Check out our October newsletter!
404-259-7635
www.christophersimon.com
october 2019
Slowing Down
Lower In-Town Speed Limits May Save Lives
Saving Lives
This September, Atlanta finally took concrete steps toward lowering the in-town speed limit to 25 miles per hour (mph) and may have turned the corner toward becoming the pedestrian- and bike-friendly metropolis it is capable of becoming. This movement started as an international campaign called Vision Zero, and some of the elements have caught on with local activists. The impetus for this study and subsequent legislation is the surge in pedestrian versus automobile deaths this year, but there are also strong economic and quality of life reasons that make slowing down in main commercial districts so vital.
What difference is 35 mph versus 25 mph going to make? It will slow traffic, which leads to more time for drivers to see, react to, and brake for pedestrians. Secondly, fewer drivers will use surface streets as a racetrack to cut a few minutes off their commutes. People drive 40–45 mph in a 35- mph zone if they can, and as a result, Atlanta has had a surge of scooter, bike, and pedestrian deaths this year alone. If the speed limits came down to 25 mph, map routing applications are going to start sending more traffic to the main routes with faster speeds rather than side streets. This leads to fewer fatal pedestrian accidents. Setting aside the life-safety argument for a moment, think about the time you spend walking. Do you have a sidewalk in your neighborhood? What are the speed limits there? How do you feel when there are cars blowing by at 45 mph versus 20 mph in a small neighborhood street? Do you worry that your dog is going to lurch off the curb suddenly? The difference between many major European cities and Atlanta does not just begin and end with a better metro system. Europe’s streets were laid out long before cars came along, and pedestrian foot traffic has always carried equal weight there. I was just in Munich, Germany, and there is a street for cars, a bike sidewalk for bikes only, and a pedestrian- only sidewalk. The foot traffic is off the charts, which leads to numerous commercial benefits as the stores prosper from walk-in traffic with no overhead to provide parking. At Simon Law Firm, we deal with pedestrian injury and death cases on an all-too-frequent basis, and I can tell you that speed and visibility are the top factors. Lowering speed limits will go a long way toward making our streets and communities safer and more prosperous. Improving Quality of Life
–Christopher Simon
www.christophersimon.com | 1
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
CAMPING LIGHTLY 5WAYS TOMAKEYOURCAMPINGTRIPMORE ECO-FRIENDLY
1. Say No to New Before you leave town, inventory everything you’ll need for your trip. If gear is on the list, try repairing what you have, borrowing from a friend, or buying used equipment before you head to REI. Using what you have leads to less eventual waste. 2. Go Natural When choosing soap, toothpaste, makeup, sunscreen, and bug spray for camping, always pick natural options that will biodegrade quickly and won’t pollute the water. Stay away from waterways while brushing your teeth, and avoid sunscreen and bug sprays that are water-soluble or toxic to animals. 3. Try DIY Making your own snacks and buying in bulk can help you avoid single-use plastic packaging, which inevitably becomes trash. Try baking your own granola bars and securing them in beeswax wrap, tossing homemade snack mixes in reusable Stasher bags, and bringing bulk oats for breakfast in repurposed jars.
4. Cook Smart Ditch gas when you camp by packing in a battery- or solar-powered burner to start your fire without harmful chemicals. If you’re cooking over the campfire, be sure to burn smart, too. Tossing aluminum cans or random trash in with your kindling can pollute both the air and the “Leave no trace” is the camper’s motto. Ideally, you should leave your campsite pristine apart from extinguished coals and flattened grass. Bring reusable bags to pack out your trash and other items to recycle and/or compost. Food scraps don’t always biodegrade quickly in nature — in fact, according to The Guardian, banana peels can take two years to decompose. There’s nothing quite like spending a few days in nature, enjoying the fresh air, lush trees, and peace and quiet. If campers do their part to preserve the health and beauty of our national parks, everyone can enjoy them for years to come. food you’re making. 5. Pack It Out Who Else Has Access FaceApp does share your information with “affiliate” companies and service providers. Affiliate companies will use your data to improve their own products. Service providers only use your data as much as necessary to provide their varied services and are under strict confidentiality agreements. How Your Data Is Stored Your data is transferred and stored in locations across the world where FaceApp and their affiliates or service providers maintain locations. FaceApp and all related companies adhere to the data protection laws of the countries where the data is transferred to, not necessarily where the data originates from. However, many first-world countries have data protection laws that are heavily enforced and keep your information safe. FaceApp may be relatively safe in terms of data collection, but you should still always be wary when using any phone app, regardless of its origin. When it comes to social media, skepticism and careful browsing is always a good idea. Be sure to research the privacy policy for any social media app you want to use before downloading it.
During the 35-day government shutdown that stretched from late 2018 to early 2019, National Park Service workers were stuck at home without pay. Meanwhile, Yellowstone National Park trash cans overflowed with fast food wrappers and plastic water bottles; broken sleds and beer cans piled up in the Lassen National Forest; toilets in Yosemite National Park backed up and dumped waste into the places we’ve deemed most precious. Months later, our national parks are still struggling, but nature lovers can take steps to be more eco-friendly while
camping in any outdoor setting this fall. Here are five green ideas for your next campout:
Changing (and Saving) Face HOWFACEAPP’S PRIVACY POLICY IS AGING
Ever since its inception in January 2017, the phone application FaceApp has given users a glimpse into how they would look as the opposite sex, howmany wrinkles they’ll have when they’re 80, and how chubby their baby cheeks might have been when they were young. It’s a technological phenomenon, but recently, the app has come under fire, not for its face-swapping action but rather its privacy policy. FaceApp’s privacy policy loosely states that any person using FaceApp will “grant the application a license to use, reproduce, modify, and display user content, all without compensation to the user.” At first glance, the policy seems scary, but before you delete the app from all your devices, take a look at the type of data FaceApp will collect and what that means for you as a user. Information Collected There is a plethora of information the app collects when you use it, and the most popular method used to collect that data utilizes cookies. Cookies find trends in aggregated data, like web pages visited and items looked up on search engines.
Log file information is collected when the content of an app is downloaded to your device. Log files record data like your IP address, browser type, number of clicks on an app, exit pages, and other pieces of information. Data identifiers uniquely identify your device. These will tell FaceApp what you do while in the app. These are used primarily to determine how consumers use the app and to provide personalized ads.
Use of Information FaceApp will utilize the information
for internal uses such as app updates, bug issues, demographics, and traffic patterns. However, this does not grant the FaceApp developers the right to rent or sell your information to any company outside of FaceApp, which may not be the case for other social media platforms.
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
2 | 404-259-7635
WORD SEARCH
Why You Should Make Your Own Halloween Candy
ANARGUMENT FOR HEALTHY(ER) SWEETS
The approach of Halloween almost always signals a trip to the nearest big-box store for an industrial-sized bag of candy to hand out to trick-or- treaters and fill party bowls. Attempts to opt out for your health can earn you dirty looks, concerned questions, and a less-than-stellar reputation as “that one house that hands out toothbrushes/apples/Tic Tacs” until you move. It can also be sad to dismiss tradition, particularly if you’d love some candy, too. So, what is a health-conscious cook to do? Well, one way to mix up your candy routine is by making your own. Though it won’t be healthy exactly , taking control of the food you eat has plenty of benefits. For one, homemade candy doesn’t need to have a long shelf life, so you can avoid the many preservatives in store-bought candy. You can also screen the other ingredients, choosing organic and local options to boost your vitamin intake. If you’re adventurous, try swapping in honey or maple syrup for sugar or experimenting with carob instead of chocolate. You can even integrate fruits and vegetables to reap their health benefits: Try dehydrated berries in chocolate bars or use vegetable juice to dye your taffy. While you’re at it, why not attempt your dream candy? If there’s a flavor combination you’ve always wished for, now is the time to make it happen. Just remember that innovation takes patience; you may need to give the recipe a few tries before it comes out just right. Even your waistline can benefit from turning your kitchen into a candy factory, provided you don’t eat all of your creations. In fact, every step — and pot lifted and pan scrubbed — in the kitchen burns calories and leads to better fitness. Making your own Halloween candy does come with one big caveat: For many trick-or-treaters, hand-wrapped sweets aren’t always parent- approved. Tales of hidden razor blades have led many parents to inspect their kids’ Halloween candy and toss anything not industrially sealed. Still, if you know your neighbors well, you can certainly hand out your homemade goodies — and they’re sure to be a hit at Halloween parties.
AUTUMN CANDY CARVE COSTUME
SCARECROW HALLOWEEN OCTOBER ORANGE
PUMPKIN FOOTBALL HARVEST LEAVES
Miso Caramel Apples
This silky caramel recipe is spiked with miso for a complex, rich snack that won’t hurt your teeth. INGREDIENTS
• • • • •
4 Granny Smith apples 1/2 cup raw pistachios 1 1/2 tsp plus 1 cup sugar
• • • •
4 Popsicle sticks
2 tbsp light corn syrup 1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp white miso, divided
DIRECTIONS 1. Heat oven to 275 F. 2. In a food processor, pulse pistachios and 1 1/2 tsp sugar. Add sesame seeds and 1 tbsp miso, pulsing until miso is fully broken up. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15–20 minutes and let cool. 3. Meanwhile, insert a Popsicle stick into the center of each apple. 4. In a saucepan, bring corn syrup, 1 cup sugar, and 2 tbsp water to a boil. Boil for 5–7 minutes, swirling infrequently, until caramel is a light amber color. 5. Add cream and salt to caramel, whisking to combine. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and quickly whisk in remaining miso. 6. To assemble, first roll apple in caramel, then in pistachio mixture, before resting on greased baking sheet. 7. Let cool 30 minutes and serve.
www.christophersimon.com | 3
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
2860 Piedmont Rd. NE #210 Atlanta, GA 30305
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
i
Why Atlanta’s Lower Speed Limit is a Good Change 1 Green Up Your Camping Trip How FaceApp’s Privacy Policy Is Aging 2 Why You Should Make Your Own Halloween Candy
Miso Caramel Apples 3 Grave Matters of the Law 4
Halloween Decorations or Fighting Words? A GRAVE LEGAL MATTER
We’ve all played a harmless trick or two, but sometimes, Halloween shenanigans get out of hand. They can lead to hurt feelings, outraged neighbors, and, in the case of Purtell v. Mason, a lawsuit. In the days leading up to Halloween, all was not quiet in the village of Bloomingdale. Previously parked in a storage unit, Jeff and Vicki Purtell’s 38-foot RV was now parked in front of their house. In protest, neighbors petitioned to town officials, wanting an ordinance put in place to prohibit RV parking on residential property. While the ordinance was under consideration, Jeff Purtell took matters into his own hands. He erected six wooden tombstones in his front yard. They seemed to be innocuous Halloween decorations, but these tombstones displayed a special message for the neighbors. Each headstone was inscribed with a sarcastic message and house number, implying the
occupants’ death dates. These messages soon caught the neighbors’ attention.
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Sykes ruled that the tombstones did not constitute fighting words and were protected under the First Amendment. However, she also ruled that Officer Mason was entitled to qualified immunity, as any reasonable officer would act the same under the circumstances.
“Bette wasn't ready, but here she lies, ever since that night she died. Twelve feet deep in this trench, still wasn't deep enough for that stench! 1690.” Insulted and a little afraid, Purtell’s neighbors called the police to have the headstones removed. After a couple of visits, Officer Bruce Mason arrived and threatened to arrest Purtell if he didn’t take the tombstones down. Purtell obliged, but the matter wasn’t put to rest.
The bigger question might be how this case made it all the way to the U.S. Court of Appeals. As Judge Sykes wrote in her opinion,
“Lawsuits like this one cast the legal profession in a bad light and contribute to the impression that Americans are an overlawyered and excessively litigious people.”
The Verdict Purtell sued Officer Mason on the grounds of violating his rights to free speech, and the case made it all the way to the 7th
4 | 404-259-7635
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Annual report