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Classified Ads---Credit

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

Credit, syndication, workout experience
Exceptional work ethic, common sense coupled with practical experience in equipment finance, consumer, commercial. Can interact with all levels of borrowers and intermediaries. Not an originator – but can help sales team close – great up sell ability. Will relocate for the right opportunity AND can work remotely.aaacorrespondent@gmail.com

Orlando, Florida
As a Commercial Credit Analyst/Underwriter, I have evaluated transactions from sole proprietorships to listed companies, across a broad spectrum of industries, embracing a multitude of asset types. Sound understanding of balance sheet, income statement and cash flow dynamics which impact credit decisions. Strong appreciation for credit/asset risk.
rpsteiner21@aol.com
407 430-3917

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

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Top Stories: December 15--December 19
Opened Most by Readers of Leasing News

(1) Started American Leasing 43 Years Ago
Earliest Photo 1977
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2014/12_19.htm#started

(2) What and Why of Section 179 to the Leasing Industry
by Christopher Menkin
easingnews.org/archives/Dec2014/12_19.htm#what

(3) 37 Months for $433,000 Leasing/Loan Fraud Scheme
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2014/12_15.htm#scheme

(4) Fortress Buys MicroFinancial for $147 Million
Competition Raised in Small Ticket Marketplace
By Christopher Menkin
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2014/12_17.htm#fortress

(5) Archives---December 17, 2007
Curt Lysne now at PFSC
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2014/12_17.htm#archives

(6) Section 179 Passes in Senate
(Later up-dated as Extra to mailing list, posted web site)--see below)

(7) New Hires---Promotions in the Leasing Industry
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2014/12_19.htm#hires

(8) $100 million Sale/Leaseback ATM Ponzi scheme
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20141216/woodland-hills-men-charged-with-running-100-million-ponzi-scheme

(9) Sales Make it Happen By Steve Chriest
The Sales Talent Crisis is Here
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2014/12_17.htm#crisis

(10) Picture from the Past
---1988—Bill Grohe
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2014/12_15.htm#picture

Extra--Not Counted for Technical Reason 12/17
Section 179 Passes in Senate
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2014/12_17.htm#stalls

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Broker/Sales Personnel Fees

On many occasions, I have been asked what is the appropriate fee a leasing broker should receive as a third party originator. Some say, “Whatever the market will bear.” Others think the funding source should establish a “buy rate” and they should get everything else with a maximum ceiling. However, to determine a proper fee for both parties, we must view the partnership between the broker and the funding source.

Let’s get into documentation and other fee arrangements, as well as the residual, at the end of this article.

If a funding source has their own sales force, they usually try to restrict the commission structure to a percentage of the net present value of the difference between the cost of money and the transaction rate. We usually call this their net margin. In this comparison, the sales force has a base salary, benefits, and expense reimbursement. Plus each and every credit must be reviewed, so the actual number of booked transaction versus reviewed credits is higher and increases the cost of the back office. There may be a “charge back” for a default, although that seems to have gone out of style today.

It should be pointed out it is also common for the sales manager as well as the “customer representative” to also receive a percentage, in addition or against salary, based on volume.

An experienced broker is often considered less of a cost, especially with a high book-to- approval ration. The better success rate on submitted transactions occurs because the broker often has run the credit, collected the financial documents and understands them, plus has learned about the equipment and the vendor. Most important, the third party originator knows what the funding source is looking for. They steer their package to the funding source most likely to approve, while the direct sales person must fit the parameters of his company’s portfolio quality requirements. With no expense reimbursement or benefit package, the marketing cost to the funding source is much lower.

As a rule of thumb, depending on the size of the transaction, micro transactions usually generate 10% to 15% of equipment cost in commissions for a broker: under $50,000: 5% to 10%; above $100,000: 3% to 5%. There are exceptions, and many funders put ceilings on fees, as experienced brokers can control the deal to earn the maximum allowed.

In cases where the lessor discounts the transaction to a funding source, this is generally stated as a percentage of the amount discounted (including first and last or other payments, if received, such as 10% as the residual). It can range from 25% to 50%, and I have seen up to 60%.

Documentation fees are also often shared with the sales person, with a base fee set, and anything over the base goes to the salesperson.

This also applies to other fees, including loan or lease fees, on top, for master leases, or termination fees, as shared as residuals.

It has become popular to share residuals with sales personnel, based on volume, and predicated that the sales person remains with the company to earn this fee. It can be anywhere from 30% to 50% and 60% is not uncommon for top sales personnel, often set on a volume basis. It is a great incentive for a salesperson to not leave the company employee.

Brokers can set up the lease with a $1.00 out to the funder, with the residual to go to the broker. Often, they are “fair market value,” meaning the transaction is not an “operating lease,” but a finance lease with a balloon payment (although on lease documents; often referred to as a “Capital Lease.”

There is a lot of incentive to learn the leasing business, especially to be a direct “discounter” of leases.

Business loans have become very popular, especially in the small ticket marketplace. Here commissions range from 5% to 15%. Some companies will pay as high as 20% to brokers, without much work in collecting financials and tax returns, too. Other major appeals include both quick approvals and less paperwork for invoices, delivery, vendor or equipment qualification, purpose of money, and other requirements. It’s fast and easy.

And yes, the customers mostly are very satisfied, happy, after being turned down by their bank, or several banks. The business loans are often not more than a year term, some less, so there is repeat business and automatic commission to broker from many companies who credit the originator. Thus the market has changed where the goal of discovering the turned down borrower is more important than being a lease consultant.

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 a consultant regarding assisting attorneys in resolving disputes or explaining procedures or reviewing documents as utilized in the finance and leasing industry.

He is the 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.

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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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

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“I’m Leaving Right after I Get My Bonus”
Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

First, NEVER burn bridges (many of us have learned this from past experience!) – give notice in the PROPER manner.

I would suggest developing a formal resignation letter at least two weeks prior to terminating your present employment. Many resignation letters state your last day of employment and a willingness to assist in the transition process (sometimes including training a new hire to take over your duties). You may want to include a personal note thanking the employer and explaining your reasoning for your departure.

Whatever the circumstances, make sure you phrase your resignation letter in a positive way. This does not give you free reign to lay out your grievances … not appropriate! Don’t do it!

Your past employer may be called upon to provide a reference for you in the future. AND you never know if you might work with your manager (s) in the future!

If you get your bonus today, Please wait until after Christmas
to submit your letter of resignation! Better yet, wait until the check
clears your bank account.

Merry Christmas, 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

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Top Leasing Executives on ELFA November Drop
in New Business - Down 18%% from October to November

(Chart: Leasing News)

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25) for November shows new business was down from October’s $8.3 billion to $6.8 billion in November. This is 18% drop on a month-to-month basis. ELFI-25 reports New business volume was up 6% for the year to date and down 8% year over year.

Leasing Executives did not exclaim surprise:

(Alphabetical Order)

Richard A. Baccaro
Executive Vice President - Sales & Marketing
Ascentium Capital LLC

"As I previously mentioned, Ascentium Capital forecasted a tempered November based on short month as is always the case.

"With the economy doing well and people feeling good about their business, the stock market and interest rates; they tend to take a few days off before and after Thanksgiving.

"It’s a good time for business owners, executives and sales professionals to recharge their batteries in advance of an expected record breaking December and year end."

John Boettigheimer
President
Centra Leasing, Inc.
4 Hour Funding

"We made our target numbers in November, but just barely. In November our average ticket size was much smaller than normal and we really had to close a lot of deals to meet our target, which is consistent with the lower closing activity I am hearing about from other industry players. Good news is that December has been quite strong and our average ticket size is back to normal levels.

Christopher Enbom
CEO and Chairman,
Allegiant Partners Inc. dba
First Star Capital dba Clearview Financial

"In October the market went to $15,855.

"We find that the market sentiment directly impacts small business equipment purchases. This could be part of the equation."

Dwight Galloway, CLP
Senior Vice-President, Broker Division
RLC Funding

"Not rocket science here: Novembers have often been less productive than Octobers simply because there are always 2-3 fewer working days! That reason alone accounts for much of the difference regardless of other less quantifiable factors.

"With the Section 179 boost, some equipment purchases planned for the first quarter will be closed before year end, helping the 2014 volume but robbing the early months of 2015."

Barbara Griffith
President
Southern California Leasing, Inc.

"We hit our goals. We did have a bumpy ride. Busy one month not so busy the next month. I believe and what I read: the US will have a good 2015 & 2016.

Valerie Jester
President
Brandywine Capital Associates

"Typically our Novembers are not as strong as October – mostly due to the shorter month after the Thanksgiving holidays are considered. I don’t believe Section 179 has been too big a factor this late in the game. I think most customers gave up on that in the summer.

"We do see vendors taking long and longer lead times on equipment delivery – so that may be hurting volume in November as well."

Allan Levine
President and COO
MADI$ON CAPITAL

“For Madison, October and November were crazy months compared to 2013. One must keep in mind we are an equipment and vehicle lease/finance company. So here ya go:

“Oct. 2014 compared to 2013
Vehicles up 4%
Equipment up 25%

“Nov. 2014 compared to 2013
Vehicles up 42%
Equipment down 6%

“Dec. equipment appears to be up and vehicles are about a push when compared to last Dec.

“Our extreme volatility for vehicles, in Nov., was due to the delivery of 3 large fleets.

“Our business, over time, is 50-50 vehicles and equipment. Some years one is better than others. The good news is we are never dependent on a single phase.”

Paul J. Menzel, CLP
President & CEO
Financial Pacific Leasing
doing business as
Umpqua Bank Equipment Leasing
& Finance is a subsidiary of Umpqua Bank

"From a practical point of view, November was a very short month to do business as a result of when Thanksgiving fell on the calendar. FinPac & Umpqua Bank Equipment Leasing & Finance were flat from October to November; however a few very large transactions in the UBELF channel offset the lower production of FinPac due to the short month. MTD December is providing the highest daily average in applications that FinPac has ever seen and approved backlog is the highest ever. We are very bullish for 2015."

Don Myerson
President
BSB Leasing, Inc.

"Historically we have seen a dip in business in November and this year was no exception. We actually expected an uptick this year assuming that after the mid-term elections the economic climate would pick up. That didn’t happen. December business has rebounded nicely. Too bad Congress didn’t extend the $500,000 Section 179 expensing earlier allowing businesses to take advantage earlier."

Paul Witte, CEO
First Federal Leasing

"We are seeing a slight increase in our activity for December in regards to the number of applications and that dollar amount we are funding. Our year will end on a positive note with growth in our portfolio and continued low delinquencies and losses."

-------

The noted trend by Leasing Executives is born by past MFI-25 numbers. Only 3 out of 8 years went up in November, and marginally $6.0 to $6.3, $4.3 to $4.5 and $6.3 to $6.8 (2007) was the most.
5 of 8 were down. So going down from October to November was
not a big surprise.

            Oct.   Nov.
2013    $7.6   $6.5
2012    $7.6   $6.4
2011    $6.0   $6.3
2010    $4.9   $4.5
2009    $4.3   $4.5
2008    $6.0   $4.02
2007    $6.3   $6.8
2006    $6.0   $5.6

ELFA Charts

MLFI-25 New Business Volume (Year Over Year Comparison)
click to make larger

Aging of Receivables:

click to make larger

Average Losses (Charge-offs) as a % of net receivables
(Year Over Year Comparison)

click image to make larger

Credit Approval Ratios As % of all Decisions Submitted
(Year Over Year Comparison)

click image to make larger

Total Number of Employees
(Year Over Year Comparison)

click image to make larger

ELFA MLFI-25 Participants

BancorpSouth Equipment Finance
Bank of America
Bank of the West
BB&T Bank
BMO Harris Equipment Finance
Canon Financial Services
Caterpillar Financial Services
CIT
DLL
Dell Financial Services
Direct Capital Corporation
EverBank Commercial Finance
Fifth Third Equipment Finance
First American Equipment Finance, a City National Bank Company
GreatAmerica Financial Services
Hitachi Credit America
HP Financial Services
Huntington Equipment Finance
John Deere Financial
Key Equipment Finance
LEAF Commercial Capital
M&T Bank
Marlin Leasing
Merchants Capital
PNC Equipment Finance
RBS Asset Finance
SG Equipment Finance
Siemens Financial Services
Stearns Bank
Suntrust
Susquehanna Commercial Finance
TCF Equipment Finance
US Bancorp Equipment Finance
Verizon Capital
Volvo Financial Services
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance

Mankato Zombie Bank Closes
Non-Current Loans, Mostly Mortgages

The two branches of Northern Star Bank, Mankato, Minnesota were closed with BankVista, Sartell, Minnesota, to assume all of the deposits. It is another one of the Zombie banks the FDIC has been keeping open, and their trouble started before the recession, over ten years ago.

This small bank was formed January 25, 1999. As of September 30, 2014 it had seven full time employees at its office in Mankato and Saint Cloud. In 2006, the bank had 17 full time employees. They also had a mortgage banking office in Edina (via the Company's joint venture with First Federal Holding Company of Morris), which they merged in 1999.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul business Journal in 2004 reported:
“The bank stated its non-interest income for 2004 had decreased by $440,000 attributable to residential real estate lending activities, while it had to spend additional $96,000 in compensation and employee benefits compared to last year, because of additional staff and higher health care costs."
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2004/09/06/daily42.html

The actual loss was $286,000 year-end 2004, and $84,000 in 2005, according to the FDIC.

(In millions, unless noted otherwise)

Profit (loss)

2006	-$183,000
2007	-$381,000
2008	-$138,000
2009	-$675,000
2010	-$1.8
2011	-$903,000
2012	-$242,000
2013	-$654,000
9/30	-110,000

Net Equity

2006	$3.9
2007	$4.6
2008	$4.3
2009	$3.7
2010	$1.9
2011	$1.3
2012	$1.1
2013	$462,000
9/30	$464,000

Consent Order from the FDIC since July 2009, addressing, among other things, the bank operating with inadequate capital levels, and it was obvious the small bank was not going to recover.
Northern Start Consent Order (6 pages): http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/
NorthernStarConsentOrder_2014.pdf

In 2010, rescinded two-for one stock split:

Northern Star Bank has been under regulatory scrutiny for years due to a large amount of troubled loans, operating losses, and inadequate capital. The internet shows criticism of Northern Star Bank President Tom Stienessen, particularly the banks issuance of subprime mortgages. It is stated, Mr. Stienessen replied the bank did not participate in sub-prime loans, yet the high non-current loans for a small bank were substantial, especially starting in 2007.

Non-Current Loans

2004	$89,000
2005	$420,000
2006	$92,000
2007	$959,000
2008	$2.5
2009	$2.5
2010	$763,000
2011	$928,000
2012	$38,000
2013	$109,000
9/30	$337,000

Charge Offs

2006 $301,000 ($263,000 loans to individuals, $28,000 commercial)
2007 $6,000 ($6,000 loans to individuals)
2008 $17,000 ($20,000 loans to individuals, -$3,000
           commercial/industrial)
2009 $106,000 ($82,000 commercial/industrial, $17,000 1-4 family,
         $7,000 individuals)
2010 $1.4 ($844,000 construction/land, $595,000 1-4 family,
          $1,000 indiv.,-$7,000 commercial)
2011 $513,000 ($365,000 1-4 family, $128,000 nonfarm/nonindiv.,
          $20,000 commercial, -$1,000 indiv.)
2012 $60,000 ($59,000 1-4 family, $8,000 commercial/industrial, -
           $11,000 nonfarm/nonres.)
2013 $213,000 ($213,000 1-4 family residential properties)
9/30 $23,000 ($26,000 1-4 family, -$3,000 individual)

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

Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio 3.31%

As of September 30, 2014, Northern Star Bank had approximately $18.8 million in total assets and $18.2 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of Northern Star Bank, BankVista agreed to purchase essentially all of the failed bank's assets.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $5.9 million. Compared to other alternatives, BankVista's acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. Northern Star Bank is the 18th FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in Minnesota. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was 1st Regents Bank, Andover, January 18, 2013.

https://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2014/pr14112.html

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CIT Bank/OneWest Bank Merger More Protests
by Christopher Menkin

U.S. is ending the TARP year with $15.3 billion profit, as the government sells its remaining 54.9 million Ally Financial shares. 35 smaller banks remain in the program, down from 700 financial firms at the height of the program, which began in the final months of George W. Bush's presidency.

CIT was forced to rely on TARP, as did many financial institutions, and has emerged to again become a very successful company. Ironically, CIT Bank is in the midst of gaining a review by the Federal Regulators to merge with OneWest Bank in Southern California. OneWest began from the remnants of IndyMac, caught in the mortgage bubble burst, which investors turned around originally as a regional bank in the Pasadena area, and grew into 74 offices. Two success stories; grateful to their customers and investors.

A group is opposing the merger on the basis of the branches losing
their "community identity," meaning serving their communities because CIT Bank has a different personality, interested primarily in business than consumers. In reality, the marriage would bring benefits to both.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, "More than 50 organizations oppose the merger, including the California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC), Valley Economic Development Center, East L.A. Community Corp., Montebello Housing Development Corp. and the Greenlining Institute.

"OneWest has a dismal track record of reinvesting in the communities it serves, the protestors said, and the bank has foreclosed on an estimated 35,000 California families over the past five years."

An article in Mainstreet.com quotes Kevin Stein, associate director with the California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC), "“CRC believes that OneWest and CIT Group should look to the example of Banc of California that agreed to create a five year, public, community reinvestment plan."

He claims, "“The banks should develop a much more robust community benefit plan given the large amounts of corporate subsidy the two banks have received, including $2.3 billion in TARP money CIT Group received that it never paid back to taxpayers and the more than $1 billion that OneWest has received from the FDIC under shared loss agreements."
http://www.mainstreet.com/article/protestors-oppose-too-big-to-fail-bank-merger-of-onewest-and-cit-group-in-california/page/2

Notice of Default Resolved in Favor of Lender

By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal Editor

Most Notes Have Provisions Which Waive Notice of Default.
But What If The Loan Agreement Provides for Notice to Borrower? Washington Case Holds That Promissory Note Governs.

DZ Bank v Choice, 2013 WL 146344 (Wash. Ct. App. 2013).

Most Promissory Notes and Leases waive notice to the borrower. However, many larger transactions are accompanied by a separate Loan Agreement. In today’s case, the Loan Agreement provided for notice to the borrower. The lender apparently did not specifically issue a notice of default, so a Washington Court was faced with which of the two agreements it would hold the lender to, the Promissory Note, or the Loan Agreement. The facts follow.

Brooke Credit Corporation financed Choice Cash Advance in various aspects of its business, including franchising. Brooke pledged the Note to its lenders, DZ Bank. DZ Bank was appointed as agent to enforce its rights under the Note.

Choice Insurance failed to make the payment due on the Loan Agreement on February 15, 2011. Choice raised a number of defenses, one of which was that it did not receive formal notice of default, which was required under the Loan Agreement. In response, DZ Bank argued that the Promissory Note contains a waiver of notice, and the Note was incorporated by reference into the Loan Agreement.

The Court, faced with this patent conflict looked at the Loan Agreement and discovered an “Interpretation Clause” which governs how the two documents were to be reconciled in the event of a conflict. The clause stated:

“[t]o the extent that the provisions of [the Loan Agreement] conflict with those of any other Loan Document [which would include the Promissory Note], the provision which provides [DZ Bank] most protection and grants [DZ Bank] the greatest rights shall control.”

Therefore, the Court ruled that no notice of default would be required and entered judgment in favor of the Bank.

The lessons here are two-fold, for both the creditor’s lawyer drafting the agreement and the line officers enforcing the agreement.

First, for the lawyers, although there was a conflict resolution clause, there really should have been no patent conflicts between the Note and the Loan Agreement. Granted the obligations were large, but lawyers should have read the agreements and resolved the conflicts before sending it out for signatures.

Second, for the creditors, why not simply give notice or conduct operations in a way which gives the borrower more protections, rather than less? How much is a notice of default letter going to cost, as opposed to this Federal lawsuit?

The bottom line is notice of default is tricky and should be dealt with both in drafting and in operations.
.
DZ Bank case
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/DZBankCase_2014.pdf

Tom McCurnin is a partner at Barton, Klugman & Oetting
in Los Angeles, California.

Tom McCurnin
Barton, Klugman & Oetting
350 South Grand Ave.
Suite 2200
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Direct Phone: (213) 617-6129
Cell (213) 268-8291
Email: tmccurnin@bkolaw.com
Visit our web site at www.bkolaw.com

Previous Tom McCurnin Articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/leasing_cases.html

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Salvation Army Kettle
$6,285 Raised to Date—Thank You, Donors

Jeffrey Allard	Larry Armstrong	Carol Baker
Brent Baron	Bruce Cady	Brian Carey
Ben Carlile	Edward Castagna	John Caulfield
Richard Cohen	Dale Davis	Rob Day
Shawn Halladay	Larry Hartmann	Randy Haug
Don & Bonnie Dulmage	Jim Lahti	Theresa Kabot,CLP
Sam Khedkar	Jule Kreyling	Bruce Kropschot
Vern Laney	Allan Levine	Bruce Lurie
Barry Marks	Paul Menzel,CLP	Dean Morrison
Gerald Oestreich	PFSC	Klaus Pache
Susan Robert	Dean Rubin	Jeffrey Rudin
David Silverman	Bob Stephan	Bob Teichman,CLP
Gary Trebels	Terry Waggoner	Paul Weiss
Rosanne Wilson	Rick Wilbur	Edward Winston
Robert VanHellemont	Annoymous

(Please click on kettle to learn more)

Let’s Set a Record for 2014!

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

Northland Capital to be Seen on Manufacturing Marvels
Fox Business Network, Tonight, Monday

Northland Capital Financial Services, LLC of St. Cloud, MN, will be spotlighted in a nationally televised production called Manufacturing Marvels® between 8:30 and 8:45pm CST Monday, December 22, 2014 on the Fox Business Network®. This is a first for Manufacturing Marvels® to highlight an equipment lease and finance company as a service provider in helping manufacturers and businesses across the country succeed. Filmed on location, the production will highlight the Northland Capital brand, its services and the company’s commitment to providing business capital with a spirit of integrity, commitment and excellence.

Willis Kleinjan
President
Northland Capital

“We are excited to be part of the Manufacturing Marvels® production and share our foundation for success,” states President, Willis Kleinjan. “This is a testament to the dedication and commitment of our customers, partners and employees. We are proud of the work we do.”

After its air date, the video will be available on our website www.northlandcapital.com and YouTube channel.

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

• Contract Negotiations • Fraud Investigations
• Credit Investigations • Skip-tracing
• Third-party Commercial Collections

Receivables Management LLC
John Kenny
For flat fee or commissions basis

john@jkrmdirect.com | ph 315-866-1167|www.jkrmdirect.com

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

News Briefs----

Obama Signs 2014 Tax Extenders Bill into Law
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleaebeling/2014/12/19/obama-signs-2014-tax-extenders-money-in-your-pocket/

Fortress looks to sell TRAC Intermodal Leasing Company
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/us-tracintermodal-m-a-idUSKBN0JW2QW20141218

Mistakes, equipment issues pose serious threats with lease rail-related hazmat
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20141221/news/141229830/

Avon to pay $135 Million for Bribe Chinese Gov't Officials
http://ww2.cfo.com/regulation/2014/12/avon-door-door-influence-peddling/

Cleaning Up Bad Bank Loans in China? Do an IPO
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/12/22/cleaning-up-bad-bank-loans-do-an-ipo/

Tom Brokaw Says His Cancer Is in Remission
http://time.com/3643448/tom-brokaw-cancer-remission/

49ers' season of distractions
http://www.mercurynews.com/49ers/ci_27171861/49ers-season-distractions

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--You May Have Missed It

Lions' Dominic Raiola stomps on opponent's ankle
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/lions--raiola-stomps-on-bear-s-ankle-205337001.html

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

Meet the Best Meatless Protein Sources
http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?
post=meet_the_best_meatless_protein_sources

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Football Poem

S.F. 49ers

Jane Griffin

Gold helmets shine in the sunlight.
The jerseys are loose and the pants are tight.
Those were the only things shining this year.
After so many losses, there's no reason to cheer.
That's what all thought but one loyal fan
Because not matter what, I believe that they can.
I know we could have won the Superbowl
If our kicker was able to make a field goal.
Many times when we could have won the game,
Because of special teams, we left the field in shame.
We'll have to wait until next season
To be the ones doing the teasin'.
The Superbowl will be our mission.
After all it's 49ers tradition.

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

Sports Briefs----

Updated NFL Playoff Picctue After Week 16
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl-playoff-picture-2014-184525471.html

Wilson, Seahawks trounce Cards
http://www.si.com/game/1382951

49ers blow 21-point lead in OT loss to Chargers
http://www.mercurynews.com/49ers/ci_27180732/49ers-blow-21-point-lead-ot-loss-chargers

Ravens' playoff hopes fade in 25-13 loss to Texans
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/article4777731.html

Jets’ Defense Flusters Tom Brady, but Patriots Rally to Win
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/22/sports/football/new-york-jets-defense-flusters-tom-brady-but-new-england-patriots-rally-to-win-in-possibly-rex-ryans-last-home-game.html

Five Takeaways From the Patriots' 17-16 Win Over the Jets
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2014/12/
five_takeaways_from_the_patriots_17-16_win_over_th.html

Offensive line obviously a problem area for Patriots
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/12/22/even-offensive-linemen-are-front-about-this-patriots-problem-area/xwkXSQy7JDVgyXsuyAFnuO/story.html

Cowboys win NFC East title; Packers, Steelers, clinch playoff spots
http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-nfl-roundup-20141221-story.html#page=1

Cowboys make statement, show this could be special season
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2014/12/5-thoughts-cowboys-make-statement-show-this-could-be-special-season.html/

Raiders knock out Bills playoff contentention with 26-24 win
http://www.sacbee.com/sports/article4778427.html

Photos: Oakland Raiders play final 2014 season home game against Buffalo Bills
http://photos.mercurynews.com/2014/12/21/photos-oakland-raiders-play-final-2014-season-home-game-against-buffalo-bills/#1

Rams are no-shows in loss to Giants
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-are-no-shows-in-loss-to-giants/article_f970a96f-583f-52b5-9eb4-583d540c61a2.html

Denver Broncos News: Horse Tracks - Elway or the Highway
http://www.milehighreport.com/2014/12/21/7429861/denver-broncos-news-horse-tracks-elway-or-the-highway

Photos: Falcons win 30-14, sweep Saints
http://www.ajc.com/gallery/sports/football/photos-falcons-look-sweep-saints/gCQCZ/

Falcons expected to fire Mike Smith, per report
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/12/21/7430033/mike-smith-atlanta-falcons-fired

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)

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

California Nuts Briefs---

Chinese firm for Bay Bridge produced flaws in another huge project
http://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/bay-bridge/article4748610.html#emlnl=Morning_Newsletter

Summing up Chuck Reed's eight years as San Jose, CA mayor
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_27181892/herhold-summing-up-chuck-reeds-eight-years-mayor

Klein TV set to close after 61 years in downtown San Rafael
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_27174110/klein-tv-set-close-after-61-years-downtown

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

“Gimme that Wine”

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

Study reveals who's clogging Napa highways
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/study-reveals-who-s-clogging-napa-highways/article_267462a6-3de7-58fa-80f4-4055273d2621.html

The next Napa earthquake could be much bigger, scientists find
http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=11114

Wines of South Aftrica Continues Investment Into U.S. Market
http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=143452

Single Serve Wine Company Makes Shark Tank History
http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/12/zipz-single-serve-wine-shark-tank.html

Cru Bourgeois Medoc chateau sold to Chinese investor
http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/587834/cru-bourgeois-medoc-chateau-sold-to-chinese-investor

Two Events, One Great Experience at the 2015 Seattle Wine and Food Experience
http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=143431

The Inside Scoop on How Wines Make the Wine Spectator Top 100 List
http://radio.foxnews.com/2014/12/18/the-inside-scoop-on-how-wines-make-the-wine-spectator-top-100-list/

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/

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

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

     1696 - Birthday of William Oglethorpe, English general, author, colonizer of Georgia, and founder of the city of Savannah. Oglethorpe was born at London. He died June 30, 1785, at Cranham Hall, Essex, England.
http://www.ourgeorgiahistory.com/people/oglethorpe.html
http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/hogarth3.htm
    1727 - At Newport, RI, birthday of William Ellery, signer of the Declaration of Independence. He died there Feb 15, 1820. During the British occupation of Rhode Island, Mr. Ellery's house was burned and much of his other property “injured.”
http://www.williamellery.com/
http://www.colonialhall.com/ellery/ellery.asp
    1770 - Birthday of Father Demetrius Gallitzin, a Dutch Catholic priest. Arriving in America in 1792, he spent his remaining years as a frontier missionary, building up the Catholic Church in parts of PA, MD, VA and WV. Gallitzin became known as the "Apostle to the Alleghenies."
http://www.slider.com/enc/21000/Gallitzin_Demetrius_Augustine.htm
http://www.gsd1.org/business/GlendaleBoatSales/history.htm
http://www.catholicism.org/PAGES/gallitzin.htm

    1775 - Esek Hopkins of Rhode Island became the first Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy and its seven ships, and served until January 2, 1778. He was the first to fly the Gadsen flag, show in the masthead of Leasing News. It was designed by a man from Charleston, South Carolina, with a coiled rattlesnake and the motto “Don't Tread on Me.'' The connotation of the rattlesnake in Colonial times was quite different than today; the flag had quite a different meaning. History has forgotten Hopkins, primarily because he disobeyed Congress, or as he put it, he interpreted his orders rather broadly in diverting his fleet from its announced destination of Charleston to the Bahamas, where he made a successful raid on military shores. The Bahamas was the major shipping stop from North and South America to Europe and then controlled by the British. Congress sacked him, not believing his excuse. Some say his real crimes were a hot temper and an unguarded tongue. Others say he had secret orders. Among his officers was First Lieutenant John Paul Jones, who helped take New Providence.
http://www.worldsfinestnavy.com/EsekHopkins.html
http://www.famousamericans.net/esekhopkins/
http://www.sat.quarterman.org/who/essexhopkins.html
http://www.sat.quarterman.org/gif/gadsden1.gif
    1807 - Congress passes the Embargo Act, which halts all trading completely. It is hoped that the act will keep the United States out of the European Wars.
    1815 - Birthday of Henry Highland Garnet, early Black abolitionist leader, leader of emigration from Liberia and freedom in the United States. Later in life, Garnet turned to religion and lost a lot of his influence on the issue of slavery, but he continued to fight for the cause and helped to improve the lives of former slaves. In 1881, he was appointed to a position in Liberia, but died only two months after he arrived in 1882.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2949.html
http://www.africawithin.com/bios/henry_garnet.htm
http://www.ugrworkshop.com/hgarnet.htm
http://raider.muc.edu/~horninme/G7%20henry_highland_garnet.htm
    1828 - Rachel Jackson, beloved wife of Andrew Jackson, died of heart disease just weeks before her recently elected husband was inaugurated as president of the United States. Her first marriage to Captain Robards, a landowner and speculator, was not a happy affair, and the two separated in 1790. Believing she was a free woman, Rachel married Andrew Jackson in 1791. Two years later, the couple discovered that Robards was finally suing for divorce--on the grounds of adultery and desertion. The divorce was granted, and in 1794, the couple quietly remarried. Yet, for the rest of her life, Rachel was unjustly slandered for her irregular marriage. The gossip became particularly painful during the 1828 presidential campaign when the 37-year-old scandal was resurrected as a campaign issue. Andrew Jackson defeated his opponent John Quincy Adams, but when Rachel died soon after the election, Jackson bitterly attributed her death to "those vile wretches who...slandered her."
    1829 - The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad opens the first passenger railway line.
    1833 - Mercer University was chartered in Penfield, Georgia under Baptist support. In 1871, the college moved its campus to Macon, Georgia.
http://www2.mercer.edu/About_Mercer/default.htm
    1839 - The second of triple December storms hit the northeastern U.S. The storm produced 25 inches of snow at Gettysburg, PA, and gales in New England, but only produced light snow along the coast.
    1849 - California Gov. Burnett was inaugurated and Military Governor Riley immediately resigned. Legislature selected Col. John C. Fremont and William M. Gwin as U.S. senators to take their seats when California wins statehood.
    1862 - Birthday of Connie Mack, Baseball Hall of Fame manager and owner, born Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy at East Brookfield, MA. Mack was a major league catcher who became the original manager and co-owner of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1901. He managed the team, always wearing street clothes, usually a suit, tie, and white shirt with a starched collar, and signaling to his players with a scorecard, through the 1950 season and retired after the 1953 season The Mackmen often finished as also rans, but his teams did win nine pennants and five world Series. Many historians consider the A’s of 1929 to be among the best ever, but the Great Depression hit attendance and by the mid-1930s, Mack had sold or traded his biggest stars because he could not afford to keep them. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. Died at Germantown, PA, Feb 8, 1956.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec22.html
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios
/mack_connie.htm
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers
/M/Mack_Connie.stm
    1864 - Union General William T. Sherman captured Georgia's largest city after his famous "March to the Sea" from Atlanta. Savannah had been one of the last major ports that remained open to the Confederates. Along the way, his troops destroyed nearly everything that lay in their path. Sherman's intent was to wreck the morale of the South and bring the war to a swift end. For nearly six weeks, nothing was heard from Sherman's army. Finally, just before Christmas, word arrived that Sherman's army was outside Savannah. A Union officer reached the coast and found a Union warship that carried him to Washington to personally deliver news of the success. Sherman wired Lincoln with the message, "I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with 150 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about 25,000 bales of cotton."
    1869 - Birthday of Edward Arlington Robinson, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner best known for his short dramatic poems, including "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy." Born at Head Tide, ME, and died at Los Angeles, CA, Apr 6, 1935.
http://robinson.bokardo.com/biography.phtml
    1882 – ‘Tis the season… the first string of Christmas tree lights was created by Thomas Edison.
    1883 - Birthday of Arthur Wergs Mitchell, leading “New Deal” Black politician, from Illinois. Died May 9, 1968
http://www.system.missouri.edu/upress/spring1997/nordin.htm
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000805
http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/493
/Arthur_W_Mitchell_political_pioneer
    1886 - The first national accounting society, the American Association of Public Accountants, was formed in New York City. The first president was James Yalden.
    1888 - Birthday of Dr Chancellor Williams, historian and author of “Destruction of Black Civilization.”
http://saxakali.com/Saxakali-Publications/runoko8.htm
http://www.raceandhistory.com/Historians/chancellor.htm
http://aalbc.com/reviews/chancell.htm
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/search-ng.gsp?search_constraint=3920&
search_query=Williams%2c%20Chancellor
    1891 - Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography.
    1894 - The United States Golf Association, the governing body for golf in the US, was founded at a meeting of representatives from five golf clubs.
    1904 - Birthday of Kenneth Rexroth, Beatnik poet and well-known San Francisco personality. Died June 6, 1982 in Montecito, California.
http://www.charm.net/~brooklyn/People/KennethRexroth.html
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/m_r/rexroth/rexroth_lif
http://www.rooknet.com/beatpage/writers/rexroth.html e.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1556591713/
102-8569588-7388914?v=glance
    1910 - Birthday of trumpet player Reunald Jones (Count Base Band) born Indianapolis, In. Died, 1989. One of the “Jones Boys.”
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/j2/reunald_jones_b.htm
http://www.52ndstreet.com/reviews/mainstream/vajonesboys.html
    1912 – Former First Lady ‘Lady Bird’ Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Johnson was born Claudia Alta Taylor in Karnack, TX. She died in 2007.
    1913 - Pianist Dudley Alonzo Brooks(Elvis Presley band) born Los Angeles, Ca.
    1914 - The mood to ban alcohol as a means of ending alcoholism and its abuse in the United States had it first test in the first alcohol prohibition vote taken in Congress that showed the House of Representatives with a dry majority. The representatives voted 197-189 in favor of a resolution to provide a constitutional amendment banning the manufacture and sale of intoxicating beverages. The resolution, offered by Representative Richmond Pearson Hobson of Alabama, failed to win the necessary two-thirds majority, but the mood and politics regarding prohibition was certainly changing. Hobson became known as the anti-alcohol crusader. Richmond Pearson Hobson was one of the great heroes of the Spanish-American War, following only Theodore Roosevelt and George Dewey. Hobson's fame and popularity was the result of leading an unsuccessful attempt to block the harbor of Santiago de Cuba by sinking the collier MERRIMAC in the entrance. Despite the fact that the effort was a failure, and Hobson and his crew were captured by the Spanish, he became a hero anyway. As a result of his status as a war hero, he was later elected to Congress, and became a prominent crusader for alcohol prohibition. He introduced the first national alcohol prohibition bill in 1911.
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000667
http://www.samford.edu/groups/amhf/id35.htm
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/people/hobson/
    1915 – TV mom Barbara Billingsley was born Barbara Lillian Combes in LA. She is best and forever known as June Cleaver, Beaver’s mom, in the long-running “Leave it to Beaver.” Billingsley died in 2010.
    1917 – Comedian and TV game show host Gene Rayburn was born Eugene Jelyevich in Christopher, IL. After a successful radio and Broadway career, Rayburn broke into TV as the original sidekick of Steve Allen on “The Tonight Show”. From 1962 to 1969, Rayburn hosted “The Match Game”, the role for which he is best known. Rayburn died in 1999.
    1919 - Singer Lil Green was born Lillian Johnson in Clarksdale, MS. “Why Don’t You Do Right” was her big hit, later to be the theme song of Peggy Lee.
http://www.oafb.net/once29.html
http://www.geocities.com/theblueslady.geo/LilGreen.html
http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,551235,00.html?artist=
Lillian+%22Lil%22+Green
    1921 - The first U.S. commercial radio license assigned to a religious broadcaster was awarded to the National Presbyterian Church of Washington, D.C. Within five years, there were over 60 other licensed religious broadcasters, including KJS, Biola (L.A.); KFUO, Concordia Seminary (St. Louis); and WMBI, Moody Bible Institute (Chicago).
    1921 - Country singer Hawkshaw Hawkins was born Huntington, West Virginia. A recording contract in the late 1940's with the King label yielded such hits as "I Wasted a Nickel," "Slow Poke" and "Sunny Side of the Mountain." Hawkins had little success in the 1950's, but on March 3rd, 1963, his "Lonesome 7-7203" entered the charts on its way to number one. Two days later, Hawkins was dead, a victim of the same plane crash in Kansas that killed Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas.
    1937 - Lincoln Tunnel, connecting Jersey City, NJ with New York City, opens to traffic
http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/lincoln/
    1938 -Birthday of Mateo “Matty” Alou, former baseball player, born Haina, Dominican Republic. Alou played in the Majors with his brothers, Felipe and Jesus.
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/A/Alou_Matty.stm
http://www.yankeeinfo.com/master.asp?id=alouma01
http://www.angelfire.com/va3/steelerchief/images/Matyalou.jpg
    1939 - Drummer Nick Ceroli born Warren, OH. Died August 11, 1985. He began his professional career with the Ray Anthony band in the late '50s, and progressed through the bands of Lionel Hampton, Terry Gibbs, and Stan Kenton. Never a fan of rock or "pop" music, but rather a mainstream jazz and big band player, Nick nonetheless joined Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass in 1965. He spent five years with that incredibly successful group, lending his talent to an act once described as having "single-handedly returned instrumental music to the American popular consciousness."
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/c3/nick_ceroli_b.htm
http://members.aol.com/jnetsites/ceroli2.html
    1941 - On Decca Records, Jimmie Lunceford and his orchestra recorded "Blues in the Night", which became one of Lunceford’s biggest hits. From 1934 to 1946 Jimmy Lunceford racked up 22 hits more hits.
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_lunceford_jimmie.htm
    1941 – Winston Churchill arrived in Washington, DC for a wartime conference with President Roosevelt and American war strategists.
    1942 - Sue Dauser takes oath of office as Superintendant of Navy Nurse Corps, becoming first woman with the relative rank of captain in U.S. Navy. She was promoted to the rank of captain on 26 February 1944.
    1943 - WEB Du Bois elected First black member, National Institute of Arts and Letters
http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap9/dubois.html
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/dubois
    1944 - During the Battle of the Bulge, General Anthony McAuliffe responds to a German surrender request with a one word answer: "Nuts!"
    1944 – D’ALESSONDRO, PETER J., MEDAL OF HONOR.
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Kalterherberg, Germany, 22 December 1944. Entered service at: Watervliet, N.Y. Born: 19 May 1918, Watervliet, N.Y. G.O. No.: 73, 30 August, 1945. Citation: He was with the 1st Platoon holding an important road junction on high ground near Kalterherberg, Germany, on 22 December 1944. In the early morning hours, the enemy after laying down an intense artillery and mortar barrage, followed through with an all-out attack that threatened to overwhelm the position. T/Sgt. D’Alessondro, seeing that his men were becoming disorganized, braved the intense fire to move among them with words of encouragement. Advancing to a fully exposed observation post, he adjusted mortar fire upon the attackers, meanwhile firing upon them with his rifle and encouraging his men in halting and repulsing the attack. Later in the day the enemy launched a second determined attack. Once again, T/Sgt. D’Alessondro, in the face of imminent death, rushed to his forward position and immediately called for mortar fire. After exhausting his rifle ammunition, he crawled 30 yards over exposed ground to secure a light machinegun, returned to his position, and fired upon the enemy at almost pointblank range until the gun jammed. He managed to get the gun to fire 1 more burst, which used up his last round, but with these bullets he killed 4 German soldiers who were on the verge of murdering an aid man and 2 wounded soldiers in a nearby foxhole. When the enemy had almost surrounded him, he remained alone, steadfastly facing almost certain death or capture, hurling grenades and calling for mortar fire closer and closer to his outpost as he covered the withdrawal of his platoon to a second line of defense. As the German hordes swarmed about him, he was last heard calling for a barrage, saying, "OK, mortars, let me have it--right in this position!" The gallantry and intrepidity shown by T/Sgt. D’Alessondro against an overwhelming enemy attack saved his company from complete rout.
    1944 - Birthday of Steven Norman “Steve” Carlton, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, born Miami, FL. “Lefty” pitched for six teams across his career from 1965-88 but he is best remembered as the best left-hander for the Phillies. In one of the more dominating seasons ever, for the last-place and woeful Phils, he won 27 games of their 59 total wins. He has the second-most lifetime strikeouts of any left-handed pitcher (4th overall), and the second-most lifetime wins of any left-handed pitcher (11th overall). He was the first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards in a career. He held the lifetime strikeout record between 1982-1984, before his contemporary Nolan Ryan passed him.
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/
hofer_bios/carlton_steve.htm
    1946 - Birthday of Diane Sawyer, television journalist and prime time news anchor. "60 Minutes," "Prime Time Live", ABC Evening News, born Glasgow, KY.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/GoodMorningAmerica
/GMA_diane_sawyer_bio.html
    1946 - Otto Graham leads the Cleveland Browns to a 14-9 victory over the New York Yankees at Cleveland Stadium in the first All-America Football Conference championship game. Graham is regarded by critics as one of the most dominant players of his era, having taken the Browns to league championship games every year between 1946 and 1955, winning seven of them. With Graham at quarterback, the Browns posted a record of 114 wins, 20 losses and four ties, including a 9–3 record in the playoffs.
    1947 - Drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers cut first record, Blue Note Label.
http://www.audiogalaxy.com/bands/artblakeysjazzmessengers/
http://www.playjazz.com/DR005.html
http://home.ica.net/~blooms/Art1.html
http://800-buy-movies.com/GeneralDVD/gr107322D1.htm
    1948 - Birthday of Steve Garvey, former baseball player, born Tampa, Florida.
http://www.thebaseballpage.com/past/pp/garveysteve/
http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/garvest01.shtml
    1949 - Robin and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees were born on the Isle of Man. The Gibb family moved to Australia in 1958, and the twins, along with Brother Barry, began performing together. The family returned to England in 1966, where the Gibb brothers were signed by producer Robert Stigwood. A hit single, "New York Mining Disaster 1941," and a hit album followed within a year. The teenaged stars were unprepared for their sudden success, and the Bee Gees fell apart in the early 1970s. But in 1977, they contributed several songs to the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever." "How Deep is Your Love," "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever" all became number-one hits. And the "Saturday Night Fever" album was the biggest-selling L-P of all time, until Michael Jackson's "Thriller" came along.
    1949 – The only punter to be drafted #1 in the NFL, Ray Guy, was born in Swainsboro, GA. After being named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team, he was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, the second kicker and first punter so honored.
    1951 - Top Hits
“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” - Gene Autry
“White Christmas” - Bing Crosby
“Slowpoke” - Pee Wee King
“Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way” - Carl Smith
    1952 - “Ding Dong School” Premieres on TV. Named by a three-year-old after watching a test broadcast of the opening sequence (a hand ringing a bell), "Ding Dong School" was one of the first children's educational series. Miss Frances (Dr. Frances Horwich, head of Roosevelt College's education department at Chicago) was the host of this weekday show.
http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/dds.html
http://www.missfrances.com/memorabilia_cartoons.htm
http://www.skypoint.com/members/schutz19/dingdon1.htm
    1952 - The Modern Jazz Quartet cuts first recording on the Prestige label.
http://www.holeintheweb.com/drp/bhd/MJQ.htm
http://www.jazclass.aust.com/lewis.htm
    1955 - Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Holiday Jubilee opens in New York. The twelve day show features Count Basie, LaVern Baker, The Cadillacs, The Wrens, The Valentines, The Chuckles and a host of others.
    1956 - Elvis Presley had the most charting records this year with 17. Billboard reports Pat Boone was next with five, followed by Fats Domino, Little Richard and the Platters with three each.
    1957 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "April Love," Pat Boone.
    1958 - "Chipmunk Song" reaches #1
http://www.poplyrics.net/waiguo/compilations/xmascarols/012.htm
http://www.psci.net/~aa9ai/chip.ra
    1959 - Top Hits
“Heartaches by the Number” - Guy Mitchell
“Why” - Frankie Avalon
“The Big Hurt” - Miss Toni Fisher
“El Paso” - Marty Robbins
    1962 - The Rebels' instrumental "Wild Weekend" is released on Swan Records. It makes it to #8 on the pop chart.
    1962 - The Tornadoes' "Telstar" becomes the first record by a British group to top the American pop chart. The song was inspired by the launching of the Telstar commu-satellite in July.
    1963 - Oakland Raider Tom Flores passes for 6 touchdowns vs. Houston (52-49)
http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/florestom.shtml
http://www.frameposters.com/Posters_Tom_Flores.html
http://www.geocities.com/madnessmike/tom_flores.htm
    1963 - Official 30-day mourning period for President John F Kennedy ends but for many who lived through the horror of the assassination, it has never ended.
    1964 - The first test flight of the SR-71 (Blackbird) took place at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, CA.
     1965 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Over and Over," Dave Clark Five. The song is the group's only No. 1 hit.
    1966 - The United States announces the allocation of 900,000 tons of grain to fight the famine in India.
    1966 - Acting on an earlier order from John Lennon, producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick manage to adjust the tape speeds of two completely different versions of "Strawberry Fields Forever" in order to create the track we know today.
    1967 - Top Hits
“Daydream Believer” - The Monkees
“Woman, Woman” - The Union Gap
“Boogaloo Down Broadway” - The Fantastic Johnny C
“It’s the Little Things” - Sonny James
    1968 - President-elect Richard Nixon’s younger daughter, Julie, was married in New York City to Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of the former president.
http://www.jag.org/jn_eisenhower.htm
    1969 - In San Francisco, Radio Free Alcatraz broadcast for first time on Berkeley radio station KPFA.
    1969 – Pistol Pete Maravich sank 30 of 31 free throws for the NCAA record.
    1972 - Folk singer Joni Mitchell was awarded a gold record for her album, "For the Roses"; which included the song, "You Turn Me on, I’m a Radio".
http://www.jonimitchell.com/
    1972 – A 6.25 earthquake strikes Managua, Nicaragua, killing over 12,000. It was to help those still suffering there with supplies that the plane carrying Roberto Clemente crashed, killing him and all aboard.
    1973 - Barbra Streisand's hit record, “The Way We Were”, from the movie of the same title that she starred in with Robert Redford, debuted on Billboard's pop record charts on this date. The song was on the charts for 17 weeks total, and for 3 weeks was Number 1. It was later certified gold, and it won the Academy Awards for Best Song and for Best Original Dramatic Score. The music was written by Marvin Hamlisch, and the lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.
    1974 - Center Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins scored the 500th goal of his career in a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Esposito played from 1963-64 through 1980-81 and finished with 717 regular season goals. There was a billboard near the Boston Garden that shouted, “Jesus Saves…” to which someone spray-painted, “…and Espo scores on the rebound!”
    1975 - On CBS-TV's "All in the Family," Mike and Gloria Stivic, played by Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers, had a baby.
    1975 - Top Hits
“That’s the Way (I Like It)” - KC & The Sunshine Band
“Let’s Do It Again” - The Staple Singers
“Saturday Night” - Bay City Rollers
“Convoy” - C.W. McCall
    1976 - Production of "Let’s Make A Deal" came to an end. During the games show's 3,200 episodes, Monty Hall gave away an estimated $35 million in prizes and over 20,000 kisses. The show's announcer was Jay Stewart, and Carol Merrill was the spokesmodel.
    1976 - Bob Seger begins his breakthrough to stardom as his album, "Live Bullet," goes gold. The album features in-concert versions of "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," "Beautiful Loser," "Get Out of Denver," "Travelin' Man" and "Katmandu."
    1977 - Not everyone who jumped from the top of the Empire State building committed suicide, as 26-year-old Thomas Helms, who jumped from the observation deck on the 86th floor landed on a narrow ledge on the85th floor, about 20 feet lower down. He was knocked unconscious for half an hour, but was not seriously injured.    1978 - Faces drummer Kenney Jones becomes The Who's drummer, replacing the late Keith Moon who died two months earlier.
    1979 - Linda Ronstadt, the Eagles and Chicago played a political benefit for her then boyfriend, California Governor Jerry Brown in Las Vegas. That show, and one the night before in San Diego, raised $150,000.
    1979 - Former studio musician Rupert Holmes had the last number one record of the seventies with "Escape" (The Pina Colada Song). The tune stayed at the top for two weeks and the follow-up, "Him", also made the Top 10. Holmes had previously done studio work for The Drifters, The Platters and Gene Pitney. "Escape" made #23 in the UK.
    1983 - Top Hits
“Say Say Say” - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
“Say It Isn’t So” - Daryl Hall and John Oates
“Union of the Snake” - Duran Duran
“Black Sheep” - John Anderson
    1984 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Like a Virgin," Madonna. Billboard ranks the song as the top single of 1984.
    1984 - CBS Records said it would release Mick Jagger’s, of the Rolling Stones, first solo album, in February, 1985. After a 20-year career with the self- proclaimed “greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world,” Jagger went solo with the album: "She’s the Boss".
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002IXG/
102-8569588-7388914?v=glance
http://www.sweetstar.com/song/b000002ixg
    1984 – Subway rider Bernhard Goetz shoots four black would-be muggers on an express train in Manhattan.
    1986 - "Sports Illustrated" magazine named Penn State Head Football Coach Joe Paterno Sportsman of the Year, marking the second time a coach won the honor. The first coach to do so was UCLA basketball legend, John Wooden. For this issue, the magazine chose to change its logo to a two-line design.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2002/sportsman/master_list/
http://www.gopsusports.com/football/people/paterno/paternobiobody.cfm
http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/Wooden.htm
    1989 - 137 cities set record lows for this date. 35 of those cities established new lows for December. New all-time records were set -4ºF in Oklahoma City, OK, -6ºF in Tulsa, OK, -12ºF in Pittsburgh, PA, -18ºF in Denver, CO, -23ºF in Kansas City, MO, -42ºF in Scottsbluff, NE, -47ºF in Hardin, MT & -60ºF in Black Hills, SD.
    1990 – The independence of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia is complete after termination of the US trusteeship
    1991 - Top Hits
“Black or White” - Michael Jackson
“It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” - Boyz II Men
“All 4 Love” - Color Me Badd
“My Next Broken Heart” - Brooks & Dunn
    1991 - Gregg Allman makes his acting debut as a drug kingpin in the flick, "Rush." Eric Clapton did the excellent music score.
    1993 - Lake effect snows buried Turin, NY under 45 inches of snow with 5 inches falling in just 20 minutes. Boonville, NY had 31 inches in two days.
    1996 - Right wing Brett Hull of the St. Louis Blues became the 24th player in NHL history to score 500 regular-season goals. He tallied goals Nos. 498, 499 and 500 in a 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Another goal, originally thought to be No. 500 was later credited to teammate Sepahne Matteau. Hull and his father Bobby thus became the first father-and-son duo in NHL history to score 500 goals each.
http://www.hockey-fans.com/players/brett-hull.php
    1998 - U.S. Woman Combat Pilot Sees Action -- ABOARD THE USS ENTERPRISE (AP) -- The first American woman fighter pilot to see combat action took part in the air strikes on Iraq. Navy Lt. Kendra Williams, 26, flew her FA-18 fighter-bomber as part of the attack force launched from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the Gulf. Williams, who was raised in Anchorage, Alaska, was among the first group of women allowed to train for fighter duty, military officials said Tuesday. She graduated from jet training at the Naval Air Station in Kingsville, Texas, in 1997.
http://www.ctie.monash.edu/hargrave/williams_k.html
    2001 – Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63. The revelation resulted in increased boarding security measures that now include shoe removal when going through airport security.
    2005 - The internet search engine Google announced that Janet Jackson was the most-searched name during the last twelve months, with people looking for pictures from her so-called "wardrobe malfunction" at Super Bowl 38 when she exposed her right breast.
    2008 - An ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County, TN, releasing 1.1 billion US gallons of coal fly ash slurry, thereby unleashing a torrent of litigation by damaged citizens through the EPA.
    2010 - The British government declared the Beatles' famous Abbey Road zebra-crossing a national heritage site. Britain's Minister for Tourism and Heritage John Penrose said "This London zebra crossing is no castle or cathedral, but thanks to the Beatles and a 10-minute photo shoot one August morning in 1969, it has just as strong a claim as any to be seen as part of our heritage."
    2010 - The repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President Obama.

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