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| | The May Report: 6/16/2010: Do you remember the scene in the Godfather where everyone gets it? Well, I'm back and this a start. Defense wins in Efoora civil suit -- jury only took 55 minutes do decide in favor of Larry Irwin; Dr. Ronald Michael, Blago and Giannoulias; and a TIF for 247 S. State, dating back ten years that was never paid back! -- and there is much more to come
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| | June 16, 2010
The May Report: 6/16/2010: Do you remember the scene in the Godfather where everyone gets it? Well, I'm back and this a start. Defense wins in Efoora civil suit -- jury only took 55 minutes do decide in favor of Larry Irwin; Dr. Ronald Michael, Blago and Giannoulias; and a TIF for 247 S. State, dating back ten years that was never paid back! -- and there is much more to come
Editor and publisher: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com, www.themayreport.com , 773-525-3944.
If you missed an article, go here: http://www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter
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GP Ventures is focused on mergers and acquisition advisory services for technology companies in sectors such as Electronics, Equipment, IT services, EMS, Software, PCBs, Defense, Distribution.
Some current programs include:
1) Acquisition program for publicly-traded IT Services company seeking $10-50 million
managed services, data center, IT testing company acquisitions
2) Sell-side program for $68 million Asian Plastics Contract Manufacturer
3) Acquisition program for private equity-backed PC Board Manufacturer seeking $5-30
million PCB acquisitions
4) Sell-side program for 20 million euro Distributor of Fiber Optic Components
Please contact Tom Kastner at GP Ventures (www.gp-ventures.com) for more information:
tomk@gp-ventures.com, 847-431-3993
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Scoop section:
-- Gold nanoparticles create visible-light catalysis in nanowires
-- Briefly noted, by Ron May
-- Madison Dearborn Capital Partners has completed its acquisition of a 51%
equity stake in consumer credit reporting company TransUnion
-- ADT: The World's First Diamond Nanoprobe Tips Demonstrate Success in Nanomanufacturing
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The Scoop section:
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Gold nanoparticles create visible-light catalysis in nanowires
From: "Brock Cooper" bcooper@anl.gov
Subject: Gold nanoparticles create visible-light catalysis in nanowires
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:23:31 -0400
To: ron@themayreport.com
Hello Ronald,
Silver nanowires have been extensively studied and used for a variety of applications, including transparent conductive electrodes for solar cells and optoelectronic devices. By chemically converting them into semiconducting silver chloride nanowires, followed by adding gold nanoparticles, we have created nanowires with a completely new set of properties that are significantly different from the original nanowires. A scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has created visible-light catalysis, using silver chloride nanowires decorated with gold nanoparticles, that may decompose organic molecules in polluted water.
For more information or to schedule an interview, feel free to contact me at (630) 252-5565 or bcooper@anl.gov. A link to the press release and photos is at http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2010/news100615.html
Thank you,
Brock Cooper
Media Relations Specialist
Argonne National Laboratory
(630) 252-5565
bcooper@anl.gov
____________________________________
Briefly noted, by Ron May
* I have just learned about 1pm today that the jury in the case of Damerjian and Sawin, et. al. v. Irwin, et. al. rendered a verdict 55 minutes after they got the case at 1:55pm Philadelphia time yesterday, Tuesday, June 15, 2010. And that verdict was unanimous for the defense. The case, which has been going on for three years now is: Court of Common Pleas, Judge Mark I. Bernstein, Case #: September 2007, # 2016.
Larry Irwin won the case after Joe Cronin, his lawyer, came into the case fairly late in the process, but Joseph Cronin made up for it with hard work.
I also have to correct a few errors in Tuesday's report.
1. I was never listed as a witness for the defense. I was listed by the plaintiffs as a witness. The policy of the court is that either side can call the witnesses listed by the other side.
2. Grosky was not a plaintiff. He was a defendant and he was recently, either last week or Monday of this week, dropped by Gerry Egan, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, as a defendant, after Grosky's testimony was taken on the phone from prison.
3.[Editor's note: Ron May here. A redaction was made to this section on June 17, 2010 at 2:01pm CST.]
The next report will have all the mail and events except that which relates to Terry Howerton and that includes the Deepthroat letter. We have to figure out how to handle this.
I may work out some kind of pre-publication review (on facts only) for Howerton, and while I am on the subject, I just told Larry Irwin today at his insistence as a condition for his talking to me, that he could have pre-publication review on facts alone. I ,may be able to persuade Bob Geras to come up with the money for a fact checker for the report. :-)
* In other news, how many of you recall the name of Dr. Ronald Michael?
Well, he may become relevant in the Blagojevich trial. Dr. Michael gave $47K to Blago and $21K to Giannoulias.
He also was considered for the Illinois Science and Health board by Blago.
Watters told me that Dr. Michael sued the Chicago Sun-Times under a John Doe suit.
He is also tied to Provena St. Mary's Hospital and Kankakee Provena Covenant Hospital.
According to Marty Watters who called me [Editor's note: May here. Watters' email address redacted on June 17, 2010 at 11:00pm], Dr. Michael was also involved in http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/arcolail.html
and that is a bank which just failed and was closed by the FDIC on June 4th.
http://www.newstimes.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=business&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Arcola+Homestead+Savings+Bank%22
It would be interesting to see the differences between Arcola and South Shore Bank
This is interesting. Dr. Michael gave money to Giannoulias, according to Marty Waters but I found this on the net.
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2010/03/mark-kirk-mr-independent-the-exact-center-of-the-house.html
This comment puzzles me:
Mark kirk will need to explain his relationship with Dr Ronald Michael and Dr John Michael, friends of Rod Blagojevich and Tony Rezko
Posted by: whistleblower | Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 09:36 AM
But other comments explore the relationship between Giannoulias and Dr. Michael.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chicago Sun Times
Treasurer's brother named
Another planning board candidate linked to Rezko, according to the records, was Dr. Ronald Michael, who has contributed $63,810 to Blagojevich's campaign. Michael, too, was not appointed, though a Sun-Times report in October raised questions about how Blagojevich administration officials signed off on his purchase of a Downstate bank given that he had once headed a company that went bankrupt.
Rezko also pushed for the appointment of Chicago banker Demetris Giannoulias, brother of Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, to the Illinois Finance Authority board, records show.
Posted by: whistleblower | Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 11:45 AM
Fresh Air
This is exactly why we don't need Mark Kirk: a spoiler of the Republican brand who has no principles except the political wind. If any more of this crap comes out between now and the election, I may leave the Senate race blank on my ballot.
Posted by: Fresh Air | Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 12:15 PM
whistleblower
Ronald Michael, MD ITCC Director
...
Ronald Michael, M.D. is a renowned neurosurgeon, entrepreneur, a well-known angel investor in over 20 ventures, limited partner in two venture capital firms, and has global political affiliations. He has founded and launched three medical device ventures, and served on the board of directors of three early-stage ventures. He has rich experiences in the medical field, and brings essential awareness of the FDA, clinical trials, and general understanding of issues relating to drug development. Dr. Michael serves on several boards, including ComChem Technologiers, Inc. (see "Startup Seeks Cure for Cancer" article in the Indianapolis Business Journal, http://www.comchemtech.com/ibj07apr03.html), Semafore Pharmaceuticals and NewMedical Technology Inc.
Dr. Michael is Board Certified and a member of AANS-CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and Congress of Neurological Surgeons. His specialties include Degenerative Spine, Spinal Deformity, Trauma, Tumor-Infection, Minimal Access Surgery. His hospital affiliations are with Provena St. Mary's Hospital, Kankakee Provena Covenant Hospital, Urbana Iroquois Memorial Hospital, Watseka.
Posted by: whistleblower | Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 12:57 PM
+++++++++++++++++++++++
* May again. This is like the scene in the Godfather movie. I forget which one, but everyone got whacked. Next on the hit parade is a story about Steve Levin and Brijus Properties and the 247 S. State Building and the $8MM TIF that was never paid back as far as we have been able to determine and the "we" here is really my new buddy of the last four or five months who has assiduously researched the story, hitting the city with numerous FOIA requests and while the city has done some stalling on it, for the most part they have complied, even though they certainly have played a shell game. The key issue is that if the information my buddy has unearthed -- and no it is not Connolly, Lundin or Dalka for once -- is accurate, the TIF for $8MM was used to buy a the 247 S. State Building for $9MM which is sway out of line with TIF norms (the value of the building should be about three to four times the value of the TIF), so that building should have cost $32MM or thereabouts but it was bought for $9MM. And the building was sold in 2008 for $35MM to De Paul University and as far as my buddy can determine after exhaustive research, the TIF money was never repaid by Levin or Brijus. Some of the documents show contractors complaining about Levin and not getting paid, etc. -- the usual stuff -- but more on all of this later.
I know that kicking a man when he's down is taboo in our culture but there always the David Weinstein and Chris Dever exception.
Weinstein may have been, and probably was, involved in engineering the original TIF to Levin and Brijus.
On the matter of Weinstein, the three rumors I have heard, and they are rumors, are that what happened was either 1, 2, or 3 or some combination thereof.
1. He looped out after his marriage failed and he was warned for some time to get his act together, and then he was canned when he did not.
2. There may have been malfeasance with regard to the i2A fund.
Here is whey I say that. Jason Felger, a GP in the fund, also left at the same time and he had a new job set up when he left. My other piece of info. is a comment Matt McCall made in this report. Writing this report is like being a Kremlinologist when it comes to deciphering what VCs say. Matt is always discreet. I did find it curious that Matt did not mention Weinstein when I criticized the i2A fund, but he also did not mention Jason Felger. The only person he praised was Kapil Chaudhary and Kapil is the only guy left out of the three. I will dig up the date of that comment.
Oh, here it is:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Matt McCall responds to Ron and in particular singles out Kapil Chaudhary for praise
From: Matt McCall matt@newworldvc.com
Subject: Re: The May Report: 3/1/2010: Former Daley tech advisor and Obama fundraiser Katherine M. Gehl to wear her milk mustache to Washington; David "anything but start-ups" Weinstein spreading seed money on anything but seedlings and this is St. David Day, a...
Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 11:44:35 -0600
To: The May Report ron@themayreport.com
Cc: mccall@portageventures.com mccall@portageventures.com
Ron,
I give David, Jason, Kapil and i2A a lot more credit for their efforts than might be apparent to you. Kapil, with Sam, architected Excelerate. They also were key in the Viewpoint seed round and have been central in connecting players in the community here when a lot of chaos is running through the markets. I predict that you'll see an increasing level of this kind of activity at i2A.
Hope all is well with you, Ron!
Matt
Pardon my typos but sent from my iPhone
On Mar 1, 2010, at 9:55 AM, "The May Report" <ron@themayreport.com<mailto:ron@themayreport.com>> wrote:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
May again. Ironic, isn't it? That note from Matt came on March first, and we all know about Weinstein, Blue Meteor, the $24MM TIF for marchFIRST that it turns out was never executed, etc., etc. The reference by Matt to Kapil and not to David and Jason should have been heard by me as a howl that there was Trouble in River City. Matt is subtle but like Dick Reck, he will give you the clues.
3. The other thing I have heard is that drugs may have been involved. Illegal drugs. Not drugs for ADD which we all be happy if David did take.
That is it for today on this topic. My TIF investigator buddy does not want his name used just yet, but you will know it soon.
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Madison Dearborn Capital Partners has completed its acquisition of a 51%
equity stake in consumer credit reporting company TransUnion
Madison Dearborn Capital Partners has completed its acquisition of a 51%
equity stake in consumer credit reporting company TransUnion from the
Pritzker family, which will retain the other 49 percent. No financial terms
were disclosed, although the Wall Street Journal previously reported that
the deal values TransUnion at around $2 billion.
PRESS RELEASE
TransUnion Corp., a global leader in credit information and information
management services, announced today that Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC and
the Pritzker family business interests have completed their previously
announced partnership. Under the terms of the transaction, Madison Dearborn
has acquired a 51 percent equity stake in TransUnion, with the Pritzker
family business interests retaining an approximate 49 percent ownership
interest in the Company.
"We are pleased that we have now successfully formed this partnership.
Madison Dearborn and the Pritzker family share a long-term view of
TransUnion and we look forward to working together to capitalize on the
numerous growth opportunities before us," said Penny Pritzker, Chair of
TransUnion.
"We look forward to this next chapter for TransUnion and to working with
Madison Dearborn Partners and the Pritzker family business interests to
accelerate the execution of our strategy and deliver valuable solutions to
help our customers achieve their goals," said Bobby Mehta, President and
Chief Executive Officer of TransUnion.
Madison Dearborn's objective is to invest in and partner with companies that
have strong management teams and business strategies to achieve significant,
long-term appreciation in value.
"TransUnion is a market-leading organization with an outstanding management
team and a clear path to continued success," said Tim Hurd, a Managing
Director at Madison Dearborn. "We plan to work closely with TransUnion's
leadership team and the Pritzker family business interests to lend our
expertise and help TransUnion achieve its diversification and growth
objectives."
About TransUnion
As a global leader in credit information and information management
services, TransUnion creates economic and competitive advantages for
businesses and consumers. For businesses, TransUnion helps improve
efficiency, manage risk, reduce costs and increase revenue by delivering
comprehensive solutions that leverage data, advanced analytics and
decisioning technology. For consumers, TransUnion provides the tools,
resources and education to help manage their credit health and achieve their
financial goals. Through these and other efforts, TransUnion is working to
build stronger economies worldwide. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in
Chicago, TransUnion employs associates in more than 25 countries on five
continents. www.transunion.com/business.
About Madison Dearborn Partners
Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC, based in Chicago, is one of the most
experienced and successful private equity investment firms in the United
States. The firm has raised over $18 billion of capital since its formation
in 1992 and has invested in more than 100 companies. Madison Dearborn
invests in businesses across a broad spectrum of industries, including basic
industries, communications, consumer, energy and power, financial services,
and health care. Its noteworthy financial services investments include
Nuveen Investments, CapitalSource, and PayPal. For more information, please
visit www.mdcp.com.
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ADT: The World's First Diamond Nanoprobe Tips Demonstrate Success in Nanomanufacturing
Subject: The World's First Diamond Nanoprobe Tips Demonstrate Success in Nanomanufacturing
Date: 6/16/2010 10:05:37 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: nkane@thindiamond.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
The World's First Diamond Nanoprobe Tips Demonstrate Success in Nanomanufacturing
Romeoville, IL-June 16, 2010- Advanced Diamond Technologies (ADT), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the University of Pennsylvania have published groundbreaking work in the May 2010 issue of the journal ACS Nano demonstrating that nanometer-scale diamond tips exhibit unparalleled stability and anti-fouling capabilities under extremely harsh conditions.
"Wear-resistant Diamond Nanoprobe Tips with Integrated Silicon Heater for Tip-Based Nanomanufacturing," demonstrates the ability of UNCD® tips integrated with doped silicon atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers for use in nanomanufacturing. The initial UNCD tip radius can be as small as 15 nm, and retains its shape when scanned for more than a meter at high temperatures and under high loading forces. Silicon tips, frequently used in prototype nanomanufacturing demonstrations, are quickly destroyed under similar conditions. Additionally, silicon tips easily foul, or pick up undesirable material from the scanned surface, while the low stiction properties of diamond avoid fouling.
"The UNCD probe tip, integrated onto a silicon heater-thermometer, has extraordinary longevity and demonstrates success under the harsh conditions required for tip-based nanofabrication," said team leader Dr. William P. King, associate professor and Willett Faculty Scholar at the University of Illinois. "There are countless applications where we would like to have a nanoprobe scan over a hard surface at high temperature and high loading force."
Tip-based nanofabrication is the ability to use a nanometer-scale tip to imprint or write patterns onto a material; which is comparable to using a pencil to write on paper. In the nanoworld, writing tiny patterns is extremely difficult. Tip-based nanomanufacturing is currently used to fabricate or repair nanoelectronics or lithographic masks; a demanding job requiring the tip to scan long distances over hard substances.
"Diamond has long been considered the ideal tip material. This paper demonstrates how UNCD technology meets the challenge of demanding specifications of imaging and nanomaufacturing placed on the tip radius of dimensional stability; thus paving the way for probe-based technologies for a number of applications," said Dr. John Carlisle, chief technology officer, ADT.
These wear resistant diamond nanoprobe tips integrated with silicon heaters are perfectly suited for nanomaterials characterization, nanoscale transport measurements, and applications such as dip-pen nanolithography, probe-based non-volatile memories, and patterning nanowires on surfaces.
Next, the researchers will be building and using arrays of these probe tips. "The longevity of these probes allow them to be implemented in massively parallel arrays that could scan over long distances and at high speed," said Dr. King. "We can now think about using nanoprobe tip arrays to address many square centimeters of surface area. Eventually we'll go to nanoprobe scans on a meter scale."
ADT and its university partners gratefully acknowledge DARPA's Tip-Based Nanofabrication Program for sponsoring this work.
About Advanced Diamond Technologies
ADT is the world leader in the development of diamond for industrial, electronics, energy, and medical applications. ADT is a World Economic Forum 2007 Technology Pioneer, a recipient of a 2008 EuroAsia IC Award from EuroAsia Semiconductor magazine, a 2008 R&D 100 Award winner for UNCD® Seals (mechanical seals for pumps), and a 2009 R&D 100 Award winner for NaDiaProbes® (the world's first all-diamond AFM probes). For more information, visit www.thindiamond.com.
Calyx Consulting
Jill Jackson
Email: jill@calyxconsulting.com
Phone: 312.231.9870
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END OF REPORT
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