Account Executives Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, SF Bay Area Top position to work with CFOs, CIOs, CEOs and other high-level executives. 7+ years equipment leasing exp. Resume/indicating you saw ad in Leasing News to: US_DFS_Staffing@dell.com About the Company: We're the exclusive provider of leasing and finance services for Dell technology systems worldwide. At Dell Financial Services our mission is to deliver financing solutions that enable and enrich the Dell Customer experience.

www.dell.com

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Headlines---

Doc./Finance /Legal- Classified Ads
    Podium Capital “severs” relationship w/Creative Capital
        Open to “Non-Members”--You are invited
Cartoon---Jim Merrilees at the IRS Office
    Arvest announces Equipment Leasing Division
        Classified Ads---Help Wanted
ELFA on U.S. Version of Basel II
    Sales makes it Happen---by Linda P. Kester
    “Go against the Flow”
        Linda’s New Book now Available!
ELFA Legal Forum May 6-8, Miami, Florida
    San Francisco April 23-25-Terry Winders, CLP
Archives, April 11,2001--Depping resigns from First Sierra
        Depping still the same—choose appropriate adjective
    ELFA Active on proposed FASB Changes
Street Talk: NetBank and uncertainty
    Citibank to cut 26,000? Who's next?
        News Briefs---
You May have Missed---Al Roker: Imus must go
    California Nuts Brief---
        "Gimme that Wine"
Calendar Events
    Snapple Real Facts
        Today's Top Event in History
    This Day in American History
Baseball Poem—three short ones
    SuDoku
        Daily Puzzle

Friday--"To Tell the Truth," James E. Coston, Esq., on
“What about the house? Rights, remedies and restrictions
lenders and lessors in real property."

######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Documentation Manager / Finance / Legal
Classified Ads

Documentation Manager: New York, NY 10+ years in equipment leasing/secured lending. Skilled in management & training, documentation, policy and procedure development & implementation, portfolio reporting. Strong work ethic. Email: dln1031@nyc.rr.com	Finance: Austin, TX 20+ years all facets of lease/finance. Collection and credit management. Equipment & rolling stock structuring. $150k credit authority, $100 million portfolio management. Email: texmartin@juno.com
Finance: Sausalito, CA Sr. Corp. officer, presently serving as consultant, fin. service background, M&A, fund raising, great workout expertise, references Email: nywb@aol.com	Finance: Toronto Long diverse career financial services industry. Executed billions of dollars of leases over 20 years; structuring, executing and pricing US/Canadian transactions. Per Diem or full time. E-mail: eslavens@eol.ca
Legal: 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: sandidq@msn.com	Legal: San Francisco, CA Ken Greene, active in finance and leasing for 25 years, seeks "in house" counsel position,full-time. Reference available. Email: kenlaw100@aol.com

To place a free “job wanted” ad here, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm

For a full listing of all “job wanted” ads, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

[headlines]

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Podium Capital “severs” relationship with Creative Capital

Creative Capital Leasing Group, LLC
1980
Alister McNeil
949.646.6814
cclg.homestead.com
NAELB & UAEL

This listing above which was in the Leasing News Funding Section has been removed. Leasing News has not been able to reach anyone in the New Jersey or Florida office of Creative Capital Leasing Group. This listing was under Podium Financial Group and confirmed with Creative Capital when they were listed as a “funder” as originally stated, with Allister McNeil as the main contact. The telephone number and web site originally given for the listing are no longer "working."

Jeff Walker of Podium Financial Group says the listing should remain, but we do not have a telephone number, contact, and should renew the information.

Mr. Walker sent out a press release to the media noting his company "’...have severed all business relationships with Creative Capital Leasing LLC. Podium had been the exclusive marketing agents for Creative since 1998.

" 'As the number of investor and underwriting groups whom we represent has increased in recent years, we have found ourselves servicing a broader market segment for the lease broker community. The Creative relationship is no longer the best fit for us, nor are we for them. Thus it was appropriate for both parties to bring that relationship to a close at this time,' stated Podium president Alister McNeill.

" Podium has been a leader in structuring lease and finance programs for a wide range of customers including those with severe credit challenges. Podium operates primarily through equipment lease brokers who provide leads and marketing assistance. "We are very fortunate to have several investors and the funds, that allow us to offer our brokers, funding alternatives that would not be available otherwise, which is what has fueled our growth from a small niche lender to a full service funder and lessor. We look forward to continuing to serve our broker constituency with great structured finance programs.

"PODIUM FINANCIAL provides niche financings, especially for start up businesses and franchises since 1996. It also does debt restructuring of companies in turnaround mode using real estate, receivables and equipment as credit enhancements; thus Podium is a valuable source of funds.

" For input on specific projects, professional brokers should call
Jeff Walker (1-800-532-7336)"

This footnote also has been deleted from their listing:
"Podium Financial Group, Inc. - We represent Creative Capital exclusively for tough deals to $1 million and several other investors for structured transactions to $10 million. We specialize in start-up business's and have a great program for strong clients."]

"Broker/Lessor" List

Third Column: YES - Year Company Started | YELB - Years in equipment Leasing Business

A - City Business License | B- State License | C - Certified Leasing Professional |
D - State(s) sales/use tax license |
E - Named as "lessor" on 50% or more of lease contract signed. |

To view the complete list, please click here.

Leasing News attempted to reach Mr. Walker to inform him that to be placed as a funder and/or on the story credit list, the following form needed to be submitted:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Pages/Funder_List_Form.doc

Leasing News attempts to keep all listing current and verifies all information to qualify to be a “funder” or be placed on the “story credit” list.

[headlines]

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Open to “Non-Members”—you are invited

These events, primarily meetings, are relatively small, usually 30 to 50 members with a few
non-members. Often there is no fee to attend except for no-host activities.
Non-members are invited in the hopes of learning more about the leasing association activities.
Many growing companies belong to not one, but two, or even three associations, in order to network and grow their leasing activity.

Leasing Association Events-Meetings Open to All

[headlines]

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[headlines]

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Arvest announces Equipment Leasing Division

From Staff Reports
http://www.nwanews.com

Fort Smith, Arkansas — Arvest Bank, Serving Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, announced the creation of an Equipment Leasing Division for businesses. The program’s objective is to make financing business purchases, particularly depreciating equipment, easier for customers by providing them with an option to traditional financing methods. The division will serve all of Arvest’s community banks from offices in Fort Smith.

The Arvest Equipment Leasing Division will offer a variety of leasing programs, including customized leases. Leasing options range from small to large purchases, and the list of equipment for which leasing is available includes everything from computer systems to construction machinery.

In putting together this new business, Arvest Bank has hired two executives and promoted a current Arvest associate to take solutions-based, individual approaches to each customer’s financial needs.

Kyle Gilliam will serve as president of the new division. Gilliam has almost 13 years of experience in the banking industry, most of it in the commercial equipment leasing arena. He joins Arvest from another financial institution where he was executive vice president of leasing.

Michael Kelly has been named executive vice president of the division. Kelly will be responsible for both internal and external business development. He takes on his new role with over 12 years of expertise in leasing and lending. Most recently, Kelly served as senior vice president of commercial lending / leasing at another financial institution where he worked with Gilliam.

As the leasing operations manager, Lori Dean continues her almost 20 year tenure with Arvest Bank. During that time, Dean has held the positions of branch manager, assistant branch manager, frontline service representative and teller. In her new role, she will be charged with managing the booking and funding process, assisting in credit functions, serving as the liaison between the division and back office operations, overseeing collections and various other tasks to keep the division running smoothly.

http://www.arvest.com/banking/

[headlines]

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Account Executive

Account Executives Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, SF Bay Area Top position to work with CFOs, CIOs, CEOs and other high-level executives. 7+ years equipment leasing exp. Resume/indicating you saw ad in Leasing News to: US_DFS_Staffing@dell.com About the Company: We're the exclusive provider of leasing and finance services for Dell technology systems worldwide. At Dell Financial Services our mission is to deliver financing solutions that enable and enrich the Dell Customer experience.

www.dell.com

Assistant Manager

Assistant Manager San Francisco, California Excellent opportunity to work with growing equipment leasing bank division, excellent reputation. Click here for more information.

First Republic Bank has offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, throughout California, and in Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, Boston and New York.

Finance Consultant

Finance Consultants Orange County, California The Cambridge Difference More Approvals. Quicker Fundings. Career Center

www.thecambridgecapitalgroup.com

Regional Sales Managers

Regional Sales Managers To establish small ticket vendor programs in major metro areas. Excellent compensation/ benefit package. View job description. Send resumes to Zully.Fernandez@IrwinCF.com Company Description: Irwin Commercial Finance (NYSE: IFC) is a true direct lender and in the ever changing leasing environment, we bring stability, creativity and consistent customer service levels to our business.

www.IrwinCFequipment.com

Sales Director

Sales Director Vendor Relationship Development Office equipment experience a must. Territory covers FL, GA, SC, NC, AL, MS, LA. Must be able to sell value. To apply online click here. About the company: GreatAmerica offers office equipment financing to businesses across the U.S., and is the largest independent leasing company in the small ticket equipment financing market.

www.greatamerica.com

Small Ticket Specialists

Three Small Ticket Specialists Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Nashville, TN, and Richmond, VA. Click here for more information.

www.suntrust.com

[headlines]

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****Announcement *************************************

Equipment Leasing and Finance Association Issues
Comments on Proposed U.S. Version of Basel II

ELFA eNews Daily

Arlington, --The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) issued comments on the Joint Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) related to the implementation of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision's Revised Framework for International Capital Measurement and Capital Standards (Basel II). ELFA's comments relate solely to the NPR's treatment of the residual values of financing leases defined as "retail" under the NPR.

In the March 25 comment letter, ELFA said the proposal to apply a 100 percent risk weight to the residual portion of a retail lease transaction, as currently set forth in the NPR, will result in a significant disadvantage to regulated leasing organizations in the U.S. The playing field will be more challenging, costly and non-competitive for regulated bank and bank-related leasing and finance organizations.

"The lease product does not represent a higher level of risk to the financial institution than a secured loan to finance the acquisition of the equipment, and, therefore, the lease product should not be penalized by applying a more conservative risk weighting approach to the residual component. By doing so, the impact reaches far beyond the companies offering the financing," said Kenneth E. Bentsen Jr., President of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association. "Instead, retail lease finance transactions, just as with wholesale leases, should be treated on a unified basis with no separate risk-weighting of the residual component," Bentsen said.

This risk weighting and resulting additional capital charge will make the commercial leasing product non-competitive when compared to the economic capital requirements of a commercial loan with similar risk attributes, causing the institution to allocate capital to the "less expensive" loan product vs. the lease. ELFA believes this will result in a significant decline in the financing alternatives available to particularly small businesses that will no longer have access to the same equipment finance products," said Bentsen.

As proposed, the small business customer base would suffer the most significant financial impact of the higher risk weighting of lease residuals yet this customer segment of the leasing industry represents a significant component of the U.S. business economy. Particularly small businesses lack the capital to purchase equipment outright, would most likely incur the cost of a down payment on a loan and would no longer have as attractive a lease financing option available due to the additional cost of funds assessed on the lessor, according to the ELFA comment letter.

About the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association

ELFA is the trade association representing financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing the investment in capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad. Its over 750 members include independent and captive leasing and finance companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as service providers. For more information, please visit www.ELFAOnline.org

The ELFA is also the premier source for statistics and analyses covering the equipment finance sector. To access ELFA's comprehensive industry information, please visit http://www.elfaonline.org/Research/

[headlines]

****Announcement *************************************

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[headlines]

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Linda’s New Book now Available!

“366 Marketing Tips for Equipment Leasing”
by Linda P. Kester

Linda Kester is a seasoned sales trainer. She held several sales management positions during her eight-year tenure at Advanta Business Services Corp. Linda has been a featured speaker at seminars for the EAEL, NAELB, and UAEL events. She has had several articles published in various trade newsletters and magazines, including a series on sales in Leasing News.

$79.95 plus shipping and handling

Here is the 14 pages content section, with all the titles to
the pages of the book:
http://www.leasingpress.com/366%20Marketing%20Tips%20for%20Equipment%20
Leasing%20Cover%20and%20Contents.pdf

To order, please go here:
http://www.leasingpress.com/Order%20Form.htm

The book’s content may be viewed at www.leasingpress.com and queries may be made to jamesjohnson@niu.edu or to 815.753.1116.

[headlines]

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ELFA Legal Forum May 6-8, Miami, Florida

ELFA eNews Daily

Register Today for Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s Legal Forum! Registration is open for ELFA's 2007 Legal Forum, May 6 - 8 in Miami! If you're internal or external counsel, an old pro or new to equipment leasing and finance, this is the event for you!

The Forum is two days packed with up-to-date information on the legal issues that matter to your company or clients--from Article 9 to workouts, fraud to financial covenants. Download the brochure and register online today at
http://www.elfaonline.org/events/2007/lf/registration.cfm

Please note: First-time attendees from ELFA member companies receive 25% off the registration fee.

[headlines]

***** Announcement**************************************

San Francisco April 23-25-Terry Winders, CLP

Look for Leasing News’s Mr. Terry Winders, who will be teaching the Principles of Commercial Leasing for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association in San Francisco April 23rd to 25th and in Chicago on May 7th to 9th.

This seminar has long been considered the best seminar of its kind if you want to learn the rules and regulations of leasing. Modern structuring and pricing are explained in detail with lease language and al lease programs explained. Proper documentation for all types of leases is discussed by Cole Sliver Esq. the best small, and middle market attorney teacher.

Dates and Locations for the Principles of Leasing and Finance Workshops:

April 16-18 Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 23-25 Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco, California
May 7-9 Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel Chicago, Illinois
June 4-6 Wyndham Baltimore Inner Harbor Baltimore, Maryland
July 9-11 Marriott Suites Dallas Market Center Dallas, Texas
October 15-17 Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel Chicago, Illinois
December 3-5 The Westin Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina

Dates and Locations for the Advanced Leasing and Finance Workshops:

May 21-23 Courtyard Marriott Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 17-19 Hyatt Harborside Boston, Massachusetts
December 10-12 the Palace Hotel San Francisco, California

Full brochure with all the details:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/ELFW07_Brochure.pdf

[headlines]

**** Announcement ***************************************

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Archives, April 11,2001--Depping resigns from First Sierra

Copy of letter from Tom Depping to Employees Announcing His Resignation

28 March 2001

As most of you are aware, our shareholders have tendered over 90% of the outstanding shares to American Express. American Express anticipates closing the acquisition by Friday. I would like to thank everyone for working hard to make SierraCities/First Sierra a great company. One that will live on as part of the American Express family.

I started First Sierra six years ago. Before I typed up the first business plan First Sierra did not exist. As I look back to the early days of First Sierra, I have many fond memories of the ideas and dreams that serve as the foundation of this company. We accomplished a lot in six short years. Ever the pioneer, we consistently delivered innovation and permanently changed our industry. In six years, we went from a small start-up company to a dominant provider of small business loans. We built the best technology platform for small business lending on the planet and provided over $3 billion of small business loans to over 100,000 customers; this number grows every day.

2001 is starting out to be a great year. It looks like we should earn a profit of over $2,000,000 for the first quarter, well ahead of plan. Delinquency and charge-offs are well within expectation and our margins have never been higher. With things going as well as they are many have asked me why we sold the company. I often ask myself the same question. To answer this question one must look at the one major factor we don't control, the long term capital markets. These markets have essentially been closed since the summer of 1998. First Sierra's June 1999 equity offering is the only capital raised by any specialty finance company in the last three years. We are in a business that requires access to long term capital. The risk of not being able to obtain additional long term capital a year or two from now is simply too great and something over which we have virtually no control. Consequently, I decided to look for a strategic partner or acquirer who either had access to capital or was a large financial institution with the capability to take what we have built and allow it to realize its full potential. I cannot think of a better company than American Express, a world class financial services company.

The next question I would like to address is what I am going to do and why. I recently had a message posted on our web site about the essence of survival. I thought this message wasappropriate for a couple of reasons. First, we are survivors of a very difficult period for small ticket leasing companies. In fact, I believe we are the lone survivor of all the companies that went public in 1996 and 1997. Innovation and vision, however, allowed SierraCities/First Sierra to survive. While others grew by taking foolish credit risks, we grew by building technology. The lion was never quite fast enough to catch us.

Shortly after the acquisition is complete I will be leaving. While American Express is a great company and they will put new leadership in place that will help our culture make the transformation from a small entrepreneurial company to a major world class financial services company, from my perspective, I think it is time to seek new challenges. I am more like the gazelle than the lion. I need the thrill of the chase to get motivated every morning.

Thank you once again for helping make SierraCities/First Sierra the best small ticket company on the planet. We should have a very bright future as part of American Express.

I wish you all the best.

Tom

P.S. Make sure the lion does not go hungry!

[headlines]

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Depping still the same—choose the appropriate adjective

Main Street National Bank, Kingswood, Texas Net Income (loss)
12/31/2006 12/31/2005
-$1,296,000 -$3,796,000
Leases $6,743,000 12/31/06
http://www.leasingnews.org/Pages/MSB_Income.htm

Balance Sheet—
http://www.leasingnews.org/Pages/MSB_A+L.htm

Information from: http://www.fdic.gov/ find bank feature

Thomas J. Depping Looking Out Upon Houston, Texas, circa 2002

Tom Depping – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Main Street National Bank , Official Biography

http://www.tomdepping.com/

Tom Depping was born in 1958 and grew up in the central Michigan town of Frankenmuth. He graduated cum laude from Eastern Michigan University in 1980 and immediately joined the accounting firm of KPMG International as a staff accountant.

After moving to Texas in the summer of 1981 Mr. Depping became a Certified Public Accountant and joined First City Bank in Houston as its Lease Accounting Officer. Mr. Depping was to stay with First City, subsequently acquired by Sun America (now part of American International Group), for the next 13 years in a variety of positions of increasing responsibility, all involved in the organization’s equipment leasing and finance business. Mr. Depping became, successively, First City/SunAmerica Leasing’s Comptroller, its Vice President of Sales, Senior Vice President of Sales and was finally appointed President of SunAmerica Financial Services, serving in that position from 1991 and 1994. Under Mr. Depping’s leadership, SunAmerica Financial Services’s annual pre-tax profit contribution rose from $1 million to over $13 million.

Mr. Depping saw the growth potential of the small ticket equipment finance business with its unique ability to meet the financing needs of small and medium sized businesses and so in 1994, Mr. Depping formed First Sierra Financial, Inc., with an original capitalization of only $1 million. As Chief Executive Officer of First Sierra, Mr. Depping led First Sierra through a period of explosive growth, creating in 6 years a company universally acknowledged as one of the dominant national providers of small business financing. First Sierra grew at over 100% per annum while creating a transaction portfolio with a credit quality well above industry standard. Its growth was not accidental. First Sierra created a “best in industry” technology platform and pioneered then-innovative strategies for targeting the small business market such as developing one of the most sophisticated computer based credit scoring models and executing a variety of internet based marketing programs. First Sierra went public in 1997 and by 2000 had acquired over 25 companies and had grown to be an organization of over 500 employees nationwide, earning Mr. Depping the 1998 of the City of Houston Entrepreneur of the Year award sponsored by Ernst & Young and USA Today.

First Sierra’s originations went from zero in 1994 to over a billion dollars in 2000 and by that date First Sierra had completed over $2 billion of securitized debt financings and had committed bank lines of over $1 billion. Despite these achievements, Tom concluded that in order for First Sierra to continue its successful growth it had to become part of a larger organization with greater financial resources and in March of 2001 First Sierra was sold to American Express, forming one of the most important components of American Express’s Small Business Services unit. The original First Sierra investors made more than 3,000% on their investment!

After the sale to American Express, Tom used his temporary retirement from the finance business to pursue a business opportunity in Breckinridge, Colorado by starting Ski Village, now one of that town’s top property management firms. In addition, he founded Vision Sports with his Partner Hal Pastner, with headquarters in Kingwood, Texas and Las Vegas. Vision Sports is the largest producer of high school basketball tournaments in the country.

In November, 2004 Tom returned to the small ticket equipment finance business by leading another investor group in the purchase of a suburban Houston-area bank, Main Street Bank in Kingwood, Texas. After gathering around him many members of his team from First Sierra, Tom is well on his way to building another financial services powerhouse but this time with the stable funding environment a bank provides...
Source: from the bank web page, which links to:
http://www.tomdepping.com/

------------------------

Mark McQuitty on Tom Depping:
http://www.leasingnews.org/articles.doc/newsletterMcQuitty.htm

Take the Money and run---by Christopher Menkin:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/moneyandrun2.htm

The Gazelle is Back:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Gazelle_is_back1.htm

Bob Quinn Gone-Again!
--- The Gazelle: “No Public Comment.”
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Bob_Quinn2.htm

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed...every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle...when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."
Gazelle---that is the word leasing guru Thomas J. Depping used to describe himself in his letter of resignation to employees of the company he founded, Sierra Cities/First Sierra, when it was sold to American Express Business Finance: that he was going out like a gazelle.
He told the parable, which is on several motivational posters, about the lion and the gazelle both co-existing in the same jungle, and how each start each morning running, either to eat or avoid being eaten. It is our guess it came from the motivational poster at the beginning of this article. His inner theme: he had to move fast to stay alive.

[headlines]

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### Press Release ###########################

Equipment Leasing and Finance Association and

International Counterparts Pledge Constructive Role as Accounting Standard Setters Reinterpret
Lease Accounting

Arlington, VA——The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) today announced that equipment finance representative associations around the world - the UK Finance and Leasing Association, Leaseurope, the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, the Australian Finance Conference and the Canadian Finance & Leasing Association - signed a joint communication seeking to play an instrumental and constructive role as the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) reinterpret the accounting standard for commercial leases.

In the joint letter sent to the IASB and FASB on March 29, ELFA and the UK Finance and Leasing Association, Leaseurope, the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, the Australian Finance Conference and the Canadian Finance & Leasing Association laid-out key principles that should be addressed as the standard setters proceed with deliberations. The groups pledged to play an active and constructive part in the IASB/FASB development of the long term leasing project.

“We believe that this is the beginning of what will be a constructive dialogue among all parties to reach a final outcome that satisfies both transparency and efficient capital formation. As such, our intent at this stage is not to offer final answers, but rather add issues to the agenda. As the process moves forward, we will seek the opportunity to consult with the FASB and IASB to develop solutions in the context of market structures which will be critical to the development of the proposed new leasing standards,” said Kenneth E. Bentsen Jr., President of the ELFA.

About the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association

ELFA is the trade association representing financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing the investment in capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad. Its over 750 members include independent and captive leasing and finance companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as service providers. For more information, please visit www.ELFAOnline.org

The ELFA is also the premier source for statistics and analyses covering the equipment finance sector. To access ELFA's comprehensive industry information, please visit http://www.elfaonline.org/Research/

[headlines]

### Press Release ###########################
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News Briefs----

Street Talk: NetBank shares battle Alt-A and uncertainty
http://www.snl.com/interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-5576914-9828

Citigroup CEO: Bank to be 'nimbler' after cuts of up to 26,000
http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/09/news/companies/bc.citigroup.expenses.reut/
?postversion=2007040918

Citigroup to buy Bank of Overseas Chinese
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Tuesday/Corporate/BT617346.txt/Article/

Wolfowitz defends conduct over World Bank $200,000 lover row
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Wolfowitz_defends_conduct_over_Worl_04092007.html
http://www.usatoday.com/money/2007-04-10-wolfowitz-world-bank_N.htm

'Dancing' loser jokes about recount
http://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20070411:
tv_dancing_with_the_stars__ER:1

He’s my favorite so far: The take on Blake: He's an original
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2003659501_blake10.html

American Idol: It’s Blake, too
http://www.myajc.com/post/idolblog/410_jennys_on_the_block.html

[headlines]

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You May have Missed---

Al Roker says time for Imus to go
http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/10/116906.aspx

[headlines]

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California Nuts Briefs---

Schwarzenegger shadows presidential race
http://dwb.sacbee.com/24hour/politics/story/3595642p-12866191c.html

[headlines]

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“Gimme that Wine”

To Study Wine, Buy and Drink—Erik Asimov
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/dining/11pour.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin

Hudson Valley Wine Region
Celebrate spring with the Shawangunk Wine Trail * during Pasta Primo-Vino April 21-22, 2007. --- Each winery will be serving up delectable pasta creations and pairing them with their award winning wines. A number of NEW RELEASES to taste as well. A portion of the proceeds of this event will go to benefit the Hudson Valley Food Bank.
Your event ticket includes tasting fees at all the wineries as well as a taste of pasta. Event hours are 10am each day and runs until 6pm. Taste and Stay packages at the Courtyard by Marriott are available through Exclusive Wine Vacations. Package includes two nights lodging April 20 - 22, 2007 (Friday & Saturday), two tickets to the Pasta event, $40 gift certificate to Violet Creek Restaurant for dinner, all taxes and service fees. Package price for two start at $385. B&B packages start at $455. Call for more info 877-485-7221
*85 miles north of New York City-
http://www.shawangunkwinetrail.com/

Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com
http://www.wine-searcher.com/
US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/
Winery Atlas
http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas
Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm
The London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex) is an electronic exchange for fine wine.
http://www.liv-ex.com/

[headlines]

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Calendar Events This Day

Barbershop Quartet Day
Commemorates the gathering of some 26 persons at Tulsa, OK., April 11, 1938, and the founding there of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Sing in America

Cheese Fondue Day
http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotdips/r/bl88c8.htm

Costa Rica: Juan Santamaria Day
National holiday commemorates the 1956 Battle of Rivas

Dandelion Day
http://homeschooling.about.com/library/blapr11a.htm

National D.A.R.E. Day
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program founded in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District, helps give children in grades K-12 the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs and violence. Nearly 75 percent of American school districts offer D.A.R.E. training.

Uganda. Liberation Day
Republic of Uganda celebrates anniversary of overthrow of Idi Amin’s dictatorship in 1979.

Saint Feast Days

• St. Stanislaus
• St. Gemma Galgani
• St. Antipas
• St. Barsanuphius
• St. Domnio
• St. Godebertha
• St. Machai
• St. Maedhog
• St. Mary Margaret d'Youville
• St. Philip of Gortyna

http://www.catholic.org/saints/f_day/apr.php

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The top of the Empire State Building was originally built as a place to anchor blimps.

http://www.empirestatebuilding.com/index2.cfm
http://www.howardmodels.com/replicas/Empire200/index.html
http://www.thecityreview.com/tauranac.htm

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Today's Top Event in History

1945- Allied Troops entered Buchenwald, north of Weimar, Germany. It was the first of the Nazi concentration camps to be liberated. It had been established in 1937, and about 56,000 people died there. The camp held thousands of prisoners, mostly slave laborers. There were no gas chambers, but hundreds, sometimes thousands, died monthly from disease, malnutrition, beatings, and executions. Doctors performed medical experiments on inmates, testing the effects of viral infections and vaccines. Among the camp's most gruesome characters was Ilse Koch, wife of the camp commandant, who was infamous for her sadism. She often beat prisoners with a riding crop, and collected lampshades, book covers, and gloves made from the skin of camp victims.
Soon after the takeover, General Dwight Eisenhower, commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, arrived. "I have never felt able to describe my emotional reaction when I came face to face with indisputable evidence of Nazi brutality and ruthless disregard of every shred of human decency," he wrote. "Up to that moment I had only known about it generally, or through secondary sources. I am certain, however, that I have never at any time experienced an equal sense of shock.
http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/camps/buchenwald/buchenwald-01.html

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This Day in American History

    1617 -- Pocahontas, the daughter of Native American King Powhatan, dies on a ship returning from England to Virginia. She leaves an infant son. School children are fed the romantic tale of Pocahontas' encounter with Captain John Smith. But the truth is that English settlers in Jamestown held her captive to force concessions from her father. Then Colonist John Rolfe married the captive Pocahontas, changed her name to Rebecca Rolfe, dressed her in English finery, and took her to England for Queen Elizabeth's amusement. He invented the story that the Indian woman had saved him, which made her the toast of the town. The myth was then propagated to promote the welcome of the white man to the Indian world.
http://www.powhatan.org/pocc.html
    1783--- After receiving a copy of the provisional treaty on 13 March, Congress proclaims a formal end to hostilities with Great Britain.
    1803- In one of the great surprises in diplomatic history, French Foreign Minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand makes an offer to sell all of Louisiana Territory to the United States. Talleyrand was no fool. As the foreign minister to French Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte, he was one of the most powerful men in the world. Three years earlier, Talleyrand had convinced Napoléon that he could create a new French Empire in North America. The French had long had a tenuous claim to the vast area west of the Mississippi River known as Louisiana Territory. In 1800, Napoléon secretly signed a treaty with Spain that officially gave France full control of the territory. Then he began to prepare France's mighty army to occupy New Orleans and bolster French dominion. When President Thomas Jefferson learned of Napoléon's plans in 1802, he was understandably alarmed. Jefferson had long hoped the US would expand westward beyond the Mississippi, but the young American republic was in no position militarily to challenge France for the territory. Jefferson hoped that his minister in France, Robert Livingston, might at least be able to negotiate an agreement whereby Napoléon would give the US control of New Orleans, the gateway to the Mississippi River. Napolean seeing a war with England about to happen and not wanting to divide his navy to the United States, told his emissary to sell it all. After months of having fruitlessly negotiated over the fate of New Orleans, Livingston again met with Talleyrand on this day in 1803. To Livingston's immense surprise, this time the cagey French minister coolly asked, "What will you give for the whole?" He meant not the whole of New Orleans, but the whole of Louisiana Territory. Quickly recognizing that this was an offer of potentially immense significance for the US , Livingston and Monroe began to discuss France's proposed cost for the territory. Several weeks later, on 30 April 1803, the American emissaries signed a treaty with France for a purchase of the vast territory for $11'250'000. A little more than two weeks later, Great Britain declared war on France. With the sale of the Louisiana Territory, Napoléon abandoned his dreams of a North American empire, but he also achieved a goal that he thought more important. "The sale [of Louisiana] assures forever the power of the United States," Napoléon later wrote, "and I have given England a rival who, sooner or later, will humble her pride."
    1816-Richard Allen became the first African American Methodist Episcopal Bishop being elected at the church’s founding convention in Philadelphia, PA, when 16 delegates from five independent churches met to form an African-American denomination based on the principles of Methodism. The earliest African-American Methodist organization, the African Union Methodist Church, was founded in 1813 by the Reverend Peter Spencer in Wilmington, DE.
    1841 - a big April snowstorm in the northeast dropped 12 inches at New York City, 24 inches in New Jersey, and 18 inches in Massachusetts. The "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too" victory parade was impeded and the Marshall died of pneumonia. people went to the New York City polls through snow on the 13th.
    1864-Birthday of Lizzie “Lillie” Bliss, born at Bsoton, MA. She was one of the three foundrs (all women) of the Museum of Modern Art at New York City in 1929. She died March 12, 1931, at New York City.
    1865---Birthday of Mary White Ovington, white woman who helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), served as chair of its board from 1919-1932 and became its treasurer. Acting many times as a mediator between factions within the organization, she found herself in later years at odds with W. E. B. Du Bois who favored limited integration while Ovington favored full integration and was active in the fight for school desegregation. She wrote several books on black leaders and several novels.
http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/ovington.html
    1873- Captain Jack and his Modocs lure General Canby and others to their encampment to discuss peaceful surrender. The truth is that the Modocs had lost all faith in the U.S. negotiators and were hearing rumors about the whites planning to kill them. The Modocs surprise and kill General Canby, the only U.S. General killed during an Indian War, and also kill Reverend Eleasar Thomas who was part of Canby's peace commission
    1881-.Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia was opened in 1881 with the funding from the Rockefeller family " with the purpose of educating young African-American women." This college was to become known as "the Radcliff for Negro Women."
    1899-Drumer/Bandleaer Nick LaRocca birthday
http://www.redhotjazz.com/larocca.html
http://members.aol.com/ODJBjazz/jazz.html
http://members.aol.com/orleansmus/odjb.htm
http://members.aol.com/orleansmus/ODJBCDs.html
    1899—African-American Percy L. Julian, born, chemist who research helped create drugs for the treatment of arthritis.
http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/percyjulian.html
    1908-Birthday of Jane Matilda Bolin, born at Pourghkeepsie, NY, the first black woman to graduate from the Yale School of Law(1931) and went on to become
the first black woman judge in the United States. She served as assistant corporation counsel for the city of New York before being appoi8nted to the city’s Domestic Relations Court and the Family Court of the State of New York.
    1911—The U.S. Navy acquires its firs submarine.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr11.html
    1933-The Dorsey Brother Orchestra along with the Boswell Sisters, record “Shuffle Off to Buffalo.”
    1935-birthday of vocalist and song writer Richard Berry, Extension,LA
http://www.louielouie.net/R_Berry.html
    1935-birthday of guitarist Johnnie Billington, Crowder,MS http://www.arts.state.ms.us/crossroads/music/music1.html
http://www.pbs.org/riverofsong/artists/e3-johnnie.html
http://www.bluesed.org/
    1945- Allied Troops entered Buchenwald, north of Weimar, Germany. It was the first of the Nazi concentration camps to be liberated. It had been established in 1937, and about 56,000 people died there. The camp held thousands of prisoners, mostly slave laborers. There were no gas chambers, but hundreds, sometimes thousands, died monthly from disease, malnutrition, beatings, and executions. Doctors performed medical experiments on inmates, testing the effects of viral infections and vaccines. Among the camp's most gruesome characters was Ilse Koch, wife of the camp commandant, who was infamous for her sadism. She often beat prisoners with a riding crop, and collected lampshades, book covers, and gloves made from the skin of camp victims.
Soon after the takeover, General Dwight Eisenhower, commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, arrived. "I have never felt able to describe my emotional reaction when I came face to face with indisputable evidence of Nazi brutality and ruthless disregard of every shred of human decency," he wrote. "Up to that moment I had only known about it generally, or through secondary sources. I am certain, however, that I have never at any time experienced an equal sense of shock.
http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/camps/buchenwald/buchenwald-01.html
    1947- Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in major league baseball on this day when he played first base in a exhibition game as a Brooklyn Dodger against the New York Yankees. In the course of the season, he hit 12 home runs, stole 29 bases, and was voted Rookie of the Year. He won the Most Valuable Player in 1949. His success opened the racial integration of other baseball teams.
    1949---Top Hits
Cruising Down the River - The Blue Barron Orchestra (vocal: ensemble)
Sunflower - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: The Skylarks)
Red Roses for a Blue Lady - Vaughn Monroe
Candy Kisses - George Morgan
    1951 -- General Douglas MacArthur is removed from his command for unauthorized policy statements. The dismissal followed MacArthur's public disclosure of Truman's refusal to allow him to bomb Chinese bases in Manchuria. MacArthur returned to the United States to a hero's welcome. Parades were held in his honor, and he was asked to speak before Congress (where, on 19 April 1951, he gave his famous "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away" speech). Public opinion was strongly against Truman's actions, but the president stuck to his decision without regret or apology. Eventually, MacArthur did "just fade away," and the American people began to understand that his policies and recommendations might have led to a massively expanded war in Asia. Though the concept of a "limited war," as opposed to the traditional American policy of unconditional victory, was new and initially unsettling to many Americans, the idea came to define the US Cold War military strategy.
    1956 - Elvis Presley reached the top spot on the "Billboard" music chart with his first double-sided hit. The disk featured "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Was the One." The RCA Victor record stayed at number one for eight weeks. Elvis also made the country and R&B charts, as well.
    1956 -- The man later known as Soul Brother Number One, James Brown, has his first chart entry when "Please, Please, Please" debuts on the R&B chart.
    1957 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``All Shook Up,'' Elvis Presley. Billboard ranks the single as the No. 1 song of 1957, the second year in a row that Elvis has the top single of the year.
    1957---Top Hits
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
Little Darlin’ - The Diamonds
Party Doll - Buddy Knox
Gone - Ferlin Husky
    1961 - Carl Yastrzemski replaced Ted Williams in left field for the Boston Red Sox. The ‘Yaz’ was just 21 years old and had but two years experience in the minor leagues when he was called. In his first at-bat, he got a hit off Kansas City’s Ray Herbert. Yastrzemski retired in 1984, having played his entire major-league career in a Boston Red Sox uniform.
    1961-the Los Angeles Angels, an American League expansion team, played their first regular season game, beating the Orioles in Baltimore, 7-2. The Angels finished the 1961 season in eight place with a record of 70-92. Renamed the California Angels in 1966, they won their first division title in 1979.
    1961-- Bob Dylan made his first professional appearance at Gerde's Folk City in New York's Greenwich Village, sharing the bill with bluesman John Lee Hooker. Dylan sang an arrangement of "House of the Rising Sun" and his own composition, "Song to Woody," a tribute to Woody Guthrie. Dylan took much of his inspiration from Guthrie, whom he had visited in a New Jersey hospital soon after he arrived in the New York area in early 1961. From his traditional folk music beginnings, Dylan went on to become one of rock music's superstars.
    1962- The New York Mets, a National League expansion team, played their first regular season game, losing 11-4, to the Cardinals in St. Louis. The Mets lost eight more games before winning one, and they finished the year in 10th place with a record of 40-120.The Mets won their first division title in 1969 and went on to stun the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.
    1963- Jack Nicklaus, 23 year old, shot an even par 27 in the final round to finish a 2-under-par 286 and win the Masters by one stroke over Tony Lema. Nicklaus’s green jacket was his first of a record six, with his other victories coming in 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975 and1986.
http://www.nicklaus.com/nicklaus_facts/majors.php
    1965---Top Hits
I’m Telling You Now - Freddie & The Dreamers
The Birds and the Bees - Jewel Akens
Game of Love - Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
King of the Road - Roger Miller
    1965-President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Federal aid program for primary and secondary schools. This act allocated $1.34 billion for school districts according to the number of needy children they contained and included fund for parochial and private schools.
    1965 - the "Palm Sunday tornadoes", a particularly vicious outbreak, tore paths of devastation through Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. 255 people were killed and 3331 were injured. 37 tornadoes were rated F2 or greater with 18 rated F4 and 2 maximum intensity F5 tornadoes.
    1967-The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Easter Conference Finals, 140-116, to advance to the NBA finals. Philadelphia thus ended Boston’s eight –year streak of NBA titles and went on to beat the San Francisco Warriors for the championship, four games to two. The 76ers had won 68 games in the regular season and in 1980 were voted the greatest team in NBA history.
    1968- The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, one week after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Criticized for the Viet Nam war effort that he was confused by the military, Johnson was a great national president who achieved many reform measures. Upon signing this law into effect, he said, "...the proudest moments of my presidency have been times such as this when I have signed into law the promises of a century."
    1969-The Seattle Pilots, an American League expansion team, played their first regular season game, defeating the Chicago White Sox, 7-0, at Seattle’s Stick’s Stadium. The pilots finished the year in sixth place in the AL West and left Seattle in 1970 to become the Milwaukee Brewers.
    1970-Apollo 13, the third manned lunar landing mission, was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying astronauts James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert, and Fred W. Haise. Two days later, on 13 April, disaster struck 300'000 km from earth when liquid oxygen tank No. 2 exploded, disabling the normal supply of oxygen, electricity, light, and water. A moment later Swigert reported to mission control: "Houston, we've had a problem," and minutes later the lunar landing was aborted. The crippled spacecraft continued to the moon, circled it, and began a long, cold journey back to earth.The astronauts and mission control were faced with enormous logistical problems in stabilizing the spacecraft and its oxygen supply, and providing enough energy to the damaged fuel cells to allow successful re-entry into the earth's atmosphere. n 17 April, with the world anxiously watching, tragedy turned to triumph as the Apollo 13 astronauts touched down safely in the Pacific Ocean.
    1970- Paul McCartney announced what he called a temporary break with the Beatles. But the split proved to be permanent. McCartney cited personal differences, which were later revealed to be disapproval of Yoko Ono, John Lennon's wife, and of Beatles' financial adviser Allen Klein. A week after McCartney's announcement, he released his first solo album, spelling the end of the Beatles.
    1970- guitarist and vocalist Peter Green, one of the founders of Fleetwood Mac, announced he was leaving the group to follow his religious beliefs. Green's departure put an end to Fleetwood Mac's blues leanings, and the band turned to a more melodic rock sound. Green stayed out of music until the late '70s, when he made two solo LP's.
    1973---Top Hits
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got) - Four Tops
Super Kind of Woman - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
    1979-- Idi Amin overthrown: In Uganda, Tanzanian troops and forces of the Uganda National Liberation Front (with alleged support and supplies from the United States) captured the capital of Kampala, driving Ugandan dictator Idi Amin into a permanent exile. In 1971, Major General Idi Amin, commander-in-chief of Uganda's armed forces since 1966, staged a successful military coup against Ugandan President Milton Obote. Amin's regime initially faced substantial opposition within the army by officers and troops loyal to Obote, but by the end of 1971, he was in firm control of both the army and the country. During 1972, Amin, a Muslim, strengthened ties with Libya and other Arab nations and launched a genocidal program to purge Uganda of its Lango and Acholi ethnic groups.It is estimated that up to three hundred thousand Ugandans were killed during Idi Amin's eight years of rule. Amin found sanctuary in Saudi Arabia.
    1981 - Eddie Van Halen and actress, Valerie Bertinelli of "One Day at a Time" (CBS-TV) were married in Los Angeles, California. Van Halen, who was born in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, moved to Pasadena, CA in 1968. David Lee Roth was a member of the group, as was rocker, Sammy Hagar, who replaced Roth in 1981. The group was founded in 1974. On the Van Halen hit list, these toe tappers: "Jump", "Dance the Night Away", "(Oh) Pretty Woman", "Why Can’t This Be Love", "Dreams" and "When It’s Love".
    1981---Top Hits
Kiss on My List - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington, Jr./Bill Withers
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma - David Frizzell & Shelly West
    1983- Harold Washington was elected the first black mayor of Chicago. Of the city's 1.6 million voters, a record 82 percent voted. Washington won 51%, was reelected in April, 1987, and unfortunately died seven months later while in office.
    1983 – The 55th Annual American Academy Awards were held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Hosts were Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor, and Walter Matthau. Those who voted for Best Picture had to choose between "E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial", "Missing", "Tootsie", "The Verdict" and "Gandhi". "Gandhi" (Richard Attenborough, producer) was the winner of this Oscar and seven more including Best Director Richard Attenborough; Best Actor Ben Kingsley; Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (Stuart Craig, Robert W. Laing, Michael Seirton); Best Cinematography (Ronnie Taylor, Billy Williams); Best Costume Design (Bhanu Athaiya, John Mollo); Best Film Editing (John Bloom); Best Writing/Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (John Briley). Believe it or not there were some Oscars leftover for other deserving folks. The Best Actress golden statuette was awarded to Meryl Streep for "Sophie’s Choice"; while Jessica Lange received her Best Supporting Actress award for "Tootsie" and Louis Gossett, Jr. picked up his Best Supporting Actor award for "An Officer and a Gentleman". "An Officer and a Gentleman" was honored again for Best Music/Song: "Up Where We Belong" (Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie [music], Will Jennings [lyrics], with "Victor/Victoria" winning the category of Best Music/Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score (Henry Mancini, Leslie Bricusse). Other movies mentioned were"Poltergeist", "Annie", "Rocky III", "Blade Runner", "Das Boot", "Diner", "The World According to Garp",.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0149550.html
    1987 - Ten days of flooding in the northeastern U.S. finally came to an end. Damage from flooding due to rain and snow melt ran into the billions of dollars. The collapse of the New York State Thruway Bridge over Schoharie Creek claimed ten lives.
    1988 - 16 cities in the western part of the country, including 9 in California, reported new record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 95 degrees at Sacramento, California and 96 degrees at Bakersfield, California were their warmest of record for so early in the season.
    1988 - the 60th Annual Academy Awards were held at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium. Chevy Chase was the host. Cher won the Oscar for Best Actress ("Moonstruck"), over the likes of Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Sally Kirkland, and Holly Hunter. "Moonstruck" struck gold again as Olympia Dukakis picked up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and John Patrick Shanley won for Best Writing/Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Almost all of the other awards (9) that evening were won by "The Last Emperor" (Jeremy Thomas, producer) including Best Picture, and Best Director (Bernardo Bertolucci), except for Michael Douglas who received the Best Actor award for his performance in "Wall Street", Sean Connery for his Best Supporting Actor role in "The Untouchables", and "Dirty Dancing" which had the winning Music/Song, "(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life" (music: Frank Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz, lyrics: Frank Previte). Funny man hosted the fun-filled event. Note: "The Last Emperor" won in every category in which it was nominated.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0149707.html
    1989-Goalie Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers scored an empty-net goal against the Washington Capitals as the flyers won, 8-5,. For Hestall, it was the second goal of his career and the first scored by any goalie in a Stanley Cup playoff game.
    1989---Top Hits
The Look - Roxette
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young cannibals
Like a Prayer - Madonna
I’m No Stranger to the Rain - Keith Whitley
    1989 - Forty-four cities in the south central and eastern U.S. reported new record low temperatures for the date. Lows of 25 degrees at Conway AR, 29 degrees at Dallas/Fort Worth TX, and 22 degrees at Ozark AR, were April records. Lows of 26 degrees at Hot Springs AR and 31 degrees at Shreveport LA equaled April records.
    1990 - While showers produced heavy rain over much of the northeastern U.S., heavy snow blanketed northern Maine, with 13 inches reported at Telos Lake. Strong southwesterly winds accompanying the rain and snow gusted to 68 mph at the Blue Hill Observatory in Massachusetts. Rainfall totals of 1.04 inch at Pittsburgh PA and 1.52 inch at Buffalo NY on the 10th were records for the date.
    1991-Persian Gulf War ends. United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, calling for an official cease-fire in Iraq, was declared in effect by the Security Council five days after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein reluctantly accepted its terms. On 02 August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, its tiny, oil-rich neighbor, and within hours Iraqi forces had occupied most strategic positions in the country. One week later, Operation Shield, the American defense of Saudi Arabia, began as US forces raced to the Persian Gulf. On 29 November, 1990, the UN Security Council passed a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq if it failed to withdraw from Kuwait by 15 January 1991. At 16:30 Eastern Standard Time on 16 January 1991, Operation Desert Storm, a massive US -led offensive against Iraq, began as the first fighter aircraft were launched from Saudi Arabia and off of US and British aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. On 06 April, Iraq accepted the resolution, and on 11 April, the Security Council declared it in effect; although in later years Saddam Hussein frequently violated the terms of the peace agreement. One hundred and twenty-five American soldiers were killed in the Persian Gulf War, with another twenty-one reported as missing in action.
    1991- Broadway's most expensive musical, "Miss Saigon," opened at the Broadway Theatre in New York. The budget was a record $10-million and front-row seats went for $100, also a Broadway first. "Miss Saigon" had already played in London for two years, and its success led to $35-million in advance sales in New York, another Broadway record. The show, which tells the love story of an American Marine and a Vietnamese prostitute, prompted protests by Asian-American groups and Actors Equity. They were upset with producer Cameron McIntosh's decision to cast British actor Jonathan Pryce in a Eurasian role. McIntosh threatened to cancel the Broadway run, and the actors' union relented.
    1995 - Peter, Paul and Mary release their 17th album, ``LifeLines.''
    1998 - History's great thumb picking guitarists have their day when Grandpa Jones, Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, Ike Everly, Kennedy Jones, Arnold Shultz, Lightnin' Chance, Mose Rager and Laverda Rager are named charter inductees in the National Thumb Pickers Hall of Fame.

Stanley Cup Champions This Date

    1936---Detroit Red Wings

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Baseball Poem

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SuDoku

The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. What could be simpler?

http://leasingnews.org/Soduku/soduko-main.htm

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Daily Puzzle

How to play:
http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm

Refresh for current date:
http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm

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