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NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 2019
something to address the problem. Book bags filled with food are provided to students who will likely not have enough to eat over the weekends. The end result is that these students will return to school on Monday better able to enter the classroom ready to learn and with fewer disruptions. This provides a better learning environment for all students. While the problem with hunger is the bigger issue, other problems arise when students feel singled out or think they appear “different” to their peers. For these reasons, some children who know they face the weekend with little to eat sometimes reject assistance. Justice4Kids wants to address this by providing book bags that are identical to the ones carried by the other students, without the use of logos or other branding. Teachers are then able to hand out book bags anonymously and send kids home for the weekend without the dreaded prospect of going hungry. Around 500 children are receiving book bags filled with food each weekend. Still, many more book bags are needed for the rest of the hungry children in our community. That’s where you come in. This year, Justice4Kids invites you to do good and be somebody’s hero by donating for the purchase of book bags to be filled with food for children in need.
Most children anxiously count down the days until the weekend arrives. The weekend means no school, watching cartoons on Saturday morning, and the promise of fun times spent with family and friends. Unfortunately, some children in our community do not look forward to the weekend. Why? Did you know there are approximately 2,000 children in Lancaster County alone who will go hungry every weekend? According to the nonprofit organization Feeding America, 24% of children are victims of food insecurity. When children go hungry, it causes so much more than empty bellies. What happens when a child comes to school on Monday after a weekend with not enough to eat? According to HungerInOurSchools.org, teachers report problems with inability to concentrate, lack of energy or motivation, poor academic performance, tiredness, behavioral problems, and students feeling sick. Students who are hungry are unable to focus on schoolwork or interact in a positive way with teachers and classmates, and that has negative implications for their future. These children lose out on the
chance to become engaged, productive citizens, and all of us lose out on the talents of thousands of future scientists, artists, and innovators.
When children in our community are successful, we all benefit. However, in order for children to be successful in all areas of their lives, they first need to be fed. Justice4Kids is a nonprofit organization in Lancaster County that donates monetarily to buy book bags and food for students likely to go hungry when school is dismissed for the weekend. The program was inspired by teachers and others who recognized the signs and wanted to do
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HELPING INJURED PEOPLE IS ALL WE DO.
How Social Media Can Ruin Your Personal Injury Claim Social media has become a large part of our daily lives, with Facebook alone boasting over 2.4 billion active users. It has become, in large part, how we connect with family and friends, but it is not the place to talk about your personal injury case. It is all too common for people, once they collect themselves after a wreck, to post photos of their car and their injuries. Grandmama may respond, “I’m glad you are okay.” This can be viewed as proof that you have already communicated with Grandmama and told her you were not hurt. This can really “wreck” your claim. Posting photos of yourself cheering at a football game or riding on a boat at the beach, if you are suffering from a back injury, certainly gives the other side some talking points, saying that you aren’t really hurt. You may be in great pain and are just fighting through the pain and trying to just have a life, but the insurance company will use it against you. Insurance companies pay people to track your social media once you report a claim to find any evidence that can be used against you. This puts you in the position of having to defend yourself, which is the insurance company’s goal, so you cannot focus on the wrongdoing of the at-fault driver and the severity of your injuries. So, what do you do? Avoiding social media entirely may not be realistic, but limiting what you post on social media is a good idea. Tell your family and friends to do the same. Google yourself to see what is out there, because the insurance company will google you. Since you know the insurance company will be monitoring you, only post what you want them to see. Again, here’s the best practice: Don’t post.
In 1983, one movie introduced Red Ryder BB guns, fishnet-clad leg lamps, and bright red bars of soap into America’s everlasting Christmas mythos. Now, over 35 years later, “A Christmas Story” continues to delight audiences every holiday season with timeless lessons for viewers of all ages. In a story where kids are clever and kind, and parents are bumbling and wise, “A Christmas Story” has more lessons to offer families than just, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” More Than Just ‘You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!’ Lessons Families Can Learn From ‘A Christmas Story’
YOUR KIDS ARE LISTENING TO YOU (OH, FUDGE!). They aren’t always obedient, but that doesn’t mean they’re not listening. After Ralphie lets slip the “queen mother of dirty words” in front of his father, the narrator reminisces about first hearing that word from his old man — possibly when he was trying to get their furnace to work. He doesn’t admit this to his mother, but it’s a lesson for parents everywhere that kids may hear more than they let on. KIDS WON’T BELIEVE IN MAGIC FOREVER. Magical stories about Santa or even “Little Orphan Annie’s” Secret Society fill children’s hearts with wonder but won’t enchant them forever. Belief in certain parts of the Christmas season can fade slowly or die as quickly as the spin of a decoder pin, but parents can always be there to remind children about what’s really important during the Christmas season. SOMETIMES ‘DISASTERS’ LEAD TO NEW ADVENTURES. Christmas Day can be hectic, and, in the hubbub of it all, sometimes disaster can feel inevitable. Ralphie’s parents certainly experience their fair share of disaster in hilarious fashion when the Bumpus Hounds destroy their holiday turkey and leave nothing but the heavenly aroma. But, when Ralphie’s father takes them out to eat at a local Chinese restaurant, it creates a whole new Christmas tradition for the Parker family. Our holiday mishaps, no matter how tragic, are rarely the end of the world.
Call us at David Blackwell Law with any questions you might have at 803-285-0225 or go to DavidBlackwellLaw.com.
Consider one final tip: Do not stick your tongue to any flagpoles this winter! Happy holidays!
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803-285-0225
WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT AFTER A WRECK IS USUALLY NEGLECTED
After a car wreck, most people are worried about, “What am I going to drive to work? And who is going to pay to have my car fixed?” The last thing on their mind is, “ Am I really okay? ” If a person isn’t experiencing immediate pain, usually because of the adrenaline, they often neglect their own well-being. Car wrecks can be a hassle, but the most common complaint from car wreck victims is they don’t feel like themselves. They could be experiencing some of the obvious pains and symptoms, including muscle spasms, neck pain, numbness, back pain, and difficulty concentrating, among others. Worse than that, a car wreck victim may be injured and feel almost nothing at all. Unfortunately, some car wreck injuries can go undetected for months or even years. Recent studies that looked at victims’ health statuses 17 years after their wrecks found that 55% of the patients still suffer from pain caused by the original trauma. What makes statistics like this even more alarming is an estimated 15–40% of car wreck victims will suffer from ongoing chronic pain. In addition to all of the immediate and underlying injuries, a car wreck victim could suffer ongoing medical concerns like post- traumatic osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis can ruin your posture, cause disc degeneration in your spine, and generate scar tissue, which can lead to chronic stiffness and an inability to move correctly. This is due to the tissue surrounding the spine, which includes facet joints, discs, and muscles around the spine.
hurt in the wreck. If you feel that you are experiencing any of these symptoms, seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Please call David Blackwell Law with any questions you might have about what steps you should take next. You may reach us at 803- 285-0225 or DavidBlackwellLaw.com.
To best handle your injuries and treatment, you must understand the root cause of them and consider what else could have been
Pagan’s Puzzle
In The Kitchen With Dana
Inspired by Ina Garten
CLASSIC ROASTED CHICKEN
INGREDIENTS
• 1 chicken, approx. 5–6 lbs • Kosher salt • Freshly ground pepper • 1 large bunch fresh thyme, 20 sprigs removed • 1 lemon, halved • 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted • 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced • 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces • Olive oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 425 F. 2. Rinse chicken inside and out, removing giblets if included. Move to a work surface, pat dry, and liberally season with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with thyme bunch, lemon halves, and garlic head. Brush outside with butter, and then season again. Tie chicken legs together with kitchen string. 3. Meanwhile, in a roasting pan, toss onions and carrots in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and 20 sprigs of thyme. 4. Place the chicken on the vegetables and roast for 1 1/2 hours. 5. Remove from oven, and let stand for 20 minutes covered with foil. 6. Slice and serve with the vegetables.
HOLIDAYS FLURRY FROZEN
SLEIGH COOKIES ORNAMENTS REINDEER STOCKINGS
PENGUIN WREATH SNOWFLAKE WINTER
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Donahoe Kearney A T T O R N E Y S A T L A W 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 900 Washington, DC 20006 202.393.3320 DonahoeKearney.com
118 SHILOH UNITY RD. LANCASTER, SC 29720 803-285-0225 | DAVIDBLACKWELLLAW.COM
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 2
Taking a Stand Against Child Hunger
Lessons Families Can Learn From ‘A Christmas Story’ How Social Media Can Ruin Your Personal Injury Claim What’s Most Important After a Wreck Is Usually Neglected Classic Roast Chicken
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The History Behind Christmas Lights
FRANK’S COLUMN Light Up the Night
WHY DO WE HANG CHRISTMAS LIGHTS?
The first string of twinkling lights illuminating your neighbor’s house is always a telltale sign of the upcoming seasonal festivities. Christmas lights are a holiday staple, but have you ever wondered where this beloved tradition started? The tradition of hanging lights on the tree originally started with candles. Because this posed an immense fire hazard, Edward Hibberd Johnson, a close friend of Thomas Edison and vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, vowed to find a better way to decorate Christmas trees with light. In December 1882, three years after Edison’s invention of the lightbulb in November 1879, Johnson hand-wired 80 red, white, and blue lightbulbs together and wound them around a Christmas tree in his parlor window. A passing reporter saw the spectacle and declared in the Detroit Post and Tribune, “One can hardly imagine anything prettier.”
Johnson continued this tradition, increasing the number of lights each year and eventually putting them up outside. But because electricity was still a new concept, many years passed before the fad took off for regular Americans. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge began the tradition of lighting the National Christmas Tree, which spurred the idea of selling stringed lights commercially. By the 1930s, families everywhere were buying boxes of bulbs by the dozen. Today, an estimated 150 million Christmas lights are sold in America each year, decorating 80 million homes and consuming 6% of the nation’s electricity every December. Whether you’ll be putting up your own lights or appreciating the most impressive light displays in your neighborhood or town, let the glow fill you with joy this season. Just don’t leave them up until February!
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