eChaser: December 2014 / p3

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Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas update: In case you missed it on p. 1: open government seminar in Denton on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Info here. ... The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved a Freedom of Information Act improvement bill Nov. 20 that makes several updates to the landmark federal right-to-know law.The next step for the measure by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, is a vote in the full Senate. Many of the bill’s provisions were included in legislation that already unanimously passed the House. Open government groups across the country, including the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, are urging passage of the act so it will be sent to President Obama before the end of the current congressional session. Details.

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GET A JOB

Media and Journalism Fellowships: November 2014 Edition ... ESPN seeks a reporter to cover the San Antonio Spurs in season. Would contribute to TV, radio and the magazine. Experience required in writing/reporting on deadline as well as long-form storytelling, online video and/or TV; bilingualism preferred. Contact patricia.mays@espn.com (executive editor) or henry.abbott@espn.com (NBA editor). ... Boston-based Education Resource Strategies (employer of UTA Shorthorn ex Alyssa Fry), is hiring for a writer and editor with a background in education. Info here. ... Community Impact Newspaper seeks an account executive for a new publication coming to DFW. Bachelor's degree in marketing, communication, business or related field required, plus at least one year of sales experience. Info here. ... Tarry not, lest the L train pass you by. The Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin seeks a dynamic graduate or undergraduate communications intern for the spring to help monitor the Legislature. Apply by Dec. 1. The CPPP calls itself an independent public policy organization that uses data and analysis to advocate for solutions that enable Texans of all backgrounds to reach their potential. The internship is paid and should be attractive for someone interested in journalism, advocacy journalism or nonprofit PR. Info here.

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NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS

SPJ ... Amanda Gleason, Marketwave ... Riley Patterson, Denton
Record-Chronicle

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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN (The Final Chapter)

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for ... nah, nothing that formal is required here. What is appropriate is a hearty thank you on behalf of the chapter members to the dedicated team of volunteers who kept our chapter running smoothly in 2014.

Thank you, Michelle Clark, APR (membership VP and president-elect); Sandra Brodnicki, APR (programs VP); Liz Heck (treasurer); Lisa Albert (treasurer-elect); Claire Bloxom Armstrong (secretary); immediate past president Chris Smith (nominating committee chair); Jahnae Stout (director); Joe Stout (director and Worthy Awards co-chair); Gigi Westerman, APR, Fellow PRSA (Assembly delegate); Holly Ellman (Assembly delegate and Worthy Awards co-chair); Julie O’Neil (advocacy chair); Linda Ld Jacobson, APR (APR committee co-chair); Carolyn Bobo, APR, Fellow PRSA (APR committee co-chair); Megan Murphey (bylaws chair); Lesley Dupre (digital media chair); Anthony Spangler (diversity chair); Kay Barkin, APR (ethics chair); Jeff Rodriguez (community service chair and historian); Beth Lamb (hospitality chair); Brian Murnahan (Independent Practitioners SIG chair); Jerrod Resweber (job bank chair); Hope Caldwell (Masters SIG co-chair); Nancy Farrar (Masters SIG co-chair); Claire Olson (newsletter and PR chair); first lady Kristen Escovedo (PR After Dark chair); Tom Burke, APR (President’s Council chair); Mindia Whittier (student liaison); and Rebekah Moore (website chair). A special thank you to John Dycus for staying in constant communication throughout the year and providing excellent, timely reminders for (and editing of) these missives.

I feel blessed to have worked with these priceless individuals to advance the profession in our little corner of the world. The chapter is in good hands with Michelle as president. She has been busy putting together another solid team of volunteers ready to propel Greater Fort Worth PRSA into 2015. PRSA is what members make it, and Michelle and her board will make it great.

Cheers,

Richie Escovedo

(Soon-to-be-Past) President, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

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STAYING CONNECTED

Betsy Deck, IABC Fort Worth

Time flies when you're having fun, and BOY, has time flown! This Thanksgiving I'm grateful for many things in my life, chief among them the friends I have made through IABC, SPJ and PRSA. Thank you for being a part of the IABC family and for your continued support.

We’ll take December off from the monthly luncheon schedule, but we will join our communicator counterparts at the JPS Book Benefit. Dedicated volunteers have been working hard to make your Christmas shopping easy and fun. It's a terrific party for a noble cause.

Our monthly luncheons resume in January with “Social Media Listening.” The program was originally scheduled for November, but low reservations caused it to be rescheduled. Please help us keep a good thing going and plan to attend the luncheon Jan. 27.

I hope this season finds you filled with gratitude for the many blessings you have. Happy Thanksgiving!

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OVER & OUT

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

Don’t forget to pull the RSVP trigger on the JPS Book Benefit and Splendiferous Gift Drawing, Wednesday, Dec. 3, in the “Glass Front” Building at UNT Health Science Center on Camp Bowie Boulevard. Here’s the evite and RSVP. Great fun, great friends, great food, great googly-moogly! ...

Check out the updates made to Journalist’s Toolbox in November, including a collection of strengtheners on police brutality and reasonable force, “75 Tools for Investigative Journalism” and resources on all branches of the military plus Veterans Day and a military/bioterrorism page. The next update will be Dec. 5.

Caught my eye. Solar and wind energy are finally cheaper than fossil fuels in the U.S. ... World’s first breathable Ebola vaccine proven 100% effective in trials. ... Toshiba's 'clean' factory farm produces 3 million bags of lettuce a year without sunlight or soil. ... Four couples establish Llano River Tiny House Community in Texas. ... A toilet that's a lot more than flush and forget. ... Guess which country may stop investing in fossil fuels. ... Rainwater used to generate electricity. ... Dutch students design revolutionary solar power 'skins' for historic homes. ... Orbital Systems’ recycling shower claims to conserve 90% of its water. ... Scientists turn table salt into compounds that violate textbook rules. ... Want really cheap solar cells? Make them out of wood. ... Bioglow’s Starlight Avatar world’s first light producing plant.

Closing words: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." — Samuel Johnson, as quoted by his biographer, James Boswell; Johnson said a lot of things, including, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford" and, "A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization." ... "[W]e should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once." — philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche ... "Every absurdity has a champion to defend it." — 18th-century writer Oliver Goldsmith