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

Friday, April 13, 2007

Headlines---

Pictures from the Past—1986, Ron Wagner
    Classified Ads---Operations
        IT Equipment Leases to Dip/Software to Gain
Cartoon—Noah and the Ark
    Classified Ads---Help Wanted
        To Tell the Truth---by James E. Coston, Esq
        “What about the house?
Commercial Law League of America Forums
    Cartoon—IRS Agent in Hades
        Seth Dardis joins Warren Capital
Kevin Sarro joins Method Machine Tools
    Newmarket IT Changes Name to TechTurn
        ELFA F.I.Meeting Monday-register at door
Matt Franklin VP Biz Develop. AIG
    Eileen Schoonmaker-De Lage Landen
        Feds may raise rates next meeting
Jobless claims hit highest level in two months
    World Bank Chief/$193,500 job for girl friend
        Pressure grows on Wolfowitz to resign
$1 Billion Pledged to Help Fend Off Foreclosures
    News Briefs---
        You May have Missed---The 50 Best Tech Products
California Nuts Brief---Gov. wants Intl. Emission Pact
    Sports Briefs---
        "Gimme that Wine"
Calendar Events
    Snapple Real Facts
        Today's Top Event in History
This Day in American History
    Baseball Poem
        SuDoku
            Daily Puzzle

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

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Pictures from the Past—1986, Ron Wagner

1986--Ron Wagner, CLP, Heritage Leasing Capital, San Diego, CA;
“Winner of the Low Net award” Later he became Senior Vice President of Imperial Business Credit plus while running Commerce Security, Sacramento, Ca., decided it was time to close the leasing operation as he foresaw the “Perfect Storm,” the first to do so, and reportedly retired to improve his golf game. His long time friend Ben Millerbus, CLP, got him back in the business running the Navigator program in a special division, working with US Bancorp Manifest.

1990 Western Association of Equipment Lessors President Ronald L. Wagner, CLP, President, Heritage Leasing Capital, receives his Presidents Plaque from Bill Grohe, VP Marketing, Brentwood Funding Enterprises, who takes office as WAELs President January, 1991.
(WAEL became the United Association of Equipment Leasing, 1996.)

[headlines]

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Classified Ads---Operations

Orange County, CA
Operations/Credit Manager with 15 Years Experience, Middle & Large Ticket, initiated policies for Patriot Act and Sarbanes Oxley, Team Motivator.
E-mail: equiplender@aol.com

East Windsor, NJ
Skilled Manager in credit, collections, training, documentation, policy and procedure, lease and finance operations. Get results and keep the customer coming back.
Email: rgmorrill@comcast.net
Resume
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Resumes/Richard_Morrill.pdf

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

Wayne, NJ
20+ heavily experienced collection/recovery VP looking to improve someone's bottom line. Proven, verifiable track record. Knowledge of all types of portfolio. Will relocate
Email: cmate@nac.net

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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IT Equipment Leases to Dip While Software Leases To Gain

By W. David Gardner
InformationWeek

The worldwide IT leasing and financing market, traditionally driven by equipment leasing, will instead see strong growth gains in the financing of IT software and services in the coming years, according to IDC.

In a report released Thursday, the market research firm predicted the worldwide IT leasing market will hit $100 billion in 2010 -- up from $70 billion in 2006. The growth during that period will calculate out to more than 8% compound annual growth rate per year.

The equipment leasing share of that total market is expected to drop about 20 percentage points between 2006 and 2010, IDC said, bringing software and services leasing to a 50% market share.

"New systems management and virtualization software stands poised to streamline end-user processes for provisioning and de-installing IT servers, storage, and network equipment, driving fundamental changes in end-of-lease portfolio dynamics," said Joseph Pucciarelli, program director for IDC's Technology Financing Strategies research team, in a statement.

Pucciarelli added that the changes will produce market opportunities for several companies, including CIT Group, GE Capital, HP Financial Services, IBM Global Financing, Microsoft Financing, and Oracle Financing Division.

IDC said the IT equipment leasing segment will experience growing pressure from new accounting treatments and increased global competition as well as from slow limited increases in IT equipment spending growth.

[headlines]

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Cartoon—Noah and the Ark

[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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“What about the house?”

“Rights, remedies and restrictions lenders and lessors in real property."

By: James E. Coston, Esq.
Coston & Rademacher, P.C.
Chicago, Illinois

    When creditors seek to collect on a defaulted lease or loan, often obligators do not have sufficient liquid assets to pay the amount due in full, and many times the equipment subject to the lease or the assets collateralized by the loan are insufficient, once liquidated, to make the creditor whole. In such situations, interests in real property owned by one or more of the obligators provide an obvious means to attempt to satisfy what is owed. What is not so obvious, and what is worthy of discussion and consideration, are the steps a creditor is required to follow when looking towards real estate assets to satisfy an indebtedness.

    There are seven relevant broad categories of issues which consistently arise in the context of creditors’ and debtors’ respective rights in real property. Those categories are: (1) pre-judgment attachment; (2) creditors’ rights to realty in tenancy in common; (3) creditors’ rights to realty in joint tenancy; (4) creditors’ rights to realty in tenancy by the entirety; (5) post-judgment attachment; (6) homestead exemptions; and (7) creditors’ rights in avoiding debtors’ transfers of realty.

    The foregoing categories revolve around the following four modes of holding real estate, which modes generally apply throughout the United States, and which modes affect the rights of a debtor-property-owner (and therefore the rights of the creditors):

    (1) Tenancy in Common, where each title-holder possesses a legally divisible equal portion of the realty with all other title-holders, which interest will not pass to surviving title-holders upon the death of a decedent title-holder;

    (2) Joint Tenancy, where each title-holder possesses a legally indivisible equal portion of the realty with all other title-holders, which interest will automatically pass to surviving title-holders upon the death of a decedent title-holder; and

    (3) Tenancy by the Entirety, which is only available between a husband and wife, where each title-holder-spouse possesses a legally indivisible equal portion of the realty with the other title-holder-spouse, which interest will automatically pass to the surviving title-holder-spouse upon the death of the decedent title-holder-spouse, and which interest cannot be attached by the creditor of only one spouse.

A fourth miscellaneous but relatively common mode of holding real estate, which becomes important in post-judgment enforcement proceedings particularly, is:

    (4) Land Trust, where the (usually institutional) trustee holds legal title to the realty, to shield the identities of the parties holding the beneficial interest (the right to receive revenues, direct the legal title holder, etc.); it is noteworthy that the beneficiaries of a land trust may hold their beneficial interest in common, or jointly or by the entirety, adding further dimensions to the issues set forth as follows.

    1. Pre-judgment attachment.

    There are generally two methods of pre-judgment attachment of realty, both of which involve Creditor’s filing suit to prosecute a debt: (a) lis pendens; and (b) statutory pre-judgment attachment.

    a). lis pendens

    Lis pendens (meaning “pending lawsuit”) is precisely a notice recorded with the Recorder of Deeds where realty is located to put parties (especially the debtor) on notice of a pending lawsuit, so that the property may be preserved through the pendency of proceedings for the satisfaction of any ultimate judgment, so that it can be levied upon in the event of a judgment in favor of the creditor. However, lis pendens is generally applied to actions which directly affect the property, such as actions sounding in specific performance, to put subsequent purchasers on notice.

    A lis pendens may subject a creditor to liability if it is inaccurate (by placing a ‘cloud on title,’ or ‘slandering’ title). The lis pendens is generally tailored for putting parties on notice of litigation directly affecting the realty described in the lis pendens.

    b). pre-judgment attachment

    Pre-judgment attachment statutes typically include language suggesting that the Sheriff physically take possession of the attached property, as a sort of preemptive levy to have the realty in hand to be liquidated in the event of a judgment in favor of the creditor. Pre-judgment attachment is therefore also typically deemed to heighten the risk of injury to the debtor, requiring the posting of a bond.

    2. Creditors’ rights to realty in tenancy in common.

    Since each tenant in common possesses a legally divisible equal portion of the realty with all other tenants in common, a creditor may attach the interest of a tenant in common indebted to it without objection of other tenants in common. although tenants in common hold their respective equal portions of realty equally with other co-tenants in common, they nevertheless hold their interest independently, so that, again, a decedent tenant in common’s interest will not pass to surviving title-holders upon the death of that decedent title-holder, but rather to the estate of the said decedent as his or her own individual property.

    3. Creditors’ rights in joint tenancy.

    Although each joint tenant possesses a legally indivisible equal portion of the realty with all other joint tenants, a creditor may still attach the interest of a joint tenant indebted to it without objection of other tenants in common.

    However, if the creditor takes a judgment against only one of the joint tenants, which often occurs where only one of the joint tenants is indebted to the judgment creditor, and does nothing more than record a memorandum of judgment with the Recorder of Deeds where the realty is situated.

    Again, this is because, each joint tenant possesses a legally indivisible equal portion of the realty with all other joint tenants, which interest will automatically pass to surviving joint tenant upon the death of a decedent joint tenant.

    4. Creditors’ rights to realty in tenancy by the entirety.

    Like joint tenancy, although each tenant by the entirety possesses a legally indivisible equal portion of the realty with the other spouse tenant by the entirety, a creditor may still attach the interest of a debtor spouse tenant by the entirety indebted to it without objection of other non-debtor spouse tenant by the entirety.

    However, unlike joint tenancy, tenancy by the entirety is a well-entrenched statutory creation designed specifically to afford special protection to married property-holders. Therefore, unlike a judgment creditor of a single joint tenant, where a judgment creditor is only the creditor of a single spouse tenant by the entirety, the judgment creditor is affirmatively barred from selling (levying) the realty to satisfy its debt. While the creditor of a single joint tenant can forcibly sever the joint tenancy by a sale (levy) to avoid having its judgment extinguished by the death of the judgment debtor; the creditor of the judgment debtor tenant by the entirety does not have this option.

    5. Post-judgment attachment.

    More commonly, the creditor, whether or not it has filed a lis pendens, will simply seek to levy real property in satisfaction of a judgment after judgment is entered. Land trusts are treated separately from other species of land ownership. Land trusts are therefore dealt with here, in the context of post-judgment enforcement because their unique legal character, whereby the beneficiary is treated as having a personal and not real property interest therein, causes land trusts to be litigated more often in post- judgment enforcement.

    a). levy.

    Most states set forth a statutory procedure fro levy of real property in satisfaction of a debt.

    b). citation to discover assets.

    Because land trusts are treated as severing the legal title interest of the (usually institutional) trustee from the intangible beneficial interest (the right to receive revenues, direct the legal title holder, etc.) of the beneficiary, the beneficiary’s interest is treated as personal property. Some state laws suggest that a judgment creditor perfects its lien in the beneficial interest in a land trust in the same manner as in any other personal property of a judgment debtor, through a citation to discover assets. The creditor must therefore be cautious to ensure that prosecutes its judgment against a tenancy by recording a memorandum of judgment and levy, and prosecutes a land trust via a citation.

    6. Homestead exemptions.

    Homestead exemptions are legislatively promulgated to afford property holders who occupy property against which enforcement is sought by judgment creditors a fixed statutory value in that property which is exempt from attachment or levy.

    7. Creditors’ rights in avoiding debtors’ (fraudulent) transfers of realty.

    Fraudulent transfer actions typically arise in the context of a creditor seeking to have a transfer into tenancy by the entirety voided.

    States vary in how this is treated. In Illinois, to prove a fraudulent transfer into tenancy by the entirety, a creditor cannot refer to whether the “actual intent” of the debtor in making the transfer is to defraud the creditor; rather, the creditor must satisfy the higher burden of proving that the transfer was made with the “sole intent” of defrauding the creditor, so that any legitimate purpose will defeat a creditor’s attempt to avoid that transfer.

    But, an Illinois Court can reject a debtor’s declaration of a ‘legitimate purpose’ in making a transfer that otherwise appears fraudulent, applying facts such as the timing of a transfer to avoid a debt. And interspousal transfers into tenancy by the entirety in the context of pending litigation are still presumed fraudulent.

    Obviously, any and all creditor considerations of utilizing the obligor’s real estate as a credit enhancement or a collection option, whether before the deal is concluded, after the deal is funded but before default or in the event of a default by one of more obligors, should be considered in consultation with counsel familiar with the laws of the state which the debtor’s real estate interest is located.

    If any of your readers have any questions regarding this material, please encourage them to contact us directly.

James E. Coston, Esq.
Coston & Rademacher, P.C.
105 W. Adams, Suite 1400
Chicago, Illinois 60603
Phone: (312) 205-1010
Fax : (312) 205-1011
jc@ccrail.com
www.costonlaw.com

James E. Coston started his firm in 1982 and is very active in several leasing association, have the distinction of being the first attorney to serve as president of national commercial finance trade association (United Association of Equipment Leasing). He has been mentioned frequently in the press as being considered for the presidency of Amtrak. He served as a member of the Amtrak Reform Council from 2000 through 2003, and is active in rail transportation issues. While he has concentrated for 25 years in equipment-finance law, he is also founder and chairman of Corridor Capital LLC, the first U.S. company concentrated in intercity and commuter-rail equipment finance and corridor development.
 
Mr. Coston was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University in 1977 and his Juris Doctor degree from the DePaul University College of Law in 1980. He has earned admission to the Illinois State Bar, the United States District Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the Federal Trial Bar.

Mr. Coston co-founded and chaired the Twentieth Century Railroad Club which from 1980 to 1986 operated nearly 100 excursions aboard special trains chartered from Amtrak. A native of Chicago, Mr. Coston resides on Chicago's North Side with his wife, Patricia E. Rademacher, and three sons, Jay, Alex and William.

[headlines]

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Commercial Law League of America Forums

[headlines]

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[headlines]

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Warren Capital Corporation expands Sales and Business Development.

Seth Dardis joins Warren Capital as an Account Manager and AVP of Sales and Business Development. He brings over 10 years of excellent accomplishments in mortgage banking, real estate, and equipment finance.

Seth Dardis

Prior to joining Warren Capital, Mr. Dardis’ last position at Greenpoint Mortgage was Loan Advisor and Sales Manager in the residential lending center. He will be responsible for offering the financial services of Warren Capital and ZipLease® to Commercial clients, prospects and equipment dealers. Territories will include Northern California, with a focus on the East Bay.

He graduated from the University of San Francisco where he received a degree in Marketing with an emphasis in Economics.

Mr. Dardis resides in Novato, CA with his wife, Cynthia, and two sons.

ABOUT WARREN CAPITAL

Warren Capital is a 22-year-old specialty finance company. It has completed 2,500 financings for its clients with a value in excess of $1.25 Billion. It specializes in smaller to mid-size growth companies with core specialties in Healthcare, Food Processing, Service Distribution, Professional firms and Wineries. It is affiliated with Wood, Warren & Co. of Emeryville, a 15 year old investment banking firm for mid-market clients.

[headlines]

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Methods Machine Tools appoints first director of credit, financing services

www.manufacturingcenter.com/tooling/daily/news

Methods Machine Tools Inc, has appointed Kevin Sarro as the company’s first director of financing and credit services.

The appointment kicks off a comprehensive new leasing program that offers financing for any machine tool purchased from Methods or a Methods distributor.

With a background in sales as well as financing, Sarro will coordinate the program through the company’s extensive sales network, securing credit for purchases, leases, and rentals of new, used, and reconditioned equipment, including tooling, robotics, automation systems, and service. Refinancing agreements are also available.

A graduate of Villanova University, Sarro comes to Methods from Oracle Credit Corporation, for which he was an award-winning sales manager responsible for the eastern United States and eastern Canada.

The exclusive North American source of equipment, installation, parts, service, and training for Matsuura, Nakamura, FANUC, Exeron, Maier, and other well-known brands, Methods Machine Tools has been a supplier of precision machine tools and accessories for more than 49 years.

For more information, please visit www.methodsmachine.com

[headlines]

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

Newmarket IT Changes Name to TechTurn™ and Announces
Recycling Services Program for Resellers

AUSTIN, TX – – Newmarket IT, a trusted leader in technology recovery, refurbishing and resale, announced today that the company has changed its name to TechTurn™. The new name highlights the company’s emphasis on salvaging all the value from used electronic equipment and turning it into useful and affordable technology instead of e-waste. TechTurn also announced a recycling services program for value-added resellers and systems integrators.

“At TechTurn, we believe that re-use is the highest form of recycling, and we have the processes and expertise to return nearly 80% of the retired electronics we receive to the marketplace.” said Jeff Zeigler, TechTurn founder and CEO. “Rather than dumping computer equipment into landfills, we refurbish, repackage, and resell devices and parts to a large market of potential customers. By approaching the market this way, TechTurn delivers both economic and environmentally friendly recycling solutions for computer manufacturers, corporations or outsourcers.”

TechTurn’s new recycling services program is designed to produce revenue and market opportunities for qualified resellers. This program offers sales and marketing support to resellers, allowing them to sell IT asset recovery services to their small-and-medium-sized business customers. Once a customer purchases this service from their reseller, TechTurn takes over, handling all logistics to remove and transport the assets to a TechTurn facility. TechTurn then employs the same proven procedures it utilizes when processing retired assets for leading computer manufacturers and Fortune 500 companies, including: • Three-pass data wipe to ensure all data is eliminated permanently • Processing of assets to refurbish and resell all usable equipment; assets that cannot be refurbished are processed in accordance with environmental standards • Delivery of detailed reports verifying data destruction, EPA compliance, and serialized reporting for all fair market values offered • Complete accounting, reporting and payment within 10 days

“Opening up our services to VARs and integrators solves a big problem in the market,” said TechTurn president Jake Player. “Smaller businesses have the same IT disposal issues as large enterprises, but there has not been a solution for them. Now, resellers can offer these companies a premium IT retirement service along with their asset management portfolios.”

Through its state-of-the-art facilities, TechTurn processes more than one million electronic devices yearly and performs thorough data destruction on all hard drives that meets the stringent standards enforced by the Department of Defense and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act standard). Once the hard drives are scrubbed, TechTurn issues certificates of data destruction to confirm that strict security measures have been followed. These products are rigorously tested and nearly 80 percent are reused or resold with no trash or waste. All non-usable components are properly disposed of using recycling processes that meet or exceed environmental standards and adhere to TechTurn’s strict no- landfill policy.

“The IT asset disposition market is bracing for growth of up to 30% this year,” said David Daoud, analyst for IDC's Personal Computing and PC Tracker Programs. “While recycling of electronics is an important component of IT hardware disposal, there is also a huge potential for refurbished and redeployed electronics, markets that companies such as TechTurn are addressing.”

TechTurn has also made available two new white papers that offer fresh perspectives on the following critical industry topics: data destruction and the problem with storage. These white papers and more information can be found on the company’s Web site: www.techturn.com.

In August of 2006, TechTurn received a $50 million infusion of growth capital from private equity firm Catterton Partners. The company’s rebranding and market expansion efforts are the latest initiatives that leverage this investment.

About TechTurn TechTurn is the trusted industry leader for technology recovery, refurbishing and remarketing. Through its world-class facilities and processes, TechTurn provides the foundation for sustainable technology, providing companies with an economically smart, environmentally friendly and risk-free method for the recycling and reselling of used technology. Since 1999, TechTurn has been the preferred take-back partner for 300 of the Fortune 500 and the top four computer manufacturers. These leading organizations provide TechTurn with a non-stop supply of high-quality, high-value technology systems and components that, after testing and certification, are remarketed to customers worldwide. By extending the life of these products, TechTurn is able to enrich the lives of millions of people worldwide while also helping to significantly reduce the amount of e-waste that is filling landfills and polluting the environment. For more information, visit www.techturn.com.

[headlines]

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

News Briefs----

Registration accepted at the door for ELFA F.I. Meeting Monday

Arlington, VA——The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) announced they will accept registration at the door to the ELFA Financial Insitutions meeting. Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President and CEO, Richard W. Fisher will present the keynote address at the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Financial Institutions Conference at the Four Seasons Las Colinas Resort & Club in Dallas in Ballroom BCD on Monday, April 16 at approximately 8:45 a.m. CT. Richard Fisher will share his views on fiscal issues and the impact they have on the economy.

In making the announcement, ELFA President Kenneth E. Bentsen Jr. said, “Richard Fisher is an exceptionally talented policymaker and an accomplished business leader who is highly regarded among peers and we are honored to have him keynote our meeting. ELFA members are responsible for financing a substantial portion of business investment both domestically and abroad and Richard Fisher brings a respected and important perspective regarding the direction and trends in the nation’s and the global economy,” said Bentsen.

http://www.leasingnews.org/photos/Fisher.jpg
Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President and CEO Richard W. Fisher:

His biography is available at:
http://dallasfed.org/news/bios/fisher.html

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

AIG Commercial Equipment Finance names Matt Franklin
Vice President- New Business Development

AIG Commercial Equipment Finance, Inc. (AIGCEF) is pleased to announce that Matt Franklin has joined the company as Vice President- New Business Development reporting to Kirk Phillips, Senior Vice President.

Mr. Franklin comes to AIGCEF with over fifteen years experience in the financial services industry. Most recently he was at Synovus Financial Corporation. Prior experience includes positions with The CIT Group, Transamerica Equipment Finance, and GE Corporation. Matt graduated from Southern Methodist University where he majored in Finance.

Mr. Franklin will be responsible for the direct origination of middle market and upper middle market loan and lease transactions with clients located in the southeast and gulf coast regions of the United States.

Matt is based in Atlanta, Georgia and can be reached at 678-772-4383 or at matt.franklin@aig.com.

AIG Commercial Equipment Finance, Inc. (AIG CEF) is an equipment lease and finance subsidiary company of American International Group, Inc. (AIG). AIG CEF actively seeks middle and upper-middle market transactions and has platforms specializing in the general equipment, tax exempt, franchise, health care and rail markets, building long-term relationships with our business partners. More information on AIGCEF can be found at www.AIGCEF.com

American International Group, Inc. (AIG), world leaders in insurance and financial services, is the leading international insurance organization with operations in more than 130 countries and jurisdictions. AIG companies serve commercial, institutional and individual customers through the most extensive worldwide property-casualty and life insurance networks of any insurer.

In addition, AIG companies are leading providers of retirement services, financial services and asset management around the world. AIG's common stock is listed in the U.S. on the New York Stock Exchange and ArcaEx, as well as the stock exchanges in London, Paris, Switzerland and Tokyo.

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

De Lage Landen Promotes Eileen Schoonmaker to U.S. Chief Operating
Officer and Country Service Manager

De Lage Landen Financial Services, a global provider of high-quality asset-based financing products to manufacturers and distributors of capital goods, announced today that Eileen Schoonmaker has been promoted to U.S. Chief Operating Officer and Country Service Manager.

WAYNE, Pa.,—De Lage Landen Financial Services, a global provider of high-quality asset-based financing products to manufacturers and distributors of capital goods, announced today that Eileen Schoonmaker has been promoted to U.S. Chief Operating Officer and Country Service Manager. In her new role, Schoonmaker is responsible for all operational and administration functions supporting De Lage Landen’s U.S.-based business units. She previously served as Senior Vice President, Operations.

Schoonmaker has more than 20 years of experience in the leasing industry and has held positions at CIT, Newcourt and AT&T Capital. She resides in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, with her husband and three children.

About De Lage Landen De Lage Landen is a Netherlands -based global provider of high-quality asset finance and vendor finance programs. The global offering also includes an array of commercial finance solutions. With a presence in more than 25 countries throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific, the company focuses on the following industries: Food & Agriculture, Healthcare, Office Equipment, Information Technology, Telecommunications, Financial Institutions, Trucks & Trailers, Public Finance and Materials Handling & Construction Equipment. In its domestic market, the company offers Equipment Leasing, Car & Commercial Vehicle Leasing, ICT Leasing, Consumer Finance and Factoring through local Rabobanks but also directly to the market.

Since 2006 Athlon Carlease has been part of De Lage Landen Group. Athlon Carlease is an international provider of operational car leasing, active in six European countries. Since January 2007, De Lage Landen serves as competence center for the Rabobank Group for all consumer finance activities on the Dutch market.

De Lage Landen is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dutch Rabobank Group, which is Triple-A rated by Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s. In 2006 De Lage Landen grew its net profit to €206 million ($259 million) and its lease portfolio to €18.9 billion ($24.9 billion)
For more information, please visit our website: www.delagelanden.com

[headlines]

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

Feds may raise rates
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/04/12/
fed_rate_hikes_may_be_needed/

Jobless claims hit highest level in two months
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2007-04-12-jobless-claims-rise_N.htm

World Bank Chief apologies: $193,500 job for girl friend
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/world/12cnd-wolfowitz.html?hp

Pressure grows on Wolfowitz to resign
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/ee84cc80-e91e-11db-a162-000b5df10621.html

$1 Billion Pledged to Help Fend Off Foreclosures
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/11/
AR2007041102200.html

Tons of Food Spoiled As FEMA Ran Out Of Storage Space
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/
AR2007041202411.html

Google's challenge: Prevent the exodus
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/
2003663044_googledrain12.html

Bay Area home prices bouncing back
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/12/BAG1JP7HOT5.DTL

Taking wireless to the WiMax
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0704120003apr12,0,4719450.story?
coll=chi-bizfront-hed

Mexico's Slim, No. 2 in Fat City
Telephone Tycoon Rises Into Gates's Shadow
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/
AR2007041202190.html

CBS signs with Internet TV Joost
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/
04-12-2007/0004564461&EDATE=

Imus: Flying Solo Past the Point of No Return
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/business/media/13carr.html?_r=
1&ref=business&oref=slogin

[headlines]

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You May have Missed---

PC World: The 50 Best Tech Products of all time
http://www.leasingnews.org/Pages/50Best.htm

[headlines]

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Sports Briefs----

After 14 years, Bledsoe retires
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/04/12/
after_14_years_bledsoe_retires/

No Randy at camp, problem
http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog/2007/04/10/no-randy-problem/

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California Nuts Briefs---

Governor calls on U.S. to enter into international emissions pact
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/153940.html

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“Gimme that Wine”

To Study Wine, Buy and Drink—Eric Asimov
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/dining/11pour.html?ref=dining

Wine Train battle back in court
http://www.sthelenastar.com/articles/2007/04/12/news/local/
doc461dd106c7ec3701893330.txt

Sterling Release Will Benefit Land Trust
http://winesandvines.com/head_apr07_sterling.html

Italian wine family, WA company joins in new winery
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com:80/local/6420AP_WA_Winery_Opening.html

Rolland leaves negociant system, starts own company
http://www.decanter.com/news/115408.html

ASBC Holds 2007 Scientific Symposium in Sonoma
http://www.winebusiness.com/news/DailyNewsArticle.cfm?dataid=47465

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/

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Calendar Events This Day

Blame Someone Else Day
To share the responsibility and the guilt for the mess we’re in. Blame someone else!

Friday the Thirteen.
The next Friday the 13th will be in July, and then none until the follow June, 2008.
Myth of Friday the Thirteenth
http://www.crystalinks.com/friday13th.html

India: Vaisakhi
Sikh holiday that commemorates the founding of the brotherhood of the Khalsa in 1699. A large fair is held at the Golden Temple at Amritsar, the central shrine of Sikhism. While the date may vary in different parts of India, this holiday always falls in April or May.

International Plant Appreciation Day
Imagine a world without plants. No coffee, no cereal. No roses, no trees. www.plantea.com

National Peach Cobbler Day
http://homeschooling.about.com/library/blapr13a.htm

Sri Lanka: Sinhala and Tamil New Year
This New Year festival includes traditional games, the wearing of new clothes in auspicious colors and special foods. Public holiday.

Thailand: Songkran Festival
Public holiday. Thai New Year Festival ( also known as the “Water Festival”). To welcome the new year the image of Buddha is bathed with holy or fragrant water an industrial water is sprinkled on celebrants. Joyous event, especially observed at Buddhist temples.

Thomas Jefferson Day.
A holiday in Alabama and Oklahoma. Birthday of 3rd president of the United States.

Saint Feast Days

• Pope Saint Martin I
• St. Caradoc
• St. Carpus
• Bl. Edward Catheriek
• St. Gunioc
• St. Hermengild
• Bl. John Lockwood
• St. Martius
• St. Maximus

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

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Great Falls, Montana, is the windiest city in the U.S.

Wrong. Number 18.

According to a list produced by the US National Climatic Data Center of the 10 windiest cities in the USA, Dodge City, Kansas is the windiest city: 14.0 mph (22.5 km/h).

The two windiest places with meteorological records in the contiguous United States are:
Mt Washington Observatory in New Hampshire -- 35.1 mph (56.3 km/h) and Blue Hill Observatory in Massachusetts 15.3 mph (24.6 km/h)
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/whys/chicago.htm
http://www.thingstodo.com/states/KS/facts.htm

While Blue Hill is the windiest, it is not a city, although gets on some lists as being the windiest place in the United States. Here are more weather records:
http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/usrecords.htm

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Today's Top Event in History

1947-- Bernard Baruch coins the term "Cold War:" Multimillionaire and financier Bernard Baruch, in a speech given during the unveiling of his portrait in the South Carolina House of Representatives, describing relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, says: "Let us not be deceived — we are today in the midst of a cold war.".
He called for longer workweeks, no-strike pledges from unions, and no-layoff pledges from management. It was imperative that US business and industry pull itself together, Baruch warned. "Let us not be deceived-we are today in the midst of a cold war. Our enemies are to be found abroad and at home. Let us never forget this: Our unrest is the heart of their success. The peace of the world is the hope and the goal of our political system; it is the despair and defeat of those who stand against us. We can depend only on ourselves."
The phrase stuck, and for over 40 years it was a mainstay in the language of American diplomacy. Baruch had served as an advisor to presidents on economic and foreign policy issues since the days of Woodrow Wilson. In 1919, he was one of the US advisers at the Paris Peace Conference that ended World War I. During the 1930s, he frequently advised Franklin D. Roosevelt and members of Congress on international finance and issues of neutrality. After World War II, he remained a trusted adviser to the new administration of Harry S. Truman.

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This Day in American History

billboard, composer, san francisco

    1787 - The Contrast, by Robert Tyler, became the first professional United States play to be presented on the stage.
    1813-the first federal government mandated of factory standardization was made with a contract specifying interchangeable parts. The contract was with Colonel Simeon North of Berlin, CT. The contract was for 20,000 pistols at $7 each to be produced within five years. It stipulate that the “component parts of the pistols are to correspond so exactly that any limb or part of one pistol may be fitted to any other pistol of the 20,000”. Colonel North established his pistol factory in 1810 in Saddle Hill, a suburb of Middletown. The factory produced about 10,000 pistols a year.
    1818 --The US Senate ratified the Rush-Bagot amendment to form an unarmed US-Canada border.
    1849 - a severe freeze from Georgia to Texas killed cotton -- snow lay on the ground at Charleston, South Carolina.
    1851 – Famous lighthouse storm occurred in New England. Massive tidal flooding with storm force winds. Gigantic waves destroyed Minot Light at Cohasset, Massachusetts with two keepers lost. Great shipping losses and coastal erosion occurred..”
    1861- President Abraham Lincoln made a call for volunteers to serve three months, the day after the surrender of Fort Sumter, South Carolina. His call was for 75,000 volunteers. The first regiment to respond to the call was the Ringgold Light Artillery of Reading ,PA, known as the "First Defenders," commanded by Dr. John Keys. Their first engagement took place on September 24,1861, at Hanging Rocks, West Virginia. When men were not volunteering, a draft was called with a fee if you did not join. More than one hundred thousand soldiers were hired to fight for the North. Many of these were immigrants, expressly brought over, says Shelby Foote,” by companies newly formed to supply the demand.”. More than eighty-five thousand Americans who were drafted in the war got out of going by paying a $300 commutation fee. Among these were banker J.P. Morgan and Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., father of President Theodore Roosevelt. So many young men with means remained civilians that northern universities were able to enroll about as many students from the North during the war as they had before when students came also from the South. No doubt the people who stayed home later suffered guilt feelings, but the fact is they did stay home. And more than two hundred thousand Americans who joined the Union Army subsequently deserted.( Sherby Foote, The Civil War: A Narrative(1863).
    1863- Congress abolished slavery in the District of Columbia. One million dollars was appropriated to compensate owners of freed slaves, and $100,000 was set aside to pay district slaves who wished to emigrate to Haiti, Liberia or any other country outside the US. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr16.html
    1865-Birthday of Grace Livingston Hill - U.S. author. She published more than 78 novels from 1887 to 1947 that sold more than four million copies. Almost all of the books use a girl protagonist, usually in a rural environment, who faces a series of moral and physical challenges and solves them with great moral fortitude and certainty. They are being reprinted today.
    1868 - In the United States, the Senate voted on one count in the impeachment proceedings of President Andrew Johnson. The vote fell one short of the two-thirds majority needed to take action. On May 26, further charges similarly failed and he was acquitted.
    1867-Birthday of Wilbur Wrigh, born at Milville, IN, aviation pioneer. Died at Dayton, OH,
May 30, 1912.
    1869-the first Consul who was African-American was Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett, consul general to Haiti, where he served from this date until November 27,1877.
    1880 - A tornado near Marshall, MO, carried the heavy timbers of an entire home a distance of twelve miles.
    1889-Birthday of Charles Spencer Chaplin, better known as “Charlie Chaplin,” famed film comedian, who portrayed “The Little Tramp,”
born in London, England. Film debut in 1914. Knighted in 1975. Died at Vevey, Switzerland, Dec. 25,1977. In his autobiography Chaplin wrote: “There are more valid facts and details in works for art than there are in history books.”
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~pringle/silent/chaplin/filmography.html
    1900 - The first book of postage stamps was issued, selling two-cent stamps in books of 12, 24 and 48 stamps.
    1905 - An endowment for a college teachers’ pension fund was established by Andrew Carnegie, who donated $10,000,000 of personal money to create the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
    1900-Birthday of Polly Adler - Russian-born American operator of the most famous New York house of prostitution. After having been raped while working as mill girl in a Brooklyn factory, she had an illegal abortion from the resultance pregnancy. She then abandoned her orthodox Jewish life and sought the bright lights of show business. Almost accidentally she began procuring women for gangster friends to avoid poverty. She vowed "to be the best goddamn madam in America." With a combination of panache, publicity, and bribery she did so, hosting the sensual pleasures of government officials, actors, business tycoons, and gangsters for several decades. Arrested a number of times, she served only 24 days in jail (her male clients none) from 1924 to 1943 when she retired and moved to Los Angeles. Even "reformer" Thomas Dewey, the New York city district attorney who parlayed crime into a bid for the presidency was unable to close her down. Her autobiography A House is Not a Home (1952) was an international best seller translated into most languages and it was made into a movie.
    1905-birthday of Memphis “Piano” Red, Germantown, TN
    1908-The first Oakland car is sold to a private owner. The Oakland Car Company was the creation of Edward Murphy, the founder of the Pontiac Buggy Company. Murphy was one of the most respected designers in the carriage industry. He decided to enter the car business, and invited Alanson Brush, the designer of the Brush Runabout, to join him. Brush had been a chief engineer at Cadillac; his contract with Cadillac included a no-competition clause that had just ended when he met Murphy. Anxious to get back into the design race, Brush built a car for Murphy that was ready in 1908. Oakland ran independently for less than a year before it was purchased by William C. Durant and absorbed into Durant's holding company, General Motors. Durant's purchase of Oakland is often regarded as mysterious, considering the company had enjoyed little success and had produced less than a thousand cars at the time Durant purchased it. Often accused on "intuitive" business practices, Durant claimed that his purchase of Oakland, while exhausting his cash flow, provided GM with a more impressive portfolio on which to base their stock interest. Nevertheless his decision to purchase Oakland, later called Pontiac, forced Durant out of control of GM.
    1908- Utah. Natural Bridges National Monument was established http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/natural_bridges/national_monument.html
    1911-birthday of pianist Alton Purnell, New Orleans, LA http://www.interstatecd.com/bio/biopage.P+++++9465.html
    1919-birthday of Merce Cunningham, dancer, choreographer, born Centralia, WA. http://www.merce.org/
    1919--Birthday of American composer Arthur St Germaine
    1924—Birthday of Henry Mancini, born at Cleveland, OH. Mancini made his mark in Hollywood composing film scores and songs. He was a perennial winner at the Oscar and Grammy award ceremonies during the 1960's and '70s, and in fact has won more of both than any other pop artist. He won 20 Grammy Awards and four Oscar. Mancini wrote "Moon River," song of the year in 1961, and "Days of Wine and Roses," which won the same award two years later. score for “Breakfast at Tiffany’s Mancini's "Music From Peter Gunn" was album of the year in 1958. And his recording of "Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet," on which he played piano, was a million-seller in 1969. Also film score for ‘Victor/Victoria. He also composed the pink Panther, and Mr. Lucky. Henry Mancini died of cancer in Beverly Hills, California, on June 14th, 1994.
    1929 - The first Oscar awards by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were presented during a quiet dinner-and-ceremony presentation in Los Angeles. The first Academy Awards went to actress Janet Gaynor and actor Emil Jannings. The best film was "Wings."
The 1927–1928 Academy Awards were presented May 16, 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood, Calif. The awards were named Oscars in 1931. The root of the name "Oscar" is contested. One biography of Bette Davis claims that she named the Oscar after her first husband, bandleader Harmon Oscar Nelson. Another claimed origin is that of the Academy’s Executive Secretary, Margaret Herrick, who first saw the award in 1931 and made reference of the statuette reminding her of her Uncle Oscar (Levy 2003). Columnist Sidney Skolsky was present during Herrick’s naming and seized the name in his byline, "Employees have affectionately dubbed their famous statuette 'Oscar'" Both Oscar and Academy Award are registered trademarks of the Academy, fiercely protected through litigation and threats thereof. Since 1950, the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for $1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards not protected by this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums.This rule is highly controversial, since it implies that the winner doesn't own the award. The case of Michael Todd's grandson trying to sell Todd's Oscar statuette illustrates that there are many who do not agree with this idea. When Todd's grandson attempted to sell Todd's Oscar statuette to a movie prop collector, the Academy won the legal battle by getting a permanent injunction. Although some Oscar sales transactions have been successful, the buyers have subsequently returned the statuettes to the Academy, which keeps them in its treasury.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0147914.html
    1929- birthday of vocalist Ed Townsend, Fayetteville, TN
http://home.earthlink.net/~drbeetle/OurHistory.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000008V0/ref=ase_avsearch-musicasin-20/
002-9883931-7701629
    1929- '50s pop and rhythm-and-blues singer Roy Hamilton was born in Cleveland. Audiences regularly stormed the stage when he performed his hits, such as "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Unchained Melody," which was the top r'n'b song of 1955. Hamilton died of a heart attack on July 20th, 1969.
    1929- The Yankees become first team to wear numbers on uniforms.
    1930—Jazz flutist Herbie Mann birthday
http://www.herbiemannmusic.com/
http://www.jimnewsom.com/HerbieMann.html
    1931-Birthday of singer, actress Edie Adams, born Elizabether Edith Enke at Kingston, PA. Perhaps best known as the wife of the late great comedian and early television star Ernie Kovaks.
    1935-birthdy of singer Bobby Vinton, Canonsburg, PA.
http://www.bobbyvinton.com/
    1933 - Franklin Falls, New Hampshire was buried under 35 inches of snow.
    1935 - The radio comedy program, Fibber McGee and Molly, starring Jim and Marian Jordan, premiered on the NBC Blue Network.
    1937 - One of Stan Laurel's and Oliver Hardy's best features, Way Out West, opened in theaters. Critics liked it, saying the film moved well, and the comic duo performed a charming soft-shoe dance. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Film Score.
    1935- On snowy day and near freezing day as the band plays Jingle Bells at Boston's Braves Field, Babe Ruth makes his National league debut as he homers and singles off Giants' legend Carl Hubbell. Although the Braves beat New York,4-2, the team will go on to win only 37 more games this season.
    1937-birthday of vocalist Artie “Blues Boy” White, Vicksburg, MS http://www.interstatecd.com/bio/biopage.P++++++573.html
    1938-Gene Krupa’s first big band debuts at Steel Pier, Atlantic City.
    1939-- Dusty Springfield, Britain's leading female vocalist in the mid-1960's, was born in London. Her real name is Mary Isobel Catherine O'Brien. She took her stage name from a folk group called the Springfields, which she formed with her brother Tom. After the Springfields broke up in 1963, Dusty had a successful solo career, with such hits as "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and "Wishin' and Hopin'." She also sang the original theme song for "The Six-Million-Dollar Man," but the song was later dropped from the television series.
In 1987, Springfield combined with the Pet Shop Boys for a top-ten hit, "What Have I Done To Deserve This?". The Pet Shop Boys later co-wrote and produced tracks for her 1990 album 'Reputation' - which included the PSB penned hits 'In Private' and 'Nothing Has Been Proved'. 'Nothing Has Been Proved' was also included in the Bridget Fonda film, 'Scandal'.
    1940 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``In the Mood,'' Glenn Miller Orchestra. The recording receives a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1938.
    1940- WGN-TV in Chicago televised a baseball game for the first time. Jack Brickhouse did the play-by-play as the White Sox defeated the Cubs, 4-1, in an exhibition game at Wrigley Field.
    1940--the first major league no-hitter baseball game on opening day; Bob Feller of the American League Cleveland Indians retired 15 men in a row from the fourth inning to the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox.
    1940- On Opening Day, Franklin D. Roosevelt's errant ceremonial first pitch smashes a Washington Post camera. The Chief Executive is not charged with a wild pitch as Red Sox hurler Lefty Grove blanks the Senators, 1-0.
    1940 - Bob Feller earned the first no-hit, no-run game thrown on an opening day of the baseball season, when the Cleveland Indians shut out the Chicago White Sox 1-0.
    1941 - German troops entered Sarajevo and the city's main synagogue was destroyed.
    1943-- Hallucinogenic effects of LSD discovered in Basel, Switzerland, Albert Hoffman, a Swiss chemist working at the Sandoz pharmaceutical research laboratory, accidentally consumed LSD-25, a synthetic drug he had created in 1938 as part of his research into the medicinal value of lysergic acid compounds. After taking the drug, formally known as lysergic acid diethylamide, Dr. Hoffman was disturbed by unusual sensations and hallucinations.
Widespread use of the so-called "mind-expanding" drug did not begin until the 1960s, when counter-culture figures such as Albert M. Hubbard, Timothy Leary, and Ken Kesey publicly expounded on the benefits of using LSD as a recreational drug. The manufacture, sale, possession, and use of LSD, known to cause negative reactions in many of those who take it, was eventually made illegal across the United States.
    1944 -- The destroyer USS Laffey survives horrific damage from attacks by 22 Kamikazee Japanese aircraft off Okinawa.
    1944 - an F4 tornado tracked 40 miles through Franklin, Hart, and Elbert counties in Georgia and through Anderson and Abbeville counties in South Carolina. 25 were killed and 120 were injured. Damage totaled $1 million.
    1945 - Troops of the United States 7th Army entered the German city of Nuremberg.
    1946 - The musical, Annie Get Your Gun, featuring songs by Irving Berlin and starring Ethel Merman, debuted on Broadway.
    1947-birthday of Lewis Ferdinand Alcindor,Jr., who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, great basketball play and Hall of Fame center, born New York, NY.
    1947—Considered the worst industrial disaster in US history. The French-owned Grandcamp, docked at the oil and port town of Texas city, TX, and carrying a load of ammonium nitrate, was discovered to have a smoldering fire in her hold. At 9:12am, as onlookers gathered and a small firefighting team attempted to extinguish the blaze, the ship exploded with tremendous force, immediately killing everyone at the dock area. The resulting fires destroyed the nearby Monsanto Chemical Company and spread through oil pipelines into the city. At 1:00am, another ship, the High Flyer, exploded. The city was left defenseless due to the deaths of almost the entire fire department. there were 576 known casualties, but the most estimate tat at least 100 more died in the conflagrations. Thousands were injured. The fires burned for a week. The disaster prompted new regulations on handling chemicals. With thousands of lawsuits the US Congress passed a special act to settle claims in 1956.
    1947-- Bernard Baruch coins the term "Cold War:" Multimillionaire and financier Bernard Baruch, in a speech given during the unveiling of his portrait in the South Carolina House of Representatives, describing relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, says: "Let us not be deceived — we are today in the midst of a cold war.".
He called for longer workweeks, no-strike pledges from unions, and no-layoff pledges from management. It was imperative that US business and industry pull itself together, Baruch warned. "Let us not be deceived-we are today in the midst of a cold war. Our enemies are to be found abroad and at home. Let us never forget this: Our unrest is the heart of their success. The peace of the world is the hope and the goal of our political system; it is the despair and defeat of those who stand against us. We can depend only on ourselves."
The phrase stuck, and for over 40 years it was a mainstay in the language of American diplomacy. Baruch had served as an advisor to presidents on economic and foreign policy issues since the days of Woodrow Wilson. In 1919, he was one of the US advisers at the Paris Peace Conference that ended World War I. During the 1930s, he frequently advised Franklin D. Roosevelt and members of Congress on international finance and issues of neutrality. After World War II, he remained a trusted adviser to the new administration of Harry S. Truman.
    1947 - Zoomar a device that create close-up and long distance camera shots from a stationary camera a lens, was demonstrated by NBC-TV in New York City. The lens would later be scaled down to be used by regular photographers, and not just for television. Today there are many kinds of close-up/long distance lenses, including the zoom lens which was named after the original Zoomar.
    1948 -The future super station WGN-TV televises a baseball game for the first time. With Jack Brickhouse doing the play-by-play, the White Sox beat the Cubs 4-1 in the first game of the Windy City Classic played at Wrigley Field.
    1949--Birthday of American composer Robert E. Cucinotta
    1951 - Peabo Bryson is born in Greenville, S.C. He scores several top 10 hits on Billboard's R&B and Soul charts, the biggest of which is the No. 2 song ``I'm So into You,'' a 1978 release by Michael Zager's Moon Band featuring Peabo Bryson. Bryson's biggest pop hit is the top 10 song ``If Ever You're in My Arms Again'' in 1984.
    1953 - Bill Haley and His Comets made it to the "Billboard" music charts for the first time with "Crazy Man Crazy". The tune went to number six and became the first rock ’n’ roll record to make the pop music chart.
    1953 - Titanic, starring Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Wagner, and Thelma Ritter, opened in United States theaters. Filmed in black and white, this gripping film about the sinking of the mighty ship Titanic won an Oscar for Best Script for producer Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch, and Richard Breen.
    1957 - Polly Bergen starred in "The Helen Morgan Story" in CBS television's presentation of "Playhouse 90".
    1956-CBS unveiled the first national rock & roll show, ABC airs its own: "Rhythm on Parade," which is broadcast live from the Flam Show Bar in Detroit.
    1957 - For the first time, television showed an annual stockholders’ meeting. Shareholders of the American Machine and Foundry Company (AMF) watched TV screens in New York City and Chicago, Illinois.
    1960 - A research study reported that TV commercials “in living color” were over three times more effective than black and white commercials.
    1962---Top Hits
Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Slow Twistin’ - Chubby Checker
She’s Got You - Patsy Cline
    1964- The Mets new home, Shea Stadium, is christened with Dodgers' Holy Water from the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn and Giants' Holy Water from the Harlem River at the location where it flowed passed the Polo Grounds.
    1965--the Hollies began their first US tour at the Brooklyn Paramount in New York. It wasn't until the following year that the group cracked the US top ten with "Bus Stop." The English group has had only one very minor hit in America, their Hot 100 cover of Doris Troy's "Just One Look."
    1965-Birthday of Latin American rapper Gerardo, whose full name is Gerardo Mejia the Third.
    1965 -- Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" is released.
    1968 - Baseball’s longest night game came to a close after 24 innings. The game, won by the Houston Astros, took six hours, six minutes to play.
    1970---Top Hits
Let It Be - The Beatles
ABC - The Jackson 5
Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
    1971-Firthday of famed Lejana singer, Selena, born Selena Quintanilla at Lake Jackson, TX. Died March 31,1995 at Corpus Chrisit,TX, murdered by the president of her fan club.
    1972-Apollo 16: Astronauts John W. Young, Charles M. Duke, Jr and Thomas K. Mattingly II (command module pilot) began an 11-day mission that included 71-hour exploration of moon (Apr 20-23). Landing module (LM) named Orion. Splashdown in Pacific Ocean within a mile of target, Apr 27.
    1972 --US resumes bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong after 4 years. In an effort to help blunt the ongoing North Vietnamese Nguyen Hue Offensive, the United States resumes bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong after a four-year lull. In the first use of B-52s against both Hanoi and Haiphong, and the first attacks against both cities since November 1968, 18 B-52s and about 100 US Navy and Air Force fighter-bombers struck supply dumps near Haiphong's harbor. Sixty fighter-bombers hit petroleum storage facilities near Hanoi, with another wave of planes striking later in the afternoon.
    1972- The orchestral rock ensemble known as the Electric Light Orchestra played its first live show at the Reading (RED'-DING) Festival in England. Their debut album, released in 1971, featured guest soloists from the London Symphony Orchestra.
    1973 - Ex-Beatle, Paul McCartney, with the group, Wings, starred in his first television special, "James Paul McCartney". The show featured the new group, which included Paul’s wife, Linda on keyboards and backing vocals.
    1975 - A single storm brought 119 inches of snow to Crater Lake, Oregon, establishing a state record.
    1977-Stevie Wonder enters the soul chart with what will be another of his many Number One hits. "Sir Duke" is a tribute to Duke Ellington which will top the charts next month.
    1977-Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" is released
    1977 -- The ban on women attending West Point is lifted.
    1978 - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Forsch tossed a no-hitter, downing the Phillies 5-0. A year later, his brother, Ken, would repeat the feat with the Houston Astros, making them the first brothers to pitch major league no-hitters. Bob tossed a second no-hitter in September, 1983, setting a record for Cardinal pitchers.
    1978—Top Hits
Night Fever - Bee Gees
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
Someone Loves You Honey - Charley Pride
    1978-at the first US power-lifting championships held in Nasua, NH, Jan Todd, a teacher from Nova Scotia, broke her own world record with a dead lift of 453 ¼ pounds. Cindy Reinhoudt won the award for best lifter after squatting 385 pounds, bench pressing 205 pounds and dead-lifting 385 pounds for a 975-pound total.
    1979-the first Coast Guard ship commander who was a woman was Lieutenant(j.g.) Beverly Gwin Kelley, who was appointed to command the 95-foot cutter Cape Newagen, with a crew of 14, based in Maalaea, Maui, HI. Her assignment included search missions, boating safety, antipollution patrols, and law enforcement.
    1979-Gloria Gaynor earns a platinum 45 for her hits "I Will Survive." It's the biggest hit of her career and a Number One record for three weeks in March. 1981 - Bette Davis Eyes, by Kim Carnes, rocketed to the Number 1 spot on Billboard's record charts on this date, and remained there for 9 weeks. Carnes received a personal thank-you letter for the song from actress Bette Davis, saying that it had impressed her young grandson.
    1982 - Queen Elizabeth proclaimed Canada's new constitution, severing the last colonial links with Britain.
    1985 - Mickey Mantle, banned for several years from baseball, was reinstated. His first act was to throw the first pitch at a home game in New York between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. Mantle was given a standing ovation.
    1986---Top Hits
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
Manic Monday - Bangles
She and I – Alabama
    1987 - A slow moving storm system produced heavy rain over North Carolina and the Middle Atlantic Coast States. More than six inches of rain drenched parts of Virginia, and flooding in Virginia claimed three lives. Floodwaters along the James River inundated parts of Richmond VA. 1987 - It was a grand day in New York Harbor. "Bobro 400", a huge barge, set sail within eyesight of the Statue of Liberty with 3,200 tons of garbage that nobody wanted. The floating trash heap soon became America’s most well-traveled garbage can as it began an eight-week, 6,000 mile odyssey in search of a willing dumping site. "Bobro 400" returned to New York Harbor after the lengthy journey - and brought all that garbage back with it!
    1987-twist king Chubby Checker, jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and conductor Leopold Stokowski were among the first ten inductees of the Philadelphia Music Foundation Hall of Fame. The others honored for making their mark on music in Philadelphia were singers Pearl Bailey, Mario Lanza and Bobby Rydell, jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, rock 'n' roll pioneer Bill Haley and blues singer Bessie Smith.
    1990 - Thunderstorms developing along a stationary front produced large hail and damaging winds across Oklahoma, with 99 reports of large hail and damaging winds during the evening and early nighttime hours. Thunderstorms produced baseball size hail south of Carney, and wind gusts to 100 mph in the Oklahoma City area which swept away many Federal tax returns being transported from a mail cart to a waiting truck about the time of the midnight deadline. Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City reported a record wind gust of 92 mph.
    1991 - Queen Elizabeth, on a tour of the United States, became the first monarch to address Congress.
    1993 - The quirky film Benny and Joon, starring Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn, and Julianne Moore, opened across the country. Depp received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
    1995 - The European Union and Canada ended a bitter dispute over fishing rights in the north Atlantic with a deal both sides said would protect threatened fish stocks.
    1996-the Chicago Bulls became the first NBA team to win 80 games in the regular season by defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, 86-90. After this game, Chicago’s record stood at 70-9. The Bulls finished the year at 72-10 and won their fourth NBA title in six years.
    1989 - Madonna's hit single Like a Prayer was certified platinum.
    1996 --France Telecom starts Web service. France Telecom unveils a new consumer Internet service, Wanadoo, designed to bring the Internet to a mass audience. Some fourteen million French customers already used the Minitel, a national online system introduced in 1984, which allowed customers to view train schedules, book tickets, and perform other transactions. The company said it would work with Microsoft to develop the network but would distribute both Netscape and Microsoft Internet browsers. France Telecom hoped to avoid cannibalizing its Minitel online service by building Minitel access into Wanadoo. Contrary to popular belief, over 20 countries have a better internet system with a higher percentage of users, including a very high percentage of users with high speed capabilities.
    1997 -Extending their losing streak to 12 with a 4-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies, Cubs set the record for worst start in league history surpassing the overall NL record of 0-11 established by the Detroit Wolverines 1884.
    1998-- Pentagon computers found vulnerable to hackers. he Pentagon announces that a team of ethical hackers discovered security flaws in Defense Department computers. After two weeks of hacking, the security team accessed a US electric power grid that would let the hackers shut down power across the country. The previous February, the Pentagon's unclassified computers had been hit with an organized hack attack targeting personnel records. The Pentagon said it planned to spend about $1 billion a year for several years to improve its computer security.
    1998 --Apple outpaces profit expectations. Apple bounced back from two years of losses: Quarterly reports, released on 16 April 1998, showed that Apple exceeded analysts' profit expectations for the second straight quarter. For the first time in two years, Macintosh shipments began to increase. Apple's recovery would continue with the introduction of the popular iMac the following May.
    1999 - VH1 debuts an Internet radio station, VH1 atWork, with the exclusive live webcast of the "Divas Live" concert. The 24-hour service at www.vh1.com and America Online (keyword: VH1) is the first major branded audio service from MTV Networks.
    2001--- First Union Corp., the 6th largest US bank, announces that it is buying competitor Wachovia Corp. for $13.4 billion in stock, to make under the Wachovia name the 4th biggest US banking company, with $324 billion in assets, trailing only Citigroup Inc., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America. Analysts doubt that the two disparate corporate cultures of Wachovia and First Union can merge efficiently.
    2005 - Switchfoot, the Crabb Family and Casting Crowns are the big winners at the 36th annual Gospel Music Assn. Dove Awards, held at Nashville's Grand Ole OpryHouse. Switchfoot is named artist of the year and wins honors for rock contemporary song and shortform video for "Dare You to Move."

Stanley Cup Champions This Date

    1939—Boston Bruins
    1949 Toronto Maple Leafs
    1953 Montreal Canadiens
    1954 Detroit Red Wings
    1957 Montreal Canadiens
    1961 Chicago Blackhawks.

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