GenNext Ventures and Ecorithm Announce Wide Ranging Partnership Agreement

Partnership Brings Advanced Analytics
to Buildings and Beyond in India

SANTA BARBARA, CA and Mumbai, India – GenNext Ventures, a venture capital fund backed by Reliance Industries Limited (“RIL”), and Ecorithm, Inc. have signed an agreement to bring into India Ecorithm’s cutting-edge software technologies that analyze complex, dynamic systems through physics-based pattern recognition. Ecorithm’s powerful suite of technologies can be applied to building systems and various other enterprise solutions to improve operations, optimize systems and minimize energy use. With 400 million square feet of Class A Buildings in India and over 100 million square feet under construction (Cushman & Wakefield, Marketbeat Office Snapshot Reports, 2015), India presents a significant opportunity to scale Ecorithm’s technologies. The partnership marks a leap forward for profit and sustainability in buildings, which account for nearly 40 percent of global energy consumption (United Nations Environment Programme) and produce a larger carbon footprint than all transportation systems combined.

“We have evaluated multiple energy management technologies from across the globe, and Ecorithm is clearly the next generation in building energy management. We are excited to partner with Ecorithm and bring their path-breaking and revolutionary technology to India. As we bring Ecorithm into India, we are keen to deploy the technology to optimize the energy efficiency of our buildings and raise the standard of environmental design and operation for buildings and enterprises to global levels. GenNext is at the forefront of bringing truly revolutionary technologies into India that can make everything, from our buildings to our industrial plants to our cities, operate much more efficiently. We believe that smart technologies will form the base for the Government of India’s smart city initiative. Ecorithm ’s technology will be one of those smart technologies.” Said Vivek Rai Gupta, Managing Director, GenNext Ventures.

Ecorithm’s True Analytics™ Platform enables any system capable of producing a continuous flow of sensor data, such as a building management system (BMS) in a commercial building or an industrial control system, to be optimized at a highly granular level, thereby saving energy while optimizing equipment performance and the resulting use, comfort and operability. 

“We’re so pleased to partner with a company with as many forward-thinking businesses, as it represents a huge opportunity to deploy our revolutionary technology in India across many business sectors.” said Dan Tishman, Chairman of Ecorithm.

Chris Tagge, President of Ecorithm, added “We are delighted to be bringing Ecorithm to India in partnership with GenNext. We know that the Internet of Things (IoT) represents an enormous opportunity to change the way businesses are run and systems are optimized across virtually every industry. Our True Analytics Platform makes billions of otherwise incomprehensible data points understandable and usable. We make the Internet of Things make sense.”

As a testament to its technology, the global research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan recently awarded Ecorithm with their 2015 Visionary Innovation Leadership Award. Some of the world’s best known and most innovative companies are other winners of this prestigious award. 

About Ecorithm

Ecorithm, Inc., based in Santa Barbara, offers its clients an extremely powerful analytics tool that is capable of analyzing complex, dynamic systems. Through its physics-based pattern recognition, Ecorithm’s True Analytics™ Platform provides automated, highly accurate fault detection and predictive analysis. The technology was originally developed and commercialized for the stabilization of jet engines and is currently being applied to mechanical systems in buildings. The True Analytics Platform is also being rolled out to many other data producing systems across the Internet of Things (IoT).  For more information, visit ecorithm.com.

About GenNext Ventures

GenNext Ventures, headquartered in Mumbai - India, invests in path breaking technology companies from across the globe in Big Data, IOT, Advanced Materials, Energy Storage and multiple other emerging technologies. GenNext Ventures is backed by Reliance Industries Ltd.

Reliance Industries Ltd. is India’s largest private sector company and features in Fortune’s Global 500 list of “World’s Largest Corporations”. As per Newsweek’s Green Rankings 2014, RIL is India’s greenest and most environment friendly company, ranking 185th among the world’s largest 500 companies.

Mary Rice Hasson on Pope Francis' Visit to the U.S.

 

Mary Rice Hasson, director of the Catholic Women's Forum, talked about Pope Francis' upcoming visit to the U.S. later in the week, as well as the ongoing debate over federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Click here for video.

Source: C-Span

The Week Ahead in Congress

 

Mike Lillis, congressional reporter with The Hill, joined by phone to talk about Pope Francis' upcoming address to a joint session of Congress and legislative efforts to avoid a government shutdown ahead of the September 20 budget deadline.

Click here for video.

Source: C-Span

Washington Journal: Karen Mills on Income Inequality and U.S. Competitiveness

 

Former Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills discusses the results of a Harvard Business School survey showing that business leaders believe inequality is a serious threat to the country and to business. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-Span

Washington Journal: Janet Lorin on Federal Student Loan Debt

 

Bloomberg News Higher Education Reporter Janet Lorin discusses federal student loan programs that offer repayment based on income and, in some cases, debt forgiveness, which could result in tens of billions of dollars of unpaid loans.

Click here for video.

Source: C-Span

Weekly Republican Address

 

Senator Shelley Moore Capito (WV) delivers the weekly Republican address. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-Span

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia to Visit the White House

 

President Obama will welcome President Joko Widodo of Indonesia to the White House on October 26.  President Widodo will make his first visit to the United States since becoming President of Indonesia.  The President looks forward to charting with President Widodo a new phase for the U.S.-Indonesian partnership.  As leaders of two of the largest democracies in the world, the President and President Widodo will discuss plans to expand existing areas of bilateral cooperation, including in defense, trade and investment, climate and energy, as well ways to pursue new growth areas for the partnership, such as maritime cooperation. They will also discuss ways to address a range of regional and global challenges. 

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

Chancellor Zimpher Makes Statement on In-State Tuition for Veterans & Their Families

Albany – On Thursday, September 10^th, SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher announced the support of the SUNY Board of Trustees for an initiative which would allot the in-state SUNY tuition rate to all United States veterans and their dependents, regardless of whether or not they live in New York State. This marks definitive progress on an initiative taken by the SUNY Student Assembly in the 2014-2015 year.

Chancellor Zimpher’s statement reads as follows: “Today, the State University of New York Board of Trustees approved the next step necessary to ensure that all veterans and importantly – their dependents, as well – can pursue a SUNY degree at the in-state tuition rate, regardless of residency.

“Military personnel, veterans, and their families living on our campuses and in the state’s communities deserve the same access to affordable public higher education that all New Yorkers enjoy.

“As SUNY works toward an ambitious completion goal of awarding 150,000 degrees annually by 2020, I am deeply proud of today’s Board action, which brings to a full circle New York State’s leadership as one of the early adopters of the federal Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014.”

About the Student Assembly of the State University of New York: The Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY SA) is an organization comprised of student leaders elected by their peers from across SUNY’s 64 campuses. Empowering students throughout the state, the SUNY SA is committed to student life and ensuring the representation of its members on the state and national level as well as throughout the SUNY system.

Rally on September 25th at FERC

The following column was submitted to From The G-Man on September 19, 2015.

By Ted Glick

It’s the morning of the twelfth day that I haven’t been eating. The only things I’ve been putting into my body are lots of water, salt, potassium and a multi-vitamin.

How do I feel? Weak, very weak, as do most of the others—about 15 as I write—who are also fasting and intend to do so until September 25^th, the day after the people’s pope speaks to Congress. 11 of the 15 are also, like me, on the twelfth day of water-only.

We’re physically weak mainly because of the water-only diet but also because we’ve been conducting this hunger strike on the sidewalk in the hot sun in front of FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, from 7 am to 6 pm every work day. We’ve been leafletting and talking to FERC employees, including, several days ago, Norman Bay, the chairperson. We’ve been leafletting and talking to passers-by and people who come to visit, as have Tim DeChristoper, Medea Benjamin, “No Impact Man” Colin Beavan, local high school students, and more.

We’ve been using white boards to make signs that we change as the days go by. We’ve been putting up quotes from Pope Francis and Gandhi. Every morning part of our routine is to change the number of the days that we’ve been fasting on the signs that say, “Day ___ of 18-Day Hunger Strike for No New Permits for Fossil Fuel Infrastructure.”

We’ve also been traveling around DC. We’ve gone to important local demonstrations, several times to the site of a sister fast being conducted by the Franciscan Action Network, and meetings.

All of these activities are taking a physical toll, adding to the impact of not eating.

Spiritually, however, we’re a very strong group. Every day we gather together outside of FERC in the morning and the afternoon to meet and go over everything that has happened or is happening that day. We always begin by going around our sacred circle with each faster reporting on how they are doing. Sometimes individual fasters have reported problems, some pretty serious, as far as how they are doing. So far we have been able to help everyone in those situations to get over them and continue on, sometimes aided by local nurses who have volunteered their services for free.

At the end of each meeting, we join hands for a minute or more of silent breathing together and communal strengthening, and it always works.

Two-thirds of the way through this ordeal, we’re seeing the end of it. We’re starting to talk about how to come off the fast in a way that doesn’t do damage to your digestive system. I shared yesterday my nine-day plan—one day of transitioning back for every two days of fasting-- for how to do so based on my past fasting experiences.

The fast will end this coming Friday, September 25^th, at 12 noon in front of FERC, the day after Pope Francis speaks before Congress. We will end it by breaking and sharing bread together—a very small piece for each of us—and with the many hundreds or more people we hope will join us. We are inviting people who do so who can to bring a healthy loaf of bread to share so that, together, we will break bread together there on First St. NE, affirming life and community and our determination to keep at it until we have won.

We need people to join us on the 25^th not so much to support us but to make a strong statement to FERC, and all those who will learn of our action, about the need for FERC to heed our demand: No New Permits for Fossil Fuel Infrastructure.

Some of the fasters got into the monthly meeting of the FERC Commissioners a few days ago, the meetings BXE has been attending and speaking out at for a year. One of them stayed throughout it, and he reported on how the Commissioners were talking about how electrical power companies need to be making plans to switch to gas as their fuel source going forward. Much of that would be fracked gas. This is consistent with the EPA’s Clean Power Plan projections and the very serious economic problems being experienced by the coal industry.

The Commissioners did not talk about the need for power companies to get serious about switching to wind or solar energy as their power source, even though 1) they are price-competitive with coal and gas, 2) they are actually clean and non-polluting, no water contamination, no poisoning of the air and land, and 3) they don’t leak methane, a greenhouse gas 86 times more powerful than CO2 over a 20 year period.

It has become very clear that a, if not the, central battle to prevent worldwide climate catastrophe is the battle over whether natural gas, increasingly fracked gas, or renewables is going to become the primary electrical power source in the next decade. FERC Commissioners are going all-in on an expansion of fracking infrastructure and exporting the stuff around the world.

This decision must not go unchallenged, and it is not. There is a growing and connecting national movement, centered along the east coast right now, that is taking on FERC, in DC and in the scores and scores, maybe hundreds, of local communities where people are organizing to fight new fracking infrastructure. Many more need to join this fight, and now.

Let’s make September 25^th at FERC in DC, following upon the big Climate Justice rally September 24^th on the mall as the Pope speaks to Congress, the next major manifestation of our determination to prevent FERC from continuing to poison local communities and our threatened climate. In the words of Pope Francis, “There is an urgent need to develop policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced, substituting for fossil fuels and developing sources of renewable energy.”

Wake up FERC!

Ted Glick is the National Campaign Coordinator of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Past writings and others information can be found at http://tedglick.com, and he can be followed on twitter at http://twitter.com/jtglick.

Donald Trump, Barack Obama and Religion: You Shall Know Them By Their Fruits

 
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
District 32 Bronx County, New York

You should know that the latest Donald Trump controversy is related to the United States President Barack Obama and the Muslim and Christian faiths.

You should also know that during a Trump rally in Rochester, New Hampshire on Thursday, September 17, 2015, a gentleman from the audience stood up to ask a question, saying that Barack Obama is not a Christian but a Muslim.  The man said: “We have a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims. We know our current President is one. You know he’s not even an American. That’s my question. When can we get rid of ‘em?”

Donald Trump kept quiet about what the man said about Barack Obama’s religion, giving Trump’s critics the opportunity to criticize him because according to them, he did not defend President Obama.  Donald Trump’s critics were expecting for Trump to feel obliged to correct or even reprimand the person with a response such as: "No, Barack Obama is not a Muslim, he is a Christian."

This has created another controversy for Donald Trump, who claims it is not his place to defend the religion of the President of the United States - especially after having his own faith called into question by Dr. Ben Carson.

You may recall that on September 9, 2015, before a Rally in Anaheim, California, Republican Candidate Dr. Ben Carson said that Donald Trump’s Christian faith is not an important part of Trump's life.  When a reporter asked him how he was different than Mr. Trump, Dr. Carson replied: “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life and that’s a very big part of who I am. I don’t get that impression, maybe I’m wrong but I don’t get that.”  

According to Trump, after Dr. Carson made those statements, no one defended him, and no one corrected Dr. Ben Carson or criticized him about why he should not challenge another man’s religious beliefs.

This week Pope Francis, who serves as the spiritual leader of the Catholic Christian faith throughout the world, is coming to the United States.  His pronouncements will be given great deference to what people believe; it is expected that the Pope might make statements that will make a great impact in people's lives and beliefs.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who serves as the leader of all Christianity has let us know how we as humans can identify those who are Christians and those who are not. Jesus Christ said: "My true disciples produce much fruit." [John 15:8] and "You shall know them by their fruits.” [Matthew 7:16]

This can also be used to tell if a person who proclaims to be a Catholic, Christian, Muslim or Jewish acts according to their religion's teachings, and stands by the principles of whatever religion they belong to.

We all know that someone is Jewish by the way they stand by the principles taught in Torah, and someone who is a Christian by the way they stand by the principles of the Holy Bible. We know that someone is Catholic by the way they support the Catholic teachings, and that someone is a Muslim by the way they stand by the teachings of the Quran.

It is not up to any of us to defend anyone’s religion. The people themselves will be known by what they say, how they live and the issues they defend and stand by according to the religion they profess.

For example, I for one have been publicly criticized, ostracized, condemned and rejected for my stand and support for the issues that my religion teaches. All of the criticism I have received as a Christian is because of the two issues that my religion opposes: gay marriage and abortion - even though I am second to no one regarding other social issues.

We all know that religion cannot be truly professed only when it is convenient or safe.  In the words of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

It is easy for anyone to say: “I am Jewish,” "I am a Christian,” “I am a Muslim,” or  "I am a Catholic.” However, if your actions speak otherwise, then they speak volumes.  No one has to declare what another person’s religion is. We can all see by the way they act and the way they publicly support, defend and uphold the teachings of their religion.

Now that the Pope is coming to the US, you will see many elected officials who stand against Catholic teachings and beliefs - professing to be Catholics, but no one will say that they are or are not Catholic.  It is interesting to note that I have not known of any Muslim who does not publicly stand by what the Quran teaches, nor have I ever known of any Orthodox Jewish person fighting against what the Torah teaches.

When the Bible says: "My true disciples produce much fruit." [John 15:8] and "You shall know them by their fruits.” [Matthew 7:16] that is to let us know how to identify people and their religion. This is true for those who follow the teachings of the Catholic Church, the Bible, the Quran or the Torah and it applies to the President of the United States, to Donald Trump, to any other candidate running for President of the United States, to you  my dear reader, and to me.

And so, you can see, my dear reader, it’s not up to Donald Trump, nor anyone else to defend the religious practice of the President of the United States or the religious practices of anybody else.

No one has to defend President Obama's religion because the American people should already know if our President is a Christian or not by the actions and positions he has taken, the statements he has made and the issues that he has supported.

I am Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.

Trailblazers in Black History: James Brown, "The Godfather of Soul"

Today in History: September 21st

America Readies for the Pope's Visit

ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos

AP Investigation: Bungling by WHO Hurt Ebola Response

 
By Associated Press

Something didn't smell right.

As a worker at Kenema Government Hospital mixed a batch of chlorine on a broiling August day, he noticed it didn't have its typically strong, bleach-like odor. Concerned, he turned to a consultant with the World Health Organization, who tested the disinfectant and found barely any active ingredient.

"I was deeply shocked," the consultant, Jerome Souquet, wrote in an email to his boss in Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital. Souquet said the consequences of using the ineffective chlorine "could be catastrophic, and cause immediate infection of all the staff."

Questionable chlorine was just one of a toxic mix of avoidable problems faced by Ebola responders in Kenema last summer as the outbreak was spiking. Weak leadership, shoddy supplies and infighting exacerbated a chaotic situation at a critical front in the battle against the virus, an Associated Press investigation has found. More than 40 health workers died in Kenema — a devastating loss in the fight to control an epidemic that has claimed more than 11,000 lives. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News 

NBC Online Survey: Hillary Clinton's Lead Narrows

By John Lapinski and Allison Kopicki

Hillary Clinton's lead over Bernie Sanders has dwindled from 24 points to just 13 points over the last month.

According to the latest NBC News online survey conducted by SurveyMonkey from Wednesday night through Friday, 42% of Democrats and independents who lean Democrat nationwide support Clinton, compared to 29% who support Sanders. Just five months ago, Clinton led Sanders by 45 points in the April NBC News-SurveyMonkey poll. In spite of this weakening in support, a majority of Democratic voters continue to say they expect Hillary to win the Democratic nomination for president.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News

First Read: Trump's Negative Impact on the GOP Race

 
By Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann

First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.  

Trump's negative impact on the GOP race

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If you wanted another example of how Donald Trump -- who helped lead the "birther" movement against President Obama during his first term in office -- has negatively impacted the Republican presidential race, look no further than the last 72 hours. After Trump declined to correct a New Hampshire man's anti-Obama, anti-Muslim claims, the subject became another topic for GOP candidates to address. Then Ben Carson received this question on "Meet the Press": Should faith matter at all when judging someone to serve as president? Carson's answer: "I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that." Carson's campaign later tried to clarify his remarks. "He did not say that a Muslim should be prevented from running, or barred from running in any way," spokesman Doug Watts told NBC's Hallie Jackson. "Dr. Carson is a strict adherent to the 1st Amendment -- freedom of religion. That includes people of all faith. He has great respect for the Muslim community, but there is a huge gulf between the faith and practice of the Muslim faith, and our Constitution and American values." And Carson's comments became fodder for the rest of the GOP field, forcing the other candidates to respond.

Click here for the full article and video. 

Source: NBC News 

As Turkish Election Looms, Erdogan Presses Pro-Kurdish Opposition

 
Reuters, 21/09 17:33 CET

By Orhan Coskun and Ece Toksabay

ANKARA (Reuters) – At an “anti-terrorism rally” this weekend, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan looked out over a sea of red national flags and implored supporters to vote on Nov.1 for “domestic” candidates.

“I think you understand what I mean, don’t you?” he thundered to the crowds in Istanbul’s working-class district of Yenikapi, where pro-government media said hundreds of thousands came out to protest against violence in the restive southeast.

Erdogan’s target was clear to all: the pro-Kurdish opposition, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), that had helped strip the ruling AK Party of its majority in June. A vote for them, he suggested, was a vote against Turkey.

Erdogan and the AKP he founded have gone on the offensive, accusing the HDP of ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist group by Washington and Ankara.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: Euronews

Without Power, Zambians Grapple with Toughest of Times

 
Reuters, 21/09 16:30 CET

By Stella Mapenzauswa

LUSAKA (Reuters) – The endless drone and stench of diesel fumes are daily irritants but Zambian barber Victor Senti is grateful for the generator that has kept his business going through months of electricity shortages.

The 35-year-old is worried about the future as the southern African nation, the continent’s biggest copper producer after Democratic Republic of Congo, grapples with what many say is the worst economic crisis since the end of one-party rule in 1991.

With gloomy newspaper headlines chronicling the impact of falling copper prices, the cost of daily necessities soaring and power cuts lasting up to eight hours, Senti has never felt so pessimistic.

“Things are getting tougher here, especially this year,” he said. “The government has a responsibility to explain to the nation what is happening.”

Click here for the full article.

Source: Euronews

Gaza Doctor Invents Cheap 3D Printed Stethoscope

Source: Euronews

Italy Rescues 4,500 Migrants and Refugees from the Mediterranean

Source: Euronews

Syriza Has “Clear Mandate” Says Tsipras

Source: Euronews

Thousands of Migrants Pour into Austria

Source: Euronews

Volkswagen Shares Plunge 20% Over US Emissions Scandal

Volkswagen has stopped marketing its Audi and VW diesel models in the United States, a spokesperson has told AFP.

It came after regulators found some cars falsified data on pollution levels.

Shares in Europe’s largest carmaker lost more than a fifth of their value in the wake of the allegations.

Click here for the full article and video.

Source: Euronews

When Francis Met Fidel: ‘Relaxed’ Talks Between Visiting Pope and Cuba’s Revolutionary Icon

Source: Euronews

Apple’s Chinese Apps Fall Victim to Large-Scale Cyber Attack

Source: Euronews

Hopes for Resolving Burkina Faso Crisis Rest on Draft Deal

Source: Euronews

White House Staffer Jake Brewer Killed During Cycling Event

Statement from President Obama

I am heartbroken at the tragic loss of one of my advisors, Jake Brewer.  We set out to recruit the best of the best to join their government and help us harness the power of technology and data to innovate new solutions for the 21st century.  Simply put, Jake was one of the best.  Armed with a brilliant mind, a big heart, and an insatiable desire to give back, Jake devoted his life to empowering people and making government work better for them.  He worked to give citizens a louder voice in our society.  He engaged our striving immigrants.  He pushed for more transparency in our democracy.  And he sought to expand opportunity for all.  I’ve often said that today’s younger generation is smarter, more determined, and more capable of making a difference than I was as a young man.  Jake was proof of that.  Michelle and I are praying for all of Jake’s family and his many friends, most of all his wife, Mary Katharine Ham, their daughter, Georgia, and their growing family.  They'll always have a family here at the White House.

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

U.S. Citizens Released in Yemen

The following statement was provided by Ned Price, National Security Council spokesperson. 

We welcome the release of two U.S. citizens who had been detained in Yemen since earlier this year. As we have informed their families, these individuals departed Yemen today and have since arrived in Oman. The U.S. Ambassador to Muscat and a consular official met them upon arrival and will provide all possible consular assistance.

Since we first learned of their detention, the United States Government has been in regular contact with their families and representatives and, in coordination with our international partners, we have worked tirelessly to secure their release. We are deeply appreciative of all who were involved in producing this outcome, including in particular the Government of Oman under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. This outcome underscores that we have been and will continue to be tireless in pursuing the release of all Americans detained abroad unjustly, including those who remain in the region.

At the same time, we continue to press for an immediate resumption of the peace talks facilitated by the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen. It is clear that the people of Yemen want the fighting to end as soon as possible. Consistent with the Security Council’s statement on September 11, we again call on all parties to participate in these peace talks without any preconditions. We continue to believe that all of Yemen’s diverse communities have important roles to play in the nation’s peaceful governance. 

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

Clergy Members Join Mario Cuomo Campaign for Economic Justice

A total of 96 notable clergy members from across the state have joined the Mario Cuomo Campaign for Economic Justice, a statewide initiative aimed building support for a $15 minimum wage for all workers in New York State. More information, including a list of the supporting clergy members, is available here.

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo