Holland & Usry - February 2021

ONE PEOPLE

We’re All in This Together

A statue of Daniel Morgan, the Revolutionary War hero from the Battle of Cowpens, overlooks downtown Spartanburg. It’s a short walk from my office. Funny how things can be right in front of you all the time, but you never really notice much about them. I’ve always seen the statue as I strolled to lunch or city court, but I never took the time to look closely at it. When I did, I learned something!

If you’ve never checked out the statue, take a look soon. Be sure to walk around it and read the plates in the statue’s base.

One of the plates jumped out at me. It says “ONE PEOPLE ... ONE COUNTRY ... ONE DESTINY.”

I’ll share what that means to me.

One Country Virtually all of us are united in our love for America. We express it differently. Criticism is part of the stewardship of love, as it spurs improvement and justice. As parents know, letting your child get away with everything isn’t love. It’s neglect. Love is messy. But our commitment to America — both to each other as its people and to the ideals on which it was founded — inspires the desire and ability to work through the mess. That commitment can help us “get over ourselves.” Being part of something bigger than ourselves empowers us, when necessary, to sacrifice what’s best for us in favor of benefiting the greater good. One Destiny The joy and responsibility of this is that we get to decide. Choice is the ultimate freedom. Let’s commit to pulling up America instead of dragging each other down. Look closer. Listen to understand.

One People We’re all in this together. We don’t have to agree on all things. And we shouldn’t. The beauty of our unique backgrounds and experiences is that they create different opinions. Varied viewpoints create a richer understanding of how problems and their potential solutions affect different people. That’s critical to making a better life in our society, with its sprawling cultural and socioeconomic diversity. Complex problems generate tough conversations. We’ve forgotten how to have them, as the media and political arena cultivate and celebrate rage over reason. The key to “one people,” I think, is listening to understand, not to reply — or react. Once we confer grace to another human by deeply understanding their views, we exercise the courage to express our views gracefully. Then we’ve opened the door to working together toward a meaningful, well-rounded solution.

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CORN DOGS AND BASKETBALL

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!

Testimonials

THANKS TO THE HOLLAND & USRY LAW FIRM “This was my first experience dealing with a lawsuit. Rob Usry and his team made this a very easy and effective process for me. They were professional, reliable, and very understanding. In the middle of this process, I lost a father figure. Rob and his team worked around my schedule and allowed me to deal with this situation. I was very satisfied with the end result and would recommend Holland & Usry to anyone. Thanks for the hard work and patience.”

“I had fallen in a department store, and Robert Usry called me and was very professional, even though there wasn’t thousand of dollars in a claim. I highly recommend.”

–Lorraine

–Manny

www.bhollandlawfirm.com

SPINAL CORD PAIN STIMULATOR DOESN’T GUARANTEE WORKERS’ COMP MAXIMUM BENEFITS

As I’ve written before, spinal cord pain stimulators treat chronic, excruciating pain. While workers’ compensation can pay for a pain stimulator, you can expect the workers’ compensation insurance company to fight hard against it due to the extreme expense. Without a doubt, needing a spinal cord stimulator means you’ve suffered a severe, often disabling injury. So, it should be a slam-dunk to qualify for maximum workers’ compensation financial settlements like workers’ compensation permanent and total disability or wage loss, right? Wrong! South Carolina’s workers’ compensation law can work against you here. There are only five ways to qualify for workers’ compensation total disability benefits:

1. Losing over 50% of your back. Our state court of appeals ruled that a spinal cord stimulator doesn’t injure your back. 2. Total loss of both hands, arms, feet, legs, eyes, or a combination of any two. A pain stimulator usually doesn’t involve this. 3. Paralysis 4. Physical brain damage 5. Injuring two body parts that strip you of all job skills. This is South Carolina’s harsh two-injury rule. Many pain stimulator cases come down to this two-injury rule that can force you out of maximum workers’ compensation settlements and limit you to a settlement for a single body part. For the insurance company, it’s cheaper to watch you suffer. But a creative, hardworking attorney can give you the best shot at a maximum financial settlement. I’ve overcome the dreaded two-injury rule in a spinal cord stimulator case. I’ve even shocked the insurance company with a solid two-injury rule argument they never saw coming. You’ve got so much to lose when you need a pain stimulator, and nothing is easy. This aspect of your case carries lifelong implications and can dramatically affect your financial benefits. You need experienced legal help. Call us so we can help protect you.

Good News

ASPARAGUS AND SMOKED MOZZARELLA PIZZETTES

“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: ‘Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.’” –Luke 11:17 “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.” –Ruth 1:16

Inspired by EatingWell.com

Ingredients

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 500 F and ensure there are two racks in your oven. 2. Line a large baking sheet with

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1 lb prepared whole- wheat pizza dough, divided into 6 equal portions 12 oz asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

parchment paper, stretch each piece of dough into a 7-by-3-inch oval and arrange evenly on the pan.

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3. On a second baking sheet, toss

asparagus with oil and 1/4 tsp salt.

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4. Place dough on top rack and

asparagus on bottom and bake for 3 minutes. 5. Remove both trays from the oven, sprinkle cheese over the dough, then top with asparagus and scallions. 6. Return pizzettes to oven and bake until the crusts’ edges are golden, about 8–10 minutes. 7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with walnuts, mint, and orange zest before serving.

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1/4 tsp salt

1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese 1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced 2 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped 1 sprig of fresh mint leaves, torn

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Zest of 1 orange

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

* This newsletter is intended to educate the public about personal injury, workers’ compensation, criminal defense, and family law issues. You can copy and distribute it as long as you copy the entire newsletter. But the newsletter is not intended to be legal advice; you should ask a lawyer about your specific case. Every case is different, and all case outcomes depend on unique facts and laws.

101 W. St. John St. Suite 206 Spartanburg, SC 29306

INSIDE this issue In This Together A Match Made in Cornmeal Batter Heaven Testimonials Spinal Stimulators and Max Benefits Asparagus & Smoked Mozzarella Pizzettes

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Meet This Life-Saving Rat From Cambodia

If you no longer want to receive this newsletter, call Pam at 864.582.0416 or email [email protected] .

An African Rat Receives Prestigious Gold Medal for Saving Lives

A metal detector can take anywhere from 1–4 days to detect land mines in the war-torn landscapes of Cambodia. However, a Gambian pouched rat named Magawa can detect them in 20 minutes. Magawa’s ability to sniff land mines has been lauded as “truly unique,” as he potentially saves hundreds of lives every day. Yet, he weighs a mere 2.75 pounds and is only 28 inches long. While that’s larger than your average rodent, Magawa is still light enough to safely step over land mines without setting them off. That’s been amazing news for Cambodians. The land mine problem began during the civil wars of the ‘70s and ‘80s, causing over 64,000 casualties and creating 25,000 amputees since 1979. But where did Magawa come from? A Belgium- registered charity named Apopo trained Magawa in Tanzania as part of the program HeroRATs where after a year of training, the animals become

certified. This program has been around since the 1990s, teaching animals how to detect land mines and tuberculosis. Magawa only works for a half-hour during the day, but as he nears retirement age at 7 years old, Magawa has sniffed out 39 land mines and 28 unexploded munitions in his career. His tremendous work has now been recognized worldwide. In 2020, the U.K. veterinary charity PDSA gave Magawa its gold medal for “life-saving devotion to duty, in the location and clearance of deadly land mines in Cambodia.” Over 30 animals have received this award so far, but Magawa is the first rat. “To receive this medal is really an honour for us,” Apopo’s chief executive, Christophe Cox, told the Press Association news agency. “But also, it is big for the people in Cambodia, and all the people around the world who are suffering from land mines.”

Now that’s a real hero if we’ve ever seen one. Thank you, Magawa, for all your hard work, and we hope you have a long and happy retirement ahead of you!

www.bhollandlawfirm.com