Tri-State Economy Derives Much Wealth from Coal Industry

Written by Sy A. Ali

According to the International Energy Agency and the Energy Information Administration’s joint report of July 2010:

In 2008, coal used for power generated 45 percent of U.S. electricity compared to 2 percent from wind energy in spite of major federal and state subsidies.

The 2035 projection shows coal generating 43 percent of increased U.S. electric power, compared to an estimated 5 percent from wind, and about 9 percent from all renewable sources including hydro and solar.

The criteria pollutant emissions from electric power plants decreased more than 90 percent between 1970 and 2009 while the quantity of coal burned over the same period increased up to four times. During this period, particulates were reduced by 99 percent. The Environmental Protection Agency in its 2010 report to Congress pointed out that the economic value of health benefits in the United States from these reductions in 2010 was $110 billion.

Renewable resources vary across the country based on climate and geography. Installing wind turbines offshore seems to be the most desirable location. Yet, according to a 2010 report of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Midwest led wind turbine installation in 2009. Fertile agricultural land in the Midwest appears to be a less efficient location for wind turbines.

The National Academy of Sciences in its report last year emphasized that to achieve 20 percent power from renewable sources by 2020 would cost $300 billion, plus an additional $100 billion for transmission improvements.

Wind power added to date through 2009 was 10 GW (2 percent of total electricity) at a cost of $21 billion. This addition was accomplished with major financial stimulus funds and subsidies granted by federal and state governments for renewable energy.

The Midwest was the U.S. leader in the addition of wind power. In 2009, the United States led globally in the addition of wind energy and import of wind energy equipment. It imported $2.3 billion of wind turbines in 2009 alone, which represented 34 percent of worldwide imports.

Renewable energy for electric power, despite federal and state financial stimulus, has not created many jobs.

Indiana mines 35 million tons of coal per year. One miner mines 12,000 tons per year. Each miner’s job produces an additional three jobs in the community. These 35 million tons mined in Indiana support 2,900 mining jobs plus an additional 8,700 jobs in the community, for a total of 11,600 jobs.

Fossil fuels and nuclear will remain the predominant fuel source for electric power generation globally during the first half of this century. Private enterprise and governments worldwide are continually working to achieve near zero emissions from power plants. Electric power is essential to not only maintain but also enhance the quality of life in the United States and abroad.

Recently Defeated Democratic Incumbent Senator Bags Mayoral Appointment

(EVANSVILLE, IN) – January 25, 2011 – Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel has named
Bob Deig as General Manager of Metropolitan Evansville Transit System (METS), a position he
will assume immediately.

“Between managing transit systems, operating facilities, supervising personnel, negotiating
contracts, managing large budgets, and generally serving the public, Bob Deig has the right mix
of skills and experience to effectively lead METS,” said Weinzapfel.
Deig served as the Facilities Director for the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (2004 –
2006), Facilities Director for Evansville Catholic High Schools (2002 – 2004), Facilities and
Transportation Supervisor for the Metropolitan School District of Mt. Vernon (1993 – 2002), and
Site Energy Shift Supervisor for General Electric Plastics (1979 – 1993). In addition to his
relevant experience with transportation and facility management, Deig holds licenses and
certifications in several areas related to maintenance and transit.

Most recently Deig served as Indiana State Senator for District 49 from 2006 to 2010. In this
capacity, he worked with local, State and Federal agencies to spur economic development,
improve education and enhance the quality of life for all residents; and worked with constituents
on healthcare, education, pension, social services, and many other issues of concern. He served
on the State Senate Local Government and Elections Committee, Appropriations Committee,
Small Business and Agriculture Committee, Public Policy Committee, Utilities and Technology
Committee, and Pension and Labor Committee, as well as on the National Committee on Labor
and Economic Development.

“I am excited that I’ll be able to continue serving the public through the role of General Manager
of the Metropolitan Evansville Transit System,” said Deig. “I will immediately begin
communicating and collaborating with City and other municipal representatives, community
partners and riders to not only continue current operations, but also to identify opportunities to
enhance the image of METS fixed route and mobility services, increase ridership, enhance the
rider experience, and provide better overall service to the Evansville community.”
METS, which is part of the Evansville Department of Transportation and Services, currently
operates a fleet of 11 hybrid buses, nine conventionally-fueled buses, 11 paratransit buses, six
fixed route vans, and two trolleys. METS provides transportation for the public on 17 fixed
route service areas and provides paratransit service for persons 65 years or older or those with a
documentable disability that limits their use of the METS regular fixed route system (not for
emergency use or ambulance service).

Operationally, METS is responsible for informing the public of existing routes, as well as new or
improved service; coordinating and planning routes and schedules; keeping a constant check on
the effectiveness of service; and implementing and controlling all managerial functions involved
with the METS transit operation.

METS’ maintenance responsibilities include implementing preventative maintenance programs;
providing complete mechanical failure restoration; repairing and refurbishing vehicles when
applicable; reducing operation expenses and increasing fleet productivity by monitoring
equipment; and recording and maintaining a viable inventory of parts to provide prompt and
accurate maintenance of the fleet.
More than 45 million passengers have been transported via buses and paratransit vans since
METS was created in 1971.

IS IT TRUE that the matching of expenses on the disclosure form of the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee with contributions reported by a group of 18 local Democrats seems to have taken on a life of its own?…that the City County Observer was alerted to these potential discrepancies by local Democrats after posting the entire disclosure documents of the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee last week?….that after all is said and done there are four local candidates where the disclosures do not agree with the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee’s?

IS IT TRUE that candidates Steve Smith who ran for the Indiana House of Representatives and Tim Taylor who ran for Vanderburgh County Council both were recorded as recipients of donations from the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee?…that neither of these candidates reported having received any donation?…that upon examination of the contributions to the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee both of these candidates are credited with making donations of the same amount that they were reported to have received?…that the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee wrote checks to these two candidates and then voided the checks?…that the net result of these actions is a big ZERO financially but does overstate both the contributions and expenses reported by the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee by a total of $600?

IS IT TRUE that maybe after writing the check the only way the accounting software chosen by the committee could have dealt with voiding is to report both?….that for some reason a check for $500 was written to Steve Smith’s campaign and another for $100 was written to Tim Taylor’s campaign and then voided?….we wonder why the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee changed their mind about supporting these Democratic candidates after making a decision to do so?

IS IT TRUE that the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee disclosed that it supported Maura Robinson’s campaign for Vanderburgh County Auditor with a contribution of $250?…that the committee also disclosed that it supported the campaign of Hayden Barth for Vanderburgh County Council with a contribution of $100?…that both of these candidates have filed their end of year disclosures by the January 19, 2011 deadline?….that neither Maura Robinson nor Hayden Barth have a contribution from the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee recorded in their disclosure statements?…that even though this is a small amount of money relative to the $367,930 that the Mayor’s Committee spent that the books need to be balanced?…that either the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee was incorrect in reporting or that these two candidates were incorrect in reporting?…that whichever of these disclosures are in error need to be amended to reflect what really happened?…that none of these errors in reporting affected the outcome of any elections?….that sometimes you just gotta say “no harm, no foul”?

IS IT TRUE that winning candidate for the Pigeon Township Trustee, Mary Hart has not yet filed her disclosure statement?…that the deadline was 6 days ago?

January 24, 2011

For more information, contact Tim Filler, Hoosier Faith & Health
Coalition, Communications Committee Co-Convener, (317) 652-6483

INDIANA’S FAITH LEADERS CALL FOR LEGISLATURE TO APPROVE TOBACCO PREVENTION & CESSATION FUNDING, STATEWIDE COMPREHENSIVE SMOKEFREE WORKPLACE LAW

INDIANAPOLIS – Today at noon, leaders of Indiana’s major faiths and denominations called upon the members of the Indiana General Assembly to commit to reducing the serious burden tobacco smoke takes on both the primary user and also those who are exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke. Leaders from a diverse array of faith denomination issued this call to action today at noon at Christ Church Cathedral on Monument Circle in Indianapolis at an event hosted by the Hoosier Faith and Health Coalition.

Reverend Dan Gangler of the United Methodist Church said, “The clear and present danger caused to Hoosiers by tobacco products, plus the costs to the state incurred because of disease and death caused by tobacco products and secondhand smoke demand that our state’s policymakers show true commitment to addressing the toll of tobacco by providing meaningful funding to Indiana Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Agency and by adopting a comprehensive smokefree workplace law.

“Hoosier Faith & Health Coalition members are proud to partner with ITPC in its community-based campaign to reduce tobacco use. Our faith leaders and health leaders in communities across Indiana have a great resource in ITPC’s state office staff and the community partners across the state. Hoosiers need the experienced, dedicated staff of ITPC and the independent, expert guidance provided by ITPC’s Executive Board in order to continue the decade of progress Indiana has witnessed in reducing youth and adult smoking rates and consumption,” Gangler said.

Research shows that reducing tobacco use is one of the most effective ways to protect our state’s health and prevent deadly and costly diseases such as cancer and heart attacks by preventing kids from starting and helping adults quit. The Hoosier Faith and Health Coalition event today celebrated 10 years of service to Hoosiers by the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Agency. During this last decade of service, ITPC has led Hoosiers to major successes in tobacco prevention, such as:

 Successfully reducing adult smoking to an historic low of 23.1%. Consequently today there are 208,000 fewer smokers in Indiana than there were just 10 years ago;
 Reducing annual per capita cigarette consumption of Hoosiers by 40%; and
 Reducing the high school smoking rate by 42%, resulting in 49,000 fewer youth smokers.

In spite of this success, there still is a tremendous amount yet to do to help Hoosiers quit smoking, prevent young people from starting to smoke, eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke and reducing disparities caused by tobacco. At the same time while ITPC has been efficiently and effectively doing its work to combat the significant health and financial toll caused by tobacco and providing Hoosiers with a positive return on their investment by reducing tobacco-related costs for the state, businesses and individuals, the tobacco industry continues to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more than Indiana dedicates to tobacco control efforts. For example, tobacco companies spent $426 million to market their products in Indiana in 2006 alone, according to the most recent Federal Trade Commission report that tracks these expenditures, outspending tobacco prevention funding by a scale of 46 to one.

Kevin O’Flaherty of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said, “We ask the Indiana General Assembly stand up for healthy Hoosiers and against disease, death and $2 billion per year in costs due to smoking and $390 million per year in costs due to secondhand smoke. Investing in ITPC is a smart investment, especially in such hard economic times, because it an expenditure that is shown to provide a positive return on investment. We ask Indiana’s leaders to not turn back the clock on our decade of progress but to commit to continue these important programs and the valuable work of ITPC.”

House Republicans fast track Vote Center bill

House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) recently indicated that House Republicans would be “fast tracking” Senate Bill 32, a bill that authorizes the use of Vote Centers statewide. Vote Centers, a concept piloted in Tippecanoe, Cass, and Wayne Counties, may be one means to increase ballot access for Hoosier voters, and decrease the cost of future elections.

The reason for the fast tracking is due to the cost savings and convenience to the voters as seen in the three pilot counties. The bill has sped through the legislative process to allow sufficient time for county to implement Vote Centers prior to the May municipal elections. Previous legislation from 2006 put into operation pilot vote centers in these counties, allowing voters to cast their ballots at a centrally located Vote Center of their choosing, in contrast to the traditional precinct voting process where residents are assigned to a specific polling location on election day only- by precincts. By law, precincts have no more than 1,200 registered voters to keep Election Day crowds manageable.

Tens of thousands of volunteers are recruited annually to run statewide elections, with most receiving a modest stipend for their Election Day efforts, and rental costs for polling places being incurred. While the costs of an individual polling site are modest, when multiplied by the large number of precincts statewide, election costs add up. It’s a small price to pay for democracy, but if SB 32 can bring about more efficiency with our dollars and increase voter participation at the same time, it will be a win-win result.
Vote centers, as proposed in SB 32, incentivize an increase in attendance at the polls by making the process more convenient for voters. With vote centers located across each county, county residents would be able to cast their vote in any of the open vote centers and not be limited to a certain precinct site.

“Voting Centers aim to expand Hoosier participation in our elections. They provide flexibility to the voter by expanding accessibility across the county, a convenience the previous precinct system was unable to provide,” said House Sponsor of SB 32, Rep. Randy Truitt (R-West Lafayette). “The democratic process should not be burdensome but easily accessible by any Hoosier who wants to cast their vote.”

But, vote centers benefit more than just the voter – they also benefit the taxpayer. With the creation of vote centers, the traditional precinct voting location is phased out, saving the county – and taxpayers – hard cash. Vote centers would have all of the ballots for the entire county at each voting location, and participants could pick a location and time that is right for them.

According to a recent estimate from the Tippecanoe County Clerk-elect, this arrangement has resulted in $50,000 in savings in labor alone for each election during Tippecanoe County’s pilot experience.

Will Evansville Lead the Pack by Getting the Wireless Services Right for Opening Day?

The City County Observer recently discovered and published the fact that Louisville’s new downtown arena called Yum Center missed the boat on being able to get good cellular service inside when 22,000 screaming fans are wanting to text each other and their unfortunate friends stuck at home in front of the television. Louisville has acted quickly to put a $2M solution in place by retrofitting 400 antennas into the Yum Center to hopefully provide coverage for three different carriers.

It seems as though the City of Louisville’s arena design group is not the only stadium or arena in the country to be dealing with the problem of signal saturation and bandwidth depletion at sporting events. In preparation for the upcoming Super Bowl the new $1.2 Billion Texas Stadium is having to do the same thing. The home of the Dallas Cowboys is doing a $3.5 Million upgrade that will involve adding 1,000 antennas and adaptively controlled bandwidth optimization equipment to as charismatic Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says “assure” that 150,000 fans can text at will. Here is a video from the Dallas Fox affiliate to describe the project.

http://www.i4u.com/44504/super-bowl-stadium-got-1000-antennas-support-150000-phone-users

It seems as though nearly every arena and stadium from Houston to Columbus to Ann Arbor has become the butt of jokes in recent years for failing to have adequate infrastructure to support the demand for cellular service during events. Locally, the Westside Nut Club’s Fall Festival is notorious for wreaking havoc on cellular reception. One Ohio State fan quipped that “cell phones and Wolverines always get killed in Columbus”.

As this is a widespread and widely publicized problem, the City County Observer is quite curious about just what the designers of the new state of the art Evansville Arena have done to assure that attendees at downtown events will be able to enjoy the events in a digital fashion that is worthy of a modern arena. Of course Evansville will not need 1,000 antennas but we will need a couple of hundred and some serious bandwidth available to satisfy the demands.

Once again, we ask and wonder, will we be able to use our new phones in the new arena or will we have to wait for a million dollar upgrade to be able to do so?

Boston Company Emulates Silicon Valley Attraction Policies

By: Dharmesh Shah

Over on the west coast, companies like Google and Facebook are duking it out for top tech talent. There’s all sorts of craziness going on including 10% across the board raises and big bonuses. Back here in Boston, there’s a similar battle for talent brewing. Except, here in Boston, we’re kind of polite and a tad overly sane (there’s not enough craziness). So, nobody really comes right out and says that there’s a battle for tech talent going on in Boston. So, I’m going to go ahead and say it.

We’re working on making HubSpot a magnet for technology talent in the Boston area, like Facebook is on the west coast. We’ve got tough software problems to solve, millions of users, lots of capital, cool office space, and some of the smartest developers around.

In order to officially kick off the Boston battle for talent, we’re doing a few somewhat crazy things (crazy for Boston, at least). Here’s what we’ve got lined up so far:

a) Refer A Developer, Make $10,000. If you know a brilliant developer, refer them to HubSpot. Not only will you be helping them join a great software company in Boston, you’ll get a $10,000 bonus for yourself. Think of the gadgets you could buy! Check out the “Refer A Developer” program.

b) Many Will Enter, Few Will Emerge — With A Free iPad. Any developer that gets called in for the final HubSpot interview (you don’t even have to survive it, or be offered a job), gets a free iPad, just for playing. Oh, and before you think we’re super-crazy, know that we are notriously selective. In fact, I’m not sure that if I weren’t the founder, I’d be able to make it that far. Seriously. Our dev team is super picky.

c) $4,000 shopping spree. Any developer that joins HubSpot gets to go on a $4,000 hardware/gadget shopping spree. They get to pick out stuff that they can somewhat rationalize will make them more productive and/or happy. Popular options include the new Macbook Air, a big second monitor and one of the cool new Android phones (which we hear, can actually make phone calls). [Note to self: Now that iPhone’s available on Verizon, probably need to stop making iPhone jokes].

So, the question is, is all this craziness diabolically clever or an act of desperation? That depends. The difference between crazy and genius is whether it works.

Of course, we’ve been doing other things to build the awesome team we already have. If the company sucked, no amount of recruitment shenanigans would work, so we first made sure not to suck.

Here are some reasons why we think you (or someone you know) should check us out.

Reasons You Or Someone You Know Should Interview (At) HubSpot

1. A compelling vision that helps millions of people: Great developers like building products with broad appeal and wide reach. They like to have impact and influence. We do that at HubSpot. Our marketing software has been built for small businesses. We’re rallying against old-school marketing like junk mail, spam and cold calls. The message is resonating really well. We reach millions of users every month, and have 4,000 customers. With this kind of scale comes great challenges. Like figuring out how to store and analyze terabytes of data (and heading towards petabytes alarmingly fast). Or, creating a user experience that your Uncle Leo could use (because someone’s Uncle Leo does).

2. Shiny, Happy People: Last year, we were voted one of the best companies to work for in the Boston area by the Boston Business Journal (our friends at Google were #2). We asked people why the heck they were so happy (besides the spiked slushies), and they said, somewhat recursively, “…I’m happy because I get to work with other smart, happy, passionate people.” We have the reverse Lake Wobegon effect. Several times a week, you will walk into a room and feel you brought the average IQ down. Seriously, you will.

3. A Real Salary: We’ve raised $33 million in venture capital from some of the best VCs on the planet. We have millions still left in the bank and revenues are growing like wildfire. So at HubSpot, you don’t have to be paid in hugs and options and work on the “deferred compensation plan” (which is basically, “we can’t really afford to pay you right now — but just as soon as we get those customers/investors/grandparents/governments to give us some cash, you’ll be first in line!”). You actually get a real salary, making your friends and family proud and/or envious. We’ve heard that money is useful for buying stuff. So, come help us spend some of those venture capital dollars towards a good cause.

Note: I’m not suggesting that it’s not a good idea to work for an early-stage startup — they’re totally cool. But if you do, it should either a) be your own and/or b) be one that you are totally passionate about.

4. Options/Equity: Yep, we have those too. Every developer at HubSpot gets a stake in our future. The difference between options at HubSpot and most other startups, is that the share price has just kept going up and up and up. And, we think our best years are still ahead of us. It’s a bit like joining Facebook in the early years, only not.

5. We don’t want to just build software, we want to build entrepreneurs: We want to build a big, successful company in the Boston area. Obviously, creating great software is a big part of that. But, we’re also passionate about seeding the next generation of entrepreneurs. If you have the entrepreneurial gene, we fully expect that you’ll meet and work with your future co-founders at HubSpot. We also have one of the best startup networks imaginable.

6. We’ll Raise Your Currency: HubSpot has an exceptionally strong reputation. We’re known for hiring kick-ass people and not suffering fools. So, if for some silly reason, you decide to leave us someday, the fact that you’ve been on the HubSpot team is going to wonders for your credibility (not that you needed help on that front).

7. Strict “No Jerks” Rule: We don’t hire jerks. Period. If your normal disposition is to be negative and cranky, and it can’t be explained by a temporary lack of caffeine, you won’t fit in at HubSpot. We’re intense at HubSpot, but it’s a good intense. The reason for the “no jerks” rule is simple — for those of us that are not jerks, working with jerks is a whole lot of suckiness. Life is short. Why work with jerks?

8. Cool Stuff Shopping Spree: We got tired of arguing about whether this MacBook Pro or that Thinkpad was better. Or whether big second monitors really did help productivity (they do). So, every developer that joins HubSpot gets $4,000 to go buy stuff. You decide what’s going to make you super-productive. [Oh, and if you just happen to want to buy that latest Android tablet because you’re thinking about doing a side project some day, I say go for it. ]

9. Office Space For Happy Humans: The nice thing about having lots of customers and fast growing revenues is that we can afford to invest in great working conditions. We work in a well lit, comfortable, fun, cool office space. Don’t take our word for it, check out some photos, or just come visit [we have HubSpot.tv every Friday at 4pm — and there’s free beer].

10. Hyper Transparency: One of the core components of HubSpot’s culture is hyper transparency. Every employee in the company has access to most of the company’s critical data — including financials. This includes customers, revenue, burn-rate, cash in the bank, valuation of last venture round, notes from “strategic” meetings, plans for future financing. Just about everything. Our default position is: “Unless you have really good reason to keep it secret, don’t make it a secret.” We trust ourselves to use all of this information wisely, and so our default mode is “open”.

11. The “Take What You Need” Vacation Policy: Over a year ago, the topic of a vacation policy came up in a management meeting. We didn’t have a policy, and someone suggested we should have one. Our CEO pushed back, with a “why”? Net result: We decided our policy would be to have no policy. Members of the team take as much vacation as they need. There’s no approval, no paperwork, no tracking, no accruing — nothing. Contrary to what some outsiders may have believed, the company did not die. It’s working great.

12. Friends In Cool Places: We believe in being an active member of the startup community inside and outside of Boston. As such, we’re well connected with a bunch of startup celebrities: Drew Houston (DropBox) — he’s on our advisory board. Jason Fried (37signals). Joel Spolsky (Stack Overflow), Mike McDerment (Freshbooks). Adam Smith (ex-Xobni). Alexis Ohanian (Y Combinator, Reddit) — also on our advisory board. Eric Ries (we’re major lean startup fans). Rand Fishkin (SEOmoz, and SEO Extraordinaire). Hiten Shah (KissMetrics). Dan Martell (Flowtown). If that isn’t enough name dropping for you, we’ve got more. So, what’s the point of all of this (other than showing off)? Well, we learn from all of these great entrepreneurs. We hang out with them for beers. They come do guest talks at HubSpot. It’s awesome.

13. Ping Pong: Yes, we have a table, that’s not a big deal. What we’re proud of is that our CEO, CTO, our VP Platform, VP Customer Happiness, VP Sales all play ping-pong. Heck, even our CFO can play ping pong and chances are he can kick your ass. [Feel free to challenge him, but don’t let him charge you for a beer — they’re free at HubSpot].

14. We’re Good Peeps: I know this one’s a tad subjective, but ask around. If you know anyone that knows HubSpot (and you should), ask them about the people. Chances are they’ll say good things.

OK, I could drone on and on, but I think, you get the point. We’re a fun place to work, growing crazy fast and all modesty aside the place you want to be if you’re awesome and can code. You’ll be the envy of your friends and family (“what, you got a job at HubSpot — that’s cool!”).

I’ll even make the initial process painless for you. Just go to this page and enter your email address and a URL of some page that shows me your awesomeness. I’ll personally check you out and see if it’s worth going to the next step. If you ask me nicely, I’ll even tell you what your odds are of making it to the final interview and getting the free iPad.

What do you think? Any other ideas for attracting great developers? Did you think this set of ideas was diabolically clever or a tad too desperate? Would love to read your comments.