Soto Law Group - July 2018

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July 2018 Soto’s Chronicles

DeDe Soto

Protecting your most valuable asset — your family

FROM THE DESK OF DeDe Soto

Every American knows that the Fourth of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 — it’s also called Independence Day, after all. The story behind the document, however, gets less attention than it deserves. It’s a fascinating tale, culminating with the birth of the United States of America as we know it. WE HOLDTHESE TRUTHS TOBE SELF-EVIDENT T he S tory of the D eclaration of I ndependence Even after the early battles of the American Revolution, which began in earnest during April of 1775, it was unclear what shape the rebellion would take. At that point, independence was still far from certain. As the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in May of that year, two groups formed around polar opinions. “The fundamental issue between them was were they fighting for their rights as Englishmen within the British Empire, or were they going to fight for independence?” says historian Richard Slotkin. It was not an easy choice, and both sides held passionate opinions. As the calendar changed to 1776, those in favor of breaking from King George III began to gain momentum. The growth of the revolutionary movement had a number of causes, but two in particular stand out. In late 1775, King George III spoke to Parliament with the goal of enlarging the Royal Army and Navy to quash the rebellion. He went so far as to solicit help from foreign mercenaries. Word of this decision reached the colonies in January 1776, making reconciliation seem less likely than ever before. During the same month, Thomas Paine published his famous pamphlet “Common Sense,” which advocated for outright independence. “The custom of all Courts is against us, and will be so, until by an independence we take rank with other nations,” Paine wrote. “Common THE ROAD TO DECLARATION

Summer is here, and I hope you are ready to enjoy the summer fun! With lots of outdoor activities, I hope you are able to get some work done! We are as busy as ever making sure people have the correct documents in place, not just for death, but for life and all the unexpected situations that can happen. It’s so important to make sure your wishes are carried out correctly. Make sure to visit our website at TheSotoLawGroup.com for our educational workshops. Of course, if you have questions, we like to be your resource. Until next time, hope you make lots of summer memories and stay healthy!

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Sense”was wildly popular, selling more than 150,000 copies in its first weeks of publication, and created a groundswell of colonist support for independence.

1776. The original draft was heavily revised over the next few days with input from all Congress members. This revision process coincided with convincing the final holdout states to move toward independence. By July 2, independence had been decided, with 12 states voting in favor, one absenting, and zero against. Jefferson thought that July 2 would become a national holiday as a result of this vote. Turns out he was two days off. That’s because two days later, the final text of the Declaration was approved and sent to the printer, and this event became the moment synonymous with the birth of our nation.

While this remarkable passage is the one everyone remembers, it’s only a small portion of the Declaration. Structurally, the text proceeds like a classic example of a rhetorical argument. It begins by proposing that if a government is oppressive and unjust, it should be overthrown. Then, it lists the ways the British government has been unjust to its colonial citizens. Finally, it concludes that because of these grievances, it is time for the U.S. to establish a government of its own. It’s also a literary achievement, full of timeless sentences that are as compelling to read today as when they were written. Somehow, the text achieves both clarity of argument and an overflow of emotion. It was so powerful that it stirred revolutionary emotions across the world, most notably in France. This Fourth of July, why not take the time to read the Declaration of Independence? It’s something few U.S. citizens do, and you’ll likely find it about as awe-inspiring as the biggest display of fireworks you can imagine.

DRAFTING THE DOCUMENT

Once a route forward was agreed upon, Congress set about drafting a formal document to dissolve all ties with Great Britain. They assigned a group of five congressmen, now known as the Committee of Five, to begin work on what would become the Declaration of Independence. That group comprised John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Most people believed that Adams, one of the earliest supporters of revolution, should be the man to pen the document. Adams, on the other hand, was insistent that Jefferson was the man for the job. Not much is known about how Jefferson wrote the document, but we are certain that he presented it to Congress on June 28,

THE POWER OF THE PROSE

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

–The Declaration of Independence

Sourcing the Sweet-Smelling Stuff Where Essential Oils Come From

Call it a pseudoscientific fad or a medical revolution; either way, essential oils are more popular today than they have ever been. Though research on the efficacy of lavender, ginger, and the dozens of other sweet-smelling oils is conflicting at best, people are using them at an astonishing rate. In fact, according to Stratistics MRC, essential oils were a $5.91 billion industry in 2016 and are expected to reach $12.85 billion by 2023. Whether you’re an essential oil acolyte or you fly into a rage at the faintest hint of bergamot, your mind is probably already made up about aromatherapy. The question remains, though: Where does all this delicious-smelling stuff come from? Most essential oils are derived from a process called steam distillation . Soon after harvest, the plants are placed on a mesh inside a sealed still, into which steam is injected. As the steam rises and envelops the plant, it breaks it down and lifts its constituent components up through a tube and into a condenser. The condenser cools the resulting vapor and collects it in liquid form at the bottom. Since essential oils do not mix with water, they float on the surface, where they’re siphoned off, bottled, and shipped off to a distributor.

There are other methods, such as expression (aka cold pressing), but because steam distillation is so easy to do, most essential oils you see on the shelf will have gone through this process. LAVENDER essential oil is harvested from sheaves of lavandula angustifolia , that purple herb you see all over gardens across the United States. There are lavender farms all over the world, from California to Japan to Brazil, but the biggest world producer of lavender is, interestingly, Bulgaria. TEA TREE oil comes from the leaves of melaleuca alternifolia, commonly known as narrow-leaved paperbark, a short, bushy tree that produces white, fluffy flowers in the spring. The trees are endemic to Australia, but today are usually farmed in New South Wales or Queensland. BERGAMOT is distilled from the peels of lime-green bergamot oranges, or citrus bergamia . Most of it comes from coastal areas around the Ionian Sea. Whatever you do with it, use it sparingly on your skin — it can amplify skin damage from the sun!

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Is Your Business Wasting Time on Social Media?

AssessYour Situation Before Joining: Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr There are plenty of other popular platforms whose formats aren’t for everyone. Don’t waste your time on a social media platform your business can’t benefit from. • Instagram is the king of visual content. Fashion outlets, restaurants, niche retail establishments, and luxury brands do well on Instagram because they can regularly share eye-catching images. • DIY crowds love Pinterest. This is a visual platform where fashion brands share style tips, foodies show off their recipes, and travel- oriented companies post advice on the best family-friendly cities to visit. • Not just for moody teens, Tumblr is a great platform for fashion brands (thanks to its visual elements) andmedia platforms (thanks to the site being friendly to long-form articles). While NPR and Rolling Stone do well onTumblr, small businesses are likely to struggle. You Can Delete: Snapchat Unless your demographic is mostly 15- to 25-year-olds, or you’re Taco Bell, your company has no business being on Snapchat. The many avenues of social media can be overwhelming, but it gives you plenty of opportunities to find the right platform to connect with your clients. Take some time to look at the pros and cons of a platform you’re considering and ask yourself if it really meets the needs of your business.

Social media has proven to be the most difficult part of digital marketing. A report from GlobalWebIndex found that the average person has around seven active social media accounts, so companies have a lot to lose if they ignore social media. But using a site that’s wrong for your business can be a waste of time and money. Here’s the rundown of popular platforms and what businesses they’re best suited for. Everyone Should Be On: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ These social media platforms are staples of the landscape and can benefit any industry. • Despite the recent privacy issues, Facebook still has an active base of around 1.45 billion daily users. You can’t afford to miss out on that kind of audience. • Twitter is also pretty active, and though this sort of engagement won’t necessarily benefit every business, it’s important to maintain an account on Twitter so you can monitor any mentions of your company. • Google+ isn’t the most popular social media platform, but having a Google+ page for your business helps Google generate search results, including maps, reviews, contact information, and photos.

Take a Break!

BLUE CHEESE BUFFALO DOGS AND CELERY SLAW

Ingredients

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1 package of your favorite hot dogs

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1 bottle Frank’s RedHot sauce

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4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

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1 package hot dog buns

FOR CELERY SLAW: •

4 celery stalks, very thinly sliced

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1 teaspoon olive oil

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1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

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Celery salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

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2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. For slaw, toss all ingredients together and season with celery salt and pepper. 2. Grill hot dogs and toast buns. 3. Assemble hot dogs, douse with hot sauce, and top with celery slaw. 4. Top with blue cheese, add another splash of hot sauce if you’re feeling extra spicy, and serve.

Recipe courtesy of LoveAndLemons.com

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of DeDe PAGE 1 The Founding Document of America PAGE 1 Where Do Essential Oils Come From? PAGE 2 The Social Media Platform You NEED to Be On PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Blue Cheese Buffalo Dogs and Celery Slaw PAGE 3 Technological Advances in Physical Therapy PAGE 4 With new technologies booming, physical therapists strive to find the best new strategies and equipment to help their patients. Aquatic therapy has become increasingly popular due to the benefits that come from the weightless effect water offers. This method has now been taken a step further with anti-gravity technology. The AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill takes the benefits of weightless physical therapy and employs them in a completely different way. The AlterG has been approved by the FDA to aid in rehabilitation after lower-extremity injury or surgery, gait training for neurological conditions, aerobic strengthening and conditioning for older patients, and weight control. NASA was the mastermind behind the technology used in the AlterG — its original intent was to help astronauts maintain fitness

The AlterG Anti-GravityTreadmill One Small Decision for NASA, a Giant Leap for Physical Therapy Treatment

in prolonged space flight. AlterG Inc., the company that created the treadmill, is the first to use controlled pressure in a confined space to reduce a person’s weight to boost rehabilitation effects. By making a person lighter, the AlterG creates less impact on their legs and feet as they walk, jog, or run. By reducing your weight, it becomes easier to do aerobic exercises, improve range of motion, and restore mobility. The machine’s success rests in its method. Before stepping into the device, the patient puts on shorts designed to zip into the bubble- like chamber of the treadmill. Once the patient has stepped into the opening at the top and zipped themselves into it, the chamber allows the lower body to be supported by the air pressure inside. The machine then calibrates to cater to the individual and then functions as a typical treadmill. The patient remains in contact with the treadmill and the treadmill’s

chamber throughout the duration of the session.

Technological advancements create more opportunities for growth inside and outside physical therapy. We’re only left to wonder what will be developed next.