Lowest Rate for Mortgages

Not only is the cost of money low, and according to the Federal Reserve, to remain low until 2014, but mortgage rates plunge to the lowest rate, the ninth time this has happened since last year.

This is the lowest the rate on 30-year fixed mortgages has reached since Bankrate started its weekly survey in 1985. The 15-year, 5/1 ARM and 30-year jumbo rates are record lows, too.

There are many plans to help homeowners buried in loans, as well as a settlement being worked out by a good number of state attorney generals ( the hold out is Kamala Harris, AG of California). Several Administration Departments propose plans to refinance existing homes to save homes from foreclosure. The rates are certainly the lowest they have been in many recent years.

The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell 13 basis points this week to 4.12 percent, according to the Bankrate.com national survey of large lenders. A basis point is one-hundredth of 1 percentage point. The mortgages in Bankrate's survey had an average total of 0.29 discount and origination points. One year ago, the mortgage index was 5.02 percent; four weeks ago, it was 4.18 percent.

The benchmark 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell 11 basis points to 3.34 percent. The benchmark 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage fell 7 basis points to 3.02 percent, and the benchmark 30-year fixed-rate jumbo fell 7 basis points to 4.55 percent.

 

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Classified Ads---Asset Management/Collections

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

San Francisco, CA Ten years experience setting residuals, negotiating leases and remarketing equipment across a broad spectrum of large ticket asset types including marine, intermodal, mining, energy, manufacturing. geoffwalshe@yahoo.com

Located near Dallas Extensive experience in valuation/remarketing of IT and telecom assets. Established network of customers and vendors. Strong leasing background Located near Dallas contact: leasevalue@gmail.com

Port St Lucie, FL 20+ yrs exp. commercial collection/late stage specialist.  Prefer to work from home based office or transfer to Sarasota areamichaelgalan@comcast.net | Resume

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

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

 

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Top U.S. Metro Area Foreclosure Rates

(1) Las Vegas, Nevada
7.38%

(2) Stockton, California
5.43%
(#4 city to find a job)*

(3) Modesto, California
5.29%
(#3 worst city to find a job)*

(4) Vallejo-Fairfield, California
5.2%

(5) Riverside-San Bernardino
5.16%

(6) Phoenix, Arizona
5.1%

(7) Merced, California
4.4%
(#1 worst city to find a job)*

(8) Reno, Nevada
4.37%

(9) Bakersfield, California
4.31%
(#7 worst city to find a job)*

(10) Sacramento, California
4.17%

Unemployment Rates:
Nevada 12.6%
California 11.1%
United States 8.5%

January 30, 2012 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics/RealtyTrac

*Ten Worst Cities to Find a Job:
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jan2012/1_30.htm#worst

 

 

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New Hires---Promotions

Chris Coope, CLPr joined Ascentium Capital, Kingwood, Texas, in business development. He served as CEO of Alternative Capital since 1990 and has a strong focus in several niche markets, including software and technology.  He has developed successful partnership-based customer finance programs for both manufacturers and VAR’s.  Chris previously served on the Board of Directors for a national cooperative in the equipment leasing industry, and earned his CLP designation in 2007.

Robert Eckert named West Coast regional sales vice president-national accounts at LeasePlan USA, Greater Los Angeles. He joined the company in 2011. Previously he was area vice-resident sales/regional sales manager, Wright Express (2002-2011), district sales vice-resident, CitiCapital Fleet/US Fleet (1996-2002) Cuesta College, San Diego Station University-California State University.
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/robert-eckert/17/617/5aa

Kevin Hannan promoted to vice-president of Product Development, Healthcare Financing at OptumHealth Financial Services, greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area. He reports to Adrian Hebig, senior vice president, healthcare finance. Previously he was Sr. Director, Physical Health Product Management, OptumHealth (October, 2010-January, 2012), Director of Product Management (2006-October, 2010), Sr. Marketing Leader, GE Money (2004-2006), new business development manager GE Appliances (1998-2002), vp product management, Norwest Bank (1997-1998), avp-marketing manager, Norwest Bank (2997-1998), avp-marketing manager, First Bank (1994-1997), marketing manager, First financial Bank (1992-1994). Minnesota State University, Mankato BS, Marketing/Psychology (1987 – 1990)
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-hannan/1/861/678

John Korte joins Optum Health, Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area. Previously he was a sales director at US Bank. He reports to Adrian Hebig, senior vice president, healthcare finance. “He has more than 20 years of experience in financial services, healthcare, equipment financing, sales and risk management. In his new role, Korte will lead the sales and delivery efforts for healthcare lending products. Korte was previously the vice president of healthcare sales at TCF Commercial Equipment Finance."
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-korte/12/378/a99

Christopher E. O'Neil named vice-president at Ascentium Capital, Kingwood, Texas; to work out of the greater New York City area. Previously he was vice-resident, sterling National Bank (October, 2010-December, 2011), vice-president, GE Capital (April, 2004-October, 2010) Saint Thomas Aquinas College BS, Accounting (1993 – 1995), Nanuet Senior High School
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=5367618&locale=en_US&trk=tyah2

Mark Rauch has been hired as Senior Account Executive at Navitas Lease Corp., Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Previously he was a senior account executive at FirstLease (December, 2010-January, 2011), senior account executive, Marlin Leasing (March, 2001-May, 2009), account executive, Advanta Leasing (September ,1999-Janaury, 2001), account rep, Conti Leasing (June, 1998-July, 1999), sales rep, Pepsi Cola (July, 1989-June, 1998)Council Rock HS (1985 – 1989).
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mark-rauch/46/782/921

Cassandra Rentfrow named National Accounts Manager, Healthcare at Ascentium Capital, Kingwood, Texas, working out of Portland, Oregon. Previously she was regional manager, Summit Vendor Finance (March, 2011-September, 2011), regional manager, US Express Leasing (June, 2007-December, 2007), regional manager, Highline Capital (2004-2007_, sales, Textron (1997-2001).
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/cassandra-rentfrow/7/712/a25

Bryon Tansel has been hired by Forum Financial Services, Inc., Richardson, Texas, as a Credit Analyst. "He is a recent graduate of Oakland University (located near Rochester, MI) with a degree in Business Management and Finance. He will be responsible for preparing credit packages in addition to working on the development of new product offerings. He will report directly to Tim O’Connor and will assist Sue Wilson (a 25 year employee of Forum). Forum Financial Services specializes in leases for tough credits and venture backed companies."

Sheryl Walker Gill has been named director of inside sales at LEAF Commercial Capital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but located at the Moberly, Missouri operations. She also is vice-president, Superior WaterCraft & ATV (March, 1992-Present) and an adjunct professor at William Woods University (January, 1997-Present). Previously she was a business analyst at The Outsource Group (June, 2001-January, 2012), contact center manager, Fifth Gear (October, 2008-November, 2010), Six Sigma Black Belt, GE Capital (July 2003-october, 2008), director of ABE Professional Development, Moberly Area Community College (March, 1995-March, 1998), Director of Marketing Medical Center (March, 1992-march, 1995), strategic planning, Florida Hospital Medical Center (January 1984-Setpember, 1991), Landies Counselor, Camp Winnikeag (1981). Florida Institute of Technology M.B.A., Management (1988 – 1990) Andrews University B.B.A., Marketing 1981 – 1985) Pioneer Valley Academy (1981 – 1984).
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sheryl-walker-gill/8/637/6a6

Jason Wise joins Ascentium Capital, Kingwood, Texas in business development. He has served in the Healthcare Leasing Industry for over 10 years beginning his career with HPSC, Inc.  and was last with Heartland Bank.   Jason specializes in aesthetics, EMR and ultrasound equipment financing.  “ I am very happy to be a part of Ascentium Capital in an effort to continue developing the healthcare portfolio.  The support team, management team and resources at Ascentium Capital make it a great place to advance my career as well as serve the healthcare industry.”

Chad P. Yutka, ASA named vice-president, senior appraiser of corporate valuation services, Great American Group, Dallas/Fort Worth. Previously he was manager, AccuVal Associates (April, 2003-October, 2011), Jr. Associate, GoIndustry DoveBid (January, 2003-April, 2003).Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) - Machinery & Technical Specialties American Society of Appraisers|January 2008, Certified Expert Witness The Assessment Appeals Commission of the Tennessee Board of Equalization|November 2009,Education University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Finance, Economics (1997 – 2002) Member, American Society of Appraisers Machinery & Technical Specialties. Placekicker, Lake Geneva Generals.
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/chad-p-yutka-asa/11/157/91b

 

(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

Sales Professional-Nationwide Are you producing over $400,000 a month and want the ability to reach $1 million a month? Ascentium Capital is self-funded equipment finance company focused on vendor programs across many industries, as well as end-user transaction sizes ranging from $10,000 to $500,000 per schedule. We offer unlimited earnings potential based on your ability to innovate and produce results within an entrepreneurial sales environment. In addition, we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Profit-Sharing as well as paid holidays. If you believe that you have what it takes, please send your cover letter and resume to: SalesCareers@AscentiumCapital.com www.ascentiumCapital.com Join a resource-rich company with over $300,000,000 in lending capacity for your customers.

 

Marketing Associate Los Angeles, California Direct, small ticket ($10k-$250k) leasing company looking for an energetic, intelligent quick thinker to be our Marketing Associate. 3+ years of commercial equipment leasing experience required. Daily activities include: deal previews, prospecting, managing prospect database and other marketing support. Contact: Michael Green, mgreen@dakotafin.com (310) 696-3030 x 124 Dakota Financial provides equipment leasing/finance solutions to small businesses throughout the United States. We specialize in providing funding for those who can not obtain financing from traditional sources. www.dakotafinancial.com

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

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

 

 

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Microfinancial Year-End Up Almost 70%

Microfinancial, Burlington, Massachusetts, since opening its California West Coast office in Westlake Village, has seen an increase in net income to $9 million, almost a 70% increase for 2011. The fourth quarter saw a net income of $2.4 million. The company is in the micro market place down to $500 and working through TimePayment.

"We continued to improve the financial performance of the Company in 2011 by successfully executing on several strategic initiatives,” Richard Latour, President and Chief Executive Officer said.

"The continued focus over the past couple of years on improvements to credit quality, increased marketing initiatives to drive new customer relationships, and stringent cost containment measures played a significant role in improving 2011 results. We increased diluted earnings per share by 68% in 2011 to $0.62 as compared to 2010 levels. Cash flow from operations increased to $83.5 million or $5.75 per diluted share, an increase of 13% as compared to the same period in 2010. We were able to increase our dividend during 2011 and provide our shareholders with cash dividends in the amount of $0.21 per share for the year."

Total stockholder's equity increased from $69.5 million to $75.7 million.

Gary DiLillo, President 440.871.0555 or gary@avptc.com Comprehensive personal property tax outsourcing services. Click here to see what our clients say about us.

 

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Forum Financial Services, Inc.
"Your Tough Credit Lessor Nationwide"

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*****Announcement************************************

CLP Foundation Announces 2012 Board of Directors

President
Rosanne M. Wilson, CLP
1st Independent Leasing, Inc.
Beaverton, Oregon

 

Vice President
Vicki L. Shimkus, CLP
West Coast Broker Division Manager
BSB Leasing, Denver, Colorado

Secretary
D. Paul Nibarger, CLP
Nibarger Associates
Palos Verdes, California

John G. Rosenlund, CLP
Portfolio Financial Servicing Company

The remainder of the CLP Foundation 2012 Board of Directors were elected by their CLP peers in Good Standing or appointed by our supporting associations, the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers (NAELB) and the National Equipment and Finance Association (NEFA):

· Joseph G. Bonanno, Esq., CLP with Law Office of Joseph Bonanno
· Jeffry D. Elliott, CLP with Huntington Equipment Finance
· Kyle Gilliam, CLP with Arvest Equipment Finance
· Shannon M. Green, CLP with Orion First Financial, LLC
· Katherine M. Nordendahl, CLP with Bank of the West
· David A. Normandin, CLP with Black Dog Consulting Solutions
· Brian M. Schonfeld, CLP with Pawnee Leasing Corporation

******Announcement**************************************

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Are Any of Your Customers Selling Out?

The possible end of the Bush capital gains tax cuts has many small-business owners pondering selling out this year. One expert has estimated that, assuming typical values for equipment, depreciation, real estate, inventory and goodwill, the owner of a $5-million company would save $150,000 in taxes by selling before 2013. For a $10-million business, the savings would be $325,000.

For trade creditors, these sales can have potentially serious consequences. There's always the possibility of outright fraud, with the new owner trading on the company's established credit reputation to pull a "bust out"--stocking up on inventory and disappearing without paying. But the more likely problem is excessive leverage, with the new owner becoming so debt-encumbered in the buyout that the same level of sales can no longer support operations.

These potential problems are why intentions of selling tend to be kept quiet. "Trade creditors would be the last people you'd tell," notes John D. Emory Jr., chief executive of Emory & Company, a Milwaukee-based investment banking company that specializes in selling businesses with $10- million to $100-million in annual revenue.

The Best Information - So how can you find out if any of your customers are selling out? One indicator can be appeals for longer credit terms. Emory notes that these can both improve the company's apparent operating capital and give the old owner more cash to depart with. But your best information source is likely to be your sales people.

"They're the ones going through the door," points out Tom Corbett, vice president of Marsh USA. "The employees they see and deal with will have their concerns about what's happening, and they'll be talking about them.

"You have to let your sales people know that you want to know about these things. You have to keep these lines of communication open by making sure there's an easy way for this information to flow back to you."

When you become aware that a sale may be in the wind, Corbett advises writing a report to management, presenting the salient points about the customer relationship. You should detail sales and payment history and what you know about the rumored sale and how you know it.

"In these situations, the payment history goes out the window," Corbett says. "The newly acquired company is going to point out they've been a good customer. But how you get paid from now on isn't up to the same people anymore. It won't do you any good that they've been paying you for the past 22 years right on time."

He also points out that, if you have credit insurance, you have an obligation under your policy to notify the insurer. "If you know somebody got bought you have to tell them," he says. "If you don't and it does blow up, and you have a claim, you could have a big problem."

Reprinted with permission.

To subscribe, please go to www.CreditToday.net

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

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

(Send Leasing News to a Friend and ask them to subscribe.
We are Free!)

Thompson Reuters Property Tax Software Purchase

Thomson Reuters purchased a property tax software company (e-Property Tax) and the property tax compliance business of Deloitte. Thompson Reuters purchased the sales tax compliance business of Tax Partners, but sold that to KPMG about one and a half years ago. The e-Property software is used by a number of leasing companies, and they did have leasing clients for the outsourced property tax compliance work.

Joe Mulcahy, Senior Vice President and General Manager, ONESOURCE™ Property Tax, email clients: “The business is being divested because, as a consulting organization, it is no longer a strategic fit within the Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting portfolio..."

"I want to assure you that we are committed to meeting your needs during the transitional period and beyond. I’m confident Thomson Reuters will find a new owner with the capability and desire to grow the Property Tax and Unclaimed Property Services business and bolster our ability to deliver value to clients over the long term..."

"Thomson Reuters has started the process of identifying a buyer and intends to complete a transaction promptly. In the meantime, you can expect business as usual, including exemplary client service."

 

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The News IQ

Test your knowledge of News

http://pewresearch.org/politicalquiz/quiz/index.php

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

ELFA Launches Redesigned Website

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association has launched a fully redesigned website at http://www.elfaonline.org that provides user-friendly access to the latest information and resources concerning the $628 billion equipment finance industry. The redesign offers enhanced content, improved navigation, updated graphics and layouts, and enhanced interactivity that will help users access information more quickly and easily.

The new ELFAonline.org is designed to engage and inform association members as well as those who want to learn more about the equipment finance industry. The association’s key offerings are prominently featured, including advocacy, research, events and training, and membership resources. The site also delivers the latest industry headlines, best practices, equipment market data and issue updates, from lease accounting to regulatory and advocacy developments.

Members-only tools allow members to connect with each other, including email discussion groups, which serve as virtual roundtables where members exchange information. Members also enjoy exclusive access to publication archives, including Equipment Leasing & Finance magazine, Washington Report and State Legislature Report; a comprehensive membership directory; industry research; in-depth topical information; discounts on event registrations and the ELFA Career Center and more.

ELFAonline.org also features new and improved content for vendors and customers, including the Manufacturers / Vendor Finance Resource Center, a resource for equipment manufacturers to learn about options for providing financing to customers, and Equipment Finance 101, a one-stop-shop for businesses that want to learn more about how to use equipment financing to operate and grow their businesses.

“Our primary goal was to create an engaging site that is easy to use and provides high-quality information for our constituents, based on their feedback,” said Amy Vogt, ELFA Vice President for Communications and Marketing.

“The new ELFAonline.org offers enhanced value to help users connect with each other, access critical information and make sound decisions.”

“We are pleased to introduce the new and improved ELFAonline.org,” said William G. Sutton, ELFA President and CEO.

“The redesigned site delivers a wealth of information for our internal audience of association members, as well as our external audience of industry affiliates, customers, policymakers and legislators, allowing them to find the information they need quickly and easily. The website is one more tool helping ELFA’s members fulfill their commitment to ‘Equipping Business for Success.’”

About ELFA

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) is the trade association that represents companies in the $628 billion equipment finance sector, which includes financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad. Its over 550 members include independent and captive leasing and finance companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as manufacturers and service providers. ELFA has been equipping business for success for more than 50 years. For more information, please visit www.elfaonline.org.

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

Indianapolis, Indiana -- Adopt-a-Dog

Johnny Cash

Male
Pointer/Mix
1 year 1 month old

Animal ID number: 14392100
Color: Brown/White
Neutered
Housetrained: Yes
Location: Companion Dogs (K7)
Intake Date: 2011-10-28 15:10:00
Adoption Price: $125.00

“Johnny Cash here! And like that guy I'm named after, I'm an entertainer that can really capture a crowd! I'm a curious guy with lots of energy, and boy do I love toys. I love squeaky toys, I love to tug, and I can even catch a tennis ball. Because I love to play so much and have tons of energy to burn, I would do best in a home without young kids. I wouldn't want to hurt anyone accidentally while I'm having fun and learning and getting bigger! Did you know that with my adoption you get a discount on training classes? These would be GREAT for me, AND us! We would start to bond while learning what to do in new situations, and I could meet lots of other dogs and people to start us off on the right paw! If I sound like a good match for you, please hurry and visit me soon!”

One of the Indy Humane employees loves me so much, she made me her STAFF FAVORITE! That means there is a $25 discount on my adoption fee, and I go home with a goodie bag

IndyHuman
Adoption Center
7929 Michigan Road
Indianapolis, IN 4626

Adoption Lobby Hours

Monday 1pm - 7pm
Tuesday 1pm - 7pm
Wednesday 1pm - 7pm
Thursday Closed
Friday 1pm - 7pm
Saturday 11am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm
www.http://indyhumane.org/

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/

 

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Classified ads—Operations / Remarketing / Repossessions

Leasing Industry Outsourcing
(Providing Services and Products)

Operations: Houston, TX Silverlake Inspections LLC is an independent contracting company for real estate and equipment verification with pictures.  Email: jimh05@sbcglobal.net	Operations: Portland , OR Portfolio Financial Servicing Company provides state of the art portfolio servicing for portfolios of all sizes. 800-547-4905 sales@pfsc.com
Operations: Roseburg, OR  Tired of paying a full time documentation person? Try outsourcing. Ideal for anywhere in the USA. E-mail or Call Trina Drury 541-673-4116 or 541-784-7973. email: doc_prep@yahoo.com	Repossessions: Southern California (except San Diego). Full service repossession agency. All vehicles, big rigs, boats, heavy equipment and machinery. Licensed and insured 818-786-7376. www.simonsrecovery.com. adam@simonsrecovery.com
Repossessions: Canada  Cease Bailiff Services Incorporated: Asset Investigation/Tracing; Asset Recoveries; Asset Protection/Security Asset Liquidations/Sales; Ottawa, Canada;www.ceasebailiff.ca dave@ceasebailiff.ca; Phone 613 898 7376 ; Fax 613 225 2452	Remarketing: Los Angeles, CA Video, Audio, Film, Computer, IT, Test, Presentation Equipment We pay cash / 3 million in buying power /Quick Quotes UBG 800-570-5224  jon@usedvideo.org
Repossession/Remarketing: Portsmouth, NH Six Sigma Processes. Unique Approach. Pride. Professionalism. Skip tracing, legal, storage, logistics. lowest cost, industry leading recovery rates/amounts. 855.EENGINE http://lendersolutions.equipmentengine.com
Repossession: South East US- AllState Asset Management  Recovery, remarketing, inspections. 25 years experience, dedicated to deliver, prompt, professional services.  Call Brian @ 704-671-2376 brian.buchanan@allstateassetmgmt.com	Repossessions: All kinds of vehicles, equipment and machinery. Anywhere in the United States. Anything, Anywhere, Professionally  800-755-1968  Rayc@american-locators.com
Repossessions/Remarketing Bulldog Asset Management provides recovery and remarketing services with a difference. Contingent repos, free storage and industry experts to remarket. Email :Jamie@bulldogasset.com www.bulldogasset.com

All "Outsourcing" Classified ads (advertisers are both requested and responsible to keep their free ads up to date:
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How to Post a free "Outsourcing" classified ad:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing-post.htm

Fernando's View
By Fernando F. Croc

Dramas both exciting (“The Grey”) and inspirational (“Red Tails”) hit theaters, while new (“Take Shelter,” “The Town”) and classic favorites (“To Kill a Mockingbird”) come to DVD in pristine ultimate editions.

In Theaters:

The Grey (Open Road Films): The season gets a welcome shot of adrenaline in this tough tale of survival in the face of the grimmest of circumstances. Liam Neeson stars as John Ottway, a lonely sharpshooter whose latest job takes him to the harshest parts of Alaska. Originally hired to protect the workers of a local oil company, he comes face to face with nature once he and the roughnecks survive a plane crash and must confront merciless weather and hungry animals. With time running out and a pack of rogue wolves prowling around him, can John endure this icy inferno? Directed with often grisly vigor by action specialist Joe Carnahan (“Narc”), this is a muscular thriller that works up more than enough tension and existential somberness to overcome its occasionally implausible plot.

Red Tails (Twentieth-Century Fox): A stirring true-life story receives a rousing big-screen treatment in this meticulous account of unsung heroism. Taking place at the height of World War II, the movie focuses on the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of pilots composed of African-Americans whose bravery in fighting against Nazi forces in Europe helped challenge racist attitudes in 1940s America. Coming under the tutelage of earnest Colonel Bullard (Terrence Howard), this crew of brave men finally gets a chance to prove their worth… but can their victories in the fighting skies be repeated against the prejudices of their own homeland? A decades-in-the-making project of legendary producer George Lucas (“Star Wars”), this patriotic period drama brings history to life with a sturdy cast (including Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Brian Cranston) and vivid combat sequences.

Netflix Tip: With “The Grey,” Liam Neeson continues his surprising yet rock-solid run of tough heroic roles. Before following him into the snow, check out his earlier action turns at Netflix for a private festival of Neeson brawn: “Taken” (2008), “The Next Three Days” (2010), “The A-Team” (2010) and “Unknown” (2011).

On DVD:

Take Shelter (Sony Pictures): Making good on the premise of his debut "Shotgun Stories," writer-director Jeff Nichols offers another striking feature with this one-of-a-kind blend of thriller, drama and horror. Michael Shannon gives an unsettling performance as Curtis, a small-town husband and father whose recurring nightmares about a deadly approaching storm begin to crumble the security he feels with his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and small daughter. As his behavior becomes more erratic as he grows more paranoid, Curtis experiences bafflement from others at home, at his job and throughout his community. But is it all only in his head, or is there a real threat coming his way? And can we tell the difference anymore? Working expertly with mood and atmosphere, Nichols crafts an indelible vision of everyday anxiety.

The Town (Warner Bros.): Following an acclaimed directorial debut with "Gone, Baby, Gone," Ben Affleck steps behind the camera once more for this action-packed drama. Set in Charlestown, a crime-filled Boston neighborhood, it tells the story of the unlikely romantic bond that develops between Doug (Affleck), the sensitive leader of an outlaw gang, and Claire (Rebecca Hall), the bank manager who had been taken hostage during one of their hold-ups. Doug dreams of a better life away from robberies, but, as the FBI draws nearer and nearer, will he stick to the woman he loves or to his longtime crime partner (Jeremy Renner)? Full of adrenaline-pumping chases and strong performances by Jon Hamm, Peter Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper, this robust drama looks better than ever in this special DVD edition.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Universal): For many readers, Atticus Finch, the noble, widowed Alabama lawyer of Harper Lee's award-winning novel, remains the ultimate father figure. That magic was perfectly captured in this 1962 screen version, delicately directed by Robert Mulligan and featuring an unforgettable, Oscar-winning performance by Gregory Peck as Atticus. Told from the impressionable vantage point of his feisty, six-year-old daughter Scout (Mary Badham), the film details how life in a small Southern town is shaken up by the controversial trial that finds Atticus clashing with local prejudices. Throughout this, young Scout witnesses her father's unbending decency in the face injustice, while experiencing her own adventures with local "bogeyman" Boo Radley (Robert Duvall in his screen debut). Don’t this this classic’s special 50th anniversary DVD edition.

 

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Super Bowl team records

A three-peat. Two teams (New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys) won three Super Bowl titles in four years and the Pittsburgh Steelers won 4 Super Bowl titles in 6 years, which included back to back championships twice. The Miami Dolphins appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls from 1971-1973, winning the final two, making them the team having come closest to a three-peat. The Buffalo Bills appeared in four consecutive Super Bowls, but lost all four of them.

Most Super Bowl victories, 6
Pittsburgh Steelers (IX, X, XIII, XIV, XL, and XLIII)

Most Super Bowl losses, 4 (tied)
Denver Broncos (XII, XXI, XXII, XXIV)
Buffalo Bills (XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII)
Minnesota Vikings (IV, VIII, IX, XI

Most Super Bowl victories without a loss, 5
San Francisco 49ers (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, XXIX)

Most Super Bowl Appearances, 8
Dallas Cowboys (V, VI, X, XII, XIII, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX)

Most Numerous Matchup, 3
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys (X, XIII, XXX)

Most Super Bowl MVPs, 3
Joe Montana (XVI, XIX, and XXIV)

Most receiving yards, single game, 215
Jerry Rice (XXIII)

Most receiving yards, career, 589
Jerry Rice (XXIII, XXIV, XXIX, and XXXVII)

Most receptions, single game, 11
Dan Ross (XVI)
Jerry Rice (XXIII)
Deion Branch (XXXIX)
Wes Welker (XLII)

Most receptions, career, 33
Jerry Rice (XXIII, XXIV, XXIX, and XXXVII)

Most receiving TDs, single game, 3
Jerry Rice (XXIV and XXIX)

Most touchdowns, career, 8
Jerry Rice (XXIII, XXIV, XXIX, and XXXVII)

Longest reception, 85 yards (TD)
Muhsin Muhammad (XXXVIII)

Most Super Bowl Championships as a player, 5
Charles Haley (XXIII, XXIV, XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX)

Most points scored, single game - 18 (four players)
Roger Craig (XIX)
Jerry Rice (XXIV and XXIX)
Ricky Watters (XXIX)
Terrell Davis (XXXII)

Most touchdowns, single game, 3
Same above as Most points scored

Most points scored, career, 48
Jerry Rice (XXIII, XXIV, XXIX, and XXXVII)

Single team

* Most points scored by a winning team, game - 55
San Francisco 49ers (XXIV)

* Most points scored by a losing team, game - 31
Dallas Cowboys (XIII)

Most points, first quarter - 14 (by 6 teams)
Miami Dolphins (VIII)
Oakland Raiders (XV)
Dallas Cowboys (XXVII)
San Francisco 49ers (XXIX)
New England Patriots (XXXI)
Chicago Bears (XLI)

* Largest margin of victory - 45 points
San Francisco 49ers, 55-10 (XXIV)

* Smallest margin of victory - 1 point
New York Giants, 20-19 (XXV)

* Fewest points, first half - 0 (11 times)
Baltimore Colts (III)
Minnesota Vikings (IV, VIII, IX, XI)
Washington Redskins (VII)
Denver Broncos (XII)
Cincinnati Bengals (XVI)
Buffalo Bills (XXVI)
Tennessee Titans (XXXIV)
New York Giants (XXXV)

* Fewest points, second half - 0 (by 5 teams)
Kansas City Chiefs (I)
Dallas Cowboys (V)
Miami Dolphins (four times) (VI, VII, XVII, XIX) Super Bowl VII was the only time that a team that failed to score in the second half won the Super Bowl.
Denver Broncos (XXII)
Buffalo Bills (XXVIII)

* Most touchdowns, 26
Dallas Cowboys (V, VI, X, XII, XIII, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX)

* Most touchdowns, game - 8
San Francisco 49ers (XXIV)

 

((Please Click on Bulletin Board to learn more information))
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to help support the growth of Lease Police)

News Briefs----

Most Asia Stocks Drop on Europe Crisis, U.S. Data
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-03/most-asia-stocks-drop-as-greece-struggles-on-debt-deal-japan-profits-fall.html

Deutsche Bank Takes a Licking in Q4, But Shores Up Capital
http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveschaefer/2012/02/02/deutsche-bank-dented-as-trading-greek-debt-hammer-earnings/

Fed chief warns against hampering growth while cutting debt
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/fed-chief-warns-congress-against-hampering-growth-while-cutting-debt/2012/02/02/gIQA2YEjkQ_story.html

Developer awarded $75 million judgment against credit union
http://www.ajc.com/business/developer-awarded-75-million-1326625.html

US charges Swiss bank w/helping hide $1.2B
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/
us_charges_swiss_bank_with_helping_0Si5atqTDmJrASRsreJHCM

Witness Says He Warned Stanford on Ponzi Plan
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/business/ex-partner-says-stanford-was-dictatorial-in-fraud-case.html?_r=1&ref=business

Motorola Solutions settles securities fraud suit for $200M
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-motorola-solutions-settles-securities-fraud-suit-for-200m-20120202,0,5139122.story

Amazon makes India debut with Junglee.com
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017399312_apasindiaamazon.html

Mystery Car 123: This old car is a Brewster (A Classic!)
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/02/mystery-car-123-this-old-car-is-a-brewster/1

Neil Young: Steve Jobs listened to vinyl
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_19860425

Super Bowl ticket prices: A historical look
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31751_162-57370751-10391697/super-bowl-ticket-prices-a-historical-look/

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

You May Have Missed---

Small Businesses Say Weak Customer Demand, Not Regulations, Their Problem
http://mainstreetalliance.org/5511/poll-regs-economy/

 

[headlines]
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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

 

"How I Found My Inner Spark"
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=941

 

[headlines]
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Sports Briefs----

49ers stadium gets $200 million from NFL
http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2012/02/49ers-stadium-gets-200-million-from-nfl.html

San Francisco 49ers' revival surely helped NFL owners approve loan for Santa Clara stadium
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_19882092

Chargers' Jammer lists two homes for sale
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/feb/02/jammer-lists-two-homes-sale/

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

 

Tom Brady's Lament

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.

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

California Nuts Briefs---

Facebook IPO will mean big business for thousands of smaller companies
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_19881493

Abalone fishing to resume April 1 along Sonoma Coast
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120202/ARTICLES/120209912/1350?Title=Sonoma-Coast-abalone-season-to-open-as-normal-April-1-

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

“Gimme that Wine”

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

Wine producers campaign for truth in labeling
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/02/wine-producers-campaign-for-truth-in-labeling/

One Sip Says Portugal
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/dining/reviews/reviewing-douro-reds-from-recent-vintages.html?ref=dining

Virginia Wine Industry Jobs Grow by 50%
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/news/viewRelease.cfm?id=1114

Zinfandel Styles: Sublime to Ridiculous
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-jennings/zinfandel-styles-sublime-_b_1246065.html

Chardonnay marks 100th birthday of growth in U.S.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/31/us-wine-chardonnay-idUSTRE80U1WM20120131

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

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

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

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

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

      1690-Massachusetts established a provincial bank and issued money in denominations from two shillings to five pounds to pay the soldiers who served in the war with Quebec. This was the first instance of issuing “paper money.” Until 1690, the North American colonies had dealt primarily in coinage. Silver and gold were rather rare, so colonists generally used unofficial coins, or “decrepit coppers.” Boston-based silversmiths John Hull and Robert Sanderson did operate their own mint between 1652 and 1682, issuing silver shillings and three and sixpence pieces, but save for a few ill-fated experiments, paper money was hardly tried or used. Other colonies and states soon also issued paper money without any basis, so that in 1780 the ratio of paper to silver was 40 to 1.
    1737- Elizabeth Graeme Ferguson birthday- writer whose primary fame rests on being a go-between on behalf of the British with revolutionary forces at the behest (or insistence) of her husband, a loyalist.. In October 1777 Ferguson's husband prevailed upon her to carry from the Reverend Jacob Duché to General George Washington a letter urging Washington to surrender. Washington chided her for her part in the episode. She later carried to Joseph Reed, Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress and aide to Washington, an offer of 10,000 guineas for help in obtaining peace terms advantageous to Britain. Ferguson's role in these proceedings brought her trouble. Her husband had already been attainted and proscribed, and late in the war Graeme Park was confiscated. Although it was restored to her in 1781, she lost it through financial reverses in 1791. Her last years were difficult. She died near the Graeme Park estate in Pennsylvania on February 23, 1801.
http://search.eb.com/women/articles/Ferguson_Elizabeth_Graeme.html
    1787 - Shays' Rebellion, an uprising of Massachusetts farmers led by Daniel Shays, ended with defeat at Petersham. Starting on August 29 the previous year, Shay began building his following. On January 25, Shays led 1100 men in an attempt to seize the arsenal in Springfield, Mass. State militia commanded by Gen. William Shepherd routed the insurgents. The uprising had been caused by the harsh economic conditions faced by Massachusetts farmers, who sought reforms and the issuance of paper money. The insurgents were taken completely by surprise on the morning of February 3 rd in Petersham. General Benjamin Lincoln had marched his troops through a snowstorm the previous night. The farmers scattered, and the rebellion was ended. Most of the insurgents took advantage of a general amnesty and surrendered. Shays and a few other leaders escaped for a while. The Supreme Judicial Court soon sentenced fourteen of the rebellion's leaders, including Shays, to death for treason. They were later pardoned by the newly elected Governor John Hancock. Only two men, John Bly and Charles Rose of Berkshire County, were hung for their part in the Rebellion. A new Massachusetts Legislature in Boston began to undertake the slow work of reform. February 6, 1788 Massachusetts would become the sixth state to ratify the US Constitution and become the sixth state of the Union.
http://www.sjchs-history.org/shays.html
    1793 -- Lucretia Mott born Nantucket, Massachusetts. Abolitionist and feminist. 
One of the strongest voices for the rights of women and blacks in the US was Lucretia Coffin Mott, a birthright Quaker who lived most of her life in Philadelphia, the center of American Quakerism. The event that triggered her involvement in women's rights activity was richly ironic She was an accredited delegate to an international antislavery convention in London, along with five other US women. The men in charge apparently saw nothing wrong with excluding all women from an assembly dedicated to advancing the rights of blacks. It was on the sidewalk outside the convention where Mott started her long association with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, together they were instrumental in establishing the basis for women's suffrage. She was a peacemaker between groups with different priorities, and campaigned (dressed in Quaker grey) for human rights into her 85th year. Her incisive, challenging mind, a clear sense of her mission, and a level-headed personality made her a natural leader and a major force in her time. 
—Bleedster G. Armour Van Horn, Twisted History
http://www.mott.pomona.edu/mott1.htm
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blmott.htm
http://womhist.binghamton.edu/mott/intro.htm
    1807-Birthday of Confederate General Joseph Johnston, born near Farmville, VA, and died March 21,1891 at Washington, DC. One of the most brilliant officers of the CSA, but known for having many differences with President Jefferson Davis who wanted to run the war from his office. Johnston's troops were never directly defeated and he holds the record of most victories when he was in command.
    1809 - Illinois Territory, including present-day Wisconsin, was established.
    1811-Birthday of Horace Greely, newspaper editor, born at Amherst, NH. Founded of the “New York Tribune” and one of the organizers of the Republic Party. Greely was an outspoken opponent of slavery. Best remembered for his saying, “Go West, young man.” Died No 29, 1872 at New York City.
    1821- Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in the United States.
After her graduation in 1849, she went to Paris to study which was then the world's foremost medical center, but Paris doctors proved as intolerant as their American colleagues. They would not permit her to study as a doctor. She was forced to enter a large maternity hospital as a student midwife. Because of an infection she contracted there, she lost the sight of one eye. When she returned to New York City in 1850, no hospital would allow her to practice there. Using funds donated by women - mostly Quakers, she and her sister opened the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, the first clinic for women examined and treated by women. After the Civil War, she returned to her native Britain where she continued to practice medicine. Died May 31, 1910.
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_blackwell_eliz.htm
    1841-Nauvoo Legion chartered: created by Illinois Charter and comprised of 5,000 Mormon men under the command of Lieutenant General Joseph Smith, the Nauvoo Legion was considered the “largest trained soldiery in the US except for the US Army.”
    1862 - Thomas Edison printed the "Weekly Herald" and distributed it to passengers on a train traveling from Port Huron and Detroit, Michigan. It was the first newspaper printed on a train. He called it the “Weekly Herald” and it was a single sheet of approximately seven by eight inches, printed on both sides.
1862 – Birthday of George Tilyou creator of Steeplechase Amusement Park, Coney Island. 
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/coney/peopleevents/pande04.html
    1865-President Abraham Lincoln and his Secretary of State, William Seward, met to discuss peace with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens and others at Hampton Roads, VA. The meeting, which took place on board the ship “River Queen,” lasted four hours and produced no positive results. The Confederates sought an armistice first and discussion of reunion later, while Lincoln was insistent that the recognition of Federal authority must be the first step toward peace. New York Tribune editor and abolitionist Horace Greeley provided the impetus for the conference when he contacted Francis Blair, a Maryland aristocrat and presidential adviser. Greeley suggested that Blair was the "right man" to open discussions with the Confederates to end the war. Blair sought permission from Lincoln to meet with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and he did so twice in January 1865. Blair suggested to Davis that an armistice be forged and the two sides turn their attention to removing the French-supported regime of Maximilian in Mexico. This plan would help cool tensions between North and South by providing a common enemy, he believed. Meanwhile, the situation was becoming progressively worse for the Confederates in the winter of 1864 and 1865. In January, Union troops captured Fort Fisher and effectively closed Wilmington, North Carolina, the last major port open to blockade runners. Davis conferred with his vice president, Alexander Stephens, and Stephens recommended that a peace commission be appointed to explore a possible armistice. Davis sent Stephens and two others to meet with Lincoln at Hampton Roads, Virginia. The meeting convened on February 3. Stephens asked if there was any way to stop the war and Lincoln replied that the only way was "for those who were resisting the laws of the Union to cease that resistance." The delegation underestimated Lincoln's resolve to make the end of slavery a necessary condition for any peace. The president also insisted on immediate reunification and the laying down of Confederate arms before anything else was discussed. In short, the Union was in such an advantageous position that Lincoln did not need to concede any issues to the Confederates. Robert M.T. Hunter, one of the delegation, commented that Lincoln was offering little except the unconditional surrender of the South.
After less than five hours, the conference ended and the delegation left with no concessions. April 9, at Appomattox Court House, VA., Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Grant. The Civil War was virtually ended.
Unfortunately President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC, April 14. The war continued and on May 10, Jefferson Davis was captured at Irwinville, GA, by a contingent of Gen. James H. Wilson's cavalry, led by Lt. Col. Benjamin Pritchard. and on May 29 th President Johnson issued a proclamation of amnesty.
    1867-- In San Francisco, California, Joshua Norton I, "Dei Gratia" Emperor of the United States & Protector of Mexico, abolishes Congress & calls out the Army to clear out the riff-raff & crooks WHEREAS, a body of men calling themselves the National Congress are now in session in Washington City, in violation of our Imperial edict of the 12th of October last, declaring the said Congress abolished; WHEREAS, it is necessary for the repose of our Empire that the said decree should be strictly complied with; NOW, THEREFORE, we do hereby Order & Direct Major-General Scott, the Command-in-Chief of our Armies, immediately upon receipt of this, our Decree, to proceed with a suitable force & clear the Halls of Congress.
    1870-The 15 th Amendment granted that the right of citizens to vote shall not be denied on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.
    1874-Birthday of Gertrude Stein, avant-garde expatriate American writer, perhaps best remembered for her poetic declaration (in 1912): “Rose is a rose is a rose,” while living in Oakland, California. Born at Allegheny, PA, died at Paris, France, July 27,1946. She lived most of her life in France with her lifelong companion Alice Tolkas. Her word repetitions challenged readers to explore the various and deeper meanings of words such as "A rose is a rose is a rose." Coined the phrase "the lost generation” and used the word "gay” for the first time in literature. Renowned collector of modern French art.
    1880-Theodore Roosevelt declares his love for young Alice Lee of Boston, MA.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb03.html
    1882 -- Docking in New York, Oscar Wilde is asked by customs if he has anything to declare; he replies: "Nothing but my genius."
    1894-Birthday of Norman Rockwell, American artist and illustrator especially noted for his realistic and homey magazine cover for the “Saturday Evening Post.” Born at New York, NY, he died at Stockbridge, MA, Nov 8, 1978.
    1895-Birthday of vocalist Frankie “Half-Pint” Jaxon, Montgomery, AL
http://www.redhotjazz.com/jaxon.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000046G0/inktomi-musicasin-20/
002-1958450-0644835
    1895-Birthday of trumpet paler Kid Valentine, Reserve, LA
http://www.musica.co.uk/musica/screen__ARTISTDB/shop__MUS/artist__Valentine,
~'Kid'~Thomas~(1).htm
http://www.thejukejoint.com/amcd-049.html
http://www.arhoolie.com/titles/346.shtml
http://www.rainerjazz.com/Interpreten/Thomas_Kid_001.htm
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/jazzitoria/moose.htm
    1898-Birthday of Lil Hardin Armstrong, pianist, singer, orchestra leader in Chicago, had her own band in 1920's, also played with King Oliver. Married Louis Armstrong who played in HER band in 1925 (divorced 1938),. Led all-women and all-men bands, toured Europe, and was the house musician for Decca records. Born Memphis, Tennessee. Lil studied music at Fisk University, the Chicago College of Music and the New York College of Music where she earned her doctorate in 1929. Lil also studied fashion and in 1942, she staged her own fashion show in New York City. Lil's first job in the music field was playing sheet music at Jones's Music Store in Chicago in 1917. In 1920 Lil formed her own band at the Dreamland Cafe and in 1921 she joined King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band where she met Louis Armstrong. Lil and Louis married on February 5, 1924.
Lil became the driving force behind Louis career. She taught him to read music and wrote the music for many of the tunes he composed. She was the feature singer with Louis' Hot Five and Hot Seven bands. Lil and Louis separated in 1931 and they divorced in 1938 although they remained close friends until they died.
During the 1930s Lil led several other recording groups, including the Hot Shots and the New Orleans' Wanderers. Lil also starred in Broadway shows including "Shuffle Along" and "Hot Chocolates."
During the late 1930's Lil recorded for Decca Records. She moved back to Chicago in the early 1940s and performed as a soloist in Chicago nightclubs including the Tin Pan Alley Club, the Mark Twain Lounge and the Garrick Stage Bar. She also made several European tours during this period. Lil continued to cut records until 1963 and stayed active in music all her life.
Lil Hardin Armstrong died of a massive heart attack on August 27, 1971 while playing the "St. Louis Blues" during a Louis Armstrong Memorial Concert just a short two months after Louis, himself passed on. She was 73 years old.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/lil.html
http://www.duke.edu/~rmc5/lil.htm
http://www.washboardwailers.nl/lil2.html
http://www.meister.u-net.com/dixie/lil_hardin.htm
http://www.heptune.com/lyrics/artists/hardinli.html
http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_126.htm
http://www.multirace.org/firstday/stamp84.htm
    1899 -16º F (-27º C), Minden LA (state record)
    1903-Jack Johnson, first Black heavyweight champion, wins the “Negro Heavyweight Title.”
http://www.famoustexans.com/jackjohnson.htm
http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014275.html
http://cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/jjohn.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000027GU/inktomi-musicasin-20/
002-1958450-0644835
http://www.siteofthewest.com/search/historical/personalities/jack_johnson/index.shtml
    1907-Birthday of James Michener, American author, born at New York, NY. Best known for massive, detailed novels, many of which were born in his workshop with assistants and researchers. His “Tales of the South Pacific” was the basis for the popular “South Pacific.” A prolific author, his other works include Sayonara, Iberia, Hawaii, Centennial and Texas. Died at Austin, TX, Oct 17, 1997.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/michene.htmHis 
    1910 -- Mary Harris "Mother" Jones addresses Milwaukee brewery workers. Mother Jones spent two months working alongside women bottle-washers in one of the breweries during a period when she was not on the United Mine Workers payroll. Her report on their working conditions went like this:
"Condemned to slave daily in the wash-room in wet shoes and wet clothes, surrounded with foul-mouthed, brutal foremen . . . the poor girls work in the vile smell of sour beer, lifting cases of empty and full bottles weighing from 100 to 150 pounds, in their wet shoes and rags, for they cannot buy clothes on the pittance doled out to them. . . . Rheumatism is one of the chronic ailments and is closely followed by consumption . . . An illustration of what these girls must submit to, one about to become a mother told me with tears in her eyes that every other day a depraved specimen of mankind took delight in measuring her girth and passing comments."
    1912 -- 32,000 textile mill workers now involved in the "Bread and Roses" strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The Bread and Roses strike began last month and lasts for over nine weeks. Despite collusion by government and mill owners and their goons, strikers will not waver, even when 18-year-old Syrian worker John Rami is killed, when Annie Welzenbach and her two teenage sisters are arrested and dragged from their beds in the middle of the night, or when 200 police draw their clubs on February 19th and go after 100 women pickets, knocking them to the ground and beating them.
http://www.holtlaborlibrary.org/Lawrence.html
    1913-The 16 th amendment was ratified, granting Congress the authority to levy taxes on income.
    1917 - Downtown Miami, FL, reported an all-time record low of 27 degrees.
    1917 - Tom Mooney trial begins in San Francisco. Martin Swanson, a detective with a long involvement in strikes, & various labor confrontations in Frisco, spent a couple of months trying to frame Mooney for an earlier bombing of PG&E power lines, offering bribes of $5,000 to several of Mooney's allies. He also maintained constant surveillance & harassment of Mooney, Billings, & the anarchists Alexander Berkman & Emma Goldman, who were living at 569 Dolores in the Mission District. Over the next two years it was gradually revealed that Swanson was primarily responsible for finding & coaching false witnesses for the District Attorney. In spite of revelations showing all the evidence against them was faked, & a convincing demolition of the state's case in each of the trials, Warren Billings & Tom Mooney were both convicted of first degree murder.
America free Tom Mooney
America save the Spanish Loyalists
America Sacco & Vanzetti must not die...
— Allen Ginsberg
www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmooney.htm
    1918-Birthday of great comedian Joey Bishop, perhaps best known as a member of the Frank Sinatra “Rat Pack;” but also a favorite of the Jack Paar Show, born The Bronx, New York, under the name Joseph Abraham Gottlieb.
http://home.arcor.de/dinoandfriends/joey_engl/joeybishop_e.htm
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0084086/
    1919 - The first meeting of the League of Nations took place in Paris.
1919-Birthday of trumpet player Eugene “Snooky” Young, Dayton, O
http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,512643,00.html?artist=Snooky+Young
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/young_snooky/bio.jhtml
http://www.theiceberg.com/artist/26086/snooky_young/
    1922 -Fatty Arbuckle trial ends in hung jury Comic actor and director Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's trial ends in a hung jury on this day in 1922. Arbuckle, who worked with Charlie Chaplin and launched Buster Keaton's career, was accused of manslaughter after the death of starlet Virginia Rappe. Rappe died of a ruptured bladder several days after the 350-pound Arbuckle allegedly sexually assaulted her at a wild drinking party in San Francisco. After two hung juries, Arbuckle was acquitted, but his films were banned and withdrawn from circulation. He directed two features and several short films under the pseudonym William Goodrich. Arbuckle died in 1933 at the age of 46.
    1926-Birthday of great comedian Shelly Berman,born Chicago, Illinois
    1927-Bix Biederbecke and Tram record “Singin' the Blues,” Okeh 40772.
1927 - United States President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill creating the Federal Radio Commission, "to bring order out of this terrible chaos." The president was speaking about the nation's then unregulated radio stations.
    1928 – Birthday of Frankie Vaughn (Abelson) (singer: Garden of Eden, Tower of Strength)
    1929 – Birthday of Russell Arms (singer: Your Hit Parade)
    1930 - United States President Herbert Hoover appointed Charles Evans Hughes to be the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
    1931 -- US: The Arkansas state legislature passes a motion to pray for the soul of H. L. Mencken after he calls the state "the apex of moronia."
http://www.io.com/~gibbonsb/mencken.html 
http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/photos/assets/photos/1047.jpg
    1933-- Birthday of alto sax player John Handy
(My late father's favorite sax player. He and violinist Mike White would visit my late father often. He helped them get jobs on TV and for events early in their career.)
http://www.sfsu.edu/~allarts/handy/handybio.html
http://www.johnhandy.com/ 
http://www.saxworx.com/handybio.htm
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/handy_john_1_/bio.jhtml
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?p=amg&sql=B6658
Abraham Lincoln Observance, Oregon, annually on the first Monday in February
    1935-Birthday of guitarist Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Houston, TX, died May 18, 1996.
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Johnny%20Guitar%20Watson.html 
http://www.rockabillyhall.com/JohnnyWatson.html
http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9605/18/watson/
    1935-Birthday of singer Sugar Boy Williams ( Jody Williams )
http://www.allblues4u.com/jody/jwilliams.htm
http://www.joes-corner.de/chicago2001/photos_jody1.htm
http://ottawa-bluesfest.ca/view_artist_profile.php?artistID=60
http://www.bluesbeforesunrise.com/bbssetlist022402.html
    1939 -- The Baltimore Museum of Art exhibit Contemporary Negro Art opens. The exhibit, which will run for 16 days, will feature works by Richmond Barth, Aaron Douglas, Archibald Motley, Jr., and Jacob Lawrence's Toussaint L'Ouverture series. 
http://sheldon.unl.edu/HTML/ARTIST/Lawrence_J/SSII.html 
http://www.jacoblawrence.org/
    1940-Birthday of pro football Hall of Fame quarterback Francis Asbury “Fran” Tarkenton, Richmond, VA.
    1941-Jimmy Dorsey Band records, “Amapola,” Decca 3692.
1941-Birthday of Hall of Fame golfer Carol Mann, born Buffalo, NY.
    1943- The Allied troopship S.S. Dorchester was torpedoed by a German sub and went down with a loss of 600 lives. As it sank, four chaplains gave up their lifejackets to shipmates, thereby also perishing in the icy waters. The bravery of Rev. Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed), Rev. George Lansing Fox (Methodist), Father John Washington (a Catholic priest) and Alexander David Goode (a Jewish rabbi) led Congress afterward to mark February 3rd as "Four Chaplains Day."
http://search.gospelcom.net/chi/DAILYF/2002/02/daily-02-03-2002.shtml
http://www.homeofheroes.com/brotherhood/chaplains.html
    1944---POWERS, LEO J.  Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, 133d Infantry, 34th Infantry Division. Place and date: Northwest of Cassino, Italy, 3 February 1944. Entered service at: Alder Gulch, Mont. Birth: Anselmo, Nebr. G.O. No.: 5, 15 January 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 3 February 1944, this soldier's company was assigned the mission of capturing Hill 175, the key enemy strong point northwest of Cassino, Italy. The enemy, estimated to be at least 50 in strength, supported by machineguns emplaced in 3 pillboxes and mortar fire from behind the hill, was able to pin the attackers down and inflict 8 casualties. The company was unable to advance, but Pfc. Powers, a rifleman in 1 of the assault platoons, on his own initiative and in the face of the terrific fire, crawled forward to assault 1 of the enemy pillboxes which he had spotted. Armed with 2 hand grenades and well aware that if the enemy should see him it would mean almost certain death, Pfc. Powers crawled up the hill to within 15 yards of the enemy pillbox. Then standing upright in full view of the enemy gunners in order to throw his grenade into the small opening in the roof, he tossed a grenade into the pillbox. At this close, the grenade entered the pillbox, killed 2 of the occupants and 3 or 4 more fled the position, probably wounded. This enemy gun silenced, the center of the line was able to move forward again, but almost immediately came under machinegun fire from a second enemy pillbox on the left flank. Pfc. Powers, however, had located this pillbox, and crawled toward it with absolutely no cover if the enemy should see him. Raising himself in full view of the enemy gunners about 15 feet from the pillbox, Pfc. Powers threw his grenade into the pillbox, silencing this gun, killing another German and probably wounding 3 or 4 more who fled. Pfc. Powers, still acting on his own initiative, commenced crawling toward the third enemy pillbox in the face of heavy machine-pistol and machinegun fire. Skillfully availing himself of the meager cover and concealment, Pfc. Powers crawled up to within 10 yards of this pillbox fully exposed himself to the enemy gunners, stood upright and tossed the 2 grenades into the small opening in the roof of the pillbox. His grenades killed 2 of the enemy and 4 more, all wounded, came out and surrendered to Pfc. Powers, who was now unarmed. Pfc. Powers had worked his way over the entire company front, and against tremendous odds had single-handedly broken the backbone of this heavily defended and strategic enemy position, and enabled his regiment to advance into the city of Cassino. Pfc. Powers' fighting determination and intrepidity in battle exemplify the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces.
    1945-Birhday of broadcaster and Po Football Hall of Fame quarterback Robert Allen “Bob” Griese.
    1945-Birthday of tuba player Bob Stewart, Sioux Falls, SD
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/s1/bob_stewart_b.htm
http://www.view.com/stewart-bio.html
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bu2jx7i8jg7or
    1946—Top Hits 
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers) 
I Can't Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra 
Let It Snow - Vaughn Monroe 
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
    1947-North America's Coldest Record Temperature: at Snag, in Canada's Yukon Territory, a temperature of 81 degrees below zero ( Fahrenheit) was recorded, a record low for all of North America.
1947 - The temperature at Tanacross, AK, plunged to a record 75 degrees below zero.
1947 – Birthday of American author Paul Auster, born Newark, New Jersey. 
http://webspace.yline.com/~thomas.hartl/austres.htm 
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/slas/harman/auster.html
    1950 - The Ames Brothers, Ed, Gene, Joe and Vic, reached #1 on the pop music charts for the first time, with "Rag Mop". The brothers had many successes in their recording career: "You You You" [1953], "The Man with the Banjo" and "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" [1954], "Tammy" and "Melody d'Amour" [1957]. Ed Ames was formerly with the Russ Morgan band, after the brothers broke up in the late 1950s, he went on to have a successful television and recording career. In the 1960s, he recorded the hits "My Cup Runneth Over" and "Who Will Answer". On television, he played Mingo on "Daniel Boone". Ed is remembered for one of the "Tonight Show's" funniest moments when he competed with host, Johnny Carson, in a hand axe-tossing contest. Mingo won with hilarious consequences still shown in every celebration of "The Tonight Show".
    1951 - For the sixth time, Dick Button won the United States figure skating title.
1951 - Tennessee Williams' play, "The Rose Tattoo", opened on Broadway.
    1953 - Marine archeologist Jacques Cousteau became renowned worldwide for documenting his deep sea explorations. His first and most-lasting work, The Silent World, was published on this date. He attracted world attention when he salvaged a 1,000-pound Roman freighter near Marseilles. While in the French navy, he and engineer Emil Gargon invented the aqualung. However, Cousteau is best known for his documentaries and book.
    1953--MURPHY, RAYMOND G.  Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Korea, 3 February 1953. Entered service at: Pueblo, Colo. Born: 14 January 1930, Pueblo, Colo. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a platoon commander of Company A, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Although painfully wounded by fragments from an enemy mortar shell while leading his evacuation platoon in support of assault units attacking a cleverly concealed and well-entrenched hostile force occupying commanding ground, 2d Lt. Murphy steadfastly refused medical aid and continued to lead his men up a hill through a withering barrage of hostile mortar and small-arms fire, skillfully maneuvering his force from one position to the next and shouting words of encouragement. Undeterred by the increasing intense enemy fire, he immediately located casualties as they fell and made several trips up and down the fire-swept hill to direct evacuation teams to the wounded, personally carrying many of the stricken marines to safety. When reinforcements were needed by the assaulting elements, 2d Lt. Murphy employed part of his unit as support and, during the ensuing battle, personally killed 2 of the enemy with his pistol. With all the wounded evacuated and the assaulting units beginning to disengage, he remained behind with a carbine to cover the movement of friendly forces off the hill and, though suffering intense pain from his previous wounds, seized an automatic rifle to provide more firepower when the enemy reappeared in the trenches. After reaching the base of the hill, he organized a search party and again ascended the slope for a final check on missing marines, locating and carrying the bodies of a machine gun crew back down the hill. Wounded a second time while conducting the entire force to the line of departure through a continuing barrage of enemy small-arms, artillery, and mortar fire, he again refused medical assistance until assured that every one of his men, including all casualties, had preceded him to the main lines. His resolute and inspiring leadership, exceptional fortitude, and great personal valor reflect the highest credit upon 2d Lt. Murphy and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
    1954—Top Hits 
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher 
Secret Love - Doris Day 
Make Love to Me - Jo Stafford 
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
    1956-Autherine Lucy becomes the first Black student at the University of Alabama. She was suspended four days later following a riot and expelled on February 29.
http://www.rochester.k12.mn.us/jm/teacherpages/dastutz/civrigthsper1/chanellet.htm
http://www.osm.ua.edu/corolla/100yrs/27.html
http://www.datelinealabama.com/article/2002/11/21/3352_alumni_art.php3
    1956 -- Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash hold a recording session at Sun Studios in Memphis. The sessions are later named the "Million Dollar Quartet.”
    1957-Birthday of Marlon Riggs , Fort Worth, Texas, Fearless American filmmaker, black activist, AIDS martyr, died 1964.
http://www.newsavanna.com/gravity/BlackIs/biographyofmarl_419.html
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/standards/V5N1/marlonintro.html
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/standards/V5N1/riggs_release.html 
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/RiggsInterview.html
    1958-The Royal Teens' biggest hit, "Short Shorts" enters the US record charts on its way to number 3. The song was originally an instrumental warm up number that the group added silly lyrics to. The tune was recorded in about twenty minutes of left over studio time and released after a record label executive took a liking to it. I can still remember the lyrics and sing the song.
    1959—The anniversary of the death of rock-and-roll legend Charles Hardin “Buddy” Holly. Many of his songs came from a wire recording he made in his apartment, that were put onto records after his death. “ The Day the Music Died” singer Don McLean's song, American Pie, “ is the date on which Holly was killed in a plane crash in a cornfield near Mason City, IA, along with J.P. Richardson, “ The Big Bopper,” and Richie Vallens, “That' Be the Day.” Holly was born September 7, 1936, at LubbockTX. While on a concert tour, rock and roll singers Buddy Holly, age 22, Ritchie Valenz, age 17, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, age 24, died when the airplane they were traveling in crashed only minutes after takeoff into a cornfield near Mason City, Iowa. The plane's pilot was not certified to fly by instruments, which was what he attempted to do. It was determined that he could not see the stars nor the lights below because of the visual obstruction of falling snow, and he misread the instrument panel. When the artists failed to arrive in Fargo for the concert, the then-unknown Bobby Vee took Buddy Holly's place. He greatly influenced rock groups and singers that came later, such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. Valenz had just recorded two back-to-back hits, Donna and La Bamba. The tragic news of the three young entertainers' deaths devastated the world. Holly was buried in his home town of Lubbock, Texas, and more than 1,000 people attended the funeral.
Holly, just 22, had started singing country music with high school friends but switched to rock and roll after opening for various rock singers, including Elvis Presley. By the mid-1950s, Holly and his band had a regular radio show and had toured internationally, playing hits like "Peggy Sue," "Oh, Boy!," "Maybe Baby," and "Early in the Morning." Holly wrote all his own songs, and much of his work was released after his death, influencing such artists as Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney. Another crash victim, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, 28, had started out as a disk jockey but began writing songs during his two years in the army. He wrote songs for other artists, including "Running Bear," a chart-climbing song recorded by singer Johnny Preston. The most famous work performed by Richardson himself was the rockabilly "Chantilly Lace," which made the Top 10. He developed a stage show based on his radio persona, "The Big Bopper."
The third crash victim was Ritchie Valens, born Richard Valenzuela, who was only 17 when the plane went down but had already scored a No. 2 hit with the ballad "Donna." He had also hit No. 22 with "La Bamba," an upbeat number based on a traditional Mexican wedding song. In 1987, Valens' life was portrayed in the movie La Bamba, and the title song, performed by Los Lobos, became a No. 1 hit. Singer Don McLean memorialized Holly, Valens, and Richardson in the 1972 No. 1 hit "American Pie," which was rerecorded by Madonna in 2000
    1960-- Frank Sinatra forms his own label, Reprise Records.
    1961-- Bob Dylan makes his first recordings, versions of "San Francisco Bay Blues" and "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well," at the home of friends Sid and Bob Gleason in East Orange, NJ.
    1962—Top Hits 
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters 
Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley 
Norman - Sue Thompson 
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke 
1965-African-American Geraldine McCullough wins Widener Gold Medal for Sculpture.
http://www.it.famu.edu/afroam/Black_History/Culture/Art/Geraldine_McCullough/
geraldine_mccullough.html|
    1962-Gene Chandler's "The Duke of Earl" tops the Cashbox Best Sellers chart for the first of a five week stay.
    1964-- The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" b/w "I Saw Her Standing There" and their Meet the Beatles! album are both certified gold
    1966--In San Francisco, The Psychedelic Shop Grand Opening (Haight Street)
    1967- The Beatles record "A Day In The Life"
    1968-The Beatles record Paul McCartney's song "Lady Madonna" at EMI's Abbey Road studios. They accomplished this in just three takes.
    1968 - An Oxford, Ohio group called the Lemon Pipers saw their only Billboard chart-maker, "Green Tambourine", reach #1. 
1968-- The Lemon Pipers' "Green Tambourine" hits #1
    1969- John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr hire Allen Klein as the Beatles' business manager. Paul McCartney dissents and the hiring is contributing factor to the group's breakup.
1969- The Steve Miller Band records "My Dark Hour" 
    1970—Top Hits 
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5 
Venus - The Shocking Blue 
Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin 
A Week in a Country Jail - Tom T. Hall
    1971- Country singer Lynn Anderson was awarded a gold record for her recording of Joe South's "Rose Garden," which topped both the country and pop charts.
     1971- Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden" is certified gold
     1973-- Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" hits #1.
1973-President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law.
1973 -- Convicted mass-murderer Juan V. Corona sentenced to 25 terms of life imprisonment (which, it was stipulated, he was to serve consecutively).
http://www.angelfire.com/oh/yodaspage/corona.html 
http://darkday.tripod.com/a-h/corona.html
    1976- Elvis Presley records "Solitaire" 
    1978—Top Hits 
Baby Come Back - Player 
Short People - Randy Newman 
Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees 
Out of My Head and Back in My Bed - Loretta Lynn
1978- It's the 19th anniversary of Buddy Holly's death. It's also the day on which his birthplace in Lubbock, Texas had been scheduled for demolition by the Lubbock Building Department. The Department had no idea the house had any association with the town's most famous son. However a few days ago, a man bought the place, moved it intact, outside the city limits and fixed it up so his family could move in. He too, did not know the significance of the house and became the man who save Buddy Holly's birthplace by accident.
1978- "Dead Man's Curve," a made-for-TV-movie about surf-rock singer Jan & Dean, airs on ABC-TV. Jan and Dean were classmates at University High School, West Los Angeles, California.
    1979-A sold-out crowd packs into the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, for a concert commemorating the 20th anniversary of the place crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Wolfman Jack hosts with featured performances by Del Shannon, Jimmy Clanton and the Drifters. Disco was in. By the way, She is the first female artist to have three number one solo singles in one year ("MacArthur Park," "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls") and she is the only artist to have three number one double albums in a row ("Live And More," "Bad Girls," and "On The Radio").
http://www.delafont.com/music_acts/Donna-Summer.htm
http://www.discomusic.com/
    1979-- The Blues Brothers' album Briefcase Full of Blues hits #1. 
    1982- The city of Memphis declared "Bar-Kays Day" in honor of the band that began as Otis Redding's backup group. Several members of the Bar-Kays died in the 1967 plane crash that killed Redding, but the group survived to have such hits as "Soul Finger" and "Shake Your Rump to the Funk."
    1986 - The United States Weather Bureau officially named January of 1986 the warmest January since 1953. The average temperature in United States for that month was 31989, on the 30th anniversary of Buddy Holly's death, Bobby Vee and the Crickets played a memorial concert before 1,700 fans in Fargo, North Dakota. Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper were on their way to Fargo when their plane crashed. It was Vee who took Holly's place in Fargo the night of the tragedy. It was the beginning of his career, and Vee went on to place 38 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. 8 degrees.
1986—Top Hits 
That's What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends 
Burning Heart - Survivor 
I'm Your Man - Wham! 
Just in Case - The Forester Sisters
    1988 - Arctic air continued to invade the central U.S. The temperature at Midland TX plunged from a record high of 80 degrees to 37 degrees in just three hours. Morning lows in the higher elevations of Wyoming were as cold as 38 degrees below zero. Heavy snow blanketed southwestern Colorado, with 16 inches reported at Steamboat Springs.
    1989 - A winter storm brought heavy snow and high winds to the western U.S. Up to three feet of snow blanketed the Sierra Nevada of California, and buried parts of northeastern Washington State under three feet of snow in five days. High winds across Washington State reached 75 mph, with gusts to 105 mph. The morning low of 29 degrees below zero at Casper WY was a record for the month of February. Wisdom MT hit 53 degrees below zero. Missoula MT reported a wind chill reading of 85 degrees below zero.
    1990 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather over the central Gulf coast states during the afternoon and evening hours. Thunderstorms spawned seven tornadoes in Alabama, including one which touched down north of Birmingham injuring fifteen people and causing nearly three million dollars damage. A tornado at Margaret injured eleven persons and caused a million dollars damage
1990- Quebec teen heartthrob Roch Voisine (ROCK VWAH-ZINN') won the best international French-language album award at a ceremony in Paris. His album "Helene" was at the top of the French chart at the time.
1990 - Jockey Willie Shoemaker raced for the 40,352nd and last time. He finished fourth at the Santa Anita Racetrack aboard 7-10 favorite "Patchy Groundfog". Shoemaker won 1100 stakes and 8,833 wins (a world record that stood until Laffit Pincay Jr. topped it in 1999) in 40,350 races. In 42 years, Shoemaker won 11 Triple Crown races, including four Kentucky Derbies, five Belmont Stakes, and three Preakness Stakes; 1,009 stakes races; and 10 national money titles. He earned more than $123 million in purses, about $10 million of which went into his pocket. (Shoemaker's life took a tragic turn on April 8, 1991, when he was left paralyzed from the neck down after an auto accident.)
    1995 - Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins became the first woman space-shuttle pilot this day as the space shuttle "Discovery" (STS-63) blasted off from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Wearing a scarf that belonged to Amelia Earhart and carrying the pilot's license of early endurance flight champion Bobbi Trout, as well as items belonging to members of the Women Air force Service Pilots who ferried military aircraft in the U.S. during WWII (and died) and from the women who applied and passed initial tests in NASA's Mercury program in the 1950's, but were turned down because of their sex, Lt. Colonel Eileen Collins, 38, lifted off from Cape Canaveral in the co-pilot's seat, as the first woman to pilot an American space craft. An Air Force test pilot, she was selected for the NASA space program in 1990, the first woman chosen as a space shuttle pilot. In December 1994, two more women were chosen.
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/collins.html
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/collins.html
http://www.undelete.org/military/astronauts.html
    1996 - Rap artist Queen Latifah was stopped by a California Highway Patrol officer and arrested for reportedly possession of a concealed, loaded handgun, possession of marijuana, and speeding as she was traveling west on Interstate 10. Pending the results of a sobriety test, she could also face DUI charges. The Grammy-winning singer was known for her anti-drug and anti-violent messages in her music, and was a popular actress on the television sitcom Living Single . She is perhaps best known now for her role in the movie “Chicago.”
    1996-The first American serviceman killed during the Bosnia conflict was Sergeant First Class Donald Allen Dugan of Ridgeway, OH, a member of the peacekeeping force organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that entered Bosnia-Hercegovina in December, 1995. Dugan was killed in an explosion in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The cause of the explosion was not determined.
1996-Blues Traveler's "Run-Around" was on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for the 46th straight week, breaking the record held by Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)" and Crystal Waters' "100 Per Cent Pure Love."
    1998-Winger Dino Ciccarelli of the Florida Panthers became the ninth player in NHL history to score 600 regular-season goals. Ciccarelli tallied in the third period of a game against the Detroit Red Wings. The power-play goal earned Florida a 1-1 tie.
1998- Attorneys general subpoena Microsoft
The antitrust suit against Microsoft expanded as attorneys general from several states issued new subpoenas regarding Microsoft's business practices in the pending launch of Windows 98. Microsoft's battle with the government during the next year would reveal secret deals with online providers, hardball tactics for promoting Internet Explorer, and other questionable practices. The government claimed such practices were ruthless and anticompetitive, but Microsoft called them just plain good business. However, Microsoft won on one point this day: An appeals judge agreed to suspend the investigation of a "special master"-an expert on Internet law-to whom Microsoft objected.
    2001 - The XFL (Xtreme Football League) debuted. The league was created by Vince McMahon, mastermind behind the WWF (World Wrestling Federation). What was promoted as “Football the Way It Was Meant to Be Played” soon faded into painful memories for TV viewers and fans. The WWF apparently thought that it could pull in millions of wrestling fans to support the league, but was shocked when it discovered that actual football fans were the major supporters of the XFL, and these football fans were turned off by the wrestling-show influence on the games.
    2002- XXXVI-As possibly the biggest underdog in SB history (14 points), the Patriots won the hearts of much of America by shutting down the "greatest show on turf" St. Louis Rams and then kicking a filed goal on the final play of the game with the final outcome 20-17. After struggling to a 5-11 record in 2000, they began this season 1-3 and lost their starting quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, to injury. But backup Tom Brady replaced him and eventually led the team to nine straight wins, including the Super Bowl. February 1,2003, Adam Vinatieri repeated his Super Bowl performance of two years ago, nailing a 41-yard field goal with nine seconds to play to give the Patriots a 32-29 Super Bowl win over the Carolina Panthers.
    2008--The Giants (14–6) won 17–14 over the previously undefeated Patriots (18–1). In doing so, the Giants became the first NFC wild card team to win a Super Bowl. They also became the sixth wild card seed from either conference, the fifth in eleven years, and second in three years, to earn an NFL championship. The first three quarters of Super Bowl XLII were largely a defensive battle, as both teams combined for only 10 points entering into the final quarter, with the Patriots leading 7–3. New York finally scored their first touchdown with 11:05 left in the game to take a 10–7 lead. Faced with third down and five yards to go from his own 44-yard line with 1:15 remaining, Giants quarterback Eli Manning avoided what looked like a sack, completed a 32-yard pass to wide receiver David Tyree, who made a leaping catch by pinning the ball on his helmet, which put them at New England's 24-yard-line. Four plays later, New York wide receiver Plaxico Burress caught the winning touchdown with 0:35 left.[13] Manning, who threw both of his touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, was named the Most Valuable Player

Super Bowl Champions This Date

•  -New England Patriots