Archives: December 17, 2007
Balboa Capital, Irvine, California—Broker Division
by Christopher Menkin

 

(Edited due to length)

"Balboa Capital President Pat 'Evergreen' Byrne after numerous telephone calls and eMails... hasn’t responded to whether what readers are telling Leasing News that Balboa Capital is closing down their broker division.

"Several insiders told Leasing News any statement that the vendor department has been 'successfully launched' (by Phil Silva…) is flat wrong."

"One of the most serious problems reported to Leasing News is internally, '...the ops head openly dislikes brokers. Externally there is a lot of pressure from competing funders. With Lysne gone, there is no one there to advocate for the brokers or manage the key relationships. some of the direct guys didn't like Lysne very much but respected him because the channel produced. direct dept. is way behind for the year and now broker is in big trouble. vendor does nothing. guess a lot of people are looking for other jobs'.”

It also appears the 20% commission is not attracting the brokers who are able to obtain a high rate from prime lessees.

(National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers Newsletter ad)

(Note: Today Phil Silver is President and Byrne is CEO. Also Balboa Capital is a member in good standing of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, who support Evergreen Clause non-notification on termination of original leases and EFA. Editor)

http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202007/12-17-07.htm#balboa

 

Classified Ads---Credit

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

Greater Atlanta, GA 13 yrs. small ticket--directly w/brokers & direct sale, plus working capital.. Most recently Medical.  StuartJablonski@aol.com   Cell: (770) 561-1434 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stuartjablonski | Resume

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

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

 

Working Capital Loans for Small Businesses
www.channelpartnersllc.com p: (763) 746-7760 f: (763) 592-8297 information@channelpartnersllc.com

 

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Enbom Joins BluePath Finance LCC
New Company Formed

Small ticket leasing industry leader Chris Enbom, CLP, CEO of Allegiant Partners, San Rafael, California has joined the board of directors of BluePath Finance, LLC, San Francisco, California, as his company has made an investment in the launch of BluePath Finance platform. The company was formed to provide upfront funding for the installation of energy efficient technologies.

There has been a number of new companies getting into the Green energy marketplace, especially for municipalities' and other government entities. As it was noted in Tom McCurnin's article: "Clean Energy Lease Gets $32 Million Dirty" (1): "...solar energy financing remains elusively impractical except for lessees with skin in the game."

BluePath is funded with private capital, including a minority investment by Heartland Financial USA, Inc., an Iowa-based commercial bank holding company with operations in four Midwest and four Western states.

The company will work side-by-side with energy services companies, OEMs, installers and distributors to offer their customers turn-key financing. Most solutions are designed so end-users can pay for new installations from reduced utility bills and immediately realize monthly cash flow savings.

Warren Jones, CEO of BluePath said, "We saw a tremendous gap between the number of energy efficiency projects and the size of our inefficient building infrastructure. The economics of retrofits are compelling, but the lack of turn-key financing solutions, particularly for small- to medium-sized projects, prevents companies from realizing these savings."

BluePath's services include streamlined credit analysis, rapid processing of documentation, energy efficiency credits and rebates, and customer billing services.

Michael Cox, CFO of BluePath said, "BluePath's systems enable rapid transaction processing to increase the speed and volume of efficiency projects."

Ideal candidates for BluePath services, they report, include commercial and industrial companies, agri-business, hospitals, and public entities such as universities and schools.

"Typically, projects with $100,000 to $5 million in upfront costs are funded. BluePath has particular interest in financing lighting and lighting controls, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and building controls, industrial motors and systems, boilers, furnaces, refrigeration systems, and pumping systems," they report.

The company reportedly has capacity to fund up to $150 million in retrofit projects in their first phase.

(1) Clean Energy Lease Gets $32 Million Dirty
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Oct2012/10_24.htm#clean

http://bluepathfinance.com/

Why Choose Advanced Property Tax Compliance?

Dedicated to the leasing industry click here to learn more.  Hear What Our Clients say about us  click here Gary DiLillo, President 440.871.0555 or gary@avptc.com

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Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP

Variable Rate Leasing on Its Way Back?

For those of you who are older than dirt you may remember a time when lease and interest rates were very volatile. While common in bank loans, one of the advantages of leasing was to sell a fixed rate versus a variable rate. Most large leases in those days were all tied to a prime rate and were adjusted; usually up, as rates as on December 19, 1980 prime hit 21.5%. (1) In fact, many leasing companies during this period went out of business as they were borrowing at a the lower variable rate, but selling at a fixed rate.

The current anticipation is that the economy is beginning to show signs of a slow recovery and the Fed stated that they would hold down rates until the unemployment rates got down to 6.5%. Regardless of when the rates will go up it is certain that they will. So now is the time to prepare how you are going to protect yourself from rising rates. Most funding sources will begin to change lending habits to accommodate their fear of changing rates. Fixed rates will give way to variable rates or higher fixed rate margins. In addition, coming changes in “operating leases” will find more shorter term transactions and perhaps variable rate leases.

There are many methods to create a lease with a provision that allows you to increase the rent based on a changing cost structure like increased rates. One method is to create language that allows for an adjustment in the last month’s rent to accommodate any changes rates by choosing a bench mark like in three, or four year treasuries. This way there would be no change in the original fixed rent until the last payment. But of course if rates really change a lot then the last payment could be a dozy.

Some lessors prefer to make the change at the end of each year by making a new rent requirement for the following year based on a change in a bench mark rate such as the prime rate or a change in treasuries. Some prefer to make the term variable by adding a few additional payments again based on a bench mark rate. I am sure there are a lot of methods to adjust to a raising rate basis but learning about it now is better that a hurry up approach later.

I have not seen a monthly variable payment and it may not be because of a lack of software requirements but the concept itself. Also many payments are done with CCH today that we will have to look at how to accomplish the changes within this structure.

The real question is how fast the rates will change. In the past it seemed that rates went up twice as fast as they came down. I know that rates have been on a downward trend for over twenty years and have remained fairly stable for so long that many in the leasing profession have not lived through a fast rising rate environment. It creates a lot of victims because it is like standing on the tracks and denying that a train is coming. When the cost of borrowing goes up a fixed rate lessor is in trouble.

Most of our sources of funding will change to a variable rate environment when rates begin to rise so be prepared to make changes to the way you structure your leases or you may get caught in a reduced margin.

I do not think a changing payment structure to accommodate a changing cost structure will be a concern on the type of lease you have but it will wreak havoc on true lease structures where a fixed payment is necessary to predict the tax consequences and therefore the payment amount.

In addition to the question of raising rates remember to add language on true leases to cover any change in corporate tax rates because in times of major deficits everything is on the table and a larger corporate tax rate could also spell doom to the margins of true leases unless they have corporate tax indemnity. This language is not that long but should be added to all true leases.

The future of leasing is changing and in addition to the accounting changes the fear of raising rates adds to the speed of those grey hairs or lack of hair that are appearing on your noggin.

1. History of Prime Ratehttp://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/PrimeRateHistory-12162012.pdf

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty-five years and can be reached at leaseconsulting@msn.com or 502-649-0448

He invites your questions and queries.

Previous #102 Columns:

http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Leasing_102/Index.htm

Mr. Terry Winders available as Expert Witness. 35 years as a professional instructor to the top equipment leasing and finance companies in the United States, author of several books, including DVD's, as well as weekly columnist to Leasing News. He also performs audits of leasing companies as an expert on documentation, and has acted as an expert witness on leasing for litigation in legal and tax disputes, including before the IRS. He also has taught the senior bank examiners, how to review a bank leasing department, for the Federal Reserve in Washington D.C. and has trained the examiners for the FDIC on how to prepare a lease portfolio for sale. Mr. Winders received his Master of Business Administration and his Bachelor of Science degrees from the College of Notre Dame. 502.649.0448/Leaseconsulting@msn.com

(This ad is a “trade” for the writing of this column. Opinions
contained in the column are those of Mr. Terry Winders, CLP)

 

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Bank Beat--Slowness in payments and nonperformance
brings small Missouri bank down

The two branches of Community Bank of the Ozarks, Sunrise Beach, Missouri were closed with Bank of Sullivan, Sullivan, Missouri, to assume all of the deposits.

According to December 10, 2012 report about undercapitalized banks fall to lowest level in 3.5 years, only 51 banks have failed this year compared to 157 in 2010 and 92 in 2011. More importantly 41 banks in the US are undercapitalized? And of those it looks like about 25% of them are somehow increasing their capital. (1)

So we are down to 29 banks now that might fail. And many of these are in the Southwest. This is the fourth bank to fail in Missouri in Missouri this year.

Founded September 1, 1988, Community Bank of the Ozarks had 18 full time employees at the end of September 30, 2012 at their office in Pleasant Hope and Sunrise Beach. The year-end of 2007 had 40 full time employees.

"In the 1920's and early 1930's, Sunrise Beach and surrounding communities consisted of nothing more than vast areas of timber and brush. After the construction of Bagnell Dam by Union Electric, several communities sprang up around the lake, primarily due to the beauty inherent in this area. Sunrise Beach, located on the west side of the lake, was one of those communities, and now offers all the amenities that modern life considers necessary, from recreational facilities (including many resorts and marinas) to medical and real estate offices, and everything in between. Some consider Sunrise Beach to be the single most beautiful community around the lake."
http://odd.net/ozarks/sunrise/

From the house rentals

http://www.resortsandlodges.com/lodging/usa/missouri/lake-of-the-ozarks/city-sunrise-beach.html

http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/34648.html

184 listings of homes for sale
in nonfarm population are of 384 population

http://www.city-data.com/housing/houses-Sunrise-Beach-Missouri.html

 

184 residential listings
http://www1.findlakeozarkhomes.com

"The demise of this bank is the result of liberal lending practices compounded by adverse economic trends, "Richard J. Weaver, Commissioner of the Division of Finance for Missouri said. Many of these loans became delinquent and non-performing. Losses have been realized and are more than the bank can support. The bank has operated under close regulatory scrutiny since 2009. The board voted to turn the bank over to the State Division of Finance."

It was an easy vote by the board as the bank had a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 1.86%, had gone from a net equity of $6.4 million in 2007 to $726,000 the end of September 30, 2012 with non-current loans at $5 million, quite high for a bank this size.

The charge offs were not high, so it appears the slowness in payments as a result of the local economy and evidently over exuberance of tourism to be generated by lakefront property and rentals resulted in the bank closure.

(in millions, unless otherwise)

Net Equity
2006 $6.2
2007 $6.4
2008 $5.9
2009 $5.2
2010 $3.5
2011 $2.1
9/31 $726,000

Profit
2006 $366,000
2007 $430,000
2008 -$182,000
2009 -$705,000
2010 -$1.7
2011 -$1.2
9/31 -$1.5

Non-Current Loans
2006 $886,000
2007 $11,000
2008 $1.1
2009 $2.3
2010 $4.4
2011 $3.8
9/31 $5.0

Charge Offs
2006 $211,000 ($235,000 commercial/industrial, $-$24,000
nonfarm/nonres.)
2007 $407,000 ($134,000 commercial/ind.,$109,000 const., $74,000 nonfarm/nonres.,$25,000 1-4 family, $43,000 other, $35,000 consumer)
2008 $287,000 ($195,000 nonfarm/nonres,$66,000 1-4 family, $$28,000 commercial/Industrial)
2009 $297,000 ($150,000 construction/land, $61,000 indiv.,$49,000 1-4 family, $20,000 commercial)
2010 $772,000 ($593,000 construction/land, $130,000 1-4 family, $50,000 commercial/industrial, -$1,000 individuals)
2011 $497,000 ($421,000 nonfarm/nonres., $74,000 1-4 family, $$3,000 indiv.)
9/31 $215,000 ($222,000 farmland,-$5,000 const.,-$10,000 auto,-$2,000 ind.)

Construction and Land, 1-4 family multiple residential, Multiple Family Residential, Non-Farm Non-Residential loans.

As of September 30, 2012, Community Bank of the Ozarks had approximately $42.8 million in total assets and $41.9 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Bank of Sullivan agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC and Bank of Sullivan entered into a loss-share transaction on $37.3 million of Community Bank of the Ozarks' assets.

http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2012/pr12146.html

(1) Undercapitalized Banks Fall To Lowest Level In 3.5 Years
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_10.htm#snl

List of Bank Failures:
http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html

Bank Beat:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Bank_Beat.htm

 

 

 

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Leasing News Advisory Board Families
during the Holidays

(Not all responded, but here alphabetically are how many
of the Leasing News Advisory Board will be spending the holidays)

 

Dale Davis
Endeavor Financial Services,
Costa Mesa, California

"We're fortunate to have family at home for Christmas. We look forward to spending time with lots of kids, reflecting on the year, planning for the next, and celebrating the season."

Shawn Halladay
The Alta Group
Salt Lake City, Utah

"We are staying home and will have a house full of kids, grandkids, boyfriends, and the favorite uncle. Christmas Eve day is a big one for us, as we take everyone to a Christmas movie and then have a nice dinner at home."

Bruce Kropschot
The Alta Group, LLC
The Villages, Florida

"We will be spending a quiet Christmas at home this year. We are ringing in the new year in Tampa where we will attend the Outback Bowl to see my Michigan Wolverines play South Carolina."

 

Allan Levine
Madison Capital LLC
Owings Mills, Maryland

"From last week through the HOLIDAYS, my wife and I have and will shuffle between our three kid’s houses from Westchester, New York, Bethesda, Maryland, and Baltimore spending Chanukah time. Gifts are generally for our 6 grandkids and an occasional dinner for all (at my expense). And, my car radio will have my favorite Christmas music always playing. I never get enough of the Messiah. In short, a great time of the year for all. May this happy time of the year find all in the best of health and spirits.

"We do adopt a family for Christmas and provide gifts based on a family profile we receive.

"Delivering the gifts always brings us back to the reality of the not so fortunate and reminds me how blessed my family is."

 

Bruce Lurie
Douglas-Guardian Services Corporation,
Houston, Texas

"My family and I will be going to New York between Christmas and New Year’s. It will be the first trip to New York for my 12 year old daughter. We have planned shows, site seeing and I'm sure plenty of shopping."

Don Myerson
BSB Leasing
Colorado, Hawaii

"Merry Christmas all from sunny Kauai ! ( almost - I'll be back on the warm sunny island of Kauai in 2 days after freezing my back end off in Denver for a few days.)

"Christmas this year will be spend in the white sand and palm trees of Hawaii instead of the white snow and pine trees of Colorado. Looking forward to spending time with my wife and 4 kids and 10- 15 friends of my kids that have no place to go for Christmas. Always a good time.

“Looking forward to welcoming home my oldest on his first school break from college in England. Funny how I never thought I'd miss him so. It will be nice to take a short break from the Leasing Wars and enjoy the family.

Hugh Swandel
The Alta Group
Canada

"It will be Christmas in Winnipeg with a trip up to our cottage in Lake of the Woods, Ontario (Canada!). If all goes well ---we will shovel the snow off of the ice on the lake and have a pond hockey game or two!"

Bob Teichman
Teichman Financial Training
Sausalito, CA.

"We will spend a quiet Christmas at home with a fire in the fireplace and all the usual trimmings."

 

Rosanne Wilson
1st Independent Leasing
Beaverton, OR

"We are staying home this year and being empty nesters. The kids are all off to different destinations so it will be a real quiet Christmas. I hope to sit next to the fireplace with my hubby and share a cup of hot chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps. I might have to try several different holiday adult beverages :) I'm going to prepare a nice Prime Rib (his favorite) for Christmas Day. We'll venture out to see a few movies at the theatre and the rest of the time just enjoy being together and not having any schedule to stick to. Get up when we want and sleep when we want. That sounds like a perfect Christmas to me."

Ginny Young
Former Brava Capital
Orange, CA

"My husband and I are spending the holidays at our home in Lake Arrowhead, California. It's been snowing there this week and I can't wait to get there and enjoy the winter season for a few days. It's great to have a totally different climate just over an hour away. Time to play in the snow, read, sew, watch old movies, drink fine wine, and make lots of soup."

 

Paul Weiss
Panthera Leasing
San Francisco, CA

"In many years our largest transactions push up against year end, so holiday bliss may include the odd additional treat of a tasty year end deal coming together and funding in the final hours. This year the deals slide slowly toward January, leaving a bit of extra free time but the need to get ready for the final push right after January 1. This means that although Dad (that’s me) has some things to do, the family (including me) will gather in the Bay Area and enjoy the chance to do very simple local stuff.

“ Most of us are in driving distance, my youngest returns from college in the East after a semester of no visits home due to crushing work load. Somehow the tradition of dim sum on the afternoon of Christmas Eve has taken hold, odd to me (Boston born) but the massive crowd proves that many others are on the same rotation. I quietly count the astonishing blessings, and quietly will find the moments to wander off to tap away at spreadsheets because with luck and serendipity there will be closings in January. Another year.

"Tonight the news of Newtown CT dominates the airwaves. For all of us who have or once had young children under foot, the season may have just become a bit different than when the world is quiet and our children are safe. Here we will gather with great joy but we will also reflect on young lives that ended early."

 

 

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Business Development Officer Baltimore-Washington DC Area Should have existing client base.  Work from corporate office as required. Salary plus commission structure, benefits, expense plan. Email:Alevine@madisoncapital.com or npistorio@madisoncapital.com www.madisoncapital.com 35 years equipment & vehicle financing full service direct funder for small to mid-ticket transactions, with syndication abilities for large ticket.

Credit Coordinator 11620 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90025 Liaison between the Brokers/Clients and Maxim Credit Underwriters during the underwriting process. Coordinator will be responsible for managing the process of each transaction through our CRM and workflow management software. Click here for more information www.maximcc.com Founded 2008, Maxim Commercial Capital, LLC is a nationwide funding source for Equipment and Real Estate secured commercial transactions.

 

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“Flubs the Interview—What Now?”
Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

Question: I went an interview last week and believe I “flubbed” the interview. I am really interested in the position and company, any way I can redeem myself? I was just nervous and had not been on an interview in years.

Answer: Interviewing is VERY stressful …. Preparation for an interview usually eases the “nerves”, but never completely. The more prepared or “practiced” you are the better you will feel and in turn present yourself in a better light.

Since the interview already occurred – I would suggest re-engaging the interviewer by conducting a follow-up call. Reiterate your strengths (make sure you are WELL prepared and try to anticipate his/her additional questions) and let the interviewer know (in a tactful manner) that you were having an off-day and would like to meet with him/her once again. I cannot guarantee this will work – as first impressions are everything!

After your follow-up call, put a brief email together expressing your interest and again reiterating your qualifications for the position (include stats. reference letters, etc…).

If this does not work in your favor – refer back to this experience as a practice run – next time, you will be well prepared!

Don’t be discouraged many have had interview mishaps! Here are two poor interviews – this should make you feel better!

Let’s Be Buddies

In his first meeting with me, a candidate made himself a little too comfortable. Not only did he liberally pepper his conversation with profanities, he also pulled his chair right up to the edge of my desk and started picking up and examining papers and knick-knacks.

Tells All

The first thing out of his mouth is why he is leaving his company, how bad his boss is, how his colleagues are all jerks, when the boss is out, everyone gets on their Facebook page or is texting to friends, and gives some gossip about the company that has nothing to do with the interview.

 

Emily Fitzpatrick
Sr. Recruiter
Recruiters International, Inc.
Phone: 954-885-9241
Cell: 954-612-0567
emily@riirecruit.com
Invite me to Connect on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/pub/emily-fitzpatrick/4/671/76
Also follow us on Twitter #RIIINFO
Happy Holidays from RII

Career Crossroads Previous Columns
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/crossroad.html

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Not too Late, Two Top Books to Buy for Christmas
Recommended by Kit Menkin, editor

$49.95

(To both learn and order the CLP Handbook)
http://www.clpfoundation.org/toolbox/clp_handbook.php

$19.95 paperback--$9.99 Kindle edition at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=memory+shock+by+barry+reitman

Leasing Books for Holiday Presents

http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_12.htm#books

 

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Leasing News’ Top Stories Dec. 10---December 14
(What you may have missed)

Here are the top ten stories opened by readers

(1) Balboa Capital, Irvine, California
Bulletin Board Complaint
by Christopher Menkin, Publisher
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_10.htm#bbc

(2) Correction: Balboa Capital, Irvine, California
Bulletin Board Complaint
by Christopher Menkin, Publisher
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_12.htm#bbc

(3) Kropschot vs. Balboa Capital: Stiffed
by Christopher Menkin, editor
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_12.htm#stiffe

(4) Leasing “Bad Boy” Jim Raeder to be Sentenced Monday
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_14.htm#raeder

(5) Companies who utilize Evergreen Clauses
for Extra Lease Payments
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_10.htm#evergreen

(6) Archive: December 14, 2009
Charles H. Lichtman Letter re: Brican America
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_14.htm#archives

(7) Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Advance Vendor Payment
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_10.htm#avp

(8) New Hires---Promotions
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_14.htm#hires

(9) America's Disappearing Restaurant Chains
www.247wallst.com
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_14.htm#chains

(10) Companies who notify lessee in advance of lease expiration
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_10.htm#notify

 

(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

 

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Hurricane Sandy Displaced Dogs (and cats)
Manhattan, New York ---Adopt and Foster needed

http://on.fb.me/sdSs4P

This site states over 200 animals have been displaced in Manhattan
at this site:

Manhattan Animal Care Center
326 East 110th Street (between 1st and 2nd Aves.)
New York, NY 10029
Shelter Hours: 8AM - 8PM, 7 days a week
Adoption Hours: Noon to 7PM, 7 days a week
urgentdeathrowdogs.org

“DO NOT call and say you are adopting unless you truly intend on physically going to the shelter to adopt the dog. It ties up phones lines and is a waste of the staff's time to explain the adoption procedure over the phone for someone who is purposely not going to show up. They need every free second of their time to answer calls, assist actual adopters, process intakes, and care for the animals. More importantly, they will note the dog’s file that an adopter is en route which will prevent an actual adopter from saving the dog.

“For more information on adopting, please visit our website: urgentdeathrowdogs.org and click on “How You Can Help.”

“There are also helpful links with information on each main album description. For more information, please call (212) 788-4000. Also email adoption@nycacc.org but ONLY if serious about adopting and ONLY if you are able to GO TO the shelter in-person.”

Adopt-a-Pet by Leasing Co. State/City
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Adopt_Pet.htm

Adopt a Pet
http://www.adoptapet

 

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Trump bucks trend by collecting golf links
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/fairway_to_heaven

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

The 100 Best Workout Songs from the '90s
http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=the_100_best_workout

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Sports Briefs----

 

49ers upset Patriots, 41-34
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/49ers-upset-Patriots-41-34-4122802.php
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/2012/12/17/patriots-comeback-falls-short-late-ers/QTBWPqOmJma2GfZY0hclYN/story.html

Oakland Raiders' future takes a hit with 15-0 victory over Kansas City Chiefs
http://www.contracostatimes.com/raiders/ci_22205672/poole-oakland-raiders-future-takes-hit-15-0

Bears lose 6th straight against Packers, who clinch NFC North
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-1217-bears-packers-chicago--20121217,0,5625498.story

Cowboys in tie for 1st place thanks to overtime win over Pittsburgh Steelers
http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/headlines/20121216-cowboys-in-tie-for-1st-place-thanks-to-overtime-win-over-pittsburgh-steelers.ece

Rivers struggles in yet another Bolts loss
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/dec/16/rivers-struggles-yet-another-bolts-loss/

 

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American Football Poem

American Football Poem

A champion is one who gets up when he can't.

Jack Dempsey

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Take pride in how far you have come; have faith in how far you can go.

Unknown

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Tough times don't last, tough people do.

Unknown

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If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you think you'd like to win, but you think you can't,
it's almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you've lost.
For out in the world you'll find,
success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself,
before you can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go,
to the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later the man who wins,
is the man who thinks he can.

Unknown

 

 

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California Nuts Briefs---

 

SF Bay Area housing market continues a year of hard-won gains
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22185515/bay-area-housing-prices-sales-post-strong-gains

Santa Clara County School Board sues ex-superintendent over condo loan
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_22177150/santa-clara-county-school-board-sues-ex-superintendent

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Massive Napa do-over prompts grape plant shortage
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/16/5058022/massive-napa-do-over-prompts-grape.html

Real meaning of descriptors
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20121212/LIFESTYLE/212121010

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

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

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

Winery Atlas
http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas/\

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

 

1728 -Congregation Shearith Israel of New York purchases a lot on Mill Street in lower Manhattan, to build New York's 1st synagogue. Construction is completed in 1730.
http://www.shearith-israel.org/folder/main_frames.html 
    1734-Birthday of William Floyd, signer of the Declaration of Independence, member of Congress, born at Brookhaven, Long Island. Die at Westernville, NY, Aug 4,1821
    1760-Birthday of Deborah Sampson, born at Plympton, MA. She spent her childhood as an indentured servant. In 1782, wishing to participate in the Revolutionary War, she disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the Continental Army's 4th Massachusetts Regiment under the name Robert Shurtleff. She received both musket and sword wounds, but it was an attack of fever that unmasked her identity and led to her dismissal from the army in 1783. In 1802- Sampson became perhaps the first woman to lecture professionally in the US when she began giving public speeches on her experiences. Full military pension was provided for her heirs by an act of Congress in 1838. Deborah Sampson died Apr 29, 1827, at Sharon, MA.
    1777 - France recognized American independence. 
    1777-General George Washington, after losing several battles to superior forces, professional soldiers, well-equipped and fortified, re-groups his farmers and volunteer fighting force by retiring with them to Valley Forge, Pa., for the brutal cold winter. The war was not going well and officers worked their hardest to not only train the troops, but to halt them from deserting.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/ft-was.htm#history 
http://www.casayego.com/amrev/vforge/evforge.htm 
http://www.jimfrizzell.com/valley_forge_washington_headquarters.htm 
http://www.valleyforge.org/vfpark.asp 
http://www.soupsong.com/rtripe.html 
    1788-Poet Robert Burns wrote his version of a old Scottish song to Mrs. Dunlap; the words for “Auld Lang Syne...”( "times gone by.") He sent a copy of his song to his publisher Mr. Johnson, who later published it.
http://www.robertburns.org/encyclopedia/AuldLangSyne.5.html
    1790-One of the wonders of the western hemisphere—the Aztec Calendar or Solar Stone—was found beneath the ground by workmen repairing Mexico City's Central Plaza. The centuries-old, intricately carved stone lift, 8 inches in diameter and weighing nearly 25 tons, proved to be a highly developed calendar monument to the sun Believed to have been carved in the year 1479, this extraordinary time-counting basalt tablet originally stood in the Great Temple of the Aztecs. Buried along with other Aztec idols, soon after the Spanish conquest in 1521, it remained hidden until 1790. Its 52-year cycle had regulated many Aztec ceremonies, including grisly human sacrifices to save the world from destruction by the gods.
    1797- Scientist Joseph Henry was born at Albany, NY. One of his great discoveries was the principle of self-induction; the unit used in the measure of electrical inductance was named the Henry in his honor. In 331 Henry constructed the first model of an electric telegraph with an audible signal. This formed the basis of nearly all later work on commercial wire telegraphy. In 1832 Henry was named professor of natural philosophy at the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University. Henry was involved in the planning of the Smithsonian Institution and became its first secretary in 1846. president Lincoln named Henry as ore of the original 50 scientists to make up the National Academy of Sciences in 1863. He served as that organization's president from 1868 until his death May 13, 1878, at Washington, DC.
    1807-Birthday of John Greenleaf Whittier, poet and abolitionist, born at Haverhill, Essex County, MA. Whittier's books of poetry include Legends of New England and Snowbound. Died at Hampton Falls, NH, Sept 7,1892.
    1821-Kentucy was the first state to abolish imprisonment for debt. There were no bankruptcy laws, and prior to this. those individuals who got into debt, would be sentenced to prison, no matter the cause of the insolvency.
    1846 - Ships under Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry capture Laguna de Terminos during Mexican War. 
    1861 - The Stonewall Brigade began to dismantle Dam No. 5 of the C&O Canal near 
    1862-Union General Ulysses S. Grant lashes out at cotton speculators when he expels all Jews from his department in the west. At the time, Grant was trying to capture Vicksburg, Mississippi, the last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. Grant's army now effectively controlled much territory in western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and parts of Kentucky and Arkansas. As in other parts of the South, Grant was dealing with thousands of escaped slaves. John Eaton, a chaplain, devised a program through which the freed slaves picked cotton from abandoned fields and received part of the proceeds when it was sold by the government. Grant also had to deal with numerous speculators who followed his army in search of cotton. Cotton supplies were very short in the North, and these speculators could buy bales in the captured territories and sell it quickly for a good profit. In December, Grant's father arrived for a visit with two friends from Cincinnati. Grant soon realized that the friends, who were Jews, were speculators hoping to gain access to captured cotton. Grant was furious and fired off his notorious Order No. 11: "The Jews, as a class violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department and also department orders, are hereby expelled from the department within twenty-four hours from receipt of this order." The fallout from his action was swift. Among 30 Jewish families expelled from Paducah, Kentucky, was Cesar Kaskel, who rallied support in Congress against the order. Shortly after the uproar, President Lincoln ordered Grant to rescind the order. Grant later admitted to his wife that the criticism of his hasty action was well deserved. As Julia Grant put it, the general had "no right to make an order against any special sect."
    1874-Birthday of W.L. MacKenzie, former Canadian prime minister, born at Berlin, Ontario. Served 21 years, the longest term of any prim minister in the English-speaking world. Died at Kingsmere, July 22,1950 
    1884 - A three week blockade of snow began at Portland, OR. A record December total of 34 inches was received. 
    1889-Rosemary "Silver Dollar" Tabor, the second daughter of Horace and Elizabeth "Baby Doe" Tabor, is born. The Tabors were one of Colorado's wealthiest families of the time. Silver's mother, Elizabeth Doe, came west from Wisconsin with her husband, Harvey, in 1877; the couple hoped to make a fortune in the booming gold and silver mines of Colorado. Harvey Doe proved to be an inept and lazy miner, though, so Elizabeth divorced him and moved to the mining town of Leadville in 1881, where she performed on the stage and was nicknamed "Baby Doe" by admiring miners. During a chance encounter, Baby Doe won the affections of Horace Tabor, an emigrant from Vermont who made millions in the silver mines. Although Tabor was a married man, he moved Baby Doe into an elegant hotel in Denver and began a not-so-secret affair that scandalized the Colorado gentry. Ignoring the wagging tongues, Tabor divorced his wife and married the beautiful Baby Doe, who was nearly a quarter-century younger than he. For a time, the couple lived a life of extraordinary opulence and pleasure, and Baby Doe had two daughters nicknamed "Lillie" and "Silver Dollar," the latter in recognition of the source of the family's wealth. During the early 1890s, the good times started to slow as some of Tabor's investments went sour and his mines began to decline. The fatal blow came in 1893, when the U.S. Congress repealed the Silver Purchase Act of 1890, which had kept silver prices high through government investment. Without these large purchases of silver by the U.S treasury, prices plummeted and Tabor's once valuable mines were suddenly nearly worthless. In a matter of months, Tabor was bankrupt and the family was reduced to living on the modest income he earned as Denver's postmaster. When Tabor died in 1899 of appendicitis, Baby Doe and her young daughters were left penniless, and moved back to Chicago to live with relatives. Eventually, Baby Doe left Lillie in Chicago and returned to Leadville with Silver Dollar. The decision was disastrous: mired in poverty, Baby Doe and Silver eked out a threadbare existence, living in a small shack near one of the worthless silver mines they inherited from Horace Tabor. As Silver grew older she drank heavily and used drugs. She moved to Chicago, where she was murdered in 1925 at 36 years old. Baby Doe survived for another decade, an impoverished recluse who used old gunny sacks for shoes and doctored herself with turpentine and lard. During a severe blizzard that hit Leadville for several days in February 1935, Baby Doe--who had once been one of the richest people on earth--died cold and alone at 81 years old.
    1895- George Loomis, Brownell of Worcester, MA, patented a paper twine machine. It twisted strips or ribbons of paper into cord that was as strong as any known steel.
    1901--Birthday of Janet G. Travell, first woman physician to hold the post of personal physician to the President of the United States (John F. Kennedy). JGT was a specialist in the study and treatment of musculoskeletal pain. She was firm believer in rocking chairs as mild muscular exercisers and believed that every person should choose their particular chair to fit their bodies. 
    1903-Birthday of bandleader Ray Noble, Brighton, England
http://www.nobello.com/ray.htm
    1903 -- American author Erskine Caldwell lives, Coweta County, Georgia. Unadorned novels & stories ( Tobacco Road, God's Little Acre ) about rural poor of the American South mix violence and sex in grotesque tragicomedy -- & he is particularly esteemed in France & the former Soviet Union. He struggled with censorship more than any other writer in his time. He died in Paradise Valley, Arizona on April 11, 1987
http://www.libs.uga.edu/gawriters/caldwell.html 
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/caldwell.htm 
http://www.newnan.com/ec/ 
    1903- Orville and Wilbur Wright, brothers, bicycle shop operators, inventors and aviation pioneers, after three years of experimentation with kites and gliders, achieved the first documented successful powered and controlled flights of an airplane. The plane, which weighed 745 pounds and hand a four-cylinder, 12-horsepower engine, was launched from a monorail after a 35-to-40 foot run. It remained aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. Three subsequent flights took place that day, of which the longest covered 852 feet in 59 seconds. The average speed was 31 miles per hour. Some historians respect the claim of Gustave Whitehead, who is said to have made four flights, one of which covered a distance of 1.5 miles, in his airplane “No. 21” on August 14, 1901, near Bridgeport. The Wright Brothers promoted their launching with press on hand and the event has been celebrated every year at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, NC, with wreaths, flyover and other observances—regardless of weather.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec17.html 
    1904 – Birthday of artist Paul Cadmus, well respected homosexual paint. His notorious erotic painting The Fleet's In! launched his career as a full-time artist. Died 1999
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/cadmus_paul.html 
http://www.history.navy.mil/ac/cadmus/cadmus.htm 
http://www.davidsutherland.com/films_cadmus.html 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0915829681/inktomi-bkasin-20/104-3547695-1517507 
    1908-Birthday of Willard Frank Libby, American educator, chemist, atomic scientist and Nobel Prize winner was born at Grand Valley, CO. He was the inventor of the carbon-14 “atomic clock” method for dating ancient and prehistoric plant and animal remains and minerals. Died at Los Angeles, CA, Sept 8,1980.
( lower half of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec17.html )
    1910 -December 17, Band Leader/Trombone playr Sy Oliver Birthday
http://search.eb.com/blackhistory/micro/437/64.html 
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/oliver_sy/bio.jhtml 
http://trumpetjazz.netfirms.com/Artists/Sy_Oliver.html 
    1920-The first orphanage founded by the Church of God opened in Cleveland, Tennessee. Its establishment was the result of the vision and efforts of Church of God pioneer, A.J. Tomlinson.
    1924 - A severe icestorm struck central Illinois. It coated the ground with nearly two inches of glaze at Springfield. The storm caused 21 million dollars damage along with much hardship. Ice was on the trees until the 4th of January, and electricity was not restored until January 10th. 
    1925-Birthday of drummer Walter Bolden, Hartford, CT Died February 19,2002
http://www.jazztimes.com/JazzNews/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=516 
http://www.jazzvalley.com/musician/walter.bolden 
    1925 Colonel William "Billy" Mitchell court-martial for insubordination Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; salesman; member of West Virginia state senate 6th District, 1941-60.Episcopalian . Member, American Legion ; Elks .
It was President Coolidge himself who ordered Mitchell's court-martial under charges of insubordination under the 96th Article of War ("conduct of a nature to bring discredit on the military service"). The trial lasted seven weeks, most of which was devoted to a discussion of Mitchell's concept of airpower. The verdict of guilty was a foregone conclusion, and Mitchell was sentenced to be suspended from rank, command, and duty, with a forfeiture of all pay and allowances for five years. President Coolidge, in an uncharacteristic fit of generosity, later reduced this to forfeiture of half his pay and allowances.
Billy Mitchell refused the offer and resigned on February 1, 1926. All through the court-martial proceedings, Mitchell had the staunch support of "Hap" Arnold and such officers as Carl Spaatz, Herbert Dargue, Robert Olds, William Gillmore, Horace Hickam, and others. Each put his career on the line for Mitchell even though they knew he would be convicted. After the trial, Arnold was exiled to become commanding officer of the 16th Observation Squadron, Fort Riley, Kan. The assignment was intended to be the end of his career. Mitchell continued to campaign in speeches and articles. "Hap" Arnold, for his part, soldiered on, his leadership qualities inevitably propelling him to the top, regardless of residual resentment about his unflagging support for Mitchell. More important than Arnold's loyalty, however, was his comprehension of Mitchell's fascination with technology. Early in his tour as Army Air Corps Chief, Arnold began soliciting the ideas and the company of the top scientists in the country. Eventually, he enlisted the assistance of such stellar names as Theodore von Kármán, Hugh L. Dryden, Frank Wattendorf, Hsue-shen Tsien, Vladimir K. Zworykin, and many others for the Scientific Advisory Group, later transformed into the Scientific Advisory Board. These men and others created first "Where We Stand" and then "Toward New Horizons," studies that addressed state-of-the-art technology and put forth a blueprint for the development of the postwar Air Force. It is important to note that neither Mitchell nor Arnold had the scientific competence to write such reports; they had, instead, the far more vital ability to see that the reports were needed, recognize who could produce them, and sympathetically enlist their support. The officers Arnold picked to work with the scientists were equally well chosen, among them such men as James H. Doolittle, Donald L. Putt, and Laurence C. Craigie. They knew the importance of science and of scientists. Againin the spirit of Billy Mitchell, Arnold picked promising young officers who understood the requirements of technology and saw that they were given a track to top positions. Doing so cost him friends. Comrades who had served with him, and who were now passed over, resented his choices. But Arnold knew he was not running a popularity contest; he was building an independent Air Force. The constructive culture created by Mitchell and Arnold
    1926-- Ben Pollack and His Californians records "He’s the Last Word." In the late 1950's,
my friends and I hung out at his Dixieland pizza joint on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood,
where he would play the drums. Sandy Nelson said he got his "boom-chick-a-boom" here,
or perhaps it was the burlesque house drummer, which is the real truth.
    1932-Birthday of sax player Sonny “Red” Kyner, Detroit, MI
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r1100_096.htm
    1933-Birthday of bass palyer Walter Booker, Jr., Prairie View, TX, died 1982.
    1933- the Chicago Bears of the Western Division won the National Football League's first championship game, defeating the New York Giants of the Eastern Division., 23-21. The Bears scored the winning touchdown on a pas-and lateral play begun by Bronko Nagurski. The purse was divided, with 60 percent going to the players, 15 percent to each club, and 10 percent to the league. Shares for individual players were $210 for the Bears and $140 for the Giants.
http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/artists/walter_booker.html 
    1939-Birthday of pianist James Booker, New Orleans, LA
http://offbeat.com/booker/discography.html 
http://www.zultimate1.com/music/blues/j_blues_bands/james_booker.htm 
http://www.thejukejoint.com/jamesbooker.html 
    1939-Birthdy of Eddie Kendricks, lead, The Temptations, Union Springs, Al
http://www.thetemptations.com/eddiekendricks.htm 
http://www.alamhof.org/kendrick.htm 
    1940 - United States President Franklin Roosevelt outlined his plan for "lend-leasing" arms and equipment to Britain during World War II.
    1941-Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel was relieved of his command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet as part of a shake-up of officers in the wake of the Pearl Harbor disaster. Admiral Kimmel had enjoyed a successful military career, beginning in 1915 as an aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He served admirably on battleships in World War I, winning command of several in the interwar period. At the outbreak of World War II, Kimmel had already attained the rank of rear admiral and was commanding the cruiser forces at Pearl Harbor. In January 1941, he was promoted to commander of the Pacific Fleet, replacing James Richardson, who FDR relieved of duty after Richardson objected to basing the fleet at Pearl Harbor. If Kimmel had a weakness, it was that he was a creature of habit, of routine. He knew only what had been done before, and lacked imagination-and therefore insight-regarding the unprecedented. So, even as word was out that Japan was likely to make a first strike against the United States as the negotiations in Washington floundered, Kimmel took no extraordinary actions at Pearl Harbor. In fact, he believed that a sneak attack was more likely at Wake Island or Midway Island, and requested from Lieutenant General Walter Short, Commander of the Army at Pearl Harbor, extra antiaircraft artillery for support there (none could be spared). Kimmel's predictability was extremely easy to read by Japanese military observers and made his fleet highly vulnerable. As a result, Kimmel was held accountable, to a certain degree, for the absolute devastation wrought on December 7. Although he had no more reason than anyone else to believe Pearl Harbor was a possible Japanese target, a scapegoat had to be found to appease public outrage. He avoided a probable court-martial when he requested early retirement. When Admiral Kimmel's Story, an "as told to" autobiography, was published in 1955, Kimmel made it plain that he believed FDR sacrificed him-and his career-to take suspicion off himself; Kimmel believed Roosevelt knew Pearl Harbor was going to be bombed, although no evidence has ever been adduced to support his allegation. The only intelligence at the time talked about a possible invasion of Indochina. There was speculation that Wake Island in Midway might be a target, but it was thought at the time the Japanese were more interested in the China mainland and its surrounding countries, their century old enemies.
    1944--COWAN, RICHARD ELLER Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company M, 23d Infantry, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Krinkelter Wald, Belgium, 17 December 1944. Entered service at: Wichita, Kans. Birth: Lincoln, Nebr. G.O. No.: 48, 23 June 1945. Citation: He was a heavy machinegunner in a section attached to Company I in the vicinity of Krinkelter Wald, Belgium, 17 December 1944, when that company was attacked by a numerically superior force of German infantry and tanks. The first 6 waves of hostile infantrymen were repulsed with heavy casualties, but a seventh drive with tanks killed or wounded all but 3 of his section, leaving Pvt. Cowan to man his gun, supported by only 15 to 20 riflemen of Company I. He maintained his position, holding off the Germans until the rest of the shattered force had set up a new line along a firebreak. Then, unaided, he moved his machinegun and ammunition to the second position. At the approach of a Royal Tiger tank, he held his fire until about 80 enemy infantrymen supporting the tank appeared at a distance of about 150 yards. His first burst killed or wounded about half of these infantrymen. His position was rocked by an 88mm. shell when the tank opened fire, but he continued to man his gun, pouring deadly fire into the Germans when they again advanced. He was barely missed by another shell. Fire from three machineguns and innumerable small arms struck all about him; an enemy rocket shook him badly, but did not drive him from his gun. Infiltration by the enemy had by this time made the position untenable, and the order was given to withdraw. Pvt. Cowan was the last man to leave, voluntarily covering the withdrawal of his remaining comrades. His heroic actions were entirely responsible for allowing the remaining men to retire successfully from the scene of their last-ditch stand.
    1944--LOPEZ, JOSE M. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, 23d Infantry, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Krinkelt, Belgium, 17 December 1944. Entered service at: Brownsville, Tex. Birth: Mission, Tex. G.O. No.: 47, 18 June 1945. Citation: On his own initiative, he carried his heavy machinegun from Company K's right flank to its left, in order to protect that flank which was in danger of being overrun by advancing enemy infantry supported by tanks. Occupying a shallow hole offering no protection above his waist, he cut down a group of 10 Germans. Ignoring enemy fire from an advancing tank, he held his position and cut down 25 more enemy infantry attempting to turn his flank. Glancing to his right, he saw a large number of infantry swarming in from the front. Although dazed and shaken from enemy artillery fire which had crashed into the ground only a few yards away, he realized that his position soon would be outflanked. Again, alone, he carried his machinegun to a position to the right rear of the sector; enemy tanks and infantry were forcing a withdrawal. Blown over backward by the concussion of enemy fire, he immediately reset his gun and continued his fire. Single-handed he held off the German horde until he was satisfied his company had effected its retirement. Again he loaded his gun on his back and in a hail of small arms fire he ran to a point where a few of his comrades were attempting to set up another defense against the onrushing enemy. He fired from this position until his ammunition was exhausted. Still carrying his gun, he fell back with his small group to Krinkelt. Sgt. Lopez's gallantry and intrepidity, on seemingly suicidal missions in which he killed at least 100 of the enemy, were almost solely responsible for allowing Company K to avoid being enveloped, to withdraw successfully and to give other forces coming up in support time to build a line which repelled the enemy drive. 
    1944 -- US: Japanese-Americans released from detention camps. US Army announces end of excluding Japanese-Americans from West Coast
http://americanhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/non-flash/justice_postwar.html 
    1944 - During World War II, U.S. Major General Henry C. Pratt issues Public Proclamation No. 21, declaring that, effective January 2, 1945, Japanese American "evacuees" from the West Coast could return to their homes. By June, more than 110,000 Japanese Americans were relocated to remote internment camps built by the U.S. military in scattered locations around the country. For the next two and a half years, many of these Japanese Americans endured extremely difficult living conditions and poor treatment by their military guards. During the course of World War II, 10 Americans were convicted of spying for Japan, but not one of them was of Japanese ancestry 
    1946---Top Hits 
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids) 
White Christmas - Bing Crosby 
The Whole World is Singing My Song - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day) 
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
    1946- President Harry S. Truman received the first coin bearing the likeness of an African-American, the 50 cent commemorative honoring Booker T. Washington,, the founder of Tuskegee Institute. It was authorized on August 7, 1946. The obverse showed the head of Washington and the reverse a stylized Hall of Fame, under which were the words “ From Slave Cabin to Hall of Fame.” Centered under this wording was a slave cabin, to the left of which was the inscription, “ In God We Trust,” and to the right, “ Franklin County, VA.” Around the rime was the inscription “ Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial---Liberty. The coin was designed by Isaac Scott Hathaway.
    1947- New York struck by a blizzard, resulting with 27" of snow.
http://manhattan.about.com/library/weekly/aa010101a.htm 
http://www-nsidc.colorado.edu/snow/shovel.html 
    1948- vowing this day to not “subvert” his music, Stan Kenton breaks up his band, New York City ( he came back in 1950 with his biggest band yet:http://home.hiwaay.net/~crispen/kenton/biography.html )
    1954---Top Hits 
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes 
Count Your Blessings - Eddie Fisher 
Let Me Go, Lover! - Teresa Brewer 
More and More - Webb Pierce 
    1955 - Carl Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes", which he was recording, less than 48 hours later, at the Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The song became one of the first records to have simultaneous popularity on rock, country and rhythm & blues charts. 
    1955--While their hit "Only You" was still at #2, the Platters' "The Great Pretender" enters the Billboard R&B chart at #13. I had all their records at 13 years old.
    1955--Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons" is number one on both the Billboard Pop and Country & Western charts. 
    1956-The first pilot on a scheduled passenger line who was African-American was Perry H. Young of Orangeburg, SC, he was hired as a flight crewman by New York Airways, New York City. He started regular passenger flights on Fe4bruary 1, 1957, as a copilot in a 12-passenger S-58 helicopter between New York International, La Guardia, and Newark, NJ, airports.
    1957-Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" enters the Billboard Pop chart for the first time, where it will reach #6. It will make the chart again in December 1958, 1960, 1961 and 1962.
    1959 - On the Beach, the gripping post-nuclear war film starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, and Tony Perkins, premiered in New York.
    1962---Top Hits 
Big Girls Don't Cry - The 4 Seasons 
Return to Sender - Elvis Presley 
Bobby's Girl - Marcie Blane 
Don't Let Me Cross Over - Carl Butler & Pearl (Dee Jones)
    1962-James Carroll at WWDC in Washington, DC, became the first disc jockey to broadcast a Beatles record on American airwaves. Carroll played "I Want To Hold Your Hand", which he had obtained from his stewardess girlfriend, who brought the single back from Britain. Due to listener demand, the song was played daily, every hour. Since it hadn't been released yet in the States, Capitol Records initially considered court action, but instead released the single earlier than planned. 
    1963- the US Congress passed the “Clean Air Act,” a sweeping set of laws passed to protect the nation from air pollution. This was the first legislation to p1 pollution controls on the automobile industry. It authorized $93 million in matching grants for state-funded air pollution prevention and control programs. The Clean Air Act of 1970, signed into law on December 31, 1970, was the first to set national standards for air polluting emissions for motor vehicles.
    1965 --In San Francisco, the fourth Acid Test took place at Muir Beach Lodge near Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County. (after being advertised for Stinson Beach). This was the largest one to date in terms of attendance.
    1966-The Royal Guardsmen's "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" enters the Billboard Pop chart, where it will peak at #2 during its eleven week run.
    1966--In San Francisco, Benefit for Legalization of Marijuana (LEMAR) at California Hall. Country Joe and the Fish entertained. 
    1966-The Four Tops' "Standing in the Shadows of Love" enters the Billboard Hot 100. During a ten week stay, the tune will peak at #6. It also reaches #2 on the R&B chart. 
    1966 -- Death & Rebirth of the Haight-Ashbury (Hairy Henry & Fyllis busted). Home of the anarchist Bound Together Books Collective .
http://www.cnsproductions.com/cocaine.html 
http://dmoz.org/Society/Politics/Anarchism/Bookstores/ 
    1969 -- USAF closes Project Blue Book, concluding no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings.
http://www.jagat.com/joel/socks.html 
http://www.roswell-online.com/clipart/ufoclip1.htm 
    1969 - The soprano-voiced, ukelele-playing Tiny Tim married the lovely Miss Vickie on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show on this date before a huge viewing audience. The NBC-TV program earned the second-highest, all-time audience rating; second only to Neil Armstrong's walking on the moon. The unlikely couple later divorced in 1977, but not before Miss Vickie gave birth to daughter Tulip.
    1969 - Chicago Transit Authority earned a gold record for the group of the same name, who would later become simply "Chicago". The album's release by Columbia Records marked the first time an artist's debut LP was a double record.
    1970---Top Hits 
The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 
One Less Bell to Answer - The 5th Dimension 
My Sweet Lord/Isn't It a Pity - George Harrison 
Endlessly - Sonny James
    1976 - The Ted Turner owned WTCG-TV, Atlanta, Georgia, changed its call letters to WTBS, and was unlinked via satellite, making it the first commercial television station to cover the entire United States. WTBS began on only four cable systems, available in 24,000 homes.
    1977 - Elvis Costello & the Attractions appear on NBC-TV "Saturday Night Live" in place of the Sex Pistols , who can't get a visa to enter the country. Producer Lorne Michaels refuses to allow Costello to perform "Radio, Radio" (because of the song's criticism of the broadcasting industry), but a few measures into "Less than Zero," Costello halts his group & goes into "Radio, Radio." He will never be invited back.
    1978---Top Hits 
You Don't Bring Me Flowers - Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond 
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees 
My Life - Billy Joel 
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
    1979- “ House Calls” premiered on TV. This half-hour sitcom set in Kensington General Hospital starred Wayne Rogers as Dr. Charley Michaels and Lynn Redgrave as Ann Anderson, assistant administrator and Michaels's love interest. Also featured was David Wayne as flaky chief of surgery Dr. Amos Wetherby. After a dispute with the producers, Redgrave was dropped in 1982 and replaced by Sharon Gless (as assistant Jane Jeffries
    1984- “Run-D.M.C.” went gold, the first Rap album to attract a mass audience, recorded by the rap group of the same name. Run-D.M.C's members were “Jam Master” Jason Mizell, Joseph “ Run” Simmons, and “MC” Darryle “D” McDaniels, all of New York City. The album was released by Profile Records in June,1984, and Rap was the music of this generation. 1986 - A federal jury in Las Vegas ruled on this date that NBC falsely linked entertainer Wayne Newton to organized crime in 1980 and 1981 telecasts. Newton was awarded $19.2 million in defamation damages
    1984 - For the first time in 14 matches, John McEnroe and Peter Fleming lost a doubles tennis match in the Davis Cup competition. Anders Jarryd and Stefan Edberg lead the Swedish team to win the title, marking the worst defeat since 1973 for the United States team
    1986---Top Hits 
The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & The Range 
Walk Like an Egyptian - Bangles 
Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung 
Hell and High Water - T. Graham Brown
    1987 - A storm in the southwestern U.S. brought heavy rain and heavy snow to parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. Charleston NV was blanketed with 12 inches of snow. Lake Havasu City AZ was drenched with 2.26 inches of rain. 
    1989- “ TV's animated family, “The Simpsons,” premiered as a half-hour weekly sitcom. The originator of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie is cartoonist Mall Groening. The Simpsons'inaugural episode was "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”. For the full story, go here:
http://freespace.virgin.net/lol.marcus/simpsons.htm
    1989 - Twenty-one cities from Kentucky to Pennsylvania reported record low temperatures for the date, including Columbus OH with a reading of 12 degrees below zero. Heavy snow continued in the Colorado Rockies. Vail received 65 inches of snow between the 14th and the 18th of December. Steamboat Springs was buried under 74 inches, and reported a total of 108 inches of snow between the 10th and the 18th of the month.
    1994-A remixed version of The Four Seasons' "December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)" re-enters the Billboard Hot 100, where it will stay for another 27 weeks, just as it did when it first charted in 1976. The combined run will establish a record for the longest total chart appearance in history. The song reached #1 the first time out and #14 during its second stay.
    2000 — San Francisco wide receiver Terrell Owens sets a new NFL single-game receiving record with 20 catches in the 49ers' 17-0 win over Chicago. Owens totalled 283 yards and a touchdown while topping Tom Fears' mark of 18 receptions which had stood since 1950.
    2000-Jerry Rice played his last football game for the SF 49ers as they defeated the Chicago Bears 17-0.
    2002 - Thunderstorms preceding a strong cold front pushed into the U.S. Mississippi Valley, producing severe weather and tornadoes. Three people were killed in Missouri and Arkansas with more than 40 injuries 
    2006-The Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang tour re-captured the title of top-grossing tour ever from U2's Vertigo and was the top grossing tour of the year, according to numbers reported to Billboard Box score. The Stones took in about $437 million since the previous November.