Rosanne Wilson, CLFP, Responds to
Leasing News Readers

Rosanne responds to well-wishers through her husband Richard: "She wishes everyone a happy Christmas and a very good New Year, Talk with everyone after the New Year."

"Best Practice Broker" Rosanne Wilson, CLFP
   In Hospital, Expected to go into Rehab
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2019/12_24.htm#wilson

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Thank You for Donations to Salvation Army Kettle
List of Donors...

Anonymous
Larry Armstrong
Brian Carey
Ben Carlile
Edward Castagna
Phil Dushey
Nick Gibbens
Barbara Griffith
Shawn Halladay
Rick Jones
Theresa Kabot
Edward Kaye
Jule Kreyling
Bruce Kropschot
Mitch Larkin
Bruce Lurie
Kathy Nordendahl
Gerald Oestreich
Klaus Pache
Cam Pittman
Dan Pulcrano
Susan Robert
Reid Raykovich
Dean Rubin
Jeffrey Rudin
Bob Teichman

Please click on the Kettle

Any questions, please contact: kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

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U.S. Bancorp - My Top Takeover Idea For 2020
"Mergers and Acquisitions are booming - just not in banking."

• Fragmentation. Although the number has nearly halved in a decade, the US still has more than 4,500 commercial banks.

• Digitization: the cost of maintaining and upgrading IT infrastructure continues to increase rapidly, heaping pressure on smaller banks

• Competition: as FinTech and Big Tech make inroads into more and more mainstream banking services the competitive threat is mounting, again especially a problem for smaller banks

• Excess capital: there is clearly a lot of excess capital in US banking. It is currently being used to finance share repurchases but Mergers and Acquisitions are another obvious - and possibly more productive - use.

Full Reports:
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4314556-u-s-bancorp-top-takeover-idea-for-2020?utm_medium=email&utm_source=seeking_alpha

Land Line Reports Overcapacity Led to Falling Freight Rates
Creating a Freight Recession Scare

After a record-breaking year for owner-operators in 2018, freight rates saw a significant decline due to overcapacity, according to a survey published by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) Foundation.

The Foundation’s 2019 Freight Rate survey found that markets reached record highs in June 2018 before beginning a period of slow contraction that lasted through 2019. Rates dropped 27% from that June 2018 peak to December of this year. That decline does not include fuel surcharges.

The survey notes that 2018 saw owner-operators experience a 12% increase in per-mile pay.

“In 2019 however, the trucking industry experienced an oversupply of truckload capacity, which effectively drove rates downward for much of the year, albeit not below 2017 levels, and helped to create a freight recession scare,” the survey states.

One area where the survey found 2019 had lagged behind even 2017 levels was orders for Class 8 trucks.

“While 2018 shattered a 14-year industry record for Class 8 truck orders with 482,000 units, according to Bloomington, Ind.-based FTR Transportation Intelligence, and 490,100 units, according to Columbus, Ind.-based ACT Research, orders in 2019 were well below these figures, even falling below 2017 levels,” the survey states.

In addition to falling rates, the survey found that operating costs continue to climb. The survey found that the average operating ratio for company fleets and leased fleets pulling dry van equipment in 2019 has been 97.8, with a maximum of 101.6 in February, indicating a weaker economic period. Larger carriers in particular, according to the report, were barely making a profit through most of this year. This in turn has led to numerous bankruptcies and failures, with 800 carriers going out of business this year – compared to 310 in 2018.

www.ooida.com Land Line

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OnDeck Bank Charter Update
CEO Noah Breslow Making Inroads

OnDeck continues on its move for a bank charter to become a full-service digital bank. OnDeck CEO Noah Breslow began the process, approaching major banks to build its team and fill positions on its board. According to source, he has sought advice from  CIT executive Ken Brause; Manolo Sánchez, former CEO of BBVA Compass; and Chandra Dhandapani, former chief information officer at Capital One.  The company OnDeck currently partners with the Salt Lake City, UT.-based Celtic Bank.

OnDeck offers loans from between $5,000 and $500,000 and lines of credit from between $6,000 and $100,000. According to the company, the application process takes less than 10 minutes. OnDeck delivered $12 billion to businesses since its establishment in 2007. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.

In addition to its direct offerings, OnDeck launched a white-label service to banks last year through a subsidiary called ODX. Through ODX, OnDeck’s technology simplifies the lending process for banks. It launched a partnership in October with Investors Bank, and Breslow said OnDeck plans to ink partnerships with additional bank clients by the end of the year. The company also partners with the Salt Lake City, UT.-based Celtic Bank.

Julie Hill, a professor at University of Alabama School of Law, in an interview with Bank Innovation, observed that the national bank charter application process can easily take a couple of years and, as a result, it’s a path many prospective banks are hesitant to take.

 

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Help Wanted

 

 

 

Do I need to sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

 

Question: I am in the second portion of the interview process with a company. They are requesting I sign a non-disclosure agreement. I don’t feel comfortable doing this. What are your thoughts?

Answer: A company requesting that you sign a non-disclosure agreement (also known as a Confidentiality Agreement) is a positive sign that the company is interested in pursuing you.
A non-disclosure agreement or confidentiality agreement is meant to:

“… Prevent secrets from getting into the wrong hands. Some common examples include bringing in a consultant, talking to potential partners, or hiring an employee … it is meant to ensure that the people taken into confidence don't share secrets …the person (Candidate) who receives access to proprietary information agrees to keep such information confidential … this agreement may also cover trade secrets, which is information that is not generally known outside the company, and that gives that particular company a competitive edge …”

It appears that the company wants to disclose confidential information and trade secrets with you, as part of the interviewing process. Often it is necessary that the company protects itself from Candidates “leaking” information, purposely or not, to their competitors.

On occasion, there are individuals who “appear” to be interviewing, but in actuality are just gathering industry and/or competitor information (this is NOT the norm, but it does happen).

Signing a non-disclosure agreement for the purposes of learning about a potential employer’s operations or “way of doing business” can only assist you in making an informed decision.
If you are still not sure if you want to sign such an agreement, I may suggest consulting with an attorney to read the document language and to make sure that signing the document does not “hurt” you in the future. If the cost is only a few hundred dollars, and the position is important to you, make sure you get this done in a timely fashion, as often there is a time frame for your next appointment.

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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The Wine Leaders of the World
Exports/Imports/Consumption

 

Exports: Spain is the largest exporter of wine globally, producing 21 million hectoliters of volume in 2018, followed by Italy with 19.7 million hectoliters.

Imports: Germany leads on imports with 14.5 million hectoliters of volume in 2018, while the UK is the second-largest importer with 13.2 million hectoliters.

Consumption: The U.S. currently leads on wine consumption, with Americans drinking an average of 3.7 liters per person each year—generating almost $50 billion in revenue.
                         

Currently, 80% of all wine consumed within China is produced domestically, and with a growing middle class, there is a huge potential for the Chinese industry to gain ground in comparison to other leading wine markets.

Source: www.visualcapitalist.com

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New York Permits 316 MW Battery Storage Project,
Trading Gas Plant for World’s Largest Battery

New York’s utility regulator has approved construction on a 316-megawatt battery storage plant, a facility that, if built, would provide emissions-free power to New York City and the surrounding region while replacing a significant portion of the city’s fossil-fueled energy.

It will be the largest battery plant in the state, providing emissions-free power to the New York City region during the hours of greatest demand. It also marks the first major use of energy storage for peaking power in the Northeast. California and Arizona have tapped energy storage for this role, but East Coast batteries have been smaller and generally geared toward fast-response grid services. The new plant could have enough capacity to discharge for up to eight hours.

Known as the Ravenswood Development, the project aims to provide 2,528 MWh of power and would operate during peak hours, with enough storage capacity to discharge 8 hours of power during the hours of highest demand. According to the regulator, the project would stabilize the Con Edison, Inc. grid while reducing the state’s reliance on oil and natural gas.

The facility, once constructed, will be the first major use of energy storage for peaking power in the Northeast United States, making it the first project of its kind. While California and Arizona have taken steps to move towards energy storage for peaking power, battery facilities on the East Coast have been smaller and have addressed fast-response power needs as opposed to peak power.

The project’s developer, LS Power, plans to demolish and replace most of the current Ravenswood Generating System located along the East River in Long Island City, Queens, replacing 16 aging combustion turbines with the lithium-ion battery system. A well-capitalized developer and grid infrastructure owner, LS Power already owns the Ravenswood plant and would make the proposed upgrades and changes via a subsidiary. The company plans to build in three phases, with the first 129 MW phase being completed by March 2021 and with no timetable for the second and third 98 MW and 89 MW phases. If completed, the battery plant would provide electric to more than 250,000 households for up to 8 hours. In addition, by swapping a fossil fuel-driven energy source with battery technology, the system would deliver energy at peak capacity with zero local emissions.

The approval of the Ravenswood project is well aligned with the goals of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Green New Deal program, which sets a goal of 1,500 MW of storage by 2025 and 3,000 MW by 2030. The Governor’s program prioritizes storage as a clean replacement for the state’s dirtiest peak power plants, which are more likely to be located in impoverished and minority neighborhoods.

The state is currently in the process of finalizing restrictions on pollution that would further limit the production of fossil fuel-powered energy and would force the shutdown of most of the state’s polluting plants.

While the regulatory approval does not guarantee that the facility will be built, if deployed fully, the storage plant would meet just over 10% of New York’s 2030 energy storage goal. In addition, this project is just the latest in a series of energy storage project announced nationwide as battery prices fall rapidly and incentives for replacing polluting plants with sustainable energy sources increase across the country. As construction moves forward on what aims to be the world’s largest battery storage facility, states and regulators will be looking to shift increasingly towards renewable energy projects such as this one.

Source: National Law Review
©1994-2019 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. All Rights Reserved

 

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The Best of 2019 Film/Digital Review Columns
 By Leasing News' Fernando Croce

As the year winds down and we look forward to 2020, it’s time to take stock of its most indelible cinematic achievements. So we offer a list, in alphabetical order, to help viewers catch up with the gems they may have missed and the discoveries that do the medium justice.

Ash is Purest White: China’s great chronicler of changing times, director Zhangke Jia weaves another remarkable mosaic of loss and fortitude. Set in a vanishing mining town and tracing the trajectory of a local girl engaged to an underworld leader, the film provides a snapshot of the strange new realities that the characters are forced to adapt to. Pulling together many of the director’s recurring themes, it showcases Jia’s profound blend of documentary and genre, heartbreak and fury.

A Hidden Life: After recent ventures in modern times, lyrical director Terence Malick returns to the past with this shattering ode to spiritual resilience, set in Germany during World War II. Telling the real-life story of an Austrian farmer arrested for refusing to fight under Hitler’s rule, the movie envisions a natural paradise darkened by man’s worst impulses, and the ensuing pain and sacrifice of an unsung hero. Gliding from joy to sorrow, it has the beauty and purity of a silent film.

High Life: The disturbing and the poetic blur hypnotically in French director Claire Denis’ mysterious, science-fiction rumination. Set in a future in which criminals are exiled into outer space, the story centers on a group of convicts and scientists before following a survivor into a new world. Blending the promise of idyllic gardens with the unknown paths of black holes, the film turns genre conventions on their head while creating unforgettable images about the enigma of life.

The Image Book: Arguably the greatest living director, French master Jean-Luc Godard once again reinvents the medium with his latest cinematic essay. Structured not as a narrative but an impressionistic cavalcade that melds film history with social commentary, the film unfurls in five movements where image and sound continually clash with each other. Experimenting with formats, colors, and juxtapositions, this is an extraordinary ride for cinephiles who will luxuriate in its erudite references and bewildering beauty.

The Irishman: No stranger to underworld machismo, masterful veteran Martin Scorsese offers his ultimate view of gangland brutality in this magnificent, decade-spanning drama. Following a Mafia killer from his truck-driving days following World War II to a decrepit, wheelchair-bound retiree, it paints a trenchant panorama of violence in American power circles. Long, grim and uncompromising, the film is also intoxicating and profoundly resonant, anchored by a splendid Robert De Niro and showing Scorsese at the peak of his volatile, contemplative powers.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood: Controversial director Quentin Tarantino delivers another exhilarating experiment in alternate cinematic history with this sprawling look at Los Angeles in 1969, where the illusion worlds of film and television rub shoulders with the sinister reality of the Manson Family. Following the intertwined paths of a large ensemble but focusing more on character and atmosphere than on plot, this loving, rhapsodic recreation of a turning point in American culture is by turns dreamy and brutal but consistently, brilliantly multilayered.

Parasite: From cunning Korean wunderkind Bong Joon-ho comes this blistering mix of satire and suspense. Literalizing the idea of class warfare by examining the collision of struggling and rich families in a mansion, Bong tackles weighty themes (systemic greed, rampant consumerism) with a very deft hand. The result is a dazzling master class on filmmaking, overflowing with cinematic contraptions and visual wit, not to mention unpredictable turns and wrenching emotions.

Peterloo: A master of intimate human portraits, Mike Leigh goes epic in this compelling, sprawling period drama. Examining the notorious 1819 massacre that took place in Manchester when royal forces attacked a peaceful reformist rally, it weaves together multiple points-of-view from soldiers to orators for a meticulous sense of 19th-century everyday textures. As it marches toward a shattering climax with increasing urgency, Leigh’s film emerges as an astonishing vivid history lesson with clear modern relevance.

Transit: Set in 1940 yet told in anachronistically modern fashion, this trenchant tale of desperation is a stark triumph from German director Christian Petzold. In a mosaic of stolen identities and romances that shade into darker territory, the tale of concentration camp fugitives and refugees experiments with European history while leading to a harrowing dilemma. Made with impassioned rigor, Petzold’s film skillfully pulls the viewer into its daring combination of old and new.

Uncut Gems: Josh and Benie Safdie cement their reputation as current cinema’s premier purveyors of chaotic adrenaline with this breathless ride through the seedy underbelly of human nature. Adam Sandler gives one of the year’s greatest performances as a jewelry owner who, addicted to the sheer gambling rush of difficult situations, finds himself juggling family, rivals, and gangsters. A sustained blast of desperation, suspense, humor and unexpected poignancy, this is a frenzied marvel.

German Shepherd
Martinez, California  Adopt a Dog

Ernie
Pet ID #A09466515
Male
7 Years Old, Senior
Purebred

Contra Costa Animal Services Martinez
4800 Imhoff Place,
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 608-8400
http://www.ccasd.org

Adoption Process
1. Visit the Facility and Find a Pet
2. Submit Application
3. Meet the Pet
4. Interview
5. Pay Fee
6. Sign Adoption Contract
7. Take the Pet Home

We are open to the public:
Tuesdays, Thursdays - Saturday 10am - 5pm
Wednesdays 10am - 7pm
and we are open for adoptions only on Sundays 12pm - 3pm
 at our Martinez location

No adoption fee for Veterans or Senior dogs.

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Martinez-News Gazette Final Edition 161 Years of Print
Editor is Rick Jones, Leasing News Associate Publisher/Webmaster

Martinez News-Gazette to roll out final edition after 161 years of print
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Martinez-News-Gazette-to-roll-out-final-edition-14928635.php

Television News stations and major newspapers ran the story
https://www.kqed.org/news/11791764/after-161-years-an-era-of-local-news-ends-in-martinez

News Briefs----

The Administration tries to edge out Beijing in the race to 5G,
  But the main problem: the U.S. is facing a shortage of workers.
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/29/big-barrier-trump-5g-america-089883

18 Retailers Closing the Most Stores
   9.302 Locations Closed at time of Report
https://247wallst.com/special-report/2019/04/24/retailers-closing-the-most-stores-5/2/

The New War Against Wine
   It’s time for wine lovers to stand up and be counted
https://www.winespectator.com/articles/the-new-war-against-wine

Here is a list of the largest banks
   in the United States by assets in 2020
https://www.businessinsider.com/largest-banks-us-list?IR=T

Fuel rate changes in six states in effect for 2020
  Rates Go Up!
https://landline.media/fuel-rate-changes-in-six-states-in-effect-for-2020/

Pending Home Sales Expand 1.2% in November
Favorable conditions expected, supply not meeting healthy demand
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pending-home-sales-expand-1-2-in-november-300979950.html

Franchising in Vietnam,
   One of Asia's Fastest-Growing Markets
https://www.franchising.com/articles/franchising

 

Assure the quality of your communication content…grammar, spelling, syntax, punctuation…hire an expert. Whether website content, business or technical writings, take advantage of over forty years executive writing, proofreading and editing in the EFL industry…with the reader’s time and comprehension in focus. Ralph P. Mango ralphmango@hotmail.com Associate Editor Leasing News, responsible for proofreading and editing each news edition, as well as contributing content.

 
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You May Have Missed---

BankThink Crackdown on bank-fintech partnerships
   would hurt subprime borrowers
https://www.americanbanker.com/opinion/crackdown-on-bank-fintech-partnerships-would-hurt-subprime-borrowers

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American 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.

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NFL cheerleaders in 2019 season
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/sports/nfl/2019/08/09/nfl-cheerleader-photos-2019-season/1962496001/

Jon Gruden plans to bring entire coaching staff back in 2020
http://www.theredzone.org/Blog-Description/EntryId/79872/Jon-Gruden-plans-to-bring-entire-coaching-staff-back-in-2020

New York Giants fire Coach Pat Shurmur after two seasons
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/giants/2019/12/30/new-york-giants-pat-shurmur-fired-coach/2768345001/

Freddie Kitchens fired by Cleveland Browns after only one season
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/browns/2019/12/29/freddie-kitchens-fired-cleveland-browns-coach-one-season/2768187001/

Who is Dre Greenlaw
 — besides the guy who saved the 49ers on Sunday night?
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/12/30/who-is-dre-greenlaw-besides-the-guy-who-saved-the-49ers-on-sunday-night/

Where Jimmy Garoppolo ranks among
   49ers QB leaders after great season
https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/where-jimmy-garoppolo-ranks-among-49ers-qb-leaders-after-great-season

NFL announces dates, times for playoff games
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001093297/article/nfl-announces-dates-times-for-playoff-games

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California Nuts Briefs---

‘Candy Land for sheriffs:’
 How California counties spend cash meant to fix jails
https://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/california-prisons/article238721908.html?

SF Bay Area's Top 10 Stories of the Decade
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/12/23/the-top-10-bay-area-stories-of-the-decade/

Mineta San Jose Airport projects 50 percent
   passenger growth, proposes expansion
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/12/29/new-concourse-hotel-and-parking-garage-envisioned-for-mineta-san-jose-airport/

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

About Pete Buttigieg’s wine cave dinner? I was there.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/21/about-that-wine-cave-dinner-i-was-there/

Geyser Peak Winery’s owner closing Healdsburg tasting room
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/10517932-181/geyser-peak-winerys-owner-closing

Double Zero Wines Makes Impactful Debut On 2019
   James Suckling Top 100 Wines of U.S. as the Only
   Featured Oregon Chardonnay
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=224019

Larkmead owners donate $200,000 to U.C. Davis
   toward preserving Napa's history
https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/larkmead-owners-donate-to-u-c-davis-toward-preserving-napa/article_6672037e-21d5-5141-a140-6ad98b5f674d.html

The New War Against Wine
It’s time for wine lovers to stand up and be counted
https://www.winespectator.com/articles/the-new-war-against-wine

Jerry Lohr Talks Wine Grape Quality
https://www.aginfo.net/report/44752/California-Ag-Today/Jerry-Lohr-Talks-Wine-Grape-Quality

The French Just Aren’t Quaffing Champagne the Way They Once Did
https://www.aginfo.net/report/44752/California-Ag-Today/Jerry-Lohr-Talks-Wine-Grape-Quality

Provence jumps into action with a €21 million plan for exports
https://www.vitisphere.com/news-90843-Provence-jumps-into-action-with-a-21-million-plan-for-exports.htm

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

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

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

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

This Day in History

    1781 - The first modern bank in the US, the Bank of North America, was organized by Robert Morris and received its charter from the Confederation Congress. It began operations January 7,1982, at Philadelphia.
    1823 - Birthday of William O. Cushing (d. 1902), Hingham, MA.  American clergyman. He penned over 300 hymns, among them "When He Cometh," "Under His Wings" and "Hiding in Thee."
    1834 - Pioneer medical doctor Mary Jane Safford (d. 1891) birthday, Hyde Park, VT.  She assisted "Mother" Mary Ann Bickerdyke nursing Union soldiers in the Civil War. She (as did the other women) actually went into battles waving a white Handkerchief on a stick to nurse the wounded while the fighting was still going on. The experience of saving lives set her on the way to a medical career. She attended the New York Medical College for Women in 1869 and then went to Germany for advance training. She became professor of women's diseases at the Boston University School of Medicine, a staff physician at a Boston hospital, and had an extensive private practice. She was the first woman to perform an ovariotomy, a very common operation in those days.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/saffordbio.htm
    1837 - Birthday of John R. Sweney (d. 1899), West Chester, PA. American sacred chorister. He composed over 1,000 gospel tunes, including SUNSHINE ("There is Sunshine in My Soul Today") and SWENEY ("More About Jesus Would I Know").
    1862 - The Battle of Stones River (Murfeesboro) begins in central Tennessee. The armies struggled in the bitter cold for three days before the Union army, commanded by General William Rosecrans, defeated the Confederates under Braxton Bragg.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/stonesriver.htm
http://www.civilwarhome.com/stones.htm
http://www.nps.gov/stri/
http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc/stonesriver.htm
    1878 - Elizabeth Arden was born Florence Nightingale Graham (d. 1966) in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada.  U.S. cosmetic entrepreneur. Raised in poverty after her mother died when she was a child, EA held menial jobs until she immigrated to New York City where she learned basic beauty techniques at the opportune time: the new moving pictures which featured women wearing elaborate makeup that glamorized them would give impetuous to the female beauty business.  In 1908, with the loan of about $1,000 from her brother, she opened a luxurious women's salon on Fifth Avenue in New York City that was an immediate success. She quickly branched into creating cosmetics and, by 1915, she was selling her products internationally and was a millionaire.  In addition to her products, she operated more than 100 salons, health spas, etc., and became a noted racehorse owner who won the 1947 Kentucky Derby with Jet Pilot.  She was a leader in improving the safety of cosmetics. At her death at 88, she still owned every bit of stock in her enterprises which had seen annual sales of $60 million. Her companies were sold to Eli Lilly Company for lack of leadership after her death.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0382095871/
002-5050140-9686411?v=glance
    1879 - In the first public demonstration of his incandescent light bulb, American inventor Thomas Alva Edison lights up a street in Menlo Park, New Jersey. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company ran special trains to Menlo Park on the day of the demonstration in response to public enthusiasm over the event.
Although the first incandescent lamp had been produced 40 years earlier, no inventor had been able to come up with a practical design until Edison embraced the challenge in the late 1870s. After countless tests, he developed a high-resistance carbon-thread filament that burned steadily for hours and an electric generator sophisticated enough to power a large lighting system. in 1877 he stumbled on one of his great inventions--the phonograph--while working on a way to record telephone communication. Public demonstrations of the phonograph made the Yankee inventor world famous, and he was dubbed the "Wizard of Menlo Park." Although the discovery of a way to record and play back sound ensured him a place in the annals of history, the phonograph was only the first of several Edison creations that would transform late 19th-century life. Among other notable inventions, Edison and his assistants developed the first practical incandescent light bulb in 1879 and a forerunner of the movie camera and projector in the late 1880s. In 1887, he opened the world's first industrial research laboratory at West Orange, where he employed dozens of workers to investigate systematically a given subject. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the modern industrial world came from his work in electricity. He developed a complete electrical distribution system for light and power, set up the world's first power plant in New York City, and invented the alkaline battery, the first electric railroad, and a host of other inventions that laid the basis for the modern electrical world. One of the most prolific inventors in history, he continued to work into his 80s and acquired 1,093 patents in his lifetime. He died in 1931 at the age of 84.
    1880 - Chairman of the newly formed Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee throughout the US’s involvement in WWII, General George Marshall was born at
Uniontown, PA. He accompanied Roosevelt or represented the US at most Allied war conferences. He served as secretary of state and was designer
    1887 - Ida Frances Steloff (d. 1989) birthday, Saratoga Springs, NY.  Founder of the legendary Gotham Book Mart in NYC. Steloff challenged government censorship, ordering smuggled copies of Henry Miller's “Tropic of Cancer” in the 1930s and purchasing shipments of D. H. Lawrence's banned book “Lady Chatterley's Lover” in the late 1920s.  She also helped launch the works of Henry Miller, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, Anais Nin, Ezra Pound and e.e. cummings.
http://www.adeleart.com/NinPage/Frances.html
http://www.anaisnin.com/history/Steloff.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879923084/
inktomi-bkasin-20/ref%3Dnosim/002-5050140-9686411
    1905 - Birthday of composer Jule Styne, born Julius Kerwin Stein, (d. 1994), London, England
http://kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/
history/honoree/styne.html
    1908 - Birthday of bass player John Kirby (d. 1952), Winchester, VA. 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazz/jazzprofiles/kirby.shtml
http://www.jazzdigger.com/j/Jazz_Giants/John_Kirby_Giants_of_
Jazz__B00000DAJX.htm
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_mucontrib.php/mu_artist=J
ohn+Kirby+%2526+His+Orchestra/ut=0cea001161ce67c0
    1909 - Trumpet player Jonah Jones (d. 2000) born Louisville, Kentucky
http://www.cabcalloway.cc/jonah_jones.htm
http://www.spaceagepop.com/jonesjon.htm
http://trumpetjazz.netfirms.com/Artists/Jonah_Jones.html
    1922 - Vigilantes begin a weeklong attack on the black residents of Rosewood, Florida, burning down the town and effectively wiping it off the maps. The racially motivated destruction of Rosewood was so thorough and complete that knowledge of the episode nearly disappeared along with the town. However, families of the survivors managed to keep the memory alive and eventually won some small compensation from the state of Florida in 1994. In 1922, there were 30 households and about 200 residents in Rosewood, virtually all of whom were black. The fact that the town was slightly more prosperous then some of the neighboring white communities may have contributed to the tension and jealousy between white and black area residents. The Rosewood incident started as a hunt for escaped convict Jesse Hunter, who was believed to be responsible for the rape of an area white woman. Although there was no evidence that Hunter had any connection to the town of Rosewood, an angry mob of white men began a house-by-house search in that community. Residents first tried to defend themselves, but the threatening mob, with as many as 600 armed participants, far outnumbered them. The hunt for the rapist quickly escalated into violent attacks on the people of Rosewood, in which men were killed and women were raped. Although there is not an exact tally of the deaths resulting from the Rosewood riots, reports range from 6 to 120. Many community residents survived by hiding in the surrounding swamps until the attacks ended. The incident was reported and condemned by progressive newspapers at the time, but it was largely forgotten, because the destroyed town of Rosewood was never rebuilt and in essence disappeared from the maps. Yet the persistence of the survivors-some of whom were small children at the time of the attack-finally brought the matter to the attention of the Florida legislature in 1994. The state agreed to compensate 172 survivors and their families a total of $1.85 million because law enforcement officials had done nothing to stop the riots. .
    1929 - Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians made their first annual New Year's Eve broadcast over the C-B-S network from the Roosevelt Grill in New York City. The New Year's Eve radio, and later television, programs by Lombardo became a holiday tradition. The band's rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" became familiar to millions.
    1930 - Birthday of singer/guitarist Odetta Holmes (d. 2008), Birmingham, AL 
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Park/8672/odetta1.html
http://www.alamhof.org/odetta.htm
http://www.vanguardrecords.com/odetta/
    1931 - Birthday of sax player Gil Melle (d. 2004), New York City.
http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,467115,00.html?
artist=Gil+Melle
http://www.gilmelle.com/default.htm
    1938 - Drummer Buddy Rich joins the Artie Shaw Band.
      1943 - Dinah Washington, 19, first records with the Lionel Hampton Band, Keynote label.
      1943 - John Denver, born Henry John Deutschendorf (d. 1997) at Roswell, NM.  This singer-songwriter (“Rocky Mountain High,” “Sunshine on My Shoulder”) died in his self-constructed plane crash off the coast of Big Sur, California.
      1944 - Top Hits
“Don’t Fence Me In” - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
“There Goes that Song Again
 - Russ Morgan
“I’m Making Believe” - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
I’m Waistin’ My Tears on You” - Tex Ritter
    1946 - The state of hostilities was officially ended by President Truman, who reminded the nation that a state of war still existed and that the state of emergency proclaimed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt was not yet rescinded. May 8, 1945 was V-E Day, victory in Europe, and August 15, 1945 was V-J Day, Victory over Japan. However, the Allies did not officially end the war until September, 1990, when all disputes over land, rights, and other agreements were finalized.
    1948 - Russell Long of Louisiana was elected Senator on November 2, 1948, and sworn in on this date in 1948 to fill a seat that had been occupied by his father and his mother, for the term expiring January 2, 1951. He was to become a powerhouse of the senate. His father, Huey Pierce Long, the boss of the Democratic party machine in Louisiana, was elected on November 4, 1930, and took the oath of office of January 25, 1932. He was assassinated in 1935 in a hail of gunfire, some believe killed by the ricochet of one of his own bodyguards. Rose McConnel Long, wife of Huey Long and mother of Russell Long, was appointed on January 31, 1936, to fill the seat left vacant by assassination. She served until January 2, 1937.
    1948 - Birthday of Donna Summer, born LaDonna Andrea Gains, Boston, MA. Singer (“Bad Girls”), who, in her day, she was the hottest popular female vocalist setting the disco beat.
    1952 - Top Hits
“Why Don’t You Believe Me” - Joni James
“Because You’re Mine” - Mario Lanza
“Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes” - Perry Como
“Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes” - Skeets McDonal
    1955 - General Motors became the first U.S. corporation to earn more than one billion dollars in a single year. The company’s annual report to stockholders listed a net income of $1,189,477,082 in revenues.
    1960 - Top Hits
“Are You Lonesome To-night?” - Elvis Presley
“Wonderland by Night” - Bert Kaempfert
“Exodus” - Ferrante & Teicher
“Wings of a Dove” - Ferlin Husky
    1960 - After playing California nightclubs as The Pendletones, Kenny and the Cadets, and Carl and the Passions, among other names, a new group emerged: The Beach Boys played their first concert under that name at the Richie Valens Memorial Centre in Long Beach, California. . The group’s first national hit, "Surfin’ Safari," was soon to be. They recorded for local (Los Angeles) Colpix Records and at the height of their popularity, Capitol Records. The Beach Boys also recorded awhile under the Reprise Records banner. My friend, Bruce Johnson, who played for my “big band,” also played piano for this group. I played substitute a few times for high school graduations in the desert community, where I drove once or twice, too. The Beach Boys were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
    1961 - The first football game to gross $1 million was played on December 31,
    1961 - The Green Bay Packers defeated the New York Giants 37-0 for the National Football League Championship at City Stadium, Green Bay, WI. There were 39,029 spectators, and the paid attendance amounted to $1,013.792. Each of the Packers received $5,195 and each of the Giants, $3,340. The Packers scored two touchdowns, three field goals, and four conversions.
    1962 - Governor Edmund G. Brown, of California, announced that his state was now the most populous of the 50 United States. New York’s governor, Nelson Rockefeller, disagreed and refused to concede.
    1967 - Playing in a wind chill of 40 degrees below zero, the Green Bay Packers won the National Football League championship game by defeating Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys, 21-17. The game, played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin was called the Ice Bowl. During the game, the whistles of the referees actually froze to their lips. It turned out to be the coldest championship game ever. Packers quarterback Bart Starr scored the winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak with 13 seconds left to play. This was the final NFL Championship game before the Super Bowl.
    1967 - The bloodiest year of the war comes to an end. At year's end, 536,040 American servicemen were stationed in Vietnam, an increase of over 50,000 from 1967. Estimates from Headquarters U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam indicated that 181,150 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese were killed during the year. However, Allied losses were also up: 27,915 South Vietnamese, 14,584 Americans (a 56 percent increase over 1967), and 979 South Koreans, Australians, New Zealanders, and Thais were reported killed during 1968. Since January 1961, more than 31,000 U.S. servicemen had been killed in Vietnam and over 200,000 U.S. personnel had been wounded
    1968 - Top Hits
“I Heard It Through the Grapevine” - Marvin Gaye
“For Once in My Life” - Stevie Wonder
“Stormy” - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost
“Wichita Lineman” - Glen Campbell
    1969 - Jimi Hendrix's new group, the Band of Gypsies, debuts with its first album, Band of Gypsies. Hendrix's former band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, had dissolved after several productive years together.  Hendrix was born in Seattle in 1942. He grew up playing guitar, imitating blues greats like Muddy Waters as well as early rockers. He joined the army in 1959 and became a paratrooper but was honorably discharged in 1961 after an injury, which exempted him from duty in Vietnam. In the early 1960s, Hendrix worked as a pickup guitarist, backing up musicians including Little Richard, B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner, and Sam Cooke. He moved to New York in 1964 and played in coffeehouses, where bassist Bryan Chandler of the British group the Animals heard him. Chandler arranged to manage Hendrix and in 1966 brought him to London, where they created the Jimi Hendrix Experience with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. The band's first single, "Hey Joe," hit No. 6 on the British pop charts, and the band became an instant sensation. In 1967, the Jimi Hendrix Experience made its first U.S. appearance, at the Monterey Pop Festival. Hendrix made a splash by burning his guitar and was quickly established as a rock superstar. In the next two years, before the band broke up in 1969, it had released such classic songs as "Purple Haze," "Foxy Lady," and "The Wind Cries Mary." The band's albums included Are You Experienced? (1967), Bold as Love (1969), and Electric Ladyland (1969).  After the band dissolved over creative tensions, Hendrix made his famous appearance at Woodstock, playing a masterful, intricate version of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Later that year, he put together a new group called the Band of Gypsies, which debuted on New Year's Eve in 1969. The band put out only one album, Band of Gypsies (1969). (A second album, Band of Gypsies II, was released in 1986.) Hendrix then recorded another album, without the band, called The Cry of Love, released in 1971. Hendrix played his last concert in August 1970, at the Isle of Wight Festival in Britain. He died in London in September 1970, having choked on his own vomit following a drug overdose. He was 28 years old when he died.
    1973 - Kiss, whose flash-and-thrash stage shows would influence two decades of heavy metal bands, made their debut at the Academy of Music in New York. They shared the bill with Blue Oyster Cult, Iggy Pop and Teenage Lust. Kiss members Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss were as famous for their painted faces and spandex costumes as they were for their music, at least in the beginning.
    1974 - Mick Fleetwood telephoned Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham and invited them to join Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood became interested in the duo after producer Keith Olsen played him an album that Nicks and Buckingham had recorded at Olsen's studio. Nicks and Buckingham completed the lineup that would record the four-million-selling "Fleetwood Mac" album in 1975 and the 15-million-selling "Rumours" two years later. 
    1976 - The Cars played their first show, in New Hampshire. The new wave group would not release its first album until 1978. It would sell a million copies. 
    1976 - Top Hits
“Tonight’s the Night” (“Gonna Be Alright”) - Rod Stewart
“You Don’t Have to Be a Star” (“To Be in My Show”) - Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.
“You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” - Leo Sayer
“Sweet Dreams” - Emmylou Harris
    1978 - Bill Graham’s Winterland closes with the Grateful Dead
http://www.dead.net/merchandising/music/DEAM-DECD249/
http://www.dead.net/merchandising/music/DEAM-DECD249/index_cd.html
    1979 - The gradual U.S. withdrawal from the conflict in Southeast Asia is reflected in reduced annual casualty figures. The number of Americans killed in action dropped to 1,386 from the previous year total of 4,204. South Vietnam losses for the year totaled 21,500 men, while the combined Viet Cong and North Vietnamese total was estimated at 97,000 killed in action.  After 10 years of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, a total of 45,627 American soldiers had been killed. The U.S. troop levels, which started the year at 280,000, were down to 159,000. This troop reduction was a direct result of the shifting American goal for the Vietnam War-no longer attempting a military victory, the U.S. was trying to gracefully extricate itself from the situation by transferring responsibility for the war to the South Vietnamese.
    1982 - Little Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band married Maureen Santora in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Springsteen was best man, and Little Richard performed the ceremony. Richard and Percy Sledge performed Sledge's hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" at the reception.
    1984 - Top Hits
“Like a Virgin” - Madonna
“The Wild Boys” - Duran Duran
“Sea of Love” - The Honeydrippers
“Why Not Me” - The Judds
    1985 - Over 54,500 people played kazoos in downtown Rochester, New York. It got the crowd listed in the Guiness Book of World Records for ‘Most Kazoo-ers’.
    1986 - The State of Florida passed Illinois to become the fifth most populous state in the country. In the lead: California, New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania.
     1986 - Model Donna Rice met Senator Gary Hart for the first time at a party given by singer Don Henley, formerly of the Eagles. Henley says he didn't actually introduce the two because he was busy cooking. The scandal of the married Hart's relationship with Rice would cause the senator to withdraw from the race to be the Democratic presidential candidate in 1988.
     1990 - The Sci-Fi Channel on cable TV begins transmitting
     1993 - Barbra Streisand performed her first paid concert in 22 years -- the first of two shows at the M-G-M Grand Garden in Las Vegas. The concert was delayed for more than an hour because the audience had to pass through metal detectors. There were reports Streisand earned more than $20 million for the two shows. Tickets, priced from $50-1,000 each, sold out within hours. Streisand had said she quit because she became shy and scared she would forget the words to her songs. Fourteen TelePrompters helped her overcome that fear during the Vegas shows.
    1997 - In an attempt to nudge its Microsoft Network into a more competitive position (vs. America Online), Microsoft announced the purchase of Hotmail, the free Web-based e-mail service.
    1997 - Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy retired after 11 years and four consecutive Super Bowl appearances. His 123 victories with the Bills are a team record. He led the Bills to eight postseason appearances and five conference championship games, winning four.  He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
    1999 - Panama assumes control of the Panama Canal with the expiration of the 1979 Panama Canal Treaty.  At noon, the Republic of Panama assumed full responsibility of the canal and the US Panama Canal Commission ceased to exist.
    1999 - The world waited with great fear to see if Y2 would cause havoc and destruction. A lot of computer makers, software developers, and consultants made a lot of money as the world moved from DOS to Windows forever.
    2012 – A study conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center announced that a harmful type of space radiation may accelerate the development of Alzheimer’s Disease.