Harman Law - March/April 2021

Harman Law - March/April 2021

March/April 2021

THE HARMAN HEADLINE

HARMAN LAW

Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, and Employment Lawyers

IT’S MARCH MADNESS TIME IN THE HARMAN HOUSE!

How My Whole Family Gets in on the Games

In southwest Virginia where I grew up, neighbors didn’t always see eye to eye, but there was one thing everyone agreed on: the Virginia Tech Hokies basketball team. Every single person I knew as a kid was a Hokies fan, so, of course, I fell right in line. To this

As I write this, March Madness is just around the corner, and I’m already thinking about my bracket. I fill one in every year like clockwork. Sometimes I do it alone at the kitchen table (I know, I know — lame, right?), but in luckier years, I find a group of friends to compete with or bring the rest of the Harman Law team in on the fun.

day, every time March Madness comes around, I make my best predictions on my bracket, then give in to my upbringing and root for the Hokies. Basketball was a pretty big part of my childhood for another reason. I played the game from elementary school through high school. I can still remember my team’s semi-embarrassing mascot: We were the Garden High School Dragons. I played as a guard, but honestly, I was in it for the friendships more than the adrenaline rush of the sport.

Regardless of who ends up walking away with the

championship title this year, it’s sure to be an interesting ride. Usually, at least one of the rounds happens near us in Charlotte or Greensboro, but this year I’ve read that all 67 games will be played in Indiana. The idea is to create a “bubble” to keep the players safe from COVID-19, kind of like what the NBA did in 2020. As of right now, it looks like fans might not be able to watch the games in person. It’s definitely a strange time for sports, but the COVID-19

If you were on a team in high school, then you know exactly

what I’m talking about. My teammates were all kids I grew up with from kindergarten onward. We had a lot of fun taking endless bus rides to away games and staying in the university dorms for weeklong basketball camps during the summer. We became a really tight-knit group and some of my best high school memories revolved around my teammates. When we got married, my wife, Jen, was a huge football fan, but in the last decade or so, I’ve gotten her into basketball, too. It helps that she’s from Iowa. Historically the University of Iowa has been all about football, but in the last few years, their basketball team has gotten better. This year, the Hawkeyes are one of the top teams in the country! The cheering might get a little bit competitive in our house.

precautions won’t impact me that much. I prefer to watch from my couch with Jen and the triplets, and no one is going to ban us from that! As you can see, the kids get pretty excited about March Madness, too. We’ll just have to see whether they grow up to be Hokies or Hawkeyes! If you’re a March Madness fan, I’d love to know your Final Four predictions. Next time we talk about your workers’ compensation, employment law, or car accident case, fill me in on your thoughts!

–Michael Harman

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Unwavering Client Experience. Outstanding Results. – Call Us Today 704-885-5550

Laugh More, Age Less

WHY LAUGHTER IS GOOD FOR YOU

As we age, we’re told to wear sunscreen, eat more vegetables, take vitamins, and even walk more — all in hope that our internal clocks will slow down and we will age better. But something as simple as laughter could actually be one of the easiest ways to slow the ticking clock of aging. Scientists have long known that laughter can be therapeutic and help us live longer. It has been shown to reduce wear and tear on our bodies and improve our relationships. A Norwegian study found that those who prioritized humor were more likely to live past 70 than those who didn’t laugh often. At a biological level, laughter can reduce tension in your muscles and activate a powerful stress-relief response from your brain by releasing dopamine. Just one chuckle may even improve your breathing

and heart function! In fact, laughing can work wonders for the heart. One study showed that laughter therapy helped reduce the blood pressure and cholesterol levels of its participants. Their blood circulation improved, too. Studies have also found that regular laughter can help strengthen your immune system, and it has long-term benefits for those with respiratory conditions. In addition to your body, laughter is also good for your social life. (And we don’t mean that people will want to spend time with you if you have all the good jokes!) Throughout history, laughter has been an evolutionary sign of understanding. When there are language barriers, laughing together can create camaraderie and a tighter bond between people of different cultures. The dopamine release that comes with laughter aids in stress relief and creates powerful

memories that can improve your mood and strengthen friendships.

Of course, laughter has its downfalls, too. Laughing at someone else’s expense is detrimental to their health and can harm your relationships. So, stick to light jokes and actively seek shows, cartoons, or people who make you laugh. You’ll feel good, and your body will be pretty happy, too.

Can Your Employer Require You to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout that began in December is well underway. As we write this, nearly 2 million doses of the FDA-approved Pfizer- BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been administered here in North Carolina and thousands more are going out every day. This is good news, right? Well, not everyone agrees. While most people are excited about the prospect of getting vaccinated, some worry their health conditions or allergies could make taking the vaccine risky, or they would prefer not to take it for religious reasons. As workplaces around the state begin asking their employees to get vaccinated, this begs the question, “Can my employer require me to get the COVID-19 vaccine?”

employer also can’t fire you or take other action against you unless it’s impossible for them to provide accommodations that will keep you and others safe, like wearing a mask, working from home, or working in a separate area.

Recommendations vs. Requirements

That said, it’s easy to confuse a recommendation with a requirement. If your employer simply recommends that you get the vaccine, you do not have to get it regardless of your reason. If you’re in a dispute with your employer regarding getting the COVID-19 vaccine and need legal help, call our office today. We’ll be happy to confirm whether you have a case and represent you if your employer is treating you unfairly.

The Rule (and Its Exceptions)

The short answer to that question is “yes.” Your employer is legally allowed to require all of their workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and it’s within their rights to fire you if you don’t comply. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has even specifically confirmed that requiring vaccinations does not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, there are a few exceptions to the rule. If you have a disability that might make taking the vaccine difficult or dangerous, or if your religious beliefs prohibit vaccinations, then you might not have to get it even if your employer asks. In these cases, your

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Unwavering Client Experience. Outstanding Results. – HarmanLawNC.com

Remember These Iconic April Fools’ Day Pranks?

SUDOKU

3 Clever Tricks North Carolinians Fell For

Happy almost-April Fools’ Day! As we approach this year’s silliest holiday, we’re reminiscing about North Carolina pranks past. Do you remember these three iconic punkings from 2019 and 2020?

The ‘Back to School’ That Wasn’t

Last year on April Fools’ Day, a fake news article circulated on social media that freaked out parents and students alike. The headline read, “Governor Cooper orders N.C. Students to Repeat Current Grade, Beginning 2020-2021” and the story claimed that the governor was holding every student in the state back a year. According to WFMY News 2, the reactions online were explosive. One woman who shared the post wrote, “Vote him out of office!” while students weighed in with comments like, “Roy Cooper are you serious about us repeating our grades like what would be the point.” The article caused quite a stir before it was debunked by local news outlets. Did you fall for it? Tiny Bomb Sniffer Reporting for Duty Most of the time when an April Fools’ prank is revealed, people are relieved it was a joke, but not always! In 2019, the Ashville Police Department played a trick on its Facebook followers that left hundreds disappointed. In the post, the department claimed it had hired a brand- new, tiny dog to sniff out explosives: Sam the Yorkshire terrier. “Sam is especially skilled in searching confined spaces like under cars and in HVAC systems. His size also makes it easy for a patrol officer to store and deploy,” the department wrote.

Solution on Page 4

English Ground Beef Pasties

INGREDIENTS:

•

3/4 lb ground beef

•

1 tsp dried parsley

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1 medium onion, diced

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Salt and pepper, to taste

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2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Photos of Sam in his miniature “Bomb Squad” vest and goggles quickly captured people’s hearts. Unfortunately, the department eventually revealed the prank, explaining that Sam “lives a comfortable life as a non-police dog in his forever home with one of the team members on the APD Bomb Squad.”

•

1/4 cup beef broth (as needed)

•

2 sheets store-bought puff pastry dough

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In a large bowl, combine the beef, onion, and potatoes. 3. Roll out the pastry dough into roughly 10-inch circles or squares. 4. Spoon 1/2 of the beef mixture onto each sheet of dough, then top the mixture with parsley, salt, and pepper. 5. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, pinching each pasty shut and tucking in both ends. 6. Transfer the pasties to the prepared baking sheet, then cut several small slits in each pasty for ventilation. Bake for 45 minutes. 7. Remove the pasties from the oven and reduce the heat to 350 F. Spoon 1 tsp beef broth into each slit, then bake for an additional 15 minutes. 8. Serve and enjoy!

A Trick From the Tar Heels Sam wasn’t the only April Fools’ letdown we’ve dealt with. Last year, the Tar Heels football Twitter account fooled us all when it announced that it was swapping out the field’s green turf for Carolina blue. “The joke’s on North Carolina, though,” wrote Saturday Down South when the truth came out. “That field actually looks really cool and now we’ll be disappointed if they don’t make it happen.”

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Unwavering Client Experience. Outstanding Results. – Call Us Today 704-885-5550

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Inside This Issue

Welcome to the Harman House Madness! 1

Sudoku Solution

The Easiest Anti-Aging Tactic? Laughter

Can Your Employer Require You to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine? 2

English Ground Beef Pasties

3 Iconic North Carolina April Fools’ Day Pranks 3 A Match Made in Cornmeal Batter Heaven 4

CORN DOGS AND BASKETBALL An American Tradition

It’s no coincidence that National Corn Dog Day is March 20 — the third Saturday of the month. This day is traditionally the first Saturday of March Madness, otherwise known as the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship. But wait. What do corn dogs and a basketball tournament have to do with one another? Turns out, National Corn Dog Day has everything to do with March Madness. The “holiday” began in March 1992 when two Corvallis, Oregon, high school students needed a snack while watching a basketball game. They got some corn dogs and called it good. But somehow, this simple snack and sport pairing turned into something huge. In fact, eating corn dogs while watching March Madness caught on like wildfire — and the teens didn’t even have Instagram to promote it! Though it’s not clear how, it spread across Oregon and eventually the rest of the country. It’s likely that people just heard about it from friends and family and thought it was a great idea.

The corn dog, like basketball, is an American creation. In the 1920s, the creators toyed around with the idea of fried foods on a stick. They battered and fried everything from cheese to bananas, but it was the battered sausages that really stood out, and the corn dog was born. By the 1940s, the convenient creation had popped up at state fairs and drive-in restaurants all over the country. In 2012, in honor of the original Corn Dog Day, the then-governor of Oregon issued an official proclamation naming March 17 National Corn Dog Day in the state. Several companies jumped on the bandwagon as well, including Foster Farms (a maker of frozen corn dogs, among many other meat products) and the Pabst Brewing Company. While it’s not an “official” national day recognized by the U.S. Congress, it’s celebrated with thousands of events every March. And it’s grown beyond its U.S. roots. An article printed in The Oregonian in 2009 revealed that National Corn Dog Day parties have been celebrated on nearly every continent — including Antarctica!

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Unwavering Client Experience. Outstanding Results. – HarmanLawNC.com