Sales Representative We're a progressive leasing company with ambitious growth plans for 2008. If you're a proven sales rep in the small ticket arena and ready to join a winning team, contact us immediately. We offer a competitive comp plan, amazing work environment, and have strong relationships with the major funding sources. E-mail: recruiter@gen-cap.com . About the Company: Genesis Commercial Capital, LLC; Irvine, CA

www.gen-cap.com

Friday, July 11, 2008

Arthur Andrew Gelm (Gelien,) better known as his stage name, Tab Hunter, born New York, NY, July 11, 1931. A heart throb on stage, “Damn Yankees,” screen, “Battle Cry,” and early TV. He also was a singer; “Young Love” was #1 for five weeks. He has appeared in more than 40 major feature films.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tab_Hunter

Headlines---

Classified Ads----Outsourcing
Trigger Leads---Part II
by Christopher Menkin
    New Story Credit listing
        OneWorld Leasing Co-Op to Merge?
New Hires---Promotions
    Bank of the West Equipment Finance
        Classified Ads----Help Wanted
Leasing Assoc. Meetings Open to All
    Investors lose confidence in troubled bank
        Accounting for Leases Project
    Online Course Free Demo from ELFA
Veteran Ken Goodman leads new broker program
    Sukut Equipment Opens Leasing Division
        News Briefs---
    CalFireNews
You May have Missed---
    California Nuts Brief---
        "Gimme that Wine"
    Calendar Events
Snapple Real Facts
    Today's Top Event in History
        This Day in American History
Baseball Poem
    SuDoku
        Daily Puzzle
GasBuddy
    Weather, USA or specific area
        Traffic Live----
News on Line---Internet Newspapers
Albuquerque, Arizona

######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release”

"World Leasing News is a separate entity and not affiliated with Leasing News.”

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

Classified Ads----Outsourcing

Marketing services creative boutique: ads, flyers, premiums, trade show support and much more. Over 15 years experience working with CIT and ORIX. Currently seeking new relationships:
http://www.tollinadvertising.com/

“We are a boutique marketing services agency with considerable experience in Equipment Finance, Small Business Lending, Healthcare, Trade and Vendor Finance. We've worked with CIT Marketing through the regimes of Al Gamper, Bob Merritt and finally (very finally) Jeffrey Peek. As of last September, CIT sourced their marketing needs elsewhere. Our direct report, Dan Sommer, was given his package. We had also followed Gary Gussoff on to ORIX and worked for them (with permission) simultaneously.”

“We're now in a position to offer our creative ability and experience to other firms within this sector.

atollin@tollinadvertising.com

Full Listing: Classified Ads-- Outsourcing
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing.htm

For a full listing of all “job wanted” ads, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

To place a free “job wanted” ad here, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm

Leasing Recruiters:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Recruits/index.htm

[headlines]

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

Trigger Leads---Part II

by Christopher Menkin

From Dave Gilbert, Five Point Capital:

“Five Point Capital has indeed tested trigger leads for the past two months. As you suggest, we try to test many of the new marketing techniques that are available. This particular program arose, however, mostly in response to the fact that so many of our competitors had targeted our customers with the program. Customers in the middle of deals were calling us telling us stories that others had represented themselves as Five Point Capital in the transaction, and they didn’t understand how this could have happened, and were quite confused.

“So in defense we tested triggers, but extremely carefully. We have seen many offers in the marketplace that we know to be out of compliance with the FCRA.

“Knowing that the Fair Credit Reporting Act is an important aspect of credit offers using consumer credit as the basis, we looked into the language that was required by law, consulted attorneys who are specialists in this arena, and crafted scripting and follow up mail offers in compliance with the FCRA. We were slow to the market, but wanted to ensure we had implemented the program correctly and in compliance.

“Nonetheless, our experience has not been good, and in fact we are likely to discontinue the program after the test is evaluated. What we have seen is that customers who are targeted for these leads are irritated that their credit is being used in this fashion, and it makes the sale that much more difficult. What could have been a positive customer contact for a real sales pitch turns into a negative one about ‘how did you get my name / credit / information?

Dave Gilbert
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Five Point Capital
10525 Vista Sorrento Parkway
San Diego, CA 92121
dgilbert@fivepointcapital.com
Ph: (888) 576-4685 x204
Fax: (858) 866-0540

“We tried them a year and a half ago, for our application only program. Our opinion is: 20 other companies attain the same lead at the same time---Then it becomes a race to the lowest rate. This technique did not work for ACC.”

Barry Gordon
Executive Vice President Sales And Marketing
ACC Capital Center
1787 East Fort Union Blvd., Suite 200
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
Direct Tel (801) 733-2269
Toll Free (800) 409-5008 Ext 2269
Direct Fax (801) 733-2369
bgordon@acccapital.com

“LEAF Financial Corporation does NOT and has NOT used “Trigger Leads” in any of its marketing efforts. We are currently working with the credit bureaus to ensure that no third party has the ability to view ‘Trigger Leads’ generated when we submit a request for a report.”

Robert J Hunter
Chief Marketing Officer & EVP
LEAF Financial Corporation
2005 Market Street, 15th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Direct 267-402-5252

“GCR has never purchased Trigger Leads.

“Frankly, I don’t see where they would be a plus in our environment. If a business owner’s credit has been pulled by another leasing company, then we are too late to get involved generally speaking, and if there is a generic credit pull, it just gives an idea about his credit score. It doesn’t mean that he wants equipment for his business, nor that he would consider leasing; it makes much more sense for us to just call owners in our niche markets directly.

“We have purchased leads in the past that are specific leasing inquiries, but frankly the information they provide is generally incorrect or we have already received that lead through our own internet marketing efforts. At this time we don’t purchase any ‘leasing’ leads either.”

Judy DiVincenzo
President
GCR Capital
200 9th Avenue N., Ste 200
Safety Harbor, FL 34695
727-258-0093
877-735-1584
727-258-0122

“Not to my knowledge.”

Joseph LaLeggia
President & CEO
Irwin Commercial Finance

“Never heard of it.”

Brett Butler
Butler Capital

“Financial Pacific does not use trigger leads.”

Terey Jennings, CLP
Financial Pacific Leasing, LLC
888-239-8338 - Direct Line
800-447-7106 - Fax
tjennings@finpac.com

“no.”

Gary H. Souverein
President
Pawnee Leasing Corporation
700 Centre Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80526
(800) 864-4266 ext. 222
(970) 482-2666 (Fax)

YOUR START-UP & B CREDIT FUNDING SOURCE SINCE 1982

“TriStar Capital, LLC does not, nor have we ever purchased or used this type of service. We have been victims of this type of trigger leads service from some of our competitors on transactions.”

Ignacio Sanchez
TriStar Capital, LLC
295 Greenwich Street, Suite 318
New York, NY 10013
ph 212-513-0641
fx 212-227-2728
www.tristarcapital.com

As reported on Wednesday, Curt P. Kovash, General Manager/Sr. Vice President, U.S. Bank Manifest Funding Services, said his company has never used "Trigger Data" or "Trigger Leads."

Monday:
    Balboa Capital and Direct Capital

        Plus more comments from readers

Trigger Leads---Part I
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/July%202008/07-09-08.htm#trigger

[headlines]

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

New Story Credit listing

[headlines]

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

OneWorld Leasing Co-Op to Merge?

by Christopher Menkin

Co-ops in the real world attempt to achieve market pricing power for small players unable to compete as well independently, such as Ocean Spray Cranberries. Because it can be said that a crop is a crop, and that all producers are simply trying to get fair value for their portion of the crop,
a co-op makes sense.

A leasing co-op could centralize operations, documentation, and borrowing with cost efficiencies. However, each member would have to completely subordinate self interest and agree to a share of the profit precisely equal to its "crop" output. Inasmuch as each lease is different, the working of such a group is quite unique. Ideas such as a Kibbutz, for example, work under unique circumstances with members having precisely complementary needs. It appears the OneWorld Leasing
Co-Op work independently.

Thursday's Wall Street Journal had a related article on failed tenant in common real estate deals. “Dear senior citizen, sell your real estate and swap into a pool over which you have no control, but you can buy a bigger building co- operatively.” Is One World Leasing headed in this direction?

A press release was issued noting:

“ONEWORLD LEASING INC. has signed a Memorandum of Intent with an independent leasing and financing company which anticipates the two companies will join together in a yet to be structured transaction scheduled for later in 2008. Documentation requires the name of the Lessor be kept confidential at this time.

“OWL will benefit from having a complete, profitable leasing operation capable of accessing capital markets for its members. It will continue to operate as the Leasing Industry’s only cooperative. The 26 member owners of OneWorld Leasing will benefit by being able to outsource back office operations and possibly use OWL as an eventual exit plan vehicle.”

Ira Z. Romoff, President, OneWorld Leasing, states:

“The coop will have a more fully developed infrastructure and access to capital markets which will benefit the OWL members greatly. We will be able to meet the extended needs of members, which is our purpose. Financial Strength goes well with our motto, Strength in Numbers”

The web site notes:

“OneWorld Leasing, Inc. is a member-owned commercial services cooperative formed by its members for the benefit of its members. Each of the member companies listed below owns one share of OneWorld Leasing, Inc. stock and has a vote in its operation.

Some of our members are brokers, some are lessors, and some are both. Some of our members are mid-sized companies, some are small companies. Some of our members are vendor driven, some are end-user driven.

“All of our members are experienced, competent, independently-owned companies, each of whom has committed to maintain the highest ethical standards.”
www.onewordleasing.com

26 Members of OneWorld Leasing; Staff
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/OneWorldMemStaffList.pdf

[headlines]

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

New Hires---Promotions

Marc Dierckx was named Global Business Unit President of the De Lage Landen office equipment group.He succeeds William F. Stephenson who has recently been appointed Global Chief Commercial Officer for De Lage Landen International, B.V. and consequently joined the company’s Executive Board. Prior to joining De Lage Landen in 2004, Dierckx gathered extensive industry experience holding several senior management positions within Lanier Europe Finance.

Mark Frank has joined First Business Equipment Finance, part of First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ)
Previously he was at Wells Fargo Equipment Finance as a Territory Manager in Minneapolis, MN for four years, U.S. Bancorp Equipment Finance covering Minnesota and Iowa for six years, and spent 16 years with GE Capital developing markets in several geographic regions. Mark received his BA from Moorhead State University in Moorhead, MN. Mark lives in Eden Prairie, MN.

Paul Hermann has joined the MEI Financial Services, llc, as Regional Manager and Senior Development Officer.

Roy Lam is the new Quality Control Manager at H$W Financial Recovery, Houston, Texas.

Tracy Galvin was promoted to Vice President of Operations at Clune & Company, Mission, Kansas, Ms. Galvin joined Clune & Company in 1999 as a leasing sales representative and has served as operations manager for the past two years. Her previous experience in the leasing industry included 12 years with Southern Leasing Corporation.

Michelle Marik is now regional sales manager for Textron Financial Vendor Finance Division, responsible for building vendor relationships within the construction industry in the Midwestern United States.
She previously was with GE Capital.

Bruce Moffat, promoted to Alter Moneta Business Development Manager in Central Ontario including the Greater Toronto marketplace. He will be responsible for covering markets specifically surrounding Greater Toronto Area- East. With true cross-border capabilities, Moffat will develop product options including lines of credit, consolidation and commercial leasing, equipment loans, and fleet financing. Prior he was at CIT Financial Ltd.

M&I EQUIPMENT FINANCE COMPANY promotions:
Judson M. Snyder Milwaukee, WI Senior Vice President
Michael J. Crowell Milwaukee, WI Vice President
Bruce H. Homan Minneapolis, MN Vice President
Robert A. Ranwick Minneapolis, MN Vice President
William H. Schulte St. Louis, MO Vice President
Craig A. Chyla Milwaukee, WI Assistant Vice President
Crystal D. Gateley Milwaukee, WI Assistant Vice President

[headlines]

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

Bank of the West Equipment Finance Promotions

Jerry Newell, Executive Vice-President, Bank of the West Equipment Financial Division,
announces new promotions.

“Despite challenges within the U.S. economy, Bank of the West and our Equipment Finance Division continue to prosper, “Newell said. “Last week S&P reaffirmed our parent company BNP Paribas' AA+ rating, making us one of the four top rated banks in the world. We have been serving the funding needs of the indirect marketplace for over 36 years and e well positioned to continue to meet funding needs for years to come.”

“Effective July 14, 2008 our Indirect Equipment Finance and Secondary Markets Departments have been combined and will be managed by Senior Vice President, Mike Przekop. Mike has been with the Bank for over 7 years and previously managed the Secondary Markets Department, which engages in portfolio and syndication activities. This combination will strengthen our offerings and service across the indirect equipment finance funding marketplace.

“Senior Vice President, Doug Hatch, who previously managed the Indirect Equipment Finance Department, has been appointed to the position of Risk Manager for the Equipment Finance Division. Doug has been involved with the Indirect Equipment Finance Department for over 25 years and has been an integral part of its growth and success.

Nicholas (Nick) Ross, Vice President/Marketing Officer and Matt Zito, Marketing Specialist, are recent additions to Indirect EF. Nick has joined us after nearly 35 years with Bank of America, including a number of years with the leasing business, and will be managing one of three regional territories. Matt has been with Bank of the West for 6 years and will provide service and support for our origination sources.

[headlines]

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

Leasing Industry Help Wanted

National Account Manager

Arizona * California * Illinois * Minnesota

TOP PERFORMERS ONLY National Account Manager 60% com mission . APP only to $ 2 50,000. No industry/geo restrictions. Tremendous flexibility/freedom: your home office or our regional offices. BJohnson@Alliancecap.com

www.AllianceCap.com

Sales Representative

Sales Representative We're a progressive leasing company with ambitious growth plans for 2008. If you're a proven sales rep in the small ticket arena and ready to join a winning team, contact us immediately. We offer a competitive comp plan, amazing work environment, and have strong relationships with the major funding sources. E-mail: recruiter@gen-cap.com . About the Company: Genesis Commercial Capital, LLC; Irvine, CA

www.gen-cap.com

VENDOR SALES SPECIALISTS LEASING SALES PROFESSIONALS Like selling vendor programs and large transactions? Enjoy international financing programs? Prefer the advantages of a commission only environment with the security of health and welfare benefits? CLICK HERE to find out how to have fun again.

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

[headlines]

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

Leasing Association Events-Meetings Open to All

Eastern Association of Equipment Lessors  
Chapter Meeting Schedule for more information: www.eael.org
EAEL
Tel : 212 809-1602
Fax : 212-809-1650
62 William Street,  4th Floor
New York, NY  10005

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

July 23,2008
5pm
Sam's Cafe Southwestern
6:40pm Arizona Diamondbacks
   vrs. Chicago Cubs
Details:  click here to view flyer

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

More information: www.naelb.org

September 5 & 6, 2008
Western Regional Meeeting
Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa Costa Mesa, Ca.

November 14 & 15, 2008
Eastern Regional Meeting
Renaissance Concourse Hotel
Atlanta, GA

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

To view Leasing Association Conferences in 2007, please click here.

[headlines]

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

Investors lose confidence in troubled bank

By Ben Baeder
Whittier Daily News, Whittier, California
http://www.whittierdailynews.com

PASADENA - A major stock-rating firm downgraded shares of troubled IndyMac Bancorp Inc. to junk status and an analyst said the bank's stock was not worth owning.

The dire response from the financial industry came after IndyMac Chairman and CEO Michael Perry's announced the bank will lay off 53 percent of its 7,200 employees within the next two months.

Additionally the bank announced it could no longer take certain types of deposits and will suspend making traditional home loans.

An analyst who tracks IndyMac wrote a letter to his clients telling them not to buy IndyMac shares.

"We do not believe that there is any value left for common shareholders," wrote Paul Miller, an analyst at Virginia-based Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co.

Meanwhile Fitch Ratings gave IndyMac an "E" individual rating, which, "reflects a bank with very serious problems," a written statement issued Tuesday noted. Fitch also rated the stock "CC," which is not investment grade.

On Monday, IndyMac also lost its FDIC designation of "well capitalized," which limits the way the bank can accept certain deposits.

Despite gloomy words from Wall Street, an IndyMac spokesman defended the bank and said stock prices should not be the only measure of the company's soundness, he said.

"It shouldn't come as any surprise in this climate that people are not lining up to buy stocks in companies that sell mortgages," said the spokesman Evan Wagner. "It's not like we don't know how to change and adjust," Wagner said. "We have been doing these things for a while and we know how to make money on them."

IndyMac functioned for years by making loans to people who are just below the level of prime borrowers but with credit better than those who could only land subprime loans.

But this year the company made headway into the prime-borrower market, Wagner said.

IndyMac additionally makes money by managing loans for other companies and through reverse-mortgages.

By Thursday closing, the bank's stock had lost 99 percent of its value, falling from a 52-week high of $30.77 a share to 31 cents.

Meanwhile, the bank sold at least 60 of its retail loan offices to Prospect Mortgage. The specifics of the deal were still being worked out, said Jason Karpf, a spokesman for Prospect.

Analysts said the moves likely will not be enough to save the bank.

The bank holds too many loans that are not being paid, and it needs money to survive, experts say.

At its peak, IndyMac employed about 3,000 people in the Pasadena area and about 10,000 nationwide, according to the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and previous statements from bank executives.

But the Pasadena-based mortgage lender was caught in a protracted downturn in the nation's housing and mortgage markets, fueling a sobering financial decline over the past year.

IndyMac lost $615 million in 2007, according to filings with Securities and Exchange Commission. But at the end of the year, the bank had $2.4 billion in reserves, according to statements from Perry.

The bank then reported losing another $184 million in the first three months of this year.

Over the weekend of June 28 and 29, IndyMac depositors withdrew about $100 million after Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. said he was worried about the safety of money invested with the bank.

In the bank's online blog, however, IndyMac said that more than 96 percent of the bank's approximate $19 billion in deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

ben.baeder@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2230

Reprinted with the permission of Whittier Daily News, Whittier, California
http://www.whittierdailynews.com

[headlines]

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

**** Announcement *************************************

Must-Read Journal Article Addresses Proposed New Approach
to Accounting for Leases Project

ELFA eNews Daily

The most recent issue of the Foundation's Journal of Equipment Lease Financing included a comprehensive article on the recent accounting deliberations relating to the accounting for leases project, a project intended to replace the existing "risks and rewards" based accounting for leases (FASB 13 and IAS 17) with a "rights and obligations" approach (the New Approach). Co-authored by Rod Hurd, chief financial officer, Director of Bridgeway Capital Advisors, Inc., and Don L. Weaver, an attorney with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, the "The Proposed New Approach to Accounting for Leases" article is a must-read for anyone with a keen interest in the project's outcome, including those who are actively engaged in new business development or are responsible for financial planning and reporting activities.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards (IAS) Board formally added accounting for leases to their respective agendas as a joint convergence project in 2006. In the Journal article, the authors respond to the deliberations to date by calling for a legal and economic analysis (that is, an interdisciplinary approach) in resolving lease accounting issues relating to the treatment of U.S. true equipment lease transactions. Moreover, they recommend specific course correction for constituents to advocate, recommendations intended to ensure a fairer portrayal of the rights and obligations arising from the relevant legal system and the distinguishing economics of leases relative to loans within acceptable cost-benefit parameters.

Rod Hurd, chairman of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association's Financial Accounting Committee, comments "Don Weaver and I wrote the article in response to a looming threat. Recent developments in the leasing project raise the prospect of a new standard driven by self-contained accounting theory and convergence expediency. With the accounting regulators placing almost exclusive reliance on the use of the accounting lens in the context of the self-defined convergence timetable, we became concerned about unintended consequences arising from a ‘blind man and the elephant' approach, where insights of other relevant disciplines are largely ignored in reporting the economic phenomenon."

The article should help lessors better understand what is at stake with FASB's and IASB's leasing project. In addition it provides industry members with information so they may become engaged in the process and respond thoughtfully and quickly to the pending preliminary views/discussion paper, now scheduled for release by the respective Boards in the fourth quarter of this year.

"In the end," says Hurd "our article intends to provide constituents with a ‘voter styled handbook' to draw upon in commenting on these important milestone documents."

Sites of Reference: http://www.leasefoundation.org/index.cfm

Want to learn more?
ELFA Lease Accountants Conference, September 15-17, http://www.elfaonline.org/pub/events/2008/LAC/

Changes in Lease Accounting - FASB/IASB Update Web Seminar
July 30, 2008, 1:00 pm-2:30 pm EDT
http://webinars.elfaonline.org/session.php?id=1419

[headlines]

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

**** Announcement****************************************

FREE DEMO of the Fundamentals of Equipment Leasing and Finance Online Course

ELFA eNews Daily

----Open to Non-Members of ELFA

The ELFA Academy is offering a free web seminar to introduce members to its new Fundamentals of Equipment Leasing and Finance online course. The seminar will demonstrate select parts of the Fundamentals of Equipment Leasing and Finance course, discuss the course objectives and detailed course outline, present pricing options, and provide Q&A time.

*This course will launch Fall 2008

Presenters:
Alexa Domeck, e-Learning Manager, ELFA
Jeff Van Cleve, Subject Matter Expert, Senior Vice President and Manager of Equipment Leasing and Finance, First Merit Bank

To register: http://webinars.elfaonline.org/session.php?id=1465

**** Announcement **************************************

[headlines]

---------------------------------------------------------------
### Press Release ###########################

Leasing Veteran Ken Goodman leads new broker program

(Photo: Leasing News Archive)

DevCorp Contract Financing Facility, LLC., has announced that its programs will now be offered through lease and financial brokers and that industry veteran Ken Goodman, CLP has been appointed to head the broker program.

Construction Contractor Financing

DevCorp offers small to mid-sized contractors the mobilization financing they need to start projects – long before the first work is completed, thus enabling them to bid bigger jobs. Once the contractor begins invoicing, DevCorp advances the up to 80% of the outstanding invoice amounts to provide even more working capital for the contractor.

Supply Order Financing

DevCorp can also help contractors, distributors and others faced with the need to advance money for supply orders that will take some time to fill. This enables the borrower to take large orders they can’t afford to pay for out of available cash (DevCorp underwrites based on the supplier and the end customer, so the dealer in the middle effectively expands his capabilities beyond his current limits).

General Contractors

General Contractors benefit from these programs as well. They are faced with the need to use more and more local and diverse sub-contractors. In some cases “minority set-asides” are law, but even if there aren’t such laws in a given jurisdiction, the public relations benefits of using smaller, local people are evident.

DevCorp serves these General Contractors by providing pre-screening of contractors to be sure a given contractor can actually do the job; and then brings in a Third Party Administrator to oversee the payment process. These things provide a level of comfort for the owner or general contractor not usually available in dealing with subcontractors.

The Broker Program

Most lease brokers have contacts in the construction industry. Many have tried to break into this industry for years with varying degrees of success (all that big, expensive, long life equipment is tempting, isn’t it).

Part of the problem in doing so is that it is a volatile industry where many company principals have less than stellar credit histories. That makes it hard to qualify them for conventional lending. The DevCorp programs underwrite based on the contractor’s ability to do the job, not on FICO scores. In fact, with DevCorp no personal guaranties are needed – and the borrower doesn’t have to pledge his home either.

Brokers working with DevCorp get a portion of origination fees and a monthly payment based on the outstanding balance on the facility for as long as it’s in place and DevCorp does most of the work.

The DevCorp program is funded through private equity fund money with a current commitment approaching nine figures so funds availability is not subject to fluctuations caused by the changing face of the banking community.

About Ken Goodman, CLP

Ken has been an executive in the equipment leasing industry since 1969, holding senior officer positions at several companies. As head of Lake Forest, California based Goodman & Associates, he has consulted for a number of lessors on marketing, training, planning, operations and corporate management matters so he knows the challenges brokers and lessors face in building their businesses. He himself has helped build successful companies in both Illinois and California including three which made the Inc. 500 – two of them twice each.

Ken’s main job at DevCorp will be to interface with the broker community to assist in implementing programs to address the construction marketplace using DevCorp tools. He will also act as liaison between brokers and DevCorp regarding pending transactions.

About Carlton Lewis and DevCorp

After years in the insurance and surety world, he developed the concept of providing working capital to growing companies based more on their technical capacity than their financial strength. Carlton has more than 22 years of experience in small business development and finance. He has directed programs that have provided local businesses with more than $400 million in surety bonds and more than $50 million in working capital loan commitments with no losses to date. He is Founder and CEO of DevCorp.

DevCorp has become a leading provider of contract financing for small and middle market construction contractors. Currently, DevCorp’s primary product is entitled the Contract Financing Facility (“CFF”). The CFF can be used on both public and private construction projects. DevCorp unveiled its new, improved version of the Contract Financing Facility in late 2006, using a private hedge fund to provide the financing. Now, DevCorp is poised to dominate the construction credit market across the country.

Brokers wanting more information on the DevCorp opportunity, including requirements and rates should call Ken Goodman at 888-852-7560 or visit www.devcorp.net.

Kenneth D. Goodman, CLP
National Broker Relations Manager
DevCorp Contractor Financing
c/o Goodman & Associates
24112 Brookfield Circle
Lake Forest, CA
888-852-7560 - kendg@leasegood.com

[headlines]

### Press Release ###########################
--------------------------------------------------------------

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

News Briefs----

Sukut Equipment, Inc. Opens Heavy Equipment Leasing Division
http://www.prweb.com/releases/scrapers/dozers/prweb1086734.htm

Slide by Marriott Signals Distress For Hotel Industry
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/
AR2008071002576.html

Fannie, Freddie Shares Plunge as Unease Rises
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071
000895.html?hpid=topnews
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/business/11ripple.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Rising oil prices hit China's trade surplus
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/Rising_oil_prices_hit_Chinas_trade_surplus/
articleshow/3220105.cms

Nordstrom stock falls 8.7% on lousy June sales figures
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008043875_webnordies10.html

Hollywood producers say SAG rejects contract offer
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Hollywood-Labor.html

In Deepening Ad Decline, Sales Fall 8% at Magazines
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/business/media/11mag.html?ref=business

[headlines]

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

Fire News

http://www.fire.ca.gov/index_incidents.php

Big Sur:
www.surfire2008.org/

Big Sur:
www.surfire2008.org/

[headlines]

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

You May have Missed---

Down and out in Las Vegas
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/down-and-out-in-las-vegas-860513.html

[headlines]

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California Nuts Briefs---

Governor Schwarzenegger Proclaims September 2008 California Wine Month
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/governor-schwarzenegger-proclaims-
september-2008/story.aspx?guid={805590D7-7CC6-4364-867C-13613
93F23F3}&dist=hppr

[headlines]

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“Gimme that Wine”

Sommeliers in the vineyard: At night they pour your wine, and by day they make it
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/10/WIRF11IU8P.DTL

For Overlooked Sherries, Some Respect---Eric Asimov
http://events.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/reviews/09wine.html?ref=dining

A few winners, but no surprises in California State Fair wine competition
http://www.modbee.com/life/taste/story/354190.html

The End of an Era: America’s Most Important Wineries Changing
http://wine.appellationamerica.com/wine-review/591/American-Wineries-Changing.html

Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com
http://www.wine-searcher.com/
US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/
Winery Atlas
http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas
Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm
The London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex) is an electronic exchange for fine wine.
http://www.liv-ex.com/

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Calendar Events This Day

Bastille Day Celebration:
A street party of global proportions with typical French joie de vivre, dinning and dancing under the starts and an astounding four hours of continuous music by the French speaking world’s most remarkable groups.
www.frenchilib.org

Cheer Up the Lonely Day
http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/July/cheeruplonely.htm

Hollister Motorcycle Rally, California -
roadway scheduled to be shut down from 5pm on Thursday until 11pm on Sunday - due to the estimated 100,000 visitors, expect significant delays into and out of the downtown Hollister area.

National Blueberry Muffin Day

Swimming Pool Day

World Population Day
http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/July/worldpopulationday.htm

Saint feast Days

• St. Oliver Plunkett
• St. Olga
• St. Benedict of Nursia
• St. Abundius
• St. Amabilis
• St. Turketil
• St. Sabinus
• Sts. Sabinus & Cyprian
• St. Cindeus
• St. Drostan
• St. Hidulphus
• St. John of Bergamo
• St. Leontius the Younger
• St. Marcian

http://www.catholic.org/saints/f_day/jul.php

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The correct response to the Irish greeting, "Top of the morning to you," is "and the rest of the day to yourself."

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Today's Top Event in History

1916-US President Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Aid Road Act, the first grant-in-aid enacted by Congress to help states build roads. In 1916, roads throughout America were generally poor and most were susceptible to weather. The advent of the Ford Model T brought on new interests in higher standards for roads, and by the early 1900s, motorist clubs like the American Automobile Association (AAA) had rallied around the call for federally funded long-distance highways. Farmers balked at the idea, arguing that paying taxes so city people could go on car tours was unfair. As the car became more important to farmers, however, the ground became fertile for legislation to raise the quality or roads across the country.

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This Day in American History

    1656- Ann Austin and Mary Fisher, two Englishwomen, become the first Quakers to enter the American colonies when the ship carrying them lands at Boston in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The pair had come from Barbados, where Quakers had established a center for missionary work. The Religious Society of Friends, whose members are commonly known as Quakers, was a Christian movement founded by George Fox in England during the early 1650s. Quakers opposed central church authority, preferring to seek spiritual insight and consensus through egalitarian Quaker meetings. They also advocated sexual equality, and became some of the most outspoken opponents of slavery in early America. Shortly after arriving to Massachusetts, Austin and Fisher, whose liberal teachings enraged the Puritan colonial government, were arrested and jailed. After five years in prison, they were deported back to Barbados. In October of 1656, the Massachusetts colonial government enacted their first ban on Quakers, and on 20 October 1658, ordered Quakers banished from the colony "under penalty of death." On 27 October 1659, William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson became the first Quakers to be executed in America when they were hanged from an elm tree on Boston Common. Mary Dyer was sentenced with them but reprieved and warned not to return to Boston. She did, and was hanged on 01 June 1860. In the mid-eighteenth century, John Woolman, an anti-slavery Quaker, traveled the American colonies, preaching and advancing the abolitionist cause. He also organized boycotts of products made by slave labor, and was responsible for convincing many Quaker communities to publicly denounce slavery. Another of many important abolitionist Quakers was Lucretia Mott, who worked on the Underground Railroad in the nineteenth century, helping lead fugitive slaves to freedom in the Northern states and Canada. In addition to her anti-slavery crusade, Mott later became a leader in the movement for women's rights
    1767-birth of John Quincy Adams, the first U.S. president whose father had also been president of the United States. He was the sixth president and the son of the second president. He also has the uniqueness for serving 17 years as a member of Congress from Plymouth, Massachusetts, after serving one single term as president. He died February 23, 1848, at the House of Representatives (in the same room in which he had taken the presidential oath of Office March 4, 1825).
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/ja6.html
    1804- Alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded in a pistol duel with Aaron Burr. Hamilton had fought Burr’s run for the presidency in 1800, and for the governorship of New York in 1804, when Hamilton and others suspected that Burr intended to attach New York to the disgruntled New England states in a plan to disunite from the Union and form a northern confederacy. Jefferson and Burr had equal electoral votes, throwing the election to the House where each state would have one vote. There were 35 ballots in a row, deadlocked, until the 36th, and Burr became vice-president (they were separate election for the office at that time). Burr challenged Hamilton, who deliberately misfired before Burr fired with the intent to kill. Burr was later tried for treason in an attempt to have Southern states secede from the union and join Mexico. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul11.html
    1719-James Smith, signer of the Declaration of Independence, born at Ireland, date unknown, died 1806 this day.
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/smith.htm
    1786 - Morocco agreed to stop attacking American ships in the Mediterranean for a payment of $10,000.
    1798 - President John Adams signed the bill that re-established the Marine Corps. The Continental Congress had disbanded the service in April of 1783 at the end of the American Revolution. The Marine Corps, however, recognizes its "official" birthday to be the date that the Second Continental Congress first authorized the establishment of the "Corps of Marines" on 10 November 1775. To add to the confusion of the Corps' actual "historical" birthday, on 1 July 1797 Congress authorized the Revenue cutters to carry, in addition to their regular crew, up to "30 marines." Congress directed the cutters to interdict French privateers operating off the coast during the Quasi-War with France and thought the additional firepower of 30 marines would be needed by the under-manned and under-gunned cutters. It is unknown if any "marines" were enlisted for service with the Revenue cutters during this time.
    1804 - A duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton leaves Hamilton dead. Since New Jersey did not have a law against dueling at the time, Burr and Hamilton, both New Yorkers, crossed the Hudson to Weehawken, New Jersey. New York had banned the practice earlier, partly due to Hamilton's own campaign efforts after his son was killed in a duel.
    1819--Birthday of Susan Bogert Warner - remarkably prolific and popular author said to be the first U.S. author to sell a million copies of a book. SBW collaborated on several with her sister Anna Bartlett Warner (08-31-1827) also a successful writer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Warner
    1846-The American flag replaced the California Republic flag at Sutter's Fort today. As soon as he received word that the U.S. and Mexico were at war, he quickly enrolled local Anglo settlers, mostly recent immigrants from Missouri and Iowa, into a militia force. Numbering about 500 men, Fremont moved the battalion south toward Los Angeles. He soon took the city without a fight. In fact, except for one small engagement of Mexican cavalry against a force of Army Regulars lead by General Stephen Kearny, coming into California from New Mexico, the rest of the colony willingly accepted American control.
    1848-Governor of California, Gen. Richard Barnes Mason, visited gold fields to gather information for a report to the U.S. Government. He was accompanied by his aide, Capt. William T. Sherman.
    1855-Word arrived here that Los Angeles yesterday suffered the heaviest earthquake ever felt there. Hardly a building escaped damage. Residents said the quake lifted the ground and then twisted it. Bells of the San Gabriel Mission Church were thrown down by the tremor.
    1864-General Jubal A. Early, commanding Confederate troops attempting to draw Union forces away from Richmond, broke through inadequate Union forces southeast of Frederick, MD., and entered the District of Columbia. His goal was to attack the White House, as was General Lee’s original goal when his troops were caught at Gettysburg. At this time, the Union was aware of the original thrust by Lee and his forces and had been re-enforcing the capital. Noting that hastily ordered federal reserves were arriving in significant numbers, Early withdrew the next night. He continued to harass Union forces from Shenandoah Valley until the Battle of Cedar Creek in October. He was elevated by Lee to Lt. General. He was very loyal to Lee and an ardent critic of General Longstreet.
http://www.jubalearly.org/jubal.html
http://www.civilwarhome.com/earlybio.htm
    1870- Snowden School of Alexandria, VA, was the first African-American School established by a state. The Snowden and Hallowell schools were the first black public schools in the City of Alexandria. In 1915, the Snowden School for Boys was destroyed in a fire, but the students were allowed to attend St. Mary’s Catholic Church School which was located at the time on Wolfe and Royal Streets. In 1920, the Snowden and Hallowell schools were consolidated, and the resulting school was named the Parker-Gray School. Parker-Gray School is named for John Parker, principal of the Snowden School for Boys, and Sarah Gray, principal of the Hallowell School for Girls.
    1884-the first fountain pen that was practical was invented by ewis Edson Waterman and was manufactured by the L.E. Waterman Company in New York City. The first year about 200 fountain pens were manufactured. They were originally manufactured by hand. Waterman also invented the machinery to produce fountain pens in commercial quantities.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blwaterman.htm
    1897 - Blind Lemon Jefferson Birthday
http://www.78records.com.au/stat-txt/bljstory.html
    1899-birthday of E.B. White, versatile author of books for adults and children “Charlotte’s Web” and editor of the New Yorker Magazine and co-author of the classic” “Elements of Style.” . Died at North Brooklyn, ME, October 1, 1985.
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/tingum/ebwhite.html
http://www.ablongman.com/professional/catalog/academic/product/
1,4096,020530902X,00.html
    1905- A group of African American intellectuals and activists, led by W.E.B. Dubois, founded the Niagara Movement in Niagara Falls, Canada. A forerunner of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the movement was formed to fight racial discrimination in the US. Image of the founding members of the Niagara Movement:
http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/scg/photo.html
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Classroom/9912/naacp.html
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/nhhs/project/1998/blkgroup.htm
    1914 -Babe Ruth made his debut in major league baseball when he took the mound in Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox against the Cleveland Indians. Ruth was relieved for the last two innings, but was the winning pitcher in a 4-3 game. During his rookie season, Ruth made $2,900. Six years later Ruth would pocket a $125,000 paycheck as a member of the New York Yankees.
    1916-US President Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Aid Road Act, the first grant-in-aid enacted by Congress to help states build roads. In 1916, roads throughout America were generally poor and most were susceptible to weather. The advent of the Ford Model T brought on new interests in higher standards for roads, and by the early 1900s, motorist clubs like the American Automobile Association (AAA) had rallied around the call for federally funded long-distance highways. Farmers balked at the idea, arguing that paying taxes so city people could go on car tours was unfair. As the car became more important to farmers, however, the ground became fertile for legislation to raise the quality or roads across the country.
    1919-The first golfer to play 180 holes in one day was Edward Styles, who started the marathon contest at 5:53am at the Old York Road Country Club, Philadelphia, PA, played 180 hones, 10 rounds of golf, in 796 strokes, and finished playing at 8:32pm. The average time per round was one hour and nineteen minutes. He walked nearly 40 miles and took time out three times for a change of shoes and for refreshments. His average score was 79.6 strokes per round.
    1932-birthday of guitarist/gospel singer Rev. Charlie Jackson, Summit-McCoom, MS.
    1939-Birthday of Clara Adams-Ender - U.S. nurse who became the first black woman to be made Chief, Department of Nursing, Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
http://www.dom.com/about/education/strong/1993/claraadamsender.jsp
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9152636
    1943--*CRAIG, ROBERT Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 15th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Favoratta, Sicily, 11 July 1943. Entered service at: Toledo, Ohio. Birth: Scotland. G.O. No.: 41, 26 May 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, on 11 July 1943 at Favoratta, Sicily. 2d Lt. Craig voluntarily undertook the perilous task of locating and destroying a hidden enemy machinegun which had halted the advance of his company. Attempts by 3 other officers to locate the weapon had resulted in failure, with each officer receiving wounds. 2d Lt. Craig located the gun and snaked his way to a point within 35 yards of the hostile position before being discovered. Charging headlong into the furious automatic fire, he reached the gun, stood over it, and killed the 3 crew members with his carbine. With this obstacle removed, his company continued its advance. Shortly thereafter while advancing down the forward slope of a ridge, 2d
    1944--*ENDL, GERALD L. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U S. Army, 32d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Anamo, New Guinea, 11 July 1944. Entered service at: Janesville, Wis. Birth: Ft. Atkinson, Wis. G.O. No.: 17, 13 March 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty near Anamo, New Guinea, on 11 July 1944. S/Sgt. Endl was at the head of the leading platoon of his company advancing along a jungle trail when enemy troops were encountered and a fire fight developed. The enemy attacked in force under heavy rifle, machinegun, and grenade fire. His platoon leader wounded, S/Sgt. Endl immediately assumed command and deployed his platoon on a firing line at the fork in the trail toward which the enemy attack was directed. The dense jungle terrain greatly restricted vision and movement, and he endeavored to penetrate down the trail toward an open clearing of Kunai grass. As he advanced, he detected the enemy, supported by at least 6 light and 2 heavy machineguns, attempting an enveloping movement around both flanks. His commanding officer sent a second platoon to move up on the left flank of the position, but the enemy closed in rapidly, placing our force in imminent danger of being isolated and annihilated. Twelve members of his platoon were wounded, 7 being cut off by the enemy. Realizing that if his platoon were forced farther back, these 7 men would be hopelessly trapped and at the mercy of a vicious enemy, he resolved to advance at all cost, knowing it meant almost certain death, in an effort to rescue his comrades. In the face of extremely heavy fire he went forward alone and for a period of approximately 10 minutes engaged the enemy in a heroic close-range fight, holding them off while his men crawled forward under cover to evacuate the wounded and to withdraw. Courageously refusing to abandon 4 more wounded men who were Iying along the trail, 1 by 1 he brought them back to safety. As he was carrying the last man in his arms he was struck by a heavy burst of automatic fire and was killed. By his persistent and daring self-sacrifice and on behalf of his comrades, S/Sgt. Endl made possible the successful evacuation of all but 1 man, and enabled the 2 platoons to withdraw with their wounded and to reorganize with the rest of the company.
Lt. Craig and his platoon, in a position devoid of cover and concealment, encountered the fire of approximately 100 enemy soldiers. Electing to sacrifice himself so that his platoon might carry on the battle, he ordered his men to withdraw to the cover of the crest while he drew the enemy fire to himself. With no hope of survival, he charged toward the enemy until he was within 25 yards of them. Assuming a kneeling position, he killed 5 and wounded 3 enemy soldiers. While the hostile force concentrated fire on him, his platoon reached the cover of the crest. 2d Lt. Craig was killed by enemy fire, but his intrepid action so inspired his men that they drove the enemy from the area, inflicting heavy casualties on the hostile force.
    1944-*ENDL, GERALD L.—Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U S. Army, 32d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Anamo, New Guinea, 11 July 1944. Entered service at: Janesville, Wis. Birth: Ft. Atkinson, Wis. G.O. No.: 17, 13 March 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty near Anamo, New Guinea, on 11 July 1944. S/Sgt. Endl was at the head of the leading platoon of his company advancing along a jungle trail when enemy troops were encountered and a fire fight developed. The enemy attacked in force under heavy rifle, machinegun, and grenade fire. His platoon leader wounded, S/Sgt. Endl immediately assumed command and deployed his platoon on a firing line at the fork in the trail toward which the enemy attack was directed. The dense jungle terrain greatly restricted vision and movement, and he endeavored to penetrate down the trail toward an open clearing of Kunai grass. As he advanced, he detected the enemy, supported by at least 6 light and 2 heavy machineguns, attempting an enveloping movement around both flanks. His commanding officer sent a second platoon to move up on the left flank of the position, but the enemy closed in rapidly, placing our force in imminent danger of being isolated and annihilated. Twelve members of his platoon were wounded, 7 being cut off by the enemy. Realizing that if his platoon were forced farther back, these 7 men would be hopelessly trapped and at the mercy of a vicious enemy, he resolved to advance at all cost, knowing it meant almost certain death, in an effort to rescue his comrades. In the face of extremely heavy fire he went forward alone and for a period of approximately 10 minutes engaged the enemy in a heroic close-range fight, holding them off while his men crawled forward under cover to evacuate the wounded and to withdraw. Courageously refusing to abandon 4 more wounded men who were lying along the trail, 1 by 1 he brought them back to safety. As he was carrying the last man in his arms he was struck by a heavy burst of automatic fire and was killed. By his persistent and daring self-sacrifice and on behalf of his comrades, S/Sgt. Endl made possible the successful evacuation of all but 1 man, and enabled the 2 platoons to withdraw with their wounded and to reorganize with the rest of the company.
    1944---Top Hits
I’ll Be Seeing You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Frank Sinatra)
Long Ago and Far Away - Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
I’ll Get By - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Dick Haymes)
Straighten Up and Fly Right - King Cole Trio
    1951-birthday of Bonnie Pointer ( Pointer Sisters), Oakland, CA http://www.thepointersistersfans.com/bonnie.html
    1952---Top Hits
Kiss of Fire - Georgia Gibbs
I’m Yours - Eddie Fisher
Delicado - The Percy Faith Orchestra
That Heart Belongs to Me - Webb Pierce
    1956-John Coltrane Quintet cuts eight titles for Prestige records.
http://www.saintjohncoltrane.org/
    1959 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``Lonely Boy,'' Paul Anka.
    1960---Top Hits
Alley-Oop - Hollywood Argyles
I’m Sorry - Brenda Lee
Mule Skinner Blues - The Fendermen
Please Help Me, I’m Falling - Hank Locklin
    1960-Birthday of Richie Sambora, guitarist with Bon Jovi.
http://www.richiesambora.com/
http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bio.asp?oid=3965&cf=3965
    1962-The Telstar communications satellite picked up broadcast signals from France and bounced them down to an antenna in Maine on 11 July 1962, thus delivering the first live television picture from Europe to America. Telstar was launched from Cape Canaveral as an experiment in TV transmission, and was also used to send radio and telephone signals. Americans watched a seven-minute program, featuring a song by Yves Montand. Historians believe this changed the world more than any other invention in the 20th century.
    1964 - With the song "My Boy Lollipop," 18-year old Millie Small found success on the pop music charts. The harmonica tracks were provided by Rod Stewart. In her native Jamaica, Millie Small was known as the "Blue Beat Girl."
    1967 - One day after he and fellow members Thelma Camacho, Mike Settle and Terry Williams left The New Christy Minstrels, Kenny Rogers formed The First Edition. In 1972, The First Edition hosted a syndicated variety show on television. Songs made popular by the group include: "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," "But You Know I Love You," "Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town," "Ruben James," and "Something’s Burning."
    1968---Top Hits
This Guy’s in Love with You - Herb Alpert
The Horse - Cliff Nobles & Co.
Jumpin’ Jack Flash - The Rolling Stones
D-I-V-O-R-C-E - Tammy Wynette
    1969--ROBERTS, GORDON R. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Sergeant (then Sp4c.), U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Thua Thien Province, Republic of Vietnam, 11 July 1969. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Born: 14 June 1950, Middletown, Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Roberts distinguished himself while serving as a rifleman in Company B, during combat operations. Sgt. Roberts' platoon was maneuvering along a ridge to attack heavily fortified enemy bunker positions which had pinned down an adjoining friendly company. As the platoon approached the enemy positions, it was suddenly pinned down by heavy automatic weapons and grenade fire from camouflaged enemy fortifications atop the overlooking hill. Seeing his platoon immobilized and in danger of failing in its mission, Sgt. Roberts crawled rapidly toward the closest enemy bunker. With complete disregard for his safety, he leaped to his feet and charged the bunker, firing as he ran. Despite the intense enemy fire directed at him, Sgt. Roberts silenced the 2-man bunker. Without hesitation, Sgt. Roberts continued his l-man assault on a second bunker. As he neared the second bunker, a burst of enemy fire knocked his rifle from his hands. Sgt. Roberts picked up a rifle dropped by a comrade and continued his assault, silencing the bunker. He continued his charge against a third bunker and destroyed it with well-thrown hand grenades. Although Sgt. Roberts was now cut off from his platoon, he continued his assault against a fourth enemy emplacement. He fought through a heavy hail of fire to join elements of the adjoining company which had been pinned down by the enemy fire. Although continually exposed to hostile fire, he assisted in moving wounded personnel from exposed positions on the hilltop to an evacuation area before returning to his unit. By his gallant and selfless actions, Sgt. Roberts contributed directly to saving the lives of his comrades and served as an inspiration to his fellow soldiers in the defeat of the enemy force. Sgt. Roberts' extraordinary heroism in action at the risk of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
    1969-David Bowie's single, "Space Oddity", is released to coincide with the first lunar landing. David Bowie's single, "Space Oddity", is released to coincide with the first lunar landing.
    1969 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus),'' Zager & Evans. Evans wrote the song in the year 1964. It is their only song to make the Hot 100.
    1970-The Who's "Summertime Blues" is released.
    1974-The Grateful Dead receive two gold records for albums they released in 1970, "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty."
    1976---Top Hits
Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocal Band
Kiss and Say Goodbye - Manhattans
I’ll Be Good to You - The Brothers Johnson
The Door is Always Open - Dave & Sugar
    1979 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``Bad Girls,'' Donna Summer.
    1985-Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros became the first pitcher in baseball history to reach the 4,000 marker in a career strikeouts when he made Danny Heep of the New York Mets his victim in the sixth inning. Ryan finished his career in 1993 with 5,714 strikeouts.
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/ryan/
    1984---Top Hits
When Doves Cry - Prince
Jump (For My Love) - Pointer Sisters
Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol
Somebody’s Needin’ Somebody - Conway Twitty
    1985-- Coca-Cola returns as Classic Coke : the company unveiled plans to return the beloved version of Coca Cola--now christened "Classic Coke"--to the market. In the wake of this groundbreaking, company officials quietly conceded that they had erred in halting distribution of the "classic" version of the drink. However, they refused to admit that releasing New Coke was a mistake. Indeed, even though American consumers reviled it, the company kept New Coke in circulation, albeit in cans and bottles that identified the drink simply as "Coke.
    1987-Heart's "Alone" hits #1 for the first of three weeks.
    1987- an eight-pound baby boy Matej Gaspar, born at 1:35AM, EST, at Zagreb, Yugoslavia, was proclaimed the five billionth inhabitant of Earth. The United Nations Fund for Population Activities, hoping to draw attention to population growth, proclaimed July 11 as “Day of the Five Billion,” noting that 150 babies are born each minute. It later became known as “World Population Day.”
http://www.unfpa.org/
( I could not find out any current information about Matej Gaspar,
whether alive or not or employed or unemployed ).
    1988 - Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in southern Texas, with totals ranging up to 13 inches near Medina. Two men drowned when their pick-up truck was swept into the Guadalupe River, west of the town of Hunt. Ten cities in the eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Baltimore, MD, reported a record high reading of 102 degrees for the second day in a row.
    1989 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``If You Don't Know Me by Now,'' Simply Red.
    1994-Michael Dell, chairman of Dell Computers, announces that the company will pull out of retail and concentrate entirely on its mail-order business. Although the company had predicted just four months earlier that it would expand its retail efforts, the company decided its build-to-order strategy would be more profitable as a strictly mail-order operation. By 1998, the company had become the country's No. 3 seller of computers, after Compaq and IBM.

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Baseball Poem

Listening to Baseball

This morning I argued with a friend
about angels. I didn't believe
in his belief in them-- I cannot
believe they're not a metaphor.
Our argument, affectionate,
lacking an animus, went nowhere.
We promised to talk again soon.
Now, when I'm driving away
from Boston and the Red Sox
are losing, I hear the announcer
say, 'No angels in the sky today' -
baseball-ese for a cloudless afternoon,
no shadows to help a man
who waits in the outfield
staring into the August sun.
Although I know the announcer's
not a rabbi or a sage (no,
he's a sort of sage, disconsolate
philosopher of batting slumps
and injuries), still, I scan
the pale blue sky through my
polarized windshield, fervently
hopeful for my fading team
and I feel something a little
foolish, a prayerful throbbing
in my throat, and remember
being told years ago that men
are only little lower
than the angels. Floating ahead of me
at the Vermont border, I see
a few wispy, horse mane clouds
which I quietly pray will drift
down to Fenway Park, where
a demonic opponent has just
slammed another Red Sox pitch,
and the centerfielder - call him 'Jim' -
runs back, back, back,
looking heavenward,
and is shielded and doesn't lose
the white ball in the glare.
JIM LEHRER

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SuDoku

The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. What could be simpler?

http://leasingnews.org/Soduku/soduko-main.htm

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Daily Puzzle

How to play:
http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm

Refresh for current date:
http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm

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http://www.gasbuddy.com/
http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Map_Gas_Prices.aspx
http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Mobile_Instructions.aspx

[headlines]

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Weather

See USA map, click to specific area, no commercials

http://www.weather.gov/

[headlines]

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Traffic Live---

Real Time Traffic Information

You can save up to 20 different routes and check them out
with one click, or type in a new route to learn the traffic live.

[headlines]

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News on Line---Internet Newspapers

Albuquerque, Arizona

http://www.abqjournal.com/

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

[headlines]