Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Austin Events: Texas Advocacy Project's Share the Love Fundraising Cocktail
The Texas Advocacy Project is hosting it's Share the Love fundraising cocktail on Wednesday 2/6 at Molotov on West 6th in Austin. General admission tickets are only $20 with VIP tickets for $150. You can buy your tickets in advance. Proceeds go to support the Project's mission to use legal solutions to end domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Texas.
+Dave Floyd is Board Secretary for The Texas Advocacy Project
Monday, January 28, 2013
HYP Austin's Facebook Page
Austin Habitat Young Professionals has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/austinhyp
"Like" the HYP Austin Facebook page for updates on upcoming events, builds, and other items of interest. And, of course, buy your tickets for the February 4th HYP Build the Love fundraising event at Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill in downtown Austin.
+Dave Floyd is the President of Austin Habitat Young Professionals, and has been a member since 2007.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Crawfish in Austin
It's crawfish season (cue the applause). If you are looking for a delicious and fun crawfish boil this weekend in Austin then head down to the Shoal Creek Saloon at North Lamar and 9th (check the website for details on availability during the week). For extra fun, take advantage of the weather and ride your bike there.
Also, this weekend is a great time to buy tickets to:
- The Creative Fund's Gatsby themed fundraiser on 1/31
- Habitat Young Professional's Build the Love Fundraiser on 2/4
Enjoy yourselves this weekend.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
A Disturbing Infographic on Fat
Damn. Looking at this chart not only makes me regret the fried chicken I ate for lunch, but also to do a lot of cycling and Krav Maga next week. Or, maybe I should follow the impressive training program used by +Sara Foskitt to prepare for the 3M Half Marathon. It was Sara's first Half, and she finished with an impressive time. I have never run a Half Marathon, but it's something I'd like to do in the next couple of years.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Austin Happy Hours: The Creative Fund
There is a Creative Fund happy hour tonight at Dive Bar & Lounge on Guadalupe. Drop by between 6-8 to learn more about The Creative Fund and the upcoming Gatsby themed fundraising event. Keep an eye out for me and/or membership chair +Hank Morris.
If you can't make it tonight, be sure to follow The Creative Fund on Twitter for updates about upcoming events and "like" The Creative Fund on Facebook.
MissionTo fund new and innovative performing arts at any venue in Austin.
VisionTo connect emerging artists with patron resources, elevating innovative works of art into larger venues with larger audiences.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Austin Events: Gatsby Fundraiser for The Creative Fund
Get your tickets now for The Creative Fund's Gatsby themed event at Austin's Caswell House on January 31st, 2013. If you enjoyed last Spring's Through the Looking Glass event, then you will find even more to like at Gatsby. There will be small theatre style performances throughout the evening, plus music by Ava Arenella. Watch the video, and then imagine this music in a speakeasy setting. Exactly. We'll see you there.
Tickets are free for Creative Fund members.
Non-members pay $35 online, $50 at door.
The Creative Fund raises money in order to provide rental subsidy grants to performing arts groups so that the can access venues in Austin.
Web Users Settle Claim Against Web Analytics Company for "Surreptitiously" Tracking Web Browsing
Check out the latest post on the Prism Risk Management Blog: Web Users Settle Claim Against Web Analytics Company for "Surreptitiously" Tracking Web Browsing
Austin based +Prism Risk Management, LLC provides consulting and management services. +Dave Floyd is CEO & General Counsel.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Important Texas water rights case could affect oil & gas activities as well - Corporate Counsel Newsstand - Powered by Lexology
Important Texas water rights case could affect oil & gas activities as well - Corporate Counsel Newsstand - Powered by Lexology
Note: The link above leads to an article which discusses the recent Texas Supreme Ct ruling in Edwards Aquifer Authority v. Day, which asserted a Texas landowner's interest in the rights to the groundwater beneath his property. Apparently, in Texas this question had remained unanswered since the implementation of the Rule of Capture to ground water rights back in 1904 (and the subsequent additions of powers ascribed to water districts). The above linked article from the law firm King & Spalding speculates about this determination of Texas water rights as they relate to fracking (a petroleum extraction method which uses enormous amounts of water).
As you may or may not know, I'm generally very interested in Texas water law and water rights. As the Texas population continues to grow, expect water issues to garner more attention. Furthermore, pay attention to the Rule of Capture and its application to groundwater when this concept appears in other groundwater related contexts. Also, look no ruther than a few posts down to find a link to an article about the EPA's ongoing study of fracking's effects on groundwater. -WDFloyd
Note: The link above leads to an article which discusses the recent Texas Supreme Ct ruling in Edwards Aquifer Authority v. Day, which asserted a Texas landowner's interest in the rights to the groundwater beneath his property. Apparently, in Texas this question had remained unanswered since the implementation of the Rule of Capture to ground water rights back in 1904 (and the subsequent additions of powers ascribed to water districts). The above linked article from the law firm King & Spalding speculates about this determination of Texas water rights as they relate to fracking (a petroleum extraction method which uses enormous amounts of water).
As you may or may not know, I'm generally very interested in Texas water law and water rights. As the Texas population continues to grow, expect water issues to garner more attention. Furthermore, pay attention to the Rule of Capture and its application to groundwater when this concept appears in other groundwater related contexts. Also, look no ruther than a few posts down to find a link to an article about the EPA's ongoing study of fracking's effects on groundwater. -WDFloyd
Monday, January 7, 2013
Austin Events: HYP Build the Love
Invitation text from HYP's Build the Love Event Page:
It’s an exciting new year and Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. Whether you can’t wait for it or want to skip it all together, Austin Habitat Young Professionals has a reason for you to celebrate.
HYP’s is holding our 6th Annual Build the Love on Monday, February 4th from 5 to 8 pm at Moonshine. Join HYP as we raise funds for Austin Habitat for Humanity to enable the dream of homeownership by helping deserving families build homes.
Whether your tastes lean toward savoury, bitter, or sweet we'll have something for you. The evening will include an enticing spread of Moonshine's delicious food, Thirsty Planet's fabulous brews, a dessert-filled House of Sweets, and wine tastings. Plus enjoy the Battle of the Sexes (Round 2) and a chance to win great door prizes!
Get your tickets now at: www.austinhyp.org
The FIRST FIFTY people to register and purchase a ticket will be entered into a drawing for a special prize!
We look forward to seeing you on February 4th at Moonshine!
If you are coming, be sure to sign let us know on Facebook.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Twitter Widget for Your Blog
If you know something about HMTL, web developing, or possess some useful technical web skills then this post probably isn't for you. If you are lawyer (or other similar type person) engaged in some DIY blogging, this post might come in handy.
In order to add Twitter widget to your blog on Blogger, check out the Widget Configurator provided by Twitter. Enter the basic information, and at the bottom of the page you'll get something like this :
Copy this code. Next, go into the layout control panel for your Blogger page. Click on "add a gadget" in area of the page onto which you wish to place your new Twitter widget. When the menu for Blogger produced gadgets (aka widgets) appears, select the one for Java/HTML script. Paste the code from into the box. It's that easy.
In order to add Twitter widget to your blog on Blogger, check out the Widget Configurator provided by Twitter. Enter the basic information, and at the bottom of the page you'll get something like this :
data-widget-id="28732342865127936" href="https://twitter.com/bernardshakey">Tweets by @bernardshakey
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.crateElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore-document,"script","twitter-wjs");
Copy this code. Next, go into the layout control panel for your Blogger page. Click on "add a gadget" in area of the page onto which you wish to place your new Twitter widget. When the menu for Blogger produced gadgets (aka widgets) appears, select the one for Java/HTML script. Paste the code from into the box. It's that easy.
Your Twitter widget should appear as a nice box with recent Tweets (like my in the column to the right) immediately; however, if you only see a one link hyperlink asking to follow your account then wait. It took mine a couple of hours before Twitter began to send the appropriate information. If you wait for a few hours and nothing appears, go back to your Twitter account's Widget Configurator page and be sure you entered your domain/URL appropriately. If this information is correct and the Twitter widget isn't working, you should probably contact Twitter about the problem (or call a friend who's good with web mechanics).
U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Texas-Oklahoma Water Case
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a major cross-border water case that pits Tarrant County against the state of Oklahoma, according to a court order published Friday.
Fast-growing North Texas would like to buy water from Oklahoma reservoirs, but the Sooner state isn’t selling. So Tarrant County sued six years ago.
The court’s decision to take up the case, Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann, Rudolf J. et al, will come as a welcome news to North Texas officials, who had lost in the lower courts. Last January, the water district requested that the Supreme Court hear the case.
The Tarrant Regional Water District gets "another chance to make their arguments before the highest court in the land and try to convince them that they should be able to obtain this water," said Gabriel Eckstein, a professor at Texas-Wesleyan School of Law and an attorney with the firm Sullivan & Worcester.
The two states are part of the 1980 Red River Compact, which stipulates that signatory states get an “equitable” share of water. The Tarrant County officials say they want water flowing south out of Oklahoma, but that by the time the water reaches Texas it is essentially unusable, so they want to tap the reservoirs further upstream. Oklahoma state lawmakers have declined their request.
The U.S. solicitor general had recommended that the court take the case. But that recommendation was based on narrow grounds related to contract interpretation, according to Eckstein. "The question is going to be whether the court accepted on the narrow issues that the U.S. Solicitor-General recommended, or just broadly on all issues addressed by the lower court," he said.
A broader ruling could have implications for the few dozen other interstate water compacts around the nation.
According to SCOTUSblog, “the court is expected to use the case to clarify the right of a state to claim its share of a water rights compact from the waters of the shared river as it flows through a neighboring state.”
Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here.
Fast-growing North Texas would like to buy water from Oklahoma reservoirs, but the Sooner state isn’t selling. So Tarrant County sued six years ago.
The court’s decision to take up the case, Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann, Rudolf J. et al, will come as a welcome news to North Texas officials, who had lost in the lower courts. Last January, the water district requested that the Supreme Court hear the case.
The Tarrant Regional Water District gets "another chance to make their arguments before the highest court in the land and try to convince them that they should be able to obtain this water," said Gabriel Eckstein, a professor at Texas-Wesleyan School of Law and an attorney with the firm Sullivan & Worcester.
The two states are part of the 1980 Red River Compact, which stipulates that signatory states get an “equitable” share of water. The Tarrant County officials say they want water flowing south out of Oklahoma, but that by the time the water reaches Texas it is essentially unusable, so they want to tap the reservoirs further upstream. Oklahoma state lawmakers have declined their request.
The U.S. solicitor general had recommended that the court take the case. But that recommendation was based on narrow grounds related to contract interpretation, according to Eckstein. "The question is going to be whether the court accepted on the narrow issues that the U.S. Solicitor-General recommended, or just broadly on all issues addressed by the lower court," he said.
A broader ruling could have implications for the few dozen other interstate water compacts around the nation.
According to SCOTUSblog, “the court is expected to use the case to clarify the right of a state to claim its share of a water rights compact from the waters of the shared river as it flows through a neighboring state.”
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/texas-environmental-news/water-supply/texas-oklahoma-water-case-be-heard-supreme-court/.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Highlights of 2012: Bryce Canyon
I went on several fun road trips in 2012. One of my favorite stops was a pit stop I made at Bryce Canyon National Park in southwestern Utah. Like the mountains of Zion National Park and the expanse of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon is part of the massive and layered sedimentary Grand Staircase formation which covers much of southern Utah and northern Arizona.
I reached Bryce Canyon at the end of the sightseeing portion of a road trip which had begun in Phoenix. I was scheduled to attend the spring Association of Government Risk Pools conference as representative of Prism Risk Management (appropriate, as the company was operating the Texas Schools Property & Casualty Cooperative and Oklahoma Schools Property & Casualty Cooperative) the week before SXSW. Since I was flying to Arizona anyway, I moved the flight back a couple of days to allow for a short road trip. Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park went on the list immediately Bryce was a last minute decision.
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| example of hoodoos |
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| Dixie Nat'l Forest |
Northern Arizona and southwestern Utah are amazingly beautiful parts of the country. I'll hit a few of the trip highlights later in the month. Bryce Canyon was definitely the right way to end things. In order to get there, I left Zion and drove north toward the Dixie National Forest. The most prominent feature of this area was the bright red sandstone with little hoodoos popping up on the top of pine tree covered ridges. This was a good prelude to the geologic features of Bryce Canyon National Park.
Once you leave the most scenic parts of the Dixie National Forest, the road seems non-descript without the contrast of the oddly formed red rocks to the evergreens. At the edge of Dixie, you turn north on Highway 89 and then turn onto Highway 12. Within about 30 minutes you'll arrive at the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park, which the National Park Service as:
Bryce Canyon, famous for its worldly unique geology, consists of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The erosional force of frost-wedging and the dissolving power of rainwater have shaped the colorful limestone rock of the Claron Formation into bizarre shapes, including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called "hoodoos".There is more to the park than the main amphitheater, but that's the feature which upstages everything else and really forms the basis of making the decision to drive deep into an sparsely populated region of Utah.
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| Hoodoos in the Amphitheater |
Bryce Canyon was a pleasant and unexpected surprise built into the March road trip. It took me about eight hours to drive from Bryce Canyon National Park back to Phoenix; however, the route involved a lot of back roads and was rather indirect until I hit Flagstaff. If you want to take a more direct route to Bryce Canyon (or to Zion National Park), your best bet appears to be flying into Vegas and then driving up I-15 into Utah. You could also fly into Salt Lake City, but then you wouldn't be able to play craps at the end of your wholesome road trip.
View Larger Map
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Event Follow Up: The Creative Fund Holiday Happy Hour
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| Dave and Paul Floyd at Donn's Depot |
Thanks to everyone who came out to The Creative Fund's Holiday Happy Hour on December 19th at Donn's Depot. The event was a lot of fun and a great way to cap off a few weeks of holiday parties. Furthermore, new visitors to Donn's Depot were delighted by the extremely festive Christmas decorations as well as the classic honky-tonk music of Frank Cavitt and the Station Masters.
In addition to the great turn-out, the Santa themed fundraiser was a success. My Texas themed Santa outfit ended up being fairly popular. Personally, I think it's the cowboy hat which ties the whole thing together.
January has a lot of fun in store for The Creative Fund. The Gatsby themed fundraiser is coming up on the 31st. Tickets are limited for this fundraising event, so sign up quickly. As with other Creative Fund events, proceeds will go toward the mission of funding new and innovative performing arts at venues in Austin.
Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Pose Risks to Schools and Business
Prism Risk Management just added a post to the Texas Schools Property and Casualty Cooperative blog entitled: Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Pose Risks to Schools and Business
This article was originally posted to the Prism Risk Management blog on October 23, 2012.
HYP Build the Love: 2.4.2013
Mark your calendars for February 4th, 2013, as the annual Austin Habitat Young Professionals Build the Love fundraiser is returning to Moonshine. Planning is underway and this year's event looks to be even more fun than 2012's. Stay tuned for more details.
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