Jeff Schubert Joins Leasing News Advisory Board
Primarily Representing Alternate Finance Coverage

A longtime friend from days when he ran American Bank Leasing, it is a pleasure to have Jeff on the Advisory Board, especially contributing his knowledge regarding Alternate Finance and expressing his viewpoint.
  - Christopher Menkin, Editor/Publisher

Leasing News Advisor
Jeff Schubert

Jeff Schubert
RapidAdvance
4500 East West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814
Direct Line: 770-714-9000
Office: 240-203-9224
Fax: 240-514-5811
jschubert@rapidadvance.com
www.rapidadvance.com

Jeff Schubert is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for RapidAdvance, responsible for spearheading their business development efforts in the equipment leasing industry. He has been active in the industry for over 30 years. He helped launch Eastman Kodak Credit Corporation in 1986, after which he held management and business development positions with CitiCapital, Lease Plan USA, American Equipment Leasing, Element Financial Corp. and Engs Commercial Finance. Jeff also ran his own equipment leasing company, American Bank Leasing, for over 10 years.

Jeff joined RapidAdvance in 2015 and spends the majority of his time working with equipment leasing companies and brokers to provide them with a full range of working capital products for their customers from $10k to $1MM. RapidAdvance is a proud member of the Rockbridge family of companies, which includes Quicken Loans, Fat Head and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The company is also a Gold sponsor of the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers and the National Equipment Finance Association.

Jeff lives in Blue Ridge, GA with his wife of over 33 years, Charlene. He is an avid reader and history buff and enjoys hiking, scuba diving, sailing and camping.

Leasing News Advisory Board
http://www.leasingnews.org/advisory_board.html

 

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Position Wanted – Credit
Work Remotely or Relocate for Right Opportunity

Each Week Leasing News is pleased, as a service to its readership, to offer completely free ads placed by candidates for jobs in the industry.  These ads also can be accessed directly on the website at:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Each ad is limited to (100) words and ads repeat for up to 6 months unless the candidate tells us to stop. Your submissions should be received here by the end of each week.

Please encourage friends and colleagues to take advantage of this service, including recent graduates and others interested in leasing and related careers. 

Credit

Will relocate for the right opportunity and can work remotely. I have (25+) years in making credit decisions, as well as helping sales team and third party originators close more transactions via understanding their applicant's financial abilities. I can create alternative or additional opportunities (and income) by knowing which type of loan is best for the borrower aaacorrespondent@gmail.com

Chicago, Illinois Highly knowledgeable and analytical Equipment Leasing Executive; leveraging 25 years in Portfolio Management, Operations, Credit, and Collections within Banking environment and Commercial Equipment Leasing Industry; proven track record, developing/ implementing strategies, sound operational excellence and process improvement, while maximizing revenues and positioning organizations for greater success. wgriffith61@yahoo.com  Resume

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

Work Remotely from Portland, Oregon Experienced commercial banker and former commercial equipment leasing industry professional seeking full-time or part-time work out of my home in Portland, Oregon. Over twenty years’ experience in credit analysis, underwriting, sales and collections. Known for creative problem solving and strong quantitative & qualitative analytical skills.  Demonstrated ability to gather information, evaluate and make informed strategic business decisions to maximize profit and mitigate risk. Well known for ability to develop strong business relationships with Clients and large list of national equipment leasing Brokers. Please see attached resume and contact me below if interested.  Resume JFrank@BL-Solutions.com

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Top Stories: February 6 - February 10
(Opened Most by Readers)

 

(1) Russ Rickards, Cenval Leasing/Bank of West Indirect Leasing
    Sends Message re: Closing of Bank of the West Indirect Division
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_06.htm#russ

(2) DocuSign Use in Federal Court Called into Question
         by Tom McCurnin, Leasing News Legal Editor
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_10.htm#docu

(3) Needs Help! Bank of West Source No Longer
      Lessor Needs Help on Solar Financing
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_08.htm#needs

(4) FMV Lease: What if the Parties Can’t Agree
               on the Purchase Price?
By Tom McCurnin, Leasing News Legal Editor
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_06.htm#fmv

(5) New Hires---Promotions in the Leasing Business
           and Related Industries
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_10.htm#hires

(6) Sales Makes it Happen by Jim Acee
   A Dozen "Do's and Don'ts" for Vendor Leasing Sales Reps
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_08.htm#dozen
   
(7) New York Broadens the Net of Its Licensed Lender Law:
            It May Now Include You!
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_08.htm#ny

(8) The State of Lending in the United States - Chart
  Commercial & Industrial Loans in the US in the last 10 Years
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_10.htm#chart

(9) Goldman Sachs Economists Are Starting to Worry
   About President Trump - Get ready for a wild ride.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-06/goldman-sachs-economists-are-starting-to-worry-about-president-trump

(10) Leasing Portals
  (Over 4,000 Finance/Leasing Sites)
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_08.htm#portals

 

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California DBO Strips Gateway Capital Partners
of its Ability to Make Loans
by Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal Editor

Another Out of State Unlicensed Broker Gets a Course Correction
 by the California Department of Business Oversight

In re Gateway Capital Partners.  (Department of Business Oversight 12-01-16). 

As banks exit the traditional core lending market, leasing companies and other non-traditional lenders have entered this middle market, often unregulated, and sometimes with disastrous results. In today’s case, this Utah based lender was pretty much beat down by the California Department of Business Oversight for operating without a license and for essentially stealing a borrower’s deposit. The facts follow.

Gateway Capital Partners, LLC is a limited liability company registered to do business in the State of Utah and touts itself as a commercial lender for SBA loans, conventional owner-occupied, investment property and construction loans, with a maximum amount of $25 million dollars. See  http://www.gatewaycp.com/  

In May, 2016, an undisclosed California borrower applied to Gateway and received a loan approval for $2,560,000. All he had to do was pay a “due diligence fee” of $15,000 and sign a letter of intent which he did. The loan never funded. The borrower presumably reported the incident to the California Department of Business Oversight, which started an investigation culminating in a “Cease and Refrain” order which prohibits Gateway and its principal, Shawn Michael Hammond, from operating in California until it obtains a California Lender’s License.

While all of us bemoan further regulation by governmental entities, this case is the poster child as to why we need it. This non-bank lending is largely unregulated, and operates under the radar, especially in Utah, where there is no regulation of lending whatsoever, so lenders have an open season to cheat borrowers and the borrowers’ only recourse is the civil courts. 

There are two takeaways here, one from the lessor’s perspective and one from the borrower’s point of view.

• First, if the reader is a lessor or lender, the DBO is cracking down and may issue a cease and refrain order if the lender or broker is operating without a license.  This is obviously a huge embarrassment for the lender (this one was noted on the Better Business Bureau website), so why not get a license?

• Second, if the reader is a borrower or lessee and is the victim of a fraud, send the details to the Department of Business Oversight, who may investigate the improper conduct.

The bottom line is that the DBO is now taking on out of state brokers.  You’ve been warned.

Gateway Capital Partners (2) pages
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/GatewayCapitalPartners2017.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

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

 

Leasing Industry Ads---Help Wanted
Join a Company Utilizing Latest Advantages of Financial Technology

 

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Testimonial---Leasing News Help Wanted Ads Work
Three to Four Places

“Thank you for working with us on our national sales position posting - it was successful - the responses were just as we desired - quality over quantity - two individuals, each with over 25 years of experience, have accepted positions with our company! “

Darren Gardner, CLFP
darrengardner@alliancecap.com
www.AllianceCap.com

Most news on line media advertisers have a "Help Wanted" Classified Ad section that a reader can click to. Leasing News also has a Help Wanted ad in the Classified Position Wanted on the website. We are different in several ways: The ad appears twice (two places): Online News Edition and website.

Further, Leasing News, at the same time as the classified section,  also feature the "Help Wanted" ad above the Masthead, on a rotational basis for each News Edition. When you open the News Edition, it is the first place you see it (it may appear in three places.)

In addition, an individual ad may be placed in the News Briefs section in each news edition, a highly read area, rotated chronologically with other Position Wanted ads when it is not above the Masthead. Depending on the number of ads, it may then have three places. Advertisers get their money’s worth, particularly when Leasing News is highly read.

Ads designed by Leasing News are based on a four line minimum of $595, and $40 a line thereafter (a space is a line). Repeat advertisers receive a discount.  Logo or graphic on top is free, as well as website information.  Email and/or clicking to other sites with full employment information is free. Ads run for 30 days.

If ads are designed by the advertiser, they are based on size.

For further information, contact Kit Menkin direct at 408-354-7967 or
kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

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Updating Your LinkedIn Profile’s Title/Heading
Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

 

Your LinkedIn profile is a “living document” and should be updated regularly with new activities and information. Many Candidates do not know how to update/make changes to their profile. Here are some tips on updating/changing your Profile’s Heading … the most important section. 
Before you begin updating your LinkedIn Profile, turn off your Activity Broadcasts to ensure that your current connections are not notified of changes you are making to your profile. This is important, as you may automatically be noted as a “new position” and sent out to all on your main list.
1) On the main menu, click on the thumbnail of your profile photo (which appears at the very top right of your profile, on the main menu bar)
2) From the drop-down menu, click on the blue “Review” link next to “Privacy & Settings”
3) On the “Privacy & Settings” page, click on the blue link for “Turn on/off your activity broadcasts” under the “Privacy Controls” section

Now that the Activity Broadcast is off, it’s time to edit your profile. Under the Profile menu, choose “Edit Profile”

Name Field
¨No change necessary to Name field
¨Update your Name field to comply with LinkedIn’s policies

1) If you need to update your Name field, click on the blue pencil next to your Name

Headline

Your headline is limited to 120 characters and can include special characters
1) Click on the blue pencil under your Name (next to your current Headline) to edit your Headline  

Country: (Optional) / Postal Code:(Optional) this will trigger Location / Industry (required): The Industry field is an important keyword for searchessochoose an industry that represents you well’ 

Edit URL
By default, LinkedIn assigns you a URL with random numbers and letters
1) Customize your URL by selecting the “Profile” menu from the navigation bar -  Click “Edit Profile” from the drop-down menu
2) Click the “Edit” box next to the existing URL - This will take you to a “Public Profile” page that allows you to control how your profile appears to the public - On the right-hand side of the page you can customize your Public Profile URL
3) Click on the blue link for “Customize your public profile URL”
  

Contact RII, for more information and tips on updating your LinkedIn Profile

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

Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLFP

Broker/Lessor Assignment Protection

One of the most frustrating problems brokers or lessors have is the loss of control of a lessee when a funder does the invoicing. The problem is compounded when, on occasion, the transaction is sold again as part of a larger syndication. Many brokers and lessors have residual expectations and future business from these transactions that are in danger of being ignored if a lessee early terminates or the funder does not have a method to record the obligation to reassign the deal to the broker or Lessor. The question of how to solve this problem has been around as long as lease transactions have been sold or assigned.

Some companies, such as Financial Pacific, send a separate letter to the broker or lessor acknowledging that they have the right to the residual when all the payments and obligations are complete. It is also common on funding sheets, such as from BSB Leasing that the residual ownership is spelled out.
Whether you have such a document in writing or not, the best way of saving a customer/lessee is constant contact.  Also request a status report each month on the deals you have sold to them so you can monitor the lessee progress and contact them 90 days prior to termination to determine their intention upon termination. First Federal Leasing out of Richmond, Indiana has been doing this for a long time and has become very popular with brokers and lessors.

Of course, it is always good salesmanship to keep in contact with your lessee, not just with birthday cards or a newsletter, but letting them know there is six months left on the contract and that they should notify whoever is collecting the payments, they intend to exercise the purchase option. This is extremely important if you are no longer doing business with this company or the lease was sold from where it was originally placed.

Here is another excellent reason to stay in contact with the lessee. If the lessee is getting behind, the funder can call the lease in default and the broker or lessor then loses the residual, even if another assumes the lease. It is not only maintaining a better relationship with your funder, but also protecting your residual or ability to be able to fund another lease for the lessee.

One of the current problems comes from the fact that a lot of the transactions sold by lessors are Article 9 leases that are “leases intended as security.” They are essentially loans and are very often handled by funders who use installment loan software that has limited capabilities for leasing. Even if they use lease software, it is usually restricted to the financial aspects of the deal and has no ability to record assignment parameters. In addition, many funders have back office personnel who handle lessees’ requests like early payoffs and end of the lease terminations. They do not have access to legal documentation or assignment agreements so when a lease/loan terminates they just close the books.

The only way that I can see to legally protect the agreement is to place language in the broker agreement that requires the funder to contact the broker prior to allowing a lease transaction to terminate early or fail to reassign the rental stream upon such termination. I would suggest one or two methods to accomplish this: Have a master broker agreement with this included and/or, on the short assignment of each deal, a statement of the individual transaction.

The problem, however, arises if the leasing company is sold or the leases are sold, or a bankruptcy occurs such as has happened with IFC Credit and the many Evergreen clauses enacted or “fair market value” when the original contract is $1.00. This is also common when one leasing company buys another and the conditions then change.

So the actual funding sheet may help you, but a letter such as from Financial Pacific or actual assignment agreement spelling out the broker or lessor rights to the residual as BSB Leasing does, as well as many other funders, are the best evidence to have.

http://www.clfpfoundation.org/toolbox/clfp_handbook.php

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

 

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John Leber Leaving Park Western Leasing
His Wife to Take His Position

Equipment Finance Special John M. Leber is leaving Park Western Leasing, Tempe, Arizona, effective today. In his place will be his wife, Monique Leber. He says, "Monique has been a PWL salesperson for nearly 17 years and is well versed on PWL programs and building quality relationships.”

Monique Leber
D: 480.237.6056
C: 602.405.0590
E: mleber@pwli.com

 

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for appraisals
and equipment valuations provided by Ed Castagna)

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

Jim Jackson Will Take the Helm of The Alta Group
M&A Practice in US with Active Year Anticipated

Bruce Kropschot to Remain Actively Involved

James R. Jackson, Jr.
Managing Director
Merger & Acquisition Advisory Practice
The Alta Group

GLENBROOK, NV, --The Alta Group announces  that James R. Jackson, Jr. has been promoted to managing director to lead the consultancy’s merger & acquisition advisory practice in the United States, while Bruce Kropschot will continue as a senior managing director supporting client engagements. Also working with Jackson is Patricia M. Voorhees, a director, who helped facilitate a number of M&As for Alta clients in recent years and, earlier in her career, for GE Capital.

Alta’s M&A team was involved in four equipment leasing and finance industry transactions that closed in 2016: Connext Financial’s acquisition by Engs Commercial Finance Co.; Atalaya Capital Management’s acquisition of CG Commercial Finance; BofI Federal Bank’s acquisition of equipment leases and certain operations of Pacific Western Equipment Finance; and Liberty Financial Group’s acquisition by Navitas Credit Corp. 

Based on transactions currently under a letter of intent, Kropschot reported that 2017 is expected to be an even more active year for acquisitions.

Bruce Kropschot
Senior Managing Director
The Alta Group

“Jim has played an important role in many of our recent M&A client engagements. With 30 years of executive expertise in equipment leasing, M&A and turnaround management, he has well earned his new leadership position,” Kropschot said. “After 31 years of M&A advisory experience during which we completed over 300 client projects, I have decided that it is time for me to step down from the leadership role.  However, I will continue to work with Jim and Patricia serving Alta’s M&A advisory clients.”

Prior to joining Alta, Jackson was senior vice president and chief financial officer of MicroFinancial Incorporated, a publicly held micro-ticket equipment finance company, where he helped spearhead the company’s turnaround from an after-tax loss of $22.1 million in 2002, to net income of $9.8 million in 2013 and was instrumental in selling the company at a significant premium in January 2015. Earlier, Jackson was a co-founder and vice president of finance for a startup technology leasing company for Deutsche Financial Services. Prior to joining Deutsche, he held several positions at AT&T Capital in Framingham, MA, including serving as the manager of business planning and financial point person for all proposed M&A activity.

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead the merger and acquisition advisory practice for The Alta Group.  Bruce’s equipment financing industry knowledge and expertise have proven invaluable to me over the past year and I will continue to rely upon his sound advice and experience as I transition to my new role,” Jackson commented.

About The Alta Group
The Alta Group is the leading global consultancy dedicated exclusively to the business of equipment leasing and asset finance. Since 1992, Alta has represented equipment leasing and finance companies, financial institutions, manufacturers and service providers, offering management consulting and expertise in global market entry, vendor and captive finance, professional development, legal services, asset management, mergers and acquisitions, and digital business transformations. In addition to supporting buyers and sellers of equipment leasing and finance businesses, Alta’s M&A advisory practice helps arrange debt and equity capital, conducts formal business valuations and provides due diligence support.

For information on the group’s services in the United States and Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, China, and Asia Pacific, visit http://www.thealtagroup.com

Spaniel/Mix
Arlington, Virginia Adopt-a-Dog

Noah

Animal ID: 34513903
Breed: Spaniel/Mix
Age: 9 months 17 days
Gender: Male
Size: Medium
Color: Brindle/White
Neutered
Declawed: No
Site: Animal Welfare League of Arlington

"Noah is an incredibly cute, very gentle and shy dog -- this guy needs a gentle adopter to match his soft personality. Noah is the perfect size for city living, but will required a quiet home with a family that will patiently allowed Noah to come out of his shell when he feels comfortable. He is very fearful and needs to learn how to walk on a leash. One way to help Noah feel more comfortable and relaxed is with lots of chest rubs. Noah would benefit with some confidence building classes to help him become a more confident pup, so prior to adopting we are requiring an adopter to enroll in training classes. Noah will do best in a home with older teenage children (15 and up), due to his sensitive nature."

Animal Welfare League of Arlington
2650 S. Arlington Mill Dr.
Arlington, VA 22206
703-931-9241
mail@awla.org

Adoption Hours
Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri - Noon - 7 pm
Tuesday, Closed
Sat-Sun, Noon - 4:00 pm

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

 

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Classified Ads---Employment Web Sites

Here is a list of top internet job web sites, several specializing in financial, money, and leasing, too.

www.adams-inc.com
www.affinitysearch.com
www.bajobs.com
www.careerbank.com
www.careerbuilder.com 
www.careerpath.com
www.careerjet.com
www.craigslist.org
www.creditjobstoday.com 
www.eApplicants.com
www.efinancialcareers.com
www.ejobapplications.com
www.employmentcrossing.com 
www.FinanceLadder.com 
http://www.findhow.com/
us.gigajob.com
www.hotjobs.com
www.Hound.com
jobapplicationdb.com
www.indeed.com
www.jobs.net
www.jobs-applications.com
www.jobssearchengine.net
www.jobsearchusa.org 
www.JobSpin.net
www.jobsinthemoney.com
www.ladders.com
www.leasingworld.co.uk
www.lessors.com
www.LinkUp.com
www.livecareer.com 
www.MarketingJobs.com
www.monitordaily.com
www.monster.com
www.monstertrak.monster.com/
www.moonlightingapp.com/
www.neuvoo.com
www.Postonce.com 
www.RecruiterConnection.com
www.resumeblaster.com
www.simplyhired.com
www.snagajob.com/part-time-jobs/
thejobfind.info/submit/
www.topjobapplications.com/ 
www.toplanguagejobs.com 
www.vault.com
www.vetjobs.com
www.worktree.com
www.ziprecruiter.com

News Briefs---

Banc of California says internal investigation
found no violations of law
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-banc-investigation-report-20170209-story.html

The LendIt Story
    By: Ed McKinley  (4 pages)
http://debanked.com/2017/02/the-lendit-story/

 

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You May Have Missed---

Bank Lending Practices January 2017 Senior Loan Officer
Opinion Survey by Federal Reserve Board (full report 80 pages)
https://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/snloansurvey/201702/default.htm

 

 

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Winter Poem

Shortcut Through the Storm 

by Robert Savino 

There were too few roads.
There were too many motorists.
My choice was longer in distance,
but far less travelled.

I took a shortcut through the storm,
crawling over the black-iced asphalt,
too close behind Boyd’s black flower car,
in the dreary pitch of Ocean Parkway.

Storm clouds shifting and changing,
pass over, so low, engulf my presence.
I exit in an angel’s breath,
a winged spirit of the Great South Bay,

greeted by Moses at the foot of the bridge,
moments from home and the neon lights
of strip mall shops, that brighten the bus
stop at the corner of Oak Neck Road.

Minutes pass slowly within these hours.
Sounds of snow plows wake me from sleep.

 

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Sports Briefs----

Raiders Reward Coach Jack Del Rio With New 4-Year Contract
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/6af54b5f-e4a1-3303-b989-61cee841221c/raiders-reward-coach-jack-del.html

Why Tony Romo’s landing spot could shake up the NFL Draft
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/dallas-cowboys-tony-romo-nfl-draft-browns-jets-broncos-2017-team-021217

Barry Bonds crashes Giants FanFest on bicycle, holds impromptu autograph signing
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/barry-bonds-crashes-giants-fanfest-on-bicycle-holds-impromptu-autograph-signing-033600828.html

The time a ref bribed Steve Young mid-game to date his daughter
http://nypost.com/2016/10/03/the-time-a-ref-bribed-steve-young-mid-game-to-date-his-daughter/

NFL: Buring questions in the off-season
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/02/07/super-bowl-51-patriots-falcons-offseason-moves

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California Nuts Briefs---

State says repairs to crippled Oroville Dam
    could run as high as $200 million
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article132154774.html  

Here’s how big California’s economy really is
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/10/heres-how-big-californias-economy-really-is/

 

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Napa, Sonoma cabernet sauvignon winegrape pricing
    pushes North Coast to new record
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/6652267-181/napa-sonoma-cabernet-sauvignon-winegrape

New Zealand Winegrowers releases 1st Sustainability Report
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1702/S00329/new-zealand-winegrowers-releases-1st-sustainability-report.htm

Napa Valley’s Honig Vineyard and Winery hires dog
  to sniff out mealybugs and diabetes danger
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/6639537-181/napa-honig-vineyard-dog-diabetes-mealybug?artslide=0

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

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

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

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

        Breakfast was the main meal of the day in Colonial America. At the turn of the 19th century, most Americans had plenty to eat, but few enjoyed a balanced diet. Farmers grew their own food and shot wild game. In the cities that lack of refrigeration and even of canning until about 1820 meant that much sale pork and other preserved items were staples. Fresh fruits and vegetables were not available for much of the year. Foreign visitors were impressed by the amount of greasy food consumed by Americans and the speed at which it was eaten. A visiting French count reported that he was nearly made ill by breakfast that included fish, steak, ham, sausage, salt beef and hot breads. "The whole day passes in heaping indigestion on one another."  The English had a similar view, "They eat with the greatest possible rapidity and in total silence...(breakfast consisted of) cornbread, buns, buckwheat cakes, broiled chickens, bacon, steak, rich hominy, fish, fresh and pickled, and beef-steak." Charles Dickens was repelled by those dyspeptic ladies and gentlemen who eat unheard-of quantities of hot corn bread..."
    1635 - The oldest public school in the United States, the Boston Public Latin School, was founded. 
    1741 - Andrew Bradford published “The American Magazine,” just three days ahead of Benjamin Franklin's “General Magazine.”  He had been in Franklin's employ long enough to learn the trade and beat his old boss to the street with his publication.
    1784 - Ice flows blocked the Mississippi River at New Orleans, then passed into the Gulf of Mexico.
    1819 - In Congress, the Missouri Bill is introduced. It would allow the Missouri Territory to draft a constitution and prepare for statehood. James Tallmadge of New York proposes two anti-slavery amendments. One would ban the further introduction of slavery. The other would emancipate the children of slaves in Missouri, born after the admission of the territory as a state, at the age of 25. The amendments pass the House on 17 February, but fails in the Senate on 27 February. 
    1826 - The American Temperance Society (later renamed the American Temperance Union) was organized in Boston. It quickly grew into a national crusade, and within a decade over 8,000 similar groups had been formed, boasting a total of 1.5 million members.
    1831 - Birthday of Union General John Rawlins (d. 1870), born in Galena, Illinois. Rawlins was a close personal aide to General Ulysses S. Grant and was reported to have kept Grant from drinking heavily during the war. Rawlins' family was originally from Virginia but had settled in Illinois shortly before Rawlins' birth. When Rawlins was a teenager, his father abandoned the family and headed for the gold fields of California. The younger Rawlins received little formal education, but he studied law and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1854. He became the city attorney in 1857 and became involved in state politics. He was an avid supporter of Senator Stephen Douglas and served as an elector for Douglas in 1860. When the war began, Rawlins became the aide de camp to Grant. He was Grant's principle staff officer throughout the war, and Grant said that Rawlins was nearly indispensable. Grant was known to be a heavy drinker when he served on the frontier in the 1850s, and there were rumors that he continued to drink during the early stages of the war. Rawlins appears to have been instrumental in keeping Grant “in line.” Many reports of Grant's drinking were over-exaggerated, it is said. After the war, Rawlins served in the west. He helped General Greenville Dodge survey the route for the Union Pacific Railroad, which later became part of the first transcontinental line. For his efforts, the town of Rawlins, Wyoming, was named after him. When Grant became president in 1869, Rawlins became secretary of war. His health declined after taking office, and he died just six months later. Rawlins is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/sw-sa/Rawlins.htm
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.com/jrawlins.htm
http://www.mscomm.com/~ulysses/page47.html
    1847 - General Kearney acts on orders to establish a new government in Monterey while Freemont still acts a governor in Los Angeles.
    1854 - Admiral Perry anchors off Yokosuka, Japan to receive Emperor's reply to treaty proposal. This agreement, forced on the Tokugawa shogunate by Commodore Perry's menacing "black ships," ended over two centuries of virtual exclusion (the exception being the Dutch) of foreign traders from the coast of Japan. The intrusion of the U.S. in the first place derived from the ill-treatment accorded American whaling crews when shipwrecked off the coast or landing for provisions or repairs. The treaty fully satisfied the U.S. government's concerns in this regard but left to the future the equally important matter of opening the country to foreign trade; concluded in 1858 with the signing of the Harris treaty. Perry's great achievement was widely recognized at the time. 
    1861 - Colonel Bernard Irwin distinguished himself while leading troops in a battle with Chiricahua Apache Indians at Apache Pass, AZ (at the time part of the territory of New Mexico).  For two days, this army assistant surgeon “voluntarily took command of troops and attacked and defeated the hostile Indians he met on the way.” For those actions, Irwin later became the first person awarded the new US Medal of Honor, although he didn't actually receive it until three years later (January 24, 1864).
    1862 - The four-day Battle of Fort Donelson, Tennessee, begins. After capturing Fort Henry on February 6, 1862, Grant advanced cross-country to invest Fort Donelson. The original garrison of the two forts was about 2,500 men, and Albert Johnston had dispatched about 12,000 reinforcements from Bowling Green, KY, under John Floyd to bolster the defense. A few men also arrived from Columbus, the western end of the Confederate defensive line. Grant had wanted to move fast, to prevent reinforcements arriving at all, but wretched weather (rain before and during his operations ruined the roads) delayed him and the Confederate troops arrived safely. Fort Donelson was a much stronger work than Fort Henry, larger, with a stronger garrison, about 100 feet above the river (so it had plunging fire on ships), and on a ridge which narrowed routes for infantry attack. The Confederates had a strong line on the next ridge outwards from the fort, with each of the Generals commanding a sector while Floyd (the senior) also had overall command. Grant deployed two divisions in line, with a third arriving. On the 12th, despite orders not to, McClernand had one of his brigades probe the Confederate defenses. They charged two or three times and found the defenses strong and well manned: Union losses were heavy. Grant had intended simply to surround the fort and have the Navy batter it into submission. 
    1865 - The Confederacy approved the recruitment of slaves as soldiers, as long as the approval of their owners was gained. 
    1866 - The famous James Gang, which operated in Missouri after the Civil War, which included the James brothers, Frank and Jesse, and the Younger brothers, Cole, James and Robert, held up their first bank at the Clay County Savings and Loan Association in Liberty, MO.  The cashiers, brothers Greenup and William Bird, were locked in the bank's vault, while the robbers joked that “all birds should be caged.” The made off with $60,000 in currency and securities. It was the first of more than 26 raids by the James Gang that yield more than $500,000 in loot.
    1885 - Birthday of Elizabeth "Bess" Wallace Truman (d. 1982), First Lady to President Harry Truman, known as "the Boss," assisted the President with many political decisions; served as Truman's secretary when he was a senator from Missouri.
     1885 - The "Friday the 13th" avalanche at Alva, UT, killed sixteen persons, and left thirteen others buried for twelve hours before being rescued.
    1892 - Grant Wood (d. 1942), American artist, especially noted for his powerful realism and satirical paintings of the American scene, was born near Anamosa, IA. He was a printer, sculptor, woodworker and high school and college teacher. Among his best-remembered works are American Gothic, Fall Plowing and Stone City. 
http://www.blueroom.com/AMGOTHIC/amgothic.htm
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA98/haven/wood/intro.html
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0811812421/macinsearch08-20/702-4688379-2551201
http://www.byways.org/travel/byway.html?CX_BYWAY=2183
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/Chronicle/servlet/at/go(review,0811812421)
(four down: http://sunsite.auc.dk/cgfa/w/w-4.htm)
    1899 - On the edge of the greatest arctic outbreak of all-time, a vicious blizzard pounded the mid-Atlantic and New England states. 20 inches of snow fell at Washington, DC and 34 inches fell at Cape May, New Jersey. The central pressure of the storm was estimated to be 966 millibars (28.53 inches) just southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. It was the coldest morning ever along the Gulf Coast, with temperatures of 6.8 degrees at New Orleans, Louisiana, 7 degrees at Pensacola, Florida and 1 degree below zero at Mobile, Alabama. The record low temperature for the state of Florida was set at Tallahassee when the mercury tumbled to 2 degrees below zero. The record low temperature for the state of Louisiana was set at Minden, when the thermometer fell to 16 degrees below zero. A trace of snow fell at Fort Myers, Florida. This was the farthest south snow has ever been observed in the US until 1977.
    1899 - -1ºF (-18ºC) New Orleans LA; -2ºF (-19ºC) Tallahassee FL (state record); -16ºF (-27ºC), Minden LA (state record); the coldest temperature ever recorded at Dayton, Ohio occurred when it dropped to 28 degrees below zero.
    1900 - Birthday of trumpet player Joseph Matthews "Wingy" Manone (d. 1982), New Orleans.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/wingy.html weekday) 
    1905 - -29ºF (-34ºC) Pond AR (state record); -40ºF (-40ºC) Lebanon KS (state record); -40ºF (-40ºC) Warsaw MO (state record)
    1910 - Birthday of William B. Shockley (d. 1989), London, England.  Shockley was the manager of a research group at Bell Labs for solid state physics that included John Bardeen and Walter Brattain. The three scientists invented the point-contact transistor in 1947 and were jointly awarded the 1956 Nobel prize in Physics.  Shockley's attempts to commercialize a new transistor design in the 1950s and 1960s led to California's Silicon Valley, becoming a hotbed of electronics innovation. In his later life, Shockley was a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford and became a proponent of eugenics.
    1914 - The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers – ASCAP - was formed in New York City.  The object of the society was to protect the copyrighter musical compositions of its members against illegal public performance for profit or other forms of infringement, and to collect license fees for authorized performances in public amusement establishments for distribution among its members.  George Maxwell was the first president.  It became affiliated with similar societies functioning in foreign countries.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb13.html
    1918 - Birthday of Patty Berg (d. 2006), Minneapolis, MN.  By age 20, she had won every major amateur golf title in the world. When she turned pro at 22, newspapers commented that she would be making $145 a week and "that's quite a bit of money for a girl 22 years old and taking her first job." 
    1919 - Birthday of country and religious singer Tennessee Ernie Ford, whose full name was Ernest Jennings Ford (d. 1991), born in Bristol, Tennessee. He was nicknamed "the Ol' Peapicker," and is best known for his 1955 hit "Sixteen Tons," which sold four-million copies. But Ford had his first hit, "Mule Train," in 1949. The success of "Sixteen Tons" gained Ford an NBC television series, which ran from 1955 to 1961 and was very popular. During his career, Tennessee Ernie Ford has also recorded many religious albums. One of them was awarded a platinum disc in 1963 for one-million copies sold. 
    1919 – Eddie Robinson (d. 2007) was born in Jackson, LA.  For 56 years, from 1941 to 1942 and again from 1945 to 1997, he was the head football coach at Grambling State, a historically black university in Grambling, Lincoln Parish, LA.  Robinson is recognized by many college football experts as one of the greatest coaches in history. During a period in college football history when black players were not allowed to play for southern college programs, Robinson built Grambling State into a small college football powerhouse. He retired in 1997 with a record of 408 wins, 165 losses, and 15 ties. Robinson coached every single game from the field and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. He coached the second most victories in NCAA Division I history and the third most overall.    
    1920 - After his plan to bring Negro teams to the Majors was rejected by commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis, Chicago Negro baseball tycoon Andrew "Rube" Foster organized the Negro National League. Eight teams joined in its inaugural season: the Chicago American Giants, Chicago Giants, Cuban Stars, Dayton Marcos, Detroit Stars, Indianapolis ABCs, Kansas City Monarchs, and St. Louis Giants.
http://my.execpc.com/~sshivers/foster.html
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_
and_honorees/hofer_bios/foster_rube.htm
http://www.nlbpa.com/foster__andrew_-_rube.html
http://www.enel.net/beisbol/player/fostr101.asp
http://www.all-sports-posters.com/negro-baseball-league.html
http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/fosterrube.shtml
    1920 - The League of Nations recognized the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland.
    1921 - Tenor sax player Wardell Gray (d. 1955), Oklahoma City, OK
http://www.oklahomajazz.com/w_gray.htm 
    1923 – Chuck Yeager was born in Myra, WV.  A former Air Force officer and record-setting test pilot, in 1947, he became the first pilot confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight.
    1927 - Birthday of tenor sax player Roger “Buck” Hill, Washington, DC
    1931 - Ted Lewis' version of "Just A Gigolo" is the most popular tune in America. David Lee Roth would score a number 12 hit with the same song in 1985.
    1933 - Birthday of actress Kim Novak, born Marilyn Pauline Novak, Chicago.
    1935 - Bruno Hauptmann found guilty of kidnap and murder of Lindbergh's infant. Some believe it was Lindbergh's sister who suffered from mental illness, and expressed jealousy of the young baby, who actually killed the child. It is claimed that there never was conclusive evidence the crime was committed by Hauptmann.
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/trials26.htm
    1936 - The Lutheran Army and Navy Commission was organized by the Missouri Synod for the purpose of commissioning chaplains for military service and to minister to Lutheran personnel among the military overseas. In 1947 its name was changed to the Armed Services Commission.
    1938 - Birthday of Bunny Sheppard of the Ukranian-Canadian pop music duo Mickey and Bunny, in Rosa, Manitoba. Mickey and Bunny were popular in the 1960's
    1939 - In Martinez, California, Italian-American Mario Cowell recorded Olmeda's rendition of six Italian folk songs, including "Marinaro” (The Sailor) and " La Capinera” (The Blackbird), a song he had learned, he said, from his father. The musical heritage of numerous ethnic groups representative of the diverse peoples who settled in the San Francisco Bay Area are in “California Gold: Folk Music from the Thirties, 1938-1940,” including Armenians, Basques and Croatians. 
(lower half of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb13.html )
    1940 - Earl “Fatha” Hines records “Boogie Woogie,” “St. Louis Blues.”
http://www.redhotjazz.com/hines.html
    1941 - Woody Herman band records its theme, “Blue Flame.”
    1944 - Birthday of Peter Tork of the manufactured-for-television group, the Monkees, was born Peter Halsten Thorkelson in Washington, DC. The success of the Monkees' TV show beginning in 1966 led to their singles and albums selling in the millions. Their hits included "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday." Peter Tork was one of two members of the quartet who actually could play an instrument when he was chosen for the group. Tork was the first to leave the Monkees, in 1968. The other three members went their separate ways a year later. Three of the Monkees reunited in 1986 for a successful tour and a hit album.
    1945 - Allied firebombing caused a firestorm in Dresden, Germany. The Air Force had discovered fire was more destructive than heavy bombs and began utilizing them in raids over Germany and then in Japan.  This strategy is credited with shortening the war and saving thousands of allied lives. More than 3,400 tons of explosives were dropped on the city by 800 American and British aircraft. The firestorm created by the two days of bombing set the city burning for many more days, littering the streets with charred corpses, including many children. Eight square miles of the city was ruined, and the total body count was between 35,000 and 135,000 (an approximation is all that was possible given that the city was filled with many refugees from farther east). The hospitals that were left standing could not handle the numbers of injured and burned, and mass burials became necessary. Among the American POWs who were in Dresden during the raid was novelist Kurt Vonnegut, who conveyed his experience in his classic antiwar novel “Slaughterhouse Five.”
http://www.duke.edu/~crh4/vonnegut/index.html
http://www.researchpaper.com/forums/
Arts_and_Entertainment/messages/47.html
    1945 - PEREZ, MANUEL, JR., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A 511th Parachute Infantry, 11th Airborne Division. Place and date: Fort William McKinley, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 13 February 1945. Entered service at. Chicago, Ill. Born: 3 March 1923 Oklahoma City, Okla. G.O. No.: 124, 27 December 1945. Citation: He was lead scout for Company A, which had destroyed 11 of 12 pillboxes in a strongly fortified sector defending the approach to enemy-held Fort William McKinley on Luzon, Philippine Islands. In the reduction of these pillboxes, he killed 5 Japanese in the open and blasted others in pillboxes with grenades. Realizing the urgent need for taking the last emplacement, which contained 2 twin-mount .50-caliber dual-purpose machineguns, he took a circuitous route to within 20 yards of the position, killing 4 of the enemy in his advance. He threw a grenade into the pillbox, and, as the crew started withdrawing through a tunnel just to the rear of the emplacement, shot and killed 4 before exhausting his clip. He had reloaded and killed 4 more when an escaping Japanese threw his rifle with fixed bayonet at him. In warding off this thrust, his own rifle was knocked to the ground. Seizing the Jap rifle, he continued firing, killing 2 more of the enemy. He rushed the remaining Japanese, killed 3 of them with the butt of the rifle and entered the pillbox, where he bayoneted the 1 surviving hostile soldier. Single-handedly, he killed 18 of the enemy in neutralizing the position that had held up the advance of his entire company. Through his courageous determination and heroic disregard of grave danger, Pfc. Perez made possible the successful advance of his unit toward a valuable objective and provided a lasting inspiration for his comrades. 
    1946 - African-American Isaac Woodward, Jr., discharged from the Army only a few hours, was on his way home when he had his eyes gouged out in Batesburg, South Carolina, by the town chief of police, Linwood Shull. Still in uniform, Woodward was traveling on a bus from Atlanta, Ga. to Winnsboro, S.C. About an hour out of Atlanta, Woodward had an altercation with the bus driver over use of a restroom. At Batesburg, S.C., the driver called the police and ordered Woodward out. Chief of police Linwood Shull struck Woodward across the head with a Billy club, and in jail, gouged out his eyes, blinding him for life. On November 5, however, an all-white federal jury acquitted Shull after being out for 15 minutes.
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/blind.html
    1947 – Mike Krzyzewski was born in Chicago.  Since 1980, he has been the head men's basketball coach at Duke University, leading them to five NCAA Championships, 12 Final Fours, 12 ACC regular season titles, and 13 Acc Tournament championships. He was also the coach of the US men’s national basketball team, which he has led to three gold medals in the Summer Olympics of 2008, 2012 and 2016. He has additionally served as the head coach of the American team that won gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 FIBA World cup. He was also an assistant coach for the 1992 Dream team.  On November 15, 2011, Krzyzewski became the winningest coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball history. Krzyzewski's 903rd victory set a new record, breaking that held by his former coach, Bob Knight. On January 25, 2015, Krzyzewski became the first Division I men's basketball coach to reach 1,000 wins.
    1948 - Top Hits
“Ballerina” - Vaughn Monroe
“I'll Dance at Your Wedding” - Buddy Clark with The Ray Noble Orchestra
“Now is the Hour” - Bing Crosby
“I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)” - Eddy Arnold
    1949 - Actor-director Jack Webb gets his start in realistic crime drama with the radio show “Pat Novak for Hire,” which makes its national network debut on ABC. Jack Webb played Novak, whose deadpan, hard-boiled delivery foreshadowed “Dragnet's” Joe Friday. The show ran for only about four months.  Webb was raised by his mother in Southern California. After high school graduation, he spent four years in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, working a desk job. He started his radio career in San Francisco and soon landed his Novak role. In 1949, he was chosen to play the role of Lt. Lee Jones in “He Walked by Night,” and it was there that he met Marty Wynn, a sergeant for the Los Angeles Police Department who was working as a technical adviser for the program. Webb's conversations with Wynn and an invitation to review real LAPD case files spurred Webb to develop “Dragnet,” as a radio show. CBS rejected the show, but NBC agreed to give Webb's program a trial run in 1949, even though his show lacked a sponsor. Eighteen weeks later, cigarette company Chesterfield agreed to sponsor the show, a partnership that lasted for seven years. The television debut of “Dragnet,” four years after the radio program began, marked the beginning of realistic TV police dramas. Webb starred as Sgt. Joe Friday and narrated the shows in a documentary style, turning "Just the facts, ma'am" into a national catchphrase. Episodes were based on real cases from the Los Angeles Police Department, and each half-hour segment concluded with the capture of the perpetrator, followed by a short synopsis of what happened at the suspect's trial. My late father, Lawrence Menkin, wrote several of the “Dragnet,” stories from actual cases from a Los Angeles policeman who wanted to become a writer and collaborated with my father (sorry, don't remember his name or what ever happened to him). My father was an old radio writer that got him in with Webb, and the fact that the person co-writing the scripts with him was an actual uniformed LA police officer, sold many of the stories they wrote. Another bit of trivia, one of my best high school friend’s father, Harry Morgan, joined the second series as Sgt. Ben Romero. “Dragnet,” was resurrected in 1967 under the name “Dragnet ‘67” and ran for another two years, focusing this time on helping citizens in distress and community service rather than high-intensity crime. In 1987, it was revived again, this time as a spoof feature film starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks. The TV show reappeared two years later as a syndicated series, airing in the 1989-90 season in New York and Los Angeles only, then nationally syndicated the following season.  Webb, whose other television series included “Emergency!” and “Adam 12,” died of a heart attack in 1982 and was buried with full LAPD honors. The LAPD retired the badge he wore on “Dragnet,” sergeant's badge No. 714, and erected a memorial to him on the LAPD Academy grounds.
http://timstvshowcase.com/
    1953 - Senator Edwin Johnson warned Major League baseball owners not to televise their games nationwide. The Senator said broadcasting the games to a national audience would threaten the survival of minor league baseball. Major League owners did not share the Senator's opinion, and games, especially those on NBC, had a large following.  Minor League baseball has enjoyed renewed birth with many reaching attendance records.
    1954 - Guitar Slim's "The Things that I Used to Do" hits #1 R&B
    1954 – Frank Selvy, Furman University, became the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game.
    1955 - Elvis Presley performs at the Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, TX, billed as "The Be-Bop Western Star of the Louisiana Hayride." It is the first concert booked through Col. Tom Parker. Also on the bill that day: Buddy and Bob, a country duo featuring an eighteen-year-old Buddy Holly. 
    1956 - Top Hits
“Rock and Roll Waltz” - Kay Starr
“No, Not Much!” - The Four Lads
“Teenage Prayer” - Gale Storm
“Why Baby Why” - Red Sovine & Webb Pierce
    1961 - Frank Sinatra unveiled his own record label, Reprise. Sinatra had a low opinion of rock music but nonetheless the label would release recordings by the Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix and the Kinks.
    1961 - Lawrence Welk's "Calcutta" hits #1 
    1964 - Top Hits
“I Want to Hold Your Hand” - The Beatles
“You Don't Own Me” - Leslie Gore
“Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um” - Major Lance
“Begging to You” - Marty Robbins
    1965 - President Lyndon B. Johnson decides to undertake the sustained bombing of North Vietnam that he and his advisers have been contemplating for a year. He thought he could run the war better than his generals.  It is said he did not want “the enemy” to think that he was “soft.” Earlier in the month, the president had ordered Operation Flaming Dart in response to communist attacks on U.S. installations in South Vietnam. These retaliatory raids did not have the desired effect of causing the North Vietnamese to cease support of Viet Cong forces in South Vietnam, and out of frustration, Johnson turned to a more extensive use of airpower. Called Operation Rolling Thunder, the bombing campaign was designed to interdict North Vietnamese transportation routes in the southern part of North Vietnam and slow infiltration of personnel and supplies into South Vietnam. The first Rolling Thunder mission took place on March 2, 1965, when 100 U.S. Air Force and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF planes struck the Xom Bang ammunition dump 100 miles southeast of Hanoi. In July 1966, Rolling Thunder was expanded to include North Vietnamese ammunition dumps and oil storage facilities, and in the spring of 1967, it was further expanded to include power plants, factories, and airfields in the Hanoi-Haiphong area. Operation Rolling Thunder was closely controlled by the White House and at times targets were personally selected by President Johnson. From 1965 to 1968, about 643,000 tons of bombs were dropped on North Vietnam. A total of nearly 900 U.S. aircraft were lost during Operation Rolling Thunder. The operation continued, with occasional suspensions, until President Johnson, under increasing domestic political pressure, halted it on October 31, 1968.
    1965 - Sixteen-year-old Peggy Fleming won the ladies senior figure skating title at Lake Placid, NY. Fleming would go on to win Olympic gold, and as a professional skater, signed a long-term, $500,000 contract for several commercial endorsements that lasted for years. She appeared in TV specials and performed with the "Ice Follies" and "Holiday on Ice" and was elected to the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame and the Olympic Hall of Fame.
    1965 - Motown group Jr. Walker & the All Stars enter both the pop and R&B charts for the first time with "Shotgun," which establishes the group's trademark hard-driving "roadhouse" R&B sound. The song makes it to Number One on the R&B charts and #4 on the pop chart.
    1965 - Gary Lewis and the Playboys record "Count Me In" 
    1966 - The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on American television, on "The Ed Sullivan Show" from New York.  It was tape recorded the day before.
    1967 - The Beatles, "Strawberry Fields Forever" b/w "Penny Lane" 
    1969 - The New York Stock Exchange board of governors approved the admission of the first African-American, Joseph Louis Stearles III, a partner in the brokerage firm of Newburger, Loeb and Company.
    1969 - The Doors' single "Touch Me" and Sly and the Family Stone's single "Everyday People" win gold records.
    1969 - CREEK, THOMAS E., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, Company I, 3d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Near Cam Lo, Republic of Vietnam, 13 February. 1969. Entered service at: Amarillo, Texas. Born 7 April 1950, Joplin, Mo. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifleman with Company 1 in action against enemy forces. L/Cpl. Creek's squad was providing security for a convoy moving to resupply the Vandegrift Command Base when an enemy command detonated mine destroyed 1 of the vehicles and halted the convoy near the Cam Lo Resettlement Village. Almost immediately, the marines came under a heavy volume of hostile mortar fire followed by intense small-arms fire from a well-concealed enemy force. As his squad deployed to engage the enemy, L/Cpl. Creek quickly moved to a fighting position and aggressively engaged in the fire fight. Observing a position from which he could more effectively deliver fire against the hostile forces. he completely disregarded his own safety as he fearlessly dashed across the fire-swept terrain and was seriously wounded by enemy fire. At the same time, an enemy grenade was thrown into the gully where he had fallen, landing between him and several companions. Fully realizing the inevitable results of his action, L/Cpl. Creek rolled on the grenade and absorbed the full force of the explosion with his body, thereby saving the lives of 5 of his fellow marines. As a result of his heroic action, his men were inspired to such aggressive action that the enemy was defeated and the convoy was able to continue its vital mission. L/Cpl. Creek's indomitable courage inspired the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
    1970 - General Motors is reportedly redesigning automobiles to run on unleaded fuel. 
    1970 - The Jaggerz, a six piece group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, entered the Billboard chart with a song called "The Rapper." Although the tune would rise to #2 during an eleven week run, it would be the band's only chart appearance. 
    1971 - The Osmonds, a family singing group from Ogden, Utah, started a five-week stay at the top of the pop music charts with "One Bad Apple." The song, featuring little Donny Osmond, also showcased the talent of older brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay Osmond. They were regulars on Andy Williams' television show from 1962-1967. The group got their start in 1959 as a religious and barbershop quartet. Together, the Osmonds had 10 singles in four years, and four of the songs were top ten hits.
http://www.researchpaper.com/forums/
Arts_and_Entertainment/messages/47.html
    1972 - Top Hits
“Let's Stay Together” - Al Green
“Without You” - Nilsson
“Precious and Few” - Climax
“One's on the Way” - Loretta Lynn
    1972 - "1776" closed at 46th St Theater NYC after 1,217 performances. 
    1974 - Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille, better known as The Captain & Tennille, were married in Virginia City, Nevada. 
    1974 - The heavily-publicized Bob Dylan and the Band tour ended at the Forum in Los Angeles. Many of the tracks on Dylan’s ”Before the Flood" album were recorded at this concert.
    1977 - Birthday of football player Randy Moss, Rand, WV.  Moss played 14 seasons in the NFL. He holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record (23 in 2007), the NFL single-season touchdown reception record for a rookie (17 in 1998), and is second on the NFL all-time regular season touchdown reception list with 156. He is widely considered to be among the greatest wide receivers of all time. 
    1980 - Top Hits
“Rock with You” - Michael Jackson
“Do that to Me One More Time” - The Captain & Tennille
“Coward of the County” - Kenny Rogers
“Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight” - The Oak Ridge Boys
    1981 - Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of Moon" becomes the longest-running rock LP on the Billboard chart, finishing up its 402nd week. The two LPs that have charted longer are Johnny Mathis' "Greatest Hits" (490 weeks) and the "My Fair Lady Original Cast Recording" (480 weeks).
    1983 - Marvin Gaye puts a sensual (some say too sensual) spin on the National Anthem at the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. 
    1985 - Ready to release tomorrow on Valentine's Day, Whitney Houston's self-titled debut album by Arista Records. The LP will produce four giant Billboard hits, "You Give Good Love" (#3), "Saving All My Love for You" (#1), "How Will I Know" (#1), and "Greatest Love of All" (#1). 
    1987 - A storm in the western U.S. produced heavy rain over central California. Chews Ridge reported nearly eleven inches of rain in 24 hours, and extensive flooding occurred in San Benito County. The Mount Rose ski resort in Nevada experienced a "white-out" with 60 mph winds and 36 inches of snow. 
    1988 - Strong winds in the wake of a storm in the northeastern U.S., gusting to 60 mph at Oswego NY, produced six-foot snow drifts in northeastern Ohio. High winds in the mountains of Utah, gusting to 106 mph at the Snowbird ski resort, contributed to a forty car pile-up on Interstate 15, near the town of Bluffdale. 
    1988 - Now a party classic, Buster Poindexter's (a.k.a. David Johansen) "Hot Hot Hot" peaks at #45 on the chart.
    1988 - Michael Jackson buys a ranch in Santa Ynez, California that he dubs "Neverland."
    1988 - Top Hits
“Could've Been” - Tiffany
“Seasons Change” - Expose
“I Want to Be Your Man” - Roger
“Wheels” - Restless Heart
    1989 - Cliff Richard received a special lifetime achievement award at the British Phonographic Industry BRITS awards show in London. He was cited as being the most enduring pop star Britain has produced.
    1989 - Showers and thunderstorms produced locally heavy rain and flash flooding from central Texas to western Pennsylvania. Up to ten inches of rain deluged western Kentucky in two days, with five day totals ranging up to 13.16 inches at Gilbertsville Dam KY. Flooding caused tens of millions of dollars’ damage, including $18 million at Frankfort KY. 
    1990 - Working Woman magazine announced a base rate of 1,000,000, the first business magazine to reach that exalted distribution rate - larger than Fortune, Forbes or Business Week. 
    1990 - A slow moving cold front brought heavy snow to Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. Big Horn WY reported 15 inches of snow, and up to 22 inches was reported in Utah. In Colorado, 8 to 12 inches of snow fell over the northwest suburbs of Denver, while 16 to 22 inches was reported in the high mountain elevations west of Fort Collins. Strong winds accompanied the heavy snow, and bitter cold weather followed in its wake.
    1990 - Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders scored the 500th goal of his career in a 4-2 loss to the Calgary Flames. Trottier finished his career with 524 goals and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.
    1990 - Drexel Files for Bankruptcy
after spending a good part of the 1980s wheeling and dealing its way to the top of the financial world, the Drexel Burnham Lambert Group saw its empire crumble by the dawn of the 1990s. For a good spell, Drexel Burnham was barely a blip on Wall Street's radar. However, Drexel's head of bond trading, Michael Milken, helped change the firm's fortunes by focusing his efforts on the junk bond market. A long ignored sector of the investment industry, junk bonds focused on the buying and selling of high-risk, high-yield bonds issued by fledgling companies, as well as concerns with poor credit ratings. By the 1980s, junk bonds were booming, thanks in large part to the troubled savings and loan industry, which turned to the bonds in hopes of boosting their sagging fortunes. Drexel, which, thanks to Milken, dominated this market, fast became a Wall Street heavyweight. But, the firm's woes began in 1988 as the economy, which had boomed its way through the middle of the decade, turned sour. Prices of junk bonds plunged, which not only created a nasty financial mess, but also focused a spotlight on Milken and Drexel's less than savory practices. The government initiated a probe into the firm and its star trader: the investigation found Milken guilty of various securities infractions, including skimming generous amounts from depositors' funds; it also revealed a rat's nest of corruption and shady deals at Drexel Burnham. A trial ensued and the government slapped the firm with $650 million in fines. Coupled with the Drexel Burnham's sizable, and expensive, backstock of junk bonds, the fines placed a considerable burden on the firm's finances. By early 1990 Drexel had run out of funds and, on this day in 1990, filed for bankruptcy.
    1992 - Oakland Athletics star José Canseco rammed his Porsche intentionally into his estranged wife Esther's BMW after a dispute. Local new reports also said he spat on her windshield. Esther Canseco, age 25 and a former Miss Miami beauty queen, did not want to press charges. However, in a criminal assault case, the state had the option of pressing ahead without her cooperation or consent.
    1992 – “Wayne's World,” the motion picture starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, opens in movie theaters across the US. The soundtrack includes cuts from Queen, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. 
    1996 - Pointcast, an obscure company in Cupertino, California, announced a beta version of a free service that grabbed Web pages and information from the Internet and then displayed the data on the user's screen. By 1995, Netscape dominated the browser war, but Pointcast was their first challenge. The service became the year's most popular product, creating a near hysteria in the industry over Pointcast's so-called "push" technology. Media pundits predicted the end was near for the Web browser. By the following year, however, the limitations of push technologies became clear, and the hype died down. It seemed the death of the browser had been much exaggerated.  Microsoft was to adopt the technology, and began bundling their program in their operating software, actually preventing Netscape from operating, making it the exclusive browser.
http://www.hmetzger.de/netscape/Netscape_History.html
    1997 - The Dow-Jones Index of 30 major industrial stocks topped the 7,000 mark for the first time.
    1997 - Michael Jackson became a father when his wife, Deborah Rowe Jackson, gave birth to a son at a Los Angeles hospital. Jackson had announced in November that Rowe, a nurse who worked with the singer's dermatologist, was six months pregnant with his child. They married later that month in Sydney, Australia, where Jackson was on tour.
    1997 - The Dow Jones topped the 7,000 mark for the first time.
    1999 - Monica's "Angel of Mine" was the #1 top-40 hit in the U.S.: “I look at you, lookin' at me; Now I know why they say the best things are free; I'm gonna love you boy you are so fine; Angel of Mine.” 
    2005 - At the 47th Grammy awards, Ray Charles's duets album "Genius Loves Company" won eight trophies, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Former Beach Boy's leader Brian Wilson won his first ever Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental for "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" from his CD "Smile", the album he was forced to delay for nearly 40 years because of emotional problems. Led Zeppelin received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Guitarist Jimmy Page was on hand along with bassist John Paul Jones and the children of late drummer John Bonham. Other classic rockers who took home statues were Rod Stewart - Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for "Stardust...The Great American Songbook Volume III" and Bruce Springsteen - Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for "Code of Silence" from his album "The Essential Bruce Springsteen". 
    2011 - With appearances by Mick Jagger, Barbra Streisand, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry, the CBS broadcast of The Grammy Awards played to their largest audience in 10 years. 26.55 million Viewers tuned in to see Country trio Lady Antebellum win Song of the Year and Record of the Year with "Need You Now."