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The Miracle of 1511 In Brussels in 1511, during six weeks of subzero temperatures called theWinter of Death, the city was miraculously adorned with hundreds of snowmen. The spectacle told stories on every street corner —some political and some demonstrating anger with the church, many too risque to speak of. For the people of Brussels, this Miracle of 1511 was a definingmoment of artistic freedom. But when spring came and the snow thawed, the Belgians were left with damaging floods. The Schenectady Massacre Not all snowmen have an innocent history. In 1690, former Fort Schenectady in upstate New York was home to a remote Dutch settlement, which was under the constant threat of attack. Soldiers guarded the gates at all times because they were frozen open, but during a blizzard, they left a pair of snowmen to protect the gates
Building a snowman is one of the most picturesque winter activities, which is why snowmen have become a wintertime cultural icon. A snowman appeared on the very first postcards, was the subject of some of the earliest photos, and even starred in silent movies. Frosty may be a happy snowman now, but his ancestors have a much more varied — and sometimes dark — history. The Middle Ages Snowmen were a phenomenon in the Middle Ages. They were constructed with deep thought and great skill because, during a time of limited means of expression, snow was a free art supply that literally fell from the sky. These artistic feats were popular winter attractions for well-to-do couples who wanted to get their fix of temporary art. Snowmen were often created by famous artists, including 19-year- old Michelangelo who, in 1494, was commissioned by the ruler of Florence to sculpt a snowman in his mansion’s courtyard.
while they sought shelter. That’s when 200 French Canadian soldiers and Native Americans approached. Naturally, they were unfazed by the snowmen and ruthlessly invaded the settlement. Building a snowman seems like a simple and charming activity, but after learning about its surprising history, you might find those piles of snow seem a little more complicated and a lot more meaningful than before.
A Special HolidayDonation This year, in lieu of our annual holiday Safe & Sober program, we decided tomake a $1,000 donation to Catholic Charities of Terre Haute. While we still don’t encourage drinking and driving, we also don’t want to encourage people to gather in large numbers during this time of the pandemic and rising COVID-19 numbers in our community. So, we decided to try and help those in the community who are really struggling. Did you know that Catholic Charities can purchase 5 pounds of food with just $1?With our donation, they can provide 5,000 pounds of food to our community. We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!!
And Why You Can’t Always Believe the Insurance Company We recently settled a personal injury case for a very deserving elderly client. The collision took place in Illinois. Our client had the right of way and was driving his truck through an intersection when another driver blew through the intersection, broadsiding our client’s vehicle. Our client suffered a painful back injury. At first, the insurance company for the at- fault driver argued that their insurance policy didn’t cover the driver responsible for the collision. Then, when they finally did admit there was insurance coverage, they maintained that the maximum amount they were responsible for was $100,000. They refused to offer policy limits. Suit was filed on behalf of our client. Ultimately, our client wanted to settle case without trial, and we were able to settle the case for $135,000. The key point is that you can’t always trust insurance companies and insurance adjusters to do what they should to treat injured victims fairly. This case took a lot of work and time, but we were pleased to get a fair settlement our client was happy with.
2 www.FleschnerLaw.com
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