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JULY 2020
HARMONSON HEADLINES
YOUR GUIDE TO PERSONAL INJURY IN THE BORDERLAND
WHO CAN SAY NO TO ICE CREAM? (I CAN’T!)
I ’ve always had something of a sweet tooth, so it’s hard for me to turn down a bowl of ice cream. I know it isn’t good for me, but everyone deserves their little pleasures, right? I hate to admit it, but there is always ice cream at the house, and I have been known to make an emergency trip to the store when we run out. I even braved the grocery store one late night during the pandemic to get my fix. I love the smooth, creamy texture and the coolness on the tongue. It makes for a sweet reward at the end of a long, busy day. When I was a kid, my family loved Blue Bell Ice Cream. Blue Bell is a Texas classic. The company is headquartered in Brenham, Texas, right between Austin and Houston. But Blue Bell was not sold in Lubbock during the 1980s when I was growing up. We had to travel to get the stuff. Fortunately, my great-aunt lived in the Austin area, where Blue Bell could be found in just about every store. When we visited my great-aunt every summer with my grandparents, you could be sure we would indulge. My grandfather would carry gallons and gallons of it back home to Lubbock. How do you transport gallons of ice cream across central Texas in the middle of summer? Papa had a plan. He loaded his pickup truck with coolers of dry ice. It might seem like a lot of work, but for the rest of us who lived in West Texas, it was worth it! I remember one time when we ran out of Blue Bell and had to resort to our local ice cream. We were so disappointed. Thankfully, those days are long past us. I still love Blue Bell, and I’m glad it’s available in El Paso. My favorite flavors? Cookies and cream and chocolate chip!
My family didn’t just load up on Blue Bell during the summer — we also made our own ice cream! My mom had a light blue bucket with a motor that would churn the cream and sugar mixture. She would pack the outside of the canister with rock salt to help bring the temperature of the canister down more effectively. And we only had one flavor of ice cream when we made it at home: peaches and cream. I can picture it now. My brother and I, along with the neighborhood kids, riding our bikes, getting all hot and sweaty in the summer heat. After a while, we’d run into the backyard on 22nd Street where we’d find my mom and her little blue bucket working away to make that delicious ice cream. Our homemade ice cream was a little more grainy than store-bought and didn’t have the same consistency, but it was always so good. A bowl of that was perfect in the summer heat. These days, my kids like to get frozen yogurt from a shop not far from where we live. I will eat it, but it just isn’t the same as a good bowl of ice cream. Fans of the NBC show “The Good Place” will know that frozen yogurt is plentiful in the Good Place (a facsimile of heaven that isn’t all it seems). When comparing frozen yogurt to ice cream, Michael, the “architect” of the Good Place says, “There’s something so human about taking something great and ruining it a little so you can have more of it.” So true.
I think it’s time for some ice cream …
915.584.8777 • 1
PARTIAL FAULT, LIAB
Knock knock! Who’s there? Theresa. Theresa who? Theresa crowd!
RESPONSIBILITY AND FAULT When you’re trying to decide who to sue for your injuries in an accident, it’s best to consult your personal injury attorney. Your lawyer can help you investigate the crash and decide who to bring claims against for the accident. But there are different factors to consider in Texas and New Mexico law regarding fault. BUT WHAT IF YOU ARE FOUND PARTIALLY AT FAULT? If you are found by the court to be partially at fault for the accident, you can still recover the other driver’s percentage of liability. For example, let’s say you are found to be 20% at fault and the other driver is found to be 80% at fault. If the jury were to return a $10,000 verdict, then you could recover 80%, or $8,000, of the jury award from the other driver.
Unless you’re living under a rock, odds are you’ve laughed, grumbled, or groaned in response to a knock-knock joke. You may have even told a few yourself before you realized knock-knock jokes had gone out of style in favor of sarcasm and memes. That’s because at their core, knock-knock jokes are a quintessential American experience — and the perfect homegrown fodder for International Joke Day, which falls on July 1. But where did they come from, and why do so many people knock the knock-knock joke today? Well, according to NPR, knock-knock jokes have had a roller coaster of a history. Near as we can tell, they actually evolved from another kind of joke: the “Do You Know” joke. This style of joke was popular in the early 1900s, and according to an Oakland Tribune article NPR dug up, this was a typical one:
According to Texas law, however, you cannot recover anything if you are found to be more than 50% liable for causing the accident. So if the jury found you 60% at
What the Insurance Companies DON’T Want You to Know About YOUR RIG
Claims was written to s with vital information 8-wheeler, work vehicle es to bear in mind that up premiums f r thei e amount that they are E ONE GOAL— HAREHOLDERS.
Do you know Arthur? Arthur who? Arthurmometer!
Not very funny, is it? Well, over the years this style of back-and-forth jesting evolved into knock-knock jokes. The popularity of the “knock knock” bit of the joke could harken back to Shakespeare, who BestLife credits with “the first-known occurrence of a knock knock, who’s-there dialogue” in Act 2 of “Macbeth” (though it likely wasn’t intended to be funny), or it could be a reference to 1936 vice presidential hopeful Frank Knox, whose name made “knock knock” irresistible wordplay for the radio. Whatever the reason, knock knocks were all the rage in the 1930s, to the extent that people formed knock- knock clubs, businesses held knock-knock contests, and orchestras set them to music. However, the heyday was short-lived. In the following years, people started getting sick of knock knocks, and even psychologists turned against them. According to NPR,
Injured in a Car Accident? The Insurance Company Is NOT Your Friend.
Written by experienced car accident attorney S. Clark Harmonson, this is a valuable resource with the vital facts you need before talking to the insurance company or hiring a lawyer.
g e e e e d es ly
In this book, you’ll learn everything insurance companies don’t want you to know, such as: • 12 shady auto insurance company tactics • 10 common myths and misconceptions about your car accident claim • How we hold negligent drivers accountable • What you need to do immediately after an accident • Top 5 worst auto insurance companies in Texas
“people who loved knock-knock jokes were said to have social problems.” Today, knock-knock jokes are still around, but they’re
mostly considered a game for kids or demoted to the realm of “bad dad jokes.” Maybe you think that’s warranted, maybe you think it’s tragic — either way, odds are the format will continue to evolve and probably outlive us all! Adjuster Will Use to Wreck Your Claim WITH: 12 Dirty Tricks the Insurance
“I wrote this book to help you cut through all the confusion surrounding your accident.”
Get your free copy at ClarkHarmonsonAttorney.com or by calling our office at 915.584.8777 .
AR ACCIDENT… ET THIS RIGHT!
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BILITY, AND YOU!
We’ve all seen it: Tailgaters hanging just feet behind your back bumper. They seem to think that everyone on the road should get out of their way. Tailgaters don’t just drive close to other vehicles either. The behavior is often coupled with speeding and frequent lane changing. They intimidate other drivers and put everyone on the road at serious risk. Tailgating is dangerous because it significantly reduces reaction time. If the traffic ahead of the tailgating driver suddenly slows down or there is another hazard in the road, they cannot safely react. These drivers are more likely to rear-end the vehicle directly in front of them or swerve into another lane of traffic, causing others to swerve as well. CLOSE CALLS The Dangers of Tailgating
fault and the other driver was found 40% at fault, you are barred from recovering anything from the other driver.
But New Mexico follows a more lenient “pure comparative negligence” law, meaning you can recover the other driver’s percentage of fault even if you were primarily responsible for causing the accident. WHAT IF YOUR FAMILY MEMBER IS AT FAULT? If the person driving when your accident occurred is a family member (your parent, spouse, etc.), the law says you can still bring claims against them for negligently causing an accident. Surprisingly, this scenario is actually more common than you think. Children are often injured because of the negligence of a parent driver. The injured child can bring claims against the parent because there is no parental immunity in Texas or New Mexico. These types of scenarios rarely lead to an actual lawsuit against the family member, however. Most of the time, the insurance company for the at-fault family member pays to settle the injured family member’s claim.
This article comes direct from the blog at ClarkHarmonsonAttorney.com/blog. Be sure to visit the blog for more insight from Clark!
GHTS
Vehicles come in many shapes, sizes, and weights. Certain vehicles, such as commercial trucks, take much longer to stop than a family car. Heavy vehicles moving at highway speeds is already a dangerous combination. Add tailgating or other dangerous behavior, such as distracted driving, to the equation and you could be left with disaster. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic congestion is one of the primary causes of aggressive driving behavior, including tailgating. Drivers want to get through the congestion and are willing to put themselves and others at risk to save a few seconds. One of the best ways to reduce risk is to adhere to the two- second rule, or the car-length rule. For smaller, passenger cars, you want two seconds between you and the car ahead of you. Alternatively, you want one car length for every 10 miles per hour. If you’re going 50 miles per hour, for example, it’s ideal to leave five car lengths between you and the vehicle ahead.
NO-CHURN S’MORES ICE CREAM
INSPIRED BY GRAINCHANGER.COM
July is National Ice Cream Month, so why not cool off with some sweet, homemade s’mores ice cream? You don’t even need an ice cream churn!
INGREDIENTS
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14 oz sweetened condensed milk
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1 chocolate bar, chopped
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2 tsp vanilla extract
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2 cups whipping cream, chilled
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has slightly different suggestions for larger vehicles, such as full-size SUVs and larger pickup trucks. These types of vehicles should allow for three to four seconds between them and the vehicle in front, as they require more stopping time due to their weight and momentum. When you get down to it, no one should ever tailgate. If traffic is moving slowly, tailgating won’t get you to your destination any faster. If a single motorist is driving slowly, navigate around them when it is safe to do so, but maintain a safe driving distance.
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10 graham crackers, crushed
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, graham crackers, and chocolate. 2. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat whipping cream until peaks form, about 3 minutes. 3. Fold whipping cream into the condensed milk mixture. Transfer ice cream to a freezer- safe container, cover, and freeze for at least 8 hours. 4. Serve and enjoy on a hot summer day. It’s especially delicious in a waffle cone!
915.584.8777 • 3
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One of Life’s Simple Pleasures: Ice Cream!
The Wacky Evolution of the Knock-Knock Joke
How Do You Determine LiabilityWhen You’re Only Partially at Fault?
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Homemade S’mores Ice Cream
One Driving Behavior That Puts Everyone at Risk
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Enjoy JulyWith These Fun Facts
Most Americans associate July with Independence Day and everything the holiday entails, including traditional barbecue cuisine, fireworks, and summer vacations. However, in addition to the Fourth of July, this midsummer month has a rich history and offers fun opportunities for everyone to celebrate. ‘WHAT’S IN A NAME?’ You’ve likely heard of Julius Caesar, the famous Roman dictator and general known for changing the Roman Empire’s political structure, innovating war tactics, and eventually dying after a legendary assassination. But did you know that July, Caesar’s birth month, wasn’t always called that? It was initially named Quintilis , which means “fifth” in Latin, because it was the fifth month of the ancient Roman calendar. Shortly after Caesar’s death, the month of Quintilis was renamed July in his honor. Of course, Caesar’s legacy didn’t end there. Before he died, he implemented the Julian calendar, which he based off of the Egyptian solar calendar, and it remained in place for over 1,500 years until the Gregorian calendar was introduced in the 16th century.
Canada’s Constitution Act of 1867, signed on July 1 of that year, marks the birth of Canada. The following year, Charles Monck, the 4th Viscount Monck and Canada’s first governor-general, signed a proclamation requesting that everyone in Canada celebrate their country’s independence on July 1. However, it wasn’t until 100 years later that the date officially became Canada Day. Most celebrations include fireworks and red and white attire, much like how Americans celebrate the Fourth of July. GOT WINGS? While chicken wings are a staple of Southern dining, they actually originated in upstate New York. In 1964, Teressa Bellissimo, co-owner of the Anchor Bar, started cooking leftover wings dipped in hot sauce for her son and his friends. After receiving enthusiastic feedback, Bellissimo put them on the menu. Over the next few years, the recipe’s popularity spread, and in 1977, former Buffalo mayor Stan Makowski declared July 29 to be National Chicken Wing Day. The reputation of the famous Buffalo wings continued to spread nationwide, and in the early ‘90s, wings became an international hit when McDonald’s, KFC, and Domino’s Pizza began selling them in the variety of flavors we know and love today.
What Do Julius Caesar and Buffalo Wings Have in Common?
Fun Facts About the Month of July
RED, WHITE, AND WHO? Similar to the Declaration of Independence for the U.S.,
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