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######## 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.

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Top Stories: February 13 - February 17
(Opened Most by Readers)

(1) Archives---February 15, 2002
Where is Richard Baccaro? Scottsdale, Arizona
Former Executive Vice-President of American Express Business Finance
-joined First Sierra, 1998.
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_15.htm#archives

(2) California DBO Strips Gateway Capital Partners
of its Ability to Make Loans
by Tom McCurnin, Leasing News Legal Editor
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_13.htm#dbo

(3) Leasing News Bulletin Board Complaints
by Kit Menkin, editor
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_15.htm#lnbbc

(4) New Hires---Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_17.htm#hires

(5) No, Leasing News Did Not Forget
Len Baccaro
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_17.htm#len

(6) Leasing/Finance Conferences – Updated Information
See LendIt Forum Schedule –Three Examples Posted
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_17.htm#conferences

(7) Jeff Schubert Joins Leasing News Advisory Board
Primarily Representing Alternate Finance Coverage
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_13.htm#jeff

(8) Jim Jackson Will Take the Helm of The Alta Group
M&A Practice in US with Active Year Anticipated
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_13.htm#jim

(9) Sales Makes it Happen by Jim Acee
Five Things Every Sales Manager Should Know
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_15.htm#five

(10) North Mill Equipment Finance Announces Promotions
Promotes Seven
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2017/02_17.htm#north

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Did Wall Street Take a Memory Loss Pill
OnDeck Lost $36.5 Million Q4, $86.5 Million YTD
By Dale Kluga

Here we have a company that lost $36.5 million in fourth quarter and $86.5 million for the year.

The news media spin reported, “To try and turn things around, OnDeck announces it is laying off up to 11% of their staff as part of a ‘cost rationalization plan’.”

Here is another quote from the news media story, "Despite the fact that OnDeck is now using the 5th generation of their proprietary OnDeck Score, they were unable to predict performance on loans that now make up more than a third of their portfolio, yet the company said they remain very confident in their scoring model."

Why would any legitimate risk manager ever make such a hypocritical and conflicting statement when they entirely understand that their business model has failed? The answer is very simple, it's called CYA self-preservation. For the more corrupt group of online lenders there's another reason - admitting that their data analytic credit models were completely fraudulent only guarantees huge financial penalties and jail time for the members of the executive suite, which is the next stage for those bad actors.

(August 14, 2015, Dale Kluga wrote in Leasing News, "Dale Kluga Sees Alternate Finance Bubble Ahead Concerned History is Repeating Itself." (1)

I wrote then the unsustainable "data analytic" credit models were never based on human judgment or historical credit cycles but rather, were intentionally formulated with naive and wishful thinking by software engineers having no lending or collections experience whatsoever.”

Wall Street, including but not limited to our best banker's (Jamie Dimon) failed use of OnDeck as his outsourced small biz lending servicing platform, (done because of his inability to scale any meaningful small biz lending activity internally within Chase combined with his desperate PR need to keep Liz Warren and her CFPB off his back), was completely duped by the investment bankers, greedy private equity firms/hedge funds who were desperately looking for yield in order to justify huge bets on yet another unsustainable credit model, nearly identical to the residential sub-prime credit meltdown during the Great Recession.

Did Wall Street take a memory loss pill or could they actually be that bold and corrupt to repeat yet another fraudulent scheme but this time upon small business job creators instead of homeowners?

History has indeed repeated itself once again, but this time I feel like Bill Murray in the financial equivalent of ground hog day. I keep waking up and the same financial frauds come back like a bad headache.

(1) Dale Kluga Sees Alternate Finance Bubble Ahead
Concerned History is Repeating Itself
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Aug2015/8_14.htm#kluga

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

[headlines]
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“Falling into Your Career”
Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

I have heard so often of people “falling into their careers.” You know, “I needed a job, was hired and have been in this role/industry since without much thought or just with the goal of moving up the ladder for better compensation and recognition.” Some people are lucky and enjoy their fated career; however, many wake up one day and realize they are miserable.
If you find yourself unhappy in your job, it is not too late to steer in a different direction (of course, be realistic about the time before you retire). Act now, the earlier you assess your career, the better off you will be!

Ideas for Next Steps

Visit a Recruiter such as myself.
Increase your formal education, take classes.
Ask for advice from others who are successful.
Don’t bother interviewing with companies that don’t meet long-term career goals or won’t grow themselves.
Be flexible to get where you want to be (e.g. a pay cut, relocate) to move into a role that will eventually lead to greater things.
Simply: Look Ahead!

I had a Candidate where we discussed, at length, his/her ideal role. Our Client had this opportunity, and an interview transpired; both sides felt there was a good fit. The Client was offering almost $10 thousand more than his/her current comp, and the opportunity would move her/him into a management role in a company expected to grow leaps and bounds over the next few years. The company’s growth would have given him/her executive-level status, additional compensation, and recognition. Due to the fact it would add to his/her commute, he/she did not want to proceed.
I believe this individual will look back on this opportunity and realize he/she failed to look at the long-term picture and accurately assess how this opportunity had lined up with his/her goals.

If you are looking at Directing Career, do not make hasty decisions without thinking about the long-term implications and most importantly: assess your current role. Don’t forget to evaluate if your INDUSTRY OR POSITION WILL BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN YOU FOR YEARS TO COME … SOME WILL BECOME OBSOLETE, KEEP THIS IN MIND!

For a Free Assessment Worksheet, email emily@riirecruit.com.

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

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

Leasing News Advisor
Allan Levine

Allan Levine, Partner
MADI$ON CAPITAL
11433Cronridge Drive
Owings Mills, MD 21117
alevine@madisoncapital.com
Direct Line: 443.796.7337
Office: 443.796.7333
fax: 443.796.7200
Equipment and Vehicle Leasing/Financing Solutions
www.madisoncapital.com

Allan Levine, co-founder of Madison Capital, has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of the company. After college, Mr. Levine did marketing work for Polaroid. He reportedly learned much of his sales and marketing skills at Polaroid. In 1971, he began working with a firm focused on vehicle and small-ticket equipment leasing. In 1974, Allan started Fox Auto & Truck Discount Leasing Company, which eventually merged with Harbor Leasing to become Madison Capital in August of 1997. Mr. Levine joined the advisory board June 6, 2007.

He doesn't see himself as retired, as he said he will, "... continue my partner responsibilities by supporting credit, being on the management team and Board of Directors... What I love best is, I want to continue providing financing solutions for my many past, current, and referrals of future clients."

Allan has served on many boards and committees throughout the leasing industry, and has been active in community organizations. His involvement has included the local chapter of the National Vehicle Leasing Association. He also has served on The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s Committee for Independent Leasing Companies and its Future Council group. He served on the board and was editor of the Eastern Association of Equipment Leasing's quarterly publication, until it merged with what is now the National Equipment Finance Association.

Mr. Levine is on the advisory board of Maryland Financial Bank. He is also on the board and finance committee of Woodholme Country club (he states it is his local golf stop). He is a past Chairman of the Board of The Chimes, an international not-for-profit serving over 20,000 individuals with development disabilities and employs more than 2300 employees.

He was Vice President of The Jewish Community Center and on its board of directors for many years. He has also served, at the board and committee levels of additional local philanthropic and community organizations. He is a past trustee of The Maryland Zoo which is the fourth largest in the US. He is past Chair of The Gordon Center (a 550-seat boutique venue for the performing arts). He has also served as a big brother in that local organization.

Allan was most recently appointed to the board of directors of Jewish Communal Services, the driving force for many Social Services in Maryland.
Mr. Levine is a graduate of the University of Maryland where he played lacrosse. He is married and has 7 grandchildren.

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Kickbacks

Those lessors that look to vendors of equipment for leasing leads have a tendency to offer a finder’s fee as an incentive. This finder’s fee is called a “kickback,” and is prohibited in some states without a written agreement, W9, a 1099 filed and copy sent to the vendor at the end of the year.

The many national captive leasing companies that have programs installed in their distributors expect to have first look at any leasing opportunity. The rate must be in line with what is offered by the captive for the vendor to look favorably on the local lessor. In addition, any kickback should be discussed and placed into a commission agreement. Third party originators also need to have an agreement, 1099 with a W2 signed, filing a 1099 at the end of the year, and sending notice to the vendor of the filing.

At one time, it was thought that a small number of these “kickbacks” would never be caught, but with the advent of software and auditing sophistication, including sharing tax schedule “C” filings, (as in San Jose, California, where they pick up whether you have a business license in addition to personal property tax obligations), be aware because you may be penalized.
For the lessor, the amount of the fee should be a defined percentage of the equipment cost or a percentage of the net present value of the payment stream. The fee must be amortized over the life of the lease, even though it usually is paid up front in cash. The problem with these programs is that they expect the lease to run the majority of the term. If the lease pays off early, the lessor must add the unamortized portion of the fee to the payoff to maintain the lessor’s yield. A default just writes it all off.

One of the problems that develops is when a leasing salesperson begins to give a kickback to a vendor’s salesperson without the direct knowledge of the vendor company, and especially without the vendor company’s permission. All arrangements like this must have the permission of the vendor with his complete knowledge of the size and content of the compensation.

Some lessors offer companywide programs like dinners and outings with prizes and gifts. This is like having a golf tournament and only allowing 18 players with a prize on every hole, and each player can only win one prize. This system is an attempt to get around state and company rules. At one time, it was common to also offer a free iPad or free prize. Some companies even send these offers to both lessee and vendor companies by regular mail and email.

A few lessors have tried under the table kickbacks, such as cash or gifts that are considered an attempt to defraud the income tax or state requirements. Both are not advised, although I am sure some salesmen continue this practice.

There are fee programs that are paid to the vendor on a participating non-recourse basis. This program means the fee is retained and is subject to actual losses of the lessor, but only the fee account is subject to this arrangement. The fee grows until it reaches a designed amount and the excess amount over will be paid to the vendor on a monthly or yearly basis. If a loss occurs, the lessor has the right to charge the fee pool for the loss. The vendor can limit the loss by remarketing the repossessed equipment. It all depends on the vendor agreement.

There are also more formal “private label contract” that treat the vendor as a “third party originator,” and this is getting more common today, especially due to the automation available via the internet. Many banks offer this, treating the transactions as a “loan,” classifying them as “capital leases.”

My main advice: the more formal your fee agreement can be, the better chance it will encourage the business to come your way. I encourage that you utilize an attorney familiar with leasing and finance to write the document that is to the benefit of all parties involved.

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

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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 Web Site.

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

Providence Capital Funding has Acquired
All Media Capital as a New Company Asset

BREA, Calif. -- Providence Capital Funding is excited by this new acquisition and looks forward to providing exceptional customer services to All Media Capital's vendors.

Providence Capital Funding, a capital funding group specializing in equipment leasing for businesses, has acquired All Media Capital founded in Brea, California. All Media Capital has been providing equipment financing solutions focusing on media, cinema, film production, and music studio financing since 1988. Providence Capital Funding plans to retain all of All Media Capital's employees and looks forward to providing exceptional customer service to the company's current vendors. It's President and leader, Jeff Thomas will be leading the All Media team.

Ofer Horn
Director of Operations
Providence Capital Funding

"We are excited about the expansion of our company and the added value All Media Capital a business of Providence Capital Funding," says Ofer Horn, Director of Operations, of Providence Capital Funding. "Providence Capital Funding has become one of the most effective and respected independent equipment leasing companies in the nation today. Its specialty is providing equipment leasing products to small and mid-size companies from A to C credit along with other vast products. We pride ourselves on the level of customer service we provide and the expertise of our staff."

The Equipment Leasing Association of America estimates that 80 percent of all companies secure equipment leasing and financing at least some of their equipment. The industry is growing and to meet the demand, so is Providence Capital Funding. The company is an independent equipment leasing company providing creative financing solutions to expanding businesses. The company works within many industries to provide equipment leasing solutions that meet their customer's diverse needs and demands. Their team of leasing professionals has more than 100 years of combined management experience in providing cost-effective finance solutions, and customers couldn't be happier with the level of service.

"I have been in the rental industry for over 25 years and have worked with many lending institutions. Our company was looking to buy additional equipment for $635,000. After looking at several banks and finance companies, I chose Providence Capital Funding. Providence really took the time to understand my business and they structured the loan according to my needs. The service was great and their pricing was competitive. In the near future I will definitely consider Providence for additional equipment financing," says Max H., a business President from Orange, California.
To learn more about the company, their vendor programs and business financing, visit ProvidenceCapitalFunding.com.

About Providence Capital Funding, Inc.
Providence Capital Funding, Inc. is an independent equipment leasing company providing creative financing solutions to meet the demanding needs of today's growing companies. The company recognizes the variety of financing options available in today's marketplace and their programs, pricing and experience collectively represent a superior financing alternative.

Providence Capital Funding works closely with numerous private warehouse lines funding partners and some large bank enabling them to offer the best financing options available. In operation since 2004, Providence Capital Funding, along with All Media has funded over billion in equipment loans and has maintained an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. The company's principals have more than 100 years of experience in working with growing companies providing cost-effective leasing solutions to businesses nationwide.

For more information, visit ProvidenceCapitalFunding.com.

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

News Briefs---

Texas Oil Fields Rebound From Price Lull, but Jobs Are Left Behind
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/business/energy-environment/oil-jobs-technology.html

Federal Agency Begins Inquiry Into Auto Lenders’ Use of GPS Tracking
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/business/dealbook/gps-devices-car-loans.html

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You May Have Missed---

Yes, Mr. President, Banks Are Lending
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/18/business/yes-mr-president-banks-are-lending.html?_r=0

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Winter Poem

Walking Alone in Late Winter
by Jane Kenyon

How long the winter has lasted -- like a Mahler
symphony, or an hour in the dentist's chair.
In the fields the grasses are matted
and gray, making me think of June, when hay
and vetch burgeon in the heat, and warm rain
swells the globed buds of the peony.

Ice on the pond breaks into huge planes. One
sticks like a barge gone awry at the neck
of the bridge. . . . The reeds
and shrubby brush along the shore
gleam with ice that shatters when the breeze
moves them. From beyond the bog
the sound of water rushing over trees
felled by the zealous beavers,
who bring them crashing down. . . . Sometimes
it seems they do it just for fun.

Those days of anger and remorse
come back to me; you fidgeting with your ring,
sliding it off, then jabbing it on again.

The wind is keen coming over the ice;
it carries the sound of breaking glass.
And the sun, bright but not warm,
has gone behind the hill. Chill, or the fear
of chill, sends me hurrying home.

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Sports Briefs----

NBA trade deadline: Are Carmelo Anthony and Jimmy Butler being shopped?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/02/20/trade-deadline-jimmy-butler-reggie-jackson-carmelo-anthony-jahlil-okafor/98176358/

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California Nuts Briefs---

San Jose region’s traffic-congestion delays hit a new high
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/20/san-jose-regions-traffic-congestion-delays-hit-a-new-high/

Major storms soak Bay Area
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Major-storm-soaks-Bay-Area-swells-rivers-10945452.php

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Top Wine Brands Reveal Market's Momentum
https://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?
section=news&content=180636

Wine exports set record, led by California labels
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wine-exports-20170213-story.html

Jay Z's Champagne Goes Flat
http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2017/02/jay-z-s-champagne-goes-flat

Wine packaging competition getting keener
http://www.capitalpress.com/Orchards/20170214/wine-packaging-competition-getting-keener

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

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   1704-The first permanent newspaper was "The Boston News-Letter," first issued this day. The first in Pennsylvania was "The American," published in Philadelphia in 1719. The first in New York was "The New York Gazette," in 1725; the first in Maryland was the "Maryland Gazette," issued at Annapolis in the summer of 1728. "The South Carolina Gazette," printed at Charleston at the beginning of 1732, was the first issued in that province; the first in Rhode Island was "The Rhode Island Gazette," printed at Newport in 1732; the first in Virginia was "The Virginia Gazette," printed at Williams burg in 1736; the first in Connecticut was "The Connecticut Gazette," printed at New Haven in 1755; the first in North Carolina was "The North Carolina Gazette," printed at New Berne the same year; and the first in New Hampshire was "The New Hampshire Gazette," printed at Portsmouth in the summer of 1756. At the period of the French and Indian war newspapers were printed in all of the colonies excepting in New Jersey, Delaware and Georgia. The printing-machines on which all the colonial newspapers and books were printed were simple in form and rude in construction.
    1821-Birthday of Charles Scribner . He and his sons form one of the most important publishing houses in New York . They published, among others, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, & Wolfe.
    1828- Cherokees receive their first printing press. The Sequoia tree is named after the man who invented the Cherokee alphabet, enabling writing and now printing.
http://www.historychannel.com/cgi-bin/frameit.cgi?p=http%3A//www.historychannel.com/
cgi-bin/today_relocate.cgi%3Fmonth%3D10%26day%3D11%26section%3Dthisday
%26x%3D17%26y%3D7
    1855 – Washington Monument Dedication. The official dedication of the monument to honor President George Washington took place in Washington, D.C.. Now known as the Washington Monument, it wasn't completed for another thirty-three years. In fact, the structure took a total of forty-eight years to finish. The stone obelisk honoring the first President of the United States was designed by Robert Mills who died in this, the year of the dedication.
    1855-Wesley College President Alice Freeman Palmer, born at Colesville, NY. She became president of Wellesley College at the age of 27. Under her leadership the school grew into one of the leading women's colleges. She was also instrumental in bringing the women's school Radcliffe College into its association with Harvard University. One of the organizers of the American Association of University Women, she served as its president for two terms. She was appointed the first dean of women at the University of Chicago when it opened in 1892. Palmer died Dec 6, 1902, at Paris.
    1858-First Burglar Alarm: Edwin Thomas Holmes installed the first burglar alarm in Boston, MA. The releasing of a spring by the opening of a door or window made a contact the caused a short circuit of the wires.
    1862-Slave Trading Hanging: the first execution for slave trading was carried out by the federal government by the hanging of Nathaniel Gordon at the Tombs prison, New York City. He had been tired and convicted of piracy under the lay of May 15,1820, which defined slave trading as piracy. Gordon, a native of Portland, ME, was the captain of the Erie. His ship was stopped by the U.S. Mohican about 50 miles off the African coast and was found to be carrying 890 Africans, including 600 children, to a slave market. The captives were released in Liberia and Gordon's ship was brought to New York City, where his trial was held.
    1862-Battle of Val Verde. Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley (described by his officers as "a walking whisky keg") led a band of Confederate volunteers from what is now Val Verde County here in southwest Texas to defeat in a Civil War battle in New Mexico. The goal was to bring the Western territory into the Confederate States of America, primarily for the gold and silver, and to keep the territory out of the United States. Confederate President Davis promoted Sibley to brigadier general on June 17, 1861, and sent him to Texas to put together a brigade to clear (what is now) New Mexico and Arizona of Union presence. He believed that his troops would be able to live off the land of New Mexico, and that the Union troops would not resist a Confederate invasion. On both counts, he was mistaken. While he defeated Union forces at Valverde and La Glorieta, he was unable to withstand the Union counterattack. He and his 1,500 remaining troops withdrew to Fort Bliss, Texas, and went to San Antonio to escape the California Column, under Union Brig. Gen. James H. Carleton. After this, Sibley was assigned to minor commands, and struggled with chronic illness and alcoholism. His performance in the Teche River Campaign of 1863 was poor. He was court-martialed and censured, but not convicted, after the Union failures at Irish Bend and Fort Bisland in April of 1863. Four years after the Civil War, he became general of artillery for the khedive of Egypt
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/VV/qkv1.html
http://www.digitalborder.com/~artpike/peco12.htm
http://www.confederatereuniongrounds.org/VVC.html
http://www.wood.army.mil/2-10IN/civil_war.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~atomic_rom/hhsibley.htm
    1866-First woman dentist: Lucy Hobbs became the first woman to graduate from a dental school at Cincinnati, OH, earning a DDS degree.
    1878 - The first telephone directories issued in the U.S. were distributed to residents in New Haven, CT. There were less than fifty subscribers; many complained their names were not spelled correctly and others listed, said they preferred to be “unlisted.” Ads supported the publication.
    1887- Oregon becomes the first state to make Labor Day a holiday.
    1904 - The National Ski Association was formed in Ishpeming, MI
    1910-Tenor Sax player Big Al Sears born Macomb, IL , Died March 23, 1990
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/s1/al_sears_b.htm
http://www.jazzvalley.com/musician/al.sears
http://www.wiu.edu/release.php?id=1366
http://www.redhotjazz.com/zackwhyte.html
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1087115&style=music
    1916-Battle of Verdun, the German High Command launched an offensive on the Western Front at Verdun, France, which became WWI's single longest battle. An estimated one million men were killed, decimating both the German and French armies, before the battle ended on Dec 15, 1916.
    1917—Trumpter player Tadd Dameron birthday
http://www.cleveland.oh.us/wmv_news/jazz30.htm
http://blackhistory.eb.com/micro/726/86.html
    1925- The New Yorker magazine published. Founded and edited by Harold Ross, he declares it is not "for the old lady in Dubuque." Some say the magazine to this day defines a “New Yorker”, perhaps, “wannabe New Yorker.” Dorothy Parker was Ross' friend, as was James Thurber, the cartoonist. Thurber asked Parker, who later became dramatic & literary critic, to contribute some material to the magazine, which at the onset was running on a shoestring. She said, “I came by the office to write something, but somebody was using the pencil.”
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/algonquin_round_table.html
http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/caricatures/table.htm
http://www.newyorker.com/
http://www.upress.state.ms.us/books/d/defining_new_yorker_humor.html
    1931 -- Scott Fitzgerald's short story “Babylon Revisited” is published in The Saturday Evening Post. It is arguably his finest piece among his semi autobiographical stories. It was later filmed as “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” with Van Johnson and Elizabeth Taylor.
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~tdlarson/fsf/babylon/
    1932 –The camera exposure meter was invented in 1931 by William Nelson Goodwin, Jr. of the Weston Electrical Instrument Corporation, Newark, NJ, who obtained a patent this day on a thermal ammeter. The first one, also manufactured in February, 1932, was called a photoronic photoelectric cell, popularly now known as a camera exposure meter. It contained a dial calculating device for translating brightness values into camera aperture settings. It required no battery for its operation, as it changed light energy directly into electrical energy.
    1933-Jazz singer Nina Simone, whose real name is Eunice Waymon, was born in Tryon, North Carolina. She got her first gig in an Atlantic City nightclub, changing her name to avoid embarrassing her deeply religious mother. Simone earned a gold record in 1959 for her recording of Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy." By the late 1960's, she had become deeply involved in the black-power movement, alienating the white audience with such songs as "Mississippi Goddamn" and "Four Women," both of which were banned on radio. Nina Simone quit the music business in 1974, making a comeback album four years later.
http://www.ninasimone.com/
http://homepages.moeller.org/gstanforth/new_page_28.htm
    1941-Trumpeter Jonah Jones joins the Cab Calloway Band. Arranger Buster Harding writes “Jonah Joins the Cab” as a welcome (Okeh 6109.)
    1947 –The instant camera was the Polaroid camera, invented by Edwin Herbert Land and demonstrated this day at a meeting of the Optical Society of America at the Hotel Pennsylvania, New York City. The camera contained a specially prepared photographic paper with “pods” of developer and hypo sandwiched with the film. The turning of a knob squeezed open one of the pods, which developed the negative and made the black and white print. The picture was produced in about one minute. It was not available for sale to the public until November. Various improvements have been made including color, speed of film and development. The digital camera has now replaced the simplicity and low cost of the camera and film, but the once profitable company has fallen on hard times.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpolaroid.htm
http://homepages.moeller.org/gstanforth/new_page_28.htm
http://aligator222.tripod.com/camera/p210.html
    1948---Top Hits
I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - The Art Moonie Orchestra
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
    1951-Cornet player Warren Vache born Rahway, NJ
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0200_060.htm
http://www.riverwalk.org/profiles/vache.htm
http://www.jazzspot.com/jazzspot/reviews/warren_vache.htm
http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/recordings.asp?oid=8761
http://www.cosmik.com/aa-november00/reviews/review_al_sears.html
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0599_107.htm
    1952- A 17-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis marries his first wife, preacher's daughter Dorothy Barton, in what is rumored to be a shotgun wedding.
    1953- Lighthouse All-Stars record at Hermosa Beach, CA ( Viva Zapata, Four Others.” This is the start of the famous Lighthouse All-Stars, who as teenage from 1956-61 would visit often: Shelly Manne, Shorty Rodgers, Bud Shank, André Previn, Art Pepper and many more.
    1956---Top Hits
Rock and Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
Lisbon Antigua - Nelson Riddle
It's Almost Tomorrow - The Dream Weavers
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
    1958-- Gibson's first "Flying V" guitar is shipped from a factory in factory in Kalamazoo, MI.
    1963- the Rolling Stones went “down under, playing Adelaide, Australia. 5,000 fans clashed with police. What has this to do with American History? America loves the Rolling Stones: Satisfaction is often voted the most favorite Rock ‘n” Roll song.
http://classicrock.about.com/library/artists/blstones.htm
    1964---Top Hits
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
You Don't Own Me - Leslie Gore
She Loves You - The Beatles
B.J. the D.J. - Stonewall Jackson
    1964-A New York band called The Echoes recruited a young piano player named Billy Joel. The quartet would play cover songs under the names The Lost Souls, The Commandos and The Emerald Lords before Billy split two years later to join The Hassles. He would make his breakthrough in 1973 with "Piano Man".
    1965- Malcolm X Shabazz, a black leader who renounced the Black Muslim sect to form the Organization of Afro-American Unity and to practice a more orthodox form of Islam, was shot and killed as he spoke to a rally at the Audubon Ballroom at New York, NY. Three men were convicted of the murder in 1966 and sentenced to life in prison. Born Malcolm Little, the son of a Baptist preacher, at Omaha, NE, May 19, 1925. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925. In 1947, while in a New York prison, he was introduced to the radical teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam and soon espoused their views. In 1964, Malcolm X was suspended by the NOI for his outspokenness and soon split with them. Following a pilgrimage to Mecca, he accepted the Islamic name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, and at the time of his death, had begun to develop more moderate, multicultural views. The originator of the Muslim faith was murdered, some say by the heir, and the history of this sect is full of violence. Malcolm X autobiography, with the help of author Alex Haley, is one of the most powerful written. Of the people I interviewed as a newsman, he was the most powerful, electric individual, I can remember. His aura was very similar to President John F. Kennedy, who you could feel had walked into the room before you actually saw. Malcolm X controlled every conversation.
http://www.triadntr.net/~rdavis/malcolm1.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345350685/qid=1013901913/sr=2-1/
ref=sr_2_1/104-3054308-9513505
    1966--The Beatles record "Nowhere Man."
    1966- Elvis begins filming his 22nd movie, Spinout. He also tells a local Los Angeles paper about the gospel album he's currently working on, eventually titled How Great Thou Art.
    1968 – Baseball Players get $10,000 minimum salary. An agreement between baseball players and club owners increased major league players' minimum salary to $10,000 a year.
    1969 –“Portnoy's Complaint”---Philip Roth's novel was published by Random House.
http://www.drjohnholleman.com/fall/portnoy.html
    1969- Elvis Presley purchases a Kodak microfilm reader and begins microfilming over 4,000 personal items.
    1970-Simon & Garfunkel's album "Bridge Over Troubled Water" enters the U.K. chart at Number One and stays there for nearly forty weeks; it remains in the Top Ten for 126 weeks. The title track goes gold in five days.
    1970-The Jackson 5 make their TV debut on American Bandstand where they sing "I Want You Back".
    1970- AFL joins NFL: After a protracted battle over players, fans and television ratings, the American Football League, founded in 1960, became part of the National Football League. Teams from the AFL were joined by the Cleveland Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Colts to become the American Football Conference. Remaining NFL teams became the National Football Conference. 1970- Jackson 5 make TV debut on "American Bandstand"
http://members.aol.com/mikeljaxn/jacksons/jfive.htm
http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=125
    1971 - An outbreak of tornadoes hit northeastern Louisiana and northern and central Mississippi. The tornadoes claimed 121 lives, including 110 in Mississippi. Three tornadoes accounted for 118 of the deaths. There are 1600 persons injured, 900 homes were destroyed or badly damaged, and total damage was 19 million dollars.
    1972---Top Hits
Without You - Nilsson
Hurting Each Other - Carpenters
Never Been to Spain - Three Dog Night
It's Four in the Morning - Faron Young
    1972 - The group, Climax, was awarded a gold record for their only hit, "Precious and Few". The Los Angeles, California-based group was led by Sonny Geraci, from the The Outsiders of "Time Won't Let Me" fame.
    1972-Nixon goes to China: Who would have believed it? Richard Nixon became the first US president to visit any country not diplomatically recognized by the US when he went to the People's Republic of China for meetings with Chairman Mao Tse-tung and Premier Chou En-lai. Nixon arrived at Peking on this date, and departed China on Feb 28. The "Shanghai Communiqué" was issued Feb 27. He actually opened up a lot more trade and diplomatic relations with this country.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb21.html
    1972- Climax' "Precious and Few" is certified gold.
    1974- Kool and the Gang's "Jungle Boogie" is certified gold.
    1975 – Watergate: Three aides of United States ex-president Richard Nixon, former attorney general John Mitchell, former chief of staff H.R. Haldeman and domestic adviser John Ehrlichman, were each sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment for obstructing the course of justice in the Watergate affair.
    1975- TV Show “Midnight Special:”Record company executive Clive Davis became the first non-performing host of the television show "Midnight Special." Featured acts were Barry Manilow and Melissa Manchester, both from Davis's Arista label.
    1975- "NBC Nightly News" ran a story on kung-fu dancing, a short-lived fad inspired by Carl Douglas's number-one record "Kung Fu Fighting." It is making a come-back among young Asian dancers.
http://www.go-winsome.com/articles/KungFuDancing.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312063490/inktomi-bkasin-20/
102-1682336-8966565
Here you can get the “Kung Fu Dancing Hamster:”
http://cellphones-accessories.com/cell-accessories/karate.html
    1976-- The Four Seasons finally score a UK #1 -- their first and last -- with their latest single, "December '63 (Oh What a Night)."
    1977 - NBC airs The Neil Diamond Special, a concert taped at the famed Greek theater in Los Angeles. The concert was simultaneously released as the live album Love at the Greek (sic).
    1979- The Dire Straits album is certified gold.
    1979- Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" is certified gold.
    1980---Top Hits
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
Yes, I'm Ready - Teri DeSario with K.C.
Love Me Over Again - Don Williams
    1981 - REO Speedwagon's "Hi Infidelity" was the #1 U.S. album. "Hi-Fidelity" spent a total of fifteen weeks at number one. The tracks: "Don't Let Him Go", "Keep on Loving You", "Follow My Heart", "In Your Letter", "Take It on the Run", "Tough Guys", "Out of Season", "Shakin' It Loose", "Someone Tonight", "I Wish You Were There".
    1981 - Dolly Parton reached the top spot on the pop music charts with "9 to 5", from the movie of the same name, in which Dolly starred with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. The hit song stayed at #1 for a week, gave way to Eddie Rabbitt's "I Love a Rainy Night" and popped back two weeks later for another week at number one. The era of independent women had started with quite an unlikely trio.
    1982 -"Ain't Misbehavin'" closes at Longacre Theater NYC after 1604 performances
    1982-Rock 'n' roll disc jockey Murray (the K) Kaufman, the self- proclaimed "fifth Beatle," died of cancer in Los Angeles. While we normally only mention birthdays, Murray the K was one of the most popular and influential deejays in New York City from 1958 to 1965 on WINS. In 1964, when the Beatles became famous and hit North America, Murray the K dubbed himself the "fifth Beatle" and tried to do as many interviews with the quartet as possible. He also played a small role in a fictitious film about the Beatles' arrival in New York, and was an adviser on "Beatlemania," a live show featuring Beatle look-alikes. Murray the K's last gig was as the host of a syndicated radio series featuring music of the '60s.
    1986- AIDS patient Ryan White returns to classes at Western Middle School
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/8222/ryan.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0451173228/inktomi-bkasin-20/
102-1682336-8966565
    1986- Montreal-born folk singer and poet Leonard Cohen appeared in an episode of the TV series "Miami Vice." He has many dedicated fans, perhaps a cult following.
http://www.leonardcohen.com/
http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/
http://www.leonardcohen.com/transcript.html
http://p.webring.com/hub?ring=lcring&list
http://cohenchords.sphosting.com/index.html
    1987 - Low pressure over central California produced gale force winds along the coast, and produced thunderstorms which pelted Stockton, Oakland and San Jose with small hail.
    1988 - Television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart announced tearfully in front of a crowd of 6,000, and while on national television, that he would relinquish the pulpit because of publicized photographs of him visiting a prostitute. Only a year earlier, Swaggart had denounced his rival evangelist Jim Bakker after a sex scandal had destroyed Bakker's PTL ministry. Swaggart was quoted, "I have sinned against you, and I beg your forgiveness." Swaggert claimed he did not engage in intercourse with the woman, but "paid her to perform pornographic acts". He then announced he would be leaving his ministry for an unspecified length of time. (Defrocked in April by the Assemblies of God, he was ordered to stay off TV for a year, but returned after only three months.)
    1988---Top Hits
Seasons Change - Expose
What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield
Father Figure - George Michael
Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star - Merle Haggard
    1989 -Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Ueberroth to discuss his gambling.
    1989 - Thunderstorms developing during the morning hours spread severe weather across Georgia and the Carolinas. Strong thunderstorm winds caused one death and thirteen injuries in North Carolina, and another four injuries in South Carolina.
    1991 -Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers" premieres at Richard Rodgers Theater in New York NY for 780 performances
http://www.spacey.com/yonkers.htm
    1992- Kristi Yamaguchi of US wins Olympics gold medal in women's fig skating
http://rc.yahoo.com/promotions/kristi/
http://taychmem.angelcities.com/heinlein/kyam1/kyam1.html
http://www.polaris.net/~shanhew/
    1994-Russian Spies Arrested: Aldrich Hazen Ames and his wife Maria del Rosario Casas Ames were arrested on charges they had spied for the Soviet Union beginning in 1985 and had continued to spy for Russia after the Soviet collapse in 1991. Ames had worked as a counterintelligence officer for the CIA at its headquarters at Langley, VA. Prosecutors said that the pair had been paid about $2.5 million for their activities and were probably responsible for the deaths of at least 10 CIA agents whom Ames had identified for the Soviets. The government considered this to be one of the most serious spy cases ever uncovered in the US. On Apr 28 Aldrich Ames was sentenced to life in prison. Rosario Ames was sentenced to a 63-month prison term in return for her husband's promise to cooperate with authorities1995 - Former Chicago stockbroker and U.S. balloonist Steve Fossett made history. He was the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon, landing in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada on this day.
    1995- Bruce Springsteen played with former members of his E-Street band for the first time since 1988. The brief reunion took place at a New York club, and was arranged to record a video for Springsteen's single "Murder, Incorporated." But he and his old band mates also ran through several favorites, such as "Prove It All Night," "Backstreets" and "Thunder Road."
    1995- Kenny Rogers proved the ultimate substitute at the Imperial Palace hotel and casino in Las Vegas. He filled in for impersonator Mark Hinds on "The Gambler" and "Ruby," then teamed with Dolly Parton impersonator Sandy Anderson on "Islands in the Stream." The audience wasn't told that the real Rogers was appearing.
    1996-Prodigy is sold again. There was Mosaic, which became AOL, CompuServe, one of the most popular for downloading software programs (if you knew the exact number—they did not use “names,” and Prodigy, perhaps the leader in the 1980's for “consumers” to utilize. After purchasing the program in a joint venture with IBM in 1986, Sears decided to sell its stake in Prodigy. Perhaps this was the foretelling of the future for the dot.com industry. The ten- year-old service, a joint venture by Sears and IBM, had cost one billion dollars to develop but had never shown reliable profits. Sears had initially hoped the venture would foster online shopping. The key was the speed of the Wide World Web where most used dial-up connections at 32,000 baud, and ISDN was expensive, as users were charged per minute for each of the dual lines. The hope was for 52k to increase speed, but the various companies had been producing their own codes that often did not work with current dial-up companies. Sears was having its own financial problems as they had hoped the web as their catalogue in the 19 th century would put them ahead of their competition. Later in the year, Prodigy's management would buy the company from Sears and IBM. It goes to show you being first is not all that it is cracked up to be, and of course, timing is everything.
    2008-- In what is reported as one of eBay's most expensive sales yet, the online auction house brokers a deal between an unnamed US music collector and an unnamed Irish collector for three million albums and singles in various formats, for a grand total of about one dollar per item.
    2009-An exhibit of James Brown's personal belongings opened at South Carolina State University. The collection included photos, crystal-studded suits, and even the hair curlers Brown used to form his signature pompadour.

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