A national program known as the Intelligent Community Initiative (ICI) is offering an alternative restructuring operation using interconnected client-server databases and online training, resulting, the company says, in self-sustaining financial communities which are not as vulnerable to global financial collapse.

In September ICI announced an alternative to the Pickens Plan called Operation Energy Transition (OET). According to ICI analysis, the plan that oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens released in July 2008 intensifies the problems of the Peak Oil crisis by transferring dependence on oil to operate automobiles to dependence on natural gas to do the same.

The alternative answer proposed by Intelligent Communities, Operation Energy Transition, calls for a ramped-up increase in telecommuting, innovations such as carpooling software and a new mode of transport it refers to as intellitaxis, and an enhanced focus on more commonly known ideas such as alternative vehicles and increasing solar and wind technology and availability. While the Pickens Plan can be described in just 2 or 3 sentences, adequately describing OET takes a wall map, which is conveniently located on the OET site.

"If we're going to solve the problem, let's solve it", Krusch said. "Rolling out a plan which is destined to put America yet again behind the eight ball is not the plan we need: Operation Energy Transition is."

In a HedgeCo story, hedge fund provider GlobeOp Financial Services S.A. published its Interim Management Statement covering the period since 30 June 2008. As a group, GlobeOp's clients appear to have out-performed the industry.

In the three months prior to Lehman Brothers insolvency, GlobeOp used GoCredit to identify and assess specific exposures. As a result, clients terminated or re-assigned over half of their Lehman Brothers positions, reducing their initial margin posted with Lehman by approximately $180 million.

According to "On the Rise," the latest research report sponsored by CPA firm Rothstein Kass, the alternative investment sector will continue to benefit from increasing asset allocations from Single Family Offices (SFOs).

The findings include that almost three-quarters of SFOs currently invest in hedge funds, with nearly 60% of this group planning additional allocations in the coming year

SFOs with hedge fund allocations hold an average of 3.2 hedge funds or fund-of-funds in the portfolio. Nearly 70% of SFOs with hedge fund allocations report that these investments have met or exceeded performance expectations over the past 12 months.

Over 70% of SFOs with hedge fund allocations report "lack of transparency" as a key concern. Other concerns sited include lock-up periods (60%), style drift (55%) and fraud (37%)

More at; Survey Shows Nearly 75% of Single Family Offices Invest in Hedge Funds, With Plans to Increase

In a HedgeCo story Overstock.com Inc. announced it has settled all claims against Gradient Analytics and its principals and officers named as defendants in Overstock's defamation case filed in Marin County, California.

Overstock.com chairman and CEO, Patrick Byrne said, "I am pleased to publish this statement from Gradient Analytics:"

Having reviewed all SEC filings, relevant accounting literature, and all other information available to it, Gradient now believes that, to the best of it knowledge, Overstock's stated accounting policies did in fact conform with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and regrets any prior statements to the contrary.

Hedge fund manager Rosseau Asset Management Ltd. and certain related parties have filed a dissident's proxy circular (the "Dissident's Circular") to Noront Resources Ltd., in which the hedge fund group controls over approximately 9.2% of common shares.

Rosseau asks Noront's shareholders to vote against the re-election of the Company's current Board of Directors and instead vote to elect a new slate of directors at the upcoming annual meeting of shareholders scheduled to be held on October 28, 2008.

Rosseau rejected Noront's compromise proposal and has commenced its proxy fight with the filing of the Dissident's Circular, saying, "Rosseau's action is not in the best interest of shareholders. It is an opportunistic attempt, in light of extraordinary recent market conditions......Norent will respond (to the circular) shortly."

Full Story Here

I have been reading the somewhat lengthy (aprox.250 pages) Global Future Analysis report by the Planck Foundation, I posted the review here on HedgeCo blogs. "It has been said that there are three types of people: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened," it says on the cover of the report.

The Global Future Analysis report covers the interfacing/interaction between the Energy Crisis and Credit Crisis, which both has taken the lead in the daily news worldwide. The report analyses/describes the causes/consequences/effects of both the Credit Crisis and the Energy Crisis and analyses the each other enforcing powers (1 + 1 = 4) of both. Additionally, also analyzed are the Water Crisis and its severe effects on food prices.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), a poll of 1,300 sophisticated private investors showed that 15% believed that hedge funds offer the potential for strong returns in the current environment. However they are also concerned about their perceived lack of transparency (17%) and riskiness (17%).

"Many of these investors' concerns over hedge funds are addressed through the listed hedge fund and fund of hedge funds sectors," Annabel Brodie-Smith, Communications Director of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) said, "The listed structure of closed ended hedge funds and fund of funds means investors have access to a much higher level of transparency. Shares in listed funds are available on the stock market just like any other share so they are available to those of modest means as well as the super wealthy."

More at; Potential for Hedge Fund Returns Is Still There For Investors - Report