AaronMillerLaw.com 214.292.4225
August 2019
The New School Year Is Finally Underway! Good Luck, Students!
August is going to be pretty busy for everyone in my family, but mostly for my daughters. The subject I’ve been writing about for months is finally here! As we’re getting into the new school semester, my girls are preparing and are very excited to step into their next school experience. While there are a lot of things that have changed since I went to school, the feelings of excitement and anticipation to start something new are pretty much the same. I know everyone reacts to starting school differently, but watching Grace, Elissa, and Kaity these past months leaves me no doubt that they’re going to have a blast. Grace is finally starting law school at the University of Texas, exactly 20 years after I did. When I was enrolled in law school, she was only a toddler, and I’m so excited to be here to support and encourage her as she heads off into the same journey. I’m very excited for her, and she’ll know where to look if she has any questions. As some of you may know, she has been filling in around here, first as my marketing person and then as a paralegal. I was just talking with a friend the other day and realized that before I went to law school, I had never stepped foot in a law office. In fact, the only interaction I had with an attorney was as a client at a “fix-it ticket” place when I got a speeding ticket, and I never even met that attorney! She’ll definitely have a leg up since she’s seen how things really work in a law firm. Elissa is continuing her pursuit of becoming a middle school English teacher, and she’s preparing for her first semester at Oklahoma State University. Her high school graduation ceremony, which I’ve written about briefly before, was pretty amazing. It was held at the Cowboys practice stadium, which is a great facility. I was also extremely grateful that the
ceremony didn’t last very long. The people who run it really know their stuff and can zip through about 1,300 kids pretty quickly! This month, she’ll be attending freshman orientation, which is actually only a week apart from Grace’s orientation, so Wendy and I will be spread thin by getting them both where they need to go in time. My youngest, Kaity, who’s entering her junior year, is excited not only to have most of the house to herself but also continue the Health Sciences Academy program I’ve written about before. The program calls for working all sorts of odd hours, as it involves rotations of hospitals or doctors, andWendy and I are thankful she’ll have the ability to drive herself wherever she needs to go without worrying about transportation. We just need to get a few more training drives in before she can take her test. With everyone taking off, I’m reminded of the first time I went to school and how excited I felt, even as far back as elementary school. I moved around a bit when I was younger. I attended a school in Washington state and another in Denver. Then for second grade, I went to a school in Fort Worth and changed schools in the third grade because my former school folded and merged with another small private school. I was there until I graduated with a class of just 19 students. Out of all my school experiences, I think my time in Denver may have been the most interesting. I used to walk to school, and the quickest route involved me walking past a wooden privacy fence that had a German shepherd dog on the other side. Without fail, he would bark and growl when I passed.
Gradually, the hole got bigger and bigger as he chewed the fence. So, I started walking on the other side of the street. This hole got to be pretty big — I’d say about 4 feet in diameter, and big enough for the dog to come through. And, eventually, that is what he did. I was walking home on the other side of the street one day, and as I passed, he jumped right out through the fence. I took off like a shot. When I got to the end of the street, I guess that was as far as he wanted to chase me because he bit me on the rear end and ran back home. I bawled the rest of the way home and told my parents about it that night, asking if I could go a different way to school. Dad said no, because I guess he wanted to build character. Realizing that he had no idea which way I went to school, I took a different route from then on anyway. (Sorry, Dad.) For my daughters and anyone else who is starting a new school year this month, good luck. I hope you have an excellent year without any rogue German shepherds!
-Aaron Miller
One morning, I noticed a small hole in the wall that the dog would stick his nose through.
AaronMillerLaw.com | 1
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
HELPING HUMANS SLOW DOWN AND LOOK UP The Art of Stargazing
Modern humans are stuck in a routine of expected and constant industriousness. But with all this rushing, people often drag themselves home at night with no energy left to enjoy the most splendid show nature has to offer: the wondrous night sky. Most people go through life looking straight ahead, but if they would stop and peer skyward, they’d bear witness to a massive, unexplored frontier made up of the moon in all its phases, burning stars sailing through the sky, constellations with epic origin stories, and meteor showers bright enough to warrant sunglasses. If you’re looking for a hobby to help you slow down and appreciate the world around you, stargazing is a great option. Here are some tips to get you started. 1. The Higher, the Better If you’re a city dweller, meander a little way out of town or try to find a tall building to keep the light pollution to a minimum. 2. Extra Set of Eyes While novice stargazers often want to immediately throw their money at a new telescope, astronomy experts recommend starting with binoculars instead. You’ll need
to identify several anchor planets or constellations to help you navigate the sky before using a telescope.
3. Utilize Assets Put your phone to good use by downloading apps like Stellarium, Starwalk, and Google Sky Map. Each of these apps offers a unique benefit for aspiring stargazers. For example, Starwalk lets you point your phone at the sky to see stars, constellations, and planets in real time based on your location. 4. Mark Your Calendar In 1972, beloved singer-songwriter John Denver wrote about a meteor shower he witnessed during a camping trip in Colorado. He describes the scene by singing, “I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky.”The “fire” he recounted was actually the Perseids meteor shower, the most recognized shower on Earth. This astrological wonder takes place every year from July 17 to Aug. 24. During this time, viewers should be able to see shooting stars associated with the Perseids, but the shower reaches its maximum rate of activity on Aug. 12–13 this year. Grab some friends and family, and head outdoors to put your newfound stargazing knowledge to work. experienced a traumatic event during a routine trip to the lady’s room. In 2007, a schlocky horror plot came to life in a building along Philadelphia’s famous Market Street. The culprit was a faulty plumbing system. The woman was inside a restroom stall on the eighth floor, and, as she sat on one of the old toilets customary in the building, pressure building from inside the tank caused a massive explosion that sent her body hurling out of the stall. You don’t need to know the details of her injuries to understand the extent of her grievances. Some forms of suffering are better left to the imagination, especially if the aggressor was a literal stink bomb. She sued the building’s landlords for anxiety, pain, and medical expenses, but it’s hard to determine which party was truly at fault without more information. IT’S RAINING CATS AND DOLLARS You can’t predict the weather, no matter what your weather app says, but some people tend to forget that. A few years ago, an Israeli weatherman was faced with a lawsuit by a woman who claimed his inaccurate forecast caused her a great deal of suffering. She claimed he misrepresented a particularly harsh day in the forecast, and it encouraged her to wear insufficient layers that left her health to the whim of the elements. As a result, the woman caught the flu from the downpour and missed work for four days. Citing lost income, large medication costs, and tremendous anxiety, she sought reparations from the fraudulent weatherman and was amazingly awarded a four- figure settlement!
The Right Place at the Wrong Time A LOOK AT SOME INTERESTING PERSONAL INJURY CASES
There is no shortage of crazy cases that come through a court of law, but those revolving around personal injury can be especially surprising. Whether it’s a slip-and-fall accident or something a little more eccentric, there are a million ways to hurt yourself while simply going about your day. The problems arise when it’s determined to be another party’s fault. Let’s take a look at some notably strange cases where bizarre miscalculations led to injuries and ailments. AS BELOW, SO ABOVE Time spent in the restroom is inherently private. We don’t normally talk about it, but that’s not the case for a Pennsylvania woman who
2 | 214.292.4225
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
TAKE A BREAK
WHAT’S NEXT FOR MARVEL MOVIES? 3 Marvel Movies to Watch Out For
For the past 10 years, Marvel movies have delighted families and comic book nerds alike with their memorable characters, incredible action scenes, and sprawling, interconnected storylines. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the story of the Avengers so far, told through 23 movies. Even though this year marked the end of a massive arc that Marvel Studios dubbed “The Infinity Saga,” there are still more movies coming out that will feature everyone’s favorite heroes. Here are a few films coming up next in the MCU. International assassin Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson, was the first female member of the Avengers and made her debut appearance in “Iron Man 2.” She never got her own movie, but Marvel announced recently that a Black Widow movie is officially in the works for the next phase of Marvel movies. Besides the fact that they’ve started filming, there’s not much information about it yet. But for many excited fans, this movie has been a long time coming. A BLACKWIDOW SOLO MOVIE
ROASTED CORN SALSA
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3’
Ingredients
Inspired by Bon Appétit Magazine
Star-Lord, Rocket, Groot, and the gang are all back in the third installment of this smash-hit franchise. Without getting into too much detail, “Avengers: Endgame” and the post-credits scene of the second “Guardians”movie provided some clues about the plot and possible main villain. Though details are slim, “Vol. 3” is sure to be another rollicking ride through the cosmos.
•
2 medium ears of corn, shucked
•
1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
•
1 jalapeño or Fresno chile, seeded and thinly sliced
•
1/4 bunch cilantro leaves, sliced
•
1/2 red onion, diced
•
Juice of 1 lime
•
Kosher salt, to taste
‘BLACK PANTHER 2’
Directions
“Black Panther”was immensely popular (it earned nearly $700 billion domestically), and its success removed all doubt that there would be a sequel. Audiences will journey back to Wakanda and see the newest adventures of King T’Challa and crew, although not much is known about the plot or the release date as of now. But you can rest assured that the creative minds behind the sequel are taking their time to make it as good as the first. The future storyline of the MCU is up in the air, but, if the previous movies are any indicator, families, fans, and audiences everywhere have a lot to look forward to.
1. Heat a cast-iron skillet to high. Char corn, turning occasionally, for 10–14 minutes until kernels begin to blacken in spots. 2. Using a sharp knife, remove corn kernels from cobs and transfer to a large mixing bowl. 3. With a wooden spoon or potato masher, gently crush corn to release starch and juices. 4. Add jalapeño, onion, tomato, and cilantro. Mix to combine.
5. Top with lime juice and season with salt. 6. Serve alongside your favorite tortilla chips.
AaronMillerLaw.com | 3
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
214.292.4225 www.AaronMillerLaw.com 2301 Ohio Drive, Suite 200 Plano, Texas 75093 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
The Start of the School Year
Roasted Corn Salsa The Next Phase of Marvel Movies The Art of Stargazing Bizarre Personal Injury Cases
2
3
4
How to Best Protect Yourself From Scam Calls
RING, RING — IT’S A ROBOT What You Can Do to Protect Yourself From Phone Scams and Robocalls
PUT UP SOME DETERRENTS. You can even go a step further and block the calls. Many phone service providers offer call-blocking options, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. You can sign up for this service in-store or on your service provider’s website. Each service costs about $4 per month. There are also a number of call-blocking apps available on Android and Apple devices, but if you subscribe to a blocking service through your phone provider, these apps are unnecessary.
Two of the most common scams are phone scams and robocalls. These calls are incredibly annoying and can trick you out of valuable information if you’re not careful. While it might seem like these scams are inescapable, there are some precautions you can take to avoid their traps. GIVE THEM THE SILENT TREATMENT. One thing you can do to avoid these fraudulent, time-wasting calls is to simply hang up. If possible, it is best to not answer at all. It’s always good
to have a list of numbers you can reference, so you never have to guess who is calling. Think of it as going one step beyond caller ID. In some cases, answering and then hanging up can actually do more harm than good. Answering the phone gives the scammers confirmation that the number works and that they should try again. Once your number is confirmed as active, it often gets put on an “active number” list that can then be sold to other scammers who market in these types of phone numbers. If you can’t verify who is calling without picking up, don’t answer. Let it go to voicemail. If it’s important, the person will leave a legitimate message and you can respond afterward.
Finally, you can sign up for the Federal Trade Commission’s “Do Not Call” program (DoNotCall. gov). While the Do Not Call program can help cut back on calls, this list is largely ignored by scammers. If you’re getting a ridiculous number of robocalls every day, signing up can offer you some brief respite. Thankfully, Congress is already attempting to fix this problem by making it harder for scammers to call you. But until they are able to pass tough, effective legislation, it is up to us as consumers to remain vigilant and do what we can to keep our personal and financial data safe and secure.
4 | 214.292.4225
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online