AHC National Issues Forum

The American Horse Council (AHC) tackles all facets of the horse industry from owners and breeders to veterinarians, farriers and associations to racetracks, rodeos and related support businesses.

The AHC National Issues Forum in Washington, D.C., is Tuesday, June 16.

Dr. Scott Palmer, a nationally-known veterinarian and past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, will deliver the keynote address. The forum will also include panels on racing, showing, competition, sport, and horses used in work and entertainment. More information, including registration and hotel information, is available on www.horsecouncil.org, or contact Bridget Harrison, American Horse Council, (202) 296-4031, e-mail: bharrison@horsecouncil.org.

Treasuries Treasured By Market

Investor appetite for treasuries is declining as interest in stocks grows.

Yields on 30-year treasuries increased from 4.10% this week (Wednesday) to 4.30% on Thursday, their highest level since November, after a government auction saw bids that were priced lower than expected.

RBC Capital Markets economist Tom Porcelli, "In an environment where markets are pricing in a better macroeconomic backdrop, it is harder to sell bonds at low yields," according to reports by Financial Times.

Treasuries have lost 3.95 percent since December, according to Merrill Lynch & Co.’s U.S. Treasury Master index.

Bonds are tumbling as the U.S. Treasury steps up increased debt sales to a record $3.25 trillion this fiscal year ending Sept. 30, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Why? To finance bank bailouts, economic stimulus plans and fund a budget deficit.

Roads, Bridges, Water, Power Grid, Health

Pat Wood III, principal of Wood3 Resources, and Jesse Berst, managing director of Global SmartEnergy.com, spoke about energy infrastructure at the NGA Natural Resources Committee Session
Energy Infrastructure: Vital for a 21st Century Economy.

It's the final day of the of the National Governors Association (NGA) winter conference.

Governors, as CEOs of their respective states, heard about ideas from fiscal health of their home turf to a strong focus on infrastructure needs, transportation, foreclosure issues, and renewable energy development.

Last night, President Barack Obama hosted a formal dinner for the governors at the White House. The President stated he thinks it's "important that all governors work with Washington to help repair the economy."

Governors heard from notables, including Dr. Frank Luntz, CEO of The Word Doctors, who presented findings from a recent national poll targeting Americans' attitudes around infrastructure investments. T. Boone Pickens, founder and chairman of BP Capital Management, demonstrated for governors his strategy for reducing America's dependence on foreign oil through new infrastructure investments. Finally, CEO of Exelon Corporation John Rowe highlighted the utility sector's perspective on energy infrastructure investment in the context of efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.

The complete "An Infrastructure Vision for the 21st Century" PDF is available online.

"Strengthening Our Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future" is an initiative by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who serves as NGA chairman.

"From roads, rails and bridges to the electrical grid, water treatment plants, broadband networks, schools and hospitals, infrastructure makes modern life as we know it possible," said Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, NGA vice chairman.

Founded in 1908, the NGA is a public policy organization, comprised of the governors of the 50 states, three territories and
two commonwealths. For more information see www.nga.org.

Water, Eyed As Growth Investment Sector

Water. Turn on the tap, and there it is. Yet to make that happen is not so simple. Providing a dependable supply of clean water is a business growth sector for investment opportunities.

Challenges in water supplies, emerging technologies and the need for substantial capital investment, strategic alliances and acquisitions are some of the topics presented at the Water Investment World North America conference on Feb. 23 through Feb. 25 at Bridgewaters, New York, NY. Produced by Terrapinn, cost to attend, $4,395 to $1,535.

Speakers include Patrick Cairo, executive vice president, Suez Environment; Thomas Paolicelli, executive director, New York City Municipal Water Finance Authority; Doug Scott, managing director, Fitch Ratings; Eugene Schiller, deputy executive director, Southwest Florida Water Management District; Ken Kirk, executive director, National Association of Clean Water Agencies; Kevin Ward, executive administrator, Texas Water Development Board; Teresa Daniell, interim general manager, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

Federal concerns that include developing market-based sustainable solutions for water infrastructure financing and management, along with water efficiency in sustainable water systems, detailed by Michael Deane, deputy assistant administrator for water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Private equity and project finance for infrastructure will be covered by Larry Chertoff, director, Alinda Capital Partners, and Robert Dove, managing director, infrastructure, Carlyle Group.

International investment opportunities in the private sector including legal and regulatory challenges and creating and maintaining partnerships with water operators round out the presentations.

Get It? Got It? Good. Online Innovators

"I agree completely with my son James when he says the 'Internet is like electricity. The latter lights up everything, while the former lights up knowledge.'"

- Kerry Packer
Australian publishing, media and gaming tycoon


Just observe how people now easily use technology married to the Internet - on Christmas - to source an obscure holiday song from childhood to listen that tune once more. Or tell how they found their new dog (a rescue, on Petfinder.com). Or look at the results in the gifts - a personalized calendar, which involved photo uploads and customization online (yup, at WalMart's site). Finding exactly what is desired is becoming second nature.

Most people don't care how it works, they just want to find what they want. (Preferably at a discount when considering a purchase.)

Behind the engines of change that are transforming the globe are some pretty smart people. And powerful search engines.

Curiosity about online corporate leaders led to another kind of search. Most interesting businesses are powered by the people who create them.

Everyone has ideas. The majority of humans talk about them. Leaders work to link concepts to business models and then on to reality. First, try it out in the sandbox, and (in this case) on to growth. Today search engines put the global marketplace at our fingertips. (If you are terrier-like in your research.)

The evolution (think Charles Darwin was right) of business means learning all the time. Blogs (some) are the conversations about change.

So here's the first in a sometimes series about online innovators.

Founded as the first blog search engine, Technorati has grown up into a full-service media company. The online partnership introduces fresh content to millions of consumers, and indexes millions of blog posts in real time, then surfaces them in seconds.

The company is led by Richard Jalichandra, president and CEO, a veteran Internet executive whose media experience includes leadership roles across the media spectrum. He's been an M&A and strategy consultant for several Internet properties and investment firms, and also served as SVP of corporate development for exponential interactive, Tribal Fusion’s parent company. Previously, he was SVP of business development for Fox Interactive Media, and was the vice president of business & corporate development at IGN Entertainment (acquired by Fox Interactive), where he led the company’s M&A, business development and international activities. Before joining IGN, Richard led national accounts sales at Lycos, was vice president of business development at Neopost Online, served as senior vice president/managing director of Answerthink, and founded K23 Creative Services in Singapore. His early career included management roles for Ford, IBM and Siemens.

Now, where did the concept come from?

David Sifry, founder and chairman of the board, is a self-described "serial entrepreneur" - with more than 20 years of software development and industry experience.

Sifry co-founded and served as CTO of Sputnik, a Wi-Fi gateway company; was co-founder of Linuxcare, where he served as CTO and vice president of engineering. He also was a founding member of the board of Linux International and on the technical advisory board of the National Cybercrime Training Partnership for law enforcement.

His blog is as interesting as he is - called Sifry’s Alerts.

An excerpt -

"On-demand, Personalized Travel Books. Travel books that are tuned just for you, only about the place that you're going, with local information like festivals, events, and concerts that are going on during the dates of your stay. We put in local maps that are tuned to where you'll be, and we even customize the guide based on what we learn about you, like the timezone differences from your hometown, electrical plug differences, embassies and consulates nearby, differences in tipping policies, exchange rates, local weather forecasts, and much more.

"Can I customize it? Of course. You get full control over your guide - so if you already know where you're staying, you can click to deselect all of the information about hotels, for example. You can add customized chapters and fill them with information that you gather from your friends, or from around the internet. And when you're done, you can get your guide in multiple formats . . ."