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LouisBerkLaw.com 407-906-0500 October 2025
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OCTOBER MAGIC Birthdays, Anniversaries, and the Beauty of Family Life
There’s something magical about October. In Florida, the weather finally starts to cool off, the leaves start to turn, and in our home, the celebrations begin. It’s a month packed with milestones that make me pause, reflect, and feel so grateful. From birthdays to anniversaries, October reminds me how much I love my wife and children and how proud I am to watch our family grow, laugh, and live beautifully together. This year, we’re celebrating Ziva’s 4th birthday. Can you believe that? Four years have flown by like a whirlwind. It feels like just yesterday she was learning to walk, babbling her first words, and making us laugh and smile with all those amazing firsts. Now here she is, a little firecracker of a human being, full of opinions and boundless energy. She’s entered the toddler rebellion phase, correcting me when I call her “my baby” with a serious, “I’m not your baby!” and I can’t help but smile every time she does it. She may be growing up, but she’ll always be my baby girl.
It’s incredible how a 28-pound bundle of sass and sweetness can turn an entire day around with just a hug, a smile, or a funny comment. No matter what kind of day I’m having, especially one of those stressful, nothing-goes-right kind of days, just looking at Ziva (and her little brother, Gavi) reminds me why I do everything I do. They’ve made me a better man, a more present human, and someone who sees life through a lens of hope and joy. Speaking of happiness, my wife, Marisa, and I are turning 7 this month! It’s our seventh wedding anniversary; it’s wild how fast time has moved, yet how rich and full every single year has been. My wife is, without a doubt, the best thing that ever happened to me. She’s my partner, my rock, and my greatest inspiration. She’s encouraged me to grow, show up for myself and my family in new ways, and be the kind of dad and husband I always hoped to be. Everything good in my life, including our two beautiful children, comes from the life we’ve built together. She is genuinely the greatest human I’ve ever met! Here’s a fun fact: Marisa is a Halloween baby! Every Oct. 31, as kids across the neighborhood trick-or-treat in costumes and collect candy, we also light candles, sing “Happy Birthday,” and celebrate another year of her life. It’s the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. When I think about what October means to me, it’s not just about the birthdays or the anniversary. It’s about the love that runs through it all, watching my children grow into the amazing little people they are, seeing my wife continue to shine in everything she does, and realizing how lucky I am to be surrounded by so much beauty and connection. It’s about family dinners, birthday cakes, laughter echoing through the house, and those quiet moments where I look around and just think, “Wow. Life is really, really good.”
Happy birthday, Ziva and Marisa, Happy Anniversary, and Happy October to everyone! -Louis Bernardo Berk
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The instrument made its public debut in 1906 with the opening of Telharmonic Hall in New York City. Guests could grab one of the phone receivers placed throughout the venue and listen to the synthesized music Telharmonium operators were performing on the floor below. Soon, phone users embraced Cahill’s technology at theaters, eateries, hotels, and homes nationwide. Unfortunately, the system proved glitchy — the organ’s electronic tones interrupted ordinary phone users mid-conversation — and AT&T decided not to invest in Cahill’s impractical invention to expand its reach. That inconvenience, coupled with high manufacturing costs (each Telharmonium cost $200,000, a fortune then) and operational demands (it required 2–4 musicians to play), eventually led to declining popularity and the closing of Telharmonic Hall by 1920. Sadly, no surviving audio recordings of the Telharmonium are believed to exist, and its last known version was dismantled and scrapped in the early 1960s. The Birth of Streaming Sound RECEIVERS AND RHAPSODIES
We celebrate the late Steve Jobs of Apple and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek as innovators in the world of music streaming, but the true pioneer of how most of us enjoy tunes in 2025 is a man who died nearly a century ago. A lawyer by trade, Thaddeus Cahill (1867–1934) spent his free time as an innovator, a hobby that eventually led him to revolutionize sound. In 1897, he received a patent for the Telharmonium, a 200-ton organ created to turn telephones into what could be considered the world’s first iPods. Looking more like a NASA control board than a musical instrument, the Telharmonium used electromagnetic impulses to create sounds similar to those of modern synthesizers and transmit them over telephone networks, essentially making the “hold music” of its time. Although bulky, the invention captured the hearts of music aficionados, including Mark Twain, who famously said, “I couldn’t possibly leave the world until I have heard this again and again.”
Clergy, Candy, and Criminal Codes Surprising Southern Halloween Laws
Depending on where you live, Halloween is either a holiday for spooky fun or a one- way ticket to the wrong side of the law. Surprisingly, certain parts of the country have Halloween-related laws regulating everything from who can wear a mask to whom you’re allowed to make laugh. Here are a few obscure-but-true laws in the South that, if broken, are scarier than any haunted hayride. The Great Mustachioed Priest Menace If you’re a Halloween reveler in Alabama, be careful with your costume choice — God and the law are watching. Dressing up like a priest, rabbi, nun, or other clergy member on Oct. 31 or any other day of the year could cost you a fine of up to $500 or up to a year behind bars. The law was established to show respect to religious institutions by discouraging citizens from impersonating faith leaders. Additionally, Alabama’s focus on maintaining a sense of decorum in religious
practices extends to what citizens do in the presence of actual priests. Naturally, disrupting services by prompting attendees to burst out laughing is bad form, which is why the state prohibits anyone from wearing a fake mustache in church to elicit a chuckle. Was this practice really widespread enough to inspire an actual law? While the law’s historical origins are unclear, it demonstrates the state’s commitment to religious faith and willingness to fine anyone who attempts to mock it. The Decriminalized Children of Dublin Dublin, Georgia, has an odd — and, depending on your age, totally fun — legal perspective concerning facial coverings. Although the city’s rules were loosened temporarily at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, municipal laws prohibit people from “wearing a mask, hood, or other apparel or regalia in such manner as to conceal [their] identity, or in such manner
that [their] face is not fully visible, or in such manner that [they] may not be recognized.” However, Dublin makes an annual exception for children under the age of 16 who “may be garbed in the usual or customary children’s Halloween costumes.” While parents or older siblings will face a misdemeanor charge if they’re caught wearing a mask while accompanying their little ones trick-or-treating, at least children in Dublin won’t be deemed juvenile criminals for covering their faces while on the hunt for neighborhood candy.
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STRONG STARTS
TAKE A BREAK
Denmark’s Secrets to Raising Happy Kids
In a black-and-white world, Danes embrace the gray.
The University of Oxford’s “World Happiness Report” cites Denmark as the second-happiest country behind Finland. Denmark clearly knows a thing or two about fostering a culture that prioritizes contentment and personal well-being. Not surprisingly, the rest of the world often looks to Denmark for inspiration to lead a more positive life. Regarding parenting, Danish citizens have crafted a philosophical and practical approach that could benefit children in countries far from their own. Attitude Determines Attitude First and foremost, Danish parenting is a practice steeped in empathy, caring, communication, and respect. While these core tenets aren’t particularly revolutionary, parent-child relationships in Denmark thrive because of how they apply each. Stringently nonviolent, Danish parenting focuses on the inherent goodness in all children and encourages independence, optimism, and honesty. For example, parents eschew “helicopter parenting” to allow their children to engage in playtime and other activities with as little intervention as possible. Practitioners believe granting their little ones this high level of freedom enables them to develop greater self-esteem and leadership skills than if they constantly dictate their actions and give strict directions. Additionally, Danish parenting stresses the importance of validating a child’s emotions instead of telling them how to feel. This ongoing encouragement to embrace and examine feelings likely enables Danish children to develop stronger self-trust and a clearer perception of the world around them. Bad Patches and Damaging Praise Naturally, plenty of old-fashioned tough love balances the openness apparent in Danish parenting. Parents rarely shy away from addressing negative events, feelings, and circumstances head-on with their children. Suppose a Danish parent is having a rough day or is upset about unexpected bad news. In that case, they’re more likely to explain to their children why their disposition is darker than usual rather than bottling up these thoughts and shielding the little ones from reality. While talking things out is the norm in Denmark, overloading children with compliments is considered bad form. For example, studies suggest that constantly praising a child’s intelligence harms their self-worth when they encounter mentally challenging tasks later in life. Instead of working through these obstacles, they’re more likely to give up in frustration. To that end, Danish parents emphasize effort over accomplishment , helping children gain greater confidence in overcoming hurdles.
APPLE UPSIDE- DOWN CAKE
Inspired by IHeartEating.com
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon • 1/4 tsp salt • 3/4 cup milk • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 1 large egg
Topping • 1/4 cup unsalted butter • 1/2 cup light brown sugar • 3 Honeycrisp apples Cake • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. In a 9-inch round cake pan, add butter for topping. Place in oven for a few minutes until melted. 3. Sprinkle brown sugar over melted butter. 4. Cut apples into half circles about 1/4-inch thick (no need to peel) and arrange them in circles, overlapping slightly until they fill the entire pan. Set aside. 5. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. 6. Add milk, melted butter, vanilla, and egg. Whisk until combined. 7. Pour batter over apple slices, smoothing as needed. 8. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 9. Let cool to room temperature, invert on a plate, and serve.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
October Will Always Have My Heart
1
History’s Forgotten Music Machine
2
Pulpits and Pumpkins
Apple Upside-Down Cake
3
Danish Parenting Demystified
Lyrics and Litigation
4
HALFTIME HEAT Hype, Hits, and a High-Stakes Lawsuit
“I wanna make a move. I wanna play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.” These were the words rap superstar Kendrick Lamar used during his halftime performance at this year’s Super Bowl to introduce his song “Not Like Us.” Although he may have intended it to be a joke, his words proved prophetic. Of course, the “they” referenced in Lamar’s intro was fellow rapper Drake, with whom he’d been engaged in a high-profile feud resulting in “diss tracks” and fiery public statements. Although rap battles are nothing new — the late 1990s murders of the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur are widely rumored to have been linked to their public conflict — the Lamar/Drake schism reached epic proportions during the February sporting event, playing out in front of a global audience of more than 130 million. Most incendiary of all, “Not Like Us” features lyrics suggesting that Drake — who has sold more than 500 million units in his musical career — has a sexual interest in minors.
Recordings, which, interestingly, also oversees the plaintiff’s music catalog. In an amended complaint filed shortly after the Super Bowl, Drake alleges that Lamar “duped” the audience into believing he had immoral proclivities. “It was the first, and will hopefully be the last, Super Bowl halftime show orchestrated to assassinate the character of another artist,” the suit adds. Faced with a major lawsuit filed by one of its artists, UMG quickly issued a public statement, voicing dismay over Drake’s legal maneuverings in recent months. “Drake, unquestionably one of the world’s most accomplished artists and with whom we’ve enjoyed a 16-year successful relationship, is being misled by his legal representatives into taking one absurd legal step after another.”
While the ultimate conclusion of Drake’s latest move in his longstanding feud with his musical arch nemesis was unknown at the time of this writing, what is clear is that combining a bruised ego with big money often leads to interesting times for the legal world.
Lamar’s performance of the track exacerbated an already contentious defamation suit Drake filed in January against Lamar’s record label, UMG
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LouisBerkLaw.com 407-906-0500 Octubre 2025
Car Accidents | Truck Accidents | Pedestrian Accidents | Slip & Fall/Premises Liability | Wrongful Death
MAGIA DE OCTUBRE Cumpleaños, Aniversarios Y La Belleza De La Vida Familiar
Hay algo mágico en octubre. En Florida, el clima finalmente comienza a refrescar, las hojas empiezan a cambiar de color y, en nuestro hogar, comienzan las celebraciones. Es un mes lleno de hitos que me hacen detenerme, reflexionar y sentirme muy agradecido. Desde cumpleaños hasta aniversarios, octubre me recuerda cuánto amo a mi esposa y a mis hijos, y lo orgulloso que me siento al ver a nuestra familia crecer, reír y vivir juntos con tanta belleza. Este año celebramos el cuarto cumpleaños de Ziva. ¿Puedes creerlo? Cuatro años han pasado volando. Parece que fue ayer cuando apenas aprendía a caminar, balbuceaba sus primeras palabras y nos hacía reír y sonreír con todos esos momentos inolvidables. Ahora aquí está, una pequeña chispa de energía humana, llena de opiniones y vitalidad. Ha entrado en la fase de “rebeldía de los toddlers”, corrigiéndome cuando la llamo “mi bebé” con un serio: “¡No soy tu bebé”! Y no puedo evitar sonreír cada vez que lo hace. Puede que esté creciendo, pero siempre será mi niña.
Es increíble cómo un paquetito de 28 libras lleno de picardía y dulzura, puede cambiarme el día entero con solo un abrazo, una sonrisa o un comentario gracioso. No importa qué tan difícil sea mi jornada, con solo ver a Ziva (y a su hermanito Gavi) recuerdo por qué hago todo lo que hago. Ellos me han hecho un mejor hombre, una persona más presente y alguien que ve la vida con esperanza y alegría. Hablando de felicidad, ¡mi esposa, Marisa, y yo cumplimos siete años este mes! Es nuestro séptimo aniversario de bodas; es increíble lo rápido que ha pasado el tiempo y, sin embargo, cuán ricos y plenos han sido cada uno de esos años. Mi esposa es, sin duda, lo mejor que me ha pasado. Es mi compañera, mi roca y mi mayor inspiración. Me ha motivado a crecer, a estar presente para mí y para nuestra familia de nuevas maneras, y a ser el tipo de esposo y padre que siempre soñé ser. Todo lo bueno en mi vida, incluidos nuestros dos hermosos hijos, viene de la vida que hemos construido juntos. ¡Ella es realmente la mejor persona que he conocido! Dato curioso: ¡Marisa nació en Halloween! Cada 31 de octubre, mientras los niños del vecindario salen disfrazados a pedir dulces, nosotros también encendemos velas, cantamos “Feliz cumpleaños” y celebramos otro año de su vida. Es la manera perfecta de dar inicio a las festividades. Cuando pienso en lo que octubre significa para mí, no se trata solo de los cumpleaños o del aniversario. Se trata del amor que lo atraviesa todo, de ver a mis hijos crecer y convertirse en las increíbles personitas que son, de ver a mi esposa brillar en todo lo que hace, y de darme cuenta de la suerte que tengo de estar rodeado de tanta belleza y conexión. Se trata de cenas familiares, pasteles de
cumpleaños, risas que resuenan en toda la casa y esos momentos tranquilos en los que miro alrededor y pienso: “Wow. La vida es realmente, realmente buena”. Feliz cumpleaños, Ziva y Marisa, ¡Feliz aniversario y feliz octubre para todos! -Louis Bernardo Berk
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El instrumento debutó públicamente en 1906 con la apertura del Telharmonic Hall en Nueva York. Los invitados podían tomar uno de los receptores telefónicos colocados en todo el lugar y escuchar la música sintetizada que los operadores del Telharmonium tocaban en el piso inferior. Pronto, usuarios de teatros, restaurantes, hoteles y hogares en todo el país adoptaron la tecnología de Cahill. Lamentablemente, el sistema resultó problemático: los tonos electrónicos del órgano interrumpían a los usuarios comunes de teléfono en medio de sus conversaciones, y AT&T decidió no invertir en el invento poco práctico de Cahill para ampliar su alcance. Esa molestia, sumada a los altos costos de fabricación (cada Telharmonium costaba 200.000 dólares, una fortuna en ese entonces) y a las exigencias operativas (se necesitaban de 2 a 4 músicos para tocarlo), llevó a su declive y al cierre del Telharmonic Hall en 1920. Por desgracia, no se cree que existan grabaciones de audio sobrevivientes del Telharmonium, y su última versión conocida fue desmantelada a inicios de los años 60. El Nacimiento Del Sonido En Streaming RECEPTORES Y RAPSODIAS
Celebramos a Steve Jobs de Apple y a Daniel Ek de Spotify como innovadores en el mundo del streaming musical, pero el verdadero pionero de cómo la mayoría de nosotros disfrutamos la música en 2025 es un hombre que murió hace casi un siglo. Abogado de profesión, Thaddeus Cahill (1867–1934) dedicaba su tiempo libre a la innovación, un pasatiempo que eventualmente lo llevó a revolucionar el sonido. En 1897 recibió la patente del Telharmonium, un órgano de 200 toneladas creado para convertir los teléfonos en lo que podría considerarse los primeros iPods del mundo. Parecido más a un panel de control de la NASA que a un instrumento musical, el Telharmonium usaba impulsos electromagnéticos para crear sonidos similares a los sintetizadores modernos y transmitirlos a través de las redes telefónicas, convirtiéndose, en esencia, en la “música en espera” de su época. Aunque voluminoso, el invento conquistó a los amantes de la música, incluido Mark Twain, quien dijo famosamente: “No podría dejar el mundo hasta haber escuchado esto una y otra vez”.
Ingredientes
Cobertura • 1/4 taza de mantequilla sin sal • 1/2 taza de azúcar morena clara • 3 manzanas Honeycrisp Pastel • 1 1/4 tazas de harina para todo uso • 1/2 taza de azúcar granulada
• 1 1/2 cucharaditas de polvo de hornear • 1/2 cucharadita de canela molida • 1/4 cucharadita de sal • 3/4 taza de leche • 1/4 taza de mantequilla sin sal, derretida • 1 cucharadita de extracto de vainilla • 1 huevo grande
Instrucciones 1. Precalienta el horno a 350 F (175 C). 2. En un molde redondo de 9 pulgadas, agrega la mantequilla para la cobertura.
Colócalo en el horno por unos minutos hasta que se derrita. 3. Espolvorea el azúcar morena sobre la mantequilla derretida.
4. Corta las manzanas en medias lunas de aproximadamente 1/4 de pulgada de grosor (no es necesario pelarlas) y colócalas en círculos, superponiéndolas ligeramente hasta llenar todo el molde. Reserva. 5. En un tazón grande, mezcla la harina, el azúcar, el polvo de hornear, la canela y la sal. 6. Agrega la leche, la mantequilla derretida, la vainilla y el huevo. Bate hasta integrar bien. 7. Vierte la masa sobre las rodajas de manzana, alisando la superficie si es necesario. 8. Hornea durante 30–35 minutos, o hasta que al insertar un palillo en el centro, este salga limpio.
PASTEL VOLTEADO DE MANZANA
Inspirado por IHeartEating.com
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