SUPERWORMS’ COULD SAVE OUR PLANET Meet the Bugs With a Taste for Plastic
Hundreds of years after you die and decompose, the Styrofoam takeout containers you used for last night’s Thai food will still linger in the landfill. Scientists estimate it takes thousands of years for Styrofoam (aka polystyrene) to break down when buried under other trash. Even in direct sunlight, the process takes decades! This is a huge pollution problem — but a tiny bug may be able to solve it. On the other side of the globe, at the University of Queensland in Australia, researchers are keeping a tank full of pets that may save us all from our plastic waste: Zophobas morio , aka the “giant mealworm” or “superworm.”
experiment at the University of Queensland, told Science Daily. “The breakdown products from this reaction can then be used by other microbes to create high-value compounds such as bioplastics.” Not only did the worms in the Queensland study eat the Styrofoam, but they actually gained weight from a healthy diet of takeout containers. Their ability to digest plastic is likely thanks to the gut bacteria Dr. Rinke mentioned. If we can grow and control these bacteria, we may be able to set it loose in landfills and turn our trash into something more useful. Superworms haven’t saved us yet — in fact, we usually use the 2-inch brown bugs as food for pet lizards and birds — but it’s about time we put their true potential to work. Fortunately, scientists like Dr. Rinke are on the case.
In the wild, superworms are scavengers that will munch on anything from animals to apples. But in captivity, researchers have found another food they love: Styrofoam.
“Our team is very excited to push the science to make it happen,” he said. To see the superworms in action, head to YouTube.com and search “superworm plastic.”
“Superworms are like mini recycling plants, shredding the polystyrene with their mouths and then feeding it to the bacteria in their gut,” Dr. Chris Rinke, the leader of the superworm
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