Law Office Daniel J Miller - May 2020

Law Office Daniel J Miller - May 2020

INYOUR DEFENSE

MAY 2020

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REMEMBERING MY MOM ON MOTHER’S DAY She Helped Me Be a Better Person

My mother was one of the most selfless people before she passed away a little over two years ago, which was about a year after my father passed away. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her and how much I miss her. She was unmatched in the ways she cared for others, whether that was her siblings, her extended family, her neighbors, or my siblings and me. My mom’s parents were immigrants from Europe who came to the United States to get out of Nazi Germany. They had four children, and my mom was the oldest. When she was growing up, they had a jewelry store in Norfolk. While they were away working at the store, the responsibility to take care of the younger siblings fell to her. That was the first of many caretaker responsibilities she would take on over the course of her life, and she did it all without a single complaint. When she had kids of her own later in life, she took care of us with the same selfless attitude she had for her siblings.

true when she was with family. She, like my father, believed that nothing should come between close family. She was always the peacemaker during any disagreement between friends or family. Growing up, we had family all over the place, from Florida to California and New York. But because of my mom’s desire to see everyone taken care of, we always hosted family reunions and holidays at our house. She would take the cooking and planning responsibilities upon herself, and she didn’t expect anyone’s help getting it all put together. She never served anyone with bitterness or pride in her heart. She just saw serving other people as the right thing to do, and she did it. I like to think that a fraction of what made my mom so amazing rubbed off on me. She molded me into a better father and into a more sympathetic person toward the plights of others. It’s because of her that I don’t mind

working long, hard hours when it comes to providing for my family and helping my clients. It’s also because of her that I feel like I can empathize with the terrible situations my clients find themselves in. I don’t know if I could ever measure up to how great my mother really was. Who can, honestly? I’m not nearly as good at staying connected to extended family as she was. Life gets busy, and it becomes easier and easier to fall out of contact with the people you care about. Nevertheless, I try to emulate who my mom was every day. This Mother’s Day, I’ll be thinking of her. I hope you have plans to remember your mother, spend time with her, or celebrate being a mother yourself.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her and how much I miss her.”

– Daniel J. Miller

Whenever possible, my mom did whatever it took to make everyone else happy before she took care of herself. This was especially

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UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE HAMPTON ROADS S trawberries , S teel D rums , and K ites

The NBA playoffs typically rule the sporting world from April to June every year, so there’s no better time to take a look back at some of the greatest championship runs in the league’s modern history. THE 1991 CHICAGO BULLS Many Chicago fans remember where they were when the Bulls won their first title in 1991 — in fact, most basketball fans know about this historic title run. The road to the championship took the Michael Jordan-led Bulls through Detroit. Back then, the Detroit Pistons were known as the “Bad Boys” in the NBA, and they won back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. But the Bulls — backed by head coach Jim Boylen’s philosophy that every player on the team had value — shut down the Pistons on their route to the championship. The Bulls would go on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, win their first championship, and cement Michael Jordan’s legacy. THE 2003 LOS ANGELES LAKERS The early 2000s were a prime period for basketball, in large part thanks to Los Angeles Lakers legends Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. In 2003, the Lakers were looking for a repeat victory to make them back-to-back NBA champions. Having gone 15-1 in the playoffs, the Lakers only lost once in the finals. This is even more impressive Let the steel drums put you on island time at the Virginia International PANFest. During the day, you’ll get to see dozens of bands from around the Hampton Roads perform in the PANFest Competition A L ook B ack at the G reatest NBA P layoff R uns in M odern H istory What do strawberries, steel drums, and kites all have in common? They’re all centerpieces of some of the most exciting events coming up in the Hampton Roads this May! Be aware that some of these events may have been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 Crisis. ATLANTIC COAST KITE FESTIVAL When: May 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; May 3, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: The beach and boardwalk from 23rd Street to 27th Street Tickets: Free! Be prepared to take in every shade, color, and hue when you look up in the sky while the Atlantic Coast Kite Festival is in town. Kite pilots of all ages will get a chance to show off their skills at the end of the twine, either for fun or in the master, novice, and youth best kite contests. There will also be flight training and kite building workshops from masters of the craft, as well as kite vendors. VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL PANFEST When: Festival competition on May 9, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Headliner on May 8 and May 9, 8:30–10 p.m. Where: 24th Street Pavilion, Virginia Beach Oceanfront Tickets: Free to watch

before seeing the pros, headliner band Hells Gate Steel Orchestra. This will be a unique experience that you won’t find anywhere else, so make sure to stop by! PUNGO STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL When: May 23–24 Where: 1776 Princess Anne Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23456 Tickets: Free Entry For 36 years, the Pungo Strawberry Festival has entertained families with 4-H events, pig races, down-home-style food, and, of course, strawberries. This Memorial weekend festival has something for everyone and makes for wholesome fun the day before your big Memorial Day barbecue! Don’t miss out!

when you consider that the teams they faced housed six future Hall of Fame players and none had any major injuries. The Lakers would go on to win their second championship in a row and win once again the following year to join the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls as three-peat titleholders. THE 2017 GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS Much like their LA counterparts did in 2003, the Golden State Warriors were undefeated heading into the NBA Finals. Thanks to the addition of superstar Kevin Durant, the team’s regular-season record of 67-15 propelled them into a hot streak in the championships. What’s even more impressive about this season was the Warriors’ plus-13.5 point differential against championship-caliber teams, and they even managed to handily defeat future Hall of Fame player LeBron James when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Spotlighting the RonaldMcDonald House of Norfolk

Most people are probably familiar with the work the Ronald McDonald Houses do around the country. They provide families with a place to stay while their children are hospitalized for a prolonged period of time. There are 365 Ronald McDonald Houses throughout the world, and the 32nd one is right here in Norfolk. Ever since the Ronald McDonald House in Norfolk was established, they’ve helped countless families find comfort in the midst of immense hardship. While the mission of the Norfolk Ronald McDonald House is by no means unique, that does not lessen the positive impact they have on families here every year. The Norfolk House alone serves roughly 1,000 families a year. In 2018, the Ronald McDonald House provided 4,424 nights of comfort to distressed families, with at least 75% of their rooms filled at all times. During that same year, 159 different groups from the community cooked meals at the Ronald McDonald House and 52 volunteers supplied families with much-needed wish- list items.

While there will always be statistics, facts, and figures to measure just how much the Ronald McDonald House in Norfolk helps families in our community, their impact shines best in the stories those families share. You can find countless stories of the relief and comfort the Ronald McDonald House provides for these families on Norfolk House’s website. One story tells how a young boy had to have a craniectomy (a surgery that removes part of the skull) after he had a hemorrhage. During the surgeries, he wanted nothing more than to have his siblings by his side, and the Ronald McDonald House made that possible. After a successful procedure, this boy now only has to see a doctor every six months for follow-up appointments.

You don’t always need a flashy, innovative mission to lend a helping hand. Sometimes, you just need to give families in need a place to stay.

SUDOKU

STICKYANDSWEET PORK ‘RIBS’

INGREDIENTS

• 2 heads garlic, cloves separated • 3 thumbs ginger, chopped

• 1/3 cup oyster sauce • 1/3 cup toasted sesame oil • 5 lbs boneless pork shoulder, flattened • 3/4 cup brown sugar • 1 tbsp molasses

• 1 cup hoisin sauce • 3/4 cup fish sauce • 2/3 cup honey • 2/3 cup rice wine • 1/2 cup chili oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a blender, purée garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, honey, rice wine, chili oil, oyster sauce, and toasted sesame oil until smooth. 2. Reserve and chill 1 1/2 cups for later use. 3. In a bag, add the remaining mixture and pork shoulder. Marinate for at least 8 hours. 4. Using a convection plate on the grill, cook pork until the thickest part reaches an internal temperature of 140–145 F. 5. In a large saucepan, simmer brown sugar, molasses, and reserved marinade for 6–8 minutes. 6. Baste the pork with the brown sugar glaze for 2 minutes before serving.

Inspired by Bon Appétit

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Remembering My Mom on Mother’s Day PAGE 1 Upcoming Events in the Hampton Roads Celebrate the NBA Playoffs With Some Championship History PAGE 2 Spotlighting the Ronald McDonald House of Norfolk Sticky and Sweet Pork ‘Ribs’ PAGE 3 Have You Heard of the Interrobang? PAGE 4 INSIDETHIS ISSUE

WHYTHE INTERROBANGFIZZLEDOUT PUNCTUATION’SPROBLEMCHILD

It’s a punctuation mark that’s over 50 years old, but you may not have heard of it before. It’s an odd-looking squiggle that denotes a common inflection, but many experts argue it has no place on paper. In an age when thoughts are limited to 280 characters, wouldn’t a single punctuation mark that does the job of two be valuable? Some say yes, others say no thank you. So what is this mystery punctuation mark? It’s the interrobang! In 1962, advertising agent Martin K. Speckter believed ads would look better if rhetorical questions were conveyed using a single mark. He merged the question mark, also called an interrogative point, with the exclamation point, known in the jargon of printers as a “bang,” and the interrobang was born. In the first few years of its existence, the interrobang made some mild headway, appearing in some dictionaries and even on some typewriters in the late ‘60s and early

‘70s. And while it was used in magazine and newspaper articles for several years, it wasn’t meant to last. There are a few explanations for why the interrobang never took off, but the most prominent one says that as writing styles changed, there was less use of rhetorical questions in writing, especially formal writing. Because the interrobang was originally intended to denote rhetorical questions, it faded from use. Today, using the two punctuation marks that make up the interrobang is still popular, especially in nonformal writing like social media copy. Any variation of “!?” denotes a sense of excitement, urgency, or disbelief in the form of a question, rhetorical or not. But the reason people don’t use the interrobang to serve the same purpose is simple: It’s not a key on keyboards. There are still certain fonts that are equipped to display the nonstandard mark, but if you want to use it, you have to

go digging for it. It’s just much quicker to write two punctuation marks than search for a single one. But who knows what the future will bring? Language is in an ever-changing state, and the interrobang may rise again. Or will it!?

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