Leasing News - information, news, education and entertainment for the commercial bank, finance and leasing industry

Total Outstanding Auto Balances Top $1 Trillion
Pent Up Demand Drives Marketplace

by Nick Zulovich
www.autoremarketing.com

Equifax deputy chief economist Dennis Carlson used imagery of the plumbing that might be in your home to describe the industry surpassing $1 trillion in outstanding auto loan balances in June.

The credit bureau’s data showed total outstanding balances on vehicle installment contracts and leases increased 10.5 percent year-over-year to come in at $1.021 trillion last month. Equifax also reported the number of outstanding accounts rose 8.0 percent from a year ago to 73.7 million.

Equifax deputy chief economist Dennis Carlson used imagery of the plumbing that might be in your home to describe the industry surpassing $1 trillion in outstanding auto loan balances in June.

During phone interview when Equifax shared this data exclusively with SubPrime Auto Finance News, Carlson explained, “Essentially if you think of the total dollar value of loans outstanding, it’s like a bathtub and there’s a spigot and a drain. Right now, the spigot is filling the tub faster than the drain of people paying off their car.

“It speaks to the consumer pent-up demand and appetite for new-to-them automobiles,” he continued when elaborating about what eclipsing the $1 trillion mark means to the industry. “Obviously we’ve seen pretty strong new-car sales numbers, but the new-car sales don’t tell the whole story. Certainly used cars are being financed as well.

“It shows a lot of consumers feel they’re in a position to replace their older cars with a car that’s new to them,” Carlson added.

The flow from that spigot Carlson mentioned certainly hasn’t slowed, according to the origination information Equifax made available that recorded activity through April.

During the first four months of 2015, Equifax indicated more than 9 million auto loans filled portfolios, totaling $182.9 billion. These figures represented a 5.8-percent increase in the number of accounts and an 8.0-percent rise in balances compared to a year earlier.

Analysts also pointed out the figures marked the highest levels for the period since Equifax began tracking this data.

Overall, Equifax determined finance companies are growing originations more quickly than commercial banks with 54.2 percent of all new auto accounts and 51.8 percent of dollar originations through April were booked by finance companies.

The upward trends are notable in the subprime space, too.

Analysts reported 2.12 million auto loans were originated through April to consumers with an Equifax Risk Score below 620, what this credit bureau generally considers subprime accounts. The figure marked a 9.6-percent increase year-over-year. These newly issued contracts have a corresponding total balance of $37.2 billion, an 11.7 percent increase year-over-year.

Also noteworthy, Equifax mentioned that through April, 23.5 percent of auto loans were issued to consumers with a subprime credit score.

The average amount for all auto loans generated in April was $20,800, signifying a 3.65-percent increase year-over-year. Also according to Equifax, the average subprime loan amount booked in April came in at $18,200, a 3.74-percent rise year-over-year.

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

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ELFA Webinar August 5, Noon EDT
Free, 2015 Survey of Equipment Finance Activity

WHAT: The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association is hosting a one-hour webinar to present findings of its 2015 Survey of Equipment Finance Activity, the largest and most important source of statistical information available on the $903 billion equipment finance industry. This special event is being held in honor of the report’s 40th anniversary.

WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015, at Noon EDT

WHERE: Go to https://elfa.pgimeet.com/rscoggins at noon EDT on Aug. 5. Click on “Enter as a Guest” and join the meeting. You can hear the audio either by using a USB headset or having the system call you. It is recommended that participants not use the Chrome web browser to access the webinar.

WHO: The webinar will be presented by Raymond James, Chair of the ELFA Research Committee and Senior Consultant at Ivory Consulting Corporation; Carol Ann Fisher, Consultant at PwC, which produces the report in partnership with ELFA; and Bill Choi, ELFA Vice President for Research and Industry Services.

HIGHLIGHTS: The webinar is designed to help business leaders utilize the data in the 2015 Survey of Equipment Finance Activity to benefit their organizations. Topics will include:

Introduction to the 2015 Survey of Equipment Finance Activity
Key Findings:

New Business Volume
Yield/Cost of Funds
Financial Statements
Portfolio Performance
Business Processes (credit approval, remarketing/asset management and headcount
Tips for Using the Data Effectively
Q&A

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FinPac, Alumni, Friends Get Together, Puget Sound
All are Certified Leasing and Finance Professionals

Back row: Paul Menzel, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing; Reid Raykovich, CLFP, CLFP Foundation; Terey Jennings, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing; Theresa Kabot, CLFP, Kabot Commercial Leasing; Ron Schutz, CLFP Rockwood Capital Partners.

Front row: Lia Wax, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing; Mary Armstrong, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing; Diana Crews, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing; Laura Carini, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing; LaDonna Fosback, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing; Shannon Green, CLFP, Orion First Financial; Jenny Wood, CLFP, Orion First Finance.

Terey Jennings, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing; Diana Crews, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing; Lia Wax, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing; Reid Raykovich, CLFP, CLFP Foundation.

Jenny Wood, CLFP, Orion First Financial; Shannon Green, CLFP, Orion First Financial; LaDonna Fosback, CLFP, Financial Pacific Leasing

Ron Schutz, CLFP, Rockwood Capital Partners; Shannon Green, CLFP, Orion First Financial

10 Tips to Boost Equipment Sales with Leasing
To Present to Vendor of Equipment

By Ryan Ruicci, Account Manager, National Leasing

As an equipment dealer, your goal is to sell more equipment. But this isn’t always easy. Customers can’t afford new equipment all the time, despite the advantages it may bring to their business. Thankfully, financing is an option. It shrinks a significant investment into affordable instalments that fit within your customers’ budgets.

You already know all the advantages of leasing if you offer equipment financing to your customers. If you don’t offer financing, check them out and then read our Equipment Vendors page for more information. Either way, if you want to sell more equipment, equipment leasing will help.

Check out our top 10 tips that will help you utilize leasing to its full potential and help you bolster your bottom line.

1. Take the Focus off Price
Let’s say your customers need to upgrade their equipment. They know what equipment they need but the upfront cost scares them away; this is also known as sticker shock.

Paying upfront for equipment can deplete cash reserves or tie up lines of credit, but with financing, you can spread the equipment cost over years so it fits within your customers’ monthly or seasonal budget. Another added bonus: taking the focus off price eliminates the price barrier and leaves your customer free to focus on the features and benefits of your equipment.

2. Close Sales with Options
When closing a sale with leasing, suggest two different leasing plans to your customers and ask which one they prefer. This will bring any uncovered objections to the surface and you can better tailor a lease to fit their needs.

3. Make Add-ons Affordable
Including additional features to your equipment sale with leasing won’t scare away customers. For example, a $500 equipment feature could add less than $10 to a customer’s payments over the term of a lease.

4. Offer Skip Payments
Some equipment lessors offer payment plans that delay your customers’ payments for a few months, sometimes known as Skip Payments. Here’s how it works: customers get your equipment now, you’ll get paid from the lessor and your customers will make payments when they put their equipment to work in a couple of months.

5. Frame Your Questions: Ask for an Opinion rather than a Decision
Framing your questions makes a difference. In our case, we’ve found the best way to know if the customer is ready to buy is to ask a series of opinion-based questions. Then, entertain a buying decision when your customers’ answers imply they’re ready to purchase.

For example:

Q. In your opinion, would a monthly payment plan or a semi-annual payment plan work better for your business?

An answer to the above question will provide insight to your customer’s cash flow cycle. From there, you can structure lease payments to better match your customer’s revenues. The goal here is to glean as much information as possible and then make equipment acquisition financially seamless.

6. Upgrade More Consistently
Wouldn’t you love to have a device installed on your equipment that notifies customers when it’s time for an upgrade?

Lessors structure lease terms based on the technological life of the equipment and will speak with customers as leased equipment nears its lease expiry. This way, leased equipment has a much higher rate of upgrade in a shorter sales cycle.

Customers will get newer equipment more often and usually have similar lease payments. This means more repeat customers and increased sales for your company.

7. Customers Pay as they Go
Customers acquire new equipment for one of two reasons: generate revenue or reduce costs. But there’s a financial disconnect here. Customers use equipment over time, generally years, yet some customers would rather pay for this utility in advance with capital or lines of credit.

Leasing allows your customers to match equipment costs to revenues. Payments are fixed for the term of the lease, and your customers get to keep their cash for other opportunities to grow their business.

8. Offering Financing Never Hurts
You likely won’t lose sales because you quoted a customer a lease payment; however, you may lose a sale if you limit your customers’ financing choices.

Here are a few reasons customers may want to finance rather than purchase:

    Customers might not want to pay cash if equipment quickly becomes obsolete
    Leasing does not impact borrowing power with their bank and may provide tax advantages; however, always consult with your accountant before acquiring equipment
    Convenience – customers can pick the equipment and secure financing all at once if you offer financing

9. Meet Your Customers’ Needs
Your goal is to provide the right equipment solution to your customer. Shouldn’t you give them access to the right financial solution, too? With leasing, you can offer various solutions to meet your customer’s specific financial needs. Here are a few:

    Lengthen the lease term to decrease the cost of payments
    Different end of lease opportunities
    Flexible payment plans to match unique cash flow, like snow plow companies that earn most revenues during winter

10. Show Customers the Savings
Show your customers how new equipment will improve their business. Newer, more efficient equipment could decrease costs and increase output. The money they save by having the latest technology may cover or exceed the cost of a monthly lease payment.

Increase Your Equipment Sales

Now that you’re familiar with our leasing tips you can put them into action and start selling more equipment. Or, if you’d like to start offering financing for your customers, fill out the form below and we’ll contact you right away.

(Originally posted on LinkedIn.com)

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

Automated Underwriting: Strengths & Weaknesses
Dave Schaefer at AltLend Conference, New York

Strengths, weaknesses and moving forward with consistent lending practices in a digital age - these were the topics of discussion from Dave Schaefer, CEO of Orion First Financial during the AltLend conference in NYC.

Inconsistency in completely manual underwriting is a real issue, which can potentially jeopardize either party involved. To curb this, Schaefer advocated an automated underwriting system to create consistency when assessing risk and other factors - as long as there’s still a human at the helm. “I like eyes on a deal,” he said, and continued, “We’ve got guarantors that have nothing to do with the business,” as he cited an example of an applicant with poor credit, whose 80 year old father, with great credit, portrayed himself as a young construction worker. “I’m still a big believer in the review and subjectivity.”

It may sound convoluted and impartial, but the context is quite clear. Like most speakers at AltLend, Schaefer is in favor of using an automated system to reduce risk, as utilizing a system to objectively “weed out” the bad deals, would allow a human underwriter more concise parameters to review each request and make the most accurate determinations possible.

While there are some companies who rely heavily on applicant filtering with automated technologies, there will always be people involved. Finding the optimal balance between the two is driving the crusade in search for an automated system’s “perfect tune” - the proverbial Holy Grail.

The other side of the scenario? People often make mistakes, whether intentional or unintentional. Schaefer has seen firsthand the favoritism of biased lending as he experimented a few years back, when he submitted the same loan application to 6 underwriters. He received 3 approvals and 3 denials, which made it clear that reliance on subjectivity had to be balanced with objective policies, procedures and protocols - perfect for a machine.

While the concepts may be simple, the technicalities, technology, systems, policies, procedures and other unforeseen obstacles make an undertaking such as this a noteworthy challenge.

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

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Fernando's View
By Fernando F. Croce

An affecting mystery-drama ("Mr. Holmes") and a devastating documentary ("The Look of Silence") come to the box-office, while new DVD releases offer suggestive horror ("It Follows"), an unorthodox Western ("Jauja"), and an experimental masterpiece ("Hiroshima Mon Amour").

In Theaters:

Mr. Holmes (Roadside Attractions): Actor Ian McKellen and director Bill Condon, who worked together in the exceptional biopic "Gods and Monsters," reteam for another unconventional and affecting portrait of a notorious British figure. McKellen stars as none other than Sherlock Holmes, with the narrative alternating between his younger years as the legendary detective and his current state in 1947 as a retired, increasingly senile loner. Though his memory grows fainter by the moment, the aged Holmes remains determined to solve a nagging mystery from decades back. Encouraged by Roger (Milo Parker), the sharp young son of his housekeeper (Laura Linney), he struggles to get to the bottom of one last whodunit. An elegantly mounted mystery-drama as well as a meditation on aging, Condon's movie benefits enormously from McKellen's shrewd, unsentimental yet poignant performance.

The Look of Silence (Drafthouse Films): One of the most unique and controversial documentaries in years, 2012's "The Act of Killing" shone an unsettling light on former death-squad members in current-day Indonesia. In this even more remarkable follow-up, director director Joshua Oppenheimer delves deeper into a country's horrors by switching the focus to its victims. While the previous picture gave the stage to assassins who chillingly bragged about their crimes as if they were heroes, the new one heads in the opposite director and focuses on the families of the people killed by them. Accompanying the relatives as they confront the aged culprits, Oppenheimer's camera becomes a sort of instrument of exorcism, helping them face the monstrous ghosts of brutality and oppression. As compelling as it is often difficult to watch, the film lacerates as an extraordinary political and moral document.

Netflix Tip: An enduring, versatile actor and activist, Theodore Bikel (1924-2015) had a nearly 60-year-long career. So check out some of his best-remembered roles, which include "The Defiant Ones" (1958), "My Fair Lady" (1964), and "The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming" (1966)

On DVD:

It Follows (Lionsgate): Coming on the heels of last year's exceptional shocker "The Babadook," this terrifically made thriller continues the recent string of intense horror films focused on young women's fears. The heroine this time around is Jay (Maika Monroe), a teenager whose seemingly innocuous encounter with a man named Hugh (Jake Weary) takes on horrific consequences when he tells her she's cursed. After their date, Jay finds herself haunted by a mysterious entity that can change forms and will kill her if it ever catches up to her. With this malevolent force only a few steps behind her, she must find a way to exorcise the curse one way or another. A talent to watch in a genre routinely filled with hacks, writer-director David Robert Mitchell makes superb use of moody visuals to create an atmosphere of visceral dread that lingers long after the film is over.

Jauja (Cinema Guild): Though best known to mainstream audiences for his role as Aragorn in the sweeping "Lord of the Rings" franchise, Viggo Mortensen has long been a versatile actor with a predilection for offbeat projects. Such is the case in his latest, Lisandro Alonso’s mesmerizing mood piece set in the Argentine pampas in the 19th-century. Mortensen plays Gunnar, a Danish engineer living in a military camp with his young daughter Ingeborg (Viilbjork Malling Agger). When one night she runs away with a soldier, Gunnar must venture into the wilderness and track them down before danger gets to them. What follows, however, is less a straightforward search and more of metaphysical whirlpool in which the lines between civilized mores and mysterious landscapes are blurred. Featuring magnificent cinematography and tantalizing enigmas, this is a vision for cinephiles to lose themselves into. With subtitles.

Hiroshima Mon Amour (Criterion): A pathfinder and an innovator, French filmmaker Alain Resnais ("Last Year at Marienbad") changed film history when this mesmerizingly fractured blend of romance and tragedy was released in 1959. Unfolding on the set of a movie about peace in Japan, the multilayered story chronicles the thorny relationship between a French actress (Emmanuelle Riva) and a Japanese architect (Eiji Okada). As their fling nears its end, the two engage in a debate about their pasts, which for the woman includes a wartime romance with a German soldier and, for the man, the fallout of the atom bomb. Combining dramatic narrative with documentary footage to achieve the slippery texture of memory, Resnais' hugely influential masterpiece is the rare kind of experiment that cuts stylistically as well as emotionally. With subtitles.

Labrador Retriever
Mount Laurel, New Jersey Adopt-a-Dog

Buster
Male
8 months old
Prefers a home without Dogs and Cats
House Trained
Neutered,
Current on Vaccinations

"BUZZY IS A CUTE PUPPY WITH SHINNY BLACK FUR AND A SWEET FACE. HE IS PLAYFUL AND LOVEABLE. He is so cute with his clumsy puppy paws. He is about 8 months and not too big.

"He is ready for a new loving home."

Application:
http://www.animalsanctuarysociety.org./webform/adoption-application

email:animalsanctuarys@aol.com

Animal Sanctuary Society, Inc.
PO Box 24
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054
856-642-0004
http://www.animalsanctuarysociety.org/

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

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NEFA Supersaver Registration Ends Today/ ELFA on Monday

2015 Eastern Regional Meeting
September 11-12, 2015
Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Atlanta, GA

"Registration is now open to join your fellow leasing professionals for the NAELB 2015 Eastern Regional Meeting to be held September 11th and 12th in Atlanta, Georgia. With one and a half days of educational sessions, exhibits and networking, the Eastern Regional Meeting is a wonderful opportunity to connect with your peers and learn new and innovative ways to grow your business."

The 2015 Eastern Regional Meeting will
include sessions on the following topics:
1. Building a Stronger Broker Community
2. Marketing Tactics
3. Alternative Revenue Solutions
4. Packaging Deals
5. Analyzing Financial Statements

Registration/Agenda/Showcase/Exhibits

Partial Agenda:

THE NAELB VALUE PROPOSITION
Sheri Bancroft, Mike Parker and Pete Sawyer, NAELB Board Members

BUILDING A STRONGER BROKER COMMUNITY
Scott Wheeler, Wheeler Business Consulting
Author of “Call to Action”
His new book will be available to purchase

MARKETING TACTICS
Jacklynn Manning, Fora Financial

EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE REVENUE SOLUTIONS
Panel will include: Chuck Brazier, TradeRiver USA (Supply Chain Finance), Beth Malin, Pinnacle Specialty Capital (Factoring and Purchase Order Finance), Jeff Schubert, RapidAdvance (Working Capital Loans) and TBD (Asset Based Lending)

2015 Funding Symposium
10/7/2015 to 10/9/2015
Wed through Friday
J W Marriott Atlanta Buckhead Hotel
3300 Lenox Road Northeast
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
United States
Contact: Kim King
KKing@NEFAssociation.org
Phone: 847-380-5053

Super Saver registration to Expire 7/31/15

Full Information including pricing, schedule, and reservation:
http://nefassociation.site-ym.com/events/event_details.asp?id=594672&group=#

2015 54th Annual Convention
10/25/2015 - 10/27/2015
JW Marriott Hill Country
San Antonio, TX

Early Bird Registration
Register by Monday, August 3, 2015
http://www.elfaonline.org/events/2015/AC/

Brochure with Schedule of Events
http://www.elfaonline.org/cvweb_elfa/cgi-bin/documentdll.dll/view?DOCUMENTNUM=1147

Keynote Speakers
http://www.elfaonline.org/events/2015/AC/spkrs.cfm

ELFA President and CEO Woody Sutton invites you
to connect, engage and grow in San Antonio! (1:43)

The 2015 Fall Conference will be held at the Loews Don CeSar Hotel in St. Pete Beach, FL on November 4 through November 6, 2015.

2015 Western Regional Meeting
November 13-14, 2015
Doubletree by Hilton Anaheim - Orange County
Anaheim, CA

CFA
71st Annual Convention
November 11 - 13, 2015
JW Marriott Austin
Austin, TX

More Information
http://cfa.connectedcommunity.org/convention/home

EXPO NJ Super Regional
11/15/2015 to 11/16/2015
Sunday/Monday

Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe
100 Frank Burr Blvd
Teaneck, New Jersey 07666
United States

Contact:
Kim King, NEFA Sr. Association Coordinator
KKing@NEFAssociation.org
Phone: (847) 380-5053

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

News Briefs----

Mortgage rates fall amid speculation about what the Fed will do 30 Year Benchmark from 4.12% to 4.09%
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/mortgages/mortgage-analysis-073015.aspx?ic_id=Top_Financial%20News%20Center_link_1

As Ex-Im Bank languishes, Boeing considersv moving part of its operations overseas
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/07/30/as-ex-im-bank-languishes-boeing-considers-moving-part-of-its-operations-overseas/

Uber launches car leasing unit
http://www.autonews.com/article/20150730/RETAIL/150739982/uber-launches-car-leasing-unit-makes-entry-into-financial-services

Experienced Sales Manager
Central Region

Develop/maintain relationships with NEC Dealers and Resellers. Meet with potential large customers to
structure new lease and financial service opportunities.
Full job description and application here

www.necam.com

A leading provider of innovative IT, biometrics, network, and
communications products and solutions for service carriers and
Fortune 1000 and SMB businesses across multiple vertical industries,
including healthcare, government, education, and hospitality.

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--You May Have Missed It

90 percent of beer in the U.S. is made by these 11 companies: Bottoms Up
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-11-brewers-make-over-90-of-all-us-beer-2015-07-27?page=1

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

10 Reasons to Eat More Ginger
http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/
blog.asp?post=the_natural_benefits_of_ginger

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Baseball Poem

	Double Play
	From the book
	That Sweet Diamond
	by Paul B. Janeczko, Carole Katchen (Illustrator)

The runner is
a non-swimmer in deep water,
inching from the bag
timid
returning in alarm.

The shortstop and second baseman
are schoolboys
passing secrets
behind the pitcher's back.

Moving before the pitch,
the shortstop dashes to the bag
glove up in anticipation
as runner and
peg from his partner at second
approach.
He drags the toe of his right shoe
across the bag
as the ball slaps home
and he leaps
to avoid the spikes.

Resting in air
safely above the slide
long enough to throw to first
before he tumbles to the dirt,
his eyes on the ball
the mitt
until
the umpire's confirmation of perfection.

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Sports Briefs----

NFL star Sheldon Richardson clocked at 143 mph in Bentley
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/nfl-star-sheldon-richardson-clocked-at-mph-in-bentley-by/article_c0748a24-9602-5069-87da-56273b47a289.html

Nancy Lieberman expected to become Kings assistant coach
http://www.sacbee.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/ailene-voisin/article29576944.html

Grant Cohn: Roger Goodell’s actions should end tenure as commissioner
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/grantcohn/4273843-181/grant-cohn-roger-goodells-actions

NFLPA lays out strategy to fight Tom Brady's Deflategate suspension
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2015/07/30/nflpa-union-tom-brady-legal-strategy-jeffrey-kessler-federal-court/30881971/

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)

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California Nuts Briefs---

Slain Hayward police sergeant honored as “warrior”
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Slain-Hayward-police-sergeant-being-honored-6414976.php

State reduced water use 27 percent in June; hit conservation target
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article29548918.html

Great white shark thwarts marathon swimer in San Francisco Bay
http://nypost.com/2015/07/30/great-white-shark-thwarts-marathon-swimer-in-san-francisco-bay/

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Washington winemakers prep for early harvest
http://www.greatnorthwestwine.com/2015/07/29/washington-winemakers-prep-for-early-harvest/

Wine Exports Healthy as Value Rises
http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2015/07/wine-exports-healthy-as-value-rises

How To Talk About Wine, In Seven Crucial Words
[Book Review]
http://www.forbes.com/sites/cathyhuyghe/2015/07/29/how-to-talk-about-wine-in-seven-crucial-words-book-review/

Wine from Vietnam: Pervasive Yet Eclipsed by Beer
http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=155297

A summer Zinfandel event not to be missed
Mendocino February 25-27
http://www.zinfandelexperience.com/#!the-event/cjg9

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

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

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

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

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

       1498- Christopher Columbus first sighted the island that he called La Trinidad. The island was inhabited by two tribes of “Indians, the Arawaks, who were peaceful fishermen and farmers, and the more belligerent Caribs. Upon his return to Spain, Columbus described the islands to the King as very lush and pleasant, and soon the Spaniards began to colonize them. Trinidad and Tobago remained under Spanish rule from 1498 until Feb 18, 1797, when the Spanish Governor, Chacon, surrendered the islands to the British Navy. British rule continued until 1962 when Trinidad and Tobago gained their independence, after having been self-governing since 1956. The chief exports were slaves. Those that were not captured were killed and many maimed in the battles between well-armed soldiers on horses and Indians with primitive weapons at best.
http://www1.minn.net/~keithp/cctl.htm
http://www.visittnt.com/General/about/general.html
http://users.carib-link.net/~richjob/trinidad.htm
http://latino.si.edu/rainbow/education/historyandpeople.htm
    1777-The Vermont state constitution made it the first state to abolish slavery and adopt universal male suffrage, without regard to property. It was followed to a lesser degree by other New England states, which with Vermont were destined to become strongholds of abolitionism in the 1850s. Vermont had declared itself an independent state on Jan. 16, 1777 and has been known for its “independence” ever since.
    1777 - The Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, was made a major-general in the American Continental Army.
    1790- The US Patent Office opened its doors. The first US Patent was signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. It went to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont for a new method of making pearash and potash, useful in the many application, including bleaching cotton.
    1792- The cornerstone of the Philadelphia Mint, the first US Government building, was put in place.
    1811- Jane Currie Blaikie Hoge birthday, author also well-known for caring for orphans. After seeing some of the deplorable conditions suffered by soldiers in the Civil War, she became one of the leaders in sanitary reform (collecting and distributing clothing, providing nursing care, medical and hospital supplies, food, just about everything else for sanitary and health care that the army never supplied to its men). The women of the sanitary reform movement did unbelievably hard and effective work. The women of the commission received adulation immediately after the war and then their names and work were forgotten while the names of battles and how they were fought (usually forgetting the gruesome results) were glorified.
http://www.britannica.com/women/articles/Hoge_Jane_Currie_Blaikie.html
    1816-Birthday of CSA General George H. Thomas, born in Southampton County, Virginia. Known as the "Rock of Chickamauga.”
(Lower half of http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul31.html )
    1816- Lydia Moss Bradley birthday - U.S. financier and philanthropist. LMB, although left a wealthy widow, increased the estate astronomically through wise investments and real estate transactions that rank her as a major financial genius. Her philanthropic gifts included a home for older women. In 1876 she endowed Bradley University with $2 million and 28 acres in honor of her six children who all died young.
http://www.search.eb.com/women/articles/Bradley_Lydia_Moss.html
http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com/IllinoisWomen/files/br/
htm1/bradley.cfm
    1831- Helena Petrovna Hahn Blavatsky birthday, founder of the Theosophy religion/belief/philosophy that combines various religions and spiritualism and the occult. She wrote a number of books the most important being The Secret Doctrine, The Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy (1888) and Key to Theosophy (1889) that are the basic texts of the movement. She died at the home of Annie Besant who carried on the movement that still has millions of followers today.
http://school.eb.com/women/articles/Blavatsky_Helena_Petrovna.html
http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/natcyclop.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/blavatsky.html
    1846-The “Brooklyn” arrived in port with 230 Mormons under the leadership of 26-year-old
Samuel Brannan. He was to meet other Mormons who were crossing the country from Illinois.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/
1996/07/26/MN64895.DTL
    1846- The "Brooklyn" arrived in port with 230 Mormons under the leadership of 26-year-old Prophet Samuel Brannan. He was to meet other Saints who were crossing the country from Illinois.
    1849-Revolutionizing warfare, Benjamin Chambers, Sr., obtained a patent for a “Breech-loading cannon.” It was the most successful and simple operation, which he called “an improvement in movable breeches for fire-arms and the locks and appurtenances of the same.” His wooden model was discovered in an old smithy and became part of the collection of the Virginia Historical Society.    1854- Capt. Ulysses Grant resigned his commission in the Army at Ft. Humboldt because his commanding officer said his weakness for liquor was cause for court martial or resignation. Capt. Grant then came to San Francisco and lived at the What Cheer House
    1860- Mary Morris Vaux Walcott birthday - U.S. artist. Four hundred of her watercolors of wild flowers and descriptions were published by the Smithsonian Institution as the five-volume North American Wild Flowers. Her paintings are magnificent and accurate.
http://www.britannica.com/women/articles/Walcott_Mary_Morris_Vaux.html
http://scolar.vsc.edu:8003/VSCCAT/AAK-0141
    1874- Father Patrick Francis Healy, first Black man to receive a PhD, named President of Georgetown University.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul31.html
    1912—Birthday of Milton Friedman, a Nobel Price-winning economist, teacher, and author. Friedman was born at Brooklyn, NY. In 1946, he became a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, where he did some of his best-known work. The Chicago School, of which he was a member with like-minded scholars, promulgated influential free-market theories. Died at San Francisco, CA, Nov. 16, 2006.
    1918- Pianist Hank Jones birthday
http://www.npr.org/programs/jazzprofiles/archive/jones_h.html
http://www.jazzradio.org/hank.htm
    1921-Birthday of Whitney Young, former Executive Director of the National Urban League
http://blackhistory.eb.com/micro/650/67.html
    1930—“The Shadow” Radio premiere. “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Knows.” The popular crime and suspense program premiered on CBS radio. Originally, the Shadow was just the narrator of the changing stories, but later he became a character with his own adventures—with the alter ego of Lamont Cranston. Orson Welles was the first Shadow.
    1931-Birthday of great guitarist Kenny Burrell, Detroit, MI'
http://www.hopper-management.com/kb_bio_e.htm.
    1942-Harry James Band with Helen Forrest cut “I’ve Heard that Song Before.” All phonographs are banned the next day due to the war until 1945.
    1943- KISTERS, GERRY H. Medal of Honor Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant (then Sergeant), U.S. Army, 2d Armored Division. Place and date: Near Gagliano, Sicily, 31 July 1943. Entered service at: Bloomington, Ind. Birth: Salt Lake City, Utah. G.O. No.: 13, 18 February 1944. Citation: On 31 July 1943, near Gagliano, Sicily, a detachment of 1 officer and 9 enlisted men, including Sgt. Kisters, advancing ahead of the leading elements of U.S. troops to fill a large crater in the only available vehicle route through Gagliano, was taken under fire by 2 enemy machineguns. Sgt. Kisters and the officer, unaided and in the face of intense small arms fire, advanced on the nearest machinegun emplacement and succeeded in capturing the gun and its crew of 4. Although the greater part of the remaining small arms fire was now directed on the captured machinegun position, Sgt. Kisters voluntarily advanced alone toward the second gun emplacement. While creeping forward, he was struck 5 times by enemy bullets, receiving wounds in both legs and his right arm. Despite the wounds, he continued to advance on the enemy, and captured the second machinegun after killing 3 of its crew and forcing the fourth member to flee. The courage of this soldier and his unhesitating willingness to sacrifice his life, if necessary, served as an inspiration to the command.
    1944- Sherry Lansing birthday - U.S. movie executive. SL is the first woman to be placed in charge of production at a major film studio, and 01- 02-1980, she became president of production at Twentieth Century Fox. She had been a story editor and vice-president of creative affairs to MGM and then vice-president of production at Columbia Pictures. Her mother fled Nazi Germany and raised SL and her sister by working in real estate.
http://centerstage.net/theatre/whoswho/SherryLansing.html
http://www.ucop.edu/regents/regbios/lansing.htm
http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/sherry_lansing.htm
    1948- New York's International Airport at Idlewild Field was dedicated by President Harry S. Truman. It was later renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport.
    1946- Birthday of singer Gary Lewis, born New York, NY.
http://www.members.aol.com/oldies1/lewis.htm
http://www.tsimon.com/lewis.htm
    1951- Evonne Goolagong, outstanding Australian aborigine (First People) tennis player who won Wimbledon 1971 and 1980 and was named AP woman athlete of the year in 1971.
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/australians/goolagon.htm
http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/goolagonge.shtml
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/thwaites/goolag.htm
http://www.tennisfame.org/enshrinees/evonne_goolagong.html
    1952- Faye Marder Kellerman birthday- U.S. novelist specializing in mysteries that feature authentic Orthodox Jewish life.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/103-5362656-4423850
    1956---Top Hits
“The Wayward Wind” - Gogi Grant
“Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel” - Elvis Presley
“Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera)” - Doris Day
“I Walk the Line” - Johnny Cash
    1960-Elijah Muhammad, leader of Nation of Islam, calls for a black state.
    1961- President John F. Kennedy agreed during talks held with General Chen Cheng(July 31—Aug 1, 1961), to support Nationalist China in its bid for UN membership and oppose the admission of Communist China to the United Nations.
    1963—Wesley Snipes Birthday, born Orlando, Florida. “Blade.” “White Men Can’t Jump.” “US Marshal.”
    1964 --Top Hits
“Rag Doll” - The 4 Seasons
“A Hard Day's Night” - The Beatles
“The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)” - Jan & Dean
“Dang Me” - Roger Miller
    1966- Charles Whitman wounds 46 and kills 5 at University of Texas
http://www.crass.com/killer/whitman.html
    1968-The Beatles laid down the bed tracks for "Hey Jude" during the first of a two day session in London. A 36 piece orchestra will be added tomorrow. It tops Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for nine weeks, making it the mega group’s biggest hit.
    1970- Chet Huntley retires from NBC, ends "Huntley-Brinkley Report"
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/huntleychet/huntleychet.htm
    1971-the first astronauts to ride a vehicle on the moon were Colonel David Randolph Scott and Lieutenant Colonel James Benson Irwin, who rode the four-wheeled electric cart “Rover,” an LRV ( Lunar Roving Vehicle) alongside the 1,200 foot deep canyon Hadley Hills on the moon ( Apollo 15).
    1971-Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds had the top tune on the Cashbox Best Sellers list with "Don't Pull Your Love". Dan Hamilton, Joe Frank Carollo and Tom Reynolds enjoyed their first taste of success in 1965 with a group called The T-Bones when they scored the Top Ten hit "No Matter What Shape" that was used in Alka Seltzer commercials.
    1971- James Taylor scored his only Billboard number one record with the Carole King written, "You've Got a Friend". The song would go on to win the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.
    1972 - Thomas Eagleton, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, withdrew from the ticket with presidential candidate George McGovern following disclosure that Eagleton had once undergone psychiatric treatment for depression. Eagleton was replaced by Sargent Shriver, who, incidentally, was the only Democratic vice-presidential nominee who did not serve in Congress at any point in his or her career.
    1972 - Top Hits
“Alone Again (Naturally)” - Gilber O'Sullivan
“Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)” - Looking Glass
“(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right” - Luther Ingram
“It's Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer” - Charley Pride
    1972- White Sox Dick Allen becomes the seventh major leaguer to hit two inside-the-park HRs in one game. The homers help pace the White Sox over the Twins, 8-1.
    1974 - One of the President Nixon's main men, John Ehrlichman was sentenced to prison for his role in the break-in at the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist. Ellsberg was the Pentagon consultant who leaked the "Pentagon Papers" (which purportedly told Americans how and why the U.S. really got into the Vietnam War). Ehrlichman also created the White House unit that was called the ‘plumbers' because it was intended to plug leaks.
    1976 - A stationary thunderstorm produced more than ten inches of rain which funneled into the narrow Thompson River Canyon of northeastern Colorado. A wall of water six to eight feet high wreaked a twenty-five mile path of destruction from Estes Park to Loveland killing 156 persons. The flash flood caught campers, and caused extensive structural and highway damage. Ten miles of U.S. Highway 34 were totally destroyed as the river was twenty feet higher than normal at times.
    1978 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Miss You," The Rolling Stones. The song is the band's eighth No. 1 single.
    1980 -Top Hits
“It's Still Rock & Roll to Me” - Billy Joel
“Magic” - Olivia Newton-John
“Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time” - Spinners
“Bar Room Buddies” - Merle Haggard & Clint Eastwood
    1981- African-American Arnette Hubbard installed as first woman president of the National Bar Association, started in 1925 for African-American attorneys.
http://www.nationalbar.org/about/index.shtml
http://www.siu.edu/~oirs/Stan/walloffame.html
    1981 - The seven-week baseball players' strike came to an end as the players and owners agreed on the issue of free agent compensation.
    1984- US men's gymnastics team won team gold medal at LA Summer Olympics
http://www.nationalbar.org/about/index.shtml
    1986 - The temperature at Little Rock, AR, soared to 112 degrees to establish an all-time record high for that location. Morrilton, AR, hit 115 degrees, and daily highs for the month at that location averaged 102 degrees.
    1987 - The deadliest tornado in 75 years struck Edmonton, Alberta, killing 26 persons and injuring 200 others. The twister caused more than 75 million dollars damage along its nineteen mile path, leaving 400 families homeless. At the Evergreen Mobile Home Park, up to 200 of the 720 homes were flattened by the tornado.
    1987 - Afternoon highs of 106 degrees at Aberdeen, SD, and 102 degrees at Ottumwa, IA, and Rapid City, SD, established records for the date. It marked the seventh straight day of 100 degree heat for Rapid City. Baltimore, MD, reported a record twenty-two days of 90 degree weather in July. Evening thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail at Lemmon, SD, and wind gusts to 80 mph at Beulah, ND.
    1988 Top Hits
“Roll with It” - Steve Winwood
“Hands to Heaven” - Breathe
“Make Me Lose Control” - Eric Carmen
“Don't We All Have the Right” - Ricky Van Shelton
    1988 - Twenty-one cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Sioux City, IA, with a reading of 107 degrees. The reading of 105 degrees at Minneapolis, MN, was their hottest since 1936. Pierre and Chamberlain, SD, with highs of 108 degrees, were just one degree shy of the hot spot in the nation, Palm Springs, CA.
    1990-Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers won the 300th game of his career, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers, 11-3. Ryan pitched in the major leagues from 1966 until 1993 and finished with 324 wins.
    1993—Top Hits
“Can’t Help Falling In Love (From ‘Sliver’)”-- UB40
“Whoomp! (There It Is)” - Tag Team
“Weak”-SWV
“I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)” - The Proclaimers
    1994-The San Francisco Giants joined the battle against AIDS by staging their first “Until There's A Cure” Day at Candlestick Park. The Giants wore red ribbons sewn on their uniforms. Together with the visiting Colorado Rockies, they joined 700 Aids volunteers to form a giant human red ribbon on the field. One dollar from the price of every ticket sold went to Bay Area AIDS organizations. The Giants won the game, 9-4, behind home runs by Barry Bonds, Darryl Strawberry and Matt Williams, who hit tow.
    1995-Heat Wave in Chicago, Illinois; 525 deaths attributed.
http://www.sws.uiuc.edu/atmos/statecli/1995chicago.htm
    1995 - Selling 331,000 copies, Selena's "Dreaming of You," her first English album, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. The slain Tejano singer becomes the first Latin artist ever to debut at No. 1.
    1997 - In New York City, police seized five bombs believed bound for terrorist attacks on city subways. 2 potential suicide bombers were shot and wounded in an explosives laden Brooklyn apartment. Gazi Ibrahim Abu Mezer (23) and Lafi Khalil (22) were recovering from wounds. In 1998 Khalil was acquitted and Gazi Ibrahim Aby Mezer was convicted of plotting to bomb a subway station.
    1998-Top Hits
“The Boy Is Mine”- Brandy
“You're Still the One”- Shania Twain
“My Way” - Usher
“Adia” -Sarah McLachlan
    1999 - The U.S. heat wave -- linked to at least 94 deaths -- continued. As Chicago baked in 100-degree weather, thousands of hot and sweaty residents were forced to endure the heat without air conditioning or fans, due to sporadic power outages and brownouts.
http://hpccsun.unl.edu/nebraska/heatwave99.html
http://www.disastercenter.com/guide/heat.html
    2002- A plan to sell beer outside Boston's Fenway Park is approved on a trial basis by city officials. During the 14 games, brew will be available three hours before game time to one hour after games start to game ticket-holders who pass through a turnstile.

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From the book

That Sweet Diamond

by Paul B. Janeczko, Carole Katchen (Illustrator)