Reinforces Commitment to Accelerate Adoption of Energy Efficiency Technologies

Today at the Technology Innovation Summit, Intel Capital, Intel Corporation’s global investment organization, reaffirmed its dedication to foster clean technology innovation with the announcement of five cleantech investments. The deals, which total approximately $10 million and span two continents, include first-time investment in U.S.-based CPower (demand response and energy efficiency) as well as follow-on investments in Ireland-based Powervation (digital power control) and U.S.-based companies Convey Computer (energy efficient high performance computing), Grid Net (smart meter infrastructure) and iControl (home automation and monitoring).

“Intel Capital has made a significant commitment to invest in the cleantech sector in recognition of the increasing need for alternative energy production and advanced energy management and utilization solutions,” said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and Intel executive vice president. “The global nature of these five investments demonstrates our focus on accelerating cleantech innovation, emphasizing Intel Capital’s unique strength as a global, stage agnostic investor.”

“These investments share synergies focused on accelerating adoption of Smart Grid technologies, fostering energy efficiency and performance in ways that benefit consumers of electricity and power utilities as well as complement Intel’s strategic objectives,” said Steve Eichenlaub, managing director of platform technologies, cleantech and digital health, Intel Capital. “Each investment underlies Intel Capital’s commitment to invest in cutting edge technologies and support our expanding portfolio of cleantech-related companies.”

Details on the five new investments include:

CPower (New York) delivers targeted energy management services and solutions that enable companies to optimize their facilities and operations through energy reduction initiatives and earn market payments for those reductions. As an industry pioneer that has grown into one of the largest energy management and demand response firms in North America, CPower combines an understanding of energy management technologies, energy markets and the daily challenges of facility operators to maximize the value of energy sustainability. This is Intel Capital’s initial funding of CPower.

Grid Net (San Francisco) is a pioneer in providing the network operating system and management control plane for the Smart Grid. PolicyNet*, Grid Net’s standards-based management platform for all networked transmission, distribution and generation smart grid devices, provides cost-effective rapid deployment and management that leverages 4G broadband networks. Grid Net’s Series C funding round includes Intel Capital’s third investment.

Powervation (Limerick, Ireland) provides digital power controllers for server, desktop computing and communications platforms that deliver capabilities in automatic configuration and self stabilization. These devices speed design time and enable system stability as other power supply components age, leading to higher energy efficiency at the system level, faster time-to-market and lower overall system costs. Intel Capital co-led Powervation’s Series A funding round and this is its second investment in the company.

Convey Computer (Richardson, Texas) offers high-performance computing (HPC) solutions which aim to dramatically reduce energy consumption and boost performance. Convey’s HC-1* solution tightly integrates advanced existing off-the-shelf hardware – namely an Intel® Xeon® processor and Field Programmable Gate Arrays – with compiler technology that minimizes the programming challenges that have long withheld the potential of reconfigurable hardware. Convey’s Series B funding round includes the second investment by Intel Capital.

iControl (Palo Alto, Calif.) provides an IP-based platform that delivers monitored home security, remote home monitoring and home and energy management capabilities to security and broadband providers, enabling them to deliver enhanced, value-added services to their new and existing customers. iControl’s Series C funding round includes a follow-on investment by Intel Capital.

Intel Capital is focused on actively seeking and structuring investments in companies worldwide that are producing products and services in a variety of “green” areas such as energy efficiency, alternative power generation and storage, transportation and materials, with particular emphasis in support of Intel’s Open Energy Initiative, helping foster standards-based, interoperable solutions.

These five investments all support efforts within Intel to drive energy-efficient performance across Intel’s value chain. Intel Capital invested in and works with CPower, Grid Net and iControl as part of its Smart Energy efforts that focus on utilizing Intel® Architecture solutions and industry standards to improve performance, speed deployment and enhance security in large-scale deployments. Intel supports Powervation as part of its relentless efforts to improve the performance per watt of Intel Architecture platforms across multiple user segments. Additionally, Convey Computer complements Intel’s HPC efforts, distinctively augmenting Intel Architecture platforms to further boost both performance and energy efficiency across multiple target industries such as energy, transportation, financial services and healthcare.

About Intel Capital

Intel Capital, Intel’s global investment organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting enterprise, home, mobility, health, consumer Internet, semiconductor manufacturing and cleantech. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$9 billion in over 1,000 companies in 46 countries. In that timeframe, 174 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world and 231 were acquired or participated in a merger. In 2008, Intel Capital invested about US$1.59 billion in 169 investments with approximately 62 percent of funds (excluding Clearwire) invested outside North America. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com.

IS IT TRUE that when the City County Observer and the Community Observer has e-debates that it is expected that the participants answer the questions on their own?…that the purpose for e-debates is for people with lesser face-to-face debating skills to take their time and to think through their answers before writing them down and submitting them?…that one of the best thinkers in the history of the United States was lethal with the pen but not so much so with the spoken word?…that the person who was much better with the pen than with the mouth was Thomas Jefferson?…that in an e-debate Thomas Jefferson would have answered the questions himself and won every format of that nature that he was ever entered into?…that vocal debates favor those who are charismatic, good looking (or pretty as Mohammed Ali would say), and those who have invested in a fine wardrobe?…that we trust those who agree to participate in e-debates to do the honorable thing and answer their own questions to the best of their knowledge?…that an essay on positions says much more about someone’s cognitive skills than a live debate ever will?…that the silver tongued devil often can win a vocal debate but is often challenged when faced with the need to think and communicate via the written word?

IS IT TRUE that CCO “MOLE # 3” keep saying that political signs don’t vote? ….the next time you see political signs along the road side please see if they are located on the public right away, on dilapidated rental property, in a vacant lot or located in a multi unit apartment complex? …..if the political signs are located on any of the above locations it highly probable that these signs don’t represent a person who shall be voting? ….the placement of political signs are use to create a “band wagon” approach to encourage voters to join their campaign? ….a great example of signs in locations that doesn’t represent a vote is located in the 6th Ward?

IS IT TRUE that “MOLE # 3” predicts that the highly regarded and politically connected 2nd Ward “MEGA PREACHER” shall be making a public endorsement of whom he feels who would be the best person that should be elected to the Evansville City Council seat in that ward? ….that his endorsement shall have a major impact on who shall be elected to the 2nd Ward City Council seat? ….that CCO “MOLE # 3” Already knows the answer to this question? ….when you least expect it the CCO “MOLE # 3” shall announce the “MEGA PREACHER” decision any day now?

IS IT TRUE that the CCO is extremely impressed that our newly elected Vanderburgh County Prosecutor, Nick Hermann is working hand in hand with our local law enforcement professional in tracking down and prosecuting sex offenders? …we are extremely proud of Mr. Hermann and local law enforcement fighting to keep our city safe from these offenders?

IS IT TRUE we wonder why Vanderburgh County Republican party Chairman, Wayne Parke has been so quiet lately? …..it could because he is busy figuring ways to get Republicans to take not only control of the Mayor’s office but also Evansville City Council?

IS IT TRUE we wonder what going on with our Vanderburgh County Clerk lately? ….we bet Susan Kirk is extremely busy planning that the upcoming general election shall run like a fine turned engine?

IS IT TRUE the CCO would like to thank Evansville City Councilman, John Friend for asking some hard budgetary questions concerning New Downtown Arena costs?

IS IT TRUE that the “dean of local politics” is retiring after serving 20 years in local elected offices? ….that Evansville City Councilmen Curt John has served us with class, dignity and honor during this time? …..we ask our readers to wish him well and congratulate him for a job well done when they see him?

18% Shooting Dooms Bulldogs Championship Dreams

After taking a lead at the end of the first half the Butler Bulldogs never got their shooting on track setting an NCAA final record for low shooting percentage and only shot 16% in the 2nd half. The Butler defense did its job holding UConn in the 50’s as their goal was. Butler was 6 shots away from victory but just could not find the range. It was a proud moment for Indiana and for small schools all across the country. Butler gave schools like UE hope and we hope that they capitalize on it and follow Butler into the final four in the future.

Shelvin Mack’s 3 Pointer Shifts Momentum at Half

The Butler Bulldogs shot terribly from the field (22%) in the first half but holds a 22 – 19 lead at halftime in the NCAA Division I basketball championship from Houston. Speaking for all Hoosiers and basically for anyone that is not from Connecticut or an alumnus of UCONN, the City County Observer says, “20 More Minutes Like that and the NCAA Championship will be BACK HOME IN INDIANA!

Bulldogs, this song is for you!!!!!! Give it a shot!!!

Butler has big edge in experience. No team with a freshman starter has won in 6 years, UCONN has 3 freshman starters

BUTLER
Location: Indianapolis.
Record: 28-9.
Nickname: Bulldogs.
Coach: Brad Stevens.
Conference: Horizon League.
Bid: Horizon champion.
Seed: No. 8.
Tournament record: 18-10, 11 years.
Scoring: Team 72.1, Matt Howard 16.7, Shelvin Mack 16.1, Andrew Smith 8.6, Shawn Vanzant 8.2.
Rebounds: Team 34.7, Howard 7.8, Smith 5.5, Mack 4.4.
Assists/Turnovers: Team 12.1/11.1, Mack 3.5/2.4, Ronald Nored 2.4/2.1.
Three-pointers: Team .355, Mack 83, Howard 52, Zach Hahn 46, Chase Stigall 37.

Skinny: Butler is on a 14-game winning streak that gave it regular-season and conference tourney titles, and four NCAA tourney wins.

It is the first Indiana school to reach back-to-back Final Fours. In the tournament, Butler beat Old Dominion with a second-round buzzer-beater and top-seeded Pitt in a wacky foul-filled finish. It survived a late rally from Wisconsin to become the only 2010 Final Four team to make the regional finals and rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final 9 1/2 minutes to beat second-seeded Florida, 74-71, in overtime. Then, in its Final Four semifinal, Butler’s defense frustrated VCU, 70-62.

The Bulldogs are the third team in tourney history to knock off No. 1 seeds in consecutive years before reaching the Final Four.

UCONN
Location: Storrs, Conn.
Record: 31-9.
Nickname: Huskies.
Coach: Jim Calhoun.
Conference: Big East.
Bid: Big East champion.
Seed: No. 3.
Tournament record: 51-28, 30 years.
Scoring: Team 72.8, Kemba Walker 23.7, Jeremy Lamb 11.1, Alex Oriakhi 9.6, Shabazz Napier 7.9.
Rebounds: Team 39.3, Oriakhi 8.7, Walker 5.4, Roscoe Smith 5.2, Lamb 4.4.
Assists/Turnovers: Team 13.2/11.4, Walker 4.6/2.3, Napier 3.1/1.8.
Three-pointers: Team .333, Walker 75, Napier 46, Lamb 45.

Skinny: UConn is the highest seed to make this year’s Final Four. It’s the first time that neither a No. 1 nor No. 2 made it to the final weekend since seeding began in 1979. UConn also made the Final Four in 1999, 2004 and 2009 — all three times out of the West. The Huskies, 9-9 in the Big East this season, have won 10 games in tournament play since March 8.

UConn won five games in five days at the Big East tournament. In the NCAA tournament, the Huskies beat Bucknell, conference foe Cincinnati, second-seeded San Diego State, Arizona, 65-63, and Kentucky, 56-55.

UConn has three freshmen starters: Lamb, Smith and Tyler Olander. Walker, a junior, is UConn’s first All-America since Emeka Okafor in 2004.

Professor Muntean Recommends Focus on Entrepreneurs as opposed to Buying Low Skill jobs like Call Centers and Big Box Retail

April 4, 2011

News Release

Rather than chase after mature and declining industries through traditional strategies, Indiana should focus on maximizing the contributions of small, fast-growing and relatively young businesses, says, Susan Clark Muntean, a Ball State management professor who teaches in the university’s nationally recognized entrepreneurship program.

“Scholars, public officials, successful entrepreneurs and financiers must come together to rapidly devise and implement effective strategies to take Indiana from its agrarian and industrial past to its entrepreneurial and globally competitive future,” she says. “Empirical research strongly suggests that the old economic models and economic development strategies are not the answer. We need to question the wisdom of chasing after mature and declining industries through traditional strategies, which often represent a race to the bottom among states that give away the store in the form of foregone tax revenues in order to secure visible ‘wins.'”

These short-sighted strategies include temporarily delaying a plant’s closure or claiming large job creation numbers at low-skilled, labor-intensive call centers, distribution centers, service providers and big-box retail shops, says Mantean, who addressed members of the Indiana legislature twice this year on the issue.

According to the Statistics of U.S. Businesses, about 90 percent of employers nationally have fewer than 20 employees. In 2007, 85 percent of all Indiana businesses were micro businesses (fewer than 20 employees) and employed approximately one out of every five workers in the state.

Muntean argues that stimulating intelligent risk taking, creativity and innovation is good public policy.

“A failed start-up is not a net loss to society; those involved with the start-up venture, including the founders, venture capitalists, lenders and other competing businesses learn from attempts to launch a new technology or take a new idea to market. Later attempts by serial entrepreneurs may just launch the next Google, Facebook, Intel or Microsoft, which would be a boon to the Indiana economy for years to come.”

Source: Ball State University

Link to the Full Report:

http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/ibr/2011/spring/article1.html

EPD Activity Report April 3 2011

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IS IT TRUE that the question was asked, ” how did the USST keep all of their people and the Eastern Europe Countries under Communism for so long?…that the answer is in 4-1-11 edition of the Wall Street Journal. However, it didn’t mention the USSR, Communism or Socialism by name?…that it did reveal that in the United States, we now have more people working for the Government,—than people working in manufacturing, farming, construction, fishing, and forestry put together?…that the Government, regardless of political affiliations, uses the power of these monetary hand outs and calls them “jobs of necessity” to guarantee a form of political support.

IS IT TRUE that from the days of the Roman Empire, this form of patronage system has destroyed those governments naive enough to try it?…that eventually, the Governments find they are paying too much out– and little is coming in?…that the results are a total collapse of the monetary system, the will to work, and the re-evaluation of the currency, which leads to massive poverty?

IS IT TRUE that prominent psychologists have opined for years that the trouble with narcissists is that they are not even aware that they are narcissists?…that recently some scholarly work indicates that narcissists are completely aware of their narcissism?…that Dr. Scott Barry Kaufmann published an abstract to that effect just last week?…that reading this abstract and seeing the traits of narcissists is almost like reading a biography of high ranking elected officials?…that you may read this report on the following link?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-barry-kaufman/do-narcissists-know-they-_b_840894.html

IS IT TRUE that there is a heated debate brewing over the concept of threshold rejection as it applies to the consolidation effort to join the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County under a single government?…that there are some that think that it is unfair to have separate elections one in the city and one in the county both of which must pass to allow consolidation to go forward?…that there are some very passionate people who believe that the so called “one person one vote” process that has been sanctioned by the Vanderburgh County Commissioners (Winnecke, Tornatta, Melcher) is basically a way for the less wealthy, highly debt laden, and shrinking City of Evansville to hijack the more prosperous county and tax them into paying the sins of the city past?…that on first blush this seems to be a supportable conclusion?…that if there is to be consolidation that it needs to be with the consent of the governed?…that a “one person one vote” scenario where either the City of Evansville or unincorporated Vanderburgh County reject consolidation will not constitute the consent of the governed?…that land grab or not, consolidation needs to have the consent of the governed to go forward?…that if the county is taken over without permission of the county at the ballot box that the bordering counties shall benefit from a wave of refugees from the new borders of the City of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that the Butler Bulldogs will be seeking the first NCAA basketball championship ever for their school and the first for an Indiana college since Keith Smart’s buzzer beater took down Syracuse in 1987 and brought the trophy back to Bloomington and IU for Coach Bobby Knight?…that the City County Observer will be glued to the TV in support of Butler this evening?

IS IT TRUE that certain individuals who are running in the Democratic primary are considering not paying their political party assessment fee levied on them by the Democratic Party Central Committee?

IS IT TRUE that CCO “MOLE # 3” is hearing that certain political types would like to see present Assistant Police Chief, Rob Hahn to be named the next Chief?

IS IT TRUE that the key political ingredient for 6th Ward candidate Al Lindsey winning the Democratic primary depends on a new political boss of that Ward? ….that he is none other than the newly elected Perry Township Trustee, Rick Riney?

IS IT TRUE that the names of Mike Humphrey and Shawn Oglesby are being touted as the next Evansville Fire Chief beginning January-2012?

IS IT TRUE that the race between Rick Davis and Troy Tornatta for Mayor of Evansville is becoming a real political barn burner?

IS IT TRUE that word in the political street is that a large number of Republicans are voting in the Democratic primary?

IS IT TRUE that Sandy Deig is the eyes and ears of the Vanderburgh County Council? ,,,,the City County Observer would like to also say that Sandy does an outstanding job serving members of the County Council and the tax payers of Vanderburgh County?

IS IT TRUE that 9 members of the City County Observer “MOLE SQUAD” are beginning to work on their political predictions in the upcoming City of Evansville primaries? …that all eyes are waiting for the predictions of “MOLE # 3” since he predicted all but one winner in last year County and State elections?