Leasing News

"Twas the Night Before Funding"

by
Jason A. Gendron
Director
CEMBRUS CAPITAL

(With apologies to Clement Clark Moore whose poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas"
by Clement C. Moore, often called “Twas the night before Christmas,”
was published in the Troy, N.Y., Sentinel this date in 1823.)

Twas the night before funding and all through the bank,
Only Credit was working on making deals tank.
The files were stacked on the cabinet with care,
In hopes that a funding check soon would be there.

Everyone was hoping to be in their beds,
But visions of questions ran through their heads,
With me and my laptop, a drink in my hand,
Can’t shut off my brain until these deals land.

For today in the loan department arose such a clatter,
I had to drive over to find out “Now what’s the matter?”
Away to my Beemer I flew like a flash,
Rang the security bell and peered through the sash.

The hum from the office machines gave off a glow,
As deals seem to go backwards like wheels stuck in snow,
To what did my wondering eyes did appear,
But a custom landlord waiver?---Damn, I need a beer…

With emails flying around with a click,
Surely funding would seem to happen quick,
More rapid than molasses, the files they came,
But, the credit manager whistled and shouted questions that seemed inane,
I thought, “Do you even remember our borrower’s name?”

On Lesleigh, On Janice, get the wire to Polly,
How could things turn into such a winters’ Folly?
I stood in the foyer with a look of dismay,
Was all senior management really out for the day?

As I rushed through the halls to get some resolve,
I thought how many other puzzles would I need to solve?
For on this deal over seven months it had been,
Certainly, we can’t be covering this again?

As I rushed cube to cube trying keep things afloat,
I thought of my poor lessee taking an unpleasant ride on His vendor’s boat,
A ride with some duct tape and a rifle for deer,
Surely by this point he must live in fear.

I must retire now, for no more I can write,
I only look forward to a short winter’s night.
For tomorrow I must be ready for hell,
I just fear more credit questions, but whom can I tell?

All will be well if we end up with money
We can only rely on OBAMA to fix the Economy,
For I now have done all that I can,
For Santa Claus Sake, I am only one man.

I realize that no matter how hard I fight,
This problem will not get solved in one night,
Christmas will come and I hope Vendors have money,
I am sure if they don’t this poem will not be funny.

So tomorrow I will go and tend to my work,
I hope I do not end up being the jerk,
For if there are no funds, I Must drive out of sight,
Saying merry Christmas to all---and to all a good night.

---jgendron@cembrus.com

Classified Ads---Credit

Atlanta, GA
9 Years experienced small ticket Credit Analyst seeking full-time position with equipment broker/lessor. Resume available. Email at StuartJablonski@aol.com or www.linkedin.com/in/stuartjablonski

Orange County, CA
10 yrs. exp. middle market credit underwriting/syndication/collections. All collateral. Seeking full-time position with equipment broker/lessor. Resume available uspostalservice@verizon.net

For a full listing of all "job wanted" ads, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Other e-Mail Posting Sites:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Posting_sites.htm

((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)

Merry Christmas
Happy Hanukkah
Celebrate Kwanzaa

My son Dash was awarded a Combat badge (to a sailor!) as well as several new patches for the action in several countries in the middle east. He is on a 30 day leave, visiting his girl friend, riding his motorcycle- taking her on trips!!!, early January meets his new CO as they plan the next assignment. All I can report is that he was chosen for this duty, the only one out of his unit, and considers it an honor to serve.

Kit Menkin

All of us at Leasing News would like to wish our readers Happy Holidays---

Editorial Staff:
Steve Chriest, Fernando Croce, Gretchen Gabriel, Kit Menkin, Rick Jones, Terry Winders, CLP, and our guest writers and contributors.

Advisory Board:
Chairman, Bob Teichman, CLP, Teichman Financial Training, Sausalito, CA.

Members:
Edward Castagna, Nassau Asset Management, Westbury, NY.
Steve Crane, CLP, Bank of the West, Walnut Creek, CA.
Dale Davis, Endeavor Financial Services, Costa Mesa, CA
Phil Dushey, Global Financial Services, Manhattan, NY.
Ken Greene, Esq., Universal City / Kentfield, California
Shawn D. Halladay, The Alta Group, Salt Lake City, UT
Robert S. Kieve, Empire Broadcasting, San Jose, CA.
Bruce Kropschot, Kropschot Financial Services, The Villages, FL.
Bruce Lurie, Douglas-Guardian Services Corporation, Houston, TX.
Andrew Lea, M.A., Point Richmond, Calif.
Allan Levine, Madison Capital, LLC., Owings Mills, MD
Don Myerson, BSB Leasing, Colorado/Hawaii
Armon L. Mills, CPA, San Diego Business Journal, San Diego, CA.
Dan Pulcrano, Metro Newspapers, San Jose, California
Steve Reid, CLP, Santa Barbara, California
Paul Weiss, Pacific Rim Partners & Sunrise Tankers, San Francisco, CA.
Ginny Young, former Brava Capital, Orange, CA.

Sales Make it Happen
by Christopher Menkin

New Top Ten Reasons to Lease

Productivity can be increased,
Costs can be decreased---

The key is not who owns the equipment,
but the use of the equipment

Ten Advantages in Leasing:

1. Don't have the cash, lease it over time with option to purchase
2. Fixed rate of interest
3. Leaves other credit available for emergencies
4. Less hassle than going to my bank
5. May help cut overhead with better, faster equipment, computers, et. al.
6. May help in up-grading equipment sooner; better planning/results.
7. May increase my ability to acquire funds, plus does not dilute ownership.
8. Creates or maintains working capital for inventory, accounts receivable, other expenses.
9. Take advantage of current depreciation allowances
10. Who else is going to help me?

The latest survey indicates the Top Five Reasons for Choosing Leasing:

1. *99%----Cash flow---Better use of cash
2. *004%---Leasing companies are more accommodating than banks.
3. *003%----Dealer Convenience (if he wants to sell, better get me approved)
4. *002%--Rapid technological changes cause product obsolescence.
5. *001%--Tax implications (if I make a profit this year)

Sales Makes it Happen articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Legacy/index.html

Classified Ads---Help Wanted

Interviewing Leasing Professionals With Proven Track Record and Established Book of Business. Envision Provides: 1) Established Funding Sources, 2) Fun Working Environment, 3) Full Benefits (Health Insurance, 401k), 4) Aggressive Commission Structure.
Resumes To: careers@envisioncapitalgroup.com, Contact: Jeff Edwards (949) 225-1712

Envision Capital Group is dedicated to providing the best in class products and service to our employers, customers, vendors and partners in the small and middle ticket commercial finance industry. With over 50 years of combined experience we have the knowledge, skills, abilities and relationships to help you reach your goals.

Quail Equipment Leasing

5 years experience with established vendor relationships. We offer great funding capacity for transactions $10k to $10MM. Quail Company's established for over 30 years. Submit resume to: jrudin@quailcap.com

About the company: Quail Equipment Leasing 17 years in
business with the ability to develop specialized programs for
vendors and unique industries: $10K to $10MM.

www.quailequipmentleasing.com

Fernando's View
by Fernando Croce

Special Christmas DVD Edition:
This past year has been a great one for terrific and unusual new Christmas pictures, from the French “A Christmas Tale” to the computer-animated “A Christmas Carol.” Of course, there are always the classics waiting for you at Netflix. And for cinema lovers who don’t want to wait until Christmas morning to unwrap their presents, here’s a batch of Yuletide gifts to go with your cup of eggnog.

It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946): The story of the joys and travails of George Bailey (James Stewart) has long achieved a reverential spot in American pop culture. Who can forget Lionel Barrymore as a modern-day Scrooge, Henry Travers as Clarence the angel, and George’s joy as he finds his daughter Zuzu’s flower in his pocket? Still, there is a darker side to the movie that many viewers miss even today, a very thin line that separates the American Dream from a nightmare and combines hope and despair. It’s this balance, along with Stewart’s deeply felt performance, that gives this classic its enduring power, charm and grace.

A Christmas Story (Bob Clark, 1983): Another iconic Yuletide movie, Bob Clark’s charmer is known to play on TV for days on end during Christmas season marathons. It’s easy to see why. Depicting the holiday through the eyes of a precocious nine-year-old boy, it glows with nostalgia and bubbles with irresistible humor. All young Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) wants is to survive childhood and get a BB gun from Santa, but things rarely go as planned when your parents (Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin, both wonderful) think pink bunny suits make good gifts. In a movie filled with classic scenes, none is more memorable (or funnier) than Ralphie’s visit to a very cranky department-store St. Nick.

Miracle on 34th Street (George Seaton, 1947): Often a supporting player in Christmas movies, Santa Claus gets his own starring role in this warm and witty family favorite. Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn in a delightful, Oscar-winning performance) visits New York City and takes a job at a department store run by Doris (Maureen O’Hara), whose little daughter Susie (Natalie Wood) doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. When he tries to prove that he’s not just playing Santa but is Santa, he has to prove his own sanity to the judicial system and, more importantly, to the children of the world. Wise, affectionate, and with a pretty sharp message about letting the season’s craven commercialism getting in the way of its true meaning.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Jeremiah S. Chechik, 1989): The Griswolds, possibly the country’s most bumbling family, bundle up for mistletoe and reindeers in this very funny and surprisingly poignant holiday farce. Clark (Chevy Chase) is planning a solid Christmas with his wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) and kids, but instead finds a series of disasters, from the Christmas lights that refuse to work to the relatives who can’t stop fighting. Re-teaming many of the characters from the earlier films (including Randy Quaid in a scene-stealing role as Clark’s hick cousin) but introducing a more family-friendly tone, it shows how even the most absurd mishaps ultimately only bring the Griswolds closer together.

Bad Santa (Terry Zwigoff, 2003): Billy Bob Thornton is at his comic best in this rollicking dark comedy, which goes out of its way to turn every Yuletide tradition on its ear. Thornton stars as Willie, a man brimming with foul habits (including smoking, drinking, and chasing women) who is hired to play St. Nick as part of a plan to break into the store’s safe. Directed by Terry Zwigoff (“Ghost World”), it’s a kind of anti-“Miracle on 34th Street” that keeps coming up with hilarious new ways to be crude. It may not be the best choice for a family-friendly audience, though anybody looking for a drop of vinegar in their eggnog will gulp it down to the last drop.

Anaheim, California --- Adopt-a-Pet

“Sprout”
Breed: Cairn Terrier Mix
Size: Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less
Color: Tan/Yellow/Fawn - With White
Sex: Male
Age: Young

Sprout is:
already neutered
good with kids
good with dogs
up to date with shots

Sprout's story...
Please contact Carolyn (Romogirl@earthlink.net) for more information about this pet.
“Little Sprout is just the cutest thing! This little guy was at the shelter for several months before we got him out. He is the sweetest little dog you could ever meet. He is between 1 and 2 years old and weighs about 10 pounds.

“He loves to play with other little dogs and people. Just loves to snuggle into your arms and give you some kisses.

“He is terrier mix, we really can't be sure what, but he does have the wiry coat of most terriers.

“If you want a sweet, loving little dog with a great temperament, this is your boy! He will be happy to go anywhere with you, and just as happy to hang out and watch TV. Little Sprout will do well in any home environment, from apartment to house.

“He is not very photogenic and his pictures don't show the true cutie-pie that he is. You've just got to meet him in person to see for yourself. Has the cutest little pink nose!

“He is neutered, current on all vaccinations, de-wormed and micro chipped.”

Contact this rescue group to adopt Sprout...
Rescue Group: Love 4 Canines
Pet ID #: 2018245
Contact: Laura
Phone: Please email this shelter below!
(They don't list their phone number here)
E-mail: love4k9z@adelphia.net
- Let 'em know you saw "Sprout" on Adopt-a-Pet.com!

Website: http://www.love4canines.org
Address: Anaheim, CA, 92807

About Our Rescue Group...
Love 4 Canines is a private rescue group that rescues dogs from local shelters, off the streets, and through a community outreach to help owners place their pets...if they must part.

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

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

1913- President Woodrow Wilson signed the "Federal Reserve Act" into law. The act established twelve Federal Reserve Banks and the Federal Reserve System. The system serves as the nation’s central bank, has responsibility for execution of monetary policy. It is called on to contribute to the strength and vitality of the US economy, in part by influencing the lending and investing activities of commercial banks and the cost and availability of money.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec23.html

    1620 - One week after the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth harbor in present-day Massachusetts, construction of the first permanent European settlement in New England begins. By the mid-1640s, Plymouth's population numbered 3,000 people, but by then the settlement had been overshadowed by the larger Massachusetts Bay Colony to the north, settled by Puritans in 1629. The term "Pilgrim" was not used to describe the Plymouth colonists until the early 19th century and was derived from a manuscript in which Governor Bradford spoke of the "saints" who traveled to the New World as "pilgrimes." In 1820, the orator Daniel Webster spoke of "Pilgrim Fathers" at a bicentennial celebration of Plymouth's founding, and thereafter the term entered common usage.
    1657--Hannah Duston, captured by Indians less than a week after the birth of her eighth child, was able to secure a hatchet with the help of an English boy captive while they were on the way back to the Indian village and she attacked their captors. She killed nine of the ten Indians and scalped them to prove the deed before escaping. She received 25 pounds from the British general in Boston who gave rewards for scalps.
    1779 -Benedict Arnold in essentia court-martialed for “improper conduct.”
http://www.earlyamerica.com/benedict.html
    1783- George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the senate chamber of the Maryland State House in Annapolis, where the Continental Congress was then meeting.
( lower part of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec23.html
    1788- Maryland votes to cede a 10 square mile area for District of Columbia
http://www.dcroots.org/
http://prorev.com/dctrends.htm
    1811 - A cold storm hit Long Island sound with a foot of snow, gale force winds, and temperatures near zero. During the storm many ships were wrecked, and in some cases entire crews perished
    1823 - An anonymous poem appeared in the Troy (NY) Sentinel, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," later known better as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." The poem was written by a professor of Greek and Oriental literature, Clement Clark Moore, and appeared without his permission in the newspaper.
    1834- John R. Morrison of Springfield, OH was granted a patent for bellows for smiths and furnace fires.
    1848-The first railroad to run west of the Mississippi River was the Pacific Railway of Missouri( later known as the Missouri Pacific), which began passenger service from St. Louis.
    1852 - In San Francisco, California, the Theatre of Celestial John opened on Telegraph Hill, fronting on Dupont Street. It was the first Chinese theatre in the United States. The theater consisted of one vast pit or paquet and had a seating capacity of 1,400. There were no tiers of boxes. No scenery was used.
    1853-In San Francisco, the Metropolitan Theater opened on Washington St.; first theater to be lit by gas.
    1860 -- Harriet Monroe birthday, founder/longtime editor of "Poetry" magazine, born Chicago, Illinois.
http:// www.library.yale.edu/beinecke/orient/mod2.htm
    1867-Birthday of Madame C J Walker, probably the first Black millionaire. Considered a marketing genius, she made her fortune in hair straightener and care products for Blacks. The hair straightener and some other products she invented herself and in the early days that she mixed them herself in large tubs. Orphaned, SB married at 14 "to get a home," before moving from Louisiana with her daughter to St. Louis to work as a $1.50 a day washerwoman. She developed her products (which she said came to her in a dream after prayers) that were marketed much in the way Avon and Mary Kay products are sold today, door-to-door and then through neighborhood salespeople. She was a noted philanthropist in black causes, leaving a trusteeship to make sure the gifts continued after her death. For example, in one of her obituaries, it was noted "She spent $10,000 every year for the education of young negro men and women in Southern colleges and sent six youths to Tuskegee Institute" An unusual stipulation in her will decrees that the company which is still in existence is always headed by a woman. Much of the assets of the Walker company have been willed to the NAACP by Madame Walker's grand daughter
http://www.madamcjwalker.com/
http://www.princeton.edu/~mcbrown/display/walker.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/155546615X/
avsearch-df1-2-20/104-3547695-1517507
    1870 – American artist John Marin born
http://www.butlerart.com/pc_book/pages/john_marin_1870.htm
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/psearch?Request=S&Hname=Marin&
Person=203100
http://www.artincontext.org/LISTINGS/IMAGES/FULL/0/QUSKC5Q0.htm
    1902-Birthday of Vivian Harris - Afro-American singer, comedian, chorus girl and longtime "Voice of the Apollo." It is reported she made 10,000 appearances at the famed Apollo in Harlem, New York. She was one of the first to dance the Charleston in a 1923 Broadway production of Running' Wild. She danced, sang, and did whatever to keep the Apollo going during the Great Depression. When she wasn't onstage or helping behind the curtain, she worked in wardrobe and even taking tickets. Highly talented, Vivian Harris appeared in a number of shows on Broadway and even in France. She died in 2000 at the age of 97.
http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost2.php3?edit=954322400
    1902---Birthday of author Norman Maclean born Clarinda, Iowa. Firefighter, fly-fisher, scholar, storyteller. Author of “A River Runs Through It”. Died 1990.
“Eventually, all things merge into one, & a river
runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great
flood & runs over rocks from the basement of time.
On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under
the rocks are the words, & some of the words are
theirs. I am haunted by waters.”
http://www.ncteamericancollection.org/litmap/maclean_norman_mt.htm
http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/graphics/maclean.jpg
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/14725.ctl
    1913- President Woodrow Wilson signed the "Federal Reserve Act" into law. The act established twelve Federal Reserve Banks and the Federal Reserve System. The system serves as the nation's central bank, has responsibility for execution of monetary policy. It is called on to contribute to the strength and vitality of the US economy, in part by influencing the lending and investing activities of commercial banks and the cost and availability of money.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec23.html
    1919- African-American Alice H Parker patents gas heating furnace http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blaliceparker.htm
    1925-Birthday of singer Esther Phillips, Galveston, TX, At age 13, she was a member of Johnny Otis's rhythm-and-blues revue. She had a number of r-and-b hits in the early '50s but was forced to retire temporarily because of illness later in the decade. Phillips came back stronger than ever at the start of the '60s with an r-and-b version of a country ballad, "Release Me." It reached number eight on the U-S charts in 1962. The Beatles paid tribute to Little Esther in November 1965 by featuring her on a B-B-C television show. Phillips died August, 1984.
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Esther%20Phillips.html
http://www.allscout.net/servlets/Partner?Command=ClickCounter&
_PartnerGroupName=AllScout&_DesignStyle=AllScout&_Partner=
AllScout&_SubPartner=AllScout&_Country=US&_ProductID=_____
33761713182&_ProductType=Music&_Title=Esther+Phillips+-+Confessin%27+The+Blues
    1928-- The National Broadcasting Company set up a permanent coast-to-coast radio network in the U-S. N-B-C had been formed two years earlier by General Electric, Westinghouse and R-C-A, with David Sarnoff as its chief organizer.
    1929-Trumpet Player Chet Baker Birthday (My friend Warren Luening said he often played “flat.” He certainly was bombed out. When I was much younger, I dated one of Chet Baker's ex-girlfriends. She told me he used to beat her up, and since then, I have never been able to listen to any of his albums—although he is considered of the giants of modern jazz.
http://chetbakertribute.com/chet.htm
http://www.chetbaker.net/
http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/linernotes/cbakerinterview.html
http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/shop/shopmain.cfm?
CatalogName=bakerchet
    1931-Birthday of clarinet player Henry Cuesta, McAllen,TX
http://www.riverwalk.org/profiles/cuesta.htm
http://www.welkshow.com/cuesta.html
    1933-Birthday of altoist Frank Morgan born Minneapolis, MS.
http://www.marsjazz.com/frankm.html http://www.marsjazz.com/frankmbio.html
    1935-Birthday of broadcaster and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Paul Vernon Hornung, born Louisville, KY.
    1938-Music impresario John Hammond presented his famous Spirituals to Swing concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. The event introduced many black jazz musicians to a white audience for the first time, and helped launch a craze for the rhythmic boogie-woogie piano style. Among those appearing were pianists Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson with vocalist Joe Turner, blues singer Big Bill Broonzy, gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, clarinetist Sidney Bechet and the Count Basie Orchestra.
    1939-US Trotting association Incorporated. Following an agreement at a January meeting to merge several regional organizations into a national body, the US Trotting Association was incorporated in the State of Ohio.
    1939-Frank Sinatra, at $75 a week, wins release from the Harry James Band to join Tommy Dorsey.
    1940-Folk singer and songwriter Tim Hardin, in Eugene, Oregon. Despite his ability as a performer, his greatest impact was as a writer of songs that proved great successes for other artists. Hardin's best-known composition is "If I Were a Carpenter," which provided Bobby Darin with a hit in the early '60s, and a gold-record single for Johnny Cash and June Carter later in the decade. In 1980, Tim Hardin was found dead of a heroin overdose in his Hollywood apartment.
    1941--ELROD, HENRY TALMAGE Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 27 September 1905, Rebecca, Ga. Entered service at: Ashburn, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while attached to Marine Fighting Squadron 211, during action against enemy Japanese land, surface and aerial units at Wake Island, 8 to 23 December 1941. Engaging vastly superior forces of enemy bombers and warships on 9 and 12 December, Capt. Elrod shot down 2 of a flight of 22 hostile planes and, executing repeated bombing and strafing runs at extremely low altitude and close range, succeeded in inflicting deadly damage upon a large Japanese vessel, thereby sinking the first major warship to be destroyed by small caliber bombs delivered from a fighter-type aircraft. When his plane was disabled by hostile fire and no other ships were operative, Capt. Elrod assumed command of 1 flank of the line set up in defiance of the enemy landing and, conducting a brilliant defense, enabled his men to hold their positions and repulse intense hostile fusillades to provide covering fire for unarmed ammunition carriers. Capturing an automatic weapon during 1 enemy rush in force, he gave his own firearm to 1 of his men and fought on vigorously against the Japanese. Responsible in a large measure for the strength of his sector's gallant resistance, on 23 December, Capt. Elrod led his men with bold aggressiveness until he fell, mortally wounded. His superb skill as a pilot, daring leadership and unswerving devotion to duty distinguished him among the defenders of Wake Island, and his valiant conduct reflects the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
    1941-Shep Field's All woodwind band cuts “Firedance.”
    1942 - Bob Hope agreed to entertain United States airmen stationed in Alaska for what would be the first of his famous Christmas shows for American armed forces across the world. The Christmas show tradition continued for over three decades.
    1944---Top Hits
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Don't Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
I'm Wastin' My Tears on You - Tex Ritter
    1944--BOLDEN, PAUL L. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company 1, 120th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division. Place and date: Petit-Coo, Belgium, 23 December 1944. Entered service at: Madison, Ala. Birth: Hobbes Island, lowa. G.O. No.: 73, 30 August 1945-. Citation: He voluntarily attacked a formidable enemy strong point in Petit-Coo, Belgium, on 23 December, 1944, when his company was pinned down by extremely heavy automatic and small-arms fire coming from a house 200 yards to the front. Mortar and tank artillery shells pounded the unit, when S/Sgt. Bolden and a comrade, on their own initiative, moved forward into a hail of bullets to eliminate the ever-increasing fire from the German position. Crawling ahead to close with what they knew was a powerfully armed, vastly superior force, the pair reached the house and took up assault positions, S/Sgt. Bolden under a window, his comrade across the street where he could deliver covering fire. In rapid succession, S/Sgt. Bolden hurled a fragmentation grenade and a white phosphorous grenade into the building; and then, fully realizing that he faced tremendous odds, rushed to the door, threw it open and fired into 35 SS troopers who were trying to reorganize themselves after the havoc wrought by the grenades. Twenty Germans died under fire of his submachine gun before he was struck in the shoulder, chest, and stomach by part of a burst which killed his comrade across the street. He withdrew from the house, waiting for the surviving Germans to come out and surrender. When none appeared in the doorway, he summoned his ebbing strength, overcame the extreme pain he suffered and boldly walked back into the house, firing as he went. He had killed the remaining 15 enemy soldiers when his ammunition ran out. S/Sgt. Bolden's heroic advance against great odds, his fearless assault, and his magnificent display of courage in reentering the building where he had been severely wounded cleared the path for his company and insured the success of its mission.
    1945-singer Little Esther Phillips was born in Galveston, Texas. At age 13, she was a member of Johnny Otis's rhythm-and-blues revue. She had a number of r-and-b hits in the early '50s but was forced to retire temporarily because of illness later in the decade. Phillips came back stronger than ever at the start of the '60s with an r-and-b version of a country ballad, "Release Me." It reached number eight on the U-S charts in 1962. The Beatles paid tribute to Little Esther in November 1965 by featuring her on a B-B-C television show. Phillips died in 1984
    1947 - John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain and William Shockley created the transistor, for which they would share the 1956 Nobel Prize in physics. In its original form, the transistor took up a large amount of space in the New Jersey lab where it was invented. Today, thousands of transistors can be put into a space tinier than a pinhead; and used in electronics such as computers, radios, televisions and video games.
    1954 - Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Peter Lorre and Paul Lukas, was released to theaters. It became one of the Disney studio's biggest-grossing films.
    1952---Top Hits
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jimmy Boyd
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Skeets McDonald
    1955-Pioneer rock 'n' roll disc jockey Alan Freed sponsored a week-long series of shows at the Academy of Music in Manhattan. The bill included both jazz and rhythm-and-blues acts, such as the Count Basie Orchestra and the Cadillac's. The shows took in more than 100-thousand dollars.
    1955 - The barometric pressure dipped to 28.97 inches (981 millibars) at Boise ID, an all-time record for that location.
    1957 - Actor Dan Blocke debuted on television in the "Restless Gun" production of "The Child". My father Lawrence Menkin wrote the original television play, and later was story editor and wrote several “Bonanza” episodes. My father wrote many TV westerns in the 1950's. Two years after this “pilot,” Blocker would star in NBC's "Bonanza" as Hoss Cartwright.
    1957-The title song to his movie April Love becomes Pat Boone's fifth US number one hit.
    1960---Top Hits
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaempfert
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin
    1964-The Beach Boys make their first appearance on "Shingdig!" singing "Little Saint Nick," "Dance, Dance Dance," "Johnny B. Goode" and "Monster Mash.
    1966 - Grateful Dead, The Steve Miller Blues Band, Moby Grape @ Avalon Ballroom~San Francisco

Artist: Victor Moscoso
Handbill
    1967- The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Foxy Lady" is released.
    1969 - B.J. Thomas was awarded a gold record for the single, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" from the film, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". On January 3, 1970, the song would hit number one on the pop charts, staying there for 4 weeks.
    1968-Crew of USS Pueblo released by North Korea. The crew and captain of the U.S. intelligence gathering ship Pueblo are released after 11 months imprisonment by the government of North Korea. The ship, and its 83-man crew, was seized by North Korean warships on January 23 and charged with intruding into North Korean waters. The seizure infuriated U.S. President Lyndon Johnson. Later, he claimed that he strongly suspected (although it could not be proven) that the incident with the Pueblo, coming just a few days before the communist Tet Offensive in South Vietnam, was a coordinated diversion. It was 11 long months before the Pueblo 's men were freed. Both captain and crew were horribly treated and later recounted their torture at the hands of the North Koreans. With no help in sight, Captain Lloyd Bucher reluctantly signed a document confessing that the ship was spying on North Korea. With this propaganda victory in hand, the North Koreans released the prisoners and also returned the body of one crewman who died in captivity. Some Americans criticized Johnson for not taking decisive retaliatory action against North Korea; others argued that he should have used every diplomatic means at his disposal to secure a quick release for the crew. In any case, the event was another blow to Johnson and America's Cold War foreign policy. It dug Johnson in deeper into the war effort to overcome his “loss of face.”
    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-The Supremes began Diana Ross's farewell engagement at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. Ross would go on to a hugely successful solo career. The Supremes also continued to hit record charts with Ross's replacement, Jean Terrell. She was the sister of heavyweight boxer Ernie Terrell.
    1969 - Elton John had his first meeting with arranger Paul Buckmaster, writer Bernie Taupin and producer Gus Dudgeon. Their collaboration started one of music's most lucrative milestones of the 1970s. Together the four created "Your Song", "Friends", "Levon", "Tiny Dancer", "Rocket Man" and many more.
    1970-Canadian folksinger Joni Mitchell was awarded her first gold record for the album "Ladies of the Canyon." The L-P contained the hit single "Big Yellow Taxi
    1972-The “ Immaculate Reception:” In an AFC first-round play-off game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders, the Raiders were ahead, 7-6, with 22 seconds to play. Pittsburgh had the ball on its own 40-yeard line. Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw three a desperation pass intended for Johnny Fuqua. The ball deflected off an Oakland defender into the waiting arms of Franco Harris, who ran into the end zone for the winning touchdown. The Steelers defeated the Raiders, 13-7, and the play has since been known as the “Immaculate Reception.”
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    1974- The first free agents in major league baseball were Any Messersmith of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dave McNally of the Montreal Expos. A Federal arbitrator ruled that the two players, and by extension other major league baseball players not bound to a current contract, were free to sell their services to the team that offered them the most money.
1975-Metric Conversion Act: The Congress of the US passed Public Law 94-168, known as the Metric Conversion Act of 1975. The act declares that the SI (international System of Units) will be the country's basic system of measurement and established the United States Metric Board which is responsible for the planning, coordination and implementation of the nation's voluntary conversion to SI (Congress had authorized the metric system as a legal system of measurement in the US by an act passed July 28,1866. In 1875, the US became one of the original signers of the Treaty of the Metre, which established an international metric system.
    1976---Top Hits
Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
The Rubberband Man - Spinners
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
Thinkin' of a Rendezvous - Johnny Duncan
    1978-Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" is released.
    1982 - A major winter storm struck Colorado producing heavy snow and blizzard conditions. A record two feet of snow was reported at Stapleton Airport in Denver, which was shut down for 33 hours. Up to 44 inches of snow fell in the foothills surrounding Denver. The storm hurt the ski industry as skiers were unable to make it out of Denver to the slopes, and the closed airport became a campground for vacationers.
    1983 - The temperature plunged to 50 degrees below zero at Williston ND to equal their all-time record. Minneapolis MN reported an afternoon high of 17 degrees below zero, and that evening strong northerly winds produced wind chill readings of 100 degrees below zero in North Dakota
    1984---Top Hits
Like a Virgin - Madonna
Sea of Love - The Honeydrippers
Cool It Now - New Edition
Why Not Me - The Judds
    1987 - A winter storm brought heavy snow to the Central Rockies, and also spread a blanket of snow across the Middle Missouri Valley in time for Christmas. Snow and high winds created near blizzard conditions in Wyoming. Snowfall totals in Wyoming ranged up to 25 inches at Casper, with four feet of snow reported at the Hogadon Ski Resort on Capser Mountain. The Wolf Creek Ski Resort in Colorado received 26 inches of snow. Totals in the Middle Missouri Valley ranged up to 16 inches at Alpena SD, with 14 inches at Harrison NE. Strong winds ushered unseasonably cold air into the southwestern U.S. Canyon winds gusting to 100 mph created ground blizzards in Utah.
    1989 - An historic arctic outbreak spread to the Gulf Coast Region, and a total of 122 cities across the central and eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date. Forty-one of those cities reported record lows for the month of December, with some cities breaking December records established the previous morning. Morning lows of 11 degrees at New Orleans LA and Lake Charles LA, 4 degrees below zero at San Angelo TX, and 26 degrees below zero at Topeka KS, established all-time records for those four locations. Yankton SD was the cold spot in the nation with a morning low of 31 degrees below zero. A storm system moving across the Florida peninsula and along the Southern Atlantic Coast produced high winds and record snows along the Carolina coast. Snowfall totals of 15 inches at Wilmington NC and 13.3 inches at Cape Hatteras NC were all- time records for those two locations. Gale force winds, gusting to 60 mph, produced waves thirty-four feet high off the coast of North Carolina, and whipped the heavy snow into drifts up to eight feet high. The storm resulted in the first white Christmas of record from northeastern Florida to North Carolina.
    1991 - Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll retired after 23 seasons. He was the only coach to have four Super Bowl wins (1975-1976,     1979-1980) and was the fifth winningest coach in the NFL (209-156-1).
    1991 -recent rains in Austin, TX set a new monthly (13.59 inches) and annual record total (51.64 inches).
    1994-an intense nor'easter, a hybrid winter and tropical storm lashed New England with high winds and heavy rains. The storm had its origin in the western Gulf of Mexico and had characteristics of a tropical storm even as it reached 40 degrees latitude. The storm dumbelled around a developing winter type storm off the mid Atlantic and approached New England from the south-southeast. Winds exceeded hurricane force over coastal areas. Walpole, MA had a wind gust of 88 mph. Sustained winds of 63 mph with a gust to 84 mph were recorded at Nantucket. Falmouth, MA had a wind gust of 78 mph and Ashaway, RI a gust of 74 mph. Plymouth, MA was deluged with 4.85 inches of rain and Gloucester, MA had 4.72 inches.
    1997-Phil Jackson of the Chicago Bulls won the 500 th game of his coaching career as the Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 94-89. Jackson got to 400 in his 682 nd game, faster than any other coach in NBA history. He was the twentieth coach to reach the 500 mark.
    1997-Right wing Jarri Kurri of the Colorado Avalanche became the eight palyer in NHL history to score 600 regular-season goals. Kurri tallied in the first period as Colorado defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 5-1.
    1997 - Terry Nichols was convicted by a Denver, Colorado, jury on charges of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter in the 1995 federal building bombing in Oklahoma City. .

"A champion is one who gets up when he can't."
- Jack Dempsey

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

"Tough times don't last, tough people do."
- Unknown

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

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

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

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

- Unknown

The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. What could be simpler?

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