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Extra----Extra (Regular edition follows:)
#### Press Release ##########
CIT Announces That Discussions with Government Agencies Have Ceased
NEW YORK--CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT), a leading provider of financing to small businesses and middle market companies, today announced that it has been advised that there is no appreciable likelihood of additional government support being provided over the near term.
The Company's Board of Directors and management, in consultation with its advisors, are evaluating alternatives.
##### Press Release #########
Despite all this talk in getting credit flowing, a major creditor to small business appears in serious trouble.
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Manage, evaluate, value, remarket portfolio assets. Unlimited compensation. CLICK HERE for full description. Maria Lopez (203) 354-6090 or mlopez@eqfsdirect.com Equilease is a long established full-service leasing company that finances industrial and commercial equipment for vendors, manufacturers and end-users. www.eqfsdirect.com |
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
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Classical guitarist Julian Bream C.B.E. born July 15, 1933 London, England. The 2003 DVD video profile Julian Bream: My Life In Music contains three hours of interview and performance. It has been declared by Graham Wade "the finest film contribution ever to the classic guitar."
http://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Music-Julian-Bream/dp/B000KC6SZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1247617316&sr=1-1 |
Headlines---
Classified Ads---Senior Management
American Leasing Pres. Pleads Guilty embezzling $6.2MM
IFC Credit struggles while Trebels Plans R&L Leasing
Cartoon---You'll need a new attorney
Most Influential Women in Leasing
Sales makes it Happen by Steve Chriest
"Selling In a Down Economy"
Classified Ads---Help Wanted
Collection Automation Drives Performance Gains
New Hires---Promotions
News Briefs---
GE Capital lays off 127; more cuts planned
CIT: Small Business to be hurt if fails
Aid meetings continue for faltering lender CIT
Franchise Assoc. calls for small business lending
Arizona supermarket chain files Chapter 11
Antigua Officials Took Bribes From Stanford?
ACA Inter. Confirms Karolyn Rubin as President
Ex-Stanford CFO gets bond, plans guilty plea
Amtrak unveils first rail car funded by stimulus
You May have Missed---
Sports Briefs---
California Nuts Brief---
"Gimme that Wine"
Today's Top Event in History
This Day in American History
Baseball Poem
SuDoku
Daily Puzzle
GasBuddy
Weather, USA or specific area
Traffic Live----
Operation Lease Fleece Up-Date on Friday----
######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release”
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Classified Ads---Senior Management
Philadelphia, PA |
Europe |
| Philadelphia, PA 27 yrs. exp. sales, ops., credit, strategy, P&L mngmet. Most recently created & executed the biz plans for 2 highly successful Bank-owned small ticket leasing subsidiaries. email: mccarthy2020@comcast.net |
| Philadelphia Metro Area - 30 Years experience Healthcare sales/ management- 3 years experience newly create "small-ticket" healthcare division. Good success - Mitch Utz 215-460-4483 Email: mitutz@msn.com |
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" Leasing News ad:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm
ELFA Career Center: Job Seekers (free):
http://careers.elfaonline.org/search.cfm
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### Press Release ##########################
(American Leasing President Pleads Guilty to embezzling $6.2MM)
CAMDEN, New Jersey - The former president of an Essex County leasing company (A search on the internet verifies the company to be American Leasing Corporation, Orange, New Jersey, "Founded in 1943, American Leasing Corporation is the second oldest fleet leasing and management company in the United States." http://www.amerlease.com/about/). pleaded guilty on Monday to federal Information that charged him with embezzling approximately $6.2 million from his employer, Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra, announced.
John W. Manning, 54, a.k.a. "Jack," of Millington, made his first appearance in federal court and pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to one count of wire fraud. Judge Rodriguez released the defendant on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled sentencing for Oct. 19.
At the plea hearing, Manning admitted that he schemed to defraud his employer of 25 years, a vehicle and equipment leasing company identified in the Information only as "Company A."
Manning admitted that, beginning in July 2004, he approached Company A officials and told them that one of the company's largest customers, identified as "Utility B," wished to finance certain equipment with Company A through sale and leaseback transactions ("the Sale and Leaseback Transactions"). In the Sale and Leaseback Transactions, Utility B would sell equipment that it already owned to Company A, which would then lease the equipment back to Utility B, in exchange for Utility B's agreement to pay back the cost of the equipment, plus a percentage mark-up, over a term of years.
Manning admitted that he had, in fact, never spoken to anyone at Utility B concerning the possible Sale and Leaseback Transactions.
After convincing Company A officials to engage in the purported Sale and Leaseback Transactions, Manning admitted that he secretly established several corporations and bank accounts in names that were deceptively similar to those of Utility B and its parent and subsidiary companies, such as "Utility B Management" ("the Fake Subsidiaries"). Manning also admitted that he created fraudulent documents, including purchase orders, bills of sale and lease agreements, that purported to show that Utility B had purchased and owned the subject equipment. Furthermore, Manning admitted that the equipment Company A was supposed to purchase as part of the Sale and Leaseback Transactions never existed.
Manning admitted that he funded the purported Sale and Leaseback Transactions by causing Company A to issue checks payable to the Fake Subsidiaries, which he then deposited into accounts that he controlled.
In order to conceal the fraudulent scheme from Company A officials, Manning admitted that he used some of the money that he had gained through the fraudulent sale to make scheduled payments back to Company A on the Sale and Leaseback Transactions. Because Manning made the payments in a timely manner from a bank account that appeared to be controlled by Utility B, Company A officials had no reason to suspect that the fictitious Sale and Leaseback Transactions had never happened.
Manning further admitted that, in order to conceal the fraudulent scheme from Company A officials, he interfered with Company A external audits that would have revealed that Utility B did not have any of the equipment purportedly covered by the Sale and Leaseback Transactions. Specifically, Manning intercepted audit questionnaires that required Utility B officials to certify the existence of leased equipment and forged the signature of Utility B's president before returning the questionnaires to Company A's external auditors, he admitted.
Between about July 2004 and February 2009, Manning caused Company A to transfer to the Fake Subsidiaries approximately $8.2 million in connection with the purported Sale and Leaseback Transactions. As a result of these purported transactions, Company A also paid approximately $359,000 in sales tax to New Jersey authorities.
Manning admitted that he kept approximately $5.8 million of the embezzled funds for his own personal use, while returning approximately $2.4 million to Company A in the form of payments. Manning also admitted to concealing the scheme by wiring the embezzled funds through multiple bank accounts that he controlled.
Manning spent approximately $800,000 in Embezzled Funds to purchase and renovate real estate, including a beachfront condominium in Sarasota County, Fla., and two luxury time-share interests in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He also spent at least $1 million in embezzled funds to purchase, renovate, and operate a Union County restaurant, and spent additional embezzled funds on personal expenditures that included, among other things, chartered airplane and limousine travel, jewelry, luxury goods, and fine dining.
The charge of wire fraud carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary gain or loss thought he offense, whichever is greatest.
In determining an actual sentence, Judge Rodriguez will consult the Advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant's criminal history, if any, and other factors. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines and determining a sentence. Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodian terms must serve nearly all that time.
Marra credited Special Agents of the FBI under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun in Newark, and United States Postal Inspectors under the direction of Inspector in Charge David Collins in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The Government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto of the Criminal Division in Newark.
### Press Release ############################
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IFC Credit struggles while Trebels Plans R&L Leasing
Leasing News welcomes any comments or statements from any of the parties involved with IFC Credit Corporation.
The Cook County Illinois hearing on Friday, July 10th, concerned the banks and receivership of IFC Credit Corporation, Morton Grove, Illinois. Len Ludwig appears to be the sole owner at this time having a 100% pledge of stock agreement regarding the sale of First Portland Corporation dba First Corp to IFC Credit in 2003 (he was one of the two owners.)
In the First Chicago Bank Trust litigation, the law firm Borst and Collins, representing IFC Credit, filed a motion to dismiss on July 10th and it is set for hearing on July 27th at 9:15am. The case is set for status on July 17th at 10:30am. . The temporary restraining order entered July 7th was extended on the 10th, probably through to the 17th. George Washington Savings is an additional plaintiff in the case. (1)
During this time John Escot, CLP, and Len Ludwig reportedly were interested in Pioneer Capital and saving it as an existing company. They had a 20% chance of doing this, one reliable source told Leasing News. Len Ludwig also wanted to move First Corp. to a new company which he and investors would reportedly control.
John Estok, CLP, was the president with Len Ludwig as CEO, whose major partner was Arthur Levinson (reportedly now living in Israel) First Corp. when it was sold to IFC. John Estok, CLP, went to work at IFC Credit under different positions and readers may know his name well do to the many stories about the IFC Credit NorVergence fiasco ((Estok was instrumental in trying to keep the telephone companies from turning off service, as reported in many court cases, actually obtaining holdbacks from NorVergence leases not disclosed in seeking restitution from NorVergence lessees (SOS is one case.))
Other sources allude to assets, bonds, insurance, all tied up in various bank lines, and there appear to be a series of new laws suits including a $1 million out of California by Korean investors, even the former law firm Askounis & Darcy has not been paid for $170,000 in NorVergence law fees. There are also new cases with Wildwood, as well as existing NorVergence leases and settlements, and charges filing all over the place, including fraudulent leases.
The CEO of IFC Credit Rudy Trebels is a Certified Lease Professional and should know better, also pledging to higher standards and ethics. Estok is also a CLP.
A reliable source wrote Leasing News:
"I was talking to one of four people who were told to take four vacation days and to check in on Friday. R&L Leasing established 1989 is starting up to do business. They are to be located near Waukegan and Lake Streets in Glenview IL.
"It is my understanding Len Ludwig and Bill Purcell are trying to keep IFC alive. However they cannot control the decisions of the bank and such. I think Bill was with Len originally and he thought he could clean up the place.
"I know Brian Cascarano is still there, 2 collectors, one attorney Sue Heffernan, Dave Keenan, Tom Lowry some accounting people ....... about 20 people in total, Friday may be the day for the death knoll to strike. The only people left should be the collectors and an over seer.
"Tell everyone to watch out for R&L leasing because it is Rudy and Mark Langs. After all the bankers they screwed. Who would do business with them???"
Court Docket:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/clerk%20of%20the%20circuit%20court.pdf
Previous Articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/IFC_stories.htm
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Most Influential Women in Leasing
"Influential" as "a person whose actions and opinions strongly influence the course of events" {Online Dictionary}. They must be alive, and do not need to be active any longer in the leasing or finance industry.
Send nominations to: kitmenkin@leasingnews.org
Terri McNally---President of Global Capital, Ltd., former
vice-president at Ameritech Capital, Fleet Capital, and
GE Capital, active in many associations, winning several awards and recognitions, serving as a speaker at conferences all over the world
for over 20 years.
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/February%202005/02-09-05.htm#global
Rosanne Wilson, CLP-- 1st Independent Leasing is an outstanding individual. A twenty-five year veteran in Finance. She has given so much to National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers (NAELB), as well as reached out as a Mentor and supporter of all new members of our industry. She serves on many committees as well as the Treasurer of NAELB. Those who know her have grown from the assets she shares with all. Even the most experienced amongst us have used her good office as a great sounding board on issues from closing deals to technical questions and she always shares what she knows graciously. A true professional and a terrific representative of our industry.
Current List (above to be added:)
http://www.leasingnews.org:80/Pages/influential_women.htm
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Sales Make it Happen
"Selling In a Down Economy" Selling in a down economy is problematic for most salespeople in almost all industries. What can you do, as a professional salesperson, to prepare for selling during uncertain economic times? There are at least four things you can prepare to do if you expect to sell in a down economy: - Stay in front of your customers - Get to the senior levels in buying organizations - Share success stories to which your customers can relate - Manage your time as a guardian of your company's resources. In tough economic times it's vital that you stay in front of your customers, especially your best customers. One major caveat applies to this advice - Only contact your customers when you have something of value to offer them, such as advice, an unusual perspective, or special knowledge. Never, I repeat, NEVER, contact a customer during tough times and ask, "Do you have any deals for me today?" That inane question will drive customers to the nearest exit! Unfortunately, middle managers are often a primary layoff target when times get tough. This reality, however, presents an opportunity for you to meet with senior managers who otherwise might be inaccessible to you. Forget about "pitching" special programs and offers to senior executives. Meeting with senior executives gives you an opportunity to listen carefully to them and to learn about and understand their concerns and the real challenges facing their business. Senior managers are usually eager to hear about what other companies are doing to address tough issues and circumstances. Without divulging anything held by you in confidence, sharing success stories with executives is a powerful way to build your credibility and build your business with company leaders. You might, for example, share the experiences of a vendor who used a particular marketing approach to expand their universe of potential customers. Finally, while it's always important to effectively manage your time and your territory, it's critical to optimize your selling time and guard your company's resources during an economic slowdown. By pursuing only realistic, profitable sales opportunities, you can help ensure the best use of your time and of company resources that are usually strained during a down economy. About the author: Steve Chriest is the founder of Selling UpTM (www.selling-up.com), a sales consulting firm specializing in sales improvement for organizations of all types and sizes in a variety of industries. He is also the author of Selling The E-Suite, The Proven System For Reaching and Selling Senior Executives and Five Minute Financial Analyst, Basic CREDIT & Analysis Tools for Non-Accountants. You can reach Steve at schriest@selling-up.com. Sales Makes it Happen articles:
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Classified Ads---Help Wanted
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Manage, evaluate, value, remarket portfolio assets. Unlimited compensation. CLICK HERE for full description. Maria Lopez (203) 354-6090 or mlopez@eqfsdirect.com Equilease is a long established full-service leasing company that finances industrial and commercial equipment for vendors, manufacturers and end-users. www.eqfsdirect.com |
IFC Credit in Serious Trouble
IFC Credit Closing Down?
by Christopher Menkin, Publisher
IFC Credit removed from "Story Credit" List
IFC Credit/Pioneer Announcement "No Money!"
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Collection Automation Drives Performance Gains
(This is part of a series on collections that appears in Credit Today, re-printed with the permission of the publisher. This is only part of the series, and its highlights)
To keep pace with corporate cash flow objectives, our survey found that most credit organizations have turned to collection automation tools to improve performance.
Delving deeper into the survey results to better understand the relationship between automation and performance, we found the following.
Larger firms are more likely to automate collections than smaller concerns. The key factors here are number of collectors and numbers of customers. It follows that too many accounts and too few collectors will hinder performance. Individual collector productivity is critical. Up to the point of diminishing returns, the more calls and correspondence your collectors can generate, the better will be your department's performance. Automation is clearly effective in increasing collector productivity.
Nearly half of our sample reported being partially automated, and only one out of seven admits to an essentially manual collection environment. The flip side is that 37 percent report being highly automated. This raises the question of whether there is a relationship between company size and the utilization of automation. To better assess any correlations, we compared levels of automation against company revenue, number of customers and number of collectors.
A graduated trend toward automation is very apparent when automation is tracked against number of collectors. Firms with three to nine collectors are almost twice as likely to be highly automated as credit departments with fewer than three collectors, and those with more than 10 are three times as likely to be highly automated compared to the smaller departments.
When we examined collection automation by company revenue there was a similar trend toward increased automation for larger businesses. We found that medium-sized businesses are highly automated at about the same frequency as their smaller brethren, but are about 30 percent more likely to implement partial automation solutions. Also, a very small percentage of medium and large firms rely on manual collection processes. Very similar results were reflected when collection automation was tracked by number of customers.
This is interesting in that the alternative to automation is more staff, and so we would not have been surprised to find that the level of automation dropped as collection staffs increased.
However, the survey clearly showed that the utilization of automation increased proportionately with the number of collectors. If we assume that collection automation tools increase productivity, the benefits should be magnified by the number of users. It follows that, the bigger your credit department, the bigger the benefits of automation you should anticipate.
So, what are the relationships between corporate revenue, number of customers, and number of collectors on collection performance? When we looked at revenue and collectors, there were minimal differences and no discernable trends from small to medium to large. However, performance trended downward as the number of customers increased. The biggest surprise is that firms with 5,000 or more customers fell far short of the norm--only 65 percent meeting or exceeding goals versus 78 percent for the entire sample.
To get a better idea of the productivity benefits that collection software delivers, the survey asked for the minimum number of collection contacts that were expected from each collector (29 on average) each day. Nearly half of our respondents reported requiring between 20 and 30 contacts to be made daily by each collector. The rest of the sample was pretty evenly split, reporting they require more or less than those numbers.
Interestingly, the middle range of 20-30 also shows the best performance results. There is a point somewhere above 30 contacts per day when the effectiveness of making additional contacts begins to decrease--quality counts.
Finally, when automation is compared to the number of minimally acceptable contacts, it is very apparent that automation facilitates an increase in contacts. The upward trend in automation is fairly consistent across all three segments.
Increases in collection automation tend to improve performance. Based on the survey results, if your collectors are having trouble making an acceptable number of quality contacts each day, the more collectors there are on your staff, and the more customers in your receivables portfolio, the greater should be the impact of automation on your collection performance. However, automation is not a guarantee. Automating weak process will still produce weak results.
To subscribe to Credit Today:
http://www.credittoday.net/public/10.cfm
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New Hires---Promotions
Ryan Gottron was appointed Assistant Controller for Vision Financial Group, Inc., Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He was previously employed in the pharmaceutical industry.
Frank Goveaszzo, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has been hired by Wells Fargo Equipment Finance to originate and develop vendor finance programs for medical technology and device manufacturers in the eastern half of the U.S. New to Wells Fargo, Goveaszzo has 20-years of credit, documentation, asset management and sales experience in the medical equipment finance and leasing industry. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Goveaszzo developed vendor finance relationships with Fortune 1000 companies in the technology and healthcare sectors. He has also developed global vendor finance programs with multi-national entities covering all industry sectors with an emphasis on healthcare and technology.
Ryan M. Hayes was appointed Lease Account Manager for Vision Financial Group, Inc., Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and will be working out of the main office. He has 10 years of successful banking management experience will be instrumental in helping to drive VFG's growth from the greater Denver office in Parker, CO. His specialty is Healthcare Finance.
Barbara Miller, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been hired by Wells Fargo Equipment Finance to provide equipment financing for health systems, hospitals, large physician groups and outpatient providers in the eastern portion of the U.S., covering Maine to Florida. New to Wells Fargo, Miller is a 29-year veteran in the healthcare finance field. Prior to Wells Fargo, she served as vice president to CitiCapital providing equipment finance solutions to healthcare organizations. Her expertise is in credit, asset management and sales. Miller started her career in the medical field as a radiological technologist.
Kimberly D. Ryan was appointed Marketing Coordinator for Vision Financial Group, Inc., Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and will work out of the main office. His background is in the hospitality industry.
Roman Slobodynskyj, based in Laguna Niguel, California, has been hired by Wells Fargo Equipment Finance to provide healthcare equipment and project financing for hospitals, health systems, large physician groups and outpatient healthcare providers in the southern and western half of the U.S. New to Wells Fargo, he is a 14-year veteran in medical equipment finance and leasing. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, he served as vice president at CIT Healthcare providing equipment and project financing solutions to health systems, hospitals and physician joint ventures. Preceding this, he was regional sales manager to a major medical system manufacturer implementing vendor finance programs. His experience includes credit, asset management and sales.
Terry Spannagel, based in Tempe, Arizona, has been hired by Wells Fargo Equipment Finance to originate and develop vendor finance programs for medical technology and device manufacturers in the western half of the U.S. New to Wells Fargo, He has 35-years of credit, asset management and sales experience in the medical equipment finance and leasing industry. Prior to Wells Fargo, he served as vice president to CIT Healthcare originating vendor finance programs for the healthcare sector. Preceding this, he held vice president positions in major financial services companies performing similar duties.
Brad Stern, based in Chicago, Illinois, has been hired by Wells Fargo Equipment Finance to provide equipment and project financing for health systems, hospitals, large physician groups and outpatient healthcare providers in the Midwest Region. New to Wells Fargo, Stern has 13-years of experience financing medical equipment and projects. His expertise is in credit, asset management and sales. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Stern served as vice president at MarCap Corp. providing equipment and project financing to a wide spectrum of healthcare providers. He is a former chief arbitrage manager for a commodities company and held a seat on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as a foreign currency trader.
Mark W. Stone was appointed Senior Vice President Leasing & New Business Development for Vision Financial Group, Inc., Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He brings over 24 years experience in equipment lease financing to Vision Financial. He heads VFG's Greater Chicago office in St. Charles, Illinois. His specialty is Healthcare Finance
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News Briefs----
GE Capital lays off 127 in Bedford, Texas; more cuts planned
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_12829325?source=most_emailed
CIT: Small Business to be hurt if fails
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07142009/business/broke_cit_in_freefall_179171.htm
Aid meetings continue for faltering lender CIT
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/14/us-cit-group-crisis-071409/?business&zIndex=131744
Franchise Association calls for small business lending
http://www.franchise.org/Franchise-News-Detail.aspx?id=46510
Arizona supermarket chain files Chapter 11
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2009/07/14/Arizona-supermarket-chain-files-Chapter-11/UPI-26591247620756/
Antigua Officials Took Bribes From Stanford?
http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/07/14/Class_Demands_$8_Billion_Claiming_Antigua_Officials_Took_Bribes_From_Stanford_.htm
ACA International Confirms Karolyn Rubin as President
http://www.creditcollectionsworld.com/article.html?id=20090714II0I84JT&from=creditandcollectionnews
Ex-Stanford CFO gets bond, plans guilty plea
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1319498920090713
Amtrak unveils first rail car funded by stimulus
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090713/D99DROPG0.html
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You May have Missed---
Upscale home sales lag as jumbo loans are hard to get
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2009-07-14-sales-jumbo-loans_N.htm
 (This ad is a "trade" for the writing of this column. Opinions contained in the column are those of Mr. Terry Winders, CLP) |
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Sports Briefs----
Mays: So proud when Obama elected that he cried
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5itgwhK_hO2r3sZnk__AFZBJArVfAD99EILM82
NFL players to make union's case on Capitol Hill
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=4327259
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California Nuts Briefs---
Governor orders 2,000 more positions cut
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/14/MN0B18OICR.DTL
Calif. Leaders to Work Through Night on $26.3B Gap
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/15/business/AP-US-California-Budget.html?_r=1
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"Gimme that Wine"
South Coast Winery, a wine destination, wins "Best Winery in California" again
http://www.examiner.com/x-11860-Baltimore-Wine-Travel-Examiner~y2009m7d13-South-Coast-Winery-a-wine-destination-wins-Best-Winery-in-California-again
Wine flows from southern Arizona
http://www.examiner.com/x-16812-Southwest-Wine-Travel-Examiner~y2009m7d12-Wine-flows-from-southern-Arizona
New York State winery count now 275
http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/07/13/daily6.html
Korbel family feud escalates over Web comments
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090711/ARTICLES/907119965#
Mendocino's Potter Valley makes great grapes
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/12/FDJM18HIIO.DTL
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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Today's Top Event in History
1948-Today in History salutes General John J. Pershing, only the second commander of the armies, World War I hero, also known as "Black Jack" for having one of the first segregated army units in 1886, especially for his open admiration for the African-Americans under his command.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul15.html
 (click on ad to learn more) (Leasing News provides this ad "gratis" as a means to help support the growth of Lease Police) |
[headlines]
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This Day in American History
1099- The Muslim citizens of Jerusalem surrendered their city to the armies of the First Crusade. The Crusaders then proceeded, through misguided religious zeal, to massacre thousands of unarmed men, women and children.” The western sources are briskly uncontrite in their descriptions of the carnage, indicating that the chroniclers were no more dismayed than were the perpetrators. But the Muslim world would never forget or forgive the Crusaders' behavior. Jerusalem was a holy city to the Muslims as much as it was to the Christians. The looting of sacred shrines and the slaughter of innocents confirmed the general Muslim opinion that the Westerners were savage barbarians with no faith at all save in blood and wealth.
http://crusades.boisestate.edu/1st/27.htm
http://crusades.boisestate.edu/1st/28.htm
http://www.fidnet.com/~weid/crusadesII.htm#basic
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/AnnaComnena-Alexiad11.html
1779-birthday of Clement Clarke Moore, American author and teacher, best remembered for his popular verse, “ A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” ( “Twas the Night Before Christmas”), which was first published anonymously and without Moore's knowledge in a newspaper, December 23,1823. Moore was born at New York, NY, and died Newport, RI, July 10,1863.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/weekly/aa121097.htm
1779-The first medal awarded by the Continental Congress to a “foreigner” was a silver medal present to Lieutenant Colonel Francois Louis Teisseidre de Fleury, who commanded the first of the storming parties in the assault upon Stony Point, NY, on July 15,1779. He was the first man to enter the main fort and strike down the British flag with his own hands. Fleury, who had been in the French military service, joined the Continental Army in 1777. Lieutenant Colonel Francois Louis Teisseidre de Fleury
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/revwar/contarmy/CA-06.htm
1779-African-American Pompey Lamb, noted spy, aids the American Revolutionary War effort.” Blacks were also used effectively as spies by the Continental Army. The most notable was Pompey Lamb, who opened the way for the capture of Stoney Point by General Anthony Wayne, on July 15, 1779.”
http://hallkidshistory.com/united_states/360.shtml
1792-the first major bridge built was the West Boston Bridge, connecting Boston, MA, and Cambridge, MA. It opened November 23,1793 after costing $76,000. The toll right was granted to the proprietors for 70 years.
1822—public schools for Blacks open in Philadelphia.
1837 -- US: Smallpox epidemic reaches the Mandan in Dakota Territory; out of 1,600 people, only 125 survive:
Russell Freedman describes the epidemic:
"The Mandans were the first to be stricken, followed in swift succession by the Hidatsas, the Assiniboins, the Arikaras, the Sioux, and the Blackfeet."
In the 17th century, there were 30,000 Narragansett in Massachusetts. Their chief Miantonomo, "sensing danger, . . . sought to build on his Mohawk alliance to create a general Amerindian resistance movement." He is reported to have said to the Montauk in 1642: "We [must] be one as they [the English] are, otherwise we shall all be gone shortly, for you know our fathers had plenty of deer and skins, our plains were full of deer, as also our woods, and of [turkeys], and our coves full of fish and fowl. But these English having gotten our land, they with scythes cut down the grass, and with axes fell the trees; their cows and horses eat the grass, and their hogs spoil our clam banks, and we shall all be starved."
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/1996/9/8/how_their_world_was_lost.htm
1850—Birthday of Frances Xavier "Mother" Cabrini - Italian-born U.S. nun. FXC, an amazing organizer, Cabrini was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
She founded 67 institutions such as orphanages, hospitals, and girls' schools and did remarkable work with the poor in major American cities. She is now unique in New York in being the only saint whose entire body is on display for the faithful. Her body was laid to rest forever under the alter in the Chapel at Mother Cabrini High School. (The saint's head is at another location in Italy.)
http://www.den-cabrini-shrine.org/saintfrancesxaviercabrinihistory.htm
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medny/mccabe.html
1862-Major David Hunter declares Blacks are no longer slaves in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina. President Lincoln annuls the order saying basically
it wasn't “official.” http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/dh_proc.htm The first black troops were organized by Major General David Hunter in the Union's First Carolina Regiment. Many of the soldiers were former slaves. In August, General Jim Lane, an abolitionist and who some called and outlaw and renegade, over the opposition of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, organized a black regiment in Kansas. General Benjamin Butler also reversed his position and decided to recruit free blacks, however, no one asked the recruits whether they had been free men of slaves before the war. Despite War Department specific approval, General Butler quickly mustered into federal service the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Regiments of the Louisiana Native Guards. It was reported that the commanders of the units had offered their services to the Confederacy and was turned down. The leaders, Free Persons of Color, were wealthy, well educated, property owners, and some were slave owners, and at the time while offering their services to the Confederacy were afraid the Union forces would confiscate their property.
http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/hisusct.htm
http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/usct.htm
http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/beau_nat.htm
1867---Birthday of Maggie Lena Walker - U.S. banker. She was the daughter of a former slave who devoted her time to black fraternal and cooperative insurance organizations. Through her very keen business acumen, MLW created one of the greatest black- owned banks in the nation, the Penny Savings Bank in Richmond, Va.
http://www.websn.com/Pride/Pride/maggie_lena_walker.htm
http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/walker-ml.html
http://www.nps.gov/malw/details.htm
http://mdmd.essortment.com/maggielenawalk_rglv.htm
1904-Birthday of Dorothy Fields - U.S. lyricist and producer who was elected to the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 1971, the first woman so honored. Some of her songs are "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "I'm in the Mood for Love," "Lovely to Look at," and "The Way You Look Tonight." The way you look garnered Fields the 1936 Academy Award. She wrote almost 400 songs as well as books for Broadway shows including Annie Get Your Gun. She won a Tony and Grammy for her work on Redhead (1959). She also produced such Broadway musicals as Sweet Charity and Seesaw.
http://www.dorothyfields.co.uk/
http://www.nodanw.com/biographies/dorothy_fields.htm
1910-birthday of Sam Washboard ( Robert Brown ), famous washboard player, Walnut Ridge, AR
http://www.blueflamecafe.com/index.html
1913-the first US Senator elected by popular vote was Augustus Octavius Bacon, Democrat of Georgia. The passage of the 17th amendment to the Constitution called for elections, before that they were appointed by the state legislature. The first general election by popular vote took place on November 4, 1913.
http://www.sacklunch.net/biography/B/AugustusOctaviusBacon.html
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000014
1918-General Erich Ludendorff launced Germany's fifth, and last, offensive to break through the Chateau-Thierry salient. This all-out effort involved three armies branching out from Rheims to cross the Marne River. The Germans were successful in crossing the Marne near Chateau-Thierry before American, British, and Italian divisions stopped their progress. Only July 18, General Foch, Commander-in Chief of the Allied troops launched a massive counteroffensive that resulted in a German retreat that continued in four months until they sued for peace in November.
1919- legendary bebop pianist Sadik Hakim was born in Duluth, Minnesota. In the 1940's, Hakim played in New York with Ben Webster and Lester Young, and recorded with Charlie Parker. Hakim moved to Montreal in 1949 and played with Louis Metcalf's International Band. After further stints in the US with such musicians as James Moody and Buddy Tate, Hakim returned to Montreal in 1966. He was a frequent performer in both Montreal and Toronto, and on CBC radio broadcasts. Hakim became a Canadian citizen in 1972 before returning to New York four years later. He died on June 20th, 1983.
1923-Drummer Philly Joe Jones birthday
http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/philly.html
http://afgen.com/philly.html
http://www.duke.edu/~sc15/bio.htm
1928-birthday of saxophone player Joe Harriott, Kingston, Jamaica
http://www.wnur.org/jazz/artists/vandermark.ken/interview-19980501.html
http://www.btinternet.com/~rubberneck/special.html
1929—birthday of guitarist/author Francis Bebey.
http://africanmusic.org/artists/bebey.html
http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/cm/africana/bebey.htm
http://www.africaexpert.org/people/data/person1980.html
1939-- National League president Ford Frick orders two-foot screens affixed inside all foul poles after Billy Jurges of the Giants and umpire George Magerkurth spit at each other after a foul ball call down the left field line is disputed at the Polo Grounds. The American League will soon follow the Senior Circuit lead and will also install foul ball screens.
1941-Glenn Miller, with Modernaires, cuts “Juke Box Saturday Night.”
1944--*OTANI, KAZUO Medal of Honor
Staff Sergeant Kazuo Otani distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 15 July 1944, near Pieve Di S. Luce, Italy. Advancing to attack a hill objective, Staff Sergeant Otani's platoon became pinned down in a wheat field by concentrated fire from enemy machine gun and sniper positions. Realizing the danger confronting his platoon, Staff Sergeant Otani left his cover and shot and killed a sniper who was firing with deadly effect upon the platoon. Followed by a steady stream of machine gun bullets, Staff Sergeant Otani then dashed across the open wheat field toward the foot of a cliff, and directed his men to crawl to the cover of the cliff. When the movement of the platoon drew heavy enemy fire, he dashed along the cliff toward the left flank, exposing himself to enemy fire. By attracting the attention of the enemy, he enabled the men closest to the cliff to reach cover. Organizing these men to guard against possible enemy counterattack, Staff Sergeant Otani again made his way across the open field, shouting instructions to the stranded men while continuing to draw enemy fire. Reaching the rear of the platoon position, he took partial cover in a shallow ditch and directed covering fire for the men who had begun to move forward. At this point, one of his men became seriously wounded. Ordering his men to remain under cover, Staff Sergeant Otani crawled to the wounded soldier who was lying on open ground in full view of the enemy. Dragging the wounded soldier to a shallow ditch, Staff Sergeant Otani proceeded to render first aid treatment, but was mortally wounded by machine gun fire. Staff Sergeant Otani's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.M
1946- singer Linda Ronstadt was born in Tucson, Arizona.
She first gained attention in 1967 as a member of a trio called the Stone Poneys. That was the year she had a top 20 hit with "Different Drum," a song written by Mike Nesmith of the Monkees. The Stone Poneys soon broke up, and Ronstadt's solo career floundered for nearly five years until Peter Asher, formerly of the British duo of Peter and Gordon, became her manager. Under Asher's direction, she recorded the album "Heart Like a Wheel," a mixture of oldies and contemporary material, in 1974. The LP proved to be her commercial breakthrough, becoming the first of a dozen gold and platinum albums.
Ronstadt reached the height of her popularity at the end of the 1970's when her LP "Living in the USA" surpassed the million mark in sales. At the time, she was a constant companion of California Governor Jerry Brown.
Ronstadt continued her success into the '80s with the LP "Mad Love," two popular albums of big band ballads and "Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind," a collaboration with Aaron Neville
http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/
1948—Today in History salutes General John J. Pershing, only the second commander of the armies, World War I hero, also known as “Black Jack” for having one of the first segregated army units in 1886, especially for his open admiration for the African-Americans under his command.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul15.html
1954 - The temperature at Balcony Falls, VA, soared to 110 degrees to establish a state record
1956---Top Hits
The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant
My Prayer - The Platters
Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You - Elvis Presley officially opened by the Queen. A gala concert by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Sir Ernest MacMillan and Nichol
1959- the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver was as Goldschmidt, with soloists Betty-Jean Hagen, violin, and soprano Lois Marshall. The theatre was actually first used four days earlier for a concert by the Vancouver Symphony.
1960 Giant Willie McCovey 'invisible triple' causes the umpires to call a twenty-four minute fog delay at Candlestick Park, but the Dodgers go on to win 5-3.1963-Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald record “ Ella and Basie” album for Verve, oneof Barbara Lowe's favorites.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000046SO/102-8917386-9557756
1963-Elvis begins filming the movie Viva Las Vegas with Ann-Margaret.
1964---Top Hits
I Get Around - The Beach Boys
Memphis - Johnny Rivers
Rag Doll - The 4 Seasons
My Heart Skips a Beat - Buck Owens
1966 - Singer Percy Sledge earned a gold record for "When a Man Loves a Woman". It was his only song to make it to number one (5/28/66) and the only one of five to break into the top ten.
1968-A Soviet Aeroflot jet landed at Kennedy Airport at New York, NY, and the start of direct commercial air flight between the US and the then USSR began.
1968-“One Life to Live” premiered on TV. Set in a fictional Pennsylvania town, the show was created by Agnes Nixon to depict the class and ethnic struggles of the down's denizens. The initial cast featured many Jewish, Polish, and African American characters. The show departed from inter-ethnic storytelling in the 1980's for far more fantastic adventures set in locals such as heaven, the old west, and a futuristic mountain silo called Eternia. Since then, the show has returned to its strengths of traditional storytelling by featuring Latino and African American actors as integral characters. Award-winning actress Erika Slezak heads the cast a the venerable Viki Lord Riley Buchanan Carpenter, the town's matron with five alternate personalities. Among those who have appeared on “OLTL” are Tom Berenger, Judity Light,Robert Desiderio, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurence Fishburne, Jameson Parker, Phylis Rashad, Christine Ebersole, Richard Grieco, Blain Underwood, Joe Lando, Audrey Landers, Christian Slater and Yasmine Bleeth.
1968 - Intel was founded. Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore had left Fairchild Semiconductor to form NM Electronics in Mountain View, Ca. In 1997 Tim Jackson published "Inside Intel: Andrew Grove and the Rise of the World's Most Powerful Chip Company." Grove joined Intel in this year and became its president in 1979. They bought the rights to the name Intel from Intelco for $15,000.
1969--Jul 15,-Jul 20, 1969 B.B. King, Elvin Bishop Group, Love Sculpture, Country Joe & the Fish
Joe Cocker & The Grease Band, @ San Francisco Fillmore West.
1972---Top Hits
Lean on Me - Bill Withers
Too Late to Turn Back Now - Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - Looking Glass
Made in Japan - Buck Owens
1973-San Francisco Giant's Willie McCovey becomes 15th to hit 400 HRs.
1973- Angel Nolan Ryan pitches his second no-hitter of the season defeating the Tigers, 6-0 in front of 41,411 fans in Detroit. Ump Ron Luciano doesn't permit Norm Cash to use a piano leg instead of a bat in the ninth inning.
1980- pop stars Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith opened at the New York Shakespeare Festival in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance." The production moved to Broadway in 1981, and Ronstadt and Smith both starred in a later movie version.
1980---Top Hits
Coming Up - Paul McCartney & Wings
It's Still Rock & Roll to Me - Billy Joel
Little Jeannie - Elton John
You Win Again - Charley Pride
1986- Columbia Records dropped country star Johnny Cash after 28 years. Cash had not had a solo top-ten hit since "The Baron" in 1981. But he was a member of "The Highwaymen" quartet with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson that hit the top of the country charts in 1985. Cash signed a new recording contract with Polygram later in '861987 - Unseasonably cool weather spread into the south central and eastern U.S. Fifteen cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Houghton Lake, MI, with a reading of 37 degrees. The high temperature for the date of 58 degrees at Flint, MI, was their coolest of record for July. Thunderstorms spawned several tornadoes in Illinois and Indiana, injuring a cow near Donovan, IL
1988-- For the second time this season, Red Sox fireballer Roger Clemens strikes out sixteen Royals. The doubleheader sweep over Kansas City marks Joe Morgan's Boston managerial debut.
1988---Top Hits
The Flame - Cheap Trick
Mercedes Boy - Pebbles
Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Lappard
Fallin' Again – Alabama
1988 - Twenty-six cities east of the Mississippi River reported record high temperatures for the date. Charleston, WV, established an all- time record high with a reading of 103 degrees, and Chicago, IL, reported a record fifth day of 100 degree heat for the year. A severe thunderstorm moving across Omaha, NE, and the Council Bluffs area of west central Iowa spawned three tornadoes which injured 88 persons, and also produced high winds which injured 18 others. Winds at the Omaha Eppley Airport reached 92 mph. Damage from the storm was estimated at 43 million dollars.
1989- more than 200,000 people crammed into Venice, a city of 83,000, for a free concert by Pink Floyd. The band performed on a floating stage in the Venice lagoon. Residents complained about violence, drug use and littering, and 80 people were slightly hurt in a scuffle before the show began. Concert-goers complained, too ... about inadequate toilets and emergency facilities.
1989 - Thunderstorms drenched Kansas City, MO, with 4.16 inches of rain, a record for the date. Two and a half inches of rain deluged the city between Noon and 1 PM. Afternoon thunderstorms in South Carolina deluged Williamstown with six inches of rain in ninety minutes, including four inches in little more than half an hour
1993-- Breaking Cub Hall of Fame Ernie Banks' previous record of 277, Cal Ripken hits his 278th homer as a shortstop, the most ever hit by a major leaguer playing that position.
1994-the first move to cost more than $100 million to make was “True Lies,” a 20th Century-Fox action-adventure film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenneger and Jamie Lee Curtis. It opened nationwide on July 15. Though exact figures were not released by the studio, the film was estimated to have cost $115 million.
1996- The sultan of Brunei spent $25 million on his 50th birthday party, including $15 million for three concerts by Michael Jackson
1997 - Fashion designer Gianni Versace was shot to death on the steps of his mansion in Miami Beach, Florida. Police believe Andrew Phillip Cunanan shot Versace. Cunanan committed suicide a week later on a houseboat about two miles north of the Versace mansion. Cunanan is suspected of killing four other men in a cross-country shooting spree.
1999--- The Brewers postpone game as a gesture of respect for the three workers who died when a huge crane collapsed lifting a portion of the roof for the team's new stadium, Miller Park. The crane broke in half as it lifted the 400-ton load damaging the partially completed stadium.
2000 --The American Tobacco Company's near-mint condition 1909 Honus Wagner card goes for $1.1 million in an eBay online auction; the high bidder will pay $1.265 million including a 15 percent buyer's premium for the 91 year-old card of the Hall of Fame Pirate shortstop.
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Baseball Poem
WHAT DOES HE KEEP IN HIS BAG?
The slugger keeps something in his bag,
The dark green canvas one that he lugs
To practices and games alike, carrying
His glove separately and his cap on his head
And his cleats already laced tightly.
There is something else that he keeps
In the bag that sits with him on the bench,
That he places carefully in the corner
When he takes the field and checks it
First when he clomps back in.
Everyone has seen him unzip
The long zipper across the top and
Reach inside for something, then pull
His huge hand back without powder
On it or anything sticky. When
Whatever it is moves around, it does
Not create the bulging straight lines
Of books or notebooks. From the way
He carries the bag, it does not appear
To be heavy; in fact, several players
Have discreetly checked the weight,
Jiggling it like a Christmas present.
The slugger is friendly, even to rookies,
And earns his magnanimous salary
Over and over, but he has this green
Canvas bag with something in it
That worries us all.
Written by Tim Peeler
"Waiting for Godot's First Pitch"
More Poems from Baseball
Published by McFarland and Company
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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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How to play:
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Refresh for current date:
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