Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) No man is an island, Entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, The World is the less. As well as if a promontory were. As well as if a manor of thine own Or of thine friend's were. Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee. -- John Donne Meditation 17 Devotions upon Emergent Occasions

 

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Classified Ads---Sales

Boston, Mass. Accomplished Sales & Relationship Management Professional with business development experience in the financial services industry. Recognized by market leaders as industry expert in Professional Practice financing, as well as Residential Mortgage Lending. Keen insight and understanding of transaction process and financial requirements of customer. Proven record of exceeding sales goals. deb.harold@hotmail.com

Central Coast of California, equipment financing sales, 25 years B2B small business sales, business development, vendor and program management, 10 years in broker business as owner, seeks opportunity to cover Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Kern and Fresno Counties or larger Western Region – experience with most equipment applications, travel welcomed.  Joe Friedling Paso Robles, CA joe@pecusainc.com 1-888-606-7300

Montgomery, AL Individual with 10 years advertising sales exp. & 7 years insurance sales exp. Wants independent contractor situation in Alabama. Work with leasing company or broker. 334-590-5133 E-mail: billmcneal2003@yahoo.com

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

Element Financial Launches Railcar $2 billion
Strategic Alliance with Trinity Industries
plus $248 MM GE Capital Helicopter Portfolio

Element Financial Corporation, Toronto, Ontario, announces it has entered into a strategic alliance agreement with Dallas-based Trinity Industries, Inc. (NYSE:TRN) (“Trinity”), the leading railcar manufacturer and lessor in North America, to provide lease financing for up to US $2 billion worth of railcars over the next two years.

The first purchase of approximately $100 million of these leased railcars is expected to close on or before December 31, 2013 with the next $400 million expected to close by the end of first quarter of 2014. Subsequent to the initial sale, an additional $500 million of purchases are expected to occur through 2014 and primarily consist of new Trinity Rail manufactured railcars, the majority of which are in Trinity’s current leasing order backlog.

The remaining $1 billion of the targeted $2 billion of railcar purchases by Element is anticipated to occur in 2015. These purchases may include a combination of newly manufactured railcars, existing TILC leased railcars, as well as secondary market purchases. TILC will not retain an ownership interest in any of the leased railcars sold to Element. Macquarie Capital advised Trinity on this alliance.

“We are excited to form this strategic alliance with Element, which shares Trinity’s long-term view regarding the attractive nature of investing in leased railcars,” said D. Stephen Menzies, Trinity Industries, senior vice president and the group president responsible for Trinity’s railcar manufacturing and leasing businesses.

Element also announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with a subsidiary of GE Capital in the United States to acquire a portfolio of finance assets secured by helicopters for a purchase price of approximately US$245 million.

Steven K. Hudson
Chairman/CEO
Element Financial

“With these two transactions, Element has firmly anchored itself as a North American leader in two of our five core equipment finance verticals – aviation finance and railcar finance,” noted Steven K. Hudson, Element’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

“Working alongside the leading manufacturers that we support in these verticals, we expect to originate growing volumes of diversified high quality finance assets over the next several quarters as a result of these initiatives,” added Mr. Hudson.

These two transaction (collectively, the “Transactions”) are expected to be accretive to Element’s shareholders commencing in the second half of 2014 while decreasing OPEX, increasing leverage and maintaining established risk parameters.

The company also announced: "Concurrent with the Transactions, Element announced that it plans to sell, on a “bought deal” basis pursuant to a supplement to the Company’s final base shelf prospectus dated December 6, 2013 (the “Base Shelf Prospectus”), an aggregate of 23,637,000 common shares of Element (“Common Shares”) at a price of $13.75 per Common Share for gross proceeds of approximately $325 million (the “Common Share Offering”) to a syndicate of underwriters co-led by GMP Securities L.P., BMO Capital Markets, CIBC World Markets, and RBC Capital Markets, and including Credit Suisse Securities (Canada) Inc., National Bank Financial Inc., TD Securities Inc. and Cormark Securities Inc. (collectively, the “Common Share Underwriters”).

 

Working Capital Loans $10,000-$250,000
www.channelpartnersllc.com p: (763) 746-7760 f: (763) 592-8297 information@channelpartnersllc.com

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Ervin Leasing changes Name
Ervin Equipment Finance

Bank of Ann Arbor announced on January 2, 2013 that it has acquired Ervin Leasing Company, a privately held national equipment leasing and finance company founded in 1978 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, specializing in the small ticket marketplace from $2,000 to $150,000, primarily in the vendor marketplace, according to company press releases.

“We chose Bank of Ann Arbor as the new owner of Ervin Leasing based on our strong desire to affiliate with a company who would hire all of our local staff, has a similar culture that is growth oriented and a great place to work, and has an impeccable reputation,” said Bruce Gaffney, President and CEO of Ervin Leasing “We also have maintained a very strong credit culture over the history of the company which is similar to the credit culture at Bank of Ann Arbor. I am confident that our companies will be a great fit for years to come.”

“Bank of Ann Arbor recognizes the 35 years of success enjoyed by Ervin and is very confident in the future growth potential of Ervin Equipment Finance,” said Tim Marshall, president & CEO, Bank of Ann Arbor. “We have a substantial level of liquidity which will provide a stable source of funding to support Ervin’s expansion. Ervin’s national focus also provides us with economic diversification.”

“Now that we’re affiliated with Bank of Ann Arbor, we are attracting top producing sales professionals and future vendors that want high touch personal service,” explained R.J. Grimshaw, executive vice president & chief sales officer, Ervin Equipment Finance.

 

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Detroit’s BK Push for Pension Reform---
Future is Positive for Municipal Financing
by Tom Cadle, CLP

Is it the end of the world, or the beginning of a new one? Let’s take these current newsmakers one at a time and add a few more economic scenarios in an effort to understand the current state of the municipal finance marketplace.

The Detroit bankruptcy has been coming for quite a while and in the eyes of the market investors has been discounted as a current problem in the marketplace. The difficulties there and in other areas like Stockton and San Bernardino, California, Jefferson County, Alabama and Puerto Rico, do not appear to be creating a future landslide of defaults.

Since the depths of the 2008 and 2009 markets, municipal credits have been improving and these isolated events have drowned out the news regarding the big drop in Municipal defaults. U.S. cities this year are predicting revenue gains, the first in the last seven years according to the National League of Cities, and it is felt that there are not a lot of other situations developing. Therefore things as a whole are getting a lot better with less concern about defaults in 2014.

Perhaps Detroit has had a positive effect on Municipal finances in general as it has certainly been a “poster boy” for Pension Reform as a wakeup call for needed changes. An example was the passing of a landmark reform package by Illinois last week that cuts retirement benefits for teachers, nurses and other retired and current state workers. The sweeping changes were approved by the legislative leaders of both parties and will be signed by their governor.

Could it be said that Detroit and the other spotlighted difficulties can be telling the unions that although you negotiate good pension deals, costs of living increases, etc., that they are doing a disservice for their members as they may never be paid?

These changes will of course play out over time, but with the general economy improving and the municipalities paying attention to their bottom lines, the future of the municipal finance marketplace is positive.

Since 1984, Tom Cadle, CLP, company Lease Financial Services has found funds for Municipal, Federal and Commercial transactions nationally, offering Lease Purchase structures and Public Offerings (Certificates of Participation.

Thomas L. Cadle, CLP
Leasource Financial Services, Inc.
1000 River Rock Dr., Suite 218
Folsom, CA 95630

800-991-0099 Voice
800-988-3931 Fax
916-221-2113 Mobile
www.leasource.com
tcadle@leasource.com

 

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Mesa Leasing Back in Business
Joins Three Active Lists

Name In Business Since Contact Website Leasing Association	Employees	Geo Area	Dollar Amount	A	B	C	D	E
Mesa Leasing, Inc. 2000 David Watt dave@mesaleasing.com 850-641-1002 www.mesaleasing.com NAELB (Notes)	3	California	$10,000 to  $100,000	Y	N	N	N	N

A -Accepts Broker Business | B -Requires Broker be Licensed | C -Sub-Broker Program | D -"Private label Program" | E - Also "in house" salesmen

Footnote: Give us your hard to do, "story deals." You are dealing directly with the owner.

Dave Watt was always the original investor. He told Leasing News, "Mesa did shut down originations and the market and the economy were factors; however, the biggest reason was Jeff Macdonald's health. Jeff's passing was very unfortunate; however, it has given me the opportunity to get directly involved with all aspects of the business. I have been involved in lending for the last 28 years of my life. I was the founder in 1990 of Consumer Portfolio Services, a large non-prime auto lender. I sold out my interest in CPS in the late 90's. It was shortly thereafter that I invested in Mesa, although I was largely a passive investor until Jeff's health started to deteriorate.

At that time I became more active in the business."

Funder List "A"
http://www.leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm#1stebl

Funders Looking for New Broker Business
http://www.leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/New_Broker.htm

Story Credit Lessors
http://www.leasingnews.org/Story_Credit/Story_Credit.htm

 

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Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP

Social Media Solicitation

Advertising and promotions to obtain leads are expensive! And yet it is hard to get new business without it. The trend has been toward smaller companies hiring advertising, promotion, and public relations staff for not only mailers and print journalism, but online media with the most popular “social” which is basically very low cost. The emphasis has turned not just to direct advertising and press releases, but to direct solicitation.

Among the many things to learn about social media is the more often you post, the more response you will receive. You may not get an immediate comment, but the next time you log on, you will find a response. Each of the social media have their own type of followers, so choose one or two primarily, and work it as you would a call to a vendor or potential customer.

There is Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and many more. Lessors need to include more information about the use of the new media and mobile devices.

Yes, social media are the latest in reach prospects, yet many Lessors try to discourage their use. Sales personnel look forward to leads, support, and direction. The question is what kind of support and what direction are you going to give them. Not allowing social media contact during the work day is counterproductive.

The lessor’s first responsibility is to make sure the sales staff understands what they have to sell (what kind of leases) and what are the tax, legal and accounting requirements that affect your offerings. Having a good comprehensive test on the rules of leasing to administer will tell you where their holes are and what they will need in additional training. The better trained your sales staff the more efficient your marketing efforts will be.

Then they must be directed to approach a market that lies within your capabilities. The new “Cold Calling” is more than just being “on line,” it is being of value . Not only allowing your sales staff access, they need more than ever to know what kind of tools will they have access to and do they know how to use them. Lease education is one of the most important tools you can offer to assure that your sales staff is effective instead of just hard working.

If you have your sales force located at your main office, I recommend a daily sales meeting, as the automobile dealerships have been doing for years. It is not only to go over business, but give encouragement as well as to present topics to educate them about their product.

If the sales force is disbursed, having more regular meetings at a regional location or at the home office is as important. Becoming more common today are video meetings via Skype bringing in all those involved in sales support; computer and mobile device.

I also strongly recommend promoting the Certified Lease Professional program, which is not just for those in operations or executive positions, but will add to a salesman’s knowledge and ability to both create and close more sales.

Some of the techniques to pass down include one of the advantages leases have over other forms of lending. Among them is our ability to arrange irregular payments that match equipment seasonal use or a flexible term that places termination in the most convenient month for the lessee to make equipment replacement decisions. Only knowing how to create a level payment on a calculator shows a lack of training on how to sell equipment leasing.

If you are selling bargain option leases or equipment sales contracts, the main tool would be a financial calculator or TValue.

Understanding how to price for tax motivated leases or municipal transactions requires knowledge of computer based pricing programs and is a requirement for lessors that offer such leases to their market. For some reason, some lessors try to restrict access to these computer based pricing programs to only a few senior personnel, thereby limiting the sales staff from being able to react to lessee requests during the sales call.

In addition to being fully trained and capable of pricing a lease, the sales staff must gain the lessee’s confidence regarding capable of servicing their needs. Repeat business is the most effective way to build a strong leasing activity. Usually that requires the same sales staff to service the customer year after year so developing a good compensation plan is important. Also do not make constant changes to the plan unless it makes it better.

Obtaining business in this world of technology is becoming more and more difficult for direct sales. Knowledge of your product is more important than ever. Now is also the time to take advantage of the $10.00 discount to obtain the Certified Leasing Professional Handbook (ask about a discount for purchasing several).

 

Purchase $49.95 (10% off by using code UDBETE25)
https://www.createspace.com/4164536/

(To learn more about the CLP Handbook)
http://www.clpfoundation.org/clp-handbook.php

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty years and can be reached at terrywinders11@yahoo.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/terrywinders11@yahoo.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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Deposits continue to outpace loans
By Divya Lulla and Zuhaib Gull

SNL Finance Exclusive Report

Banks' deposits again grew at a quicker pace than loans during the third quarter. U.S. banks and thrifts saw deposits increase an aggregate 2.30% from the linked quarter to $11.028 trillion, while loans increased by 0.76% to $7.802 trillion.

According to SNL Financial data, the aggregate loan-to-deposit ratio for the U.S. banking industry fell to 70.75% at Sept. 30, down 0.98% from the second quarter and a decline of 1.62% from the year-ago quarter. The third-quarter figure is well off the 10-year peak of 94.59% in the third quarter of 2006. (Could this by a direct result of Dodd-Frank and other financial industry regulation passed in the wake of the collapses of Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, Lehman, Washington Mutual, etc, ? -Editor)

Similar to the second quarter, most of the biggest U.S. bank holding companies ended the third quarter with growth in both loans and deposits. Among the nation's largest 15 banks by assets, TD Bank US Holding Co. posted the highest annualized growth in its loan portfolio, at 8.5%. A surge in real estate loans and commercial and industrial lending contributed to the growth during the quarter.

W. Edmund Clark, group president & CEO of Toronto-Dominion Bank, noted during an investor call in October that the company is looking to market mortgages to existing clients in the U.S. "So we know we have millions of customers that bank with us that don't have their mortgage with us. And that's a long process of cross-selling those customers and announcing to them, because three years ago, we weren't in the mortgage business," he said.

Bank of America Corp. had the second-largest increase in loans, at an annualized 4.87%. The company also increased its deposits by 10.72%.

Among the top 15 banks by assets, only BB&T Corp., Capital One Financial Corp. and State Street Corp. saw deposits fall quarter over quarter.

"While average total deposits were lower this quarter, noninterest-bearing deposits grew 8% annualized consistent with our mix improvement goals," BB&T Chairman, President and CEO Kelly King noted in the company's third-quarter earnings release.

During the company's earnings conference call in October, Capital One CFO Stephen Crawford cited a decrease in earning assets during the third quarter as a prominent factor leading to a drop in the company's interest-bearing deposits. "We have ample deposit funding in a period of relatively low overall loan growth, so we've throttled back on growth in some legacy Capital One deposit businesses," Capital One Chairman, President and CEO Richard Fairbank said on the call. "We continued to see growth in checking accounts across our digital and branch deposit franchises."

State Street Corp. saw annualized declines of 20.76% in loans and 29.60% in deposits — the largest drop among the top 15 in both categories. The company's loan portfolio shrunk in part due to a drop in securities lending. During an October earnings conference call, executives pointed to seasonality as a driver of the contraction in State Street's third-quarter deposits.

"State Street's loan portfolio primarily consists of credit that we extend to our institutional client base," a spokesperson for the company noted. "As it relates to deposits, a better indicator of underlying trends is the average deposit balance over the course of the quarter versus quarter end, which often reflects client volatility."

The loan-to-deposit ratio at Los Angeles-based CTBC Capital Corp. increased by 10.69 percentage points, marking the largest quarter-over-quarter gain among banks with more than $1 billion in assets and more than $500 million in deposits. CTBC's loans jumped by 13.7% in the third quarter, to $1.25 billion.

Fort Worth, Texas-based OmniAmerican Bancorp Inc. was second on the list with a 9.61% increase in its loan-to-deposit ratio. The company experienced a 1.92% decline in deposits alongside a 7.69% increase in loans and leases in the third quarter. OmniAmerican recently decided to exit the indirect auto lending business in order to devote resources to commercial, mortgage, and retail banking.

Willimantic, Conn.-based SI Financial Group Inc. increased its loans by 53.54% in the quarter to $1.04 billion, up from $677.2 million in the second quarter. The increase was primarily the result of the company's acquisition of Newport Bancorp Inc. in September.

Dallas-based Hilltop Holdings Inc.'s 25.14 % decline in its loan-to-deposit ratio was the largest drop among banks with more than $1 billion in assets and more than $500 million in deposits. The company increased its loans by 16.88%, but deposits grew by 54.26%, helped by Hilltop's acquisition of failed Edinburg, Texas-based First National Bank on Sept. 13.

The second-highest drop in loan-to-deposit ratio belonged to Customers Bancorp Inc., which experienced a 7.44% decline in loans and a 16.85% increase in deposits in the quarter. The company's overall loan-to-deposit ratio fell by 24.42 % in the third quarter. The decline in loans was mainly attributable to a contraction in domestic close ended one-to-four family loans during the quarter. Domestic close ended one-to-four family lending contributed $281.6 million at the end of third quarter, down from $525.3 million at the end of the second quarter.

 

 

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“Judging a Company with Your Career Goals”
Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

Question: I am interested in a company that offers upward mobility, how do I know if my new employer can fulfill my career goals?

Answer: If you have career aspirations, you will want to know if your new employer supports professional growth and if they promote from within. Make sure you express your desired career goals during the interview process.

You will want to ask specific questions:

1. How many people have held this job in the last few years and where are they now?

2. How often and how many people have been promoted from this position?
   

3. What is corporate policy on internal promotions?

4. How do you determine when a person is ready for promotion?

5. What training and professional development programs are available to help me grow professional

Do not forget to consider the stability and growth of the company as a whole – a healthy company will be mandatory. To gauge company growth and direction, you may want to consider the following:

1. Does the company have plans for mergers or acquisitions?

2. What layoffs and cutbacks has the company experienced over the last few years?

3. When was the last corporate reorganization and did it affect this particular position?

4. Is the department / division that you will be a member of a profit center?

Companies are on the lookout for long-term employees who are interested in the evolution / growth of their position and of the company; do not be afraid to ask the questions that will help you determine if the company offers the growth you seek.

Happy Holidays!

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

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

Leasing Industry Help Wanted

 

Truck Asset Manager Work remote from your office; experience in heavy equipment required, ideal Class 8 trucks. Call Shervin Rashti direct: 213-599-7660 or send resume shervin@maximcc.com www.maximcc.com Maxim Commercial Capital is a commercial finance company committed to fostering the growth of small and middle market companies by providing creative and flexible asset-backed financing solutions

 

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

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

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This Day in American History
Ralph Mango/Kit Menkin

 

 
Bobby Troup, singer and song writer

Ralph Mango and I have been up-dating and "cleaning up" past posting of "Day in American History" for the specific news edition. This feature actually started over 30 years ago, originally using history books, and was sent out with a personally signed individual birthday card to American Leasing clients, friends, and vendors using the day of the person's birthday. It then saluted jazz musicians, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, contemporary singers and events.

It was incorporated into Leasing News, something I would work on Saturdays, listening to the music, and up-dating when the date of the news edition hit the same month and day of the one already created.

Being a history buff, it was fun to do. For several years, a specific item of the day was also chosen, but as other features appeared such as "Snapple Real Fact" http://www.leasingnews.org/Snapple/index.htm
"On Line Newspapers" http://www.leasingnews.org/Snapple/index.htm
"Charlie Chan Sayings" http://leasingnews.org/Placards/chan_index.html
it was dropped just as the features noted here (and others).

"This Day in American History" continues with another American History buff and now our proof reader; having fun trying to improve it.

The link is noted in the masthead list and the current "day" after the news briefs.

Kit Menkin

This Day in American History
http://www.leasingnews.org/American_History/default.htm

 

 

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What the Customer Ordered

  

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Salvation Army Kettle
$925 Raised to Date

(Please click on kettle to make a donation,
also see who has donated)

 

 

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Top Stories December 2-December 5
(You May Have Missed One)

Here are the top stories opened by readers

(1) BBB Leasing Company Ratings
December 3, 2013
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2013/12_03.htm#bbb

(2) Fort Collins, Colorado
Snow-Cold Weather
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2013/12_05.htm#snow

(3) Archives---December 3, 2001
Colonial Leasing/GE---"Unplugged!"
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2013/12_03.htm#archives

(4) Correction: Samsung Did Not Say "No"
to N.Y. AG & S.F. Police Chief
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2013/12_03.htm#correction

(5) ELFA Provides Free Infographic
Benefits of Equipment Leasing
http://www.equipmentfinanceadvantage.org/infographic/

(6) New Hires—Promotions
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2013/12_05.htm#hires

(7) Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Why Audit (Regardless of Your Size
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2013/12_03.htm#audit

(8) Bankrupt Detroit can cut pensions;
implications big for California
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/03/5966594/bankrupt-detroit-can-cut-pensions.html

(Tie) (9) Banks with Highest Texas Ratio Fall
SNL Executive Report
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2013/12_03.htm#snl

(Tie)(9) Rating Changes since July 8, 2013
Better Business Bureau
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2013/12_03.htm#rating

(11) “Interview Follow-up Letter”
Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2013/12_03.htm#crossroad

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

 

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Attorneys Specializing in Leasing

Leasing Attorneys

Birmingham, Alabama The lawyers of Marks & Associates, P.C. have over 30 years experience in dealing with virtually every type of equipment financing and are recognized throughout the industry for prompt, practical solutions and exemplary service. They offer cost-conscious, effective lease enforcement and good counsel.  Email: Barry@leaselawyer.com Website: www.leaselawyers.com	California, National: city: Riverside  Ellen Stern - get results, reasonable pricing; numerous industry contacts, nearly 30 yrs exp.in SoCal, 20 yrs equip.: CFL license specialist, documentation, work-outs, litigated collections, recoveries; deal-maker.  Email: leaselaw@msn.com
Kenneth C. Greene California & Nevada Leasing and Financial consultant, active in several leasing associations, as well as involved in music and film productioncin LA.  Mention "Leasing News" for a free consultation. 415-858-97111 Skype: 424.235.1658 or kenlaw100@gmail.	Connecticut, Southern New England:  EVANS, FELDMAN & BOYER, LLC Collections, litigation, documentation, portfolio sales and financing, bankruptcy. We represent many of the national and local leasing companies doing business in this state. Past chairman EAEL legal committee. Competitive rates.  email: rcfeldman@snet.net
Los Angeles, Southern CA  Seasoned attorney representing secured creditors in auto finance and truck/equipment lease industry.  Bankruptcy and State Court litigation.   Vincent V. Frounjian (818) 990-0605 or email: vvf@pacbell.net.	Encino, California: Statewide “ELFA”  Hemar, Rousso & Heald, LLP 30 yr excellent reputation Lessor representation commercial litigation, debt collection, and bankruptcy. Call Stephen E. Jenkins Esq (818) 501-3800
Los Angeles, Statewide: CA.     "ELFA" Aggressive creditors rights law firm specializing in equipment leasing handling collection matters on a contingency, fixed fee or hourly cbasis. email:RGarwacki@prodigy.net	Los Angeles -statewide: CA      "ELFA" Practice limited to collections, bankruptcy and problem accounts resolution. Decades of experience. 10-lawyer firm dedicated to serving you. Call Ronald Cohn, Esq. (818)591-2121 or email. Email: rrcohn@aol.com
Los Angeles- Statewide, CA Lawyer specializing in banking and leasing issues statewide. Documents and litigation.  Tom McCurnin, Barton, Klugman & Oetting. Voice: (213) 617-6129  Cell:(213) 268-8291 Email:  tmccurnin@bkolaw.com
Long Beach, CA  Wagner & Zielinski,  successfully representing lessees/ lessors.  Not a member of any leasing organization, therefore not beholden to special interests.  Richard Wagner  (562) 216-2952 www.wzlawyers.com	Long Beach CA. Paul Bent -- 30 years experience in all forms of equipment leasing, secured lending, and asset based transactions, from analysis and deal structuring to contract negotiations to closing to private dispute resolution. (562) 426-1000 www.paulbent.com
Illinois Trabaris, P.C.: Finance attorney with 24 years’ experience with transactional, documentation, secured financing and workouts/restructurings.  Kevin Trabaris.  Phone:  847-205-4377.  Email:kevin@trabaris.com Website: www.trabaris.com.   Blog:http://www.trabaris.com/info/blog/	Law Firm - Service, Dallas, TX. "ELFA" Mayer regularly practices in leasing, secured financing, project development and finance and corporate finance.  email: dmayer@pattonboggs.com Website: www.pattonboggs.com
National:  The OMEGA Network Group-nationwide legal representation of small and mid ticket equipment lessors-flat fee bankruptcy & replevin, contingent collection,  billable litigation (704-969-3280) tong_92@yahoo.com	National: Coston & Rademacher: Business attorneys serving the lease-finance industry since 1980. Transactional, documentation, corporate/finance, workouts, litigation, bankruptcy, portfolio management. Chicago-based national practice. Jim Coston, CLP (Members: ELFA, NEFA).  email: Jcoston@costonlaw.com Website:www.costonlaw.com
St. Louis County , MO. - statewide:  Schultz & Associates LLP., collections, negotiation, and litigation. Also register and pursue recovery on foreign judgments. Contingency and reasonable hourly rates.  Ronald J. Eisenberg, Esq. (636) 537-4645 x108  reisenberg@sl-lawyers.com www.sl-lawyers.com	NJ,De,Pa: Specializing in leased equipment/secured transactions. Collections, replevins/workouts reasonable rates. Sergio Scuteri/Capehart & Scratchard, PAsscuteri@capehart.com / www.capehart.com
New York and New Jersey Peretore & Peretore, P.C. documentation, portfolio purchase & sale, replevin, workouts, litigation, collection, bankruptcy.  Aggressive. Over 25 years experience.www.peretore.com	Thousand Oaks, California:  Statewide coverage Spiwak & Iezza, LLP 20+ years experience,Representing Lessors banks in both State/ Federal Courts/ all aspects of commercial leasing litigation. Nick Iezza 805-777-1175 niezza@spiwakandiezza.com

John Kenny Receivables Management www.jrkrmdirect.com • End of Lease Negotiations & Enforcement • Fraud Investigation • Credit Investigations • Asset Searches • Skip-tracing • Third-party Commercial Collections The Solution to Your Credit & Accounts Receivable Needs  John Kenny 315-866-1167 |  John@jkrmdirect.com

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for investigations
and background information provided by John Kenny)

German Shepherd/Retriever, Labrador
Toronto, Canada Adopt-a-Dog

Samuel

Animal ID: 21511226
Breed: German Shepherd/Retriever, Labrador
Age: 9 months 22 days
Sex: Male
Size: Large
Color: Brown/Black
Neutered
Declawed: No
Housetrained: Unknown
No Small Kids
Site: Toronto Humane Society
Location: Room D 2
Intake Date: 11/17/2013
Adoption Price: $180.00

" Shepherd/Lab Mix - 9 Months Old - Neutered Male - "Star Athlete" "Meet Samuel a high spirited, athlete who is looking for his new forever home. Samuel has a lot of spunk and energy so active, experienced owners are a must for this handsome boy. Still being a puppy he has a world of potential to be an All Star, if you are ready to be his coach come to the shelter and learn more! "

"Please note: In order to ensure a smooth and successful adoption, please remember to check all the basic requirements for adopting before coming in to the shelter:
http://www.torontohumanesociety.com/adopt_process.htm Thank you and we hope to see you soon!

This pet also comes with 6 weeks of pre-paid pet health insurance. For more information please visit www.ospcainsurance.ca or call 1-866-600-2445.

The Toronto Humane Society
11 River Street
Toronto, Ontario, M5A 4C2
Phone: 416.392.2273
Fax: 416.392.9978

Hours:
Monday to Friday - 11am to 6pm (animal viewing until 7pm)
Saturday and Sunday - 10am to 5pm (animal viewing)

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

Adopt a Pet
http://www.adoptapet.com/

News Briefs----

Rule That Curbs Bank Risk-Taking Nears Approval
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/regulators-set-to-approve-tougher-volcker-rule/?hp

GE Agrees to Settle Muni Bid Rigging Charge
http://www.vcpost.com/articles/19404/20131207/ge-agrees-settle-class-action-lawsuit-rigging-municipal-bonds-usd.htm

Parent of Airbus to Cut 5,800 Jobs as Europe’s Military Budgets Shrink
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/business/international/eads-to-cut-6000-jobs-as-nations-trim-budgets.html?ref=business

New Relic Taps Salesforce President Koplow-McAdams as Revenue Chief
http://allthingsd.com/20131209/new-relic-taps-salesforce-president-koplow-mcadams-as-revenue-chief/?mod=atd_homepage_carousel

Rising riches: 1 in 5 in US reaches affluence
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/09/5983838/rising-riches-1-in-5-in-us-reaches.html

The 10 Biggest Food Crazes of 2013
http://mashable.com/2013/12/09/food-crazes-2013/

Can QSR Employees Collectively Bargain with Franchise Owners?
http://www.franchise-info.ca/supply_chain/2013/12/can-qsr-employees-collectively-bargain-with-franchise-owners.html

25% Kindle Self-Published Books "go it alone authors"
http://publishondemandglobal.com/a-quarter-of-top-100-kindle-books-are-now-written-by-self-published-indie-authors/

Exclusive: George Zimmer on Being Fired by Men's Wearhouse, and What's Next
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/exclusive--george-zimmer-on-being-fired-by-men-s-wearhouse--and-what-s-next-153454980.html

 

Truck Asset Manager Work remote from your office; experience in heavy equipment required, ideal Class 8 trucks. Call Shervin Rashti direct: 213-599-7660 or send resume shervin@maximcc.com www.maximcc.com Maxim Commercial Capital is a commercial finance company committed to fostering the growth of small and middle market companies by providing creative and flexible asset-backed financing solutions

 

[headlines]
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--You May Have Missed It

Nelson Mandela’s Legend: 7 Leadership Lessons
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130624221307-13518874-nelson-mandela-s-legend-7-leadership-lessons

[headlines]
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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

The Most Popular Health Headlines of 2013
http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=the_most

[headlines]
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American Football Poem

Lines

by Martha Collins

Draw a line. Write a line. There.
Stay in line, hold the line, a glance
between the lines is fine but don't
turn corners, cross, cut in, go over
or out, between two points of no
return's a line of flight, between
two points of view's a line of vision.
But a line of thought is rarely
straight, an open line's no party
line, however fine your point.
A line of fire communicates, but drop
your weapons and drop your line,
consider the shortest distance from x
to y, let x be me, let y be you.

from Some Things Words Can Do, 1998
The Sheep Meadows Press, Riverdale-on-Hudson, N.Y.

[headlines]
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Sports Briefs----

Bears rout Cowboys
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-1210-bears-cowboys-chicago-20131210,0,608038.story

"We were there!—Standing and yelling, too!”
Candlestick crowd created playoff atmosphere
http://www.csnbayarea.com/49ers/candlestick-crowd-created-playoffatmosphere?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo

Heisman Finalists
http://www.ajc.com/gallery/sports/college/2013-heisman-trophy-candidates/gCGSW/

Tony La Russa, Joe Torre, Bobby Cox elected to baseball Hall of Fame
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131209/wire/131209575

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

California Nuts Briefs---

Brown administration to bid for Boeing facility in California
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/12/brown-administration-to-bid-for-boeing-facility-in-california.html

 

[headlines]
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“Gimme that Wine”

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

New research suggests wine vs. beer thinking outdated
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/84485/new-research-suggests-wine-vs-beer-thinking-outdated/

Jackson, Gallo, Silverado drive vineyard expansion
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131208/articles/131209689

Family farms vital to Sonoma County wine industry
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131208/articles/131209690

Top 100 wines in the West
http://www.sfgate.com/wine/top100/2012/intro/

Wine.com Releases Annual 2013 Wine.com 100
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/04/ca-2013-winecom-idUSnPnSFb7scx+160+PRN20131204

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

    1672- the first postal route between cities was the route between New York City and Boston, MA. Governor Francisco Lovelace of New York announced that monthly service would be inaugurated on January 1, 1673. The first post rider left New York City on January 22, 1673, and arrived in Boston three weeks later. This was the origin of the Boston Post Road that goes through NYC into Westchester County and up to Boston.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gentutor/boston.html

    1776- the Continental Congress authorized a loan of $181,5000 from France, to be used for the purchasing of supplies and construction of cruisers. The length of the loan was indefinite. Bonds were sold at par. The rate of interest was 5 percent, payable annually. The loan was received on June 4, 1777. The final redemption was made on December 31, 1793, when the balance due was merged into the general account of the French debt. Alexander Hamilton was Secretary of The Treasury between September 11, 1789 and January 31, 1795 and obtained loans from the Bank of New York and Bank of North America. The interest rate was six percent.

    1787- birthday of Thomas Gallaudet a hearing educator who, with Laurent Clerc, founded the first public school for deaf people, Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons (now the American School for the Deaf), at Hartford, CT, Apr 15, 1817. Gallaudet was born at Philadelphia, PA, and died Sept 9, 1851, at Hartford, CT. Gallaudet University, for the hearing impaired, in Washington, DC was named in his honor.

    1819- African American Tom Molineux had a wide following by the time he left for England in 1810 to fight the English champion Tom Cribb on this day. Molineux grew up in slavery, history records, on a plantation in Virginia, and was said to have won his freedom by winning boxing bouts arranged by slave owners. He was very popular and the favorite to win in the English champion fight this date. Although he knocked Cribb out in the 23rd round, he was falsely accused of using lead weights in his gloves, and the fight continued, ending in a victory for Cribb in the 40th round.

    1817- Mississippi became the 20th state.

    1830- Birthday of one of America's greatest poets, Emily Dickinson, born at Amherst, MA. She was reclusive, mysterious, and frail in health. Seven of her poems were published during her life, but after her death, her sister Lavinia discovered almost 2,000 more poems written on the backs of envelopes and other scraps of paper locked in her bureau. They were published gradually over 50 years, beginning in 1890. She died May 1 1886, at Amherst, MA. The little-known Emily Dickinson who was born, lived and died at Amherst now is recognized as one of the most original poets of the English-speaking world.

    1845-- President James Polk makes a bold move to radically expand the burgeoning United States. Polk gave Congressman John Slidell the go-ahead to settle a border dispute concerning Texas, as well as to purchase New Mexico and California, from Mexico. As per Polk's demand, Slidell anted up $5 million for New Mexico and $25 million for California; however, Mexico refused the offer, emboldening the president to marshal a war effort in the name of "re-annexing" the territory. We then annexed California and other land from Mexico with troops in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

    1850- Birthday of Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, U.S. painter, specialist in scenes of early U.S. history. She was sought by magazine and calendar publishers because of her meticulous perspective and realism. Huge numbers of reproductions of her paintings were also sold. Most buyers never knew her name. In all, she copyrighted more than 100 paintings. She lived simply with one companion/servant and died at 85.

http://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/brownscombe_

jeannie_augusta_youngwomanhood.htm

http://www.artnet.com/ag/artistdetails.asp?aid=3197

http://www.malaspina.com/site/person_256.asp

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/brownscombe

_jennie_augusta.html

    1851- birthday of American librarian and inventor of the Dewey decimal book classification system was born at Adams Center, NY. Born Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey, he was an advocate of spelling reform, urged use of the metric system and was interested in many other education reforms. Dewey died at Lake Placid, Florida, Dec 26, 1931

1852--10,000 people turned out to watch the first legal hanging in San Francisco. Jose Forniz was hanged from gallows built on the slope of Russian Hill for the murder of Jose Attari. The crime which inaugurated public executions was commonplace. A Spaniard named Jose Foriniz struck down Attari, an unknown Mexican in Pleasant Valley, stabbing him with a dagger for, as he claimed, attempting to rob him. The case was tried before Judge Lake, with H. H. Byrne, District Attorney, as prosecutor, and Judge H. S. Brown and Colonel James for the defense; and after a very prompt trial, Foriniz was sentenced to be hanged two months later. The execution took place on Russian Hill, much to the indignation of the cemetery wherein, among others, rested the bones of Don Vicente Nunez. It was the oldest burying-place for the city. That did not deter some three thousand people from attending, parents taking children to see the unusual sight, and women on foot and in carriages forcing their way to the front. Between 12 and 1 o’clock the condemned man was taken to the scaffold in a wagon drawn by four black horses, escorted by the California Guard. The Marion Rifles under Captain Schaeffer kept the crowd back from the scaffold. The man died game, after a farewell speech, in which he said:

“The Americans are good people; they have ever treated me well and kindly; I thank them for it. I have nothing but love and kindly feelings for all. Farewell, people of San Francisco. World, farewell!”

    1864-Union General William T. Sherman completes his "March to the Sea" when he arrives in front of Savannah, Georgia. Since mid-November, Sherman's army had been sweeping from Atlanta across the state to the south and east towards Savannah, one of the last Confederate seaports still unoccupied by Union forces. Along the way, Sherman destroyed farms and railroads, burned storehouses, and fed his army off the land. In his own words, Sherman intended to "make Georgia howl," a plan that was approved by President Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of the Union armies. The city of Savannah was fortified and defended by 10,000 Confederates under the command of General William Hardee. The Rebels flooded the rice fields around Savannah, so only a few narrow causeways provided access to the city. Sherman's army was running low on supplies and he had not made contact with supply ships off the coast. Sherman's army had been completely cut off from the North, and only the reports of destruction provided any evidence of its whereabouts. Sherman directed General Oliver O. Howard to the coast to locate friendly ships. Howard dispatched Captain William Duncan and two comrades to contact the Union fleet, but nothing was heard of the trio for several days. Duncan located a Union gunboat that carried him to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Supply ships were sent to Savannah, and Duncan continued on to Washington to deliver news of the successful "March to the Sea" to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. For ten days, Hardee held out as Sherman prepared for an attack. Realizing the futility of losing his force entirely, Hardee fled the city on December 20 and slipped northward to fight another day.

    1869---Women in Wyoming received the right to vote. Originally expressed as a means of attracting women to this state where men overwhelming outnumbered the opposite sex, equality was a theme to be repeated over and over again as Wyoming became the first to grant women many equal rights.

( lower half of http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec10.html )

    1873- Birthday of Janet Scudder, an American sculptor, born in Terre Haute, Ind. Studied with Frederick MacMonnies in Paris. She is known for her medallions and relief portraits and especially for her fountains, usually with childish figures conceived in a playful manner. Notable examples of her art are the "Frog Fountain" in the Metropolitan Museum, New York; the "Fighting Boy Fountain" in the Chicago Art Institute; and "The Sun Goddess" on the facade of the Brooklyn Institute Museum. Miss Scudder received medals at Chicago in 1893, St. Louis in 1904, and San Francisco in 1915.

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/scudder_janet.html

http://www.swope.org/main/collection/014coll.htm

http://askart.com/artist/S/janet_scudder.asp?ID=18320

    1898- the “Treaty of Paris” was signed, which officially ended the Spanish-American War. American and Spanish ambassadors met at Paris, France, to negotiate a treaty. Under the terms of this treaty, Spain granted the US the Philippine Islands and the islands of Guam and Puerto Rico, and agreed to withdraw from Cuba. Senatorial debate over the treaty centered on the move by the US toward imperialism by acquiring the Philippines. A vote was taken Feb 6, 1899, and the treaty passed by a one-vote margin. President William McKinley signed the treaty Feb 10, 1899. The once-proud Spanish empire was virtually dissolved as the United States took over much of Spain’s overseas holdings. Puerto Rico and Guam were ceded to the United States, the Philippines were bought for $20 million, and Cuba became a U.S. protectorate. Philippine insurgents who fought against Spanish rule during the war immediately turned their guns against the new occupiers, and 10 times more U.S. troops died suppressing the Philippines than in defeating Spain.

    1904- the New York Police Department, New York City, appointed the first two motorcycle police officers, Anthony L. Howe and Eugene Case.

They were assigned to the police headquarters in the Bronx and Manhattan. 1905-- "The Gift of the Magi," a short story by William Sydney Porter, 43, was first published. Known by his pen name, O. Henry, Porter's writings were characterized by trick endings, making him a master of short story telling.

http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html

    1906 -First American awarded Nobel Peace Prize - President Theodore Roosevelt

    1914-Birthday of Dorothy Lamour (Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton ) born New Orleans, LA. U.S. singer-actor and wearer of a sarong in many of her movies. She is most renowned for her "road" films with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, and Hurricane (1937). One of the big questions was what held up the sarongs - she said muscle control had a lot to do with it. During the Second World War she auctioned two of her sarongs as part of fund-raising efforts that collected more than $2 million for the war effort. She was a native of New Orleans and never saw the South Pacific until she was 70 when she said it looked as pretty as the back lot of Paramount. Died Los Angeles, Ca. 22 September 1996

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/2440/lamour.html

http://www.canoe.ca/JamMoviesArtistsL/lamour_dorothy.html

http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0483787

   1930-- Duke Ellington and His Orchestra record "Mood Indigo”

   1931- the first Nobel Peace Prize awarded to an American woman was awarded to Jane Addams, the pioneering social worker who founded Hull House, in Chicago, Ill, to serve the city's poor residents. She received the award jointly with Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, for her leading role in the women's peace movement. She chaired the Woman's Peace Party in 1915, presided over the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom from 1919 to 1929, and helped to found the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920.

    1932-Birthday of bass player Bob Cranshaw, Evanston, Ill.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/shop?d=product&id=1927028789&

clink=dmmu.artist&a=b

    1938-Filming finally begins on “Gone with the Wind” after years of delay. Producer David O. Selznick had not yet cast an actress to play the leading role of Scarlett O'Hara, so the first day's shooting was of the burning of Atlanta, which didn't require close footage of Scarlett.

    1938- Pearl S. Buck becomes the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

http://www.nobel.se/literature/laureates/1938/buck-bio.html

http://www.pearl-s-buck.org/psbi/PearlSBuck/about.asp

    1941 -Jimmy Dorsey Band records “Tangerine.” Decca 4123

    1941-4,000 Japanese troops land on the Philippine Islands, while Japanese aircraft sink the British warships Prince of Wales and Repulse. Guam, an American-controlled territory, was also seized. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill finally exclaims, "We have lost control of the sea." The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 was only one step in a larger plan to dominate the Pacific. That plan involved knocking out first American, then British, naval opposition. Japanese bombing raids on Guam, Midway Island, and Wake Island followed the attack on the American fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. American airfields there were destroyed, as were Clark and Iba airfields in the Philippines, wiping out more than half of the United States' aircraft dedicated to the Far East. These bombing raids were followed up, on December 10, by 2,000 Japanese troops that landed on the Philippine island of Luzon in the north, and another 2,000 that landed at Vigan on the western coast. And in Guam, 700 Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces invaded and occupied the American-controlled military outpost of Guam after only a 25-minute military engagement, resulting in the capture of 500 Americans soldiers. The United States was not alone in its struggle for the Pacific. Great Britain had also declared war on the Empire of Japan on December 8. The next day, Japan occupied the capital of Thailand and then landed in the Malay Peninsula, which could not be repulsed by the outmatched Australian and Indian troops. Britain responded by dispatching Force Z, their Royal Navy unit dedicated to supporting Singapore, when Japanese bombers spotted Z's battleship, the Prince of Wales, and its sister ship, the Repulse, sailing for Kuantan on the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula, believing erroneously that the Japanese had just put troops ashore there. The bombers rained down torpedo bombs on the British warships, sinking them and killing 840 men. "In all the war, I have never received a more direct shock," Churchill lamented. And the Japanese were far from finished: The humiliation of the United States in the Philippines and a more extensive occupation of Indochina and the South Pacific were still to come.

    1946 - The temperature at New York City soared to 70 degrees.

    1948 -- United Nations passes Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

    1949--Fats Domino recorded his first tracks for Imperial Records. One of those songs was called "The Fat Man", which later became his nickname.

    1950- Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche became the first African-American awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Bunche was awarded the prize for his efforts in mediation between Israel and neighboring Arab states in 1949.

    1950--PAGE, JOHN U. D. Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, X Corps Artillery, while attached to the 52d Transportation Truck Battalion. Place and date: Near Chosin Reservoir, Korea, 29 November to 10 December 1950. Entered service at: St. Paul, Minn. Born: 8 February 1904, Malahi Island, Luzon, Philippine Islands. G.O. No.: 21, 25 April 1957. Citation: Lt. Col. Page, a member of X Corps Artillery, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty in a series of exploits. On 29 November, Lt. Col. Page left X Corps Headquarters at Hamhung with the mission of establishing traffic control on the main supply route to 1st Marine Division positions and those of some Army elements on the Chosin Reservoir plateau. Having completed his mission Lt. Col. Page was free to return to the safety of Hamhung but chose to remain on the plateau to aid an isolated signal station, thus being cut off from elements of the marine division. After rescuing his jeep driver by breaking up an ambush near a destroyed bridge, Lt. Col. Page reached the lines of a surrounded marine garrison at Koto-ri. He then voluntarily developed and trained a reserve force of assorted army troops trapped with the marines. By exemplary leadership and tireless devotion he made an effective tactical unit available. In order that casualties might be evacuated, an airstrip was improvised on frozen ground partly outside of the Koto-ri defense perimeter which was continually under enemy attack. During 2 such attacks, Lt. Col. Page exposed himself on the airstrip to direct fire on the enemy, and twice mounted the rear deck of a tank, manning the machine gun on the turret to drive the enemy back into a no man’s land. On 3 December while being flown low over enemy lines in a light observation plane, Lt. Col. Page dropped hand grenades on Chinese positions and sprayed foxholes with automatic fire from his carbine. After 10 days of constant fighting, the marine and army units in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir had succeeded in gathering at the edge of the plateau and Lt. Col. Page was flown to Hamhung to arrange for artillery support of the beleaguered troops attempting to break out. Again Lt. Col. Page refused an opportunity to remain in safety and returned to give every assistance to his comrades. As the column slowly moved south Lt. Col. Page joined the rear guard. When it neared the entrance to a narrow pass it came under frequent attacks on both flanks. Mounting an abandoned tank Lt. Col. Page manned the machine gun, braved heavy return fire, and covered the passing vehicles until the danger diminished. Later when another attack threatened his section of the convoy, then in the middle of the pass, Lt. Col. Page took a machine gun to the hillside and delivered effective counter fire, remaining exposed while men and vehicles passed through the ambuscade. On the night of 10 December the convoy reached the bottom of the pass but was halted by a strong enemy force at the front and on both flanks. Deadly small-arms fire poured into the column. Realizing the danger to the column as it lay motionless, Lt. Col. Page fought his way to the head of the column and plunged forward into the heart of the hostile position. His intrepid action so surprised the enemy that their ranks became disordered and suffered heavy casualties. Heedless of his safety, as he had been throughout the preceding 10 days, Lt. Col. Page remained forward, fiercely engaging the enemy single-handed until mortally wounded. By his valiant and aggressive spirit Lt. Col. Page enabled friendly forces to stand off the enemy. His outstanding courage, unswerving devotion to duty, and supreme self-sacrifice reflect great credit upon Lt. Col. Page and are in the highest tradition of the military service.

    1953 - With an investment of $7,600, Hugh Hefner published the first "Playboy" magazine. There is no date printed on the first issue -- now a collector's item. The reason, according to "Hef," is that he doubted anyone would expect a second issue to be printed. Included in this first issue: A classic, nude, calendar photo of actress Marilyn Monroe. My next door neighbor was a college classmate and joined the company as their accountant. He says their main income came from selling the mailing lists

of subscribers to others until advertising came in later.

    1953 - Harry Belafonte debuted on Broadway in "Almanac" at the Imperial Theatre. Critics hailed Belafonte's performance as “electrifyingly sincere.” Also starring in the show: Hermione Gingold, Billy DeWolfe, Polly Bergen and Orson Bean.

    1955—Top Hits

Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford

Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin

Nuttin' for Christmas - Barry Gordon

Love, Love, Love - Webb Pierce

    1955 - "The Big Surprise" on NBC-TV awarded the largest amount of money given away on television. Mrs. Ethel Park Richardson of Los Angeles, CA may have needed an armored truck to carry away her $100,000 in cash.

   1963—Top Hits

Dominique - The Singing Nun

Everybody - Tommy Roe

Louie Louie - The Kingsmen

Love's Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens

    1963-- Donny Osmond makes his debut with the Osmonds on NBC's The Andy Williams Show.

    1964 - Rev. Martin Luther King became a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace. He was the youngest person to have earned the award.

    1965 -- Bill Graham holds second benefit for SF Mime Troupe, at The Fillmore (first time there) at Fillmore and Geary in The City — 3,500 turn out. Warlocks become “The Grateful Dead,” and debut with the new name at the Fillmore Auditorium for the second San Francisco Mime Troupe Appeal Party. The Jefferson Airplane, The Great Society, the John Handy Quintet, the Mystery Trend, and Sam Thomas also appeared.

    1966 - The Beach Boys made a one-week stop at the top of the "Billboard" Hot 100 as "Good Vibrations" made it to #1. It was the third #1 hit the group scored. The others were "I Get Around" and "Help Me, Rhonda". This Brian Wilson masterpiece, at a cost of $16,000, was the most expensive single ever produced in music history up to that time.

    1967-A previously unrecorded group called The Steve Miller Blues Band signs with Capitol Records for an unheard of $750,000. Capitol persuades the group to drop the "Blues" from its name.

    1967 - Otis Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays (Otis' backup group) were killed in the crash of a private plane near Madison, Wisconsin. Redding was 26 years old. His signature song, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was recorded three days before his death. It was #1 for four weeks beginning February 10, 1968. Redding was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. The Bar-Kays biggest hit was in July, 1967: "Soul Finger". James Alexander, bass player for the group, was not on the plane. Ben Cauley, trumpet player, survived the crash. The group played for a time with various new members.

    1969-"Suspicious Minds" becomes Elvis Presley's 48th Gold Record. At last count, he had 53.

     1970-The defense opens its case in the murder trial of Lt. William Calley. Charged with six counts of premeditated murder, Calley was a platoon leader in Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade (Light) of the 23rd (America) Division. He was tried because of his leadership role in the My Lai massacres. On March 16, 1968, Calley led his troops to murder innocent Vietnamese civilians living in a cluster of hamlets located in Son Tinh District in Quang Ngai Province in the northern coastal lowlands. Citing "superior's orders," Defense Attorney George Lattimer contended that Capt. Ernest Medina, Calley's company commander, told his men that they were finally going to fight the enemy. He reportedly ordered "every living thing" killed. Lattimer also cited poor training of the platoon, the rage of the men who had seen their buddies killed, and the expectation of fierce resistance as additional factors contributing to the incident. The lawyer also charged that higher commanders on the ground and in the air observed the episode but did nothing. Despite Lattimer's argument, Calley was found guilty of murdering 22 civilians and sentenced to life imprisonment. His sentence was reduced to 20 years by the Court of Military Appeals and further reduced to 10 years by the Secretary of the Army. Proclaimed a "scapegoat" by much of the public, Calley was paroled by President Richard Nixon in 1974, after serving about a third of his 10-year sentence.

    1971—Top Hits

Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone

Have You Seen Her - Chi-Lites

Got to Be There - Michael Jackson

Kiss an Angel Good Mornin' - Charley Pride

    1971 - William H. Rehnquist was confirmed by the Senate, 68-26, as U.S. Supreme Court Justice. He replaced Justice John Harlan who resigned in September 1971. Rehnquist joined the Court on January 7, 1972, the same day as Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.

    1971- In one of the worst deals ever made, the Mets trade Nolan Ryan and three prospects to the Angels for six time all-star third baseman Jim Fergosi (Serra HS, San Mateo). The fireballer from Texas went on to set the all-time strikeout record (5,714) and become a member of the Hall of Fame while Fergosi provided little help for New York.

    1972 - The longest non-scoring pass in NFL history was made as Jim Hart of the St. Louis Cardinals passed from his own one-yard-line to Bobby Joe Moore, known now as Ahmad Rashad, who was tackled on the Los Angeles Rams' one-yard-line. The pass officially went for 98 yards.

     1974 -- Representative Wilbur D. Mills, Democrat from Arkansas, resigns as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee in the aftermath of the first truly public sex scandal in American politics.

http://waysandmeans.house.gov/legacy/portraits/

1899-2000/mills.htm

http://mullings.com/dr_05-10-00.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/

politics_condit010711.html

    1975-"The Who by Numbers", which contains the hit single "Squeeze Box", earns the Who another Gold record.

    1977 - In only his second year of riding, Steve Cauthen became the first jockey to win $6 million in a single season. Cauthen was dubbed ‘The Six Million Dollar Man', and ‘Stevie Wonder' by his admirers and was named 1977 Sportsman of the Year by "Sports Illustrated", the Associated Press, "ABC's Wide World of Sports" and "The Sporting News".

    1979-- Kool and the Gang's "Ladies Night" is certified gold

    1979—Top Hits

Babe - Styx

Still - Commodores

Please Don't Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band

I Cheated Me Right Out of You - Moe Bandy

    1982 - Heavyweight Michael Dokes knocked out Mike Weaver at 1:03 of the first round to win the WBA heavyweight title in Las Vegas.

    1983--Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson started a six week run at #1 on the Billboard singles chart with "Say Say Say". It was Jackson's 10th chart topper, including solo and with The Jacksons, and was McCartney's 29th, including solo and with The Beatles.

    1985 - The R.H. Donnelley Corporation announced plans to bring full color to its phone books, with red, blue and green ... along with the traditional Yellow Pages; and it wasn't long before ads printed in the Yellow Pages began sprouting up with red, blue and green accents (which cost more than the traditional, black-only print).

    1987—Top Hits

Heaven is a Place on Earth - Belinda Carlisle

Faith - George Michael

Should've Known Better - Richard Marx

Somebody Lied - Ricky Van Shelton

   1988 - Chicago's "Look Away" was the #1 single in the U.S. It was one of three top-ten hits from the "Chicago 19" album (the others were "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love" and "You're Not Alone").

    1988--Bill Champlin's vocals helped Chicago attain their third and final number one single when "Look Away" hit the top of the Billboard chart. It was one of three Top Ten hits from the "Chicago 19" album, along with "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love" and "You're Not Alone".

    1989 — Seattle wide receiver Steve Largent makes his NFL record 100th touchdown catch in the Seahawks' 24-17 win at Cincinnati.

    1989 - Heavy snow fell across the northern and central mountains of Colorado, with 24 inches reported at Steamboat Springs. Six to twelve inches of snow fell in the Denver and Boulder area delaying plane flights and snarling traffic. Heavy snow also spread across the Central Plains into the Mississippi Valley. Winner, South Dakota received 11 inches of snow, and more than ten inches of snow was reported north of Sioux City IA.

    1991 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York's "Son of Sam Law" that forced criminals' profits for selling their stories to be seized and given to their victims. The High Court held that the New York law was inconsistent with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

    1991 - Alan Freed, the disc jockey credited with giving ‘Rock and Roll' its name, was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Freed died Jan 20, 1965.)

    1992 - A slow-moving Nor'easter storm batters the northeast U.S. coast killing 19 people.

    1993—Top Hits

Again- Janet Jackson

I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)- Meat Loaf

All That She Wants- Ace Of Base

Hero- Mariah Carey

Shoop- Salt-N-Pepa

    1994 - Kenny G's "Miracles: The Holiday Album" was number one in the U.S. It became the best-selling Christmas album in history, selling over 8 million albums as of 2000. The tracks: "Winter Wonderland", "White Christmas", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Silent Night", "Greensleeves", "Miracles", "Little Drummer Boy", "The Chanukah Song", "Silver Bells", "Away in a Manger" and "Brahms Lullaby".

    1995-- Worst snowstorm in Buffalo history, 37.9" in 24 hours (Starting Dec 9 at 7 PM, breaks previous record of 25.3" in 1982). December 26-29, 2001, they get 80 inches of snow.

    1995 - NASA scientists received the first data from the space probe Galileo -- a message beamed over 2.3 billion miles (3.7 billion kilometers).

    1998- After 24 years and 1,071 appearances, Dennis Eckersley, 44, who has pitched in more major league games than any other player retires as an active player.

    1998-Top Hits

I’ m Your Angel- R. Kelly

Nobody’ s Supposed To Be Here- Deborah Cox

Lately- Divine

Doo Wop (That Thing)- Lauryn Hill