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CLFP Foundation Adds Four CLFPs from Northland Capital

The Board of Directors of the Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP) Foundation is pleased to announce that all four individuals who recently sat for the CLFP exam at Northland Capital Financial Services, LLC passed. They are:

Eric Hurd, CLFP – Credit Analyst

Gabe Jarnot, CLFP – SVP Business Development

Kari Schaefer, CLFP – Lead Account Representative

Pam Spanier, CLFP – Account Manager

After receiving the news that he had passed, Mr. Jarnot stated, “I have been in the lease and finance business for 23 years and it has been good. I feel it is a responsibility to continue to learn all I can about the business and industry we serve. The CLFP Foundation and designation was one of the ways to accomplish that. My hopes are that others in our organization will be inspired to pursue the CLFP study and designation no matter how long they have been in the industry.”

The CLFP designation identifies an individual as a knowledgeable professional to employers, clients, customers, and peers in the equipment finance industry. There are currently 227 Certified Lease & Finance Professionals throughout the world. For more information, call Reid Raykovich, CLFP at (206) 535-6281 or visit www.CLFPfoundation.org.

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Classified Ads---Legal

(These ads are “free” to those seeking employment or looking
to improve their position)

San Diego , CA
Experienced in-house corporate, equipment leasing and financial services attorney seeks position as managing or transactional counsel. Willing to relocate.
Cell Phone: 760-533-4058;
Email:marshallrosenberg@gmail.com | Resume

Free Posting for those seeking employment in Leasing:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm

All “free” categories “job wanted” ads:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Receivables Management LLC
John Kenny

• End of Lease Negotiations & Enforcement
• Third-Party Commercial Collections

john@jkrmdirect.com | ph 315-866-1167| www.jkrmdirect.com

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New Hires---Promotions in the Leasing Industry

North Mill Equipment Finance, today announced the promotion of three of its senior executives.

Josh Rothman has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. He is responsible for spearheading North Mill’s data analytics solutions necessary to manage a rapidly growing company and for leading the company’s Second-Look Referral Programs. Josh is also a major contributor to the company’s capital markets efforts and development of technology infrastructure.

Bob Dion has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Credit. Bob’s responsibilities as head of credit will have the added emphasis of assisting with the implementation of the company’s new front-end and credit adjudication model. As a member of the Credit Committee, he also leads the effort in monitoring and evaluating market and industry trends affecting North Mill.

Joe Littier, an industry veteran with 40 years of experience, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management, responsible for managing collections and customer service, both key component of the company’s operations. Joe is also tasked with making innovative changes to improve efficiency and handle North Mill’s aggressive growth plans.

Gary Silverhardt, President and CEO of North Mill stated, “Josh, Bob and Joe are long-time employees who have distinguished themselves, not only with their superior knowledge of the equipment finance industry, but in their tireless efforts in helping to make North Mill one of the premier independent equipment finance sources in the country.”

Wells Fargo & Company announced that Guy Fuchs has been appointed president and chief operating officer of Wells Fargo Capital Finance, the bank’s asset-based lending unit, effective immediately. Fuchs, a 14-year veteran of the firm, will continue to report to Henry Jordan, chairman and chief executive officer of Wells Fargo Capital Finance. In his new role, Fuchs will oversee the three core business groups of Capital Finance and the shared service teams that are critical to those groups’ operations.

“By appointing Guy to this newly created role, we’ve created a framework for continuous, consistent leadership that will support our organization’s long-term growth,” said Jordan. “We saw double-digit growth in loans outstanding in 2014, and our factoring volume puts us among the largest bank-owned factors in the world. I’m confident that Guy’s extensive knowledge, leadership and industry experience will enhance our efforts for continued growth in helping our customers succeed financially.”

Fuchs, with 25 years of industry experience, joined Wells Fargo in 2001 and most recently served as executive vice president and the head of the Corporate Finance group at Wells Fargo Capital Finance. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, he held various leadership roles at GE Capital and CIT Group. Fuchs earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana University, and was a certified public accountant before entering the asset-based lending industry.

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ICBA Statement on Settlement
Between MasterCard and Target

Washington, D.C. (April 15, 2015)—Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) President and CEO Camden R. Fine released this statement following the announced settlement between MasterCard Inc. and Target Corp.

“Under Target’s settlement with MasterCard, the retailer has agreed to reimburse affected MasterCard issuing banks roughly $19 million following the retailer’s massive 2013 data breach in which thousands of community banks incurred significant operational costs. As the details of the settlement provisions are disclosed in the coming days, it will be up to MasterCard issuers to decide whether to accept this settlement.

“What is clear is that these sorts of costly retailer data breaches can be avoided by stronger federal data-security and cybersecurity laws. With Congress debating several data-security and cybersecurity measures, today’s settlement further highlights the need for lawmakers to:

Ensure the party that incurs a data breach is liable for all associated costs,
Extend Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act-like standards to all parties that process and store consumer financial data,
Recognize existing security standards that apply to community banks,
Establish a national data-security breach and notification standard to replace the patchwork of state laws, and
Promote information sharing on cyber-threats between the private and public sectors.”

Leasing Industry Help Wanted

For information on placing a help wanted ad, please click here:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Hwanted/Hwanted-post.htm

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

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Fed Beige Book Paints Uneven Economic Picture

The U.S. economy continued to expand across most of the country in February and March, though a strong dollar, falling oil prices and harsh winter weather slowed activity in some sectors, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest survey of regional economic conditions.

The Fed found modest or moderate growth in eight of its 12 districts, according to the so-called beige book report released Wednesday. Elsewhere, the pace of economic activity was described as steady, slight or continuing to expand.

The survey, covering mid-February through the end of March, was released ahead of the Fed’s April 28-29 policy meeting in Washington. Fed officials are weighing when to begin raising short-term interest rates from near-zero, where they have held since December 2008.

No move is expected in April and Fed officials at their last meeting were divided on whether they might raise interest rates this summer. Minutes of the March meeting showed “several” officials thought June would be the right time, though others said it would be better to wait.

Recent soft economic data could complicate their decision. The labor market and consumer spending appeared to stumble last month, while inflation has remained persistently below the central bank’s 2% target.

Wednesday’s report highlighted several crosscurrents in the economy, including layoffs in the energy sector but also signs of stronger consumer spending—both related to cheaper energy prices.

“Layoffs in the manufacturing and energy sectors were reported in multiple Districts including Cleveland, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and Dallas,” the Fed report said. “These reductions were primarily related to the decline in gas and oil prices and the resultant decline in upstream demand such as iron ore mining and steel manufacturing.”

In some areas, manufacturers also complained about a stronger dollar—which can hurt exports—and bad weather.

But demand for skilled workers remained strong in other sectors and some districts saw “modest or moderate” signs of wage pressure.

“Difficulty finding skilled workers was frequently reported,” the Fed report said.

The economy may pick up further as the effects of a bad weather are shoveled aside.

The Fed report said tourism and business travel are rebounding from the tough winter and contacts expect growth for the rest of the year.

“Many districts noted that savings from lower energy prices are helping to drive retail sales this cycle, as is the improving weather situation,” the report said.

Banking and Finance

Banking conditions remain positive across reporting Districts. On balance, demand for credit increased at a slight to moderate rate in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Richmond, St. Louis, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco. Commercial real estate loan demand was strong in Atlanta and Dallas, while contacts in Philadelphia and Kansas City described CRE lending as stable. Demand for commercial and industrial loans grew slightly in St. Louis and Kansas City, while exhibiting stronger growth in New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Chicago. Bankers in Atlanta reported that C&I lending in areas linked to the energy industry slowed as a result of oil-price declines. In San Francisco, some banks are building a sizeable pipeline of pending loans and have increased interest rates a bit in order to bring demand more in line with supply. Consumer lending grew in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago but was soft in Cleveland and San Francisco. Auto lending remained strong in Atlanta, Chicago, and San Francisco. One contact in Cleveland attributed weakened bank-financed auto lending to captive-finance operations that are becoming very aggressive. Residential mortgage demand--particularly for refinancings--grew in Richmond, Chicago and Dallas and was steady in New York. Home equity line volumes fell in Philadelphia and Cleveland. Bankers in the Philadelphia and Kansas City Districts expressed confidence in the quality of their loan portfolios, while New York and Cleveland noted that delinquencies were down or remained at low levels. Richmond reported that there was some loosening of credit standards, with one lender expressing concern that credit quality was declining as a result.

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for appraisals and equipment valuations provided by Ed Castagna)

Bank of America’s Mobile Deposit Volume Booms 30%

Bank of America might be lagging some of its competitors in mobile banking user growth, but the bank is increasing its remote deposit business at an enviable rate.

The bank said yesterday that 13% of its deposits last quarter — or roughly $4.5 billion of a total $34.2 billion of new deposits last quarter, by our calculation — came through RDC. That percentage is 30% higher than in the same quarter a year ago. By comparison, BAC increased its mobile users about 18% during that period.

The increase in RDC volume was enough for Brian Moynihan, Bank of America’s CEO, to point to it yesterday during the BAC earnings call as one reason why the bank’s “expenses were managed tightly” during the quarter. Non-interest expense at Bank of America declined from the fourth quarter of 2014 as a result of the bank reducing the number of its financial centers and “the associated cost driven by consumer behavior patterns shifting to more digital,” he said. The shift in question is the one to RDC for deposit making.

It is worth noting that the Federal Reserve’s recent report on mobile financial services indicated that mobile check deposit was the fourth most commonly used mobile banking feature, with 51% of mobile banking customers reporting that they had made check deposits using mobile phone cameras during 2014. In 2013 just 38% of adults surveyed reported using their mobiles to deposit checks. The Fed numbers imply to us that if Bank of America would remove some of the governors on its RDC program, such as the monthly limit on remote deposits, the bank’s RDC volume would increase further.

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ACH Volume Increases to 23 Billion Payments in 2014

NACHA Announces Largest Originators and Receivers of ACH Payments in 2014

HERNDON, Va., April 16, 2015 – In 2014, ACH volume grew to almost 23 billion electronic payments, an increase of almost 5 percent, or 1 billion transactions, over 2013 volume, according to new statistics released today by NACHA — The Electronic Payments Association®. A total of more than $40 trillion was transferred over the ACH Network last year, increasing more than 3 percent compared to 2013.

“The ACH Network has continually added capabilities over its history to enable a host of electronic payments, such as payroll, bill payments, business payments, online and mobile payments, international payments, and a variety of others,” said Janet O. Estep, president and CEO of NACHA. “New initiatives will help us continue to provide new, efficient options for ACH Network users.”

Reflecting the industry’s continued adoption and use of electronic payments, native electronic payments, or transactions that start and end as electronic, constituted 90 percent of ACH Network volume. In 2014, there were more than 16 billion native electronic payments, up 6.3 percent from 2013.

Specific categories of native electronic payments that saw significant growth in 2014 include online payments (WEB transactions), business-to-business (B2B) payments (CTX and CCD transactions), and recurring payments (PPD transactions), such as Direct Deposit via ACH.

Online Payments

WEB transactions — debit or credit payments made when authorization is provided via the Internet or a wireless network — grew 10.2 percent in 2014. A total of 3.6 billion WEB transactions were exchanged via the Network last year, including 7.4 million WEB credits that were person-to-person (P2P) payments. The implementation of new rules in March 2014 enabled the use of the WEB credit to identify and standardize P2P payments processed via the ACH Network. In total, WEB transactions accounted for almost 20 percent of ACH Network volume.

“Clearly, the trend is moving towards more and more online and mobile payments, as these types of payments, like the ACH Network, provide choice, flexibility and convenience for consumers,” said Estep. “Continued development and implementation of rules that support the changing needs of the industry will help ensure financial institutions remain at the center of payments and continue to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s consumers.”

B2B Payments

In 2014, the ACH Network processed a total of 2.7 billion CTX and CCD transactions, including 149 million healthcare payments via ACH, which are CCD transactions. This was an increase of 7.3 percent over 2013. Addenda record use associated with B2B payments grew as well, with CTX and CCD addenda use collectively increasing 7.7 percent.

Recurring Payments

Recurring payments, or PPD transactions, which account for almost half of total ACH Network volume, grew by 4.4 percent in 2014. Direct Deposit via ACH, or PPD credits, increased 3.6 percent over 2013.

Network Quality Indicators

To help maintain ACH Network quality, NACHA employs a comprehensive risk management strategy, which enables new opportunities and applications to thrive, while ensuring the safety, security and integrity of ACH payments. NACHA also utilizes the National System of Fines, which provides the means for evaluating possible Rules violations. Through a formal system of warnings and fines, it corrects infractions and helps ACH Network participants remain within the Rules’ boundaries. In 2014, NACHA assessed fines in 148 cases in the amount of $369,000. Through the National System of Fines and other risk management initiatives, including Rules development and implementation, the overall Network unauthorized debit return rate was a very low 0.028 percent in 2014 (i.e., less than 3 out of every 10,000 transactions).

“The ACH Network remains a safe, secure, and high-quality payments system,” said Estep. “The implementation of new rules, such as new standards and controls on resubmitting returned payments, and assessing fees on unauthorized transactions, will help further improve the quality of ACH payments and strengthen the Network overall.”

Top 50 Originators and Receivers

Concurrent with the release of 2014 ACH volume information, NACHA also announced the Top 50 Originating Depository Financial Institutions (ODFIs) and Receiving Depository Financial Institutions (RDFIs) in 2014.

The Top 50 ODFIs originated 15,842,451,247 billion ACH transactions, accounting for 94.5 percent of ACH Network originated volume. The Top 50 RDFIs received 10,360,357,136 billion ACH transactions, accounting for 56.6 percent of ACH Network received volume.

For more information on ACH Network volume and Top 50 Originators and Receivers, visit https://www.nacha.org.

About NACHA — The Electronic Payments Association

Since 1974, NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association has served as trustee of the ACH Network, managing the development, administration and rules for the payment network that universally connects all 12,000 financial institutions in the U.S. The Network, which moves money and information directly from one bank account to another, supports more than 90 percent of the total value of all electronic payments in the U.S. Through its collaborative, self-governing model, education, and inclusive engagement of ACH Network participants, NACHA facilitates the expansion and diversification of electronic payments, supporting Direct Deposit and Direct Payment via ACH transactions, including ACH credit and debit payments, recurring and one-time payments; government, consumer and business transactions; international payments, and payments plus payment-related information. Through NACHA’s expertise and leadership, the ACH Network is now one of the largest, safest, and most reliable systems in the world, creating value and enabling innovation for all participants. Visit nacha.org for more information.

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Uber drivers might soon earn $6,000 more per year
— if they allow ads in their cars

Uber and Lyft drivers who are looking to boost annual incomes without working more hours may soon find a way with Viewswagen, an in-car advertising company.

Viewswagen is an unofficial in-car advertising service for on-demand drivers that's launching in the US next month. The company asks rideshare drivers to download two apps which will sync together: One for their smartphones, and another for their tablets which can be positioned in the back of the car for passengers to view and play with.

The system pulls in information from a passenger's pick-up and drop-off points via the driver's GPS, which Viewswagen says gives a signal of buying intent. For example, if a passenger takes Lyft from a college campus to Target, he or she may be looking to purchase school supplies. Other targeting options include more general location (like a city/suburb, or a more general retail location like "hardware store"), the number of people in the car and time of day.

The Viewswagen API does not, however, access personal information from a rider's Uber account, like email, home address or phone number.

Viewswagen shares advertising revenue with the driver although the exact share percentage varies (a driver in a busy metropolitan area like New York City will probably earn more than one in a sleepy suburb, for example.)

James Bellefeuille, Viewswagen's co-founder, told Business Insider the company conservatively estimates that drivers will make about $3 more per hour using its service. In Chicago, for example, the average Uber driver earns $16.80, according to Uber, which is just under $35,000 per year. Viewswagen says a driver working full-time could see estimated earnings jump up to $41,184 annually, and perhaps more.

Viewswagen will offer an Uber-like referral scheme, so the more of their fellow drivers they sign up, the more they earn too.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/viewswagen-in-car-ad-platform-to-launch-for-uber-and-lyft-drivers-2015-4#ixzz3XWAyRfNe

Google's online advertising dominance explained in one chart

Google controls roughly three-quarters of web search queries in the US and close to 90% worldwide. That kind of dominance, along with the effectiveness of search ads, makes Google an attractive partner for ad companies. As seen in the chart below, put together by BI Intelligence, WPP, the world's largest advertising company, spent $2.9 billion, or roughly 3.9% of its total $75 billion online media bookings, on Google ads. Put another way, Google attracted more ad money from WPP than the next four digital properties combined. In fact, WPP spent about $2.5 billion on Fox and News Corp combined last year, while most major traditional companies received $1 billion at most from WPP.

((Please Click on Bulletin Board to learn more information))
(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

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Leasing News: Fernando’s View

A pair of fascinating new films from respected directors ("Clouds of Sils Maria," "Jauja") comes to theaters, while DVD releases serve up biopics ("Big Eyes"), horror ("The Babadook"), and classic comedy ("Sullivan's Travels").

In Theaters:

Clouds of Sils Maria (IFC Films): French art-house doyenne Juliette Binoche and rising American starlet Kristen Stewart make an unlikely yet striking duo in this compelling drama from director Olivier Assayas ("Irma Vep"). Binoche stars as Maria Enders, an acclaimed international actress who finds herself facing an emotional crisis as she agrees to perform in the play that made her famous decades earlier. Hoping to get away from her professional as well as personal demands, she departs for an isolated chalet in the Alps, accompanied by her young assistant Valentine (Stewart). As they rehearse for the play and find out more about the up-and-coming co-star (Chloe Grace Moretz), the more Maria is made to confront her past insecurities. At times playing like a new-millennium update of the classic "All About Eve," Assayas' movie abounds in fluid filmmaking and incisive acting. With subtitles.

Jauja (Cinema Guild): Though best known to mainstream audiences for his role as Aragorn in the sweeping "Lord of the Rings" franchise, Viggo Mortensen has long been a versatile actor with a predilection for offbeat projects. Such is the case in his latest, Lisandro Alonso’s mesmerizing mood piece set in the Argentine pampas in the 19th-century. Mortensen plays Gunnar, a Danish engineer living in a military camp with his young daughter Ingeborg (Viilbjork Malling Agger). When one night she runs away with a soldier, Gunnar must venture into the wilderness and track them down before danger gets to them. What follows, however, is less a straightforward search and more of metaphysical whirlpool in which the lines between civilized mores and mysterious landscapes are blurred. Featuring magnificent cinematography and tantalizing enigmas, this is a vision for cinephiles to lose themselves into. With subtitles.

Netflix Tip: A staple of several Clint Eastwood films, Geoffrey Lewis (1935-2015) was always a warm, craggy and welcome presence onscreen. So check out some of the veteran character actor's best roles, which include "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974), "Smile" (1975), "Every Which Way But Loose" (1978), and "Salem's Lot" (1979).

On DVD:

Big Eyes (Anchor Bay): Taking a break from his trademark mix of the gothic and the whimsical, Tim Burton serves up a gorgeous portrait of the thorny relationship between artists and their work. Unfolding in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the movie centers on Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), whose famous paintings featuring figures with huge, celestial eyes were appropriated, packaged and sold by her ambitious husband Walter (Christoph Waltz). Following timid Margaret's gradual awakening from her easily manipulated doormat to a painter willing to regain her stylistic voice in a man's world, the movie is a lively and well-acted meditation on the often trying but ultimately soulful nature of personal expression, painted by Burton with eccentricity and tenderness.

The Babadook (Shout! Factory): Directorial debuts don't come any more hair-raising than Jennifer Kent's exceptional horror story, which is easily the scariest family portrait in many a moon. Essie Davis gives a ferocious performance as Amelia, a single mother still plagued by memories of her husband's brutal death. Living alone with her young son Samuel (Noah Wiseman), she does her best to comfort the boy's fears that monsters are living in their house. Things start to spin out of control when they find a book called "Mister Babadook," which leads to strange, increasingly disturbing events to blur the line between reality and madness. Making shrewd use of visual and aural elements to burrow deeply into the main character's maternal nightmares, the movie is a must-see for horror fans who are tired of today's weak and gimmicky entries.

Sullivan's Travels (Criterion): Blazing through 1940s Hollywood like a comet, writer-director Preston Sturges left behind a short but brilliant slew of classics. This 1941 comedy is considered by many to be his most accomplished film, a daring blend of humor and commentary that continues to surprise and impress now as much as when it first came out. Joel McCrea stars as John L. Sullivan, a director who's grown dissatisfied with the light entertainment he's been turning out and becomes obsessed with creating socially relevant works. To do so, he and an aspiring starlet (Veronica Lake) hit the streets to experience the life of the poor first-hand. When things don't go as planned, Sullivan learns a priceless lesson in the power of cinema. Walking a tightrope between moods and genres, Sturges' masterpiece is a gem of satirical storytelling.

News Briefs----

Ex-JPMorgan adviser charged in $20M fraud
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/04/16/jpmorgan-investment-adviser-fraud/25891775/

First Midwest Bank launches equipment financing business
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/jobs-and-employment/first-midwest-bank-launches-equipment-financing-business/article_0d23e908-b21d-5fdc-b2cd-18bbe17a98fb.html

U.S. companies use more of their bank credit lines in sign of confidence
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/17/banks-earnings-loans-idUSL2N0XD33X20150417

New Star Wars Trailer Just Generated Another $2 Billion Profit For Disney Holders
http://247wallst.com/media/2015/04/16/new-star-wars-trailer-just-generated-another-2-billion-profit-for-disney-holders/

Huge iPad buyer demands Apple refund
http://americasmarkets.usatoday.com/2015/04/16/huge-ipad-buyer-demands-apple-refund/

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--You May Have Missed It

The Drought's Latest Victim Out West Is the Housing Market
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-16/the-drought-s-latest-victim-out-west-is-the-housing-market

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

11 Healthy Habits You Can Learn from Your Dog
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/slideshow.asp?show=111

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Spring Poem

The storm came up so very quick
It couldn't have been quicker.
I should have brought my hat along,
I should have brought my slicker.

My hair is wet, my feet are wet,
I couldn't be much wetter.
I fell into a river once
But this is even better.

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Sports Briefs----

Bryant to be promoted to Cubs
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-kris-bryant-promoted-20150416-story.html

NFL to reinstate Peterson on Friday
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12703337/nfl-says-minnesota-vikings-running-back-adrian-peterson-reinstated-effective-friday

LA stadium plan advances
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/stadium-proposal-chargers-raiders-qualifies-ballot-235046209--nfl.html

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California Nuts Briefs---

Coast Guard cutter arrives with 14 tons of cocaine
http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Coast-Guard-cutter-arrives-in-US-with-14-tons-of-6205334.php

Medical data breaches rising with no end in sight
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Report-Medical-data-breaches-are-rising-with-no-6199112.php

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“Gimme that Wine”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJnQoi8DSE8

Top Ten Wine Brands 2015
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2015/04/top-10-wine-brands-2015/

How to Be a Wine Expert in Four Hours
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2015/04/how-to-become-a-wine-expert-in-four-hours/

How Well Do You Know Legal Regulations for Winery Social Media?
http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=149022

Free Mobile Wine Program
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2010/2_26.htm#mobile

Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com
http://www.wine-searcher.com/

US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/

Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm

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       1397 – Geoffrey Chaucer told “The Canterbury Tales” for the first time at the court of Richard II. Chaucer scholars have also identified this date (in 1387) as the start of the book's pilgrimage to Canterbury.
    1492 - A contract was signed by Christopher Columbus and a representative of Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, giving Columbus a commission to seek a westward ocean passage to find the Indies.
    1524 - Giovanni da Verrazano, Florentine navigator, explored from Cape Fear to Newfoundland and discovered New York Bay and the Hudson River of present-day New York harbor. The bridge that connects Staten Island and Brooklyn in NYC is named in his honor.
    1693 - Birthday of Mary Spratt Provoost Alexander in NYC. Dutch colonial merchant. Although much of her life is not fully documented, this remarkable woman had 10 children, two husbands, and built a trading empire of stores in New York City for which "she imported goods so extensively that it was said hardly a ship arrived in New York without a consignment for her." The Dutch women colonists had a tradition of merchandising and trade. At least one actually traveled with her goods between European ports and New York. The couple built a magnificent mansion and lived well. Their wealth, in today's dollars, would have made them millionaires. Many of her children lived extraordinary lives in commerce and trade as well as becoming involved in civic matters. According to Nichola Varga who studied Alexander’s life, the "most extensive account of Mary Alexander s life is in Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer, “The Goede Vrouw of Mana-ha-ta” (1898), a book professedly based on family traditions and records.
    1704 - The first successful newspaper was the Boston News-Letter. The editor was John Campbell, a New England postmaster, who earned the distinction of being America's first vendor of news. It was printed by Bartholonew Green in a back room of his home in Boston, MA.   The page size was 7.5 by 12.5 inches. The text was set in small pica type. The paper was without competition for 15 years and reached a circulation of 300 copies. (Not many people in the colonies had the ability to read.)
    1741 - Birthday of Samuel Chase in Somerset County, MD. Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
http://www.samuelchase.com/
    1776 - The first capture of an enemy warship by a commissioned American naval officer occurred when the brig Lexington under Captain John Barry met the British warship Edward off the Virginia coast, captured it, and conveyed it to Philadelphia, PA.
    1837 - Birthday of John Pierpont Morgan at Hartford, CT. American financier and corporation director. He died Mar 31, 1913, at Rome, Italy, leaving an estate valued at more than $70 million.
    1852 - Adrian Constantine ("Cap") Anson, Baseball Hall of Fame player and manager, was born at Marshalltown, IA. Anson played professional baseball from 1871 through 1897 and is considered one of the game's greatest first basemen. As a manager, he piloted the Chicago White Stockings (today's Cubs) to five National League pennants and a .575 winning percentage. His contemporary influence and prestige are regarded by historians as playing a major role in establishing the racial segregation in professional baseball that persisted until the late 1940s. A 2006 biography of Anson that exhaustively examined 19th-century newspaper reporting related to him on the subject of racism reached the following conclusion: "As far as the nineteenth century, he rightfully should endure as the big leaguer who, until the late 1940s, was involved in the greatest number of reported negative incidents, on the field, relating to blacks." On several occasions, Anson refused to take the field when the opposing roster included black players. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939. Died at Chicago, IL, Apr 18, 1922.
    1860 - Fire escapes for tenements were required by New York State. The law was passed in the aftermath of a serious fire in Elm Street, New York City, in which 20 persons were suffocated or burned to death.
    1861 – Virginia became the eighth state to secede.
    1864 - There was an average of 7,333 desertions a month from the Union army. Many desertions were the result of bounty jumpers - men who would collect bounty to enlist, then desert and do it again elsewhere. The US government spent $300 million dollars on bounties while state and local governments spent about the same.
    1865 - Mary Surratt is arrested as a conspirator in Lincoln's assassination. Mary Surratt, boardinghouse owner, was charged with conspiring with Booth, "keeping the nest that hatched the egg," and running errands for Booth that facilitated his escape. It was alleged that Booth used her boardinghouse to meet with his co- conspirators. Mrs. Surratt was found guilty and was hanged on July 7, 1865.
    1890 – Jazz banjo player Johnny St. Cyr birthday in New Orleans
http://www.jazzbanjo.com/vol3no1/stcyr1.htm
http://www.cdnow.com/switch/from=sr-240046/target=buyweb_products/
ArtistID=FRN-SAINT+CYR*JOHNNY
    1897 - Birthday of Thorton Wilder at Madison, WI. Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright (“Our Town”) and novelist. Died at Hamden, CT, Dec 7, 1975.   http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr17.html
    1901 - Birthday of guitarist Willie Guy Rainey, Calhoun County, Alabama.
    1907 - The Ellis Island immigration center in New York Harbor processed 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
    1915 - CRILLEY, FRANK WILLIAM, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Chief Gunner's Mate, U.S. Navy. Born: 13 September 1883, Trenton, N.J. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. (19 November 1928). Citation: For display of extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession above and beyond the call of duty during the diving operations in connection with the sinking in a depth of water 304 feet, of the U.S.S. F-4 with all on board, as a result of loss of depth control, which occurred off Honolulu, T.H., on 25 March 1915. On 17 April 1915, William F. Loughman, chief gunner's mate, U.S. Navy, who had descended to the wreck and had examined one of the wire hawsers attached to it, upon starting his ascent, and when at a depth of 250 feet beneath the surface of the water, had his lifeline and air hose so badly fouled by this hawser that he was unable to free himself; he could neither ascend nor descend. On account of the length of time that Loughman had already been subjected to the great pressure due to the depth of water, and of the uncertainty of the additional time he would have to be subjected to this pressure before he could be brought to the surface, it was imperative that steps be taken at once to clear him. Instantly, realizing the desperate case of his comrade, Crilley volunteered to go to his aid, immediately donned a diving suit and descended. After a lapse of time of 2 hours and 11 minutes, Crilley was brought to the surface, having by a superb exhibition of skill, coolness, endurance and fortitude, untangled the snarl of lines and cleared his imperiled comrade, so that he was brought, still alive, to the surface.
    1921 - One of the great draws of the early air shows were the stunt walkers. Many of them were women because it aroused men and newspaper men more to see women doing such things. One such woman was Phoebe Fairgrave who had dreamed of flying in high school. She wing walked and made parachute jumps. On 04-17-1921 Phoebe took her first parachute jump winding up in a tree, dangling unhurt. Within a few months, she set a new world's record for women jumpers by parachuting from a plane at 15,200 feet. Then she developed the trick of cutting off her first parachute, then free falling before deploying her second chute - a real crowd pleaser that made her one of the most popular attractions in the country. Popular, smart, and ambitious, Phoebe formed her own organization, The Phoebe Fairgrave Flying Circus. She soon married Vernon Omlie, the pilot who had taught her to fly. Together they continued to barnstorm until they'd raised enough money to form their own flying school and broadened into the aviation business, Mid-South Airways in Memphis, Tennessee.
For details see: http://www.aella.com/WIAI/fwpapp.html
http://www.womanpilot.com/past%20issue%20pages/2001%20issues/
mar%20apr%202001/phoebe.htm
http://www.hill.af.mil/museum/history/omlie.htm
http://www.overmountainpress.com/TitleS/sisair.html
    1922 - A family of at least six tornadoes caused death and destruction along parts of a 210 mile path from north of Ogden, IL to Allen County, OH, killing sixteen persons. A post card, picked up in Madison County, IN, was found 124 miles away near Mount Cory, OH.
    1926 - Birthday of jazz columnist/critic Whitney Balliett, New York City, New York.
http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/mainHTML.cfm?page=balliett.html
    1930 - Trumpeter Sam Noto born Buffalo, NY
    1935 – “Lights Out” premiered on radio. The show also was on early TV. “Lights Out” scared many little kids, and adults, too.
http://www.otrsite.com/logs/logl1003.htm
    1937 – Daffy Duck’s first appearance, in “Porky’s Duck Hunt”.
    1941 - Trumpeter player Red Allen records “K.K.Boogie,”
http://www-music.duke.edu/jazz_archive/artists/allen.henry/01/
    1944 - Canadian pop singer Bobby Curtola was born in Port Arthur, Ontario. A teen idol in Canada during the early 1960's, Curtola also made his mark internationally in 1962 with the hits "Fortune Teller" and "Aladdin." As well, he was host of two variety shows for CTV - "After Four" in 1965-66 and "Shake, Rock and Roll" in 1973- 74.
http://www.curtola.com/
    1945 - BURKE, FRANK (also known as FRANCIS X. BURKE), Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 15th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Nuremberg, Germany, 17 April 1945. Entered service at: Jersey City, N.J. Born: 29 September 1918, New York, N.Y. G.O. No.: 4, 9 January 1946. Citation: He fought with extreme gallantry in the streets of war-torn Nuremberg, Germany, where the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry, was engaged in rooting out fanatical defenders of the citadel of Nazism. As battalion transportation officer he had gone forward to select a motor-pool site, when, in a desire to perform more than his assigned duties and participate in the fight, he advanced beyond the lines of the forward riflemen. Detecting a group of about 10 Germans making preparations for a local counterattack, he rushed back to a nearby American company, secured a light machinegun with ammunition, and daringly opened fire on this superior force, which deployed and returned his fire with machine pistols, rifles, and rocket launchers. From another angle a German machinegun tried to blast him from his emplacement, but 1st Lt. Burke killed this guncrew and drove off the survivors of the unit he had originally attacked. Giving his next attention to enemy infantrymen in ruined buildings, he picked up a rifle dashed more than 100 yards through intense fire and engaged the Germans from behind an abandoned tank. A sniper nearly hit him from a cellar only 20 yards away, but he dispatched this adversary by running directly to the basement window, firing a full clip into it and then plunging through the darkened aperture to complete the job. He withdrew from the fight only long enough to replace his jammed rifle and secure grenades, then re-engaged the Germans. Finding his shots ineffective, he pulled the pins from 2 grenades, and, holding 1 in each hand, rushed the enemy-held building, hurling his missiles just as the enemy threw a potato masher grenade at him. In the triple explosion the Germans were wiped out and 1st Lt. Burke was dazed; but he emerged from the shower of debris that engulfed him, recovered his rifle, and went on to kill 3 more Germans and meet the charge of a machine pistolman, whom he cut down with 3 calmly delivered shots. He then retired toward the American lines and there assisted a platoon in a raging, 30-minute fight against formidable armed hostile forces. This enemy group was repulsed, and the intrepid fighter moved to another friendly group which broke the power of a German unit armed with a 20-mm. gun in a fierce fire fight. In 4 hours of heroic action, 1st Lt. Burke single-handedly killed 11 and wounded 3 enemy soldiers and took a leading role in engagements in which an additional 29 enemy were killed or wounded. His extraordinary bravery and superb fighting skill were an inspiration to his comrades, and his entirely voluntary mission into extremely dangerous territory hastened the fall of Nuremberg, in his battalion's sector.
    1949 - "The Fred Waring Show" premiered on television. Waring was leader of the big band called the Pennsylvanians, which featured about 65 musicians and singers. The show was produced on Sunday nights until 1954. Fred Waring was one of the first to promote living in Palm Springs and his name is prominent on many streets and structures today. Go here to read direct: www.culinarytechniques/waring.htm. Contrary to widespread belief, Fred Waring did not invent the Waring Blender, but he made it happen. Waring and his Pennsylvanians had just finished one of their radio broadcasts in Manhattan's Vanderbilt's Theatre, when he was visited by promoter Fred Osius looking for a backer to produce and market a new type of mixer which he claimed would revolutionize people's eating habits. When the Prototype did not work, six months and $25,000 later, Waring stepped in, turned the project over to one of his associates who solved the engineering and production problems in time to introduce the "Miracle Mixer" at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago, in September of 1937. Largely due to Fred Waring's own promotions on radio and through a singing group, the "Waring Blendors," and a national campaign with a leading beverage supplier, the spectacular drink-making ability of the Waring Blendor® (as it was soon called) soon made it a fixture in most restaurants and bars. More and more people decided they wanted this in their kitchens. At that point it was an instant hit and the rest as they say is history.
    1950 - Tony Bennett made his first recording, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." Bennett had used the song, revived from the 1934 movie "Moulin Rouge," to audition for Columbia Records. Although it was not a hit, the record marked the beginning of Bennett's more-than-40-year association with Columbia. He hit number one the following year with "Because of You."
    1951 - Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees made his major league debut and went 1-for-4 as the Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 5-0.
    1955 - Top Hits
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Fess Parker
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
    1955 - Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame," which Billboard erroneously lists for months as "Ain't It a Shame," is released on Commodore Records.
    1956 - Willie Mosconi of Philadelphia, PA, ran 150 balls at Kinston, NC, following the break by Jimmy Moore of Albuquerque, NM, who played a safety show. He won the match in the first inning. Mosconi won each of his 14 matches and scored at 150-0 victory in the final match of the world pocket billiards tournament.
    1956 - Two of the greats began their major-league baseball careers this day: Luis Aparicio played for the Chicago White Sox and Don Drysdale began work with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Aparicio became the American League Rookie of the Year. Drysdale won 209 games before he retired. Both were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY on the same day, August 12, 1984. Drysdale later became a broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox and the LA Dodgers.
    1956 - With President Dwight Eisenhower in attendance, Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees opened the baseball season by hitting two massive home runs against the Washington Senators in Washington's Griffith Stadium. On this same date three years before Mantle hit another homer, measured at 565 feet, out of Griffith Stadium off Chuck Stobbs, one of the longest home runs ever.
    1957 - New York Governor Averill Harriman signed the first installment sales law to place a limit on credit service charges, requiring all charges to be clearly itemized and prohibited fine print in the contracts. Prior to this there were no laws enacted to protect consumers.
    1960 - Rock and Roll pioneer Eddie Cochran was just 21 years old when he was killed after the car in which he was riding blew a tire, then hit a lamp post. Cochran enjoyed hits with "Summertime Blues", "C'mon Everybody" and "Sittin' in the Balcony". Gene Vincent, who recorded "Be Bop A Lula" in 1956, and Cochran's fiancée, Sharon Sheeley, survived the crash.
    1961 - Paul Revere and the Raiders' first US chart hit, "Like Long Hair" tops out at #38 on the Billboard chart.
    1961 - In what came to be called the Bay of Pigs invasion, some 1500 anti-Castro Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Cochinos in Cuba. Organized by the US - based National Revolutionary Council and trained by the CIA, the force enjoyed initial success but collapsed within a few days because of inadequate supplies, lack of air support, and overwhelming opposing forces. On April 24, President John F. Kennedy stated he accepted full responsibility of the failure, though the invasion was really the work of the prior administration.
    1961 - The 33rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, hosted by Bob Hope, ended the ten year drought during which the late producer, writer, director Billy Wilder could not capture the elusive Oscar. Wilder was no stranger to Oscar. He had won three before. This year he not only received the Oscar for Best Writing/Story and Screenplay/Written Directly for the Screen (shared with I.A.L. Diamond), but the Best Director Oscar (both for "The Apartment"). He and "The Apartment" also received the top award, Best Picture. Burt Lancaster took the Best Actor honors and Shirley Jones, the Best Supporting Actress, for their performances in "Elmer Gantry". Elizabeth Taylor was voted Best Actress for her role in "Butterfield 8". "Spartacus", nominated in six categories, won four Oscars, including one for Peter Ustinov as Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Best Music/Song was awarded to "Never on Sunday" and Manos Hadjidakis from the foreign flick: "Pote tin Kyriaki". Other movies this year included: "Sons and Lovers", "The Alamo", "The Time Machine", "Exodus". Some multi-nominations but no wins from that year include: "Inherit the Wind", "The Sundowners", "Cimarron", "Sunrise at Campobello", "Psycho", "Bells are Ringing", "The Magnificent Seven", "Can-Can".
    1963 - Top Hits
He's So Fine - The Chiffons
Can't Get Used to Losing You - Andy Williams
South Street - The Orlons
Still - Bill Anderson
    1964 - The Rolling Stones' first album was released in Britain. It sold more than 200,000 copies and topped the British chart for 12 weeks.
    1965 - The Mississippi River reached a flood crest at Saint Paul, MN four feet higher than any previous mark. During the next two weeks record levels were reached along the Mississippi between Saint Paul and Hannibal, MO. Flooding caused more than 100 million dollars damage, but timely warnings kept the death toll down to just twelve persons.
    1965 - The Beach Boys' "Help Me Rhonda" is released, featuring rhythm guitarist Al Jardine on lead vocal. The song will become the group's second Billboard #1.
    1967 - Comedian Joey Bishop tried to compete with the “Tonight Show” with “The Joey Bishop Show” on ABC, opposite Johnny Carson, who never forgave him. “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” host Regis Philbin was the announcer, Johnny Mann did the music. The show lasted until December 26, 1969. Bishop, by the way, was the last survivor of the famous “Rat Pack” headed by the late Frank Sinatra. He died in 2007.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1998/dom/980706/the_arts.and_then_there_24.html
    1967 - RCA and LearJet Corporation announce the development of the combination 8 track tape player and car radio that become available in next Fall's new cars.
    1969 - Bob Dylan's former backing group, simply known as The Band, make their first stand-alone appearance at the Fillmore West in San Francisco.
    1969 – Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of the assassination of Robert Kennedy.
    1970 - Paul McCartney releases his first solo album, officially ending his days with The Beatles, just as the group's single "Let It Be" reached #1 in America. Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" hit the top of the US singles chart for a six week stay. The record became the best-selling song of the year in the US, beating out Rod Stewart's "Maggie May".   Hoyt Axton, son of "Heartbreak Hotel" author, Mae Axton, wrote the song.
    1971 - The Doors' "Love Her Madly" is released. It would become the band's 7th Billboard Top 40 single, reaching #11.
    1971 - Top Hits
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Another Day/Oh Woman Oh Why - Paul McCartney
Put Your Hand in the Hand - Ocean
Empty Arms - Sonny James
    1972 – “Betcha by Golly, Wow”, by The Stylistics from Philadelphia, earned a gold record for the group. The Stylistics also scored million sellers with “You Are Everything”, “I'm Stone in Love with You”, “Break Up to Make Up” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New”.
    1971 - Carly Simon's "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" is released.
    1973 - Pink Floyd receives a Gold album for "The Dark Side of the Moon," one of Rock's landmark albums. The LP will remain on the charts for more than ten years and become the longest charting Rock record of all time.
    1975 - Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies became the first National League player since Bobby Lowe in 1894 to hit four home runs in consecutive at-bats in the same game. Schmidt's feat came against the Chicago Cubs in an 18-16 Phillies win. Schmidt connected twice off Rick Reuschel, once of Rick's brother, Paul, and once off Darrold Knowles. He added a single and totaled eight RBIs as Philadelphia came back from a 13-2 deficit.
    1976 - Veteran jazz guitarist George Benson's album "Breezin'" enters the album chart. It will go on to become one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time. The album goes gold on June 4 and platinum on August 10.
    1979 - Top Hits
What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers
Knock on Wood - Amii Stewart
Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right - Barbara Mandrell
    1982 - Toto, a group of veteran L.A. studio sessionmen, enter the pop chart again with "Roseanna" at #81. It will later climb to Number One and be named Record of the Year at the 1983 Grammy Awards.
    1985 - The U.S. Postal Service unveiled its new 22-cent "LOVE" stamp. In a clever promotion, the USPS used the set of ABC-TV's "The Love Boat" as a backdrop. The stamp went on to become one of the most popular ever offered by the postal service.
    1987 - Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers scored 38 points to join Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the NBA's 30,000 point club.
    1987 - Top Hits
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) - Aretha Franklin & George Michael
Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House
"You've Got" the Touch – Alabama
    1987 - Twenty-two cities in the central U.S. reported new record high temperatures for the date. Temperatures warmed into the 70s and 80s from the High Plains Region to the Mississippi Valley, with readings in the low 90s reported in the Southern Plains Region. Tulsa, OK hit 92 degrees.
    1991 - The Dow-Jones Index of 30 major industrial stocks topped the 3,000 mark for the first time.
    1993 - Two Los Angeles police officers convicted in federal court of violating Rodney King’s civil rights
    1996 - San Francisco: A new brass plaque was being forged for the Pioneer Monument that reads:
With their efforts over in 1934, the missionaries left behind about 56,000 converts - and 150,000 dead. Half the original native American population had perished during this time from diseases, armed attacks and mistreatment.
    2013 – An explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, TX killed 15 people and injured 160 others.
    2014 – NASA’s Kepler confirmed the discovery of the first Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of another star.

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