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PETRO MONTHLY
OCTOBER 2018
I am sure many of you are familiar with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a pediatric cancer treatment and research facility that treats children for free and also assists patients’ families with transportation, lodging, and meals. St Jude’s was founded by the late Lebanese- American actor and comedian, Danny Thomas. Before becoming a big hit, Thomas was living paycheck to paycheck. The devout Christian prayed to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes, and promised the saint that if he became successful, he would build a shrine for him. Years later, Thomas became successful. He founded the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) which is the fundraising arm for St. Jude’s. My late cousin, Fred Gattas, a Lebanese- American businessman from Memphis, was a close friend of Thomas and served on the executive committee of ALSAC. In 1962 Thomas founded the hospital to honor his promise. Thanks to this hospital, the overall survival rate for childhood cancers has risen from 20 percent to 80 percent. To this day, I am proud to say, many of my Gattas cousins living in Memphis are still heavily involved in St Jude’s. I am also proud to say that the Petro Law Firm is a proud supporter and annual charitable contributor to St. Jude’s! FROM THE DESK OF Mark Petro
People do all sorts of things to wake themselves up. Some go through countless cups of coffee, some go on quick morning jaunts through the neighborhood, and some even spray themselves with energizing face mist. Whatever your preferred wake-up method is, chances are that you struggle to drag yourself out of your warm bed every once in a while. However, teenagers struggle more than most with both waking up and sleeping. Teenagers often have the reputation of sleeping too much, but the actual data detailing teens’ sleep habits might surprise you. While The Sleep Foundation recommends that teens get nine or more hours of sleep each night, they concluded that over 75 percent of teens are nowhere close to reaching that amount. Sleep researchers refer to adolescents and their sleep patterns as “the perfect storm.”Many factors can reduce sleep among young people, but in general, there are two main types of causes: behavioral (the psychological, societal, and cultural features of a teen’s life) and biological (the brain processes that regulate the amount and timing of sleep). Biological factors, in particular, appear to undergo significant changes during adolescence. Teens’ daily physical clocks seem to slow down and lag behind as they progress through their middle school and high school years. While modern sleep experts tout the consecutive eight-hour sleep regimen (or nine hours for teens), historically, people approached their nightly routines quite differently. Before the Industrial Revolution, people would sleep in two four-hour sessions with a “waking period” of two hours in between. During this waking period, people were surprisingly active. They often got up, used the restroom, smoked tobacco, and even visited neighbors. Others IS YOUR TEEN SLEEPING ENOUGH? The 8-Hour Block Might Not Be the Best Option
–Mark Petro
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stayed in bed, where they would read or write by candlelight.
ancestors. The psychologists determined that a consolidated block of sleep could be damaging if it makes people who wake up at night anxious, as this anxiety can prohibit sleep and is likely to seep into waking life too. Furthermore, they suggest that the waking period between sleeps, when people were forced into periods of rest and relaxation, could have played an important part in the human capacity to regulate stress naturally. It’s easy for parents to feel concerned about their teens’ sleep schedules. Between telling them to go to bed at a decent hour, waking them up early to catch the bus, watching them physically exert themselves on the soccer field, and helping them understand complex chemistry equations, parents get a firsthand view of their kids’ energy-draining daily routines. Often, just having a little more information about sleep in general can help assuage any fears or concerns parents feel about the number of hours their teens spend in bed.
By the 1920s, the idea of having two sleep sessions each night had receded entirely from social consciousness. Historians attribute this shift to improvements in street lighting and domestic lighting, along with a surge in coffee houses. As night became a time for greater activity, the length of time people could dedicate to rest dwindled. In an attempt to find a cure for teens’ sleep problems, modern psychiatrists conducted sleep studies to understand how the human body regulates itself when outside stimuli, like televisions, phones, and even unnatural light, are removed. Their discoveries were twofold. First, they found that after the fourth week of the study, their subjects unknowingly reverted to a sleep routine consisting of two four-hour segments. Second, they learned that the sleepers of today are far more anxious about their sleep schedules than their
Going Beyond ‘Get Well Soon’
3 Meaningful Ways to Support Recovery
If you’ve ever had a friend or loved one suffer a debilitating injury, you know how powerless you can feel to help. You want to make a difference, but in the face of severe medical challenges, it can be hard to know how. It’s important to remember that, while you may not be able to have a direct impact on your loved one’s physical recovery, there are concrete actions you can take to support them in ways doctors can’t.
loved one. Offering to be a volunteer driver or preparing a home-cooked meal can give that person a much-needed breather. Taking the time to help your friend with everyday tasks is more than just a practical gesture — it lets them know they don’t have to bear the burden of their injury alone. People faced with injuries, disabilities, and illnesses can feel emotionally isolated from their friends and loved ones. They may feel that others won’t understand their pain or that they should put on a brave face and not complain. You can’t force your friend to talk about their issues, but simply being there to SUPPORT THEIR EMOTIONAL RECOVERY.
listen to what your friend is going through makes a world of difference. Having someone who is willing to listen without judgment can provide a salve for emotional hardship.
SUPPORT THEIR RIGHTS.
Sometimes an injury can leave your loved one tangled up in disputes with opportunistic insurance companies or individuals they feel are responsible for their injuries. While you may not be able to represent your friend’s legal interests in these situations, you can introduce them to someone who can. Referring your friend to a personal injury firm you trust can help them chart a path toward just compensation for their injuries.
SUPPORT THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE.
Traumatic injuries can make many aspects of day-to-day life difficult or impossible. Simply making dinner or taking their kids to school may now be herculean tasks for your
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Even the Most Frightening Ghouls Need to Be Careful HAVE A FUN & SAFE HALLOWEEN!
Happy Halloween, you goblins, ghouls, witches, and spooks! It’s that time of year again when kids and adults alike can dress up and roam the streets as their favorite heroes, frights, or princesses. While kids are eager to show off their outfits and fill their pillowcases with sugary treasures, it’s crucial to be aware of the potential dangers on Halloween night. PRACTICE STREET SAFETY Make sure your kids understand basic road safety. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, “Children are more likely to be struck by a vehicle and killed during Halloween than any other day of the year.” Before heading out for some good old-fashioned trick-or-treating, take the time to go over basic safety tips. Teach kids to look both ways before crossing, use crosswalks and traffic signals, cross streets on the corners, and never run across the street. Making eye contact with drivers before walking in front of their cars is also a good way to make sure the driver knows the child is there.
CHOOSE SMART COSTUMES Halloween wouldn’t be Halloween without costumes! They should be fun, but you can also make them safer by following a few simple guidelines. Add reflective tape to candy bags and costumes and wear light colors to stand out in the dark. Buying or making the right-sized costumes is also important. If they’re too large, they create a tripping hazard, and if they’re too tight, they can restrict movement. If your child wears a mask, make sure they can see out of it properly. MAKE A PLAN Before heading out to trick or treat, create a plan and discuss it with every member of your family. This ensures that if someone in your group wanders off, they’ll know where to look for you or where to go. In case you’re separated, label your child’s costume with your name, address, and phone number. If your children are old enough to trick or treat without adults, make sure that their cellphones are charged and on them at all times, and schedule regular check-ins.
Take a Break
HOMEMADE Ingredients
Marshmallows
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3 packages unflavored gelatin
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1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
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1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
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1 cup light corn syrup
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Powdered sugar, to coat
Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, combine
into gelatin mixture. Switch speed to high and whip for 15 minutes, until very thick. Fold in vanilla after whipping.
gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water. Let sit while you make the syrup.
2. In a small saucepan over
5. Dust a nonmetal baking dish with powdered sugar and spoon mixture into dish. Smooth mixture, top with
medium heat, combine sugar, syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water until the sugar dissolves.
more powdered sugar, and let stand uncovered overnight.
3. Raise heat to high and bring syrup up to 240 F, using a candy thermometer to check for temperature. 4. With an electric whisk on low speed, slowly whisk syrup
6. Cut into squares, decorate, and serve.
Cauldron Costume Dracula Ghost
Halloween Hallows Eve
Scary stories Spooky Trick-or-treat Zombie
Haunted Pumpkin
Inspired by foodnetwork.com
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Mark PAGE 1 Teenagers and Sleep PAGE 1 Ways to Support a Recovering Loved One PAGE 2 Trick-or-Treating Safety PAGE 3 Take a Break! PAGE 3 Homemade Marshmallows PAGE 3 3 of the Weirdest Cryptids in Pseudoscientific History PAGE 4 There are people who would have you believe that monsters live among us all year long. These individuals, referred to as cryptozoologists (or just “wishful thinkers” by their skeptics), believe a hidden animal kingdom exists just beyond the edge of mainstream biological science. Here are three of the weirdest, almost-certainly imaginary “cryptids” to ever capture the human imagination. THE JERSEY DEVIL According to legend, the 1.1 million-acre Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey are home to more than just birds and deer. The story goes that when one Jane Leeds gave birth to her 13th child, she was dismayed to add yet another kid to her responsibilities. She cried out, “Oh, let this one be the devil!” Shortly after the child was born, the boy was transmogrified into a twisted creature with the malformed head of a goat, leathery wings,
The Monsters Some Believe Are Real 3 of the Weirdest Cryptids in Pseudoscientific History
and a thrashing, forked tail. After slicing the midwife with its ragged claws, the beast flew up the chimney and fled into the trees. Hundreds of years later, the beast is still said to creep the backwoods on its cloven hooves, glowering from the blackness with shining, red eyes. THE BUNYIP When European settlers began edging into the territory of Aboriginal Australians, they heard whispered, frightened tales of a man- eating “water spirit” that lived in the lakes and rivers of the area. Descriptions of the creature varied wildly. The monster was alternately described as an enormous starfish, an alligator-like creature with the head of an emu, or a massive bulldog-faced beast. But accounts held one thing in common: The monster claimed the lives of any who dared camp near its watery domain.
THE LOVELAND FROG One night, near Loveland, Ohio, a man reportedly beheld a trio of bipedal frog-people
slapping their webbed feet along the side of the road. If that wasn’t
enough, one even had a magic wand, which shot sparks as the man ran off. Apparently, not all mythical beasts are bloodthirsty monsters; some are a little more Kermit than Cthulhu.
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