Monday, January 7, 2008
Headlines---
Leasing Person of the Year for 2007
Randall H. Brook
Classified Ad--One ex-Wildwood Employee
State of LeasePolice.com
This week business events
Scott Wheeler, CLP
The Time of Year for Reflections and Expectations
Lessons from Noah’s Ark
Classified Ads---Help Wanted
Top Stories --- December 31-January 4
Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Consumer Auto Leasing
Cartoon---Cat Kung Fu
Dash looking for home for his cat
China Financial Leasing Industry Report
You May have Missed---
California Nuts Brief---
"Gimme that Wine"
Calendar Events
Snapple Real Facts
Today's Top Event in History
This Day in American History
Football Poem
SuDoku
Daily Puzzle
GasBuddy
News on Line---Internet Newspapers
Examiner, San Francisco
######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release”
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Leasing Person of the Year for 2007
Randall H. Brook
Now retired Senior Attorney, Federal Trade Commission
Seattle, Washington office
(Photo Leasing News archives)
The Leasing Person of the Year is the person who has contributed the most "good influence" to the finance and leasing industry. Randall H. Brook, former Senior Attorney for the Federal Trade Commission was instrumental for his direct work regarding the NorVergence scandal, Leasecomm/MicroFinancial, as well as his assistance to the many law enforcement agencies, particularly the United States Attorneys General offices and “victims” who looked to the FTC for help.
In awarding this honor, Leasing News and its Advisory Board recognizes and appreciates the efforts of those outside the industry who make major contributions positively affecting the well-being of both the lessee and lessor, creditor and debtor.
The NorVergence scandal is a scar that could taint our industry for years to come. Mr. Brook's dogged pursuit and victory over NorVergence was a “kick-in-the butt” wake-up call to anyone still complacent enough to believe the regulators are not watching.
It may seem counterintuitive to welcome greater scrutiny and oversight by the courts and regulators; however, it's been a long time coming, and, in the opinion of many, quite frankly, overdue.
Ridding the leasing industry of bad players with their bad practices is a very good thing for us.
Leasing News believes Mr. Brook’s intervention should be considered a wake-up call to the industry to police itself, which is the best way to prevent new legislation that might otherwise be needed to prevent future abuse.
Leasing News believes Randall H. Brook's work and efforts will have a positive impact for years to come.
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Classified Ad--One ex-Wildwood Employee
"I hope all is well this New Year; I think we are all hoping for a good New Year. I have a special request: I have one previous Wildwood Employee who has not been able to locate a job since Wildwood closed. She is located in the St. Louis area. Would you be so kind to send a request for me to all your readers, who seeking a full time Administrative Person.
“This person is Hard Working, Dedicated, Extremely intelligent and very knowledgeable, in Sales, Credit, Documentation, Payroll, QuickBooks; with exceptionally strong computer skills. etc. She was my right hand person for 5 years with Wildwood. I am trying to help her out. She is a terrific person and worker.
“If any of your readers has a lead or is interested, please have them contact me at 941-257-8394."
Sincerely:
Mona Janes, CLP
For a full listing of all “job wanted” ads, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm
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State of LeasePolice.com
from Christopher Menkin, publisher/editor
“Many believed at the beginning of last year that LeasePolice would not make it. They did not know Bernie Boettigheimer, CLP.
He told Leasing News “ ‘Any one who has ever dealt with me or has come to know me would agree that I would never take on any challenge and not fulfill that role, baring a medical emergency of mine or my family,’
“The National Association of Credit Managers (NACM) tried this in the early 1990’s with support of several leasing associations, too. The problem is the funders did not want to share information. Perhaps it was also not the time of the satellite, meaning there was no internet, wireless transmission; many people didn’t even have e-mail addresses at that time. Communication was then keeping everything “private.”
“ Long time industry lessor Bernie Boettigheimer, CLP, spent a lot of his own money after he retired from the leasing business (selling Pioneer Capital Corporation, Texas), paid to have software developed, plus has spent much of his time and own money to promote the program. He even has leasing software tied into the system, developing others, and this time not only funders, but brokers, too, with notably participation from many members of the National Association of Equipment Brokers.
“Leasing News has ‘backed’ Lease Police since they first started, helping with public relations, free banner ads, encouraging readers to get involved in this ‘alert’ program.
“If we learned anything from the many leasing scandals the last few years, Lease Police is needed.”
Bernie Boettigheimer, CLP, Year-End Report:
Our Accomplishments:
- At year’s end we had a data base of over 5300 vendors and lessees.
- We are tracking 83 “Unusual Vendors” and “Lessee Alerts”.
- Our Subscribers number 57 and almost half are funders.
- On October 3rd we made a critical alliance with the front-end Advantage system allowing their clients to pull our reports automatically.
- We are working with several other front-end software companies and expect to have another major one of them on stream by late February 2008.
- On October 10th we initiated to our existing Subscribers a new regular feature of informing them when we are investigating a particular vendor/lessee. This report has been widely acclaimed by all, especially one client that had just received signed documents and a check on a $200,000 plus transaction. Several other Subscribers later reported receiving the same application.
Our Projections for 2008:
- We project having a data base of vendors & lessees of at least 15,000 by year end.
- The addition of the front-end users since October will bring about a swelling of the data base and its increasing value to our subscribers. Presently all inquires are at no charge and will remain that way until they are of value to our Subscribers.
- Our Subscribers will grow to over 200 with over half being funders. The funder growth in this area is due to the many meetings and future commitments we have had with various groups.
- The “Alerts” of vendor and lessee unusual activity will continue to grow as they developing new tactics. We should have 150-200 by year end.
The NorVergence episode and subsequent court rulings have now put a burden on the funders and brokers to not only check the ability of a lessee to pay, but to also verify and validate the vendor. Funders can no longer accept fraud and “high risk” vendor behavior as a cost of doing business as their inaction may actually provide the courts the opening to defeat their lease contracts.
Our 2007 statistics are verifiable and our 2008 projections are reasonable. If we are to put an end to this assault by fraudulent operators and identify vendors whose lease paper performs poorly,
you need to participate and get involved. We need to police
ourselves.
Sincerely,
Bernie Boettigheimer, CLP
President
Lease Police, Inc.
972-361-8111
972-692-8091-fax
bernieb@leasepolice.com
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This week business events
On Tuesday, Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser will speak in Gladwyne, Pa., on the economy, and Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren will speak in Hartford, Conn., on the economy as well. On Wednesday, St. Louis Fed President William Poole will speak in St. Louis on economic and financial literacy, and Thursday, Kansas City Fed President Thomas Hoenig speaks on the economy in Kansas City, Mo.
Lastly, on Friday, the Commerce Department reports on November's international trade and December import prices. These two pieces of data that could indicate how the weakening dollar is helping or hurting the United States' position in global commerce.
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The Time of Year for Reflections and Expectations
by Scott Wheeler, CLP
As the New Year begins, it is a natural reaction to reflect on the past as we try so desperately to forecast the future.
Our industry is well and thriving and there are infinite opportunities for all who embrace the free market environment within which we work. Leasing remains one of, if not the only, financial arena which is not restrained by regulations.
Banking, insurance, real estate, securities are all highly regulated and in order to enter these markets one needs to be licensed and certified. However, one only needs the desire and the access to capital to enter and succeed in the leasing industry. Leasing is truly a risk versus reward, supply versus demand business. The boundaries are set by the market not politicians or regulators who may be well intended but often out of touch with the current needs and desires of businesses looking to acquire capital equipment now.
We are the fortunate ones who work in a dynamic and ever changing industry which allows us to succeed but which doesn’t stifle the possibility of failure. Our only constraints are ones which we place upon ourselves within the context of a free and ever changing market. We are true capitalists providing services which the market demands at a price which the market is willing to pay.
We have all experienced the competitor who takes on too much risk at a price which seems unreasonable and we wonder - how long will this madness last? But the market reacts and if the competitor is truly unreasonable a market correction occurs and the competitor becomes a footnote in the pages of leasing history. However, if that competitor was correct in its assessment of the market, we find ourselves following the brilliancy of a visionary competitor who was able to predict the future market and we wonder why we were not the leader in these uncharted waters. The free market is not perfect and sometimes it is slower than we prefer in reacting to lunacy; however, in the long run the free market left alone is the best business environment and always, ultimately correct. As leasing professionals we are blessed to be involved with an industry which still embraces the free market with little if any regulatory interference.
The free market at times seems difficult, unfair, and unruly; but for the real entrepreneur these are the best conditions. Leasing allows the true entrepreneur to flourish because of who he/she is – a self motivated non apologetic business professional providing the business community with financial services which are needed and necessary to promote growth and corporate prosperity. As we plug through our busy business lives we often forget the reality of who we are and what we provide to others. Our industry is made up of thousands of individuals who are dedicated, serious, and free spirited entrepreneurs.
As we look forward to 2008 don’t expect easy or free rides. Everything worth having or doing is worth working hard to obtain. When you run into difficulties in 2008 - know that it is supposed to be hard, it is supposed to be challenging, but it is equally going to be exciting - because you have chosen leasing as your career and you are a participant in a financial industry which depends upon free market forces. These are the best of times for the leasing professional.
(Photo courtesy of Sandy Spring Bank)
Scott Wheeler, CLP
Active in leasing industry since 1982. 1989- Present, The Equipment Leasing Company – Baltimore Maryland. Currently: President of the Equipment Leasing Company; board member of the Eastern Association of Equipment Lessors, Certified Leasing Professional since 2000.
SWheeler@SandySpringBank.com
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Leasing Industry Help Wanted
Documentation / Funding Manager
|
Documentation /
Funding Manager
Austin, Texas
Great opportunity with well-respected company, working in the best part of the world. Click here for more information.
Affiliated Investment Group has 22 years experience serving the broker community.
|
|
Lease Officer
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Top Stories --- December 31-January 4
Here are the top ten stories most “opened” by readers last week:
(1) Paul Menzel, CLP, defends LEAF Financial
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202007/12-31-07.htm#leaf
(2) First Republic Bank closing down leasing unit
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/January%202008/01-04-08.htm#frb
(3) LEAF FINANCIAL CALLING--for the Record
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/January%202008/01-04-08.htm#leaf
(4) SunBridge Capital sold
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/January%202008/01-04-08.htm#sun
(5) Archives—December 31, 2002
Resource America Reports $8.6 MM loss
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202007/12-31-07.htm#arch
(6) OneWorld Leasing announces 6 New Members
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202007/12-31-07.htm#owl
(7) Credit Crisis Finds New Victims
http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/10472182?f=alerts
(8) Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Purchase Orders
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202007/12-31-07.htm#102
(Note: there was an error in the original version, corrected online. The error openings were not counted, otherwise this would be higher in the list.)
(9) World Leasing Map
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/January%202008/01-04-08.htm#map
(10) Irwin Financial Reports 4th Quarter Losses
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/January%202008/01-04-08.htm#ifr
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Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Consumer Auto Leasing
Almost everyone in the equipment leasing business at one time or another has been asked by friends or relatives “Should I Lease a car or not”. Consumer auto leasing is very different than commercial equipment leasing but few consumers understand those differences and therefore think that because we are in the leasing business we should have all the answers.
When comparing traditional car financing to leasing usually the rates are comparable, however the speed at which the principal is paid back has a lot to do with the cost. For instance a $35,000 loan over 48 months at a rate of 6% has payments of $821.98 and a total interest cost of $4,454.85, whereas a 48 month lease on the same car at the same rate with a “bring back” (residual) of 40% ($14,000) has payments of $563.19 and a total interest of $6,032.91. The payment is lower but the total interest charge (at the same rate) is higher. This is a result of only paying 60% of the cars cost over the term so the outstanding principle is always higher as the $35,000 is reduced to a remaining balance at termination of $14,000. The rate is the same but the total interest earned by the Lessor is 35% higher.
The next question is the residual or bring back amount. The two terms used in consumer leasing for the responsibilities at lease termination are “closed end” or “open end”. Closed end means you can walk away with no responsibilities for the bring back; if the car is returned at or below the mileage requirement and it is in clean condition. Open end means you are responsible for the bring back and if there is any short fall or deficiency when the car is sold you must make it up. Usually manufacturers offer closed end leases and financial institutions offer open end leases.
To compete with manufacturer programs many financial institutions purchase residual insurance that allows them to offer closed end leases but then the customer usually has no opportunity to purchase the car at termination because it has been presold to the insurance carrier.
One of the problems in consumer leases are legal documents that are written in vague language. That is not to say that they do not disclose all of the charges required by truth in lending, but many consumers do not read or understand the language or their responsibilities. All they see are lower payments and because they have been comparing loan payments to determine who is cheapest they apply the same logic to leasing. Upon lease termination they can find that the interpretation of the documents by the car dealer requires them to put the car in like new condition upon return or renew the lease for an addition year regardless of the closed end nature of the lease. Also it is vague on who sells the car or how its value is determined. How do you define selling costs and who determines a whole host of issues not covered in the agreement? Congress is working on some solutions but it still is in the future,
Clearly a lower cash flow requirement for lease payments encourages the consumer to lease because you can lease a luxury car or purchase an ordinary car. Lower payments are the American way by allowing us to push off until tomorrow what we cannot pay for today. While that may work if the leased car remains popular in the resale market if the price falls below expectations at lease terminations the lessor’s are going to look to the consumer or the insurance company to fill the gap. Be careful of end of the lease traps.
I always say if you can invest the difference between the lower lease payment and the equivalent loan payment at a rate that is higher than the interest rate on the lease then lease, if not then purchase. However, when my children were in college, and cash flow was a premium, I leased my car out of shear necessity.
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
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Dash looking for home for his cat
From Kit:
My son is shipping out for Iraq. He has been there three times and duty in Israel, too, as part of the Riverene unit. He says while they are rotating more army and marine's home, they have been training the other military to take over some of the army and marine duties in Iraq. He has had two years training at Blackwater in Virginia and is at the point of training others, as well as his other duties. He
volunteered for this two tours of duty for the extra pay, hoping to make chief petty officer, a goal he has had since joining the US Navy
(he has three years of college, plus many college and training courses.)
Dash is at the point of putting everything he has in storage in Cheaspeake, Virginia,
but has a problem and put this on his "My Space :"
HARLEY AND I
HELLO FRIENDS..... HARLEY MY CAT AND I WENT FOR A WALK TODAY...WE NEVER HAVE DONE THIS SINCE I HAVE NEVER REALLY HAD TOO. MY TRUCK IS IN THE SHOP... AND IT WAS ONLY A FEW MILES. I DON'T RIDE 2 MILES AND BACK SORRY NOT MY STYLE! (He has a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.)
IT WAS REALLY COOL!
MY KAT (HARLEY) IS SOO LOYAL AND COOL...SHOWING OF HIS LITTLE CUTS THRU THE WOODS IMPRESSED ME..... HE’S GOT LIKE 4 OR FIVE SHORT CUTS THAT ONLY A KAT WOULD LOVE!
WAGGGING HIS TAIL ALL PROUD, LOOKING BACK WANTING KUDOS! BLESS HIM!
WHAT A COOL CAT! ANYWAYS! WE GOT TO A POINT WHERE HE WAS LEADING ME..THEN HE BACKED OFF! SMART KAT! I HAD A MILE IN TRAFFIC To GO!
I LOVE HARLEY
HE IS SMART!
THERE WAS DEAD CATS IN THE STREET! HE SAW THEM! NOT A DUMB CAT...
HE SIGNALED ME THAT HE'D WAIT BY A GROUP OF BUSHES! I RECIPROCATED BY SAYING "GOOD BOY" ....SURE AS **** AND 30 MINUTES LATER... HE WAS WAITING FOR ME! TELL ME THAT IS UNUSUAL?!
HARLEY IS MY MOST FAVORITE PET!
I FEEL REAL SAD THAT I WILL BE LEAVING HIM FOR 21 MONTHS OVERSEAS!
ANYONE WHO CAN WATCH OVER FOR MY HARLEY (MY CAT) PLEASE LET ME KNOW!?
I'LL PAY FOR SHIPPING ON A PLANE WHATEVER... I DO NOT WANT HIM TO GO TO A HOSPICE!
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN HELP!?
DASH
(I have a male dog and he chases cats, squirrels, birds; almost anything on the ground. Kit)
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China Financial Leasing Industry Report 
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS16151+07-Jan-2008+BW20080107
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Q&A | Gates confident about Microsoft as he readies for part-time role
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/
2004110911_webcesgate06.html
Microsoft expands into more platforms, Last Las Vegas speech
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/
2004110949_webgatesap06.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004111143_ces07.html
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California Nuts Briefs--- The Answer: a liquid healing solution that can be used as an alternative to toothpaste and mouthwash.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080106-9999-lz1mc6dentist.html
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“Gimme that Wine” Amagnac
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/dining/02arma.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin
Book about Washington state wines creates a buzz
http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/307456748304552
How Josh Jensen Mines His Coveted Pinot Noir
http://wine.appellationamerica.com/wine-review/526/Calera-Wine-Limestone.html
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
The London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex) is an electronic exchange for fine wine.
http://www.liv-ex.com/
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Calendar Events This Day England: Plough Monday
Always the Monday after Twelfth Day. Work on the farm is resumed after the festivities of the 12 days of Christmas. On the preceding Sunday ploughs may be blessed in churches. Celebrated with dances and plays.
Japan: Namakusa
Festival dates back to the seventh century and recalls the seven plants served to the emperor that are believed to have great medical value—shepherd’s purse, chickweed, parsley, cottonweed, radish, hotoke-no-za and aona.
Old Rock Day
http://holidayinsights.com/other/oldrockday.htm
National Thank God It’s Monday Day
Russia: Christmas Observance (Orthodox)
National Holiday
Saint feast Days
http://www.catholic.org/saints/f_day/jan.php [headlines]
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The average ear of corn has eight-hundred kernels arranged in sixteen rows.
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Today's Top Event in History
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.
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This Day in American History 1608 - Disaster strikes Jamestown. The fort burns and leaves the colonists vulnerable to attack by Indians and the Spanish.
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.
1848 -James Lick arrived in San Francisco and purchased the fifty-vara lot on the northeast corner of Jackson and Montgomery streets from S.J. Ellis.
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://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
1865 - Cheyenne, Arapaho and Sioux warriors attack Julesburg, CO, in retaliation for the Sand Creek Massacre. At first light he rushed the sentries stationed outside the walls. A sixty man cavalry troop quickly emerged from the gates to give chase and as soon as they were clear of the fort they were cut off from their base as more than a thousand warriors dashed from the sand hills and began to empty the cavalry saddles. All but a few were killed. As the remaining garrison prepared to defend the fort, the Indians raced up the Platte to the undefended Julesburg where they plundered at will while the soldiers at Fort Rankin could only watch and harmlessly fire their howitzers.
1867 -- Emily Balch birthday. Co-founder of Women's International League for Peace & Freedom.
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1946/balch-bio.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.
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.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
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.
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.harlemglobetrotters.com/
1935-Birthday of clarinet player Kenny Davern, Huntington, NY http://www.riverwalk.org/profiles/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.
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/
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.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
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.
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, engaging American television personality described as Matt’s (Laurer) kid sister, born Arlington, Virginia. She has been co-anchor of "The Today Show" since 1991.
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.classicthemes.com/50sTVThemes/themePages/collegeBowl2.html
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
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 Bar-Kays' "Let's Have Some Fun" enters the soul charts
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.
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.)
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 620th 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".
[headlines]
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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]
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SuDoku
The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. What could be simpler?
http://leasingnews.org/Soduku/soduko-main.htm
[headlines]
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Daily Puzzle
How to play:
http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm
Refresh for current date:
http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm
[headlines]
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http://www.gasbuddy.com/
http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Map_Gas_Prices.aspx
http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Mobile_Instructions.aspx
[headlines]
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News on Line---Internet Newspapers Examiner, San Francisco
http://www.examiner.com/?setEdition=San_Francisco
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[headlines] |
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