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Workers’ COMPanion
LAW OFFICE MONAST
JUNE 2023
www.monastlaw.com | 614-334-4649 | 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. Bldg 2, Suite 2117, Upper Arlington, OH 43220-2913
TECHNOLOGY WAS SIMPLER
So, this is one of these articles that makes me think, “It’s time for me to move to Florida, wear my pants hitched halfway up my chest, and complain about everything.” But, here goes! Technology is constantly evolving and changing. Once we get used to using one version of a device or electronic, a new one is released full of updated BACK IN THE DAY
being amazed that you could record TV shows. When my parents got their VCR a few years later, I was responsible for hooking it up. And now, VCRs are outdated technology. Even their replacement, the DVD, is becoming obsolete thanks to streaming services. VCRs and DVD players weren’t the only devices you could hook up to your TV; there were also video game consoles. Somehow, my dad got a hold of the original Pong, and we set that up on one of our TVs. Playing Pong and seeing the ball speed up with each successful “return of serve” was fun. Years later, I picked up a Super Nintendo to play with my kiddos. We had a great time playing the Mario games or Duck Hunt, but video games didn’t stop evolving there. They had only begun. PlayStation entered the market within a few years, and my kids moved on to those systems. I never could figure out the controls, so my video game-playing days came to a close. I still enjoyed hanging out and talking with my boys while they played. I visited one of my sons recently, and he was excited to show me his Nintendo Switch because it had the old games we used to play together. I recently played alongside my 6-year-old grandson (a Mario game, of course), who can already play better than I ever could.
features and functions to learn. Those of us who have been around for a few decades are well aware of how quickly technology changes and what it takes to adapt to the unfamiliar. On June 7, we recognize a fun occasion called VCR Day, which gives us a chance to walk down memory lane to remember the technology that is now defunct. Throughout my life, I’ve experienced the changing of the guard multiple times with technological advancements, but a few really altered how we lived and functioned. The first is the television and everything that can connect to it. My parents had two black-and-white TVs when I was a youngster. One had sound but no picture, and the other had a picture but no sound, so we had to turn them on simultaneously to watch a show. Thankfully, the TVs were close enough, and everything synced up, so it didn’t mess with our viewing experience. Over time, TVs became even more advanced, but I was always fascinated by the devices you could connect to them. I still remember the first time I saw a VCR. I was in the seventh grade in the early ’70s, taking gym class, when our teacher rolled out a tube TV with a VCR attached. They showed us a breakdown of our activity for the day, and I remember
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LEARN THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF FINANCE STARTING WITH
3. Bear Market: A “bad” market, when the prices of stocks and other securities fall 20% or more 4. Blockchain: A shared, decentralized ledger of transactions that makes it possible to track assets like cryptocurrency 5. Bull Market: A “good” market, when the prices of stocks and other securities rise 20% or more 6. Cryptocurrency: Digital currency that is not backed by a government or bank 7. Dividend: A portion of company profits regularly paid out to shareholders 8. ESG Investing: Environmental, Social, and Governance Investing, a framework investors use to evaluate how eco-friendly, socially responsible, and well-run potential investments are 9. Fannie and Freddie: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the U.S. government- created home mortgage investment companies 10. Fixed Income: Investments that pay a guaranteed return, like government and corporate bonds 11. Liquidity: How easy it is to convert an asset like a home, car, or bank account into cash 12. Venture Capital: Money or expertise loaned to a start-up company or entrepreneur to fund their business
“I heard through the grapevine that it’s a bear market right now. Don’t tell Susan.”
The world is changing rapidly — and that includes how people spend, save, and invest money. If you’re not a professional in the financial industry, the pace of these changes can seem daunting. One day, cryptocurrency is THESE MUST- KNOW TERMS
all the rage and the “smartest” investment around. The next, crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried is buried in lawsuits, and banks are collapsing! It’s a crazy world out there, but you can start demystifying it by learning core business and financial terms. Brushing up on these buzzwords will help you develop your financial skills, make it easier to understand the news, and give you more confidence when making money decisions and talking to financial advisors. Here are several finance jargon terms everyone should know beyond the basics.
1. Adjusted Gross Income: Your annual income minus your tax deductions 2. Annual Percentage Rate (APR) : The amount banks charge you for your loan (or you earn from an investment) each year Still have questions or want to learn about a term not on this list? Check out Investopedia’s Financial Term Dictionary by visiting Investopedia.com and clicking “Dictionary” at the bottom of the page. MEET DAMON BLANCHARD!
Our friend and client Damon Blanchard is like George Plimpton: always trying something new!
workers were helping by guiding and spotting as the cover moved into place. Possibly because of the rain, the cover slid down off the baler. From instinct, Damon put up his hands to catch the cover, forcing him into a squat and pinning him between a guardrail and the cover. The tendons in his knees were blown out.
Born and raised in Columbus, Damon loves “Jeopardy,” cooking, working out, his daughter Zoë, and his two little dogs, Tina and Hazel. He’s studied massage, driven for Uber and Lyft, inspected trucks, worked in data entry, and is a notary public.
Damon required several surgeries and more than two years of therapy before he could walk again. He also needed counseling for depression as the severity of his injuries prevented him from working, socializing, or enjoying hobbies such as hiking and tinkering. As Damon slowly recovered, he realized it might be worthwhile to consider a new line of work. He took up a career as a housing rights advocate. Who knows? With his passion for this cause and his willingness to try new things, we may see Damon on Columbus City Council someday!
Damon with his running buddies, Tina and Hazel!
In January 2019, he worked as an office manager at an international recycling company in Columbus. This is
an enormous operation, recycling tons of material each hour, everything from plastics to metal. One frigid, rainy, wintery day, the yard supervisor asked him to help guide a 5,000-pound steel cover onto a drive cylinder on a 550-ton sheet metal baler. A baler compresses materials into tight rectangular bales. While one worker ran a crane with a magnet, two other
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FROM WAR-TORN UKRAINE TO TORNADO-STRICKEN MISSISSIPPI HUMANITY PREVAILS WHEN DISASTER STRIKES
If you’ve turned on the news at any point during the past year, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. You may have seen images of the destruction in Ukraine, heard news of the relief America and other countries are providing to the Ukrainian people, or learned about those fleeing their country to stay safe. Some of those refugees have found their way to our country and have found ways to help Americans in need. Throughout the spring, we saw devastating tornadoes tear through the central states of our country. These storms took the lives of over 32 people and left many more homeless and in need of help. American Service, a nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis, saw the destruction and vowed to help.
American Service is best known for its efforts in helping Ukrainian citizens find work and housing in Minneapolis. In doing so, they helped create a community of like-minded individuals who appreciate the help they received. Now, they’re flipping the script and providing help to those affected by the tornadoes. In early April, American Service traveled to Mississippi to provide water and see what else they could do to help. Many of the Ukrainian people they assisted pledged to help and join them on their journey — some of whom had only been in America for a few short months. “When we told people about helping out, there was not a single person who hesitated,” said Aswar Rahman, an executive director of American Service.
American Service’s Director of Operations, Sofiia Rudenko, is from Ukraine and has only been in America since Christmas but is dedicated to American Service’s cause. She stated, “Here in America, a lot of people helped me to establish here, and we have this kind of culture that we want not only to take but also to give back and to help others.” American Service started its efforts by bringing water to those affected by the tornadoes but vowed to return with more essentials to help provide further help to these communities.
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The other piece of technology that has seen many advancements during my lifetime is the phone. I remember seeing the change from the rotary phone to a push-button telephone to cordless phones to cellphones to smartphones. I still remember how excited I was to get my Motorola Razr. It was so sleek and small. It blew my mind what phones had become. It’s interesting that technology, much like fashion trends, seems to come back into style occasionally. You see it with the re-release of Super Nintendo games on the Nintendo Switch, and quite a few people are going back to using flip phones. While VCRs will never make a resurgence, it’s still interesting to think back on them and the amazement I felt the first time using one. Who knows what technological advancement we will experience next, but I know it will be something groundbreaking.
MUNCHIES WITH MOLLY
CHERRY CHIA GREEK YOGURT BOWLS
Inspired by HungryHobby.net
INGREDIENTS Chia Seed Jam •
Greek Yogurt Bowl •
2 cups Chelan fresh sweet cherries, pitted
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• • •
3 tbsp chia seeds
• • •
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp honey 1/4 cup water
1 tsp hemp seeds
1 tbsp granola
DIRECTIONS
Chia Seed Jam We suggest making the chia seed jam in advance and storing it in the refrigerator so you can quickly assemble these yogurt bowls all week. Using a potato masher, mash down the cherries. Place a small pot on high heat and add the cherries, chia seeds, honey, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn
down the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Allow jam to cool before
And now, I’d better go buy a T-shirt that says, “Tease me about my age and I’ll beat you with my cane!”
using or refrigerate. Greek Yogurt Bowls
In a small serving bowl, mix the Greek yogurt with vanilla extract. Top the Greek yogurt with 2 tbsp cherry chia seed jam, hemp seeds, granola, and a few additional Chelan fresh sweet cherries, if desired.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Phone: 614-334-4649 www.monastlaw.com 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. Bldg 2, Suite 2117 Upper Arlington, OH 43220-2913
LAW OFFICE MONAST
Monday–Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Jim’s Nostalgic Journey Through Vintage Tech
How to Sound More Financially Savvy
Client Story: Damon Blanchard
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Mississippi’s Humanitarian Heroes
Cherry Chia Greek Yogurt Bowls
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The Colorful History of Medieval Smack Talk
THE ORIGINAL RAP BATTLES
HOW DISSES BECAME POETRY Long before diss tracks, rap battles, and “yo mama” jokes, there was medieval “flyting.” Defined as quick exchanges of witty insults, these poetic slights were popular in England and Scotland from the 5th to 16th century. Insulting someone in verse took immense effort and quick wits, and they were undoubtedly a performance you didn’t want to miss.
If you’re wondering what exactly these two “gentlemen” were saying, we’d have to admit that it would be difficult to quote without including expletives and curses. However, one tame section can be shared here. Dunbar reportedly insulted Kennedie by saying: Maggoty mutton, gorged glutton, scurrilous certain heir to Hillhouse, Rank beggar, oyster-dredger, dismal debtor on the lawn, Lily-livered, soul-shivered, cheap as slivers in the millhouse, Bard baiter, thief of nature, false traitor, devil’s spawn. While these amusing fights were a form of entertainment, men also used them to influence the courts and improve their social profile while lowering others. So, as you can imagine, flyting could get intense (similar to rap battles and heated diss tracks).
Despite crude language and below-the-belt potshots, flyting became entertainment for royals and was dubbed “court flyting.” While these jests are not well-documented, one flyting event made history. The iconic exchange known as “The Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie” occurred in the early 16th century between William Dunbar and Walter Kennedie. The two were performing their court flyting for the Scottish King James IV. Both men were known for their intellect and clever nature, and their flyting did not disappoint. This famous dialogue featured two firsts: using fecal matter as an insult and dropping the F-bomb. Low-brow and crass, these speedy insults were simply too entertaining for even kings and queens to ignore.
Centuries have passed, yet some things never really change!
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