ReThink + ReUse Center Play Date for the Whole Family!

 My daughter and I at the last ReThink + ReUse Center event in 2012

 My daughter and I at the last ReThink + ReUse Center event in 2012

As you may be aware, I am the Chair of the ReThink + Reuse Center, an educational and environmental non-profit. The Center relies on funding from The Children’s Trust and from the community at large.

I am posting this blog because on Sunday, April 28th from 1 to 3 pm, the ReThink + ReUse Center is having its annual play date!  They will have lots of creative and fun activities for the whole family.  There will be a snack area with juices, fruit, and cheese with beer and soda for adults. If you are interested in attending, please feel free to sign up athttp://www.rethinkandreusemiami.org/events.html, or feel free to let me know if you have any questions at mov@chaloslaw.com.

Cruise Shipping Miami Conference Begins Today

March 11, 2013

Last week was a world wind week preparing for Cruise Shipping Miami, a conference dedicated to the cruise industry. The complete program can be found here =>http://www.cruiseshippingevents.com/miami/conference/conference-program?cid=IEM_V_03102013_HOU_AttMon.

 

The Saturday before was the Fort Lauderdale Mariner's Club ("FLMC") picnic and while it has nothing to do with Cruise Shipping Miami, it always manages to be the weekend right before Cruise Shipping Miami.

 

Me (center) with fellow WISTA Lesley Karentz (right), also a member of the FLMC.

Me (center) with fellow WISTA Lesley Karentz (right), also a member of the FLMC.

My husband (far right) with fellow FLMC members Jonathan Dunleavy and Laura Sherrod.

My husband (far right) with fellow FLMC members Jonathan Dunleavy and Laura Sherrod.

My fellow WISTAs and I attending the Women's Leadership Initiative Inaugural Luncheon aboard the NORWEGIAN SUN.

My fellow WISTAs and I attending the Women's Leadership Initiative Inaugural Luncheon aboard the NORWEGIAN SUN.

This past Sunday was the Women's Leadership Initiative Inaugural Luncheon aboard the NORWEGIAN SUN. The Women's Leadership Initiative was established in 2012 by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association to create a fund and endowment to directly support women's leadership initiatives that provide mentoring, leadership training and networking opportunities for female cadets and alumni with the goal of increasing women's retention in the Coast Guard and providing a bridge for service personnel to achieve success following their Coast Guard careers. This event was co-sponsored by Norwegian Cruise Lines and WISTA USA.

These two events were a great segway to Cruise Shipping Miami, where cruise leaders and experts are meeting to discuss trends and the future direction of the industry at this annual conference in Miami Beach. Monday began with a series of roundtable discussions on tourism. The four-day conference continues tomorrow with cruise line executives holding a State of the Industry session (one of my favorite sessions). On the panel will be executives from Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Lines, owner of the Carnival Triumph that spent days in the Gulf of Mexico disabled after an engine fire.

After Cruise Shipping Miami, I will be attending the Seafarer's House Golden Compass gala this Saturday night, honoring Roberto Giorgi, President of V. Ships. This is another great event that should not be missed...

Next week, I will hopefully have time to blog on the "scuttlebutt" of what occurred during Cruise Shipping Miami and the gala. What happens at these events does not always stay at these events...If you are interested in reaching me during this week, you may do so by emailing me at mov@chaloslaw.com.

Top 1% Most Viewed LinkedIn Profiles for 2012

February 17, 2013

I am excited to report that my LinkedIn profile is one of the top 1% most viewed on LinkedIn. Attached you will find the report from LinkedIn and what this means:  http://www.linkedin.com/200million/?_ed=0_2F8A0-FvYW6F6bWAAXSNrTTrPae67z_NEZnvoag8M3oMPARXg17TsMacdqdhYr69cVe8OLdrYFUzqhVYqI7vB04gPlm1k0S1s2rGyddj8MZtARRCmBoW2FY3Pe9JCfajdEW8I9d1yNNtkIFzHiVvKz

Thanks to all the readers of this blog, as well as my contacts in LinkedIn, for making this possible!

Best regards,
Michelle Otero Valdés
mov@chaloslaw.com

Miami Gets First Suit Against Carnival for Triumph Breakdown

       CARNIVAL TRIUMPH picture from Bloomberg News

       CARNIVAL TRIUMPH picture from Bloomberg News

As reported by the Daily Business Review and the various national news outlets, it took little time for passengers who disembarked from the disabled CARNIVAL TRIUMPH to sue Carnival. A lawsuit on behalf of passenger Cassie Terry of Brazoria County, Texas was filed against Miami-based Carnival in Miami federal court Friday. It came just hours after the vessel arrived in Mobile, Alabama on Thursday after five extra days at sea without power.

The 100,000-ton cruise ship became stranded off Mexico when a fire broke out Sunday in the engine room. The fire knocked out the ship's primary power source, crippling its water and plumbing systems and leaving it adrift. "During the horrifying and excruciating tow back to the Untied States, the vessel listed sharply several times, causing human waste to spill out of nonfunctioning toilets," the lawsuit claims. Terry waded through human feces to reach food lines where the wait was hours, and often the food spoiled, the complaint alleged. The suit filed by Gilman & Allison of Pearland, Texas, listed counts of fraud, negligence and breach of maritime contract.

If you are interested in contacting me, you may do so by writing to me at mov@chaloslaw.com.