U.S. Business Borrowing for Equipment
Was Up 15% in July from Year Earlier, According to ELFA

(Chart: Leasing News)

While the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association noted U.S. Companies leasing and finance rose 15% in July from a year earlier, it noted business fell 5% from the previous month according to a Reuters report.

ELFA Chief Executive Officer Ralph Petta said that despite "early warning signs" of an economic downturn, loan origination activity has been strong mid-summer.

"While credit quality in these portfolios is something to monitor carefully, business owners continue to invest in productive assets,"
he added.

It was noted credit approvals totaled 75.7%. down from 77.0% in June.

 

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Will Your Company be the Next Victim?
 A Disturbing New Trend in Fraud
By Bernie Boettigheimer, CLFP

The Equipment Finance industry is experiencing a new trend in fraud and it appears to have resulted from recent widespread data breaches. Lease Police has been contacted by several leasing companies who have been victimized and it's not because of shoddy credit work. Their highly qualified Credit Managers utilized their expertise and all of the tools they had at their disposal, but this scam still got by them. Will your Credit Department be next?

LeasePolice.com has done a great deal of forensic investigation into this scheme. With what we've learned we can share with you how it's played out.

Bad actors, presumably from foreign countries, are purchasing Social Security numbers and personal information compromised in recent data breaches. Rather than simply stealing a person's identity, they've designed a much more elaborate scheme. But we're on to them.

They're taking the information they've acquired and running it through a sort of filter that helps them to determine who on their list is a business owner. Or, more specifically, which individuals are equipment vendors.

Once they've chosen their target, they duplicate the website of the vendor changing only the mailing address, phone number and email address. They'll check incorporation status and pay past-due fees to ensure that the status is in Good Standing. They open a checking account in that company's name and they're ready for business.

This new 'vendor' will submit a phony application to leasing companies using the name and Social Security number of another stolen identity. All contact information leads back to them.  They'll obtain a throwaway email address (Gmail, Yahoo mail) and a non-traceable phone number (track phone, VoIP), both easily obtainable in this electronic age. A checking account will be opened in the name of the Applicant with the initial deposit being enough to pay a Security Deposit or first and last month's rental payments. A bogus Vendor invoice will be presented and everything will appear to be legitimate.

Due diligence performed by the leasing company will confirm that everything checks out. They've spoken to the Vendor and the Applicant. They've visited the Vendor's website and exchanged emails with both the Vendor and the Applicant. A check has been received for the initial payments. The Secretary of State has confirmed that corporation status is active and In Good Standing. What could possibly go wrong?

Several leasing companies and funding sources have shown us exactly what can go wrong. And the losses are adding up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more. Recourse is all but impossible because, as soon as the Vendor has been paid, all of the bogus players simply disappear. No Applicant, no Vendor and no equipment ever existed.

We've implemented proprietary initiatives to adapt to these schemes. Considering this new threat, we request that leasing companies and funding sources that have seen similar transactions contact us with their information so that we can beat these bad actors at their own game. All information received will be kept in the strictest confidence.

Bernie Boettigheimer CLFP
President
Lease Police, Inc.
24 Glenmeadow Pl.
Dallas, Texas 75225
www.leasepoliceplus.com 
214-549-3426

 

 

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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Shelby Chase was hired as Client Solutions Manager, Crossroads Equipment Leasing and Finance, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Previously, she was Equipment Finance Operations Support Manager, Hancock Whitney (January, 2018 - August, 2019); Assurance Senior, EY (September, 2015 - January, 2018); Staff Auditor, Postlethwaite & Netterville (March, 2013 - September, 2015); File  Clerk, Kanner & Whiteley (June, 2011 - January, 2014); File Clerk, Sessions, Fishman, Nathan & Israel (January, 2008 - August, 2009). Education: University of New Orleans. Master's Degree, Accounting (2013 -2014) GPA-4.0. Louisiana Tech University (2009 - 2013). GPA-4.0 https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelbyfranklin/

Jeff Holtshopple was hired as Vice President, Western Region Manager, First Midwest Equipment Finance. Co., Westmont, Illinois.  He is located in Orange, California. Previously he was Vice President, Regional Sales Manager, Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company Limited- SMFL, Orange County, California.  Previously, he was Territory Manager, Professional Referral Sources, Engs Commercial Finance Co. (June, 2017 - October, 2017); Region Vice President, Element Fleet Management (May, 2016 - June, 2017); VP, Western Region Sales, Equipment Leasing & Finance, Capital One Equipment Finance (September, 2013 – February, 2016); VP, Western Territory, Sovereign Santander Bank (May, 2013 – September, 2013); VP, Manager, Equipment Finance Group, Citizens Business Bank (September, 2006 – May, 2013); VP, Region Sales, Siemens Financial Services (April, 2004 – September, 2006); VP, Key Equipment Finance (February, 2001 – April, 2004); VP, Region Sales, Bank of America Leasing and Capital (January, 1999 – April, 2001); VP, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance (April, 1996 – January, 1999); Territory Manager S. California, GE Capital-Commercial Asset Funding (CAF) (May, 1991 – April, 1996). Education: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Bachelor’s Degree, Economics.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-holtshopple-bb74ab16/

Laura (Laura Brady) Messina was promoted to Collections Supervisor, CIT, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.   She joined the firm September, 2016, as Collections Advisor, Direct Capital, a Division of CIT Bank, N.A. Promoted February, 2018, Collections Team Lead.  Previously, she was Wage Garnishment Specialist, Delta Management Associates, Inc. (August, 2014 - September, 2016); Student Loan Collector, Windham Professionals (April, 2014 - August, 2014); Commercial Collector, The CCS Companies (October, 2011 - April, 2014); Shoe Sales, Macy's (August, 2010 - October, 2011).  Education: Spaulding High School, General Education (2007 - 2009).  Pinkerton Academy, General Education (2004 - 2006). https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-messina-66a48296/

Mike Peterson was hired as Director of Syndication, Crossroads Equipment Leasing and Finance, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Previously, he was at Onset Financial, starting February, 2015, Credit Risk & Syndication Manager; promoted January, 2019, Vice President of Credit & Syndication; Credit Risk & Syndication Manager, Mazuma Capital Corporation, which became a wholly owned Subsidiary of Onset Financial ) (April, 2009 - January, 2019); Underwriter, Zions Bank (January, 2006 - December, 2008); Credit Manager, Wells Fargo Financial (December, 2002 - November, 2004). Education: Brigham Young University. Bachelor of Arts (B.A), International and Asian Studies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepeterson2/

Rick Pierman was hired as Senior Vice President, Strategic Operations, Crestmark Equipment Finance, Troy, Michigan. Previously, he was Senior Vice President, Asset Management, Sterling National Bank (March, 2019 - July, 2019); Managing Director, Asset Management, WNB, Specialty Finance (July, 2016 - March, 2019); Vice President, Asset Management, TIP Capital, a Crestmark Bank Company (November, 2001 - July, 2016).  Education: Michigan State University. Bachelor's Degree, Accounting. 1995.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-pierman-87b821111/

Philip Robbins was hired as President, Asset Management & Capital Markets, CIT Bank, N.A., New York, New York. He will also serve on the company's Executive Management Committee. Previously, he was Managing Director and Portfolio Manager, Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (July, 2010 - July, 2019); Portfolio Manager, MFS Investment Management (September, 2004 - November, 2008); Analyst, ING Investment Management (June, 2002 - September, 2004); Principal, Cypress Tree Investment Management Company (September, 1996 - September, 2002); Associate, Eaton Vance (September, 1991 - September, 1996). Education: University of Massachusetts, Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Economics (1986 - 2001). Activities and Societies. Varsity Tennis. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbinsphilip/

Anthony Zambon was hired as Vice President, Canadian Vision Leader, CCG Equipment Finance, Ltd., Toronto, Canada. Previously, he was SVP and National Sales Manager, Wells Fargo EF Canada (August, 2014 - June, 2019).  He joined PayNet, September, 2009, Strategic Sales Director, Canada; promoted January, 2012, Director, Market Development; Principal, Zambon Consulting Services, Inc. (2008 - September, 2009); Vice President Operations and Chief Sales Officer, CIT (1998 - 2007); National Sales Manager, Vendor Finance (GE Capital (1993 - 1998). Languages: English. French. Education Concordia University, Bachelors Degree (1980 - 1983). https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-zambon-58809b10/

Help Wanted

 

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Amazon’s founder and CEO Jeff Bezos disclosed that third-party sellers accounted for 58 percent of total physical gross merchandise sales on Amazon last year, up from just 3 percent in 1999.

“Third-party sellers are kicking our first party butt. Badly,” Bezos self-deprecatingly he wrote in his annual letter to shareholders, only to add the not-so-subtle humblebrag that third-party sales on Amazon, while beating the company’s first party sales, have also grown much faster than eBay’s gross merchandise volume between 1999 and 2018. According to Bezos, third-party sales on Amazon grew from $0.1 billion in 1999 to $160 billion in 2018, while the company itself sold $117 billion worth of physical merchandise last year. As a reaction to the disclosure, market research company eMarketer revised its U.S. market share estimate for Amazon downward from 47 to 38 percent in 2019, a message that Amazon’s leadership team will gladly approve of in light of a possible antitrust probe from the Federal Trade Commission.

Ironically, Amazon’s role as a platform for independent third-party sellers is what got the company into trouble in Europe. Last week, the European Commission launched an investigation into whether “Amazon's use of sensitive data from independent retailers who sell on its marketplace is in breach of EU competition rules”. In recent years, the EU watchdog has proven not to shy away from going head to head with America’s tech giants, imposing billion-dollar fines on Google and Microsoft. If found guilty of anticompetitive behavior, Amazon could also face a multi-billion-dollar punishment.

By Felix Richter, Statista

https://www.statista.com/chart/18751/physical-gross-merchandise-sales-on-amazon-by-type-of-seller/ 

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Commercial Capital Training Group
(January, 2009)

Kris Roglieri
Founder and CEO
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-roglieri-0251152

Commercial Capital Training is headquartered in Albany, New York. The group also has three offices, in New York City, Rochester, New York and Orlando, Florida, with 30 employees, according to their web site. The company is also proud to have made Inc. Magazine’s “Inc. 5000” last year as one of America’s fastest growing companies. 

Founded by Kris Roglieri, CEO, and according to the web site, classes
are taught by him and over 45 participating lenders.  The group has educated  “600 finance entrepreneurs the ability to own and operate their very own commercial finance businesses.” Mr. Roglieri also owns two commercial lending institutions which graduates can work with: Durham Commercial Capital which serves as a direct lender as a non-recourse factoring institution and Prime Commercial Lending, which serves as a direct lender funding merchant cash advances and commercial real estate transactions.

He is also co-founder of the National Alliance of Commercial Loan Brokers who are holding their 5th annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada October 4-6, 2019. Indications gathering will break their last year 800 attendees in Miami, Florida. www.naclb.org

There are many testimonials on the website. Leasing News contacted
several at random, and here is a typical response received:

"I am a grad and I am a Raving Fan of the team at CCTG. I graduated in December 2013 and they still support me today just as they did when I first went through the training. Our company would not be where we are today if not for the training and support provided from the team at CCTG."
   Terry Luker
   Senior Partner
   Alternative Capital Funding Solutions

Commercial Capital Training Offers Two Programs:

Signature Gold Program - $25,000
“A 7-day Comprehensive Training Held in Our Albany, NY Headquarters Taught by Our Founder and CEO, Kris Roglieri… Our commercial finance training course and finance entrepreneur start-up program has been established in a time when banks are lending less to business owners and alternative funding businesses are emerging to fill the lending gap that exists among businesses of all sizes.

“We also offer entrepreneurs interested in focusing more on their business an elite Platinum Program that includes and expanded marketing package, lead generation for two years, your very own commercial finance product and more.”
http://www.commercialcapitaltraining.com/finance-program/your-investment/gold-program

Elite Platinum Package - $65,000
“Some of the highlights to this package are real time exclusive leads every month for the first 2 years of your business, marketing for the life of your business and a private label financing product that your company can offer. All of this will be managed and executed by a marketing company that truly knows your business. In fact, it is the world’s only dedicated finance-specific digital marketing agency, The Finance Marketing Group. http://finance http://www.commercialcapitaltraining.com/finance-program/your-investment/platinum-program/marketing.com/

 
Creating Successful Entrepreneurs in Capital Markets
https://www.youtube.com/user/CommercialCapitalTG

 

Commercial Capital Training Websitehttp://www.commercialcapitaltraining.com/ 
Contact Information:
Mike Geisler | Sr. Vice President Of Enrollment
mike@commercialcapitaltraining.com
Commercial Capital Training Group
90 State Street, Suite 1500, Albany, NY 12207
Office: (518) 244-8006 / Fax: (518) 694-0527

 

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

Equipment Broker School
For Brokers by Brokers

Josh Feinberg and Will Murphy of Everlasting Capital Rochester, Dover, New Hampshire, have launched a school to teach students to teach "strategy, tactics, coaching and training covering  leadership, cash advance, equipment finance and leasing, entrepreneurship, social media, and sales," according to their press release. (1)  The state they "own companies with total funding’s exceeding $100 million. They have been on the Inc.500 list, Inc., Entrepreneur360 list, mentioned in DeBanked, and spoken at Business Loan Broker Academy conference 2018, and Broker Fair 2019!" (1)

Josh Feinberg
Co-Founder, CEO, Equipment Broker School LLC, Dover, New Hampshire (July, 2019 - Present); President, Everlasting Equipment (April, 2019 - Present); President/CEO, Everlasting Capital Corporation (November, 2012 - Present); Internet/Retail Sales Manager, We Buy Stuff, Rochester (March, 2012 - November, 2012); Regional Manager, Balboa Capital Corporation (November, 2011 - March, 2012); Finance Manager, Direct Capital Corporation (July, 2010 - September, 2011); Customer Sales Associate, JC Penny (March, 2010 - July, 2010). Education: Great Bay Community College.  In Progress Liberal Arts (2011 - 2013).  Dover Senior High School (2006 - 2011). https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-feinberg-45407432/

Will Murphy
Co-Founder, COO, Equipment Broker School LLC., Dover, New Hampshire (July, 2019 - Present); Co-Founder, COO, Everlasting Capital Corporation (November, 2012 - Present); Owner, We Buy Stuff – Pawn Shop (June, 2011 - May, 2016); Assistant Manager, 1-800-GOT-JUNK (May, 2009 - May, 2011); CEO/Founder, BAB! Landscape and Design (March, 2005 - November, 2008); Account Executive, AMERIFI Mortgage (May, 2005 - June, 2006); Account Executive Inside/Outside Sales, Turf Green Chem Lawn (May, 2004 - May, 2005). Education: Plymouth State University Kappa (2000 - 2004). Kappa Delta Phi Sigma Chapter. Lincoln High School (1996 - 2000).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-murphy-8099a95b/

Pricing Options, according to their website (2)

Pay Monthly $200 for Months
$997 One Time Payment

1 Year Access to All Courses
12 Segments’ with over 60 Videos

Advanced Equipment Finance & Leasing
Launching September 1st

Expert Equipment Finance & Leasing
Launching October 1st

(1) Press Release:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/everlasting_capital_founders_develop_equipment_finance

(2) Website
http://www.equipmentbrokerschool.com

 

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

Global Financial Training Program
Over 35 Years of Experience Financing Businesses

Program Cost: $19,950.00

Phil Dushey
President & CEO

In 2001, Global Leasing founder Phil Dushey created a new company to train independent entrepreneurs who want to enter the lucrative field of business financing. Global Financial Training Program teaches all aspects of finance including Equipment Leasing, Accounts Receivable Financing, Cash Advance, Commercial Real Estate, SBA Loans and much more. Phil’s students have found great success with his program.

Mr. Dushey is a founding member of the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers. He has been a member and speaker at many leasing organizations for several years. He is also a founding member of the leasing news advisory board.

Global Financial Training Program provides students with everything they need to start making money immediately after four days of training. As a full-service finance company you will provide a valuable service for business owners that have difficulty getting financing from their local banks. The banks are turning down over 90% of business loan applications and you can approve at least 50% of the turndowns. After the training at their offices in New York City trainees are instantly approved with over 25 lenders, get a custom designed website, stationery package, 1000 leads and enough marketing to have their phones ringing the first week after the training and much more... It's easier than you think to fulfill your dreams of independence, living the life you deserve and enjoying the prestige of owning your own company.

You don't need prior experience. All you need is the desire to be your own boss, the ability to learn, good people skills, and a passion to succeed and make a lot of money.

How much, is up to you...

Philip Dushey
President & CEO
Global Financial Services
1 State Street, 21st Floor
New York NY 10004
Email phil@gbtsinc.com
www.globalfinancialtrainingprogram.com 
Phone: 212-480-4900

The Global Group of independently owned companies are:

Global Financial Services | www.globaleasing.com
We have been actively providing financial services for 35 years

Global Church Financing | www.globalchurchfinancing.com
One of the largest independent companies financing equipment for churches nationwide

Global Financial Training Program | www.globalfinancialtrainingprogram.com
The oldest and most comprehensive training program for people who want to own their own finance company

Mr. Dushay is also on the Leasing News Advisory Board 
http://www.leasingnews.org/Advisory%20Board/Dushay_Phil.htm

Moving America Forward is a business television show hosted by William Shatner, anchored by Doug Llewellyn. On this episode we talk to Phil Dushey about his business opportunity and Global.

 

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Archive - August 23, 2008
  ELA to become "ELFa”
Includes AAEL to become ELA/AAEL to move to Virginia

----

ELA to become “ELFa”

by Kit Menkin

The Equipment Leasing Association to change its name and focus more on advocacy at all political levels, according to their official internet news media, ELTnews.

Michael J. Fleming, CAE

In the final days of his 27 year “watch,” Mike Fleming, CAE, tried his best with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer regarding NorVergence leases, even presenting a “white paper,” then with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) call to end “ abusive leasing tax shelters that allow corporations to claim tax deductions for sewers, bridges and subways that are owned by foreign countries or paid for with U.S. taxpayer dollars,” and finally FASB wanting to end “off balance” sheet terms and call most leasing actually “finance.”

ELFa President Ken Bentsen

It is obvious that the ELA steering committee, along with Mr. Fleming, saw the need for Ken Bentsen, former Texas US congressman and Washington, D.C., lobbyist. That he had no association management experience was evidently not considered as important, particularly due to the 25 member professional staff and excellent programs in place.

ELFa Chairman Paul A. Larkins

ELFa Chairman Paul A. Larkins told ELTnews, “ The ELA Executive Committee met August 14-16 in Edwards, Colorado to prepare a new strategic plan for the association. The ELA staff led by President Ken Bentsen (former US congressman and Washington, DC, lobbyist.editor) presented recommendations for a new multi-year strategic plan designed to establish the association as a forum for industry development, platform for advocacy and the principal resource for industry information.

“The Executive Committee also heard from Public Strategies, Inc., a consulting firm retained to conduct an in-depth survey of a representative cross-section of members. Among the consultant's many findings was the clear recognition that member companies have, in many cases, expanded their product offerings beyond those of just leasing. The data indicates that today association members participate across a broad spectrum of commercial and governmental finance sectors. After considering and amending the staff recommendations and the data presented by our consultants, the Executive Committee directed the staff to prepare a final strategic plan for approval at a September 18 Executive Committee meeting.

“The new strategic plan as recommended by the Executive Committee calls for the ELA to increase its advocacy on behalf of the equipment leasing and finance industry as it relates to public policy, media, financial markets and the business community. Specifically, it calls for the association to undertake efforts to establish and leverage the profile of the equipment finance industry as a critical sector of commercial finance. Furthermore, the plan seeks to increase leadership and member participation in and direction of ELA policy and activities. And, it calls for increasing ELA outreach within existing member companies as well as targeting potential new members as the ELA's mission and vision encompass representing all facets of the equipment leasing and finance industry as a key sector of commercial finance and capital formation.

“To that end, the Executive Committee unanimously recommended to the Board of Directors that the ELA change its name to the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association to ensure that members, customers, policy makers, markets, the media and the public understand the true breadth of the industry as it has evolved and the critical role it plays in the economy. This action follows on recommendations provided to the Executive Committee by the Business Council Steering Committees and is fully intended to represent the growth, development, and strength of our sector of finance. Further, the Executive Committee requested that the Board convene a special meeting in September to consider this forward-looking proposal. The Executive Committee believes that taking this action now is prudent as it reflects the association's new strategic plan and direction.

“The $230 billion equipment leasing and finance industry is a growing and dynamic sector of commercial finance. This growth underscores the financial expertise our members bring to a market place that is constantly changing. The Executive Committee believes the association's name, activities and programs, on behalf of the membership, should clearly and forcefully reflect that expertise and breadth of market."

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

Umpqua Bank Forms Fixed Income Group to Support
Liquidity Needs of Large Companies and Institutions

Bank Hires Leading West Coast Fixed Income Executive
Amit Jogal as Managing Director

PORTLAND, Ore.,-- Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, announced today the formation of a Wholesale Liquidity & Fixed Income group within its Global Payments & Deposits Division.

Amit Jogal has been named Managing Director and will lead the development of a comprehensive suite of fixed income products to meet the liquidity needs of large corporate and institutional customers.

According to Kathryn Albright, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Payments and Deposits at Umpqua, the announcement reflects the bank's continued evolution as a leading West Coast regional bank and its capacity to provide complex financial solutions for businesses of all sizes.

"Umpqua Bank is committed to supporting the full range of customers' financial needs and strengthening their market position in an ever-changing economic environment," said Albright. "The formation of our Wholesale Liquidity & Fixed Income group under Amit's proven leadership will be a tremendous asset to our large commercial customers."

Over his nearly 25-year career, Jogal has developed and led fixed income and investment offices across the Western United States to support some of the region's most dynamic companies. He most recently served as Head of Fixed Income at another large financial institution for the past 10 years, overseeing growth of $7bn in fixed income managed deposits.

"Umpqua is in a unique position to build a program and team that delivers superior results for our customers," said Jogal. "We have an outstanding reputation as a customer-centric bank, and we're strategically adding capabilities that really provide value to the companies we support. I see tremendous opportunity here and look forward to contributing to the bank's continued growth and success."

About Umpqua Bank Umpqua Bank, headquartered in Roseburg, Ore., is a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, and has locations across Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada. Umpqua Bank has been recognized for its innovative customer experience and banking strategy by national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fast Company and CNBC. The company has been recognized for eight years in a row on FORTUNE magazine's list of the country's "100 Best Companies to Work For," and was recently named by The Portland Business Journal the Most Admired Financial Services Company in Oregon for the fourteenth consecutive year. In addition to its retail banking presence, Umpqua Bank also owns Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., a nationally recognized commercial finance company that provides equipment leases to businesses. A subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, Umpqua Investments, Inc., provides retail brokerage and investment advisory services in offices throughout Washington, Oregon, and California.

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

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Fernando's View
By Fernando F. Croce

Bittersweet comedy-drama (“Where’d You Go, Bernadette”) and raunchy comedy (“Good Boys”) come to theaters, while DVD releases offer a pair of fireball performances (“Her Smell,” “Amazing Grace”) and classic romance (“Magnificent Obsession”).

In theaters:

Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Annapurna Distribution): Continuing to seesaw between mainstream and indie cinema, director Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”) tackles Maria Semple’s bestseller in this bittersweet comedy-drama. Cate Blanchett stars as Bernadette, formerly a famous architect who’s settled into a quiet suburban life in Seattle with her husband Elgin (Billy Crudup) and daughter Bee (Emma Nelson). Using cultivated sarcasm to deal with frustrations, she eventually runs away in order to find her old self, with the family in hot pursuit. Softening the edges of the melodramatic plot with his trademark laidback naturalism, Linklater takes a light and sympathetic but ultimately moving look at career choices and family dynamics. Though Blanchett is bound to get the lion’s share of plaudits for her performance, newcomer Nelson is the standout as the devoted daughter.

Good Boys (Universal Pictures): The raunchy-sweet spirit of “Superbad” hovers over this rollicking coming-of-age comedy, which marks the directorial debut of seasoned writer Gene Stupnitsky (“The Office”). At the onset of the hormonal minefield that is adolescence, 12-year-old Max (Jacob Tremblay) gets invited to what he hopes will be a “kissing party” attended by his crush (Millie Davis). Eager to try but terribly inexperienced, he asks for the help of his friends Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon) with figuring out the mystery of girls. Instead, the boys end up losing the drone belonging to Max’s father and having to scramble to find a replacement before party time. Foul-mouthed and scatological yet also emotional and charming, the film aims for big laughs and for the most part scores.

Nextflix: Mixing the Hollywood classicism of his family with a countercultural sensitivity, Peter Fonda (1939-2019) went like his father from handsome leading man to striking character actor. So check out Netflix for his best films, which include “The Trip” (1967), “Easy Rider” (1969), “The Hired Hand” (1971), “Ulee’s Gold” (1997), and “The Limey” (1999).

On DVD:

Her Smell (Gunpowder & Sky): A specialist in imploding characters, indie filmmaker Alex Ross Perry (“Listen Up Philip”) dives into another venomous protagonist with this shattering drama, which gives Elisabeth Moss a cyclonic role. She stars as Becky Something, a rock ‘n’ roll musician whose obvious talented is frequently overshadowed by her self-destructive behavior. Whether in studios or concert halls, whether surrounded by fans or band members, Becky always finds a way to meltdown over the course of the years. Among those caught in her whirlpool is scheming protégé Zelda (Amber Heard), hapless ex-husband Danny (Dan Stevens), and manager Howard (Eric Stoltz). Putting a fierce female spin on music biopics like “The Doors,” Perry risks alienating viewers but wisely keeps Moss front and center with a galvanizing performance.

Amazing Grace (Neon): After last year’s resurgence of “The Other Side of the Wind,” cinephiles have held out hope for other lost movies to finally see the light of day. One such project is this documentary on the late, great gospel singer Aretha Franklin, originally made in 1972 by Sydney Pollack (“Tootsie”) yet never officially released due to technical problems. After a lot of hard work, the film has now been completed, and audiences can bask in one of the greatest musical performances ever captured. Shot in Watts, California at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church, it brims with excitement the moment Franklin steps onto the screen. Mixing gospel favorites with contemporary soulful hits, the film is an intimate record of a miraculous performer at the height of her talents.

Magnificent Obsession (Criterion): The master of subversive 1950s melodrama, Douglas Sirk (“Imitation of Life”) serves up one of his most delirious visions with this sensitive, stylish 1954 tale of redemption and vision. Rock Hudson stars as Robert Merrick, a careless playboy whose life takes a sharp turn in the wake of a boating accident. His life is saved thanks to a medical machine, yet this also causes the death of another man, causing his wife Helen (Jane Wyatt) to suffer both financially and emotionally. Conscience-stricken, Robert vows to help out Helen without letting her know of his role in her situation—a dilemma that builds toward a tragic twist. Sirk’s specialty was a combination of an impeccable style and his characters’ turbulent feelings, a combination amply evident in this tender Technicolor romance.

Bernese Mountain Dog/Labrador Retriever
West Seneca, New York  Adopt-a-Dog

Rocky

ID #42439165
Male
Large
Neutered
4 Years/ 13 days
Black/White
Declawed: No
Location: Dog Adoptions B
Intake Date: 8/13/2019
Adoption Price $200

SPCA Serving Erie County
300 Harlem Road
West Seneca, New York
Phone: 716 -875-7360
yourspca@youorspca.org

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 Roy Williamson Wants to Join the Leasing Company
By Christopher Menkin 

(This is fiction; all names, places, circumstances are fictional.
The story takes place in the early 1980s)

This was a serious discussion. It was not an after 5pm get together, as they had Monday through Friday, usually in Larry’s upstairs office, but a meeting in Frank’s office on the first floor at 11am.
Frank had the better office. It was larger than Larry’s, plus on the main floor, and you went through a room with people working at their desk, to a small anteroom and then to the private office. The
Mountain View, California, building was old, but his office was clean and plush. You knew you were in a chief executive officer’s office.

Frank had a blue-black leather sofa and large matching blue-black leather chair in his office with a glass coffee table. It was more old English; proper, aristocratic, expensive.

His office did have piles of paper all around, but like many accountant or attorneys’ offices, the piles were neatly stacked, seeming organized. His office with the expensive early maps of the San Francisco peninsula and Santa Clara Valley on the wall, would have been more impressive if not for all the clutter, even though in neat piles. He had a lot of things going on, and cared enough to keep them in sight until a decision was made.

This late morning, Larry was surprised not to see as much clutter on the floor, or perhaps it was better organized or Frank had completed projects or files his office had given him to review
or make a decision. It looked very organized. When there were a lot, it was like an organized field of land mines.

What went through Larry’s mind was whether this was going to be friendly, and therefore he should get comfortable by sitting on the couch, crossing his legs, taking it easy. He thought, “Where
should he sit?” The choice would give Frank the idea that he knew how serious the meeting was going to be. The two alternatives were standing, as if this was going to be a quick meeting, or serious, and therefore he should sit closer to the desk in the large leather blue-black chair. If it was going to be friendly, he would sit on the couch, where he usually sat.

Frank owned the building and Larry was a tenant, building computers and putting in software for dentists primarily, starting at $65,000, primarily Digital computers and C+ software. The two were different in that Frank was 51, tall, maybe six-three or six-four, thin from marathon running and playing tennis, while Larry was average height, dark hair, clean shaven compared to Frank with his Spanish brow with white and black hair plus pepper thin mustache. Frank’s family had come to California in the first Spanish exploration and were granted all the land south of San Francisco at the time, all the way to Salinas. The church was granted Monterey for a mission, as well as the
town of Salinas, which was the largest area of Indians outside of what was later named San Jose.

Frank was not smoking, something his wife would have been proud, had she been there, and he had a serious expression on his face. Before he could make up his mind where to sit, or even say
“good morning” or anything, Frank spoke.

“I had a visit from Roy Williamson yesterday, “he said.  “He gave me a proposal and I told him I both had to think about it, and also talk to you.”

Larry quickly sat down in the dark-blue leather chair, listening to what Frank had to say.

“It seems AT&T has closed down their leasing operation. It seems the government said they have too much cash from their communication fund invested. It means Strasburger is closing down
his Palo Alto office, letting everyone go, including Williamson. Also his secretary, who we should go after. Williamson is looking around. He says, from his working the field, we have the most potential
in the area and he wants to join us and triple our business.”

“How’s he going to do that?”

“Bring in the lease broker business.”

“I thought we decided against that, as we also broker deals we don’t carry ourselves.”

“Williamson is high ticket. He has a proven track record. He wouldn’t be available if AT&T were not getting out of the leasing business. He also wants to stay in the area, whereas Strasburger wants to go back to San Francisco or get into another field of leasing. So it was natural. He knows you have the computer company, primarily take care of the operations, do some sales, but most of the
business generated comes through my contacts, vendors, and clients. He knows I sometimes cold call areas or after seeing a customer, walk the area to meet the neighbors.

“He says we are not organized, don’t have any other salesmen, and he could triple our business coming here.”

Larry moved around in his chair. He was not comfortable. He didn’t like sitting in the big chair. He didn’t like the feeling. Now he felt threatened. He had the computer business going well, leasing sales for all his equipment and other equipment his dentist contacts wanted to have. He had activity in three counties. In fact, he had hired two computer technician to put the systems together, finding himself too busy in giving computer demo’s and selling leasing at the same time.

He and Frank were partners in San Francisco Valley Leasing, 50-50. The original idea was to form a partnership, each put in 50-50 for monthly expenses, and then cut the profits at the end of
each year or whenever. The concept was like going on a trip with another couple and pooling the cash together, paying for things out of the cash kitty. At the end, they would settle up.

As the business grew, they found independent leasing companies willing to accept their lease contracts on a “discount basis” as well as both “non-recourse” and “recourse” bank lines that
Frank had established, primarily due to his personal guarantee.

They both liked the leasing business and were doing more and more of it each day. They had repeat business, referrals, and vendors calling them as they did start-ups, new business, and looked at the individuals behind the company rather than requiring five years in business. It was the early 1980’s and they could basically write their own ticket in the leasing business.

“So what does Williamson want?”

“I never got that far with him,“Frank answered. “He is really a good salesman. He talked about what he could do for us. How he would increase sales, even laying out some ways it could be done, talking about what he had done for Strasburger, and how they screened the good brokers from the bad. He
never mentioned a number or what he wanted. Basically, were we interested in growing the company, and if so, he wanted to join us.”

“I don’t know, Frank. He may want to become a partner. I don’t know if I want a one-third partner.”

“He didn’t say anything about becoming a partner.”

“He has been sales manager, a salesman, knows how to do that. His next step is to be president, run his own company. That’s what he is interested in. He wants to be the boss.”

“How do you know that?”

“Once a salesman stops being a salesman and becomes a manager, he wants more control. Here he is laying out a plan, wanting to build up a broker base that will be loyal to him, and we have a
pretty loose operation now. He’ll want to streamline it, shape it, and before you know it, he will not just be a partner, he’ll be the president. And if he doesn’t get to be president, he’ll leave and start his own company with what he built up here. I know the type. He wants to be boss.”

“Larry, you weren’t even here when he made his pitch.”

“You just described it to me. When a salesman learns he controls how much money he makes, he wants to control more and make more money for himself. He either goes into competition with you,
or he starts up the ladder, creating positions for himself. He will want to be vice-president, and then president. And finally chairman of the board.”

“Larry, give me a break. The guy is talented for sure and I believe him when he says he can triple our sales.”

“He’s presidential material. He wants to be a partner. In fact, he’ll leave us and go into competition against us....I don’t want to give up a third of the partnership for Roy Williamson.”

“How big do you want to grow?”

“I don’t want to groom brokers, teach them what we know, so then they leave us and go into competition against us, start their own company, and before you know it, they’ll be bigger
than us.”

“Larry, if he gets a piece of the action, Williamson won’t leave.”

“There you said it! If he gets a piece of the action. You know he’ll become a partner—wants to become a partner. That’s it. We don’t need Roy Williamson! “

“Larry, he doesn’t need us.”

“And we don’t need him!”

“This is a great opportunity...”

“I don’t want the two of you ganging up on me,” Larry shot back. Right now it is you and I, and it takes the both of us to approve a deal that we carry recourse. It takes both of us to decide who
we are going to hire, what direction we are going to go, and if you bring on Williamson, it will be you and he against me.”

Frank knew Larry had made up his mind. Cal was going to beat Stanford. Ronald Reagan was going to ruin the country. C+ was the best software and Microsoft would never convert DOS users. IBM O/S was the best personal software in the business. Larry had made up his mind and that was it. He looked at him sitting rigid in the chair. He was frightened and despite his intelligence, high IQ, knowledge, he was closed down.

“You’re mind is made up?”

Larry shook his head yes, saying not a word.

Frank told Larry he would call Williamson and let him know San Francisco Valley Leasing didn’t have a program that fit what he was looking for.

---

This time history proved Larry right, as Williamson went on to form two successful leasing companies, help start a local major bank, was active in several national leasing associations, and became
very wealthy in his own right. Roy Williams became a great success.

News Briefs----

Just Over 500,000 Fewer Jobs Created in the US Since 2018
"final benchmark revision will be issued in February 2020"
https://247wallst.com/jobs/2019/08/21/just-over-500000-fewer-jobs-created-in-the-us-since-2018/

Four Key Lessons After Four Years
   of Recreational Marijuana in Colorado
https://www.cannabisnewswire.com/420-with-cnw-four-key-lessons-after-four-years-of-recreational-marijuana-in-colorado/

Piled Up in Huge Lots,
  Volkswagen’s Reworked Diesels Trickle to Buyers
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/business/volkswagen-diesel-vw-tdi-resales.html

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

You May Have Missed---

22 towns in Texas were hit by possibly the largest-ever ransomware attack,  in what could be the first coordinated cyberattack of its kind
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/20/us/texas-ransomware.html

 

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

First Time at Third

By Jacqueline Sweeney ©
Published: At the Crack of the Bat (1992)

First time at third
nothing but nerves.
He fist-whomps his glove,
tucks in his shirt,
kicks up the dirt
for the twenty-fifth time.

Gets in position
pumped up to win,
jump sweeps the plate.
Will it ever begin?

A quick-line drive!
He leaps for the sky.
His body's an arrow,
glove aimed high.

What's this?
He stumbles,
he tumbles to earth.
His glove is still empty,
face red as his shirt.

The game hasn't started?
"Play Ball!" can be heard
and he's tried to snag
a low flying bird;
fast flying, line driving
feathers and all.

How could he think
that a bird was a ball?!

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

Sports Briefs---

John Elway reveals Dupuytren's contracture diagnosis,
    promotes awareness for hand condition
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/broncos/2019/08/22/john-elway-dupuytens-contracture-hand-disease-condition/2080902001/

Patriots safety Patrick Chung indicted on cocaine possession charge
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/patriots/2019/08/22/new-england-patriots-patrick-chung-indicted-cocaine-charge/2084122001/

These are the top 32 quarterbacks in the NFL,
    according to 'Madden 20'
https://www.businessinsider.com/madden-20-quarterback-ratings-nfl-qb-rank-2019-7

Jimmy Garappolo will play extensively Saturday against Chiefs
http://www.theredzone.org/Blog-Description/EntryId/77801/Jimmy-Garappolo-will-play-extensively-Saturday-against-Chiefs

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

California Nuts Briefs---

1,100 Shasta County homes threatened in California’s
   first major wildfire of summer
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article234277777.html?

West Oakland apartment project with 1,000 units
     receives building permit
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/West-Oakland-apartment-project-with-1-000-units-14371653.php?psid=j4chB

Where you can afford a home in the Bay Area based on your salary
https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/You-may-need-three-times-your-salary-to-afford-14340645.php#photo-18110119

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

“Gimme that Wine”

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

Beaulieu Vineyard Celebrates 80th Anniversary of
  Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190822005180/en/Beaulieu-Vineyard-Celebrates-80th-Anniversary-Georges-de

A Wine Opportunity That ‘Felt Nothing Short Of Miraculous
https://www.forbes.com/sites/cathrinetodd/2019/07/25/a-wine-opportunity-that-felt-nothing-short-of-miraculous/#42d0c0a2623b

Bordeaux winemakers forced to promote rose
  and white wines as young drinkers abandon red 
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/08/20/bordeaux-winemakers-forced-promote-rose-white-wines-young-drinkers/

Free Wine App
https://www.nataliemaclean.com/mobileapp/

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

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

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

This Day in History

      1500 - Columbus’s governance of Hispaniola could be brutal and tyrannical. Native islanders who didn’t collect enough gold could have their hands cut off, and rebel Spanish colonists were executed at the gallows. Colonists complained to the monarchy about mismanagement, and a royal commissioner dispatched to Hispaniola arrested Columbus in August 1500 and brought him back to Spain in chains. Although Columbus was stripped of his governorship, King Ferdinand not only granted the explorer his freedom but subsidized a fourth voyage.
    1572 - In France, Catholic conspirators began massacring thousands of Huguenots (French Protestants), under orders of Catherine de Medici, advisor to her son, Charles IX, King of France.  Huguenots, who could escape, went to other countries, many of them immigrating to the New World. 
    1775 – In response to the news of the Battle of Bunker Hill, King George III delivered his Proclamation of Rebellion to the Court of St. James.  stating that the American Colonies have proceeded to a state of open and avowed rebellion.  It ordered officials of the British Empire "to use their utmost endeavors to withstand and suppress such rebellion." The Proclamation also encouraged subjects throughout the Empire, including those in Great Britain, to report anyone carrying on "traitorous correspondence" with the rebels so that they could be punished.
    1784 - The state of Franklin was formed when it seceded from North Carolina. It consisted of three counties between the Bald Mountains and the Holston River, an area that is now in eastern Tennessee.  It had been offered by North Carolina as a cession to Congress to help pay off debts related to the Revolutionary War and was founded with the intent of becoming the fourteenth state of the new United States. Its citizens established a senate and a house of commons at Jonesboro and elected John Sevier as governor for a four-year term.  Sevier was arrested in 1788 on charges of high treason.  The state was not admitted to the Union. Upon his release from jail, Sevier was elected to the House of Representatives.  He served as the first governor of Tennessee after it was admitted to the Union as the 16th state in 1796.
    1785 – Birthday of Oliver Hazard Perry (d. 1819), S. Kingstown, RI.  Perry is most noted for his heroic role in the War of 1812 during the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie.   Perry supervised the building of a fleet at Erie, PA. He earned the title "Hero of Lake Erie" for leading American forces in a decisive naval victory there, receiving a Congressional Gold Medal and the Thanks of Congress.   His leadership materially aided the successful outcomes of all nine Lake Erie military campaign victories, and the victory was a turning point in the battle for the west in the war.  He is remembered for the words on his battle flag, "Don't Give Up the Ship" and his message to General W, Henry Harrison which reads in part, "We have met the enemy and they are ours; ..."
    1831 – Nat Turner’s slave rebellion was repressed at Belmont Plantation in Virginia.  Rebel slaves killed from 55 to 65 people, the highest number of fatalities caused by any slave uprising in the southern US. Although the rebellion was put down within a few days, Turner survived in hiding for more than two months afterwards.
    1834 - Britain abolishes slavery in colonies; 700,000 slaves freed. The anti-slavery abolition movement gained much strength from this, as demonstrated with the formal organization of the American Anti-Slavery Society, formed in Philadelphia, December 4.
http://www.freetheslaves.net/timeline2.html
http://www.brycchancarey.com/abolition/index.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/sla_hist.htm
http://www.brycchancarey.com/abolition/index.htm
    1843 - Birthday of Lillie Hitchcock Coit (d. 1929), West Point, NY.  Eccentric, cigar-smoking, pants-wearing San Francisco volunteer fire-fighter ("patron saint of all pioneer firemen of the city") and the benefactor for the construction of Coit Tower, a local monument in the shape of a fire hose. Coit Tower is built on the site of the first west coast telegraph, a semaphore completed in 1849. She commissioned another neighborhood landmark, a statue of three firefighters on the southwest corner of Washington Square Park.
    1849 - Mail service established to the interior of California. Stops included Benicia, Sacramento City and San José.
    1859 - The six-story Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City, opened and included the first elevator. The elevator operated on the principle of an Archimedean screw. It was viewed and inspected by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, on October 11, 1860.  The first elevator in an office building was installed in 1868 in the original Equitable Life Assurance Society building located on lower Broadway, New York City.  The first electric elevator successfully operated was installed in 1889 by Otis Brothers and Company in the Demarest Building, Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street, New York City and the age of the skyscrapers began in major cities throughout the United States.
    1863 – A ruthless band of guerillas attacks the town of Lawrence, Kansas, killing every man and boy in sight. Led by William Quantrill and William “Bloody Bill” Anderson, the guerillas were said to have carried out the brutal attack on behalf of the Confederacy. Included in their group was Jesse James’ brother Frank and Cole Younger, who would later also play a large role in the James gang. Bloody Bill Anderson got his name for his love of shooting unarmed and defenseless people. Reportedly, he carried as many as eight handguns, in addition to a saber and a hatchet. His horse was also outfitted with several rifles and backup pistols. Although he claimed to have political motives for his terrorism, Anderson more likely used the Civil War as an opportunity to kill without repercussion. Jesse James, only 17 at the time, teamed up with Bloody Bill after he split from Quantrill’s band of killers. On September 24, 1864, their small splinter group terrorized and destroyed most of the town of Centralia, Missouri. They also ambushed a small troop of Union soldiers whose train happened to stop at Centralia. Twenty-five Northern soldiers were stripped and lined up while Anderson and Arch Clement proceeded to shoot each of them down in cold blood, sparing only the sergeant. A month later, Anderson paid for his crimes when he was caught by a full contingent of Union army troops in Missouri and killed in the ensuing battle. Jesse James was never brought to justice by the North for his war crimes and went on to become the 19th century’s most infamous criminal
    1864 - The Union navy captured Fort Morgan, Alabama, breaking the Confederate dominance of the ports of the Gulf of Mexico. As the Union fleet of four ironclad and fourteen wooden ships sailed into the channel on August 5, one of the lead ships, the Tecumseh, hit a mine, at the time known as a "torpedo." In reply to the warning, "Torpedoes ahead!" given by the forward ships, commander Admiral David Farragut called out, "Damn the torpedoes!" and, taking the lead with his flagship the Hartford, sailed over the double row of mines and into Mobile Bay.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug23.html
    1869 - The first carload of freight, carrying boots and shoes, arrives in San Francisco from Boston.
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/rail.html
    1869 – Birthday of  Edgar Lee Masters (d. 1950),  Garnett, Kansas. Author of “Spoon River Anthology,” epitaphs spoken by about 250 persons buried in the graveyard of a village in the Middle West.
http://www.outfitters.com/illinois/fulton/masters.html
    1883 – Gen. Jonathan Wainwright (d. 1953) was born in Ft. Walla Walla, WA.  A career Army officer and the Commander of Allied Forces in the Philippines at the time of their surrender to Japan during World War II, Wainwright was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his courageous leadership during the fall of the Philippines after Gen. MacArthur evacuated to Australia.  After the surrender of the Philippines in 1942, Gen. Wainwright spent the remainder of the war in several Japanese prison camps and suffered the same indignities and abuses of non-officers, despite his rank.  After witnessing the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri, together with Lieutenant-General Percival, he returned to the Philippines to receive the surrender of the local Japanese commander.  
The Medal of Honor citation reads:  Rank and Organization: General, Commanding U.S. Army Forces in the Philippines. Place and date: Philippine Islands, 12 March to 7 May 1942. Entered Service at: Skaneateles, N.Y. Birth: Walla Walla, Wash. G.O. No.: 80, 19 September 1945. Distinguished himself by intrepid and determined leadership against greatly superior enemy forces. At the repeated risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in his position, he frequented the firing line of his troops where his presence provided the example and incentive that helped make the gallant efforts of these men possible. The final stand on beleaguered Corregidor, for which he was in an important measure personally responsible, commanded the admiration of the Nation's allies. It reflected the high morale of American arms in the face of overwhelming odds. His courage and resolution were a vitally needed inspiration to the then sorely pressed freedom-loving peoples of the world.  
    1889 - The first ship-to-shore wireless message received in US (San Francisco). 
    1900 - National Negro Business League was founded in Boston, MA by Booker T. Washington.  Four hundred delegates from 34 states attended the founding conference, which promoted the growth of African-American-owned businesses. Washington was elected the first president of the organization.
http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/2upa/Aaas/NationalNegroBusinessLeague.htm
http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/african/Article_Detail.asp?Article_ID=385
    1900 - Folk singer Malvina Reynolds was born Malvina Milder (d. 1978), San Francisco, California. She was refused her diploma by Lowell High School because her parents were opposed to US participation in World War I. Malvina earned her B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of California and later earned a doctorate there.
http://www.sisterschoice.com/mal-bio.html
http://www.sisterschoice.com/malvinamain.html
http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/reynolds.html
    1902 - Fannie Merrit Farmer opened her cooking school, Miss Farmer's School of Cookery, in Boston, MA. Ms. Farmer was the leading cooking authority of her day. Known as the ‘mother of measurements,' she revolutionized food preparation throughout the world with her introduction of precise measurements -- the level teaspoon, tablespoon, cup, etc. And, in 1919, candy maker Frank O'Connor paid Fannie the ultimate compliment by naming his now famous company, Fanny Farmer Candy Shops.
    1906 - Thunderstorms deluged Kansas City, MO, with six inches of rain during the early morning, including nearly three inches in thirty minutes.
    1911 – Ishi, last member of his stone-age tribe, was discovered in California. The region is known as the Land of Ishi because this is where the last survivor of the Yahi Yana tribe escaped from settlers who exterminated the rest of the Yahis. They had lived here for at least 3,000 years before being killed off, along with the elk they had hunted, another dreadful moment in the settling of the West.  There is controversy that Ishi was not a “pure bred” and therefore was not the last of his tribe, as taught in California schools to this day.
http://www.mohicanpress.com/mo08019.html
http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/naind/html/na_017600_ishi.htm
http://www.bookcrossing.com/search/?title=ishi+lastandauthor=kroeberandcategory=andisbn=andbcid=and=Wait..
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/96legacy/releases.96/14310.html
    1912 – Actor, dancer, singer Gene Kelly (d. 1996) was born in Pittsburgh.  Best known today for his performances in musical films such as “An American in Paris” (1951), “Anchors Aweigh” (1945), and “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952).  Kelly received an Academy Honorary Award in 1952 for his career achievements. He later received lifetime achievement awards in the Kennedy Center Honors (1982), and from the Screen Actors guild and American Film Institute. In 1999, the American Film Institute also numbered him 15th in their Greatest Male Stars of Classic Hollywood cinema list. 
    1913 - Birthday of band leader Bob Crosby (d. 1993), Spokane, WA.  Bing Crosby’s brother, he had his own band known as The Bobcats, and hosted his own afternoon variety show, “The Bob Crosby Show,” that aired from 1953 to 1957.
http://www.parabrisas.com/d_crosbybob.html
http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/pennvalley/biology/lewis/crosby/bobcros.htm
http://www.bobcrosbybobcats.com/
http://www.jazzbymail.com/albums_rw/rwstudy.html
    1917 - Race riot occurs in Houston, Texas, when the 24th Infantry seeks revenge on the city's white police after the brutal beating of two of the regiment's soldiers. After two hours of violence, 15 whites, including four policemen, are killed and 12 more injured. Four soldiers die. 118 soldiers are charged in connection with the riots and 19 executed, most in almost total secrecy, in one of the most infamous courts-martial ever involving African-Americans
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/HH/jch4.html
http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/~chssocst/ssus2HoustonRiot.htm
http://www.africana.com/research/encarta/www1blacks.asp
http://www.hal-pc.org/~lfa/BB19.html
    1921 - Denver, CO, was drenched with 2.20 inches of rain in one hour, a record for that location.
    1927 - Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were electrocuted at the Charleston, MA, prison.  Convicted of a shoe factory payroll robbery during which a guard had been killed, Sacco and Vanzetti maintained their innocence to the end. Six years of appeals marked this American cause celebre during which substantial evidence was presented to show that both men were elsewhere at the time of the crime.  However, on the 50th anniversary of their execution, Massachusetts governor Michael S. Dukakis proclaimed August 23, 1977, a memorial day, noting that the 1921 trial had been “permeated by prejudice.”   Dukakis was to run for president with Lloyd Bentsen for vice-president in 1988, but to be defeated by George Bush and Sen. Dan Quayle in November, carrying only ten states. Some say it was his freeing of these gentlemen, among others, while pundits blame it on the “dirty trick” Texas campaign of the ridiculous picture of Dukakis in an oversized helmet supposedly steering a tank. (others say he was a poor choice, and history shows he basically “disappeared” from the political scene after his loss.)
    1928 - The Yankees picked up lefty Tom Zachary on waivers from Washington.  Nearly a year earlier, Zachary gained fame as the pitcher off whom Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run.
    1929 - Birthday of drummer Danny Barcelona (d. 2007), Honolulu, HI.
http://www.storyville-records.com/Oct2.html
http://www.jazzrecords.com/jazzbooks/video3.htm
    1931 – Birthday of “Jeannie,” actress Barbara Eden, born Barbara Jean Morehead, Tucson, AZ.
    1936 - Birthday of Rudy Lewis, born Charles Rudolph Harrell (d. 1964), one of the lead singers with the Drifters, Philadelphia, PA.  In 1988, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the group. Lewis was the lead vocalist for a string of Drifters hits: "Please Stay, "Some Kind of Wonderful," "Up on the Roof,” and "On Broadway." On May 21, 1964, when the group was due to record ”Under the Boardwalk” which had been written for Lewis, he was found dead in his Harlem hotel room from the prior night.
http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=94
http://www.rhinorecords.com/Albums/72417bio.html
http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~mjzappat/drifters/drifters.html
    1936 – 17-year-old righty Bob Feller made his Major League starting debut, striking out 15 Browns in Cleveland’s 4-1 win.  
    1939 - Glenn Miller completes 14 weeks at Glen Island Casino.  Air checks make it a phenomenal summer success and makes “the Miller sound” the hit of the country.  Starin’s Glen Island Casino was a summer resort in New Rochelle, NY, developed by shipping magnate and US Congressman, John Starin in the late 1800s. Starin's resort, referred to as "America's pleasure grounds" and "Disneyworld on the Sound," was the first theme park in the country.
    1943 - "LIFE" magazine spotlighted a dance craze that was sweeping the U.S.A., the Lindy Hop. The Lindy was named after American aviation hero Charles A. Lindbergh and began its entry into the American lifestyle in 1927. The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York was really jumping when George ‘Shorty' Snowden, one of the Savoy's famous dancers, started doing twists, turns, jumps and twirls to the music of greats like Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald. Snowden told everyone he was doing the Lindy Hop. The jitterbug, swing or Lindy as it was called by white dancers, became an integral part of Hollywood's golden era and was picked up by the youth of America during World War II, as exhibited on the "LIFE" cover.
http://www.jitterbuzz.com/lifmag.html
http://www.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/depts/edu/textbooks/lindy.html
http://www.savoystyle.com/willamae_ricker.html
http://www.mcn.org/a/lindyhop/
http://dancing.org/lindy-what-is.html
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Balcony/1404/history.html
    1943 - Along the beaches at Cape Fear outside Camp Davis, A-24 planes flown by members of the Women Air Service Pilots are dragging training targets behind them. The targets are being shot at with live ammunition by men training to be part of anti-aircraft gun crews. Instructors are next to each man to pull a recruit's finger away who is too excited and shoots at the plane instead of the target. It happens often.  WASP Byrd Granger in “On Final Approach, the History of the Women Air Service Pilots,” wrote: "Instructor Lt. Bruce Arnold, son of General Hap Arnold is... too late (as) he reaches to snatch a gunner's hand from the trigger. Dismayed he sees a 50mm round speed with deplorable accuracy toward the A-24, not the target. It will be a direct hit."  WASP Mabel Rawlinson is piloting while in the rear cockpit is male instructor Lt. Roubillard who is checking her on night flying. Pilot Rowlinson immediately radios they have been hit. Granger writes: "The engine is rough, faltering. The landing pattern takes the plane, sputtering over the barracks where women pilots hear it. They run out of the barracks as the crippled plane coughs one last time, then plunges into the swampy wood at the north end of the runway. On impact it breaks in two and the front section blazes. Mabel struggles to release the hatch. She cannot open it.  Lt. Roubillard, emerging (almost unhurt) from the separated rear section, hears her screams as she burns to death. So do the women WASP pilots running towards the crash. It is 9:20 p.m. It is almost totally dark. And the crash will remain one of the closest guarded secrets of World War II. Roubillard says Rawlinson's flying ability saved his life.  "... She might have survived if the A-24 cockpit latch had operated. But (the latch which she had written up to be fixed) was (considered too) minor a problem to have repair priority."  To this day, Rawlinson's death as a result of friendly fire is hardly acknowledged and there are many who claim no women were ever killed. Thirty-seven women died in the WASP program.
    1946 - Humphrey Bogart movie "The Big Sleep" opens. Based on the novel by Raymond Chandler.
    1947 - Margaret Truman, daughter of U.S. President Harry S Truman, presented her first public concert. Margaret sang before 15,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert did not get great reviews. In fact, the critics didn't like Margaret's singing at all. And Margaret's dad didn't like the critics, and said so, from the White House.
    1948 – Birthday of the first designated hitter in Major League history, Ron Blomberg, Atlanta, GA.
    1950 - Top Hits
“Mona Lisa” - Nat King Cole
“I Wanna Be Loved” - The Andrews Sisters
“Play a Simple Melody” - Bing Crosby
“I'm Moving On” - Hank Snow
    1953 - Birthday of  saxophone player Bobby Watson, Kansas City, KS.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/watson_bobby_1_/bio.jhtml
http://www.umkc.edu/conservatory/faculty/bio_info.asp?primarykey=60
http://www.ejn.it/mus/watson.htm
    1958 - Top Hits
“Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu” (“Volare”) - Domenico Modugno
“Little Star” - The Elegants
“My True Love” - Jack Scott
“Alone with You” - Faron Young
    1963 – Ageless Warren Spahn set a new National League record with his 601st start.
    1964 - Beatles performed at the Hollywood Bowl.
    1965 - The U.S. premiere of the motion picture "Help!", starring The Beatles, was held for thousands of moviegoers wanting to see the group's first color motion picture. Their first film, "A Hard Day's Night," had been produced in black and white.
    1966 - Top Hits
“Summer in the City” - The Lovin' Spoonful
“Sunny” - Bobby Hebb
“See You in September” - The Happenings
“Almost Persuaded” - David Houston
    1968 - Aretha Franklin's "Lady Soul" earns a gold LP while the Rascals' "People Got to Be Free" is awarded a gold 45.
    1969 - Mrs. Audrey McElmory of La Jolla, CA won the world cycling championship in Czechoslovakia.
    1969 - "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones hits #1 on the pop chart.
    1969 - The Who's "I'm Free" peaks at #37 on the chart.
    1969 - Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Marrakesh Express" peaks at #28 on the chart, while Chicago's "Questions 67 & 68" peaks at #71
    1969 - Johnny Cash's LP “Johnny Cash At San Quentin” hits #1 
    1970 - U.S. swimmer Gary Hall broke three world records at the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) outdoor swimming meet, held in Los Angeles, CA.
    1970 - The largest farm worker strike in U.S. history began.  Union leader César Chavez led the Salad Bowl Strike against the Teamsters Union and 5–7,000 UFW workers struck the Salinas Valley growers.
    1972 - Republican convention in Miami Beach, FL re-nominates VP Agnew but it was not unanimous as one vote went to NBC newsman David Brinkley.
    1974 - Top Hits
“The Night Chicago Died” - Paper Lace
“(You're) Having My Baby” - Paul Anka
“Tell Me Something Good” - Rufus
“As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone” - Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn 
    1975 - War's "Why Can't We Be Friends?" peaks at #6 on the pop chart.
    1975 - Fleetwood Mac's self-titled LP enters the charts. It's the band's first album with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.
    1975 - Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds' "Fallin' In Love" hits #1 
    1978 – Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia.  He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, retiring after the 2016 season. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, ranks third on the league's all-time regular season scoring and fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. He holds the NBA record for the most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career.
    1980 - AC/DC's "Black in Black" LP enters the charts. It's the band's first album with new lead singer Brian Johnson and their most popular, selling over 10 million.
    1982 - Top Hits
“Eye of the Tiger” - Survivor
“Hurts So Good” - John Cougar
“Abracadabra” - The Steve Miller Band
“Nobody” - Sylvia 
    1984 - South Fork Ranch, the home of the fictitious Ewing clan of the CBS-TV show "Dallas," was sold. The ranch, a 200-acre spread near Dallas, was to be transformed from a tourist site into a hotel, according to the new owners.
    1986 - Billy Joel's LP "The Bridge" enters the album charts. The album featured two top-10 hits, "Modern Woman" and "A Matter of Trust."
    1987 - A cold front brought autumn-like weather to the Northern and Central Plains Region. Afternoon highs were in the 50s and 60s across parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska that just two days earlier were in the 90s or above 100 degrees. Thunderstorms produced locally heavy rain in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
    1989 - Thunderstorms produced heavy rain with flash flooding in West Virginia. Pickens, WV, reported 4.80 inches of rain in 24 hours. Evening thunderstorms in Mississippi deluged Alta Woods with 4.25 inches of rain in less than an hour. Thunderstorms also produced heavy rain in southeastern Kentucky, and flooding was reported along Big Creek and along Stinking Creek. The Stinking Creek volunteer fire department reported water levels 12 to 14 feet above flood stage. Fort Worth TX hit the 100-degree mark for the first time all year. Strong winds ushering cool air into northwest Utah gusted to 70 mph, raising clouds of dust in the salt flats.
    1990 - Top Hits
“Vision of Love” - Mariah Carey
“Come Back to Me” - Janet Jackson
“If Wishes Came True” - Sweet Sensation
“Next to You, Next to Me” - Shenandoah
    1990 - Singer Billy Idol begins a tour in Montreal, just six months after almost losing his leg in a motorcycle accident
    1991 – The World Wide Web opened to the public.  An information space where documents and other web resources are identified by URLs, interlinked by hypertext links, and can be accessed via the Internet.  English scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989. He wrote the first web browser computer program in 1990 while employed at CERN in Switzerland.  The Web browser was released outside of CERN in 1991, first to other research institutions starting in January 1991 and to the general public on the Internet.
    1992 - James A. Baker III, resigned as secretary of state and was appointed chief of staff to President George Bush I.  In his new post, Baker was to take over command of Bush's reelection campaign, which was seen as floundering.
    1994 - CAREY, ALVIN P., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 38th Infantry, 2-t Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Plougastel, Brittany, France, 23 August 1944. Entered service at: Laughlinstown, Pa. Born: 16 August 1916, Lycippus, Pa. G.O. No.: 37, 11 May 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, on 23 August 1944. S/Sgt. Carey, leader of a machinegun section, was advancing with his company in the attack on the strongly held enemy hill 154, near Plougastel, Brittany, France. The advance was held up when the attacking units were pinned down by intense enemy machinegun fire from a pillbox 200 yards up the hill. From his position covering the right flank, S/Sgt. Carey displaced his guns to an advanced position and then, upon his own initiative, armed himself with as many hand grenades as he could carry and without regard for his personal safety started alone up the hill toward the pillbox. Crawling forward under its withering fire, he proceeded 150 yards when he met a German rifleman whom he killed with his carbine. Continuing his steady forward movement until he reached grenade-throwing distance, he hurled his grenades at the pillbox opening in the face of intense enemy fire which wounded him mortally. Undaunted, he gathered his strength and continued his grenade attack until one entered and exploded within the pillbox, killing the occupants and putting their guns out of action. Inspired by S/Sgt. Carey’s heroic act, the riflemen quickly occupied the position and overpowered the remaining enemy resistance in the vicinity. 
    1996 - Restrictions intended to discourage smoking by young people were announced by President Clinton.  The new rules banned vending machines in many locations, prohibited brand-name sponsorship of sporting events, and out-lawed advertising billboards located within 1000 ft. of schools.
    1998 - Barry Bonds becomes the first player in Major League history to hit 400 home runs and steal at least 400 bases (438). The Giants slugger reached the unmatched plateau with his 26th homer of the year against Marlin southpaw Kirt Ojala in a 10-5 San Francisco victory.
    1998 - With his 50th and 51st dingers, Cubs' slugger Sammy Sosa joins Mark McGwire (53) of the Cardinals in hitting 50 home runs, making it only the second time two National League hitters have reach the plateau in the same season. Pirates outfielder Ralph Kiner and Giants first baseman Johnny Mize each hit a league-leading 51 round trippers in 1947.
    1999 - Joining Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire, Mariner outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. becomes the third player in Major League history to hit 200 homers in a four-season span. Junior's 39th helps Seattle beat the Indians, 4-1.
    2011 - A 5.8 magnitude earthquake, the most powerful since 1897, struck near Mineral, Virginia, causing a shutdown of a nearby nuclear reactor.  Damage to monuments and structures in Washington, D.C. and the resulting damage was estimated at $200–$300 million. 
    2012 - Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner, announced he will not contest the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency charges of doping, a result of which will include being stripped of his Tour de France victories.
    2013 - CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, announced his retirement.