Leasing News - information, news, education and entertainment for the commercial bank, finance and leasing industry

######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release” and was not written by Leasing News nor information verified, but from the source noted. When an article is signed by the writer, it is considered a “by line.” It reflects the opinion and research of the writer.

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

OnDeck Launches 24 Month Loan Product
---up to $250,000

Tech-Powered Lender Expands Product Offering to Serve More Businesses ---including lower APR & Funding in 24 Hours

NEW YORK, -- OnDeck (www.ondeck.com), the technology-powered Main Street lender, unveiled today its new loan product called OnDeck Term 24 to better serve the increasing needs of established small businesses nationwide. This new term loan is the first-of-its-kind on the market. Qualified businesses can quickly and seamlessly get approved for larger loans with two-year terms and pricing that is competitive with traditional lenders.

The success of OnDeck’s existing loan product, OnDeck Term, has demonstrated the significant demand there is for an evolved product aimed at businesses with more established credit profiles and larger investment needs. The new Term 24 loan product targets businesses that have been in operation for at least 3 years, have over $1M in annual revenues and value speed and convenience when accessing capital. Typical uses of the capital are for growth opportunities, such as: expanding store locations, purchasing large pieces of equipment, or making major business investments.

Noah Breslow
CEO

“Term 24 supports businesses that need larger loans for expansions and upgrades or have bigger working capital needs,” said Noah Breslow, chief executive officer, OnDeck. “This marks a significant evolution of our business, where we can offer longstanding businesses a far faster alternative to bank loans and pricing competitive with credit cards. This type of speed and service is unheard of in the lending industry, and we are looking forward to serving more of Main Street with Term 24.”

OnDeck’s innovative lending platform allows the company to leverage big data to better evaluate business creditworthiness. Their technology has transformed small business lending, making the entire lending process exponentially faster, easier, and more transparent for the business owner.

OnDeck Term 24 details:

Loans from $50K – $250K
Term lengths of 12 - 24 months
APRs ranging from 19.99% - 39.99%

To be eligible, businesses must have: at least 3 years of continuous operations; revenues of at least $100K per month; strong business and personal credit; and stable business checking account balances.

To learn more about OnDeck, please visit www.ondeck.com.

About OnDeck

Launched in 2007, OnDeck uses data aggregation and electronic payment technology to evaluate the financial health of small and medium sized businesses and efficiently deliver capital to a market underserved by banks. Through the OnDeck platform, millions of small businesses can obtain affordable loans with a fraction of the time and effort that it takes through traditional channels. The company's proprietary credit models look deeper into the health of businesses, focusing on overall business performance, rather than the owner's personal credit history. The OnDeck system also provides a critically needed mechanism for financial institutions and other business service providers to efficiently reach the Main Street small business market.

OnDeck has deployed over $825 million in capital to tens of thousands of businesses across 725 different industries. The company is growing at greater than 100 percent annually, and was recently named to Forbes' 100 Most Promising Companies in America list and the Inc. 500/5000 for a second year in a row. The company also has earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. OnDeck is financed by some of the nation's leading venture capital firms, including Google Ventures, SAP Ventures, RRE Ventures and Institutional Venture Partners.

For more information, please visit: www.ondeck.com. Follow OnDeck on Twitter @OnDeckCapital

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Joins

Funders Taking New Broker Business List

BSB
Blue Bridge Financial, LLC
Forum Leasing
TimePayment

Due to the request from readers, who are new leasing brokers, this is the start of a new list of funders who accept business from those new in the leasing business. Many funders require a minimum of time as well as a volume of business. The follow are on the Leasing News Funder List, a requirement to be on this list:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm

Name In Business Since Contact Website Leasing Association	Employees	Geo Area	Dollar Amount	Business Reports	A	B	C	D	E
BSB Leasing, Inc. 1992 Colorado, Hawaii Don Meyerson, Pres. DMyerson@bsbleasing.com Bruce Zwillinger, Vice President 800.945.3372 ext. 306 bzwillinger@bsbleasing.com Randy Propect, East Coast rpropect@bsbleasing.com Vicki Shimkus,CLP West Coast Brokers vshimkus@bsbleasing.com www.bsbleasing.com NAELB (click here for further description)	12	National	$5,000+	BBB CNI 1 CNI 2 Search	Y	N	N	Y	Y
Blue Bridge Financial, LLC 2010 Brian Gallo BGallo@bluebridgefinancial 877-439-1534 bluebridgefinancial.com NAELB, NEFA	12	United States	$5,000--$250,000		Y	N	Y	N	Y
Forum Financial Services, Inc. 1996 Tim O'Connor 972.690.9444 ext. 225 tim@forumleasing.com 240 Lake Park Blvd. Suite 112 Richardson, TX 75080 www.forumleasing.com NAELB & UAEL	7	Nationwide	$50,000 - $1.5 million (Our average size transaction is $250,000. Preferred range $100,000 - $500,000)	BBB	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R
Timepayment Corp (owned by Microfinancial) 2003 Zaenglein, Ric Email 774.249.1664 timepaymentcorp.com EAEL, NAELB & UAEL	100	N/R	$500 to $25,000	BBB	Y	Y	N	Y	Y Mfg

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

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Orange, California
Legal Coordinator

Minimum 5 years' experience in legal collections.
The Legal Coordinator will be responsible
for collecting, coordinating and processing all
collections referrals of commercial loan agreements
to outside third party agencies and law firms.
Click here for more information.
Please send resume and cover letter to: acole@quickbridgefunding.com

www.quickbridgefunding.com
Quick Bridge Funding provides working capital loans
to small and mid-sized companies throughout
the United States. With an innovative program
we provide capital to an to an under-served market.

Irvine, California Finance/Credit Analyst

Manage lease transactions through the entire credit review, documentation and funding process.
• Direct contact with customers’ decision-makers, including CFOs, treasurers, and purchasing managers.
• As “deal manager” analyst is responsible for interface with credit, sales, legal and documentation
For more informaton, please click here

www.calfirst.com

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“Outside Interests Often Asked by Employers”
Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

Question: Do employers really look at a candidate’s outside interests when considering new hires?

Answer: Employers are always on the lookout for candidates that engage in community service, have association memberships, etc... Having interests outside of work indicates a well-rounded individual.

Outside interests provide the employer information about the candidate’s values, motivation, and they demonstrate the candidate’s breadth of interests. Additionally, they give an employer an idea of how a candidate is likely to use her/his time and whether she/he is well balanced.

Many organizations look to hire leaders and potential leaders involved in the community, e.g. volunteerism. This type of activity can teach new and important skills to executives, rising starts and future leaders and may expose them to cultural diversity, which is indicative of today’s work environments.

Resumes

It is not necessary to indicate interests in your resume; this information can be included in your Cover Letter or in your formal application with the employer. Should you decide to include … list after your Education / Training / Certification Section. Always include if you are continuing your education or taking specific classes to improve your career or health.

Do not indicate on resumes your religious or political views - organizations that indicate your affiliation (s) / belief (s) should not be present anywhere in your resume.

Emily Fitzpatrick
Sr. Recruiter
Recruiters International, Inc.
Phone: 954-885-9241
Cell: 954-612-0567
emily@riirecruit.com
Invite me to Connect on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/pub/emily-fitzpatrick/4/671/76
Also follow us on Twitter #RIIINFO

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

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Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP

True Leasing in Bankruptcy

If your lessee files for bankruptcy protection there is a big difference between Article 9 leases with bargain purchase options and Article 2A true leases. This is “not” a tax issue, or an accounting issue. It is a legal manner and must follow the bankruptcy requirements.

True leases are called “Executory contracts and unexpired leases.” This means the trustee, subject to the court’s approval, may “assume or reject” any executory contracts and unexpired leases. The trustee may not assume such contract or lease unless, at the time of assumption, the trustee:

Cures or provides adequate assurance that the trustee will promptly cure the default by bringing the account current.
Provides adequate assurance of future performance under such contract or lease.

The trustee shall timely perform all of the obligations of the lessee. First arising from or after 60 days after the order for relief in a case under chapter 11 of this title, under an unexpired lease of personal property until such lease is assumed or rejected, the trustee may affirm or reject the property

The Lessee bankrupt has 60 days from the date of filing (called an “order for relief”) to assume or reject the lease, after which the lease is rejected and the lessor may move to obtain relief from stay, unless there is a formal rejection by the bankrupt. Then once relief from stay or rejection occurs, the lessor may move in State Court to obtain possession.

Generally speaking, the faster you can retrieve the equipment, the better the chance of recovering your balance. So you need to file your request for relief as soon as you can after receiving the bankruptcy notice of rejection.

If the trustee needs the equipment because the lessee is trying to reorganize, and believes the equipment is necessary to the continuance of the bankrupt, the trustee may assume the lease, however the trustee has the right to lower the lease payment to current levels. The lessor can petition the court to retain the lease payment so long as the petition contains information that shows the harm it will do to the lessor’s position.

If the transaction is a lease intended as a security agreement (Article 9) the bankruptcy will follow the same requirements as a loan requiring the lessor to have filed a UCC1 to be the first lien holder on the equipment. Then after the bankruptcy court takes its time to run its course you may get your equipment back sometime in the far future.

The weaker the credit, the more you should think about using true leasing to protect your options if a default happens. It would also be important to review your remedies section with your attorney to make sure it is up to current requirements.

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty years and can be reached at terrywinders11@yahoo.com or 502-649-0448.

He invites your questions and queries.

Previous #102 Columns:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Leasing_102/Index.htm

Mr. Terry Winders available as Expert Witness. 35 years as a professional instructor to the top equipment leasing and finance companies in the United States, author of several books, including DVD's, as well as weekly columnist to Leasing News. He also performs audits of leasing companies as an expert on documentation, and has acted as an expert witness on leasing for litigation in legal and tax disputes, including before the IRS. He also has taught the senior bank examiners, how to review a bank leasing department, for the Federal Reserve in Washington D.C. and has trained the examiners for the FDIC on how to prepare a lease portfolio for sale.

Mr. Winders received his Master of Business Administration and his Bachelor of Science degrees from the College of Notre Dame.

502.649.0448/terrywinders11@yahoo.com

(This ad is a “trade” for the writing of this column. Opinions
contained in the column are those of Mr. Terry Winders, CLP)

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Four Oaks Bank Tagged by Regulators for Lack of Supervision
Over Third Party ACH Processors
By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal News Editor

ACH Transactions Have a High Incidence of Fraud, and Bank Which
Had as Customers, Numerous Third Party ACH Processors,
is Tagged for One Million Dollars For Failure to Supervise

United States v Four Oaks Bank 5:14 cv 00014-BO (USDC Eastern District of North Carolina 2014)

ACH payment transfers are easy and generally unregulated by any government agency. Their simplicity and lack of outside control make ACH debits subject to misuse. In today’s case, a North Carolina Bank was tagged for over one million dollars for failing to supervise third party ACH processors.

The ACH System

The ACH system is done, in large part, outside the auspices of the banking system, and is governed by a biblical size document called NACHA Rules. This governs the member banks which agree to participate in receiving and sending ACH debits subject to those rules. Some of these ACH debits come from individual, one-off transactions. Other ACH debits come from larger institutions which process hundreds of these a day, either for themselves or on behalf of smaller one-off creditors.

Instituting an ACH debit is very easy, and is done by an Outgoing Deposit Financial Institution (ODFI) and sent through the Federal Reserve to a Receiving Deposit Financial Institution (RDFI). The ODFI generally receives the ACH from a Third Party Processor which acts on behalf of other creditors.

Accounts are debited and credited within the Fed, and reconciled usually in a matter of a day.

Conversely, checks are cumbersome and require a written piece of paper, an endorsement, and a trip to the bank. While checks also clear through the Fed, the process can take several days or even weeks if the MICR line is damaged.

It is for this reason that equipment lessors have fallen in love with ACH payments in lieu of checks. The lessors no longer have to wait for a piece of paper, and even if the customer has disputed the appropriateness of the charge, the lessor can run through an ACH debit and worry about the consequences later. Chances are that the lessee won’t contest the lessor’s authority to issue an ACH debit.

In the pay-day Loan field, ACH debits are subject to enormous abuse, with some pay-day lenders making usurious or unlicensed loans and charging fees and penalties which while technically authorized, are inappropriate. Indeed, the ACH system has become the backbone of pay-day lending and the adult entertainment industry.(1)

The ACH Processors are not members of NACHA (but are certainly well-versed in its terms), and are required to use the services of an NACHA National Bank to process to process the ACH through the Fed. In 2012 there were over 21 billion ACH transactions involving over $37 trillion. National Banks receive enormous fee revenue for handling the ACH debits, which, in turn, are passed on to the Third Party Processors.

The Four Oaks Case

Four Oaks bank is located in Four Oaks, North Carolina. According to FDIC records, the bank was founded January 12, 1912 and as of September 30, 2013, had 14 offices in North Carolina with 179 employees. Total assets were $809 million, net equity $44.9 million, showing a $994,000 net profit. The bank had a charge off of almost $12 million year-end, almost all which was in real estate ($11.5 million) and $4.2 million September 30, 2013, again almost all in real estate loans.

In today’s case, Four Oaks Bank had as customers a number of third party ACH Payment Processors and did little to supervise the accounts. The Bank banked a Third Party Processor called TPPP-TX which by-passed the Bank’s conduit to the Fed, and sent the ACH’s themselves, while the Bank merely monitoring the debits and it was legally responsible for their contents. The Bank processed more than $2.4 billion dollars of ACH payments and the Bank received $850,000 in fee income.

When customers complained to the Consumer Financial Protection Board (a Bank oversight agency), the Department of Justice commenced an investigation and made the following findings:

• Many of the ACH Payment Processors committed misrepresentations and fraud in connection with the ACH debits.

• Federal laws prohibit a National Bank from giving aid to third parties which are engaged in unlawful conduct.

• The Bank failed to implement “know your customer rules” for those Third Party ACH Processors.

• The Bank failed to follow FDIC Guidelines to monitor returns, to review the Third Party ACH Processor’s promotional materials and policies, and to obtain specific information from the Third Party as to the specific customers which use the ACH services.

• Some of TPPP’s customers included a Ponzi scheme, gambling interests, and illegal pay-day lenders.

• Hundreds of the ACH debits were not authorized by the customers and the Bank stopped keeping a copy of the Authorizations. The Bank experienced a high volume of ACH returns, which is indicative of fraud. NACHA has a 1% rule, above which NACHA sends a warning to the financial institution. The Bank, on the other hand, had a 30% threshold.

• The Bank used pre-authorized ACH Authorizations, when Federal Law prohibits lenders from conditioning a loan upon a pre-authorized ACH Authorization.

• The Bank was aware that TPPP used a “sub-processor” to conceal identities of the pay-day lenders operating outside the United States. Those sub-processors were given the same direct contact to the Fed as TPPP was, without any oversight.

• One of the complaints included a statement from an Arkansas borrower who borrower $400 but paid the lender $1,140 over a twelve month period, and when the Bank was confronted with the borrower’s complaint was told not to respond as it would create a legal can of worms.

After a lengthy Department of Justice investigation, the Federal Reserve issued a Cease and Desist Order to the Bank and the Bank agreed to a fine of

That’s one million dollars.

What are the lessons from this train wreck case?

First, if the reader is a bank which processes Third Party Payment Processors, review the bullet point list and understand that the bank is required to know its customer and to know its customer’s customer. High returns are indicative of fraud. Off shore customers are probably a no-no. Under no circumstances should the Bank allow a Third Party access to its account at the Federal Reserve. NACHA has just come out with a new rule which requires a bank to retain Proofs of Authorization for two years from the termination of that authorization, in large part because of this case.

Second, if the reader is a Third party Processor, then it should review the bullet points above and should always know your customer. Pay-day lenders, Gambling sites, and adult entertainment merchants are susceptible to fraud. Again, high returns are indicative of fraud. Expect the bank to ask more questions.

Third, if the reader is a creditor using ACH, pick a responsible Third Party Processor. You may not pre-condition the approval of a lease on the basis of a pre-authorization of an ACH debit for consumer transactions. While I understand that the Federal law applies only to consumer transactions, its application to commercial deals is not out of the question. ACH Authorizations should be explicit and may not be altered, changed, filled in, or signed in blank. The discontinuance of the ACH Authorization should probably not be a condition of default. Expect the Third Party Processor to ask more questions and look at your documents.

The bottom line is that while ACH debits have been largely unregulated by the Federal Government, the Four Oaks decision has become the poster child for more stringent regulation by the Federal Government.

NACHA Operating Rules
https://www.nacha.org/achrules

Four Oaks Complaint:
PDF

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

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

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

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Bank Credit Quality Remains a Positive
But Its Benefits Could Fade

SNL Special Report

The repeated dose of good news that the banking industry has relied upon the past few years — improving credit quality — continued to boost lenders in the final quarter of 2013, though the benefits of that improvement could wane this year.

An SNL Financial analysis of regulatory filings found that adjusted nonaccrual loans across the U.S. commercial banking landscape declined in the fourth quarter of 2013 when compared with the previous period. They are down substantially from the final quarter of 2011. Net charge-offs in the fourth quarter, meanwhile, also fell and were down to a level that was less than half of where net charge-offs stood at the end of 2011.

Zions Bancorp., for example, reported that its measure of nonperforming assets plus loans that are 90 days or more past due and still accruing improved by nearly 40% in 2013, including a 13% improvement in the fourth quarter.

"Credit quality improved significantly during the past year," Zions Chairman, President and CEO Harris Simmons told analysts during a fourth-quarter earnings call. "I continue to be very encouraged with the results that we are seeing there," he continued, adding that there is "a lot of underlying strengthening."

Across the country, bankers and analysts attribute the positive momentum to an improving economy — albeit slowly improving — and tighter underwriting standards in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

"For most, credit is quite positive," Sterne Agee & Leach Inc. analyst Matthew Kelley told SNL.

Full SNL Financial Reports
http://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/Article.aspx?cdid=A-26820356-12335

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Funding costs very low, but an eventual shift looms
By Kevin Dobbs and Marshall Schraibman

A SNL Financial Exclusive

Deposits remain cheap for bank and thrifts, with interest rates paid on both checking and savings accounts about as low as they can get.

Short-term interest rates have been low for years, thanks in large part to downward pressure from Federal Reserve policymakers. This has allowed the typical lender to focus heavily on transaction accounts, rather than on more costly CDs, while still hauling in plenty of deposits in a post-recession era in which many bank customers have spent less while sitting on more cash than in the past.

But observers say rates will eventually rise, as the Fed has indicated that it could ease its pressure next year. If the economy gains steam before then, policymakers might be forced to act earlier. Either way, says Charles Wendel, president of Financial Institutions Consulting Inc., bankers should be positioned to at least weather a changing rate environment — and "hopefully" to take advantage of it. But he said many banks are not ready yet.

"When rates rise, the cost of funds will go up and the question is whether banks can move up their loan rates even faster than that to capitalize on this," he told SNL, referring to the spread between what bankers pay for deposits and what they earn on loans. "But I think in many cases, they won't be able to. There are some badly managed banks out there that are slow to move, slow to make decisions, and they will lag reality."

Starting out 2014, he said, many banks are almost sitting idle, dealing more with heightened compliance challenges and cost-cutting than growing loans. And the latter is difficult regardless, Wendel added, with the economy only jogging forward.

But if the economy gathers momentum and loan demand not only builds up but is sustained at a higher level, changes are likely to occur in tandem, he said. Short-term interest rates would probably rise and competition for deposits to fund those loans would eventually build as well.

Bank customers typically do not shift their money around often, given the hassle of doing so, but after a prolonged period of earning very little interest on deposits, many will start shopping around for higher rates and will park their money where they get the best deal, Wendel said. As this develops, banks will try to raise rates on loans more quickly and more notably than they do on deposits, but some could struggle on this front, he said.

Larger banks, Wendel said, tend to have more leeway to pay higher rates on deposits because they earn income from a variety of business lines, not just traditional lending, and at the same time they can compete on loan pricing. Big banks also have the luxury of focusing resources on growth markets or certain products that are in high demand to drive growth. Community lenders tend to be more reliant on bread-and-butter lending and the health of their local economies.

All of that would mean fierce competition for deposits in the future for many community banks.

"There will be an adjustment period," Wendel said. "For the smaller banks, in particular, it could be difficult to pass along the higher rates quickly."

As this new reality lurks, analysts note, many banks have been focused on cost-cutting, including closing branches. The U.S. branch total declined by 1,487 locations in 2013, a recent SNL analysis found.

Branch consolidation has come as banks look to both cut costs and as they react to customers increasingly doing more of their business online or via mobile devices. Americans every year do less routine business in branches, making it necessary for banks to downsize some locations and close others.

It is "clear that customers want to do business with us in very different ways than in the past, and we're working to align our products and services to meet these needs," PNC Financial Services Group Inc. CFO Robert Reilly said at a conference this week. PNC last year reduced its branch count by 160, according to SNL data. "Today retail banking is less about where you go and more about what you want to do."

But banks must strike a balance. While fewer branches are necessary, they still serve as the public face of banks and are therefore important marketing tools. When the need to drum up more deposits surfaces, branches will still play a role. And community lenders, with far fewer branches than the likes of PNC, have to be particularly careful about making cuts, Wendel said.

The good news on the interest rate front is that banks still have some breathing room, as Boenning & Scattergood analyst Matthew Schultheis notes.

Rates have yet to move and when they do, they may rise only slowly. That would be the Fed's preference, he told SNL, to avoid any shocks to both banks and customers. Most banks are flush with deposits right now and could sustain some run-off when rates rise, particularly if loan demand is not strong.

But at some point, both loan demand and deposit costs will rise. "And then you'll have to compete for funding," Schultheis said. "If it all happens at a measured pace, I think they can weather this, but if there is more of a sudden shift, it could be difficult for a lot of banks."

News Briefs----

Ex-Barclays bankers charged with Libor rigging
http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/17/news/libor-barclays-charges/

One Reason Bank Stocks Will Soar in the Future
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/16/1-reason-bank-stocks-will-soar-in-the-future.aspx

Cellphone leases generate big money for municipalities
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20140215/Cellphone-leases-generate-big-money-Fox-Valley?nclick_check=1

Boeing picks Everett for building wing of 777X
http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnolog_boeing777xwingxml.html

Computer whizzes brainstorm for cash at hackathons
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140217/wire/140219630

Irvine, California Finance/Credit Analyst

www.calfirst.com

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--You May Have Missed It

Forget the Internet - soon there will be the OUTERNET:
free Wi-fi to every person on Earth from space
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2552177/Forget-Internet-soon-OUTERNET-Company-plans-beam-free-wi-fi-person-Earth-space.html

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

Is It a Cold or the Flu?
Cold and Flu Prevention, Treatment and Symptoms
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=959

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Winter Poem

President George Washington

14 September 1789
Boston Gazette

An Acrostic--

G REAT Hero! whose illustrious actions claim
E ternal blessings and an endless fame--
O f every virtue and each gift possess
R eligion reigns triumphant in his breast.
G rant him, almighty God! thy aid and health
E ver to rule these states and guard their wealth.

W hat power of Language can enough extoll
A Son of Liberty and friend to all--
S aviour and patron of Columbia!
H er sons revere thee and exult this day--
I n thee, their Favourite and firm support--
N ations applaud thee and thy friendship court.
G enerous deliverer of thy Country's right!
T hou hast prov'd victor over lawless might.
O f all the Conquerors in the historic page,
N one have surpass'd this Phœnix of the age.

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Sports Briefs----

Davis, White capture first USA dancing gold
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/meryl-davis-charlie-white-become-first-americans-to-win-olympic-ice-dancing-gold/2014/02/17/cb9ae238-9810-11e3-afce-3e7c922ef31e_story.html
http://olympics.si.com/olympic-figure-skating/2014/02/17/sochi-olympics-meryl-davis-charlie-white-ice-dancing-gold-medal-controvery

US Bobsledders Break 62-year drought
http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-sochi-two-man-bobsled-20140218,0,3314838.story#axzz2tYIyzQt6

Vikings: Free agency snapshot
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/vikings-free-agency-snapshot-172540383--nfl.html

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California Nuts Briefs---

Fines for unpaid Golden Gate Bridge tolls bring in millions
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Fines-for-unpaid-Golden-Gate-Bridge-tolls-bring-5240836.php

Water-saving apps turn conservation into a money-saving game
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_25143169/water-saving-apps-turn-conservation-into-money-saving

Water-Cleaning Technology Could Help Farmers
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/17/technology/water-cleaning-technology-could-help-farmers.html?ref=business

Gov. Jerry Brown puts deep imprint on California judiciary
http://www.marinij.com/ci_25158695/gov-jerry-brown-puts-deep-imprint-california-judiciary

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Famous filmmaker James Cameron buys Beaufort Winery
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/245287981.html

Fake Bordeaux Fine Wine Company Exposed
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2014/02/bordeaux-fine-wine-company-exposed-in-1m-fraud/

Wine storer plans Healdsburg custom crush
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/87547/wine-storer-plans-healdsburg-custom-crush/

NY: Cold Damage to Wine Grapes
http://www.erietvnews.com/story/24745660/cold-damage-to-wine-grapes

This Week Wine Picks
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140217/lifestyle/140219647

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

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1571- A group of Spanish Jesuits in the Chesapeake Bay area, led by Fray Batista Segura, were murdered by the Indians to whom they had come six months earlier to convert. The massacre led ultimately to the withdrawal of all Jesuits living in Florida as well. On September 8, 1565, the first white colony in what is now the US was founded at St. Augustine, Florida, by the Spanish under Pedro Menendez de Aviles. The first Catholic parish was founded by Fr. Don Martin Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, chaplain of the Spanish expeditionary forces. The first introduction of European livestock such as black cattle, horses, sheep and swine, into America was made by the Spanish in Florida. The Spanish began to settle the area, including fighting all those who had laid claim to the land. On September 20th, Menéndez destroyed Fort Caroline, and massacred most of its inhabitants. He renamed it San Mateo and in the next two years built a string of forts to Tampa Bay while looking for a water passage across Florida. The once “peaceful” Indians were either converted to Christianity or tortured and killed by the Spanish on their quest in the New World.
    1668-Protest against slavery was made by the German Friends, or Quakers, at a meeting in Germantown, PA. They protested against the “traffic in the bodies of men” and considered the question of the “lawfulness and unlawfulness of buying and keeping Negroes.” Some of the protesters were Francis Daniel Pastorius, Dirck op de Graeff, Abrahama op de Graeff, and Gerhard Hendricks.
    1678- John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" was first published, in England. Bunyan was frequently imprisoned for preaching without a license. During these sequestered times, between 1660-72, Bunyan collected the ideas enabling him to pen this masterpiece of Christian literature. It was the most popular book in the new colonies.
http://www.orionsgate.org
http://www.hcis.net/users/miltozah/pilgrim1.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/025201894X/avsearch-df1-2-20/102-1682336-8966565
   1685 -Explorer Renee-Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle established a French colony at Fort St Louis in Texas.
   1688 -- At a Quaker meeting in Germantown, Pa, German Mennonites penned a memorandum stating a profound opposition to Negro slavery.
    1795-- George Peabody birthday, American merchant philanthropist, born at South Danvers, MA. He endowed the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, museums at Harvard and Yale, and the George Peabody College for Teachers at Nashville, TN. Died at London, England, Nov 4, 1869
    1834- 1st US labor newspaper, "The Man", published, New York NY
    1839 -Detroit Boat Club forms (still exists today).
http://www.detroitboatclub.com/
    1841- First filibuster in the Senate began over the issue of dismissal of the printers of the Senate. The filibuster continued until March 11. The first extended filibuster, debating the establishment of a national bank, began on June 21 and lasted fourteen days.
http://www.newsaic.com/ftvww39n.html
http://wing_nuts.tripod.com/issue.html
    1848- Louis Comfort Tiffany birthday, American artist, son of famed jeweler Charles L. Tiffany. Best remembered for his remarkable work and with decorative iridescent “vavrile” glass. Born at New York, NY, died there Jan 17, 1933.
    1859-Scholem Aleichem birthday, pen name of Russian-born author and humorist Solomon Rabinovitz. Affectionately known in the US as the “Jewish Mark Twain,” Died at New York, NY. 1916
    1861-Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America at Montgomery, Alabama. In the years before the Civil War, Senator Jefferson Davis was the acknowledged leader of the Southern bloc and champion of states’ rights, but he had little to do with the secession movement until after his home state of Mississippi joined the Confederacy on January 9, 1861. Davis withdrew from the Senate that same day. He was unanimously chosen as President of the Confederacy’s provisional government, and he was actually surprised with the news while he was pruning the roses for the winter with his wife. Within the next year he was elected to a six-year term by popular vote and inaugurated a second time on February 22, 1862 at Richmond, VA.
    1865 - In the American Civil War, the Union fleet took the town of Charleston, South Carolina. In Columbia, SC, the fires still burned from the prior day’s invasion by federal troops under Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. Bales of cotton were put to the torch, perhaps by Confederates to prevent their falling into federal hands. Strong winds scattered the burning cotton across most of the city. The entire south was becoming scorched earth as Gen. Grant’s plan was to cut off all supplies and food, and to blockade ships from Europe or free Southern ports.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb18.html
    1867- Morehouse College: The Augusta Institute was founded in Georgia. Established as an institution of higher learning for black students, it moved to Atlanta in 1879, and in 1913 changed its name to Morehouse College.
http://www.morehouse.edu/
    1882- Violinist Alfred De Seve, a native of Montreal, appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mendelssohn's "Concerto in E Minor." His appearance was among the earliest by a Canadian soloist with a US orchestra.
    1885 - Mark Twain's “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was published in the United States for the first time. At the time, the book was banned by many libraries for its racial-equality overtones. One hundred years and eleven years later, the book was again in the headlines, targeted to be banned from school reading lists because of its racial inequalities
    1892-Wendell Willkie birthday, American lawyer, author, public utility executive and politician, born at Elwood, IN. Presidential nominee of the Republican Party in 1940. Remembered for his book, ‘One World,” published in 1943. He ran for the nomination in 1944 but suffered a series of four heart attacks and lost to New York Governor Thomas Dewey.
    1899 -80º F in San Francisco, CA. While much of the central and eastern U.S. was recovering from the most severe cold wave of modern history, the temperature at San Francisco soared to 80 degrees to establish a record for month of February
    1908 - For the first time, United States postage stamps were sold. They cost a penny.
    1922—Birthday of author/editor Helen Gurley Brown. While an advertising minor executive in 1962, she authored her first book, “Sex and the Single Girl”, an immediate and controversial best seller. In 1965, she was named editor of Cosmopolitan magazine and changed it into a splashy, upbeat magazine aimed at the young women. It even played the "Playboy" card and featured a male nude centerfold. The first was Burt Reynolds with an artful bear rug keeping the censors away. ** Circulation and advertising revenues shot up. She also wrote Helen Gurley Brown's “Outrageous Opinions”, 1966, Helen Gurley Brown's “Single Girl's Cookbook”, 1969, and “Sex and the New Single Girl”, 1970.
    1924-Bix Beiderbecke and the Wolverines cut first records in Richmond, Indiana, for Gennett (“Fidgety Feet”, “Jazz Me Blues”, “Lazy Daddy”.)
    1927- The "first great voice of the air," Jessica Dragonette, makes her radio debut on Cities Service Concerts.
    1928-Drummer Frank Butler birthday, Kansas City, MO
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/b2/frank_butler_b.htm
http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,410461,00.html?artist=Frank+Butler
    1928- Tenor Sax player Harold Land birthday, Houston, TX
    http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/land.html
http://www.view.com/land-bio.html
    1930-Cow milked while flying in an airplane. Elm Farm Ollie became the first cow to fly in an airplane. During the flight, which was attended by reporters, she was milked and the milk was sealed in paper containers and parachuted over St. Louis, MO.
    1930-Planet Pluto discovered. Pluto, the ninth planet, was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff, AZ. It was given the name of the Roman god of the underworld. Some astronomers don’t accept Pluto as a planet.
    1931- Toni Morrison, born Chloe Ardelia Wofford, Lorain, Ohio, American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are “The Bluest Eye”, “Sula”, “Song of Solomon” and “Beloved”. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for Beloved and the Nobel Prize in 1993. On 29 May 2012, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
    1932 - In Montreal, Canada, Sonja Henie won her 6th world women’s figure skating title.
    1938 –“The Big Broadcast of 1938” was released, one of the most famous motion pictures of all-time hit the silver screen. Delete-redundant] , as "The Big Broadcast of 1938" was released. The film featured Bob Hope singing his version of, "Thanks for the Memory", which got an Oscar for Best Song. It also became his theme song for the remainder of his illustrious career. Also starring in the film were Dorothy Lamour and W.C. Fields.
    1939- Golden Gate International Exposition opens on Treasure Island.
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist6/ti-statue.html
http://www.sfmuseum.org/views/ggieviews.ppt
    1942 – The Mills Brothers on Decca records recorded one of their three all-time greatest hit, "Paper Doll". The other two classics by the Mills Brothers are: "You Always Hurt The One You Love" (1944) and "Glow Worm" (1952).
    1943---Birthday of American composer Alice Shields, New York City
    1943---The Germans commit 26th Panzer and 29th Panzergrenadier Divisions to the attack on Anzio. Strong allied artillery holds off and blunts the attacks. Kesselring and Mackensen realize that the Allied beachhead cannot be wiped out. The Germans launched a more intense assault against the 45th Division at dawn and destroyed one battalion of the 179th Infantry before pushing the remainder of the unit back a half mile farther to Lucas’ final defensive line by midmorning. Fearing that the 179th Infantry was in danger of giving way, Lucas ordered Col. William O. Darby, founder of the WWII era Rangers, to take command of the unit and allow no further retreat. The regiment held, later counting 500 dead Germans in front of its positions. Elsewhere, the 180th and 157th regiments also held their positions in spite of heavy losses during three days of German attacks. By midday, Allied air and artillery superiority had turned the tide. (Leasing News Assoc. Editor Ralph Mango’s father was a B-25 tail-gunner in these missions for which he received the Flying Cross.) When the Germans launched a final afternoon assault against the 180th and 179th regiments, it was halted by air strikes and massed mortar, machine gun, artillery, and tank fire. Subsequent enemy attacks on 19 and 20 February were noticeably weaker and were broken up by the same combination of Allied arms before ground contact was made. The crisis had passed, and while harassing attacks continued until 22 February, VI Corps went over to the offensive locally and succeeded in retaking some lost ground.
    1945---Top Hits
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Accentuate the Positive - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
    1949 - On CBS radio, "Yours Truly Johnny Dollar" debuted on CBS radio, starring Charles Russell as the insurance investigator. The show was the last of radio's major, dramatic network programs. Johnny Dollar continued until 1962.
http://www.wayback.net/jd.htm
    1953---Top Hits
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes - Goldie Hill
    1953 – 3D, the new fad in America, as demonstrated in the movie, "Bwana Devil". The three-dimensional feature opened at Loew’s State Theatre in New York City. Arch Oboler directed the movie which starred Robert Stack and the three-dimensional Barbara Britton along with Nigel Bruce and Ramsay Hill. It was a Natural Vision-Magnetic Sound Track picture requiring Polaroid views. It was the story of a British engineer who tracked two man-eating lions that were disrupting the construction of the first railroad in East Africa at the run of the century. ON April 10, “The House of Wax,” another 3-D film was exhibited at Paramount Theater, New York City, starring Vincent Price. It was also seen through Polaroid viewers. Historians believe the advancement of color, sound, and now 3-D was to combat the emergence of television, which they thought would put the motion picture industry out of business.
    1953 - Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz signed a contract worth $8,000,000 to continue the "I Love Lucy" TV show through 1955. The deal was the richest contract in television. “Babalu!”
The hour TV Show: http://timstvshowcase.com/lucydesibak.jpg
    1953-Robbie Bachman birthday, drummer for Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was born in Winnipeg. The Canadian rock band, which also included Robbie's brothers Randy and Tim on guitars, was internationally popular in the 1970's with such hits as "Blue Collar," "Let It Ride," "Takin' Care of Business" and "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," a 1974 million-seller. At its peak, BTO won many polls and honors in the US, as well as seven Juno Awards.
    1955-John Travolta birthday; dancer, singer, actor John Travolta (“Pulp Fiction”, “Look Who’s Talking”, “Urban Cowboy”, “Saturday Night Fever”, and the television hit “Welcome Back Kotter”) Born, Englewood, NJ.
    1956-The Platters hit "The Great Pretender" peaks at #1 on the pop chart
    1956-Pat Boone's cover version of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" hits #12 on the pop chart.
    1956-Although she was reluctant to record it in the first place, "Rock and Roll Waltz" by Kay Starr becomes the first number one record by a female in the Rock era. The disc would go on to sell over a million copies, but Kay would later say that she was never asked to perform the record on TV and seldom sang it during a live show.
    1957-Birthday of Vanna White (Wheel of Fortune), born Conway, SC.
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/5304/vanna.html
http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0001846/
    1959 - Some of the higher elevations of California were in the midst of a five day storm which produced 189 inches of snow, a single storm record for North America.
    1959--Ray Charles records "What'd I Say.”
    1959--- The Everly Brothers record "When Will I Be Loved," "Let It Be Me."
    1959---Elvis Presley sings after-hours at the Lido Club in Paris while on leave from the US Army.
    1959-Ray Charles records "What'd I Say," one of his most popular hits.
    Redundant 1959-- The Everly Brothers: "When Will I Be Loved," "Let It Be Me"
    1960-The first artificial ice skating rink of Olympic size was formally opened by Vice President Richard Milhous Nixon at Squaw Valley, CA., for the Eighth Olympic Winter Games. Freezing brine was piped into the rink through 70 miles of steel tubing. It had 300 feet of roof floating on cables suspended from 80-foot steel and concrete pillars.
    1960 - The VIIIth Winter Olympic Games were opened in Squaw Valley, California. A lack of snow had prompted organizers to hire Native Americans to do a snow dance, but a deluge of rain was the only result. Snow finally arrived just before the opening ceremonies, which had to be delayed to await the arrival of U.S. Vice-President Richard M. Nixon, who would declare the games open. The storm had held up his flight.
    1961---Top Hits
Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
Shop Around - The Miracles
Calendar Girl - Neil Sedaka
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
    1962-On weekend leave from marine training, The Everly Brothers appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Wearing full uniform and regulation cropped hair, the duo sang their new single, "Crying in the Rain", which was currently number 6 on the Billboard chart.
    1964 - "Any Wednesday" opened at the Music Box Theatre in New York City. The play established Gene Hackman as an actor. Don Porter and Sandy Dennis also starred in the show.
    1964- United States punishes nations for trading with Cuba
    1964-- While vacationing in Miami during their first trip to America, the Beatles engage in a photo shoot with heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay, better known later as Muhammad Ali. Clay: "You guys got to be making a lot of money. You ain't as dumb as you look." John Lennon: "No, but you are." That night the group visits a local drive-in to watch the new Elvis film “Fun in Acapulco”.
    1965 -- Civil rights worker Jimmie Lee Jackson is beaten and shot by state police in Marion, Alabama. He dies eight days later.
http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/civilrights-55-65/selma.html
   1965-- The Beatles record "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away," "Tell Me What You See"
    1966--- FERNANDEZ, DANIEL Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry (Mechanized) 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Cu Chi, Hau Nghia Province, Republic of Vietnam, 18 February 1966. Entered service at: Albuquerque, N. Mex. Born: 30 June 1944, Albuquerque, N. Mex. c.o. No.: 21, 26 April 1967. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Fernandez demonstrated indomitable courage when the patrol was ambushed by a Viet Cong rifle company and driven back by the intense enemy automatic weapons fire before it could evacuate an American soldier who had been wounded in the Viet Cong attack. Sp4c. Fernandez, a sergeant and 2 other volunteers immediately fought their way through devastating fire and exploding grenades to reach the fallen soldier. Upon reaching their fallen comrade the sergeant was struck in the knee by machine gun fire and immobilized. Sp4c. Fernandez took charge, rallied the left flank of his patrol and began to assist in the recovery of the wounded sergeant. While first aid was being administered to the wounded man, a sudden increase in the accuracy and intensity of enemy fire forced the volunteer group to take cover. As they did, an enemy grenade landed in the midst of the group, although some men did not see it. Realizing there was no time for the wounded sergeant or the other men to protect themselves from the grenade blast, Sp4c. Fernandez vaulted over the wounded sergeant and threw himself on the grenade as it exploded, saving the lives of his 4 comrades at the sacrifice of his life. Sp4c. Fernandez' profound concern for his fellow soldiers, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
    1967- Petula Clark's version of the Charlie Chaplin penned "This Is My Song" tops the UK chart for the first of a two week stay. After singing the song in French, German and Italian, Petula reluctantly recorded the song in English, even though she thought the lyrics were corny and old fashioned. The tune would go on to be a Top Ten hit in America, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Holland, Belgium and Norway.
    1967- The Buckinghams' "Kind of a Drag" hits #1
    1968- Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, along with their female companions, head to Rishikesh, India to join the other two members of the Beatles in studying under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
    1969 -Top Hits
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Touch Me - The Doors
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
Until My Dreams Come True - Jack Greene
    1969--- Elvis Presley records "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind," "Power of My Love," "After Loving You."
    1970 -- Federal jury finds the "Chicago 7" innocent of conspiring to incite riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. However, 5 were convicted of crossing state lines with intent to incite riots.
    1972 – Death Penalty declared by the California Supreme Court to be cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the state constitution. 107 inmates were taken off death row. Among those spared by the ruling was Charles Manson.
    1972-Neil Young receives a gold record for "Harvest," the only Number One record of his lengthy career. The album includes the Number One single "Heart of Gold”.
    1973- The syndicated radio show "The King Biscuit Flower Hour" debuted with Blood, Sweat and Tears and a then- unknown Bruce Springsteen. The program, which is still on the air, would go on to feature live performances from some of the greatest names in rock, including the Rolling Stones, U2, Elton John and David Bow.
    1973---Richard Petty, the "King of Stock Car Racing," won the Daytona 500 before a crowd of over 103,000 spectators, marking the first time a stock car race had drawn over 100,000 spectators. No longer would there be questions about NASCAR’s mainstream popularity.
    1977---Top Hits
Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor
New Kid in Town - Eagles
Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Near You - George Jones & Tammy Wynette.
    1978-The third time would be the charm for a Topeka based group called Kansas. After scoring Top 40 hits with "Carry On Wayward Son" (#11) and "Point Of Know Return" (#28), "Dust In The Wind" entered the Billboard chart on its way to becoming the group's only Top 10 hit.
    1979-Richard Petty became the first man to win six Daytona 500s. Winning the most prestigious event in any sport six times is enough to earn the nickname "The King," but Petty is perhaps most famous for his 1967 season in which he won twenty-seven of forty-eight races, including a record ten straight victories. In a sport where mechanical failure is commonplace, Petty’s total domination was seen as superhuman. "The King" came from royal stock. His father, Lee Petty, was the first man to win the Daytona 500.
    1979 -52º F (-47º C), Old Forge NY (state record)
    1979 --Miniseries "Roots: The Next Generations" premieres on ABC TV.
There is controversy that the original story was plagiarized from a 1967 novel by white author Hal Courlander. This miniseries, two years after the original, is about Arthur Haley’s actual life, and begins where the original series left off, 1882.-
http://www.martinlutherking.org/roots.html
    1993 -Howard Stern's radio show begins transmitting to Rochester NY
http://www.eonline.com/On/Howard/
http://www.angelfire.com/ny/heynow2/
(This is X-rated and typical Howard Sterns: http://www.howardsterndivorce.com/)
    1981 – The first budget of United States President Reagan proposed the largest tax cuts and spending curbs ever for an administration. In his first State of the Union message, Pres. Reagan called for cuts of $41,000,000,000 in the budget President Carter had submitted. He also proposed a 10% income tax cut in each of the next three years, an increase of about $5,000,000,000 in defense spending and more liberal depreciation rules for business.
    1983 -- The Wah Mee Massacre in Seattle is the worst mass-murder in the history of Washington State.
http://www.wahmee.com/chapone.html
    1984 –Reed Larson, Detroit, Michigan got two assists, making him the highest scoring, American-born player in National Hockey League history. Larson broke Tom Williams' previous record by scoring his 432nd point.
    1985---Top Hits
Careless Whisper - Wham! featuring George Michael
Loverboy - Billy Ocean
Method of Modern Love - Daryl Hall John Oates
Make My Life with You - The Oak Ridge Boys
    1985 – Diver Greg Louganis was recognized as the top amateur athlete in the United States when he received the James E. Sullivan Award of the Amateur Athletic Union. Louganis won double gold at the 1984 Olympic Games.
    1987 – Girl Scouts Change Color of Uniform: The executives of the Girl Scout movement decided, because the older girls wanted a change, that it was time to change the color of the scout uniform from the traditional Girl Scout green to the newer Girl Scout blue.
    1989 - Low pressure off the coast of North Carolina brought freezing rain and heavy snow to Virginia and the Carolinas. Snowfall totals in Virginia ranged up to 18 inches at Franklin. Freezing rain reached a thickness of two inches around Charlotte NC.
    1995-Jansen Wins Gold: American speed skater Dan Jansen won a gold medal in the 1,000 meter race at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
    1995-Hootie and the Blowfish's "Hold My Hand" peaks at #10 on the pop chart.
    1995—Top Hits
Take A Bow- Madonna
Creep- TLC
On Bended Knee- Boyz II Men
Another Night- Real McCoy
    1997 – Pat Boone Cancelled: Trinity Broadcasting Network, a U.S. Christian TV net, cancelled Pat Boone’s weekly gospel music show after he appeared in black leather and fake tattoos on the American Music Awards show. The network said it received thousands of protest phone calls and letters from its ‘prayer partners’. Boone explained that his garb was designed to promote his album "In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy".
    1998-New standard for 56k modems: As speeds from ISDN connections, DSL, and now cable were threatening dials-up, the two major rival modem makers, 3Com Corporation and Rockwell International, announced a new standard for 56K modems. There still was confusion and it was hoped the new “high speed” would boost sales and overcome the growing competition. The battle over the protocol gave the rivals more sales, enabling them to lower prices even further.
    1998 – Harry Caray, born Harry Carabino, long-time Chicago Cubs broadcaster died at the age of 83 in Rancho Mirage, California.
    1999 – Dr.Ross Leaves ER: The much-anticipated departure episode on NBC's ER of Dr. Doug Ross, played by George Clooney, aired, was the top-rated show for the week, and earned a higher Nielsen rating than it had in many months. Each ratings point represents 994,000 households. ER earned a 23.8 rating, watched in 23.7 million homes.
    2000---Top Hits
I Knew I Loved You- Savage Garden
Thank God I Found You- Mariah Carey Featuring Joe
Amazed- Lonestar
What a Girl Wants- Christina Aguilera
    2001 - NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Sr., was killed in a crash during the Daytona 500 race.
    2001 - FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested and accused of spying for Russia for more than 15 years. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
    2003 - In South Korea, at least 120 people were killed when a man lit a fire on a subway train.
    2006 - American Shani Davis won the men's 1,000-meter speedskating in Turin. He was the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympic history.

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