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Leasing News is a web site that posts information, news, and
entertainment for the commercial bank, finance and leasing industry

kitmenkin@leasingnews.org
   

 

Finance Officer

Fleet Financing Resources, LLC. is seeking candidates
to join our team. 3 yrs. sales exp. in the equipment leasing
& finance with pref. of titled transportation equipment

Click here for more information

www.FFResources.com
Nationwide Leasing & Financing of Commercial Fleets



Wednesday, July 1, 2015



Today's Equipment Leasing Headlines

Position Wanted---Senior Management
  Seeking New Opportunities
New Hires---Promotions in the Leasing Business
  and Related Industries
Leasing Industry Ads---Help Wanted
  Now Three
Kevin O'Toole's Advice
  on Technology
Lessor Who Was Servicing Lease Held
Liable for Commingling Lease Payments
by Tom McCurnin, Leasing News Legal Editor
Back Offices Companies Updated
  Portfolio Financial Servicing Company
California Payday Loans Increase to $3.38 Billion
   Over 12.4 Million Transactions
Element to Acquire GE Capital’s Fleet Operations in the US
& Mexico and Australia and New Zealand for C$8.6 billion
Second Global Leasing Industry Forum
September 24-25, 2015 Tianjin, China
Fourth of July on Netflix by Fernando Croce
This is America/The Patriot/Lincoln/
Fourth of July: Drums Along the Mohawk
Tucker: the Man and His Dream (my father
   has a one line role playing the pharmacist)
Labrador Retriever
West Los Angeles, California  Adopt-a-Dog
Operations/Remarketing/Repossessions
Classified Ads—Updated

News Briefs---
Hertz Unit a Target as Element Plots
  More Deals After GE
LendingClub Falls Below IPO Price
  After Six-Month Slide--Closing at $14.65
Uber loses nearly half a billion dollars
  operating losses on $415 million in revenue
Congress lets Export-Import Bank expire
  Billionaire GOP mega-donors Charles and David Koch
The expiration of the Export-Import Bank,
  explained for those who don’t know what that is
Apple Impacts Mobile Banking: For Better or Worse
  Full Report: Gift or Curse to Banks in Long Run
Dean Cash, ATEL, Inducted Florida State
 University College Business Hall of Fame (4:53)

Broker/Funder/Industry Lists | Features (writer's columns)
Top Ten Stories Chosen by Readers | Top Stories last six months

www.leasingcomplaints.com (Be Careful of Doing Business)
www.evergreenleasingnews.org
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[headlines]

--------------------------------------------------------------

Position Wanted---Senior Management
  Seeking New Opportunities


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

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

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


Senior-level leasing executive accomplished in sales, finance, operations and marketing. Seeking new opportunity to capitalize on my strategic, ideation, communication and analytical strengths to identify opportunities, formulate solutions and articulate strategies that inspire cross-functional teams to enhance corporate performance and shareholder value. Adept negotiator of multi-million dollar lease program agreements and contracts. Driver of increased sales productivity, incremental revenue, operating expense reductions and customer acquisition/retention.
reg.lindholm@gmail.com

 

Receivables Management LLC
John Kenny

• End of Lease Negotiations & Enforcement 
• Third-Party Commercial Collections

john@jkrmdirect.com | ph 315-866-1167
www.jkrmdirect.com

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for investigative
reporting provided by John Kenny)


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


New Hires---Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

 


Tom Forbes was hired a Senior Vice President, Capital Markets Wintrust Commercial Finance, Frisco Texas.  Previously, he was Head of Global Capital Markets & Solutions Finance Caterpillar Financial (April, 2012 – March, 2015); promoted from Manager of Global Capital Markets, Financial Services Doosan Infracore Construction Equipment (February, 2009 – September, 2010); Prior, he was Managing Director, ORIX USA Corporation (August, 2004 – May, 2008); Vice President of Business Development, GE Commercial Finance (2002 – 2004); Senior Vice President, CIT (April, 1993 – October, 2001); Assistant Treasurer, Forsythe McArthur Associates (April, 1990 – April, 1993); Assistant Treasurer. Forsythe McArthur Associates (April, 1990 – April, 1993).
Organizations: Equipment Leasing and Finance Association. Education:
Purdue University, BA, Communications and Management (1984 – 1987); Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management, Executive Development Program (1999).
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/tom-forbes/1/826/1bb

Mitch Larkin was hired as Vice President, Antares Leasing; based in Baltimore Maryland.  Previously, he was Senior Vice President, Capital Leasing Solutions (August, 2014-June, 2015); Vice President, BancLease Acceptance (August, 2012-August, 2014); Senior Vice President, Sentry Financial (August, 2011-March, 2013); Vice-President, Broker Division, Bankers Capital (February, 2009-August, 2012). February, 2006, he joined Madison Capital, leaving Butler Capital, where he had been for over five years.  He is a graduate of Husson University, Bangor, Maine.
www.linkedin.com/pub/mitchell-larkin/23/880/a3a


Derek Marcello was hired a Senior Vice President, Asset Management at Wintrust, Frisco, Texas.  Previously, Senior Vice President - Equipment Management, MB Financial Bank, MB Equipment Finance, (2013 – 2015); Vice President, Equipment Management, M&T Bank, Commercial Equipment Finance (2011 – 2013); Director, Equipment Management, Wells Fargo Capital Finance (2006 – 2011); Vice President, Equipment Management, Bank of America, Leasing (2004 – 2006); Adjunct Instructor, Gibbs College (2004 – 2005); Senior Officer, Banc Boston Leasing, Bank Boston (became Bank America) (January, 1999 – November, 1999); Sales and Marketing Officer, Asst. Corporate Secretary, Asset Manager, Textron Financial, Textron, Inc. (1995 – 1999); Office/Project Mgr., IT Trainer, Enrollment Sales/Marketing, Kaplan (1990 – 1994). Organizations: ASA, ELFA. Education: Johnson and Wales University, Johnson and Wales University, MBA, Global Business Leadership, Marketing. Course study within a Global Business environment whereas subjective elements and empirical evidence were used in curriculum. Worked closely with international students on many common business issues for a global perspective. Skilled in organizational behavior and development of empowered, invested, and productive employees. Leader development. Rhode Island College, BS, Business, Administration and Management. Activities and Societies: Wrestling CPCC. Certificate, Web Site Design - SEO, SMM
https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekmarcello

 

 

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

Leasing Industry Help Wanted




Senior Credit Analyst

Choose Location
Anaheim, CA, Tigard, OR, Federal Way, WA


Middle Market Credits $500,000 to $5MM
including Equipment Leases and Financings
and Recourse and Non-recourse Lines of Credit
-Five or More Years Credit Underwriting Exp.
Some Relocation Provided
click here for more information

Financial Pacific Leasing - Commercial
A subsidiary of Umpqua Bank


Finance Officer

Fleet Financing Resources, LLC. is seeking candidates
to join our team. 3 yrs. sales exp. in the equipment leasing
& finance with pref. of titled transportation equipment

Click here for more information

www.FFResources.com
Nationwide Leasing & Financing of Commercial Fleets

For information on placing a help wanted ad, please click here

 

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


Kevin O'Toole's Advice
on Technology


Kevin O'Toole
SVP/GM - New Business Solutions Comcast

Dan Baldwin, Executive Director, Telecom Association, in his TA Weekly News, wrote about Comcast SVP Kevin O'Toole's presentation, which he called "the best cloud vision keynote" the best he experienced.  He included what he thought was one of the best from O'Toole's to learn about technology:

 

 

 

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


Lessor Who Was Servicing Lease Held
Liable for Commingling Lease Payments

by Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal Editor

Lease Originator and Servicer Commingled Lease Payments to Spread Out Losses Amongst Lenders Found Liable in Bankruptcy as a Non-Dischargeable Debt.

Framers Exch. Bank v. Roden , 488 B.R. 736, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 376, 2013 WL 414450 (Bankr. N.D. Ala. 2013)

Here’s a short little case which demonstrates why lease originators shouldn’t be servicers to the leases they generate. In this case, the lessor, who was also servicing the lease, commingled the payments to spread out the losses to all lenders. There was no allegation that he pocketed the monies, only that he tried to do the right thing for all the lenders. The court was not terribly concerned with his motives, and awarded one of the lenders a non-dischargeable judgment for $75,000. The facts follow.

William S. Roden, Alabama, originated and serviced equipment leases for his company Lease Linc, LLC. (No relation to William G. "Bill" Roden in Denton, Texas. Editor). After funding the transaction, he would assign the paper to various lenders and retain servicing rights. In essence, Lease Linc would collect the monthly lease payments and remit same to the respective lender. In essence, Lease Linc received a one-time fee from the lender up front and from that point forward just served as a collector of the lease payments and remitted same to the lender. The assignments were without recourse.

During 2010, Lease Linc, LLC, became delinquent in remitting monthly lease payments to one of the lenders, and Roden stopped segregating payments received from lease customers all of which were deposited into a single account. The lessor made the decision to use lease payments assigned to some of the lenders to make payments to other banks and to spread the loss between the banks.

When Lease Linc, LLC, filed for Bankruptcy and one of the lenders sued Roden for non-dischargeability, alleging that Roden converted the lease payments. 

Roden, in turn argued that there was neither guaranty nor recourse in the transactions, and his actions were not willful fraud. Roden also argued that he simply ran out of money. 

However, the court found that Roden’s financial plight did not mitigate the Court's finding of malice under the circumstances of this case. Roden, an experienced businessman, was in the best position to know when Lease Linc was no longer a viable entity, yet he continued to use lease payments assigned to the lenders without fear of reprisal due to the non-recourse nature of the lenders promissory notes.

Thus, the court found that Roden, serving as the managing member and sole employee of Lease Linc, willfully and maliciously converted the lease payments assigned by Lease Linc to the lender. Each time Roden collected a lease payment that had been assigned to the lender and failed to remit the funds to the lender, Roden engaged in an intentional act.

What are the lessons here for equipment lessors?

First, never, ever, let your borrower or assignor service the obligation unconditionally. Use a neutral party to service the obligations. There are many Back Office companies who provide this service. If you must for leases in a small volume operation, the lender should use the borrower, but appoint the borrower only as a sub-servicer. Of course, the servicer should require monthly reports and audits visits, if you are not employing a back office company to collect payments.

Second, for brokers, the money you collect from lessees is not your money. It is the lessees’ money, unless and until you are delivered with a signed lease. While retaining deposits is more of a problem that what the broker did here, the point must be emphasized that exercising control over money which is not yours will subject the broker to monetary judgments, and is nondischargeable in a bankruptcy. 

Farmers vs. William Roden Case
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/farmersexchange_roden2015.pdf

William Roden is Liable Ruling
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/WilliamRodenLiable2015.pdf

Tom McCurnin is a partner at Barton, Klugman & Oetting
in Los Angeles, California.

Tom McCurnin
Barton, Klugman & Oetting
350 South Grand Ave.
Suite 2200
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Direct Phone: (213) 617-6129
Cell (213) 268-8291
Email: tmccurnin@bkolaw.com
Visit our web site at www.bkolaw.com

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


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

Back Offices Companies Updated

Portfolio Financial Servicing Company (f)
1992 
www.pfsc.com
Curt Lysne
Vice President, National Sales
(949-370-2388
clysne@pfsc.com
150
(including 20 bilingual Spanish/English
  speaking employees)
John Enyart, President

Primary servicing includes: billing/collecting, managing customer service, sales and property tax filings, insurance follow up, lease and loan accounting. Backup Servicing. Tax services duties.

United States, Canada and Puerto Rico
Contact us for client list

 

Full Back Office Companies List:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Ag_leasing/backoffice.htm

 Classified Ads--Back Office (updated)
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing.htm#sec3

 


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


California Payday Loans Increase to $3.38 Billion
Over 12.4 Million Transactions

The California Department of Oversight reports California payday lending activity in 2014 increased from the prior year.

In 2014, the total dollar amount of payday loans increased 6.66 percent from 2013, to $3.38 billion. The number of transactions rose 2.0 percent over the same period, to 12,407,422.

Payday loans are called deferred deposit transactions in state law. In a deferred deposit transaction, the consumer provides the lender a personal check for the amount of money desired. The lender provides the consumer the money, minus an agreed-upon fee. The fee cannot exceed 15 percent of the check amount. The lender then defers depositing the consumer’s check for a specific period of time, which cannot exceed 31 days. The maximum amount a consumer can receive is $300, minus the fees.

Payday loan transactions in 2014 averaged $235. That was 9.6 percent below the 2013 average, and the lowest figure on record. The average APR on transaction fees in 2014 was 361 percent, according to the report, down by 11.5 percent from 408 percent the prior year. The 2014 average APR also was the lowest on record.

The ratio of returned checks to total payday lending transactions in 2014 was 5.84 percent, up from 5.81 percent in 2013, according to the report. The aggregate dollar amount of returned checks last year was $196.65 million. That represented 5.82 percent of the total dollar amount of all payday lending transactions, down from a 6.06 percent ratio in 2013.

Pay Day Loan 2014 Year-end Report

 


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

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

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

Element to Acquire GE Capital’s Fleet Operations in the US
& Mexico and Australia and New Zealand for C$8.6 billion

(Element is now North America’s largest commercial fleet operator. As
noted in the following press release: “The Transaction will be funded from the C$2.7 billion net proceeds of the offering of subscription receipts, subordinated convertible debentures and preferred shares that the Company closed on May 29, 2015 together with C$5.9 billion in debt financing underwritten by a syndicate of Canadian and international banks through a committed increase of the Company’s senior credit facility to US$8.5 billion which will be concurrently extended for a three-year term from the date of closing. Element’s tangible leverage ratio following the closing of the Transaction is expected to increase to approximately 4.3:1 computed on the basis of the Company’s bank covenant, and to approximately 5.3:1 according to market convention.")

(Leasing News prints the entire press release with all the facts. Editor)

Sale of GE Capital’s European fleet operations to Arval strengthens the Element-Arval Global Alliance

· Expected ~20% accretion to annual EPS based on fully annualized synergies in the range of US$ 90 million to US$ 95 million

· Related Arval transaction expands and strengthens the Element-Arval Global Alliance in Europe

· Senior credit line increased from US$2.0 billion to US$8.5 billion and extended for a three-year term

· Element’s total assets to increase to C$21 billion

Toronto, Canada –– Element Financial Corporation (TSX: EFN) (“Element” or the “Company”), one of North America’s leading fleet management and equipment finance companies, announces that it has entered into a definitive agreement with GE (NYSE:GE) to acquire GE Capital’s remaining North American fleet management operations in the US and Mexico, as well as GE Capital’s fleet management operations in Australia and New Zealand (the “Transaction) for an all-cash purchase price of C$8.6 billion. Element had previously acquired the Canadian operations of GE Capital’s North American fleet management business in June of 2013.


Steven Hudson
CEO, Element Financial

“Adding these very high quality businesses to our existing fleet operations firmly establishes Element as a leader in the North American fleet management industry,” said Steven Hudson, Element’s Chief Executive Officer. “But more importantly, by combining these businesses we’re being given an unprecedented opportunity to bring together the systems, technologies, products and people that have helped to define excellence in the fleet management industry in North America for more than five decades,” added Mr. Hudson.

Transaction Details

In addition to the purchase of net earning assets in the U.S., Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, the Transaction includes the transfer of the employees, systems, offices, agreements, intellectual property and other assets required to operate the acquired fleet management businesses in these jurisdictions.
In a related transaction, Element confirmed today that Paris-based Arval, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BNP Paribas and Element’s founding partner in the Element-Arval Global Alliance, has entered into a memorandum of understanding to acquire GE Capital’s European fleet operations. Element facilitated GE in structuring the transaction with Arval. Together, these two transactions signal a new level of collaboration between Element and Arval in serving the global fleet management needs of international customers. On closing of the two transactions, the Element-Arval Global Alliance will be capable of managing customer fleets in more than 40 countries.
The North American-based portion of the GE portfolio represents C$5.3 billion of the net earning assets acquired by Element while the Australia and New Zealand-based portions represents C$1.8 billion. Through its expanded alliance with Arval, and now its direct ownership of fleet operations in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, these transactions provide Element with greater capacity to support international customers with integrated global fleet management solutions.


Bradley Nullmeyer
Element Financial President

“We see the opportunity to expand our fleet management operations into Australia and New Zealand as an excellent fit with our established North American operations,” said Bradley Nullmeyer, Element’s President. “In addition to strengthening our ability to support international fleet customers through these transactions, we believe the economic scale of Element’s expanded fleet management enterprise will enable us to accelerate the development and deployment of the next generation of advanced fleet analytics and data benchmarking tools. These expanded and enhanced service offerings will further differentiate Element Fleet Management in the market and deliver incremental cost savings for our fleet customers,” added Mr. Nullmeyer.

A transition services agreement between Element and GE under which GE will provide various services during the transition period, ensures that services to customers, suppliers and employees will not be disrupted following the closing of the Transaction.

Financial Highlights
The purchase price represents a premium over the acquired net earning assets of C$7.3 billion that is consistent with Element’s previous fleet management acquisitions. The Transaction constitutes an “Eligible Transaction” under the terms of the outstanding subscription receipts and extendible convertible unsecured subordinated debentures issued by Element on May 29, 2015. The Transaction will be funded from the C$2.7 billion net proceeds of the offering of subscription receipts, subordinated convertible debentures and preferred shares that the Company closed on May 29, 2015 together with C$5.9 billion in debt financing underwritten by a syndicate of Canadian and international banks through a committed increase of the Company’s senior credit facility to US$8.5 billion which will be concurrently extended for a three-year term from the date of closing. Element’s tangible leverage ratio following the closing of the Transaction is expected to increase to approximately 4.3:1 computed on the basis of the Company’s bank covenant, and to approximately 5.3:1 according to market convention.

Integration plans will be finalized prior to closing to align the fleet management operations of the two companies with the objective of optimizing the customer experience through enhanced product offerings and state of the art technology. Significant savings are expected to be realized from revenue synergies, expense reductions and cost of funds improvements.

As a result, the Transaction will result in 20 percent accretion to annual EPS based on fully annualized synergies in the range of US$90 million to US$95 million.

“While the continued consolidation of the North American industry will present further opportunities for the Company, management’s focus and discipline will be on delivering value to our shareholders and customers through the integration of these acquired GE fleet operations,” noted Mr. Hudson.

The Transaction is subject to regulatory and other approvals. The U.S. & Mexico transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2015, and the Australia & New Zealand transaction in the fourth quarter of 2015 subject to the receipt of these approvals. The closing of the Transaction is independent of the conclusion of GE’s memorandum of understanding with Arval.

On closing of the Transaction, Element’s combined fleet management operations will include more than one million vehicles under contract and net earning fleet assets of more than C$13 billion. The Company’s total assets will exceed C$21 billion.

Transaction Advisors
BMO Capital Markets, Barclays, INFOR Financial Inc. and CIBC acted as financial advisors to Element in connection with the Transaction, including the structuring of the transaction between GE and BNP Paribas. Blake, Cassels and Graydon and Cravath, Swaine and Moore acted as legal counsel to Element.

About Element Financial Corporation
With total assets of approximately C$21 billion after giving effect to the current transaction, Element Financial Corporation is one of North America’s leading fleet management and equipment finance companies. Element operates across North America in four verticals of the equipment finance market - Fleet Management, Commercial & Vendor Finance, Rail Finance and Aviation Finance.



 

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

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

Second Global Leasing Industry Forum
September 24-25, 2015  Tianjin, China

REGISTRATION AT NO COST

Qualified individuals (senior management positions) from mature market leasing companies outside of China will not be charged any registration fees. Eligibility for complimentary registration will be determined by the organizers upon receipt of registration details.

THE ATTENDEES

The conference will primarily be geared to attract a large number of senior Chinese leasing executives eager to learn and to pursue business opportunities. Vendors, service providers and government officials from China will also be in attendance. This will provide overseas attendees with many windows of opportunity.

THE ORGANIZERS

The principal organizer is New Finance Union (NFU), represented by its co-founder, Liu Zhouwei, a stalwart in China's finance and economic media. He founded "The 21st Century Business Herald", one of China's leading financial and economic daily newspapers. He was selected as a "Global Young Leader" by the World Economic Forum in 2009.

AMEMBAL & HALLADAY’S ROLE

Amembal & Halladay (AH) is the co-organizer of the conference. AH will advise NFU on the agenda and be responsible for inviting leading lease practitioners from overseas. Mr. Sudhir Amembal, CEO of AH, will co-chair the event and will moderate the CEO panel.

SYNOPSIS OF LAST YEAR’S CONFERENCE

The first annual conference was a sell-out, attended by close to 400 individuals including leasing professionals, bankers, service providers and government officials. Speakers from leading Chinese leasing companies focused on the status of the industry along with its challenges and opportunities. Overseas speakers – comprised of senior executives from leading leasing companies from the U.S.A., Europe, and South America presented a host of topics geared primarily towards taking the Chines leasing market to the next level.

AGENDA AND SPEAKERS

The conference will span two full days. The agenda is being finalized - topics currently under consideration are:

• Challenges and Opportunities Faced by the Chinese Leasing Industry
• Scope and Opportunities for Forming Joint Ventures
• Balancing Risks and Growth – The Contradictory Mandate
• Analysis of Failure in Mature Markets
• Managing Cyclical Risks

Besides the above general session topics, parallel sessions, panel discussions and roundtables will include:

• CEO Panel
• Large Ticket Transportation Leasing
• Trends in Alternative Energy Financing
• Seeing Opportunities in Internet Finance
• Asset Management and Risk Control
• Medical and Health Care Leasing

>From the Chinese side, the speakers will include prominent leasing company executives and supportive governmental representatives; from the international side, the speakers will be drawn from senior executives from leading leasing companies and others who have played a vital role in leasing's international growth.

THE VENUE

The conference will be held in Tianjin, which is a 35 minute express train journey from Beijing. September is praised as a “golden” month in Beijing – cool, clear and brisk!

For registration details, please contact Kelly Farnham at kelly@amembalandhalladay.com.

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

 

 

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

Leasing News: Special July 4th Edition
By Fernando Croce

With the Fourth of July just ahead, we at Leasing News are proud to recommend five especially patriotic movies (available on Netflix) that you get you laughing, cheering, and saluting.


Drums Along the Mohawk (John Ford, 1939): Though often classified as a director of Westerns, John Ford (“The Grapes of Wrath,” “The Searchers”) is more accurately described as a chronicler of U.S. history. In this rather underrated 1939 feature (his first in color), Ford turns his gaze to the American Revolution, with the focus on a small settlement in New York. Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert stars as Gilbert and Lana, a newlywed couple struggling to keep a farm in the volatile year of 1776. As time passes, they befriend other settlers and brace themselves for danger in the form of Indian raids and British attacks. Detailing the need as well as the human toll of war at the time of Independence, Ford’s picture is a gorgeous ode to the hardships and triumphs of the nation’s builders.

Tucker: The Man and His Dream (Francis Ford Coppola, 1988): The man behind the “Godfather” classics, Francis Ford Coppola takes a different (and surprisingly sunny) look at capitalism in this irresistible biopic. Taking place shortly after WWII, the film follows Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges, in a dynamic performance), an engineer whose dream is to come up with “the car of the future” for the booming American market. With the help of New York financer Abe Karatz (Martin Landau) and plenty of exuberant salesmanship, the entrepreneur faces challenging competition from every side yet never gives up. Can a single man change the face of the industry? Clearly identifying with his protagonist’s struggles in a medium where creativity and vision are often shortchanged, Coppola serves up a rousing tribute to American ingenuity.

This Is America, Charlie Brown (Bill Melendez, 1988): It wouldn't be a holiday without an animated version from Charles M. Schulz's beloved Peanuts gang, and they didn't disappoint with this eight-part TV ode to imporant American events. The episodes cover a wide part of history, ranging from the early settlements ("The Mayflower Voyagers") to technological advancements ("The Great Inventors") and contributions to culture ("The Music and Heroes of America"). Among them is "The Birth of the Constitution," which is set during the Constitutional Convention and finds Charlie Brown and the other characters catching glimpses of history as they work to keep Independence Hall clean. Though not as easily available as their Christmas, Halloween or Thanksgiving specials, these fun and educational shorts are worth a watch.

The Patriot (Roland Emmerich, 2000): For a more action-packed take on America’s fight for independence, check out this popular combination of historical drama and blockbuster thriller. Mel Gibson stars as Benjamin Martin, a haunted man who simply wants to live peacefully with his family in his small South Carolina farm. But since the year is 1776 and skirmishes between local rebels and colonial forces are all around him, Benjamin must take a stand. When his home and loved ones are threatened by a sadistic British commander (Jason Isaacs), he reluctantly but fiercely returns to his old fighting ways and, joined by his son Gabriel (Heath Ledger), heads out to combat. Mixing the national with the personal, this is a robust, rousing crowd-pleaser from director Roland Emmerich, who had already given us “Independence Day.”

Lincoln (Steven Spielberg, 2012): Like one of his heroes John Ford, Steven Spielberg has long been fascinated by American history, and in this incisive drama he takes a look at a momentous 19th-century crossroads. Set during the height of the Civil War, the film follows Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis), whose role as President puts him square in the middle of clashing groups, from Union and Confederate forces to slave owners and emancipators. Detailing his relationships to such famous figures like Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field) and Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), the film is simultaneously a vast historical canvas and a small and intimate portrait of a great man who has achieved wisdom the hard way. Anchored by an Oscar-winning performance by Day-Lewis, this is a trenchant, emotional, and ultimately hopeful film.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Labrador Retriever
West Los Angeles, California  Adopt-a-Dog


Perdita

Status: Adoptable
Breed: Labrador Retriever
Size: Large (46-80 Pounds)
Age: Senior (8+ years)
Gender: Female
Hair: Medium
Colors: Brown/White
Pattern: Solid
Dogs OK! Kids OK!

UPDATE FROM HER FOSTER:

“Perdita is just the kindest dog you will ever meet. She has a heart of gold and loves all people and pups. I am so lucky that she ended up being my foster because I regularly do dog boarding in my home and needed a resilient and friendly pup who could handle the constant turnover of different dogs. Perdy came through with flying colors.
She is so gentle, patient, and truly enjoys the added company. I’ve seen her interact with dogs of all sizes both at home and on walks, if you have a pet and are worried about introducing them to a new friend, worry no more! I’ve had her for a week now and she is already my best side kick. If we lay out in the grass she will inevitably end up half in my lap. Such a snuggly pup, but she knows not to get on the bed if I say no. There’s been absolutely no trouble with her appetite, but we’re keeping her trim and fit!

“She has a hard time hearing, but really pays attention to me and the other dogs for cues. She always stays in line with me on a walk and even helps me guide the others. Although she’s a bit slower than I’m sure she used to be, she LOVES her walks and seems like she could go on forever. Stairs are slower for her, but she never reacts as if she is in pain. She is a dream to take on a coffee date and behaves so well in outdoor cafe settings.

“I’ve heard her bark maybe 4 times the entire week. She’s very quiet and even her bark is low key. She follows me everywhere and always checks in with me if I get caught up with the other dogs. When the others settle down she’ll walk over and just lean into me or nudge my face, such a calming presence. Anyone would be lucky to bring her home. Please come meet Perdita, you will completely fall for her.”

Much Love Animal Rescue
P.O. Box 341721
Los Angeles, CA 90034-1721
info@muchlove.org


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

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Operations/Remarketing/Repossessions

Operations: Portland , OR
Portfolio Financial Servicing Company provides state of the art portfolio servicing for portfolios of all sizes. 800-547-4905 sales@pfsc.com
     
Repossessions: Southern California (except San Diego).
Full service repossession agency. All vehicles, big rigs, boats, heavy equipment and machinery. Licensed and insured 818-786-7376. www.simonsrecovery.com. adam@simonsrecovery.com
Repossessions: Canada 
Cease Bailiff Services Incorporated:
Asset Investigation/Tracing; Asset Recoveries; Asset Protection/Security
Asset Liquidations/Sales; Ottawa, Canada;www.ceasebailiff.ca dave@ceasebailiff.ca; Phone613 898 7376 ; Fax 613 225 2452

Remarketing: Los Angeles, CA
Video, Audio, Film, Computer, IT, Test, Presentation Equipment
We pay cash / 3 million in buying power /Quick Quotes
UBG 800-570-5224 
jon@usedvideo.org

Repossessions:
All kinds of vehicles, equipment and machinery. Anywhere in the United States. Anything, Anywhere, Professionally 
800-755-1968 
Rayc@american-locators.com
Repossessions:
Melville, New York
Auctions, Appraisals, National Repossessions.  ALL asset classes. 20+ year team works for you. Spend less, Net More… Fast!
Ed Castagna 516-229-1968ecastagna@inplaceauction.com
Repossessions/Remarketing
Bulldog Asset Management provides recovery and remarketing services with a difference. Contingent repos, free storage and industry experts to remarket. Email:
http://bulldogasset.com/contactwww.bulldogasset.com
Repossessions: Florida
Commercial Asset Solutions, Florida repossessions and skip tracing. We have been repossessing assets longer than anyone with the highest rate of return. We do not outsource your problems, we solve them ourselves. 30 years solving problems for the top commercial lenders. Our reputation is second to no one! 
Mark Lacek 407-948-7087
Repossession/Remarketing
San Francisco Bay Area
SFBAAM, LLC:  20 years’ experience in equipment FMV's, Repossessions, Lease Returns & Remarketing.  We handle Copiers, Test Eq., Networking, IT, Medical, Industrial.  No Repossession pick-up fees in the Bay Area.  Over 50 million in assets remarketed.  We are in compliance w/ the major banks.  
zack@sfbaam.com
 

 


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

[headlines]
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News Briefs----

Hertz Unit a Target as Element Plots
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-29/element-financial-considers-more-deals-after-ge-purchase

LendingClub Falls Below IPO Price After Six-Month Slide--Closing at $14.65
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-29/lendingclub-falls-below-ipo-price-after-49-plunge-in-six-months

Uber loses nearly half a billion dollars
http://nypost.com/2015/06/30/uber-loses-nearly-half-a-billion-dollars/

Congress lets Export-Import Bank expire
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/30/export-import-bank-expiring-congress/29468333/

The expiration of the Export-Import Bank, explained for those who don’t know what that is
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/06/30/the-expiration-of-the-export-import-bank-explained-for-those-who-dont-know-what-that-is/

Apple Impacts Mobile Banking: For Better or Worse
http://thefinancialbrand.com/52503/apple-impacts-mobile-banking-for-better-or-worse/

Dean Cash, ATEL, Inducted Florida State University College Business Hall of Fame (4:53)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=
player_embedded&v=lBAuJu0m3aU


[headlines]

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--You May Have Missed It

Peek Inside Aston Martin’s Totally Bonkers, $2.3M Hypercar
http://www.wired.com/2015/06/peek-inside-aston-martins-totally-bonkers-2-3m-hypercar/




[headlines]
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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer



Learn to Love Breakfast
Reasons to Make A.M. Eating a Habit
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=827


[headlines]
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Baseball Poem

“Brother Noah Gave Out Checks For Rain”

by Arthur Longbrake

Published: The Sporting News (1981), Unknown (1906)

My sermon today, said Reverend Jones,
is baseball and whence it came.
Now, if you take the Good Book and you take a good look,
you will find the first Baseball Game.

It says Eve stole first, Adam second;
Solomon umpired the game.
Rebecca went to the well with a pitcher,
And Ruth in the field made a name.
Goliath was struck out by David —
A base hit was made on Abel by Cain,
And the Prodigal Son made a great home-run.

Brother Noah gave checks out for rain. 
Jonah wailed — went down swinging.
Later he popped up again.
A lion-drive by ole Nebuchadnezzar
Made Daniel warm-up in the pen.
Delilah was pitching to Samson,
When he brought down the house with a clout,
And the Angels that day made a double-play|
That's when Adam and Eve were thrown out.
 
Ole St. Pete was checking errors,
Also had charge of the gate.

Salome sacrificed Big John the Baptist
Who wound up ahead on the plate.
Satan was pitching that apple
And looked as though he might fan 'em all,
But then Joshua let go a mighty blow
And blasted one right at the wall.

And then the Lord wound up and took good aim,
And started the very First Baseball Game.
And, now we all know the way that the game was begun,
And to this very day — It's still Number One!


[headlines]

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Sports Briefs----

US defeats Germany to advance to World Cup title game
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/06/30/wins-advance-women-world-cup-title-game/HVjXk3Bsp2RF13ef4tdYdN/story.html

Stephen Curry overtakes LeBron James for NBA’s top jersey
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/4137721-181/stephen-curry-overtakes-lebron-james

California bill seeks to make cheerleaders team employees
http://www.theredzone.org/BlogDescription/tabid/61/EntryId/50455
/California-bill-seeks-to-make-cheerleaders-team-employees/Default.aspx

Floyd Kephart upset about release of confidential
  Coliseum City stadium plan
http://www.insidebayarea.com/raiders/ci_28409927/floyd-kephart-upset-about-release-confidential-coliseum-city

Phil Knight takes steps away from Nike;
   will leave as board chairman
http://www.oregonlive.com/playbooks-profits/index.ssf/2015/06/phil_knight_takes_steps_away_f.html#incart_2box

Buying the Kings like buying a work of art, Ranadive testifies in arena trial
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/city-arena/article25848493.html


[headlines]
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California Nuts Briefs---

California paid sick leave, fracking, phone kill-switch laws take effect
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article25921657.html

California vaccine bill SB 277 signed into law
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_28407109/gov-jerry-brown-signs-californias-new-vaccine-bill

Former California Sen. Leland Yee set to change not-guilty plea
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article25928506.html

Sacramento tops out at 107 degrees, driving peak electricity use
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article25933552.html



[headlines]
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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Oregon Wineries Cheer Senate Bill Legislation in
 front of finance committee would reduce federal
taxes on first 12,600 cases
http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&content=153787

Napa not alone facing winery growth issues
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/napa-not-alone-facing-winery-growth-issues/article_cd196fc3-436d-5aea-8367-c4144a340402.html

Expert: Prepare for ‘extraordinary’ Napa Valley visitor spending to end
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/napacounty/4124173-181/expert-prepare-for-extraordinary-napa#DuI4F4DMzuTPiJWv.97

How Tesla's Commercial Batteries Have Changed The Future for Winemakers
www.fastcompany.com/3047813/how-teslas-commercial-batteries-have-changed-the-futurefor-winemakers

A bottle of wine apparently found in Napoleon’s carriage
after Waterloo – and still “believed to contain wine”
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2015/06/wine-from-napoleons-carriage-to-be-sold/


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

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

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

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

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

This Day in American History

     1656 – The first Quakers arrived, in Boston.  Mary Fisher and Ann Austin were immediately arrested.
    1730 - The most populous area of colonial America was New England, with 275,000 Europeans.  By 1760, this number rose to 425,000, and at the close of the revolution, to 800,000.
    1733 - Forty Jews, admitted to Georgia colony by its proprietors, settled in Savannah.
    1776 – The Continental Congress, sitting as a committee, met to debate a resolution submitted by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee on June 7. The resolution stated that the United Colonies “are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.” The committee voted for the motion and, on July 2 in formal session took the final vote for independence.
    1778 - The first foreign diplomat accredited to the U.S., Conrad Alexandre Gerard, arrived in America. He had been appointed by King Louis XVI of France. The tide of the Revolutionary War changed when France not only lent the new colonies money, but officers, soldiers, arms, and ships. At Yorktown, the victory that won the war, Frenchman outnumbered Americans almost three to one! Washington had 11,000 men engaged in the battle, while the French had at least 29,000 soldiers and sailors. The 37 French ships-of-the-line played a crucial role in trapping the 8,700 strong British army and winning the engagement.
    1792 - A tremendous storm (a tornado or hurricane) hit Philadelphia and New York City.  Many young people drowned while out boating on that Sunday.
    1800 - The earliest recorded Methodist camp meeting in America was held in Logan County Kentucky, near the Gaspar River Church.
    1807 - Birthday of Thomas Green Clemson (1807-88), the man for whom Clemson University was named, at Philadelphia, PA. The mining engineer and agriculturist married John C. Calhoun's daughter, Anna. Clemson bequeathed the old Calhoun plantation to South Carolina and Clemson Agricultural College, now Clemson University, was founded there in 1889.  http://www.clemson.edu/welcome/history/
    1835 - The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad made its trial run from Baltimore, MD, to Washington, DC, starting railroad service to the nation’s capital.
    1847 - The first US postage stamps were issued by the US Post Office, a 5 cent stamp picturing Benjamin Franklin and a 10 cent stamp honoring George Washington. Stamps had been issued by private postal services in the US prior to this date. 
(last part of:  http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul01.html )
    1852 - The first body to lie in state in the US Capitol rotunda was that of Senator Henry Clay, who died in Washington, DC, at the age of 75 on June 29, 1852.  His body was placed in the rotunda, where it was displayed for the public to pay their respects, prior to interment in Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, KY.
    1859 - Amherst and Williams played the first intercollegiate baseball game, with Amherst winning, 73-32. The next day Williams evened the score by defeating Amherst in a chess match. 
http://www.henryclay.org/hc.htm 
    1861 – The first public schoolhouse opens at Washington & Mason St, San Francisco.
    1862 - Congress outlaws polygamy (1st time);  “an act  to punish and prevent the practice of polygamy in the territories of the United Sates and other places, and disapproving and annulling certain acts of the legislative assembly of the territory of Utah.”  Most of the settlers in Utah belonged to the Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), which encouraged men to marry multiple wives.  Little effort was made to enforce this law. The first anti-polygamy law with teeth was the act of March 22, 1883, known as the Edmunds law, which defined simultaneous marriages as bigamy and prescribed loss of citizenship as a penalty.  It legitimized children born in polygamy before January 1, 1883.
    1862 – The final day  of the 7 days - Battle of Malvern Hill  
http://petersburgcityguard.tripod.com/map5mhattacks.htm 
http://members.ismi.net/mmcwr/battle/malvern_hill.html 
http://www.gettysburgguide.com/fight.html 
http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/va021.htm 
    1862 - The Bureau of Internal Revenue was established by an act of Congress. The same day, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law a bill levying a 3 percent income tax on annual incomes of $600—$10,000, and 5 percent on incomes of more than $10,000. The revenues were to help pay for the Civil War. This tax law actually went into effect, unlike an earlier law passed August 5, 1861, making it the first income tax levied by the US. It was rescinded in 1872.
    1862 - The Morrill Land Grant Act was passed.  This federal legislation led to the creation of the Land Grant universities and Agricultural Experiment Stations in each state.
    1863 - The Battle of Gettysburg, the largest of the war, began where General Robert E. Lee made a desperate bid to smash through Union forces and approach Washington, D.C. from the west.  After the Southern success at Chancellorsville, VA, Lee led his forces on an invasion of the North, initially targeting Harrisburg, PA. As Union forces moved to counter the invasion, the battle lines were eventually formed at Gettysburg, PA, in one of the Civil War's most crucial and bloodiest battles. This was a turning point in the war.  Quite by accident, and not foreseen by General Lee, General George G. Meade stumbled upon the advance accidentally at Gettysburg, Pa.  Lee's assaults on federal positions, trying to move out of this encounter, brought extremely heavy losses to both sides. On the climactic third day of the battle (July 3), Lee ordered an attack on the center of the Union line, later to be known as Pickett's Charge. When the famous charge of Gen. George E. Pickett's division failed, with one unit leaving 3393 out of 4800 men dead or wounded on the field, the battle was lost by the South. The 15,000 rebels were repulsed, ending the Battle of Gettysburg. On July 4, both sides were exhausted.  On July 5, Lee's army retreated, listing more than one-third of the troops as casualties in the failed invasion, never to return to northern territory.  Union General George Meade initially failed to pursue the retreating rebels, allowing Lee's army to escape across the rain-swollen Potomac River. He felt ill prepared for the action, particularly after initiating the battle without preparation and in “surprise.”  Historians say he missed an opportunity. They were not there, but made this observation primarily because Meade was not a very good tactician or leader of men. His men labeled him “timid” and used a stronger word we can't print here.  The South suffered 30,000 killed, wounded, or missing.  The North, 23,000.   
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul01.html 
http://www.fredericksburg.com/Movies/2001/072001/Gettysburg_T1 
http://www.gettysburg.com/ 
a key to the victory at Gettysburg
http://www.civilwarhome.com/buforddefense.htm 
    1869 - US mint at Carson City, Nevada opens 
http://www.tulving.com/carsonct.html 
    1869 - William Strunk, Jr, American author and educator, born in Cincinnati.  A professor of English at Cornell University, he authored “The Elements of Style” (1918). After revision and enlargement by his former student E.B. White, it became a highly influential guide to correct English usage during the late 20th century, commonly called Strunk & White.  It remains prominent now into the 21st century.       
    1870 – The US Department of Justice is created.  The Attorney General was initially a one-person, part-time job established by the Judiciary Act of 1789.  In 1869, the House Committee on the Judiciary conducted an inquiry into the creation of a "Law department" headed by the Attorney General and composed of the various department solicitors and US Attorneys. On February 19, 1868, a bill was introduced in Congress to create the Department of Justice. This first bill was unsuccessful, however, as time to ensure its passage was consumed with the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson.  A second bill was introduced to Congress by Representative Thomas Jenckes of Rhode Island on February 25, 1870, and both it was passed by both houses.   President Grant then signed the bill into law on June 22, 1870.
    1874 - The first zoo in the US, the Philadelphia Zoological Society, opened.  Three thousand visitors traveled by foot, horse and carriage, and steamboat to visit the exhibits.  Price of admission was 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.  There were 1,000 animals in the zoo when it opened
http://www.phillyzoo.org 
    1876 - Birthday of Susan Keating Glaspell (1876 -1948) at Davenport, IA.  Novelist and playwright who won the 1930 Pulitzer Prize for her play, “Allison's House”. She wrote no further plays but continued to write novels that examined women's struggles with biology, conservative mores, and other influences on her freedom and happiness. Her early stories were steeped in the Iowa of her childhood and after the success of her first novel, she resettled in New York, married a wealthy home-town boy, and lived and romped in Greenwich Village. The bulk of her noteworthy writing was done after his death in 1924. She remarried briefly.
    1879 – Charles Taze Russell published the first edition of the religious magazine “The Watchtower”.
    1881 – US Assay Office in St Louis, Missouri opens for the World’s Fair Exposition. 
http://www.ustreas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/prod-facilities.html 
    1881 - The world's first international telephone call is made between St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, and Calais, ME, United States.
    1889 - Frederick Douglass named Minister to Haiti 
http://www.frederickdouglass.org/douglass_bio.html 
    1890 - 2,000 Census Bureau clerks began the daunting task of tallying the results of the country's 11th census, aided for the first time by mechanical calculating devices. Some 45,000 census counters had spent the entire month of June counting America's 60 million-plus population, using hole punches to record the results of their surveys by punching out designated spots on the card, like a train conductor punches a ticket. Later, those cards were counted by a tabulating machine invented by 29-year-old Herman Hollerith. Hollerith's counting machine had soundly beaten other proposed counting methods in a contest sponsored by the Census Bureau. Hollerith later founded the Tabulating Machine Company, which, through a series of mergers and reorganizations, eventually became IBM.
    1893 - President Grover Cleveland boarded the yacht Oneida for surgery to be performed in secret on a cancerous growth in his mouth. As this was during the 1893 depression, secrecy was thought desirable to avoid further panic by the public. The whole left side of Cleveland's jaw was removed as well as a small portion of his soft palate. A second, less extensive operation was performed July 17. He was later fitted with prosthesis of vulcanized rubber that he wore until his death on June 24, 1908. A single leak of the secret was plugged by Cleveland's Secretary of War, Daniel Lamont, the only member of the administration to know about the surgery. The illness did not become public knowledge until an article appeared Sept 22, 1917, in the Saturday Evening Post, written by William W. Keen, who assisted in the surgery.
    1893 - Walter White (1893-1955), who headed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for over 20 years, was born in Atlanta. Of mixed race with African and European ancestry on both sides, White had features showing his European ancestry. He emphasized in his autobiography, “A Man Called White” (p. 3): "I am a Negro. My skin is white, my eyes are blue, my hair is blond. The traits of my race are nowhere visible upon me." White oversaw the plans and organizational structure of the fight against public segregation. He worked with President Truman on desegregating the armed forces after the Second World War and gave him a draft for the Executive Order to implement this. Under White's leadership, the NAACP set up the Legal Defense Fund, which raised numerous legal challenges to segregation and disfranchisement, and achieved many successes. Among these was the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which determined that segregated education was inherently unequal. White also quintupled NAACP membership to nearly 500,000.
    1898 - Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, a collection of Western cowboys and Eastern blue bloods officially known as the First U.S. Voluntary Cavalry, charged up San Juan Hill. The U.S. Army Fifth Corps fought its way to Santiago’s outer defenses, and on July 1, U.S. General William Shafter ordered an attack on the village of El Caney and San Juan Hill. Shafter hoped to capture El Caney before besieging the fortified heights of San Juan Hill, but the 500 Spanish defenders of the village put up a fierce resistance and held off 10 times their number for most of the day. Although El Caney was not secure, some 8,000 Americans pressed forward toward San Juan Hill. Hundreds fell under Spanish gunfire before reaching the base of the heights, where the force split up into two flanks to take San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill. The Rough Riders were among the troops in the right flank attacking Kettle Hill. When the order was given by Lieutenant John Miley that “the heights must be taken at all hazards,” the Rough Riders, who had been forced to leave their horses behind because of transportation difficulties, led the charge up the hills. The Rough Riders and the black soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments were the first up Kettle Hill, and San Juan Hill was taken soon after. From the crest, the Americans found themselves overlooking Santiago, and the next day they began a siege of the city. On July 3, the Spanish fleet was destroyed off Santiago by U.S. warships under Admiral William Sampson, and on July 17, the Spanish surrendered the city–and thus Cuba–to the Americans. 
(Bottom half of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul01.html )
    1899 - In Wisconsin, the Gideons were founded by three traveling businessmen. They placed their first Bibles in 1908 at the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountain, Montana.   http://www.gideons.org/ 
    1899 - Birthday of Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1993), the father of gospel music, at Villa Rica, GA.   Originally a blues composer, Dorsey eventually combined blues and sacred music to develop gospel music.  It was Dorsey's composition, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” that Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had asked to have performed just moments before his assassination.  Dorsey composed more than 1,000 gospel songs and hundreds of blues songs in his lifetime. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?p=amg&sql=B141510 
    1902 – Birthday of William Wyler (1902-81), American motion picture director, at Mulhausen, Alsace, in the German Empire (present-day France).  Notable works included “Ben-Hur” (1959), “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946), and “Mrs. Miniver” (1942), all of which won Academy Awards for Best Director, as well as Best Picture in their respective years.  Other popular Wyler films include “Funny Girl” (1968), “How to Steal a Million” (1966), “Wuthering Heights” (1939), “Jezebel” (1938), and “Hell’s Heroes” (1930). 
    1902 - Playing his first game for the Philadelphia A’s, Rube Waddell faced the minimum 27 batters, blanking the Orioles, 2-0. The 25-year old southpaw struck out the side three times:  in the 3rd (on just nine pitches) 6th, and 9th innings. C Ossee Schreckengost threw out the two baserunners.
    1903 - A strong tornado just 50 to 75 yards in width killed many persons around the Gainesville, GA Cotton Mill. The tornado strengthened and widened near the end of its four mile path, killing 40 persons at New Holland, GA. A total of 104 persons were killed in the tornado.
    1903 - Irna Phillips (1903-73), U.S. radio script writer, who developed the genre of the radio and TV soap opera, was born in Chicago. Starting with a ten-minute drama on a Chicago radio station (it tried to block her further progress), in 1932, she sold a similar program to the networks and the Queen of the Soaps was on her way. She wrote a dozen different shows and by 1943, she had five daily shows going at one time including the enduring “Guiding Light”, hiring a staff of writers for the daily scripting. When TV destroyed the careers of so many writers, IP moved easily into the format starting with “Guiding Light”, (1952), “As the World Turns” (1956), and “Days of Our Lives” (1965), the most famous radio and TV soap operas of history. Her writing was superior and many have mourned the passing of her higher standards. 
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Phillips,+Irna 
    1908 - Birthday of Estee Lauder (1908-2004) in Corona, Queens, NYC.  She learned sales at the family hardware store, was introduced to beauty products by her uncle, a skin specialist from whom she learned to manufacture and develop skin creams. She started by giving free demonstrations and a small gift to customers. As her business burgeoned, she divorced and later remarried her former husband who agreed to run the factory which produced the Lauder beauty products while she did the promotions, marketing, and sales. She personally opened all Lauder outlets and hired the staff which was to reflect her standards of physical attractiveness as well as a balanced personality. http://www.elcompanies.com/company/timeline/history.html 
    1908 – SOS was adopted as the international distress signal.
    1910 - The Chicago White Sox opened their new home originally called White Sox Park and later called Comiskey Park, losing to the St. Louis Browns, 2-0.  Barney Pelty pitched the shutout for the Browns.
    1910 - The Ward Baking Company, Chicago, IL, started the first automated bread factory.  The dough was not touched nor the bread handled except when it was placed on the wrapping machine. In 1917, Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis, IN began distribution to Mary Maid stores of a one-pound loaf.  The first bagel baker was Lender's Bakery, which opened in 1927, in West Haven, CT.   The owner was Harry Lender, who had just arrived from Lublin, Poland.  Lender's introduced the first frozen bagels in 1963.  By the way, the first frozen bread was offered to stores on November 3, 1942, by Arnold Bakers, Port Chester, NY.
    1913 - Birthday of Jo Sinclair (1913-95) was born Ruth Seid in Brooklyn. She was an American novelist who earned awards and critical praise for her novels about race relations and the struggles of immigrant families in America. Her first novel, “Wasteland”, won the $10,000 Harper & Brothers prize for the best study of an aspect of U.S. life. (Cleveland). 
http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/sinclair-jo
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ 
index=books&field-author=Sinclair%2C%20Jo/002-2909458-5798421 
http://www.davka.org/who/avrunin/fannie/ruthseidmore.html 
http://www.davka.org/who/avrunin/fannie/ruthseid.html 
http://www.glbtq.com/literature/jewish_am_lit.html 
    1914 - Earle Warren’s (1914-94) birthday in Springfield, OH.  From 1937-45, he was lead alto sax player, band manager for the Count Basie Band.
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/w1/earle_warren_b.htm 
    1915 - Blues legend Willie Dixon (1915-92) was born at Vicksburg, MS. He moved to Chicago in 1936 and began his career as a musician with the Big Three Trio. With the advent of instrument amplification, Dixon migrated away from his acoustic upright bass into producing and songwriting with Chess Studios, where he became one of the primary architects of the classic Chicago sound in the 1950s. His songs were performed by Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Doors, Cream, the Yardbirds, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers, among others. http://afgen.com/dixon.html 
    1916 - Olivia De Havilland was born in Tokyo to British parents.  She and her younger sister, actress Joan Fontaine, moved to California in 1919. U.S. actor won Academy Awards for her work in “To Each His Own” (1946) and “The Heiress” (1949). However, she is probably best known for her role as Melanie in “Gone With the Wind” (1939). Her suit against a contract she had signed as a beginning actor broke the film studios lifetime monopoly on contract actors. It limited acting contracts to seven years, including suspensions. Her sister was Joan Fontaine (10-22-1917) who also won an Academy Award. The sisters were never friendly. De Havilland grew up in
Los Gatos and Saratoga, visiting often, as she had many friends here and
was quite the local celebrity to have to parties.
    1916 - Dwight D. Eisenhower married Mary "Mamie" Geneva Doud in Denver.  
    1916 - At age 42 years and 4 months, Honus Wagner became the oldest player to hit an inside-the-park HR, connecting for the Pirates in the 4th inning at Cincinnati.
    1917 - Race riots in East St Louis, Illinois (40 to 200 reported killed).
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/garvey/peopleevents/e_estlouis.html 
http://www.eslarp.uiuc.edu/ibex/archive/nunes/esl%20history/race_riot.html
http://www.builtstlouis.net/eaststlouis/eaststl01.html 
http://www.cs.umb.edu/jfklibrary/coolidge_felzenberg.html 
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/riot/oldriots.html 
http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/archives/guides/urban.html 
    1917 – The Redlegs’ Fred Toney pitched both games of a doubleheader, beating the Pirates, 4-1 and 5-1. He walked one and allowed three hits in each game, the fewest hits allowed by any pitcher winning two games in one day.
    1920 - Suzanne Lenglen (1899-1938) of France became the first woman tennis player to win three Wimbledon championships in the same year.  She won the singles titles, the doubles, and the mixed doubles.
http://www.xrefer.com/entry/172914 
http://perso.club-internet.fr/bmarcore/tennis/champions/lenglen/Lenglen.html 
    1920 – The Senators’ Walter Johnson pitched his first no-hitter, beating the Red Sox at Fenway. An error by Bucky Harris cost him a perfect game, but Harris's hit drives in Washington’s only run. The next day, Johnson comes up with the first sore arm of his life and is useless for the rest of the year, finishing 8-10.
    1921 - The first sales tax enacted by a state became effective in West Virginia.  The rate was one-fifth of 1 percent of the gross income of banks, street railroads, telephones, telegraph, express and electric light and power retailers, and two-fifths of 1 percent on timber, oil, coal, natural gas, and other minerals.  Payments could be made to the state quarterly or annually.  It replaced a tax on corporate net income.
    1921 - Canadian country singer Stu Davis (1921-2007), whose real name was David Stewart, was born in Boggy Creek, Saskatchewan. He and his brother Fred teamed up in 1939 to perform as the Harmony Boys on Regina radio station CKCK. Stu Davis later became known as "Canada's Cowboy Troubador," and made appearances in the late 1940's on NBC radio's "National Barn Dance" from Chicago and the "Grand Ole Opry." Davis signed with London Records in 1956, making 15 LP's for the label.  In 1968, Davis, already a veteran of several TV shows, narrated the 13-part CBC TV documentary history of Western Canada, "Trail-Riding Troubador." Eddy Arnold took Stu Davis's song "What A Fool I Was" to number two on the Billboard country chart in 1948.
http://countrymusicnews.ca/news.ihtml?step=2&article_id=315 
    1922 - The Great Railroad Strike of 1922 began.  Seven of the sixteen unions in existence at the time struck into August before collapsing. Approximately 11 people, mostly strikers and their family members, were killed in connection with the strike. The collective action of some 400,000 workers in the summer of 1922 was the largest railroad work stoppage since the Pullman Strike of 1894 and the biggest American strike of any kind since the Great Steel Strike of 1919.  In 1922 the Railroad Labor Board approved another cut in wages, this time a cut of 7 cents an hour targeted to railway repair and maintenance workers — a reduction representing a loss of an average of 12% for these workers.  The National Guard was called out on a state-by-state basis by various state governors to undermine the strike effort.  President Warren Harding proposed a settlement on July 28 which would have granted little to the labor unions, but the railroad companies rejected the compromise despite interest from the desperate workers. Attorney General Harry Daugherty, who opposed the unions, pushed for national action against the strike, and on September 1, a federal judge issued a sweeping injunction against striking, assembling, picketing, and a variety of other union activities, colloquially known as the "Daugherty Injunction". Richard Saunders Jr. referred to the injunction as "... One of the most extreme pronouncements in American history, violating any number of constitutional guarantees of free speech, free speech and free assembly. (But) it effectively broke the strike."
    1931 – United Airlines begins service as Boeing Air Transport.
    1934 – Birthday of actor Jamie Farr, Cpl. Klinger of M*A*S*H fame, in Toledo, OH as Jameel Joseph Farah.
    1934 - An American film director, producer and actor, Sidney Pollack (1934-2008), was born in Lafayette, IN.  Some of his best known works include “Jeremiah Johnson” (1972), “The Way We Were” (1973), “Three Days of the Condor” (1975) and “Absence of Malice” (1981). His 1985 film “Out of Africa” won him Academy Awards for directing and producing.  He was also nominated for Best Director Oscars for “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” and “Tootsie”, in the latter of which he also appeared. His later films included “Havana” (1990), “The Firm” (1993), “Sabrina” (1995), “The Interpreter” (2005), and as producer for and actor in “Michael Clayton” (2007). 
    1935 - Benny Goodman and his band recorded the "King Porter Stomp" for Victor (Vi 25090). Often I play a series of how this song evolved, starting with Jelly Roll Morton, then Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and finally, Gil Evans: “New Bottle, Old Wine” great album (one of my favorites). 
http://perso.club-internet.fr/barybary/159.htm 
    1935 – Yankees OF George “Twinkletoes” Selkirk suggested a cinder path, 6 feet wide, be installed in the outfield so a player knows when he is nearing the wall.  This is now standard in all ballparks nationwide.
    1936 – Famous Amos, Wally Amos, was born in Tallahassee, FL.  A real American success story.  As an Air Force veteran who worked as a talent agent with the William Morris Agency, he would send home-baked chocolate chip cookies to celebrities to entice them to meet with him and maybe sign a deal to be represented by the William Morris Agency.  On March 10, 1975, Amos took the advice of some friends and opened a cookie store in Los Angeles, naming it "Famous Amos". In the first year, he sold $300,000 worth of cookies, followed by more than $1,000,000 in sales in the store's second year of operation.  The Famous Amos brand is now part of Kellogg’s.
    1940 – President Roosevelt signs another Navy bill providing for the construction of 45 more ships and providing $550,000,000 to finance these and other projects.
    1941 - The Federal Communications Commission allowed 18 stations to begin broadcasting “television”. Only two were ready: the New York stations owned by NBC and CBS.
    1941 - Twyla Tharp was born in Portland, IN.   She is perhaps today best known for “Movin' Out”, an award winning Broadway musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.  A brilliant and major innovator in dance, she has combined tap, ballet, jazz, and social dancing in choreographing much acclaimed ballets, musical products, Broadway, and Hollywood films to modern music themes such as the “Sinatra Suite”. She was also much admired as a dancer.
    1941 - The few fans watching the Brooklyn Dodgers’ game on WNBT witnessed the first television advertisement ever broadcast.  For 10 seconds before the first pitch of the game, the screen showed the image of a clock superimposed over a map of the United States. A voice then stated "America runs on Bulova time"….and no, Vin Scully had not yet begun the play-by-play!!!
    1942 - Birthday of Andrae Crouch in San Francisco.  African-American sacred music artist. His most enduring gospel songs have been 'Soon and Very Soon,' 'My Tribute' and 'Through It All.'
http://www.one-way.org/jesusmusic/crouch.htm 
http://www.gospelcity.com/artists/a_crouch.html 
http://patriot.net/~crouch/tree/andrae.html 
http://www.jamsline.com/b_crouch.htm 
    1943 - "Pay-as-you-go" income tax withholding began.
    1944 – Delegates from 44 countries began meeting at Bretton Woods, N.H., where they agreed to establish the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The US hosted the conference to deal with international monetary and financial problems. In 1997, Catherine Caufield wrote “Masters of Illusion: The World Bank and the Poverty of Nations.” The Bretton Woods institutions also include the United Nations and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (renamed the World Trade organization). The agreement was a gold exchange standard and only the US was required to convert its currency into gold at a fixed rate, and only foreign central banks were allowed the privilege of redemption.
    1945 – Some 550 B-29 Superfortress bombers — the greatest number yet to be engaged — drop 4000 tons of incendiary bombs on the Kure naval base, Shimonoseki, Ube and Kumanoto, on western Kyushu.  They kill more people and do more damage than the two atomic bombs.
    1946 – Birthday of rock singer Deborah Harry (Blondie), in Miami, FL.  She was adopted by Catherine and Richard Smith Harry, gift shop proprietors in Hawthorne, NJ, where she was raised.
    1948 – The Major League debut of Roy Campanella, catching Ralph Branca. Campy doubled in his first at-bat, add two singles, but the Giants won 6 - 4.
    1949 - One of TV's first popular sitcoms, “I Remember Mama” told the story of a Norwegian family living in San Francisco in 1911. I remember watching this show with my parents. It aired live through 1956; after it was cancelled, a second, filmed version lasted only 13 weeks. Cast members included Peggy Wood, Judson Laire, Rosemary Rice, Dick Van Patten. 
http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/memories/ 
show_mem.php?ID=PT1001 
http://www.classicthemes.com/50sTVThemes/themePages/ 
mama.html#anchor2424000 
    1950 - Top Hits
“Bewitched” - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Mary Lou Williams)
“My Foolish Heart” - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
“I Wanna Be Loved” - The Andrews Sisters
“Why Don't You Love Me” - Hank Williams
    1951 - Bob Feller set a baseball record as he pitched his third no-hitter for the Cleveland Indians, tying the record of Cy Young and Larry Corcoran, as he beat Detroit, 2-1.  The record is held now by Nolan Ryan who threw 7.
    1952 - “The Liberace Show” premiered on TV.  A pianist known for his outrageous style and candelabra on his piano, Liberace hosted popular shows in the ‘50s and 60's. The first premiered on KLAC-TV in Los Angeles and went national in 1953.  My father came to Hollywood in 1955 to become a producer/story writer for Ziv TV.  Among the “products” developed were “Highway Patrol,” “Cisco Kid” and a half-hour syndicated series with Liberace featuring his brother George as violist and orchestra leader. 
http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Liberace 
    1952 - Birthday of Dan Aykroyd (Elwood Blues of the Blues Brothers), Ottawa, Ontario.
http://csce.uark.edu/~ariggin/elwood.htm 
http://www.nederpoparchief.nl/bluesbrothers/elwood.html 
http://www.nederpoparchief.nl/bluesbrothers/main.html 
http://www.burnet.edu.au/htblues/transcript 
http://members.aol.com/carguy218/elwood.html
    1956 - The Highway Revenue Act of 1956 was put into effect by Congress, outlining a policy of taxation with the aim of creating a fund for the construction of over 42,500 miles of interstate highways over a period of 13 years.   The law was enacted on June 29, 1956, when President Eisenhower signed the bill into law. The push for a national highway system began many years earlier, when the privately funded construction of the Lincoln Highway began in 1919. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) did much to set into motion plans for a federally funded highway system, but his efforts were halted by the outbreak of World War II.  At a time when the total federal budget approached $71 billion, Eisenhower's plan called for $50 billion over 13 years for highways. To pay for the project, a system of taxes, relying heavily on the taxation of gasoline, was implemented. Legislation has extended the Interstate Highway Revenue Act three times. Today consumers pay 18.3¢ per gallon on gasoline.  [Footnote:  According to the book, “Ike”, when he was put in charge of logistics for the US Army during and shortly after World War I, he became frustrated at the poor and often unpaved conditions of roads across the country, exacerbating the movement of materiel for any great distances.  It was from this experience that Eisenhower began to formulate what became the interstate highway system, planned with straight highways for airplanes to land
in emergencies, now named in his honor.]
    1956 - French Grand Prix was held at Reims, France, won by Peter Collins of Great Britain in a Ferrari.
    1956 - NBC's Steve Allen Show capitalizes on the outrage engendered by Elvis Presley's recent version of "Hound Dog" on The Milton Berle Show by winkingly presenting a new, "clean" Elvis, dressed in a tuxedo and singing "Hound Dog" to an actual basset hound perched on a stool. Backstage, a humiliated Elvis explodes in fury at the Colonel for agreeing to the stunt. The next day, however, fans protest the show, demanding "The REAL Elvis."
    1956 - 11-year-old Brenda Lee signed her first recording contract with Decca Records.
    1957 – Sound familiar?  Cincinnati fans threatened to sue Commissioner Ford Frick unless Gus Bell, Wally Post, and George Crowe are restored to the All-Star team. They finished first in the balloting thanks to vote-stuffing by Cincinnati fans, ahead of more deserving players.
    1958 - Top Hits
“Hard Headed Woman” - Elvis Presley
“Yakety Yak” - The Coasters
“Patricia” - Perez Prado
“Guess Things Happen that Way” - Johnny Cash
    1959 - Dave Brubeck Quartet records “ Take Five,” which not only becomes a classic score in 5/4 time, an alto sax Paul Desmond classic, but eventually hits number one on the Billboard, rare for a jazz performance. The album also became a million seller. 
http://www.duke.edu/~smt3/brubeck.htm 
    1961 - Birthday of Frederick Carlton “Carl” Lewis at Birmingham, AL.  US Olympic track & field star (Gold-1984, 1988). 
http://top-biography.com/9160-Carl%20Lewis/ 
    1962 - Gene Vincent plays the Cavern Club in Liverpool, opening for a house band called The Beatles
    1963 - The US Post Office introduced the five-digit zip code.
    1963 – The Beatles recorded “She Loves You” and “I'll Get You” at EMI's Abbey Road Studios. “She Loves You” would become their second number-one hit in both Britain and the US.  Can you name their first hit? (Don’t cheat by using Google.)
    1965 - Undersecretary of State George Ball submits a memo to President Lyndon B. Johnson titled "A Compromise Solution for South Vietnam." It began bluntly: "The South Vietnamese are losing the war to the Viet Cong. No one can assure you that we can beat the Viet Cong, or even force them to the conference table on our terms, no matter how many hundred thousand white, foreign (U.S.) troops we deploy." Eventually there would be more than 540,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam.
    1966 - Top Hits
“Paperback Writer” - The Beatles
“Strangers in the Night” - Frank Sinatra
“Red Rubber Ball” - The Cyrkle
“Take Good Care of Her” - Sonny James    
    1966 - The Beatles began a series of concerts at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo.  A famous bootleg album, "Three Nights in Tokyo," was made of the Beatles' appearance.
    1966 - The Grateful Dead released their first single, "Don't Ease Me In" backed with "Stealin'."
http://dannyman.toldme.com/lyrics/Grateful_Dead/Stealin'.html 
    1967 – The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band” goes #1 for 15 weeks 
    1967 - Scott McKenzie scored his first hit with the single, "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)". The song became an anthem for the Love Generation and the young people of flower power during 1967’s Summer of Love. McKenzie also co-wrote a hit for the Beach Boys in 1988, called "Kokomo." His songs, "San Francisco" and "Like an Old Time Movie", were written and produced by John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas, who named his daughter, Mackenzie, for his friend.
    1967 - The Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" entered the Billboard chart, where it eventually reached #8. 
    1967 – Pamela Anderson, “Baywatch”, was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia.
    1968 – Formal separation of the UAW from the CIO.
    1968 - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court voided the Muncy Law that required women to serve longer prison terms - often 2.5 times longer - than men who are convicted of the same crime. The successful appeal was handled by attorneys of the National Organization for Women. More recently, a number of states including New York and California have made studies ordered by their supreme courts and found that women are still sentenced to longer terms for the *same* crimes as men. The practice is said to be pervasive. (Paula C. Johnson provided this citation: Carolyn Engel Temin, Discriminatory Sentencing of Women Offenders: The Argument for ERA in a Nutshell, 11 Amer. Crim. L. Rev. 355 (1973).)
    1969 - Legendary producer Sam Phillips (1923-2003) sells his Sun Records Studio in Memphis.
    1970 - Casey Kasem (1932-2014) begins his weekly Billboard countdown on the nationally syndicated radio show American Top 40.
    1971 - Jethro Tull's first US Top Ten album, "Aqualung" is awarded a Gold record. 
    1971 - The Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, granting the right to vote in all federal, state and local elections to all persons 18 years or older.  On the date of ratification, the US gained an additional 11 million votes.  Up until this time, the minimum voting age was set by the states, in most states it was 21.  A primary mover of this initiative was the fact that the Vietnam War raged on and 18 year-olds were dying for a country for which they could not participate in the democratic process.
    1972 - Neil Diamond went to the top spot on the Billboard singles chart with "Song Sung Blue", his second US #1. The tune made it to number 14 in the UK. 
    1972 - The first African-American Navy admiral was Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr. of Richmond, VA.
    1973 - Golfer Bruce Crampton tied for fourth place in the Western Open golf tournament, bringing his career earnings to over a million dollars. Crampton became the first non-American golfer to reach that mark. He became the fifth golfer to make over a million dollars in career earnings. The others were Arnie Palmer, Billy Casper, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino. 
    1972 - The rock musical "Hair" closed on Broadway after 1,729 performances. It had opened at the Biltmore Theatre on April 28th, 1968. The music for "Hair" was written by Montreal native Galt McDermott.
http://www.geocities.com/hairpages/ 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002W1S/ 
inktomi-musicasin-20/002-2909458-5798421 
    1973 - "Jesus Christ Superstar" closed in New York City after 720 performances on Broadway. The cast album quickly became a million-seller. 
    1974 - Top Hits
“Sundown” - Gordon Lightfoot
“Be Thankful for What You Got” - William DeVaughn
“If You Love Me (Let Me Know)” - Olivia Newton-John
“Room Full of Roses” - Mickey Gilley
    1975 - Captain & Tennille get their first gold record with "Love Will Keep Us Together". The album will eventually sell 2 1/2 million copies and win a Grammy for Record of the Year.  Alas, love failed to keep them together as they divorced after 39 years of marriage in Jan, 2014.
    1976 - Kenneth Gibson, Mayor of Newark, NJ, is the first African-American president of US Conference of Mayors.
    1979 - Sony introduced the Walkman under the name Soundabout, selling for $200. It had been released in Japan six months earlier. More than 185 million have been sold.
    1979 - Susan B. Anthony, an activist for the cause of women's suffrage, was commemorated on a U.S. coin, the Susan B. Anthony dollar. The coin, roughly the size of a quarter, was confused by many with the quarter and the U.S. Treasury Department eventually stopped producing the Susan B. Anthony dollar. 
    1980 - A man from Falmouth, ME was struck by lightning restoring his eyesight. The man had been blind and partially deaf since a truck accident in 1971
    1981 - Murder by the “Manson Family” of Sharon Tate and three others in Laurel Canyon, Calif.    They were all given death sentences, which was overturned at the time by the Supreme Court, which ruled “life in prison” without parole. 
    1982 - Top Hits
“Ebony and Ivory” - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
“Don't You Want Me” - The Human League
“Rosanna” - Toto
“Slow Hand” - Conway Twitty 
    1984 - The Motion Picture Association of America established the "PG-13" rating.
    1985 - Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers got hit #1,800 of his career, leading the ‘Brew Crew' past the Boston Red Sox 5-1. 
    1985 - “Nick at Night”, the creation of the kids network Nickelodeon, premiered on TV.  Owned and operated by MTV Networks, Nick at Nite presents many of the old classic television series, including “Barney Miller.”   
    1987 - The Grateful Dead's "In the Dark" LP is released.
    1987 - Fleetwood Mac's "Tango" LP is certified platinum while Van Halen's "1984" and ZZ Top's "Eliminator" reach sales of 6 million.
    1987 - The radio station WFAN in New York City is launched as the world's first all-sports radio station.  Preciously it was WNBC, primarily a news station.
    1988 - Twenty-six cities in the north central and northeastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date. Lows of 48 degrees at Providence, RI, 48 degrees at Roanoke, VA, 49 degrees at Stratford, CT, and 48 degrees at Wilmington, DE, were records for the month of July. Boston equaled their record for July with a low of 50 degrees. Five inches of snow whitened Mount Washington, NH.
    1989 - Showers and thunderstorms associated with the low pressure system which was once Tropical Storm Allison continued to drench parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and eastern Texas. Late night thunderstorms produced 12.58 inches of rain at Biloxi, MS, in six hours, and 10.73 inches at Gulfport, MS. Flooding in Mississippi over the first six days of the month caused 55 million dollars damage. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
    1990 – P Andy Hawkins threw a no-hitter but the Yankees still lost to the White Sox, 4-0, at Comiskey Park.  Hawkins dominated the White Sox into the eighth inning, but after retiring the first two batters, Sammy Sosa reached on a fielding error by Yankees third baseman Mike Blowers. After Hawkins loaded the bases by walking the next two batters, Robin Ventura lofted a fly ball to left field. Rookie Jim Leyritz, fighting a blustery wind, had the ball glance off his glove for an error, allowing all three baserunners to score. The next batter, Ivan Calderone, hit a fly ball to right field, which Jesse Barfield lost in the sun and dropped for another error, allowing Ventura to score.  MLB only recognizes 9 or more inning no-hitters.
    1990 - Top Hits
“Step By Step” - New Kids on the Block
“Do You Remember?” - Phil Collins
“I'll Be Your Shelter” - Taylor Dayne
“Love Without End, Amen” - George Stra
    1991 - “Court TV” premiered.  The continuing evolution of entertainment brought on by the advent of cable television added another twist with the debut of Court TV.  Trials are broadcast in their entirety, with occasional commentary from the channel's anchor desk and switching among several trials in progress. Trials with immense popular interest such as the William Kennedy Smith rape trial, the sentencing hearing of Marlon Brando's son, and the Jeffrey Dahmer and O. J. Simpson trials, are broadcast along with more low-profile cases.
    1997 – The Nevada Athletic Commission suspended Mike Tyson for biting Evander Holyfield.
    1998 - Singer/actress/movie star Barbara Streisand and actor/director James Brolin were married at her Malibu, California home. It was her second marriage (she was previously married to actor Elliot Gould) and his third (he was married to casting agent Jane Agee and actress Jan Smithers). The couple honeymooned on a boat in the nearby Channel Islands off the Santa Barbara coast.
    2000 - On the country's 133rd birthday, a Canada Day pitching matchup features a pair of Canadian starters in Montreal as Florida Marlin Ryan Dempster, a native of British Columbia, defeats Mike Johnson of Edmonton and the Expos, 6-5.
    2000 - Vermont's civil union’s law went into effect, granting gay couples most of the rights, benefits and responsibilities of marriage. 
    2009 - Michael Jackson's untimely death a week earlier sends all his albums back into the Billboard Top Ten, including, at #5, The Jackson 5's Ultimate Collection.
    2011 - In Minnesota, a three-week state government shutdown began after legislators could not agree on a budget.

 


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