EPA Region 2 Biennial Conference
The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, has scheduled its biennial conference for Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at Columbia Law School. The EPA’s conference is co-sponsored by the ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources; the New York State Bar Association, Environmental Law Section; the New Jersey State Bar Association, Environmental Law Section; the New York City Bar Association, Committee on Environmental Law; and the Columbia Law School, Center for Climate Change Law.
The program examines key and emerging environmental issues in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 area, which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Topics include Climate And Air Pollution, Natural Gas Extraction, and Contaminated Site Clean-Up And Redevelopment. The program also includes a Commissioners Panel, a panel discussion titled, “Cross-Cutting Issues”, and a keynote address from Judith A. Enck, Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2.
This is an all day conference and attorney attendees are eligible to receive 5.5 credit hours in professional practice. Space is limited and pre-registration is strongly recommended. Deadline for pre-registrations and cancellations with refund is May 21, 2012. On-site registration will be available, space permitting.
There is a required attendance fee of $140.00 per person. Reduced rates are available for attorneys and persons who are serving in public interest organizations. Professional/Private Practice: $140; Public Interest/Nonprofit/Academia/Government: $40; Current Students: $40; and Hardship Scholarship: $20.
For more information and registration, please visit www.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/eParegion2.
Bleary-eyed staring at your screen? Try F.lux
Earlier this week, while looking for something to fill this column, I happened across an app that adjusts your computer’s display to the time of day— warm at night and like sunlight during the day. It’s called F.lux, it’s free, and I’m hooked.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I often find myself working into the night and after a while I get bleary-eyed staring at my screen. After I installed F.lux it adjusted my screen to the time of day and I was amazed. The program uses your geographical location and the type of lighting you use at night to figure out the appropriate screen color and temperature.
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Forget Your Cameraman, Get a Swivl Instead
The Swivl, according to its manufacturer, is “a sensor enabled and motorized base for your mobile video device with a paired marker.” Doesn’t sound very exciting, does it? If you’ve ever given a talk that you wanted videoed and wished you didn’t have to rely on someone to work the camera then, trust me, it is!
Synthetic Marijuana Ban
New York State’s Health Commissioner, Nirav R. Shah, M.D., M.P.H., has issued an order of summary action banning the sale of synthetic marijuana products in New York State. The March 29, 2012 order followed a March 23, 2012 alert to emergency departments, county health officials, and health care providers throughout New York State warning of an emerging threat to public health associated with the use of synthetic cannabinoids.
Synthetic cannabinoids, known more commonly as “synthetic marijuana,” consist of plant material coated by chemicals that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Until now they’ve been sold legally as incense, but they’re often smoked for their marijuana-like effect. The products are sold as incense, herbal mixtures or potpourri, online and in convenience or smoke shops, and often carry a “not for human consumption” label in order to disguise their true purpose. Various formulations are being sold under names such as: K2, Spice, Blonde, Summit, Standard, Blaze, Red Dawn X, and Citron.
While they have some effects that are similar to marijuana, they have toxic effects that are really unknown, according to New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley, in an interview on March 29, 2012 with WNYC News. WNYC reports that the NYC’s Poison Control Center received four calls related to synthetic marijuana in 2010, 71 calls in 2011, and 44 calls in the first three months of 2012 and that people smoking the substance typically experience chest pains, palpitations, high levels of anxiety, and feelings of losing self-control.
Due to the imminent threat to the public safety, the Drug Enforcement Administration used its emergency powers to render these substances illegal for sale by making them Schedule I controlled substances.
For more information, go to the New York State Department of health website at health.ny.gov.
Pop-ups Are Hip, But Are They Cool?
This morning I logged into my email account to find a missive from the LinkedIn Cardozo members forum. A member had posted a blog entry entitled, Pop-up Restaurants: 5 Legal Questions Every Operator Must Ask. The writer listed liquor licensing, tort liability, sales tax collection, employer/employee relationships, and lastly, “who pays for a violation?”, as things to worry about. No mention of the requirement that the facility be permitted, or that the food had to be prepared in a permitted facility. Needless to say, my interest was piqued.
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TheFormTool 2.0
Software Review Update: On February 10, 2012, I reviewed TheFormTool, loved it, and didn’t think it could get much better. I was wrong.
Your Dollar Matters just released version 2.0 and its new features include more than two dozen sophisticated math functions to its already robust toolkit, including Days and Dates, Minimum, Maximum and Count, plus PMT, ROUND, RAISE, ROOT, LOG, ABS, and a dozen more. Like its other functions, TheFormTool PRO 2.0‘s math functions can be linked and nested in almost endless combinations to support even the most complex calculations.
TheFormTool combines a dozen core capabilities with an intuitive menu and commands that are fully integrated into MS Word. No change in the the price, it’s still $89. The basic version is still free and can be downloaded from their homepage.
No consideration of any kind has been accepted for this review. The opinions expressed herein are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of NYSALJA.
iTwin’s a Winner
This post is the last in the series of reviews on the cool tech stuff I came across at the beginning of February at LegalTech 2012 NY. Today’s review is on the iTwin, a fantastic and ingenious way to access files remotely and securely.
2012 NAALJ Fellowship Competition
The National Administrative Law Judiciary Foundation (NALJF), has announced its 2012 NAALJ Fellowship Competition. NALJF is the public interest arm of the NAALJ and sponsors the NAALJ Fellowship Competition to encourage research and scholarship for improving administrative justice.
The deadline for Submissions is April 30, 2012. The Fellowship Committee will review the submissions and select the Fellowship Winner by May 30, 2012. The winner will deliver a “pre-publication” presentation at the 2012 NAALJ Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, in September, and receive a $1,500 cash stipend, in addition to reimbursement for registration, transportation, accommodations, and meals, for the Conference.
The 2012 Fellowship Competition topic, rules for submission, and other competition rules and requirements, are posted on the Foundation’s web page at http://www.naalj.org/foundation.
Dictation on the Run
One of many interesting discoveries I made at LegalTech NY 2012 was something I didn’t know I needed until I saw it. Philips has manufactured some pretty cool tech over the years. As a user of Nuance’s Dragon Naturally Speaking, I was impressed to learn that Philips makes several handheld digital dictation recorder models, called DPMs (for Digital Pocket Memos) that integrate with Dragon Naturally speaking.
Phoning It In: Time and Billing on Your Cell Phone
If you’re a full-time neutral, chances are you don’t have to worry about capturing your time for billing purposes. But, if you’re providing hearing officer services on an ad hoc, billable hourly basis, keeping track of your hourlies is critical to your billing.
