Leasing Person of the Year for 2010: Curt Ritter

C. Curtis Ritter
CIT Vice President
Director of External and Internal Communications
& Media Relations

During very tough times as CIT struggled to survive in the financial meltdown of the banking and finance industry, Curt Ritter was everywhere. The CIT vice president did not duck the news media, instead staying positive, he rallied the troops, gave interviews, and in fact appearing to never sleep.  

His role as CIT Director of External and Internal Communications & Media Relations was recognized by the Public Relations Society of America as he received “2010 Silver Anvil Award of Excellence, Crisis Communications.” 

Many others were involved in CIT's financial time of need, as the government appeared backing out of its original position on helping banks and financial institutions. But Mr. Ritter was the one with the contacts in the media and who had developed strong relationships with the media.

Ritter, who not only answered questions, but was building support through his news media contacts. For the last five years, he has arranged interviews for Leasing News with CIT executives, department managers, branding programs, always returning telephone calls promptly, and seemed to work both evenings and weekends. In short, Ritter is always available. 

He achieved the goal of getting the news media behind CIT in its time of need. Ritter even had us reaching out to politicians as I did to all my old contacts in San Francisco where I knew many of them from my radio and TV news days before they were elected to higher positions. Leasing News took an editorial stand and contacted other media, too. They listened as it came from a colleague. 

While Leasing News does not run many press releases, that is not the case with CIT as it is "thank you" for his professional approach in dealing with the news media. He has been instrumental in the success of the company he represents. 

It also should be noted he is responsible for the development and management of the CIT "Media Room," the best Leasing News has seen not only in the finance and leasing industry, but a benchmark for banks and other corporate media sites. 
http://www.cit.com/media-room/index.htm

Prior to CIT, he was first vice-president and director of corporate communications for W.P. Carey for five years, almost three years as First Deputy Press Secretary, Office of the May of New York City/Rudy Giuliani/three years with Edelman Public Relations; MBA Columbia University, Columbia Business School; BA, Arizona State University, Broadcast-Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/curtritter

Christopher Menkin, Publisher

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

Advisory Board

Edward Castagna, Nassau Asset Management, Westbury, NY
Steve Crane, CLP, Bank of the West, Walnut Creek, CA
Dale Davis, Endeavor Financial Services, Costa Mesa, CA
Phil Dushey, Global Financial Services, Manhattan, NY
Ken Greene, Esq. Hamrick & Evans, Universal City/Kentfield, CA
Shawn D. Halladay, The Alta Group, Salt Lake City, UT
Robert S. Kieve, Empire Broadcasting, San Jose, CA
Bruce Kropschot, Kropschot Financial Services, The Villages, FL
Bruce Lurie, Douglas-Guardian Services Corporation, Houston, TX
Andrew Lea, M.A. Point Richmond, CA
Allan Levine, Madison Capital, LLC., Owings Mills, MD
Don Myerson, BSB Leasing, Colorado, Hawaii
Armon L. Mills, CPA, San Diego Business Journal, San Diego, CA
Dan Pulcrano, Metro Newspapers, San Jose, California
Ginny Young, former Brava Capital, Orange, CA
Rosanne Wilson, CLP 1st Independent Leasing, Beaverton, OR

2005 Leasing Person of the Year Paul Menzel, CLP, participated in the nomination procedure.

Classified Ads---Asset Management

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

Haverhill, MA Started in credit and collections 30 years ago with a private agency. My skills are negotiating with Attorney's, Insurance Companies & Large & small companies. cityofpa@earthlink.net | Resume

Minneapolis, MN 16 years leasing experience from micro to large ticket market, variety of equipment. Most recently calling on vendor telecom dealers in Upper Midwest. golfadm@yahoo.com

Santa Barbara CA (will relocate) Experienced Asset Manager of various portfolio's for a bank, broker and leasing company. Utilized specialized remarketing companies to maximize collateral values. Worked remote two years. geoff.taylor@verizon.net | Resume | Reference 1 | Reference 2

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

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

Very Good News from NACM

Yes, very good news from the 18,000 business credit and financial professionals who make up the National Association of Credit Manager. Their CMI December business survey declares “momentum going into 2011.”

“Sales reached the highest point of the last 12 months, getting back to levels last seen in April when it was at 65.7, “the December report said “It now stands at 65.9, a solid improvement on the 61.9 registered in November.”

"The sales numbers have been rising in both manufacturing and service sectors and that is promising for the coming quarter," said Chris Kuehl, PhD, NACM economic advisor and director of Armada Corporate Intelligence.

"The improvement in new credit applications is more significant yet, given the impact it has on future growth. For the first time in well over three years, it broke 60. There is certainly reason for future optimism as this factor was only registering 54 to 54.8 as late as September. More and more businesses are now anticipating expansion and are seeking credit in order to meet that expected demand."

The NACM CMI found "There were more rejections of credit applications, but some of that was expected with the overall increase in credit applications. The more troublesome aspect of these rejections indicates far more unqualified applicants than in the past."

"This is the point in an economic recovery that provokes some desperation within the business community," said Kuehl. "As key competitors start moving to capture more market share, their rivals have no choice but to try to keep pace, forcing companies to seek expansion regardless of whether they can really afford it."

NACM CMI also noted "Several other unfavorable factors also showed weakness. There were more disputes, more accounts placed for collection and more filings for bankruptcy. The data suggest that another series of industry shakeouts are on the way. This is the period when weak companies that have been hanging on in anticipation of increased demand will either get the business boost they need to survive or will discover that the rescue is too late. Overall, the combined index of unfavorable factors remained steady compared to last month, but it's expected that these numbers will worsen in the months to come—unless and until there is a more pronounced recovery in the economy.

Manufacturing Sector

"In 2010, the anticipation of more economic growth drove activity through the spring, but the economy slumped again when that growth didn't appear. Then, with a stronger than-expected consumer response at the end of the year, there was another potential boost to manufacturing and that seems to be reflected in December's sales and new credit applications data. Sales numbers now look better than they have since March's 66.9, and the new credit applications number is better than it has been in over two years. There has been a smaller boost in the amount of credit extended, moving from 61.2 to 61.6, but the real point is that this number is above 60."

Service Sector

"The numbers for the service index have been steady and positive, inching up slowly month by month from November's 55.2 to December's 55.8. The index is now standing higher than it has in over two years. The increase in sales was not quite as dramatic as manufacturing's, but was still responsive-up to 65.1 from 61.6-putting it close to April levels. The number of new credit applications jumped a bit as well, from 58.6 to 61.1. Overall, the favorable factors moved from 60.2 to 62.2, exceeding the level reached in April 2010.

"Much of what has pushed this sector is in retail and the core service areas like transportation and professional services. Financial services continue to struggle and there is still very little sign of life in the construction arena. The bad news is that there are more problems with the unfavorable factors. Again, there is little that is highly dramatic, but most of the categories are in decline: rejections of credit applications, accounts placed for collection, disputes and dollar amount of customer deductions. The exception is with dollar amounts beyond terms. Here again there seems to be a connection to the effort to collect and keep debts under control."

Manufacturing and Service Index Levels
December 2010 vs. December 2009

"The story of the last year appears to be consistency. For 12 months now, the CMI has wavered in a very narrow range between 52 and 56. That is nothing to prompt dancing in the streets, but it also suggests that the recovery has been solid, albeit slow. The other interesting point is that for the last couple of months, the two sectors have been tracking in tandem and that is generally a good signal for the economy as a whole.

Full NACM CMI Report here:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/NACM_December.pdf

Two New Banner/Display Ad Programs for 2011

15 Day---30 Day
also with quarterly, semi- and annual pricing

- All design work is free.
- Clicking to a web site or another page is free.
- If design work sent, please send jpeg or gif and with right click of mouse, please check pixel size of ad.

Web Banner Advertising
Price	Ad Size	Pixels Size	Term

$395.00

6.5" W X 1.5" H

468W X 108H

15 days

These banner ads do not appear in the headline section or Constant Contact News Edition. They are placed by the editor in appropriate articles to gain the maximum attention.

These are prices per month with a commitment to run
consecutively for three month, six months, one year.

Quarterly	Semi-annual	Annual
Three Months	Six Months	One Year
$350	$325	$300

Web Banner Advertising
Price	Ad Size	Pixels Size	Term

$595.00

6.5" W X 1.5" H

468W X 108H

30 days

These banner ads do not appear in the headline section or Constant Contact News Edition. They are placed by the editor in appropriate articles to gain the maximum attention.    

These are prices per month with a commitment to run
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Quarterly	Semi-annual	Annual
Three Months	Six Months	One Year
$550	$500	$450

 

Web Display Advertising
Price	Ad Size	Pixels Size	Term

$695.00	6.5" W X 2.5" H	468W X 180H	30 days
$895.00	6.5" W X 4" H	468W X 288H	30 days
$995.00	6.5" W x 5"H	468W X 360H	30 days

These display ads appear below the headline section and Constant Contact News Edition
in a chronological order at the discretion of the editor or
are placed by the editor in appropriate articles to gain the maximum attention.

(They are placed by the editor in appropriate articles to gain
the maximum attention when not below the headline section.)

These are prices per month with a commitment to run
consecutively for three month, six months, one year.

	Quarterly	Semi-annual	Annual
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$895	$795	$750	$700
$995	$885	$850	$800

 

Web Display Advertising
Price	Ad Size	Pixels Size	Term

$450.00	6.5" W X 2.5" H	468W X 180H	15 days
$650.00	6.5" W X 4" H	468W X 288H	15 days
$750.00	6.5" W x 5"H	468W X 360H	15 days

These display ads appear below the headline section and Constant Contact News Edition in a chronological order at the discretion of the editor or are placed by the editor in appropriate articles to gain the maximum attention.

(They are placed by the editor in appropriate articles to gain
the maximum attention when not below the headline section.)

  These are prices per month with a commitment to run
consecutively for three month, six months, one year.

	Quarterly	Semi-annual	Annual
One Month	Three Months	Six Months	One Year
$450	$425	$400	$375
$560	$525	$500	$475
$750	$700	$650	$600

(Prices for fixed positions in the news edition are available)

Leasing News reserves the right to refuse advertising, particularly
to a company that has appeared in the complaint bulletin board.

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Sales Manager – Houston Office 5 years+ equip fin/leasing experience Player/Coach 3-4 Rep’s, Energy Experience+ Must have track record of overachievement Controller – So California Office AR, AP,Tax,Fin-Statement Prep/Internal Controls Treasury Mgmt/Lease Acct and IT knowledge all++ Please submit resume to mcurtis@firstncc.com FIRST NATIONAL CAPITAL CORPORATION Is the 5th Largest Privately Held Equipment Finance Company In the United Stateswww.firstncc.com

Transportation Focused Company seeks Credit Manager. Knowledge of automated scoring as well as subjective credit underwriting a must. Compensation commensurate with experience. Located in the Inland Empire, please email wdalton@crlease.com

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP

Lease vs. Loan (Capital Lease)

Many who are in equipment leasing do not understand the difference between a transaction that is actually a disguised conditional sales contract (such as a $1 purchase option lease) and a legal lease that qualifies as an “Executory Contract.” This has many ramifications besides accounting or tax, specifically in recovery procedures, especially for Bankruptcy. If the lease is a disguised conditional sales contract then the transaction is declared an “Article 9 Loan” and the leasing company will be looked at as a lender, and must have filed a UCC 1 (with in the 20 days after possession) to be considered a secured lender.

A legal lease that follows the definition of a lease is referred to as an “Executory Contract” and then the bankruptcy trustee must return the equipment to the Lessor within twenty days, of the order for relief, or to assume the lease. If the trustee assumes the lease then the trustee must (A) cure the default; (B) provide adequate assurance to a party other than the debtor to such lease for any actual pecuniary loss resulting from such lease and; (C) provide adequate assurance of future performance under such lease.

The court takes control of a lender's collateral under Article 9 and has the ability to “cram down” the claim to the perceived value of the collateral so the lender must file an unsecured claim for the amount of the cram down. This is the same for a disguised conditional sales contract. A lease under Article 2A (Article 10 in California) where the trustee must return the equipment or bring the lease current and keep it current is a preferred type of transaction when considering a credit that provides some risk of default.

In a case under chapter 7, if the trustee does not assume or reject an executory contract or unexpired lease of personal property within 60 days after the order for relief, or within such time as the court, for cause, within such 60 day period, fixes, then such contract or lease is deemed rejected. In a case under chapter 9, 11, 12, or 13 of this title, the trustee may assume or reject an executory contract at any time before the confirmation of a plan but the court, on the request of any party to such lease, may order the trustee to determine within a specified period of time whether to assume or reject such lease.

The definition of a legal lease for the purpose of recovery, these rules are what must be followed: the term of the lease can not exceed 80% of the equipments “useful life”; the lessee can not have an economic incentive or be required to renew the lease for the remaining useful life.

If an option to renew the lease or purchase the equipment exists the options must be for the reasonably predictable fair market at the time the option occurs; return conditions and location can not be greater than the cost of exercising the purchase options or a fair market purchase option will be a bargain. There is no requirement that a UCC financing statement be filed to be a legal lease but many lessor still do so, to cover a possible unfavorable ruling by the bankruptcy trustee that the transaction was in fact an Article 9 loan instead of an Article 2A lease.

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty years and can be reached at leaseconsulting@msn.com or 502-327-8666.

He invites your questions and queries.

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

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

2011 Lease Conference Schedule

March 8-11, 2011
2011 Truck Rental and Leasing Association
Annual Meeting
The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa
Rancho Mirage, CA
http://www.trala.org/about/

March 17 - 19
Spring 2011
National Equipment Finance Summit
National Equipment Finance Association
Hotel Valley Ho - Scottsdale, Arizona

Agenda:
http://www.nefa.affiniscape.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=116

Registration:
https://m360.nefassociation.org/event.aspx?eventID=22839

April 7---April 9, 2010
Annual Conference
National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers
Hilton Austin
500 East 4th Street
Austin, TX 78701

April 12--April 14
Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
23rd Annual National Funding Conference
Fairmont Hotel
Chicago, Illinois

May 11-May 13
National Vehicle Leasing Association
The Allerton Hotel on Magnificent Mile
Chicago, Illinois

More Information:
http://www.nvla.org/Events/AnnualConference.aspx

October 23-25
Equipment Leasing and Financial Association
50th Annual Convention
JW Marriott Hill Country
San Antonio, Texas

Top Stories---December 28--December 30

Here are the top ten stories opened by readers:

(1) Vaughn Indicted for defrauding banks, leasing companies
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2010/12_28.htm#vaughn

(2) Wildwood employees get prison for Leasing Ponzi scheme
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/a7fc6b36-03ca-11e0-a4dc-001cc4c002e0.html

(3) Leasing Companies Out of Business
plus No Longer taking Broker/Discounting Business
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2010/12_30.htm#out_bussiness

(4) Sheldon Player Still a Player
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2010/12_28.htm#player

(5) $23 Million-- ICON Capital is the Only Bidder
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2010/12_30.htm#icon

(6) Leasing Sales "Didn't Say Merry Christmas!"
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2010/12_28.htm#sales

(7) Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
The Depreciation Effect
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2010/12_28.htm#effect

(8) 1099 Law into Effect January 1, 2012
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2010/12_30.htm#law

(9) Small Business Lending Market Trends
by Paul J. Menzel, CLP
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2010/12_30.htm#trends

(10) Head of L.A.-area BBB resigns amid scandal
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bbb-ceo-resigns-20101228,0,5491204.story

Comprehensive personal property tax outsourcing services We accept file exports and integrate personal property tax information with all lease management or accounting software. No other firm offers the combination of individual attention, software capabilities expertise, "full disclosure" and web port accessibility to information more than we do. Click here to learn what our clients say about our service Gary DiLillo, President 216-658-5618 or gary@avptc.com

Herm Roberts Passed Away

Born: September 11, 1945
Died: December 25, 2010

A private service was held Monday, January 3, at St. Anthony Catholic Church, Tigard, Oregon, for Herman Dennis Roberts, who was with Willamette Financial and a leasing broker well known for many years in the NorthWest.

"He was born in Santa Monica, Calif. He worked in the equipment financing industry. Herman is survived by his wife, Andrea; daughter, Sheila Knapp; and sons, Paul, Christian, and Alex."

The Oregonian

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

D.B. Harris Faces Prison for Filing False Tax Returns

D(aniel) B(lake) Harris, 26, of Bell Gardens, California was charged in a federal grand jury indictment returned earlier this month alleging that he conspired with another to file false claims in the form of federal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service. Additionally, Harris was also charged with three counts of filing false claims for refunds with the IRS, claiming a total of $101,417 in tax refunds Harris was not entitled to receive. He pleaded "not guilty" to the four count indictment.

As a part of the alleged scheme to defraud the IRS, between 2006 and 2009, Harris and a co-conspirator prepared false income tax returns erroneously claiming that a refund was due. Specifically, Harris and the co-conspirator would allegedly prepare and file fraudulent tax returns that falsely claimed that federal income taxes had been withheld in an amount exceeding the amount of taxes owed. After the fraudulent returns were filed, a tax refund would result, which Harris and the co-conspirator agreed to share.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.

If convicted of all the crimes alleged in the indictment, Harris faces a statutory maximum 25 years in federal prison and fines totaling $1,000,000. Trial for Harris is set for February 15, 2011 before United States District Judge Margaret M. Morrow in Los Angeles.

At the conclusion of Harris’ initial appearance two weeks ago, Harris was released on $75,000 bond which included provisions for electronic monitoring.

The charges alleged in the indictment of Harris are the result of the combined investigative efforts of IRS - Criminal Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.

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

Classified ads—Investigators

Leasing Industry Outsourcing
(Providing Services and Products)

Los Angeles - Licensed Private Investigators, specializing Collateral Recovery Field Investigation for the Lending industry since 1998 - Our clients include Banks, Credit Unions, Automotive and Equipment Lenders. JohnHarmonPI@aol.com

Collections, Investigations & Asset Recovery Midwest: Tierra Investigations & Consultants, LLC Commercial collections, repossessions, bankruptcy fraud, theft & conversion claims.  605-647-1700 Fax 605-647-0534 troy@tierrainv.com

All "Outsourcing" Classified ads (advertisers are both requested and responsible to keep their free ads up to date:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing.htm

How to Post a free "Outsourcing" classified ad:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing-post.htm

John Kenny Receivables Management • End of Lease Negotiations & Enforcement • Fraud Investigations • Credit Investigations • Asset Searches • Skip-tracing • Third-party Commercial Collections john@jkrmdirect.com | ph 315-866-1167| www.jkrmdirect.com

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

Arlington, Virginia---Adopt-a-Dog

Franklin

Male: Walker Hound Mix
Age: 1 year Good with kids? Yes
Size: ~20lbs Good with dogs? Yes
Obedience Training: Some Good with cats? ???
Energy Level: Medium Status: available
Very friendly. Loving dog.

Adoption Guidelines:
http://www.spcanova.org/adoption/dogguidelines.php

SPCA of Northern Virginia
P.O. Box 100220
Arlington, VA
22210-3220
Phone: 703-799-9390
email: Dog_Committee@spcanova.org

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

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

News Briefs----

American Railcar Industries re enters leasing business

Bank of America to pay Fannie, Freddie $2.8 billion

Facebook Deal Offers Freedom from Scrutiny

Unexpected drop in unemployment claims

Barnes & Noble says e-books outsell physical books online

You May have Missed---

CA. Court Upholds $68,000 Citicorp Defendant Attorney Fee
http://www.metnews.com/articles/2010/gho010311.htm

 

 

Sports Briefs----

Luck, Stanford spanks Virginia Tech in Orange Bowl rout
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2011-01-04-stanford-virginia-tech-orange-bowl_N.htm

Stanford Romps, but Talk Turns To Future of Harbaugh and Luck
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/sports/ncaafootball/04orange.html?hp

Stanford Harbaugh tops list for new 49er Coach
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/03/3294881/49ers-notes-stanfords-harbaugh.html

The Huddle
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/index

California Nuts Briefs---

Jerry Brown returns to lead a troubled California
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110103/NEWS/110109940/1350?Title=-Jerry-Brown-returns-to-lead-a-troubled-California

Editorial: Schwarzenegger dreamed big, but dug a deep hole
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/02/3290034/schwarzenegger-dreamed-big-but.html

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger leaves behind 750 bills he signed
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/01/3291945/new-year-new-laws-a-sampling-of.html

Schwarzenegger picks lawmakers, staffers for commission posts
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/03/3294918/schwarzenegger-picks-lawmakers.html

Schwarzenegger commutes sentence for ex-speaker's son
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/02/3294499/schwarzenegger-commutes-sentence.html

“Gimme that Wine”

Screaming Eagle's Winemaker Departs
http://www.winespectator.com/blogs/show/id/44279

The Great Wine Weekend in Santa Cruz Mountains - January 16-17
http://www.examiner.com/wine-in-san-jose/the-great-wine-weekend-santa-cruz-mountains-january-16-17

Rombauer creates $1M matching challenge gift
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/28202/rombauer-creates-1m-matching-challenge-gift/

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

Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com

http://www.wine-searcher.com/

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

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

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

    1780 - A snowstorm hits Washington's army at Morristown New Jersey.
    1838- Charles Sherwood Stratton, known as “ Tom Thumb, “ perhaps the most famous midget in history, was born at Bridgeport, CT. He eventually reached a height of three feet, four inches and a weight of 70 pounds. Discovered by P.T. Barnum in 1842, Stratton, as “General Tom Thumb,” became an internationally known entertainer and performed before Queen Victoria and other heads of state. On Feb 10, 1863, he married another midget, Lavinia Warren. Stratton died at Middleborough, MA, July 15, 1883.
    1847 - Samuel Colt rescues the future of his faltering gun company by winning a contract to provide the U.S. government with 1,000 of his .44 caliber revolvers. Before Colt began mass-producing his popular revolvers in 1847, handguns had not played a significant role in the history of either the American West or the nation as a whole. With the help of Eli Whitney and other inventors, Colt developed a system of mass production and interchangeable parts for his pistols that greatly lowered their cost. Though never cheap, by the early 1850s, Colt revolvers were inexpensive enough to be a favorite with Americans headed westward during the California Gold Rush. Between 1850 and 1860, Colt sold 170,000 of his "pocket" revolvers and 98,000 "belt" revolvers, mostly to civilians looking for a powerful and effective means of self-defense in the Wild West.
    1863 - Union General Henry Halleck, by direction of President Abraham Lincoln, orders General Ulysses Grant to revoke his infamous General Order No. 11 that expelled Jews from his operational area.
    1869- the fist School for blind African-American students was the state School for the Blind and the Deaf, opened in Raleigh, NC, with 26 pupils.
    1893- President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation granting full amnesty and pardon to all persons who had since November 1, 1890, abstained from unlawful cohabitation of a polygamous marriage. This was intended in the main for a specific group of elderly Mormons who had continued in the practice of contracting serial marriages. Amnesty was based on the condition that those pardoned must obey the law in the future or be " vigorously prosecuted." The practice of polygamy as a factor interfering with attainment of statehood for Utah.
    1888 - Sacramento, CA, received 3.5 inches of snow, an all-time record for that location. The heaviest snow in recent history was two inches on February 5th in 1976.
    1896 - Six years after Wilford Woodruff, president of the Mormon church, issued his Manifesto reforming political, religious, and economic life in Utah, the territory is admitted into the Union as the 45th state. In 1823, Vermont-born Joseph Smith claimed that an angel named Moroni visited him and told him about an ancient Hebrew text that had lost been lost for 1,500 years. The holy text, supposedly engraved on gold plates by a Native-American historian in the fourth century, related the story of Jewish peoples who had lived in America in ancient times. Over the next six years, Smith dictated an English translation of this text to his wife and other scribes, and in 1830, The Book of Mormon was published. In the same year, Smith founded the Church of Christ, later known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Fayette, New York. The religion rapidly gained converts and Smith set up Mormon communities in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. However, the Christian sect was also heavily criticized for its unorthodox practices and on June 27, 1844, Smith and his brother were murdered in a jail cell by an anti-Mormon mob in Carthage, Illinois. Two years later, Smith's successor, Brigham Young, led an exodus of persecuted Mormons from Nauvoo, Illinois, along the western wagon trails in search of religious and political freedom. In July 1847, the 148 initial Mormon pioneers reached Utah's Valley of the Great Salt Lake. Upon viewing the valley, Young declared: "This is the place," and the pioneers began preparations for the tens of thousands of Mormon migrants who would follow. In 1850, President Millard Fillmore named Young the first governor of the territory of Utah, and the territory enjoyed relative autonomy for several years. Relations became strained, however, when reports reached Washington that Mormon leaders were disregarding federal law and had publicly sanctioned the practice of polygamy. In 1857, President James Buchanan removed Young, a polygamist with over 20 wives, from his position as governor, and sent U.S. army troops to Utah to establish federal authority. Tensions between the territory of Utah and the federal government continued until Wilford Woodruff, the president of the Mormon church, issued his Manifesto in 1890, renouncing the traditional practice of polygamy, and reducing the domination of the church over Utah communities. Six years later, the territory of Utah was granted statehood.
    1915- Moses Alexander of Idaho, a Democrat, became the first governor in the United States who was Jewish. he served from January 4, 1915 to January 6, 1919.
    1916- guitarist Sam Gaillard, Detroit, MI.
    1922 –Jazz tenor and flute player Frank Wess birthday http://www.npr.org/programs/btaylor/pastprograms/fwess.html
    1926- "Billboard" Magazine published the first list of best-selling pop records, covering the week that ending 1935. On the list were recordings by the orchestras of Tommy Dorsey and Ozzie Nelson.
    1930- Don Shula pro football Hall of Fame couch and former player born Painesville, Ohio,
    1935- heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson born Lincointon, GA.
    1936- Billboard magazine published the first list of best-selling pop records, covering the week that ended December 30, 1935. On the list were recordings by the Tommy Dorsey and the Ozzie Nelson Orchestras.
    1942- British jazz-rock guitarist John McLaughlin was born. He first gained recognition for his work on Miles Davis's "Bitches' Brew" album, and later formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra. This group did much in the 1970's to promote the idea of fusing jazz and rock music.
    1944- San Francisco Giants' Tito Fuentes born Havana, Cuba.
    1945--JACHMAN, ISADORE S. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Flamierge, Belgium, 4 January 1945. Entered service at: Baltimore, Md. Birth: Berlin, Germany. G.O. No.: 25, 9 June 1950. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at Flamierge, Belgium, on 4 January 1945, when his company was pinned down by enemy artillery, mortar, and small arms fire, 2 hostile tanks attacked the unit, inflicting heavy. casualties. S/Sgt. Jachman, seeing the desperate plight of his comrades, left his place of cover and with total disregard for his own safety dashed across open ground through a hail of fire and seizing a bazooka from a fallen comrade advanced on the tanks, which concentrated their fire on him. Firing the weapon alone, he damaged one and forced both to retire. S/Sgt. Jachman's heroic action, in which he suffered fatal wounds, disrupted the entire enemy attack, reflecting the highest credit upon himself and the parachute infantry.
    1948---Top Hits
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
How Soon - Jack Owens
Serenade of the Bells - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Don Cornell)
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms - Eddy Arnold
    1954-- A young truck driver named Elvis Presley enters the Memphis Recording Service in Memphis, TN, ostensibly to record a song for his mother's birthday (which was, in reality, many months away). He records "Casual Love Affair" and "I’ll Never Stand in Your Way." It was this recording that would lead MRS head Sam Phillips to call Presley back to record for his Sun Records label.
    1957-- On NBC's The Steve Allen Show, former heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis introduces the world to singer Solomon Burke, who performs Louis' song "You Can Run, But You Can't Hide."
    1956---Top Hits
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
The Great Pretender - The Platters
Band of Gold - Don Cherry
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
    1957-- Elvis Presley reports for his pre-induction Army physical in Memphis
    1959- “ College Bowl” premiered on TV. Originally, a quiz show on CBS. Two colleges sent a team of their best and brightest to the academic competition. “College Bowl” was sponsored by General Electric and hosted by Allen Ludden (1959—62) and Robert Earle (1962—70). More recent incarnations of ”College Bowl” have appeared on NBC and Disney with Pat Sajak and Dick Cavett as hosts.
    1960-- Marty Robbins' "El Paso" hits #1
    1964-- Bobby Vinton's "There! I've Said it Again" hits #1
    1964---Top Hits
There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
Forget Him - Bobby Rydell
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owen
    1970- the Minnesota Vikings became the first expansion team to win the NFL title when they defeated the Cleveland Browns 27-7 in Minneapolis. The Vikings went on to lose Super Bowl IV to the Kansas City Chiefs.
    1970- the Kansas City Chiefs, aided by four interceptions, defeated the Oakland Raiders 17-7, in the last American Football League Championship game. The Chiefs went on to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in Superbowl IV.
    1971- Gerald Garrison Hearst, great 49er, number 20, born Lincolnton, Ga.
    1971 - A blizzard raged from Kansas to Wisconsin, claiming 27 lives in Iowa. Winds reached 50 mph, and the storm produced up to 20 inches of snow.
    1972---Top Hits
Brand New Key - Melanie
American Pie - Don McLean
An Old Fashioned Love Song - Three Dog Night
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ - Charley Pride
    1974- in a NHL game between the Boston Bruins and the Minnesota North Stars, Burins winger Dave Forbes punched Henry Boucha, fracturing his cheekbone and opening a cut that required 30 stitches to close Forbes was later indicted for using “ excessive force,” becoming the first professional athlete to be prosecuted for actions taken during a game. his trial that summer ended in a hung jury after which all charges were dropped.
    1974 - President Richard Nixon refuses to hand over tape recordings and documents that had been subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee. Marking the beginning of the end of his Presidency, Nixon would resign from office in disgrace eight months later.
    1975-- Phoebe Snow's "Poetry Man" enters the pop charts
    1975-- Elton John's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" hits #1
    1980---Top Hits
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Send One Your Love - Stevie Wonder
Happy Birthday Darlin’ - Conway Twitty
    1982 - Milwaukee, WI, was shut down completely as a storm buried the city under 16 inches of snow in 24 hours. It was the worst storm in thirty-five years.
1984, " Night Court" premiered on television. The original cast included Harry Anderson as Judge Harry T. Stone, John Larroquette as prosecutor Dan Fielding, Richard M0II as court officer Bull Shannon and Selma Diamond as court officer Selma Hacker. Karen Austin as clerk Lana Wagner and Paula Kelly as public defender Liz Williams were gone after one season, Ellen Foley then became PD Billie Young but was replaced by Markie Post in 1985 as PD Christine Sullivan. Charles Robinson joined the cast as clerk Mac Robinson in 1985. Diamond died in 1985 and Florence Halop, who then appeared as court officer Florence Kleiner, died in 1986. Marsha Warfield was then brought aboard as Court Officer Roz Russell. Mel Tormé made a few appearances as himself, Harry’s idol. The last telecast was July 1, 1992.
    1974- President Richard Nixon rejected the Senate Watergate Committee’s subpoenas seeking White House tapes and documents.
    1984-- the last Van Halen album with David Lee Roth as lead singer, "1984," was released. Sammy Hagar was Roth's replacement.
    1985- to honor team president and former coach Arnold “ Red” Auerbach, the Boston Celtics retired uniform number 2 in a ceremony prior to a game against the New York Knicks. Auerbach begin coaching the Celtics in 1950-51 and led them to `6 NBA championships as coach, general manager and president.
    1985 — The Cowboys play their record 36th postseason game, but Eric Dickerson steals the show, rushing for a playoff-record 248 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a 20-0 victory over Dallas.
    1987 - A storm moving off the Pacific Ocean spread wintery weather across the southwestern U.S., with heavy snow extending from southern California to western Wyoming. Up to 15 inches of snow blanketed the mountains of southern California, and rainfall totals in California ranged up to 2.20 inches in the Chino area.
    1988 - Frigid arctic air invading the central and eastern U.S. left Florida about the only safe refuge from the cold and snow. A storm in the western U.S. soaked Bodega Bay in central California with 3.12 inches of rain.
    1988---Top Hits
Faith - George Michael
So Emotional - Whitney Houston
Got My Mind Set on You - George Harrison
Somewhere Tonight - Highway 101
    1989 - Up to a foot of snow blanketed the mountains of West Virginia, and strong winds in the northeastern U.S. produced wind chill readings as cold as 60 degrees below zero in Maine. Mount Washington NH reported wind gusts to 136 mph along with a temperature of 30 below zero!
    1990 - A winter storm moving out of the southwestern U.S. spread heavy snow across Nebraska and Iowa into Wisconsin. Snowfall totals in Nebraska ranged up to 7 inches at Auburn and Tecumseh. Totals in Iowa ranged up to 11 inches at Carlisle. In Iowa, most of the snow fell between midnight and 4 AM.
    1990-- Feminists' long-sought for family leave program became a reality in New Jersey when Governor Jim Florio signed a bill that requires employers to give their employees up to 12 weeks off to care for a newborn or adopted child, or for an ill or injured immediate family member. The leave is unpaid, but health insurance and other benefits stay in effect and the furloughed workers would be guaranteed their old job or its equivalent. President Bill Clinton would get the same basic bill passed by the U.S. Congress three years later. Women who usually act as the family caretakers in time of sickness are the workers with the most need for these laws.
    1994 - A major winter storm blanketed much of the northeastern U.S. with heavy snow. More than two feet was reported in northwestern Pennsylvania, with 33 inches at Waynesburg. There were ten heart attacks, and 185 injuries, related to the heavy snow in northwest Pennsylvania. Whiteout conditions were reported in Vermont and northeastern New York State. A wind gusts to 75 mph was clocked at Shaftsbury VT. In the Adirondacks of eastern New York State, the town of Tupper reported five inches of snow between 1 PM and 2 PM
    1995 - Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA) was formally elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the first Republican to hold the post in 40 years and the first Georgia Speaker in over 100 years.
    1999 - Minnesota inaugurated pro wrestler Jesse Ventura as its 38th governor. The only Reform Party candidate to ever win statewide office, Ventura had shocked the political establishment by defeating Attorney General Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey III and St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman in an upset victory. 2000 - The Nasdaq composite index was hit for its worst point loss, falling more than 229 points (5.6 percent) to 3,901. The market appeared to be concerned about future Fed rate hikes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 359 points (3.2 percent) to 10,997.

American Football Poem

7-8 Teams

Last dance
last dance for love
yes, it's my last chance
for romance tonight

I need you, by me,
beside me, to guide me,
to hold me, to scold me,
'cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad

So let's dance, the last dance
let's dance, the last dance
let's dance, this last dance tonight

Last dance, last dance for love
yes, it's my last chance
for romance tonight

Oh, I need you, by me,
beside me, to guide me,
to hold me, to scold me,
'cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad

So let's dance, the last dance
let's dance, the last dance
let's dance, this last dance tonight

Yeah, will you be my Mr. Right?
can you fill my appetite
I can't be sure
that you're the one for me
but all that I ask
is that you dance with me
dance with me, dance with me, yeah

Oh I need you, by me,
beside me, to guide me,
to hold me, to scold me,
'cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad

So let's dance, this last dance
let's dance, this last dance
let's dance, this last dance tonight

Oh I need you, by me,
to beside, to guide me,
to hold me, to scold me,
'cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad

So, come on baby, dance that dance
come on baby, dance that dance
come on baby, let's dance tonight...

Singer and Composer:
Donna Summer