Leasing News Person of the Year 2013

Bernard D. Boettigheimer, CLP

Better known as "Bernie," he is the president of Lease Police, Inc., Dallas, Texas. The Leasing News Advisory Board voted on this honor for his body of work: starting Pioneer Leasing September, 1983 (later changed to Pioneer Capital Corp.) with one of the first online automations of contracts and lease status submitted by brokers and vendors. Bernie first retired in 2006. Within a few months, realizing there was still work to be done for the Leasing Industry, he began work on a new project which he funded himself. On March 5, 2007, he launched Lease Police, Inc., serving as its president.

His company developed a software program to collect confidential information from members to protect lessors from vendor fraud as well as providing information inexpensively on vendor, lessee, and suspect behavior. At this point, Lease Police became a major financial contribution to the leasing industry.

A native New Yorker, Bernie graduated from Iona College, New Rochelle, N.Y. with a B.B.A in Finance. After four years at Dun & Bradstreet, he entered the appliance manufacturing and distribution world. During that time he held Officer and Director positions with Norge Division of Borg Warner Corp., Fednor Corp., and B-W Acceptance Corp.

As the CEO of ALD, Inc., an OTC manufacturer of commercial laundry and car wash equipment, he was the recipient of the prestigious “E Award “for excellent growth in export sales,” awarded by President Ronald Reagan in March, 1982.

Advisory Board

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

Ed Castagna, InPlace Auction, Melville, NY
Steve Crane, CLP, Bank of the West, San Ramon, CA
Dale Davis, Endeavor Financial Services, Costa Mesa, CA
Phil Dushey, Global Financial Services, Manhattan, NY
Ken Greene, Esq., Kenneth Charles Greene Law Offices, Westlake Village, 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, HCL CapitalStream, Pt. Richmond, CA
Allan Levine, Madison Capital, LLC., Owings Mills, MD
Ralph Mango, comScore, Reston, Virginia
Don Myerson, BSB Leasing, Colorado, Hawaii
Armon L. Mills, CPA, J.H. Cohn, LLP, San Diego, CA
Tom McCurnin, Barton, Klugman & Oetting, Los Angeles, CA
Hugh Swandel, The Alta Group, Canada
Paul Weiss, Panthera Leasing, San Francisco, CA
Rosanne Wilson, CLP, 1st Independent Leasing, Beaverton, OR
Ginny Young, former Brava Capital, Orange, CA

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

Classified Ads---Credit

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

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

Fugitive Banker Accused of Faking Own Death
Found Alive, Now Arrested!

Price 2012 / Price 2014

Aubrey Lee Price, former bank director of failed Montgomery Bank & Trust, Ailey, Georgia, was found alive in Brunswick, Georgia, after faking his death. He apparently had returned to Georgia to renew the tag on his truck, and was stopped in a routine traffic stop over illegally tinted windows. He reportedly was also "hoarding" marijuana plants.

The U.S. Coast Guard complained that it spent more than $173,000 searching for Price in the belief that he had jumped off the ferry.

Here’s the story:

July 9, 2009 the FDIC closed Montgomery Bank & Trust, Ailey, Georgia. The bank had 45 full time employees as of March 31, 2012 at their two offices in Vidalia and one office in Ailey. December 31, 2008, they had 89 full time employees.

The FDIC estimated that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) to have been $75.2 million.

What happens seems to be a major embezzlement with the U.S. Attorney's office charging Montgomery Bank director, and one-time metro Atlanta investment adviser Aubrey Lee Price with wire fraud of $17 million from the bank. After telling upper management that he was investing in U.S. Treasury securities, he wired bank funds to accounts he controlled and prepared falsified statements to cover his tracks, the federal complaint said. He is also charged with allegedly defrauding more than 100 clients in Georgia and Florida.

Aubrey Lee Price was charged in federal court in Georgia with one count of wire fraud on June 28, 2012, and could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, the FBI said. He also is subject to stealing over $21 million from clients and investing in real estate that got caught in the downturn of the housing marketplace.

According to reports at the time, a letter bearing his name was sent to friends and colleagues about the same time that said he had lost millions of dollars in client funds and suggested he intended to commit suicide.”

Price was reportedly last seen boarding a ferry in Key West, Florida, bound for Fort Myers, Fla. A surveillance camera caught him purchasing the ticket. He had "previously stated that he owns real estate in Venezuela" and "may own a boat that would be large enough to travel to Venezuela from Florida."

Before his arrest, he was last seen getting tickets
to the ferry in this YouTube:

A judge reportedly declared that was dead, but the FBI kept him on the "most wanted list."

Perhaps Sheldon Player of Equipment Acquisition Resources is also still alive, despite current rumors.

Original Story:
$17 Million Fraud Closes the 6th Bank this year in Georgia
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2012/7_09.htm#bank_beat

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

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

Let Me Know How You See 2014

kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

(Left view of gorgeous ocean from my room where I work on Leasing News, near Shipwreck Beach, Poipu; on top of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, where you can see whales playing in the distance, and also walk to the cove and watch turtles going after the schools of fish, local fisherman catching larger fish with a net, or sit on the beach or shoreline and wave to BSB’s Don Myerson in his early morning run along the beach walkways; he and his family live close by six months out of the year.)

Turtle Cove

(Right view, Ancient Hawaiian Fishing Area, 220AD, oldest in Kauai; subjects actually are closer than appear, sometimes can see turtles on surface whether male or female—females have shorter tails)
(Photos: Droid Razr HD Maxx)

Readers who sent me “Happy New Year” salutations also told me how well 2013 was and what they expect in 2014:

“Happy New Year. I just wanted to share that FinPac funded $20.6 MM in December and maintained an average 67 minute turnaround time from application submission to final credit decision. This is roughly twice what we had been funding at the beginning of the year. We are so excited about our expanded ability to serve the TPO/broker community that we have enjoyed relationships with for the past 30 years."

Paul J. Menzel, CLP
President & CEO
FINANCIAL PACIFIC LEASING, Inc.
A subsidiary of Umpqua Bank

Here is one that learned I was in Koloa, Kauai, Hawaii:

“Glad to see you are enjoying some time off in a warm climate!

“Happy New Year! It’s going to be a good one.”

Ben
Ben Carlile, Managing Director
Allegiant Partners Incorporated

----

“The Governor here canceled school because it’s going to be too cold!

“Looking forward to 2014, nevertheless.”

Brad Peterson / Managing Member
CHANNEL PARTNERS LLC
(Minnesota)

-----

"Happy New Year from Iowa this year, and yes I am freezing my **** off! I’m hoping to head to Cambodia by Monday or Tuesday.

"Many of us are hoping 2014 will be a turn for the better."

Jim Swander
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Please let me hear from you on what you expect in 2014; doesn’t have to be more than a sentence or two.

kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

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

Companies who notify lessee
in advance of lease expiration

These companies do not use language to confuse, perhaps to deceive, with the result an automatic continuation for an additional twelve months of payments. They do not invoke the twelve months on a $1.00 purchase option or an Equipment Finance Agreement.

In its editorial of June 30, 2011, Leasing News recommends that the equipment lessor send a certified letter with return receipt; however, at this time, the acceptance of the word of the president of the company will be accepted until proven otherwise. http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2011/6_30.htm#editorial

Full List:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Pages/lease_expiration.html

Working Capital Loans $10,000-$250,000
www.channelpartnersllc.com p: (763) 746-7760 f: (763) 592-8297 information@channelpartnersllc.com

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

Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Senior Account Manager Tustin, California Min. 3 year equipment/vehicle leasing or finance industry experience, bachelors degree or higher, primary concentration on financing semi-trucks and trailers competitive salary commensurate with experience. Please click here for more information www.gocapitalusa.com

Equipment Asset Manager Los Angeles, California Experience in heavy equipment required, ideal Class 8 trucks. Salary commensurate, performance bonus. Call Shervin Rashti direct: 213-599-7660 or send resume shervin@maximcc.com www.maximcc.com Maxim Commercial Capital is a commercial finance company committed to fostering the growth of small and middle market companies by providing creative and flexible asset-backed financing solutions

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

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees. 

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

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

Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP

How to Sell Lease Portfolios

On occasion I am asked how to sell lease portfolios for one reason or another. There are a few issues to consider to get prepared to offer a portfolio for sale. The first is the type of lease. They need to be similar transactions. You cannot put tax leases with nontax leases or non-profit with finance leases.

Second it is very important to have a good lease bookkeeping computer based program. It is hard to sell a portfolio with any age that has not been properly accounted for and is easy to convert. Hopefully all the accounting has been automated and easy to convert. The work necessary to rebook on a different system will lower the value and may make it unsaleable. You need to find a funding source that has the same booking system that you are using so the transfer can be done will a minor effort, or is easily assumable by the party purchasing the portfolio. This is very important. Choosing the software to use may be as important, perhaps more so with this purpose, they the quality of your credits, as the correct software is not only revealing, but easily transferable to the buyer of the portfolio.

Make sure in your bookkeeping system you code leases that separates the different types of leases into individual portfolios. The buy rate may depend on different territories, or remaining term, or type of lease. The better you can separate your leases the easier it is to determine where your income comes from and also helps at tax time.

Tax lease transactions are hard to sell because a “sale” is a transfer of tax title that usually causes a taxable gain to the seller and a loss in value to the purchaser. It is best to establish a separate company to book the transactions because you can sell the company, instead of the portfolio, without the tax consequences.

Some portfolios contain a broad range of credit quality. Lessors like to do this because they think they can sell a problem lease that appears to be hidden by the size of the portfolios. However, the funder may increase the buy rate to cover the concern of other hidden potential problem leases. I recommend taking problem leases and placing them into a separate group of leases that can be sold to high rate funders. This may not sound effective but a higher rate on a few will be outweighed by the lower rate on the larger good credit portfolio.

In addition, funders have different ideas on what they want to buy so you need to poll your funders and ask what they are interested in to properly align funders with their risk appetites. Also it is wise to be on the lookout for new funders. There are funding gatherings presented by all of the lease trade associations so it is wise to go to them and introduce yourself.

Preparation is the key to being successful when putting a portfolio up for sale. The more you can separate the portfolio into its separate parts the better chance you will have in getting the correct buy rate.

I also strongly recommend using a professional to negotiate and represent you in the sale of your portfolio, no matter its size.

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

He invites your questions and queries.

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

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

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

5 largest banks own 44% of the industry
By Marshall Schraibman, SNL Financial Special Report

The U.S.'s five largest banks and thrifts own 44% of the bank and thrift industry's total assets, as of Sept. 30, according to a recent analysis by SNL.

For the purposes of this analysis, SNL defined the banking industry as commercial banks, savings banks and savings institutions.

Individually chartered institutions within the same corporate structure were considered as separate institutions.

JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, Bank of America NA, Citibank NA, Wells Fargo Bank NA and U.S. Bank NA together had $6.46 trillion in total assets at the end of the third quarter, compared to $8.15 trillion by the rest of the banking industry. JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, the main commercial bank subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase & Co., alone owned 13.62% of the entire industry's assets. In contrast, the five largest banks in 1990 had just $457.92 billion in total assets or 9.67% of the industry's total assets.

Total assets concentrated in the five largest banking institutions have steadily increased since 1990, reaching a peak in the third quarter of this year. Consequently, different narratives have emerged on how to interpret consolidation in the industry — some argue that the industry is overbanked and increasing regulatory burden has made it less and less practical to operate as a smaller institution. Others have contended that consolidation has only exacerbated the complexity of the banking system, worsening regulator's abilities to manage bank safety and perpetuating the notion of "too big to fail."

Still, small bank deals are unlikely to move the needle in asset concentration, and even the largest banks seem to agree that so-called "transformational deals," the largest bank deals which helped banks become the behemoths they are now, have reached a dead end for the time being.

U.S. Bank NA was the only institution in this analysis whose parent company did not also rank in the top five in SNL's third-quarter top tier bank and thrift asset ranking, which included bank and thrift holding companies. In that list, U.S. Bancorp ranked sixth behind Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

The composition of the five largest institutions in 2013 hasn't changed significantly from the five largest in 1990. Chase Manhattan Bank NA, Morgan Guaranty Trust Co. of New York and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co., the third, fourth and fifth largest institutions in 1990, are all, in some form, now a part of JPMorgan Chase & Co., the parent company of the currently largest commercial bank, JPMorgan Chase Bank NA.

Citibank NA only dropped 2 spots in 23 years, going from $157.82 billion in assets in 1990 to $1.34 trillion in assets as of the third quarter of 2013. Citibank NA was the subsidiary of Citicorp during its high profile merger with Travelers Group Inc. in 1998. A legacy institution of Bank of America Corp., Bank America National Trust & Savings NA, was also among the top five institutions in 1990. In 1999 Bank of America National Trust & Savings NA was merged into Bank of America NA (formerly NationsBank NA), the currently second-largest institution in the U.S.

While the largest banks have continued to capture a larger portion of the industry, their returns on those assets have only recently begun to outsize the industry as a whole. For the nine months ended Sept. 30, the five largest institutions' median return on average assets (ROAA) was 1.20%, nearly 50% higher than the industry median ROAA of .80%. However the 1990s showed nearly the opposite trend — from 1990 to 1999 the industry's ROAA, on average, was 33 basis points higher than the five largest institutions.

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

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

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

2013 Ends with Lowest Money Anxiety
in Four Years by Dan Geller, Ph.D.

In 2013, the level of consumer financial anxiety declined
to its lowest level in four years. The Money Anxiety Index decreased
by more than 10 points throughout the year
– from 92.4 in January to 81.9 in December of this year.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The Money Anxiety Index (moneyanxietyindex.com) declined to a recorded low in the past four years reflecting a more favorable financial mood among consumers. The December Money Anxiety Index, which currently stands at 81.9, was 10.5 points higher at 92.4 in the beginning of 2013. The 10.5 point decline in the level of consumer financial anxiety in 2013 was the greatest single-year improvement in the past four years. Cumulatively over the past four years, the Money Anxiety Index declined 12.5 points, from 94.4 in October of 2010 to its current level of 81.9.

Dan Geller, Ph.D.

“Overall, 2013 was a good year for the economy” said Dan Geller, Ph.D. Behavioral Economist, “whenever the level of financial anxiety decreases we can expect an improvement in the economy because less anxious consumers spend more, and personal consumption makes up about 70 percent of the economy.”

The improvement in the level of consumers’ financial anxiety is reflected in some major economic indicators such as personal consumption and retail sales. Personal consumption has gradually increased throughout 2013 indicating more financially confident consumers. In the first quarter of 2013, personal consumption increased by 1.1 percent over the fourth quarter of 2012. In the second quarter of 2013, the increase in personal consumption jumped to 2.5 percent over the previous quarter, and in the third quarter of this year, the increase reached 4.1 percent according to data from the US Department of Commerce.

Another indication of improved level of consumer financial anxiety is the report released last week by The Commerce Department showing that durable goods orders jumped 3.5 percent in November as demand increased for a range of goods from aircraft to machinery and computers and electronic products. Non-defense orders, excluding aircraft, surged 4.5 percent making November’s figure the largest increase since January. The report suggested strength in manufacturing, which supports the observation made by the Money Anxiety Index that consumers are exhibiting less financial anxiety, thus creating greater demand for durable goods.

The link between consumers’ financial anxiety and their spending habits has been documented and demonstrated in the newly published book Money Anxiety (moneyanxiety.com), which shows empirically the link between consumers’ level of financial anxiety and personal expenditure. The Money anxiety book also explains why the level of consumer financial anxiety impacts retail sales and bank savings by introducing a newly-developed segmentation method called Behavioralogy, which defines the financial behavior of consumers during various levels of financial anxiety. Behavioralogy identified six types of financial orientations: Mattress Money, Durable Diet, Power Play, Tiny Treats, Rate Race and Castle Craze.

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

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

Best Movies of 2013 –Ten Exceptional
by Fernando Croce

As we look forward to more discoveries in 2014, let us take a moment to look back at ten exceptional 2013 releases.

Before Midnight: Presenting the sequel to "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" director Richard Linklater invites audiences to catch up with the series' complex characters once more as they contemplate their relationship from an older, wiser but no less impulsive vantage. While vacationing in Greece, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) struggle to hold their love together. Helped by warm and thorny performances, Linklater creates a warm, delicate and achingly poignant film where the passage of time is felt in sync with the emotions of the characters.

Computer Chess: One of the leading lights of the independent film movement known as "mumblecore," writer-director Andrew Bujalski comes up with his most ambitious movie yet with this inventively deadpan comedy. Set in the early 1980s during a weekend-long technology convention, where a group of computer experts gather to compete for the title of electronic chess champ. The "mumblecore" emphasis on low-wattage talk and awkward characters is still here, though Bujalski has added new layers of visual experimentation and surreal humor.

Drug War: After decades of gritty, unpredictable movies, veteran Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To may finally reach U.S. audiences with this slam-bang thriller. Unfolding in a treacherous netherworld where law and crime are separated by a very thin line, the plot focuses on the tenuous alliance between police captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) and arrested drug lord Timmy Choi (Louis Koo). Featuring action, tension and characterizations that put most of Hollywood's glossy blockbusters to shame, To's film is one of the year's most robust and compelling features.

The Grandmaster: Better known for his gorgeous romances, the great Chinese director Wong Kar Wai ("In the Mood for Love") tries his hand at action with thrilling results. The story chronicles Ip Man (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), the martial-arts specialist better known for teaching Bruce Lee, as he drifts through Chinese history starting with the turbulent 1930s. Blending astonishing visual beauty with a heartbreaking turn by Ziyi Zhang, is a spellbinding portrait of a man’s artistic pursuit that also works as a rousing action extravaganza.

Inside Llewyn Davis: Joel and Ethan Coen, the Oscar-winning fraternal filmmaking team behind "No Country for Old Men," serve up another extraordinary comedy-drama in this bittersweet account of the folk music scene in the early 1960s. In a breakthrough performance, Oscar Isaac stars as Llewyn Davis, a young guitar player struggling for a piece of the Greenwich Village artistic scene while facing one obstacle after another. Combining melancholy emotion with a great soundtrack, the Coens create an indelible portrait of the artist's perpetual search for recognition.

Leviathan: Marine life never seemed more nightmarishly alive than in Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel's unusual, breathtaking documentary. Shot aboard a huge commercial fishing vessel as it makes its rounds in the North Atlantic Ocean, the film details the arduous work that goes into hauling masses of fish out of the sea. Rather than realistic data, however, this unrelentingly intense journey focuses startlingly in the surreal, visceral sensations of the voyage. Adventurous viewers will emerge from it shaken and stirred.

Like Someone in Love: One of the greatest living filmmakers, Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami has increasingly worked towards a more mysterious, international type of cinema. His latest film, a follow-up to the splendid "Certified Copy," follows a trio of characters whose paths cross in Japan, leading to a half-comic, half-suspenseful charade. Making masterful use of camera compositions, Kiarostami follows these people through the bustling city, fascinated by their secrets and discoveries. The result is one of the year's best and most effortlessly profound films.

Passion: The screen's great bad boy, director Brian De Palma is in provocative top form in this gorgeous, twisty thriller. Set at a vast European advertisement agency, the slippery narrative chronicles the manipulative power plays between two women, the ruthless office honcho (Rachel McAdams) and her deceptively mousy protégée (Noomi Rapace). Amply showcasing the sly sense of humor, dazzling camera technique and exhilarating love of cinema that's made him a favorite of many a movie buff, De Palma serves up a delicious cinematic ride.

Stories We Tell: For her third movie as a director, Sarah Polley ("Away We Go") turns to the documentary genre to craft a moving letter to her loved ones. Using her camera as a detective's magnifying glass, she conducts a string of interviews with family members and friends, often getting complicated, humorously contradictory responses. Unfurling as something both profoundly personal and universally accessible, Polley's inspired movie is a poignant, funny and inventive look at the crossroads of memory and storytelling.

The Wolf of Wall Street: After the gentleness of "Hugo," legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese comes roaring back to men behaving badly in this half-scabrous, half-exhilarating dark comedy. Leonardo DiCaprio gives the performance of his career as a New York stock broker whose illegal tactics give him unlimited access to a world of grungy pleasures. When crime enters the corporate world, however, his world begins to spin dizzyingly out of control. A potent mix of humor and anger, Scorsese's movie is an unforgettable walk on the wild side.

((Please click on ad to learn more))
(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

Terrier Mix
St. Louis, Missouri Adopt-a-Dog

Name: Hide Away
Gender: Female
Breed: Terrier mix
Size: 42pounds
Age: 4 1/2 years

"Hide Away doesn't look like a girl who would hide herself away from the people trying to rescue her, but these are the actions of so many dogs who come to Stray Rescue. Once they settle into the love and care given so freely at the shelter, they turn into confident and alert looking dogs like the one you see here.

"At the age of three, Hide Away is past puppy frivolity, but she is still full of fun and activity. She may not chew your slippers, but she would love to take you for a good walk around the neighborhood every day. After all that exercise, she would be happy to snuggle on the couch with you. One of Hide Away's favorite activities is kissing, which she does at every opportunity. She also likes toys and treats, of course. Recently Hide Away got to go on a five mile hike with her shelter friends. She enjoyed every minute that she was sniffing the trail, listening to the sounds of nature, and splashing in a creek. She was not one bit bothered by the hikers, joggers or other dogs. On the way back to the shelter, Hide Away got her reward - a fast food hamburger. She has now added that item to list of favorite activities.

"Hide Away is looking for a loving, forever home where she will never feel again the need to hide her beautiful self because she is having too much fun."

CHECK OUT THE LINK BELOW TO SEE HIDE AWAY ON HER HIKING ADVENTURE
http://www.fourdirectionshiking.com/?p=6990
http://www.fourdirectionshiking.com/?p=7044

Stray Rescue of St. Louis
Address2320 Pine St
St. Louis, MO 63103-2219
Phone314.771.6121
http://strayrescue.org/
Email Contact form: http://strayrescue.org/contact

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----

Financial Institutions Net Income for 2013 per Employee
http://bankinnovation.net/2013/12/which-fis-did-best-in-2013-check-their-net-income-per-employee/

Report outlines pros, cons of leasing vs. buying solar project
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x915456996/Report-outlines-pros-cons-of-leasing-vs-buying-solar-project

No More Mr. Nice Guys: SEC Sharpens Talons for 2014
http://ww2.cfo.com/regulation/2014/01/mr-nice-guys-sec-sharpens-talons-2014/

Boeing's 2013 deliveries soar to record
http://seattletimes.com/boeingdeliveriesxml.html

Senate Confirms Yellen as Chairwoman of Fed
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/business/economy/Yellen-Senate-Vote.html

U.S. Bank to announce purchase of Charter One Chicago branches
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-us-bank-acquisition-chicago-branches-20140106,0,6169378.story

A Whole Bunch Of People Threw Boiling Water In The Air
 To Watch It Freeze And Burned Themselves
http://www.buzzfeed.com/adriancarrasquillo/a-whole-bunch-of-people-threw-boiling-water-in-the-air-to-wa

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

--You May Have Missed It

Last year's top gadgets lead the way into 2014
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24840491/last-years-top-gadgets-lead-way-into-2014

Equipment Asset Manager Los Angeles, California Experience in heavy equipment required, ideal Class 8 trucks. Salary commensurate, performance bonus. Call Shervin Rashti direct: 213-599-7660 or send resume shervin@maximcc.com www.maximcc.com Maxim Commercial Capital is a commercial finance company committed to fostering the growth of small and middle market companies by providing creative and flexible asset-backed financing solutions

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

SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

The Right Salad Reduces Appetite to Reduce Calories
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=649

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

Football Poem

The Coach 
by Poet deVine

The crowd is gone, the cheers have stopped,
and the equipment is stored away.
The team is standing on the field
because the coach is leaving today.

He led them through the hardest times,
and was proud the times they won.
But now the season’s over and
his time as coach is done.

The team will go on without him,
will perform at the usual pace.
But though another coach comes in,
there’ll be a void in this place.

Today when the field is emptied
and the team has met the test,
The coach can feel certain that
he will be remembered as simply the best.

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

Sports Briefs----

Harbaugh Says "Crabtree Catches Everything"
http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2013/story/_/id/10250258/jim-harbaugh-michael-crabtree-san-francisco-49ers-best-pass-catcher-all

Purdy: 49ers beat Packers and the cold
http://www.contracostatimes.com/49ers/ci_24851847/purdy-49ers-beat-packers-and-cold

Seahawks Country stretches thousands of miles
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022605986_fangeographyxml.html

Tim Tebow Hired by ESPN as Analyst for SEC Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1906201-tim-tebow-hired-by-espn-as-analyst-for-sec-network

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

California Nuts Briefs---

Summer Across California Starts Winter/Dry Year Ahead
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/03/6044593/sierra-snow-survey-points-to-dry.html

Cities struggle as reservoirs dry up
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140106/articles/401061004

High housing costs push many teachers out of S.F.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/High-housing-costs-push-many-teachers-out-of-S-F-5100678.php

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

“Gimme that Wine”

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

Researchers Map Out World's Wine grape Varieties
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/612057/?sc=bwhn

What your favorite drink says about your politics, in one chart
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/12/31/what-your-favorite-drink-says-about-your-politics-in-one-chart/

Winecare Goes into Liquidation
Cities struggle as reservoirs dry up
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140106/articles/401061004

Wine Country's next generation breaks from their parents
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Wine-Country-s-next-generation-breaks-from-their-5112581.php

Robert Parker & American Express International to Host Inaugural Wine Advocate Grand World Tour in 2014
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/robert-parker-american-express-international-120000297.html;_ylt=AwrSyCSbxMpSYyQALNzQtDMD

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

1782- The first commercial bank in the US, the Bank of North America, was opened at Philadelphia, PA. The bank was the brainchild of Robert Morris. Despite the bank's success, Philadelphia's run as America's leading home of private financial institutions was short-lived. Soon after the Bank of North America opened, the Pennsylvania legislature moved to outlaw private banks in the state, a decision that led scores of prospective bankers to set up shop in the nation's eventual financial center, New York City.
    1784-David Landreth established the first organized seed business in Philadelphia, PA. Previously, seeds had been imported from Europe or saved from each crop by individual farmers. The firm incorporate din 1904 as the D. Landreth Seed Company, later became a subsidiary of the Robert Buist company, founded in Philadelphia, in 1828.
    1789 - The first national presidential election in the United States was held.
George Washington Virginia No Party 69 85.2%
John Adams Massachusetts No Party 34 42.0%
John Jay New York No Party 9 11.1%
Robert Harrison Maryland No Party 6 7.4%
John Rutledge South Carolina No Party 6 7.4%
Other - - 14 17.3%
Electoral votes not cast - 24 29.6%
Note that prior to the ratification of Amendment XII to the Constitution in 1804, each Elector cast two votes for President (instead of one vote for President and one vote for Vice President). The candidate receiving the most votes became President and the candidate receiving the second most votes became Vice President. George Washington received one vote from each elector (that cast a ballot). The New York legislature failed to appoint its allotted 8 Electors in time. Two Electors from Maryland did not vote. One Elector from Virginia did not vote and one Elector was not chosen because an election district failed to submit returns.
    1800- Millard Fillmore birthday, 13th president of the US (July 10, 1850—Mar 3,1853). Fillmore succeeded to the presidency upon the death of Zachary Taylor, but he did not get the hoped-for nomination from his party in 1852. He ran for president in 1856 as candidate of the “Know-Nothing Party,” whose platform demanded, among other things, that every government employee (federal, state and local) should be a native-born citizen. Fillmore was born at Summerhill, NY, and died at Buffalo, NY, Mar 8,1874. Now his birthday is often used as an occasion for parties for which there is no other reason.
    1806 -- The Cherokee nation cede 7,000 square miles of land in Tennessee and Alabama.
    1824- the first boxing arena in America had its first fight between Tom Springs and Jack Langan, the Irish champion. The arena was specifically built for this site and had about 4,000 seats, plus room for 22,000 people to stand. Admission was 10 shillings ( $2.50), half o which went to the fighters. This was a lot of money in its day as average monthly earnings were $8 to $10 a month.
    1830- the first passenger board the first commercial transportation of passengers and freight, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. Tickets were 9 cents each, or three for 25 cents, for a ride from Pratt Street in Baltimore to the Carrolton Viaduct. At first, passengers rode primarily for the novel experience.1891, birthday of Zora Neal Hurston, born in Eatonville, Florida, the first incorporated black town in the United States. The dialects, customs, and folklore of the people of Eatonville and of rural Florida would continue to inform Hurston's work for the rest of her career.http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?amtoday:1:./temp/~ammem_dZif ::
   1848- Lt. Lucian Loeser arrived in Washington with 230 ounces [6.5 kg] of gold stuffed into a tea caddy. It was placed on display at the War Department and caused much excitement. 
    1861- Florida troops takeover Fort Marion at St Augustine. The Confederates take over many forts, until Union Troops invade Florida, taking back some of the forts, securing ports, to cut off trade with European.http://www.nps.gov/casa/ 
    1862- An advance guard of Confederates was defeated by about 2,000 Federals under Col. Dunning at Blue's Gap in Romney, West Virginia.
http://www.historichampshire.org/rom-cw.htm
http://members.aol.com/DWMellott/7wv.htm
http://www.romneywv.com/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/096282187X/
inktomi-bkasin-20/104-3547695-1517507
    1864 -- Mary Kenney O'Sullivan (1864-1943), first American Federation of Labor (AFL) woman organizer, born, Hannibal, Missouri. A skilled bookbinder, she organized the Woman's Bookbinder Union in 1880 & a founder of the National Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) in 1903. 
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/
blbio_osullivan_mary_kenney.htm 
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAWkenney.htm 
    1865 -- Near present-day San Angleo, 370 Texas militiamen attacked what was assumed to be an encampment of 1400 Comanche's (they were actually peaceful Kickapoo). This engagement, called the Battle of Dove Creek, was one of the last battles in Texas between Anglos & Native Americans. The militia lost 36 men, with 60 wounded; the Indians lost 11, with 61 wounded.
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/DD/btd1.html
    1867 -- Emily Balch birthday. Co-founder of Women's International League for Peace & Freedom.
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1946/balch-bio.html 
http://college.antioch.edu/~iabrams/emilygreenebalch.html
    1873 - A blizzard raged across the Great Plains. Many pioneers, unprepared for the cold and snow, perished in southwest Minnesota and northwestern Iowa.
    1887 - In April 1884, Thomas Stevens started what would be the first completed worldwide bicycle trip. Stevens and his bike traveled 13,500 miles, to arrive back in San Francisco, California nearly three years later.
    1891-Birthday of Novelist, folklorist, dramatist, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston , in Eatonville, Florida, the first incorporated black town in the United States.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan07.html
    1890-Birthday of African-American W. B. Purvis, inventor, patent holder of the fountain pen.
http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/wbpurvis.html
    1886 - a severe cold wave in the southern section of the country brought the worst freeze since 1835 in Florida.
    1894 - W.K. L. Dickson was given a patent for motion picture film. The 2 second demonstration was a 47-frame film showing a man sneezing.
http://www.biographcompany.com/dickson/ 
    1896 -- Fannie Farmer publishes her first cookbook
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbiofarmerf.htm
    1901-Birthday of African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston, born Eatonville, Fla., was an all-black town. Although at the time of her death in 1960, Hurston had published more books than any other black woman in America, she was unable to capture a mainstream audience in her lifetime, and she died poor and alone in a welfare hotel. Today, she is seen as one of the most important black writers in American history. Unfortunately, near the end of her life she worked as a maid and died in poverty. In the 1970s, her work, almost forgotten, was revived by feminist and black-studies scholars, and an anthology, I Love Myself When I Am Laughing...And Then Again When I Am Looking Mean and Impressive, was published in 1979.
http://www-hsc.usc.edu/~gallaher/hurston/hurston.html
http://i.am/zora
http://www.nku.edu/~diesmanj/hurston.html
http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap9/hurston.html
http://www.hurston-wright.org/
    1908—Birthday of trumpet player Henry “Red” Allen
http://www.libertyhall.com/red.html
http://www.redhotjazz.com/red.html
http://www.duke.edu/~ab2/index.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826447449/
inktomi-bkasin-20/107-1403707-5271711
    1913- Tucson, AZ set its all time record low temperature with a frigid 0 degrees.
    1913- William M. Burton of Chicago, Il., received a patent for the “manufacture of gasoline.” He developed the thermal-cracking technique for refining oil. His method of treating the residue of the paraffin group of petroleum by distillation and condensation of the vapors was used by the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, to whom the patent was assigned. Died 1958.
http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/24.html
    1921-Birthday of Charles Loloma, a major influence on modern Native American art and was famous for changing the look of American Indian Jewelry. A painter, sculptor and potter, he was best known for his jewelry, which broke tradition with previous Indian styles using materials such as coral, fossilized ivory, pearls and diamonds. Loloma was born at Hotevilla on the Hoopi Indian Reservation and died June 9, 1991, at Scottsdale, AZ
http://www.faustgallery.com/loloma.htm
http://www.nativepubs.com/nativepubs/Apps/bios/
0430LolomaCharles.asp?pic=none
    1924 - George Gershwin completed the score for his classic Rhapsody in Blue. He was only 26 years old. Gershwin did not have an interest in music until his family bought him a piano when he was twelve. Nine years later he had his first hit, at age 21,"Swanee", with lyrics written by Irving Caesar
    1925-Drummer Sam Woodyard born, Elizabeth, NJ.
http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers2/Sam_Woodyard.html
    1926 - George Burns and Gracie Allen were married by a Justice of the Peace in Cleveland, Ohio. They had been a comedy team for 4 years prior to getting married, and worked successfully for decades together in radio, film, and television until Allen's fatal heart attack in 1964. 1950 - In Nashville, Tennessee, Ernest Tubb made his first appearance at "The Grand Ole Opry". Ernest also did a daily 15-minute radio program that was very popular in West Texas. In fact, the show was so popular, Tubb bought the radio station that aired the program for years, KGKL in San Angelo, Texas.
    1927- the inauguration of the transatlantic commercial telephone service began when Walter Sherman Gifford, president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, who was in New York, talked to sir George Evelyn Pemberton Murray, secretary of the British Post Office, who was in London. Thirty-one commercial calls were made the first day. The charge was $75 for a three minute conversation. The first private conversation was made by Adolph Simon Ochs, publisher of the New York Times, to Geoffrey Dawson, editor of the Times of London. The messages were transmitted from Rocky Point, NY.
    1927 -- Harlem Globetrotters, basketball team, make their debut.http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_059.htm
http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/ 
    1935-Birthday of clarinet player Kenny Davern, Huntington, NY 
http://www.riverwalk.org/profiles/davern.htm
http://indigo.ie/~jazzirl/archives/davern.htm
http://users.bestweb.net/~msnyder/clarinet/davern.htm
    1931- The nation was mired in the depths of the Great Depression. On January 7, the Committee for Unemployment Relief, formed at President Hoover's command in October 1930, released a report that detailed the depths of the nation's woes. According to the committee, some 4 to 5 million Americans were unemployed. However, the Depression only continued to grow worse, which further swelled the unemployment rolls; by 1932, some 13 million Americans were without jobs. 1934 -Converted major league baseball player Billy Sunday, at age 72, began a two-week revival at Calvary Baptist Church in NY City. (Sunday was an evangelist from 1893 until his death in 1935. 
    1935 -- Emma Goldman talks to Jewish audiences -- the Temple Emanu-El adult school today, the second meeting arranged by Rabbi Harry Stern, & the women's branch of the Arbeiter Ring on Jan. 12 -- which are well received. anarchist feminist
    1938-Birthday of singer, pianist Paul Revere, born Harvard, NE.
    1939- The United States Trotting Association, the governing body for the sport of harness horse racing, was founded in Indianapolis, IN, at a meeting called by horseman Roland Harriman. The founding was actually a joining of several regional organizations resulting in uniform rules and regulations This unification spurred the growth of harness racing, now followed by nearly 25 millions fans in North America each year.
    1939 -- Tom Mooney, a labor activist wrongly convicted of murder in the San Francisco Preparedness Day bombing in July 1916, is freed after 22 1/2 years in jail on false charges, granted an unconditional pardon by Governor Culbert Olson.
See: Frame-up by Curt Gentry, © 1967, WW Norton, New York; Life of an Anarchist: The Alexander Berkman Reader , ed. Gene Fellner, Four Walls Eight Windows, New York: 1992. 
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/Library_Bulletin/
Nov1989/LB-N89-VClose2.html
    1940- Gene Autry's musical variety show premieres on CBS radio, where it will run for the next 16 years. Autry was born in Tioga, Texas, in 1907, the son of a livestock and horse trader who was also a Baptist minister. The family later moved to Oklahoma. In high school, Autry worked as a railway telegrapher at the local railroad depot, where he spent slow moments strumming his $8 guitar and singing. Passing through the depot one day, a stranger-who turned out to be Will Rogers-suggested that Autry try singing on the radio. Inspired, Autry traveled to New York City to look for a singing job but had no luck. Back home, he began working for a local radio station and found success as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy.” Eventually, Autry and railroad dispatcher Jim Long wrote several country songs, including the world's first gold record, "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine." Autry became a regular on Sears Roebuck's National Barn Dance, the forerunner of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1934, producer Nat Levine was looking for a guy who could sing, ride a horse, and act in western movies. Autry wasn't an actor but had already established a loyal radio audience, so Levine put him in numerous B-grade westerns. Playing the lead role in a long-running series of Saturday matinee films, Autry became "America's favorite cowboy." In 1940, his musical variety radio show, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch, debuted and took only one hiatus, when Autry joined the Army Air Corps after taking his oath on the air in 1942 (Roy Rogers took his place on the television show while he was gone). He became America's favorite TV cowboy in 1950 when he debuted The Gene Autry Show, which ran through 1956. In each episode, he and his sidekick, Pat Buttram, rode from town to town, maintaining law and order. From "Back in the Saddle Again" to yuletide mainstays such as "Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman," Autry's music has etched itself into Americana. The cowboy was also an entrepreneur; he owned hotels, gas stations, and the California Angels baseball team, among other ventures. He also owned a television production company and was proud of discovering "Annie Oakley" star Gail Davis, whom he had featured in dozens of his movies and television program episodes and who had performed in his traveling rodeo. Her appearances spun off into her own series, which Autry's company produced. Autry was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969.
    1942- Paul Revere of Paul Revere and the Raiders birthday, born Harvard, Nebraska.
http://www.paulrevereraiders.com/history.html
http://www.history-of-rock.com/paul_revere_and_the_raiders.htm
    1944--SPECKER, JOE C. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, 48th Engineer Combat Battalion. Place and date: At Mount Porchia, Italy, 7 January 1944. Entered service at: Odessa, Mo. Birth: Odessa, Mo. G.O. No.. 56, 12 July 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in action involving actual conflict. On the night of 7 January 1944, Sgt. Specker, with his company, was advancing up the slope of Mount Porchia, Italy. He was sent forward on reconnaissance and on his return he reported to his company commander the fact that there was an enemy machinegun nest and several well-placed snipers directly in the path and awaiting the company. Sgt. Specker requested and was granted permission to place 1 of his machineguns in a position near the enemy machinegun. Voluntarily and alone he made his way up the mountain with a machinegun and a box of ammunition. He was observed by the enemy as he walked along and was severely wounded by the deadly fire directed at him. Though so seriously wounded that he was unable to walk, he continued to drag himself over the jagged edges of rock and rough terrain until he reached the position at which he desired to set up his machinegun. He set up the gun so well and fired so accurately that the enemy machine-gun nest was silenced and the remainder of the snipers forced to retire, enabling his platoon to obtain their objective. Sgt. Specker was found dead at his gun. His personal bravery, self-sacrifice, and determination were an inspiration to his officers and fellow soldiers.
    1945- Anthony Richard ( Tony) Conigliaro, Baseball player born at Revere, MA. Cnigiliaro led the American League in home runs in 1965 and was one of the most beloved Boston Red Sox players of his generation. He was beaned by jack Hamilton on August 18,1967, and after missing all of 1968, made a comeback. Died at Boston, Feb 24, 1990.
    1945---SHOUP, CURTIS F Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 346th Infantry, 87th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Tillet, Belgium, 7 January 1945. Entered service at: Buffalo, N.Y. Birth: Napenoch, N.Y. G.0. No.: 60, 25 July 1945. Citation: On 7 January 1945, near Tillet, Belgium, his company attacked German troops on rising ground. Intense hostile machinegun fire pinned down and threatened to annihilate the American unit in an exposed position where frozen ground made it impossible to dig in for protection. Heavy mortar and artillery fire from enemy batteries was added to the storm of destruction falling on the Americans. Realizing that the machinegun must be silenced at all costs, S/Sgt. Shoup, armed with an automatic rifle, crawled to within 75 yards of the enemy emplacement. He found that his fire was ineffective from this position, and completely disregarding his own safety, stood up and grimly strode ahead into the murderous stream of bullets, firing his low-held weapon as he went. He was hit several times and finally was knocked to the ground. But he struggled to his feet and staggered forward until close enough to hurl a grenade, wiping out the enemy machinegun nest with his dying action. By his heroism, fearless determination, and supreme sacrifice, S/Sgt. Shoup eliminated a hostile weapon which threatened to destroy his company and turned a desperate situation into victory.
    1946- Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner birthday, born NY, NY.
http://207.171.166.140/name/nm0921048/bio
http://207.171.166.140/name/nm0921048/
   1946 - A tornado rips through Tupelo, MS, forcing a t en-year-old Elvis Presley into the cellar with his mother, Gladys. 
    1948-Birthday of singer Kenny Loggins, born in Everett, Washington. He wrote the "House at Pooh Corner," a hit for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, before teaming with Jim Messina for several albums and the top-10 single "Your Mama Don't Dance" in the 1970's. The duo split in 1976, and Loggins did well on his own with such hit singles as "Footloose," the theme from the 1984 movie, and "Danger Zone" in 1986. 1949-Birthday of singer Tom Waits, Ponoma, CA
http://www.tomwaits.com/
http://www.officialtomwaits.com/
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7587/start.html
    1950-- Nova Scotia native Hank Snow made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. Later that year, his recording of "I'm Movin' On" stayed on the Billboard country chart for 44 weeks, selling more than a million copies.
    1950-- Gene Autry's "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" hits #1
    1951—Top Hits 
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page 
The Thing - Phil Harris 
Nevertheless - Jack Denny 
I Love You a Thousand Ways - Lefty Frizzell 
    1952 -- Actor Phillip Loeb, blacklisted in 1950 as a possible Communist sympathizer, is fired from highly successful TV comedy "The Goldbergs" because no one would sponsor it otherwise. 
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec97/
blacklist_10-24.html 
http://www.tvparty.com/vaultgold.html
http://www.woolmancentral.com/famcou.html
http://www.sag.com/blacklist.html
    1954 - The Duoscopic television receiver debuted, it allowed the viewer to watch two different shows at the same time. It was a very early, very primitive, picture-in-picture, split-screen, tested in New York City and Chicago, Illinois. DuMont Laboratories, owner of the DuMont Television Network produced the set.
    1954-- Muddy Waters records "Hoochie Coochie Man"
    1955- Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, Marian Anderson, contralto, became the first African-American opera singer when she sang the role of the fortune teller Ulrica in Giuseepe Verdi's “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
( lower half of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan07.html )
    1956-- Dean Martin's "Memories Are Made of This" hits #1
    1957-Birthday of Katie Couric, born Arlington, Virginia. She was co-anchor of "The Today Show" starting in 1991 and in 2007 became CBS News Anchor.
http://members.aol.com/flopez1542/page5.html
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0183698/
    1958 - The Gibson Guitar Company patented the Flying V guitar, favorite instrument of many rock musicians
    1959—Top Hits 
The Chipmunk Song - The Chipmunks 
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters 
Problems - The Everly Brothers 
City Lights - Ray Price
     1959- "GE College Bowl" quiz show premieres on NBC TV
http://www.jumptheshark.com/c/collegebowl.htm
http://www.classicthemes.com/50sTVThemes/
    1962 -- The Western Division defeats the Eastern Division 47-27 in the first AFL All-Star Game played before 20,973 in San Diego.
http://images.nfl.com/history/images/0107.jpg
    1962-- Chubby Checker's "The Twist" hits #1 -- again  
   1964-Mario Savio, leader of Berkeley Free Speech Movement, arrested. Univ. of California-Berkeley administration makes a presentation at the Greek Theatre to 18,000 students; followed by strike by 9,000 of the 27,000 students, and a faculty resolution (824 to 115) supporting the rapidly growing Free Speech Movement. I covered this for KFRC News and UPI Audio. 
    1967—Top Hits 
I'm a Believer - The Monkees 
Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen 
Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville 
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
    1968 - Postage rates in the United States went up by a penny; making the cost to send an ounce of mail six cents.
    1971- the temperature at Hawley Lake, AZ dipped to 40 degrees below zero, setting a new record low temperature for the state.
    1972- The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 134-90, to win their 33rd game in a row, an NBA record.
    1972-The NCAA announced that freshmen would be eligible to play varsity football and basketball starting in the fall of 1973.
    1975---Top Hits 
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Elton John 
You're the First, the Last, My Everything - Barry White 
Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas 
The Door - George Jones
    1978-The soundtrack album of the hit disco movie "Saturday Night Fever," featuring the Bee Gees, the Trammps, Tavares, K.C. & the Sunshine Band, Kool & the Gang, MFSB and others enter the soul album chart. It will peak at Number One for six weeks starting February 18 in its 39 weeks on the chart.
    1978--The Bar-Kays' "Let's Have Some Fun" enters the soul charts
    1979 - Vietnamese forces, aided by Cambodian insurgents, captured Phnom Penh after a two-week invasion and overthrew the Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot.
    1979 - In the AFC title game, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Houston Oilers 34-5 for a Super Bowl trip and their third AFC championship title. They played in a steady rain at Three Rivers Stadium. In the NFC championship game, the Dallas Cowboys shut out the Los Angeles Rams 28-0. (The Steelers beat the Cowboys 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII Jan 21.)
    1980--Led Zeppelin's "In Through the Out Door" is awarded a platinum disc. It's the last album issued before the September 25th death of drummer John Bonham. 
    1981-The "Eagles Live" album goes platinum. The two-record set will turn out to be the final Eagles album until 1994's comeback LP, "Hell Freezes Over".
    1982 - The Islanders' Bryan Trottier had his 10th career hat trick.
    1982-"Hooked on Classics," using the extended medley format made popular by "Stars on 45," sets popular classical music to a disco beat. The result: It goes platinum on this date.
    1983---Top Hits 
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates 
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson /Paul McCartney 
Dirty Laundry - Don Henley 
Wild and Blue - John Anderson
    1984-The Seattle Seahawks reached the AFC Title game for the first time in their history but were defeated by the Los Angeles Raiders, 30-14.
    1989 - A tornado in southern Illinois obliterated half the community of Allendale, injuring fifty persons and causing more than five million dollars damage, while thunderstorm winds gusting higher than 100 mph caused ten million dollars damage at Franklin KY. Twenty-five cities, from the Gulf coast to Michigan, reported record high temperatures for the date.
    1990 - A rapidly intensifying low pressure system and a vigorous cold front brought heavy rain and high winds to the Pacific Northwest. Two to five inches rains soaked western Washington and western Oregon, and winds gusting above 70 mph caused extensive damage. Wind gusts on Rattlesnake Ridge in Washington State reached 130 mph 
    1991---Top Hits 
Justify My Love - Madonna 
High Enough - Damn Yankees 
Love Will Never Do (Without You) - Janet Jackson 
I've Come to Expect It From You - George Strait
    1992 -a rare January thunderstorm rumbled over Sioux Falls, SD. This was the first January thunderstorm recorded in the city since 1939. Meanwhile, thunderstorms produced 6 tornadoes (one F2 and five F1) near Grand Island, NE -- the first tornadoes ever recorded in Nebraska during January.
    1993-Michael Jordan scored 35 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 130-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The points gave Jordan exactly 20,000 in the 620 th game of his career and made him the second fastest NBA player to reach the mark behind Wilt chamberlain, who did it in 499 games.
    1995 - a severe thunderstorm produced a downburst wind gust to 146 mph at Seymour-Johnson AFB in Goldsboro, NC.
    1996 - A blizzard paralyzed the Eastern U.S. The storm moved slowly, taking five days to reach New England from the Gulf of Mexico. The National Weather Service called it a storm of “historic proportions” with more than two feet of snow in the Baltimore and Washington, DC area. The mountains of Virginia and West Virginia got up to three feet. More than 100 deaths were blamed on the storm -- the majority from heart attacks. This event was the second in an unrelenting, paralyzing "siege of snowstorms" along the east coast during a ten day period.
    1997 - In Los Angeles, California, Heidi Fleiss, known as the "Hollywood Madam", was sentenced to 37 months in prison for cheating on her taxes, laundering call-girl profits, and conspiring to hide her wrongdoing. According to news sources, Fleiss choked back tears, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm a different person now"
   1999--Alan  Kaufman, SF poet, published his anthology of poetry:
The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560252278/
    2010--According to Nielsen SoundScan's final 2009 figures, Michael Jackson was the bestselling artist of the year, moving 8,286,000 units. Forty years after their break-up, The Beatles were still the best selling group, thanks to their remastered catalog which sold 3,282,000 copies. Digital downloads however, were a different story. Lady Gaga was the queen of the downloads, selling 15,297,000 digital tracks. The Black Eyed Peas, Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift all finished in the vicinity of 12 million digital units.