The Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is one of those great legacy organizations known more for its pioneering history than for modern-day accomplishments. When it marks its diamond jubilee in just three years, its iconic status will be burnished even more.

Unfortunately, the status as the region’s longest-reigning Latino business group is not enough to guarantee success. Even defenders of the chamber acknowledge privately that the business group has at times strayed from its mission and not done nearly enough to retain and boost its membership. The proliferation of other Hispanic chambers is often, and accurately, cited as evidence of dysfunction.

When David L. Gonzales abruptly resigned last week as chief executive, questions about the chamber’s current and future stability were inevitable. Gonzales, who had impressive credentials, was hired after a tumultuous and lengthy national search that included a very public split within the chamber’s board.

Gonzales and the board’s chairman, Angel L. Reyes III, did their best to allay any concerns over the sudden departure, which occurred less than a year after the chief executive was named with great fanfare. The strategy was to declare mission accomplished, a very hard sell given the shockingly short tenure. Not surprisingly, the many detractors of the chamber were quick to offer theories on what may have gone wrong and why.

Over the last year, the chamber put in place a new economic development program to help small entrepreneurs. It’s too early to determine how it will fare, but Gonzales and the board deserve credit for declaring this initiative a priority. It counters the impression that the chamber is too beholden to its corporate members, if successful, it could persuade other small businesses to join.

The chamber has about 520 paying members, which is far too low given the business demographics of the region. One of the challenges for the leadership is to convince the public that it is finally on the right track. That is no easy task withthe perceptions of dysfunction that linger in the community. One way to begin to address this is by conducting an efficient and conflict-free search for a chief executive who can expand on the promising work done this year.

Dallas Hispanic Chamber

Mission statement: “To develop, promote and protect Hispanic businesses in the greater Dallas area and to support the advancement, education and economic growth of the Hispanic business community. The chamber shall serve as a business resource, a forum and advocate for Hispanic business issues and a united voice for the Hispanic business community.”

Membership: About 520 pay dues, but officials place the number of members at over 1,000.

Area Hispanic businesses: Estimates range from 40,000 to 70,000.

The president and chief executive officer of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has resigned after about 10 months on the job.

David Gonzales left the chamber last week to move back into private consulting, said Angel Reyes, chairman of the chamber board.

“We’re going to have to find a new person, but we wish him well, we’re excited for him,” Reyes said.

The chamber, which has about 500 members, went without a president for nearly two years during the search that led to the hiring of Gonzales.

“We’re going to have to go through a process again,” Reyes said. “It’s my personal hope that it doesn’t take as long as the last one. We will engage another search firm and/or of course accept applications from the community directly.”

The rapture didn't occur on May 21, as Harold Camping predicted. Do his followers have grounds for suit? Click here for the debate.

A woman plays a slot machine with a co-worker's money, hits the jackpot. Does he have a right to the money? Does she? Watch here.

Am Law 100 is again finding itself adrift in the hiring pool.  So...big firms like Latham & Watkins offered top prospects, folks from top 10 law schools with top grades, up to a year off!  That is so long as they defer starting as "real" associates for up to a year.  Now what in the world would make a super achiever do such a thing?  It turns out - public service! 

No kidding, the nation’s best and brightest (at least as they relate to law school admittees) are not just trying out public service jobs, some of them are keeping them!  Listen, when 36 of the 180 Stanford law students indicate a commitment to public service, we owe a large standing applause to each of them! 

You see, I told you all lawyers aren't bad.  Especially the young ones!

Much improved camera – check. High resolution screen – check. Sleek design – check. Ability to consistently maintain a strong signal – well, Mr. Jobs will have to get back to you on that. Turns out the uber-phone encounters reception problems when held in certain positions.

The question that immediately comes to my mind though is:  If bloggers found this flaw on day one of use, did Apple know (of course) and why did they release what seems like a majorly defective product?

Time will soon tell.  For now, read this article for a little more insight.

Today, CPSC released its annual reports on children's submersion and entrapment incidents which showed:

• From 2005-2007 there was an annual average of 385 pool and spa-related drownings for children younger than 15; about 78 percent, or 299, of these children were younger than five.
• From 2007-2009, there were an estimated average of 4,200 pool or spa emergency department-treated submersions for children younger than 15; and children between the ages of 12 to 35 months represented 47 percent of estimated injuries for these years.
• About 54 percent of the estimated injuries for 2007 - 2009 and 74 percent of the fatalities for 2005 - 2007 involving children younger than fifteen occurred at a residence.
• Most reported fatalities occurred on the day of (73 percent) or within a week of (additional 23 percent) the submersion incident. Just four percent of fatal victims survived beyond a week of the submersion; these victims had severe injuries and required intensive medical care.
• There were no reported entrapment fatalities for 2009. CPSC did receive eight reports of entrapment incidents in which seven people were injured during 2009.

For the complete reports see: Pool and Spa Submersions 2010 (pdf) and Circulation/Suction Entrapments 2010 (pdf). The years for reported injury and fatality statistics differ as a result of the lag in fatality reporting.

"It is important to keep in mind that these numbers represent family tragedies. Preventing child drownings year round is a priority for the CPSC," said Chairman Tenenbaum. "The Pool Safely campaign will start a national conversation with parents and children, pool owners and operators and industry professionals about the simple safety steps they can take to protect themselves and their families in and around pools and spas. These incidents are preventable, so our mission is to change the way families think and act about pool and spa safety."

The Pool Safely campaign is a key part of the CPSC's efforts to carry out the requirements of Section 1407 of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act), federal legislation signed into law in 2007 mandating new requirements for pool and spa safety. It includes a requirement for a national public education campaign designed to raise public awareness, support industry compliance, and improve safety at pools and spas.

"I have been involved in the issue of pool safety throughout my career and today marks a key milestone in the ongoing fight to reduce accidental drowning," said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, author of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. "Educating communities on the potential dangers of swimming pools is a critical tool in saving the lives of our children. I am so pleased to have worked with my colleagues in Congress to provide the funds needed for implementation of this important campaign."

The Pool Safely campaign will deliver an important and simple message: just adding an extra safety step in and around the water can make all the difference. Your greatest water safety assurance comes from adopting and practicing as many water safety measures as possible, including: barriers that completely surround the pool with self-closing, self-latching gates; staying close, being alert, and watching children at the pool; learning and practicing water safety skills (knowing how to swim and perform CPR); and having the appropriate equipment (compliant drain covers, alarms, barriers and sensors).

The campaign will highlight the need to implement a "personal system of safety" that consists of adding as many proven water safety practices as possible in and around pools and spas.

"As a parent of young children, I know there's no single, sure-fire way to ensure their safety around pools and spas," added Janet Evans, five-time Olympic medalist in swimming. "Whether it's enrolling them in swimming lessons or simply watching them at all times, there is always one more thing I can do. The Pool Safely campaign offers a variety of simple steps we can all take to protect our children in pools and spas."

Pool Safely will serve as an information hub delivering campaign tools and resources to various outreach channels. CPSC has taken the lead by partnering with national, regional and local organizations in the children's safety and drowning prevention communities. By engaging key partners, the campaign will reach the widest possible audience and build a sustainable network that will ensure the campaign's messaging is delivered for years to come.

"Knowing how to swim helped me win gold in the water, but it takes adding as many water safety steps as possible to ensure a safe environment for children in and around pools and spas, " said seven-time Olympic medalist in swimming Jason Lezak. "No matter how responsible you already are, there is always one more safety step you can take to protect your child. That is how you can Pool Safely. "

"I understand the need to bring together the public and dedicated partners in the water safety community to begin a national conversation about water safety," said Nancy Baker, the mother of Virginia Graeme for whom the Act is named. "I am honored to be involved in the Pool Safely campaign and look forward to working together to promote additional water safety steps we all can take in protecting our loved ones in and around pools and spas. Simple steps save lives."

The Pool Safely campaign - a national public education effort by the Consumer Product Safety Commission - is proud to partner with leading organizations, including American Red Cross, YMCA of the USA, Safe Kids USA, National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA), World Waterpark Association (WWA), and Abbey's Hope. For more information, visit the website at www.poolsafely.gov or follow the campaign on Twitter @poolsafely

Click "CONTINUE READING" below for the full AP Story.

ABA President Elect Stephen Zack
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 03:30PM
justiciaparatodos.squarespace.com

Miami lawyer Stephen N. Zack, a partner in the national law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner, was elected as president-elect of the American Bar Association - the first Hispanic American to achieve that distinction. Zack will serve one year as president-elect before taking office as president in August 2010 at the ABA's Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

©2009 Angel Reyes
www.ReyesLaw.com

Is Letterman's job in jeopardy - hardly - he's a ratings machine in a world where ratings are falling faster than ever. Was he a cad? Does it matter? Allegedly, during all his dalliances, he wasn't married and no one has suggested that he coerced any of the women he had sex with.

Had Halderman called my law firm, we would have advised him to tell his girlfriend, Stephanie Birkitt, that if she suffered sexual harassment at Letterman's company, she should sue him.

Getting "crafty" never works. Lawsuits work to bring out dirty laundry, especially when the defendant has been a cad. We'll soon find out how honest Letterman was when he said "he never had sex with any employee, after he got married." Stay tuned.

Guys are often in between things like jobs and houses, which means they’re more likely to stay up with you all night, drinking wine and playing gin rummy. They’ll rub your belly. They’ll lick chocolate off it. They’ll like your cute little dog. A guy is never going to shoot Old Yeller in the woods.

Men like innocuous dress shirts or pastel polos with colors as nauseating as chewable Tums. Do men want to be guys? I don’t think men know guys exist, at least not as a permanent condition. They assume guys are boys who haven’t manned up yet.

Then there's always Mike Gundy:

See snippets of today’s NY Times article “In Phoenix, Weekend Users Make Light Rail a Success” below.

The light rail here, which opened in December, has been a greater success than its proponents thought it would be, but not quite the way they envisioned. Unlike the rest of the country’s public transportation systems, which are used principally by commuters, the 20 miles of light rail here stretching from central Phoenix to Mesa and Tempe is used largely by people going to restaurants, bars, ball games and cultural events downtown.

The rail was projected to attract 26,000 riders per day, but the number is closer to 33,000, boosted in large part by weekend riders. Only 27 percent use the train for work, according to its operator, compared with 60 percent of other public transit users on average nationwide.

The gaggle of light rail users — including Arizona State University students, who use a line that connects its Tempe campus with the downtown campus — have given a small part of the city a new, dense connectivity that was more or less unheard of in the city two years ago. Pub crawls along the light rail have become a weekend staple, and restaurants have seen new customers from outside the neighborhood popping in off the line for brunch on the weekends.

“I think the biggest impact of the light rail is less tangible,” said Matt Poolin, owner of Matt’s Big Breakfast, a busy spot along the line, “which is that it really improves the image and perception of Phoenix’s downtown, which, although experiencing a significant renaissance in recent years, still is undergoing many improvements and changes. The light rail, largely because it is so well run and nicely appointed, is something that I think most people are really proud of and feel positive about. It is rare to hear anyone complain, despite all of the controversy.”

Shih notes that now even top law school grads face dimming prospects at landing the big law firm career. Why should it matter? If you go to a top 10 law school, certain things are expected. It is expected that the world’s largest law firms will come a courtin’ and it is expected that you will receive a job making high six figures and that will soothe any anxiety you face when looking at the staggering debt you took out to get that top 10 law school degree.

Downturn Dims Prospects Even at Top Law Schools

By GERRY SHIH

Published: August 25, 2009

This fall, law students are competing for half as many openings at big firms as they were last year in what is shaping up to be the most wrenching job search season in over 50 years.

Skip to next paragraphFor students now, the promise of the big law firm career — and its paychecks — is slipping through their fingers, forcing them to look at lesser firms in smaller markets as well as opportunities in government or with public interest groups, law school faculty and students say.

How bad is it? Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, the juggernaut of New York, has slashed its hiring by more than half. For the first time in 136 years, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, a respected Philadelphia firm, has canceled its recruiting entirely. Global firms like DLA Piper and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe have postponed recruiting for several months to see if the market improves.

At Yale, students accustomed to being wooed by Big Law’s glittering names — like Baker & McKenzie; Milbank, Tweed, Hadley, & McCloy; and White & Case — were stunned when those firms canceled interviews in New Haven this month.

New York University, Georgetown, Northwestern and other top universities confirm that interviews are down by a third to a half compared with a year ago, while lower-ranked schools are suffering more. What is more, when interviews finish in a few weeks, even fewer offers will be extended, said Howard L. Ellin, the chairman of global hiring at Skadden, Arps, because many firms are interviewing students for slots they may not fill.

After he lost his job as a television reporter two years ago, Derek Fanciullo considered law school, thinking it was a historically sure bet. He took out “a ferocious amount of debt,” he said — $210,000, to be exact — and enrolled last September in the School of Law at New York University.

With the cost of law school skyrocketing over the years, the implicit arrangement between students and the most expensive and prestigious schools has only strengthened: the student takes on hefty debt to pay tuition, and the school issues the golden ticket to a job at a high-paying firm — if that’s what the student wants.

“Students came in with a certain sense of what the compact was going to be,” said Irene Dorzback, the assistant dean for career services at the New York University School of Law. But with the system crumbling in recent months, Ms. Dorzback said, “people are now accepting this notion of a lost year.”

When Julia Figurelli, a second-year student at the University of Pennsylvania, decided to enter law school a year ago, she expected to find a lucrative law firm job in three years — if not collecting the $160,000-a-year associate salaries at one of the uppermost partnerships. By the time she obtains her J.D., she says, she will have around $200,000 in debt.

“Had I seen where the market was going, I would’ve gone to a lower-ranked but less expensive public school,” she said. “I’m questioning whether law school was the right choice at all.”

Once aiming to work in Philadelphia, Ms. Figurelli is now hunting for jobs in lower-paying markets, like Pittsburgh and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “I’m looking anywhere my competition isn’t looking,” she added.

School officials are pushing students to look beyond the white-shoe firms, to delve deep into alumni networks and to start mass letter-writing campaigns to potential employers. Like Ms. Figurelli, many students say that for the first time, they are considering and seeking work with government and public-interest groups.

The Social Security Administration, for example, said applications for lawyer positions and clerkships had more than doubled this year, to 2,000, from 800. The public-interest job fair at N.Y.U. this year was “packed to the gills,” Mr. Fanciullo recalled, but whereas in past years students had seven or eight interviews, some of his classmates this year had zero. “There’s a humongous trickle-down effect,” he said. “When the big firms don’t hire, everyone looks to government. And when those get filled up, then what happens?”

It has been a bizarre new reality, especially for elite schools. At Harvard, officials have had to hawk résumés or tell students, quite simply, to buck up. (“Now is not the time for avoidance, denial or panic,” Mark Weber, the assistant dean of career services, wrote in a March memo to Harvard Law’s graduating class.)

On a recent Friday afternoon, Mr. Fanciullo sat at home waiting anxiously for his first callback after four days of interviews. Firms customarily called within 48 hours, he explained.

“You almost bank on the big firms hiring you because they’re really the only ones who can help you pay your debt,” he said, his mind already skipping forward to a situation he didn’t choose to articulate. “Quite frankly it would be an absolute disaster. I don’t know what I’d do."