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

######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release” and was not written by Leasing News nor information verified, but from the source noted. When an article is signed by the writer, it is considered a “by line.” It reflects the opinion and research of the writer.

Unbelievable! Richard Wilson and the Portland V.A.
Appointment Cancelled, but…

Where we left off, after media pressure, the Portland Veteran’s
Administration Hospital promised him an appointment in 14 days, Thursday, June 12. He had been waiting since October, 2013, trying to get in for stints in his legs for what an emergency trip to a hospital for a heart attack had diagnosed was blood pressure problems in his legs. They had recommended stints be put into his leg veins at Tuality Community Hospital, Hillsboro, Oregon. (1)

On Thursday, June 12, they telephoned and said no operation, but they wanted him to have a thorough consultation with the vascular surgeon. The good news, the hospital scheduled him for the following day, Friday, June 13.

According to his wife, Rosanne Wilson CLP, BPB, the bad news, “The doctor said he doesn't think the stints would work in Richard's case. The doctor felt that since he was having so much pain in his legs, he was pretty sure the veins are collapsed and stints won't work. He said he has two possible options. Option 1) A surgery that would have to open his gut up because the blockages are just at the top of his legs and that would require him to be hospitalized for 10 days, and he wouldn't be able to get up out of bed, or Option #2) They would have to put tubing in his legs that go from his legs up into the stomach.

“This is going on for eight months now, and if the original surgery had been done in October, when the blockage was first discovered, the stints may have worked. But it is now more serious.”

Richard Wilson now waits for an appointment for the “Cat Scan” and Angiogram from the Portland Veterans Administration Hospital. The
recent federal review did not include Richard Wilson, who has now
waited over eight months.

According to the latest federal review, “The average wait time for vets seeking their first primary care visit was 80 days at the Portland VA hospital, which serves the majority of vets seeking medical care in Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon. That average was the fifth longest in the nation, behind VA hospitals in Honolulu (145 days), Harlingen, Texas (85 days) Fayetteville, N.C. (83 days) and Baltimore (81 days), according to the review.

“The report evaluated 142 VA hospitals on how long new and existing patients waited for access to primary care doctors, specialists and mental health services.

“At the Portland hospital, according to the review, 8 percent of 73,335 patients had waited more than 30 days to get appointments.

“Other findings regarding the Portland hospital:

“Established patients had to wait an average of 11 days to get an appointment with a primary care provider, the fifth-longest average wait in the nation, and they also had to wait an average of five days for specialty care, ranking 47th among the 141 hospitals reviewed. Portland patients’ wait for mental health care averaged less than a day, ranking among the shortest waits in the nation.

“New patients had to wait an average of 62 days to get an appointment with a specialist (17th longest) and 29 days to see a mental health specialist (94th longest).”

http://tdn.com/news/local/va-waiting-list-report-particularly-damning-for-portland-hospital/article_96088b72-f038-11e3-aa9c-001a4bcf887a.html

My Husband Richard and the Veterans Administration
by Rosanne Wilson, CLP, BPB
http://leasingnews.org/archives/May2014/5_29.htm#wilson

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Classified Ads---Operations

(These ads are “free” to those seeking employment or looking
to improve their position)

Want To Work From Home:
Have 10+ years in readying Lease Origination Documentation, Litigation case mgmt., Collection, Repossession, Remarketing, complete Discovery and Interrogatories, attend Trials and Mediation, prepare and submit SAR’s, translate for Spanish speaking customers, clients and employees, monitor high risk accounts for monetary penalties, bankruptcy management. Email: BRFR@ATT.NET

Free Posting for those seeking employment in Leasing:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm

All “free” categories “job wanted” ads:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Marketing/Public Relations Poll

Leasing News is asking readers to respond regarding marketing/public relations personnel at their company. The larger leasing and finance companies have a marketing and public relations department. The latest trend observed by the many press releases, inquiries, as well as ad placement and design, that Leasing News receives, indicate that smaller lessors, and even discount leasing operations, now have a full time professional who is promoting their company, working on sales material, social media, and communicating with the media, such as Leasing News.

Please include the number of employees, and if you have a person
or persons devoted to marketing and public relations.

In printing the results for readers, if you do not want your company
named, please so state and it will be honored.

kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

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“If not interested, do I still follow-up about the job?”
Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

Question: Is follow-up necessary, even if I am not interested in pursuing a job opportunity?

Answer: Follow-up is an ABSOLUTE necessity – this includes following up (closing the loop) with your point of contact (may be multiple individuals) at the hiring company AND your recruiter(s). Unfortunately, many applicants fail to do this, and it makes a difference in the long run.
For example, I had a Candidate interview recently with a long-standing client. The interview went well. However, a personal issue would not support his candidacy at this time. This would eventually cease to be an issue, and he would be eligible for employment in the near future. As such, the company would have hired this individual on a contract basis in the interim. The hiring manager wanted to discuss with the Candidate directly and left a message. The Candidate failed to return the hiring manager’s call; thus, losing the opportunity.

If you want to leave a good impression and maintain your reputation in the industry, YOU MUST follow up with your recruiters and your interviewers AND RETURN CALLS / emails. This can be handled in a variety of ways:

· The standard thank-you note (email will suffice) to everyone whom you interviewed with (contact us for samples)
· If a hiring manager contacts you (or a recruiter) directly after an interview – by all means necessary, you return their call (NOT via email) – return all calls even if you choose to pass on the opportunity

Recent Event
I had a Candidate who was made an offer, and we both agreed another opportunity would better suit her career goals. I lost a large fee, but a Candidate’s career goals and personal goals must be the number-one priority. We parted on very good terms and agreed to stay in touch. I opened the mail the other day and there was such a lovely thank-you note with a gift card. It meant the world to me to know she appreciated our assistance. Next time she is in the market, she will be a top priority.

Make sure you leave a positive and lasting impression by making sure you follow up with everyone you have been in contact with in your search …

NOTE: if you are corresponding with your hiring manager (s) / interviewers via email – make sure you monitor your spam, bulk, trash and junk folders – may emails wind up in those folders

Emily Fitzpatrick
Sr. Recruiter
Recruiters International, Inc.
Phone: 954-885-9241
Cell: 954-612-0567
emily@riirecruit.com
Invite me to Connect on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/pub/emily-fitzpatrick/4/671/76
Also follow us on Twitter #RIIINF

Career Crossroads Previous Columns
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/crossroad.html

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

For information on placing a help wanted ad, please click here:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Hwanted/Hwanted-post.htm

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

Help Wanted Classified Ads

Cost
$595 four HTML lines
(note, a space is counted as a line)
$40 for each additional line or space

The classified ad will appear for 21 days.

The idea is to attract an applicant to learn more, either to click to a full description on your web site or to a full job description attachment (free, no charge).

All "Help Wanted" ads go into the "Help Wanted" classified ad section, which appears in each news edition, and is well read. The ad will also appear on the web site for those who go directly to the web site section.

A "Help Wanted" ad appears at the top of the headlines in each edition in a chronological basis with other help wanted ads. The position cannot be purchased. The ad also continues to appear in the classified ad section in the news edition as well as the web site in addition to appearing above the headlines. If there is only one help wanted ad, a display ad may be utilized in the rotation basis as this position, meaning the one help wanted ad is not going to be on top in every edition.

Contact kitmenkin@leasingnews.org for more
information or to help word a classified ad.

Leasing News reserves the right to refuse advertising, particularly to a company that has appeared in the complaint bulletin board

PayPal Extends Small Business Loan Program
By Clare Curley, NFIB.com

PayPal has indefinitely extended a program launched last fall called Working Capital, which offers loans to small businesses that frequently process payments through the website. Since the launch, Working Capital has benefited thousands of small businesses. Here’s how it works:

Merchants apply online and select from a range of loans determined by their PayPal cash flow history. Typically, the maximum loan available is about 8 percent of the sales a business processed through PayPal in the last year.
If an applicant’s request is accepted, he or she pays a single fixed fee.
A percentage of the merchant’s sales will be deducted daily from his or her PayPal account. The higher the percentage, the lower the fee.
Merchants must continue processing payments through PayPal until the loan and fee are paid off.

When San Jose, Calif.-based CF Sales owner Steve Contratto applied for a no-interest $20,000 loan through PayPal, the money was in his PayPal account within minutes. (Note: He pays a PayPal fee).
“It was really beneficial,” says Contratto, whose company sells phone and computer accessories—and processes most of those sales through PayPal. The loan allowed him to bulk up on inventory right before the holidays, he says.
Contratto borrowed the maximum amount available to him and paid an $800 fee—a better deal than he anticipated getting from a bank. Having repaid the loan, he says he’s taken out a second one of the same amount.

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Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP

How Do You Calculate Interest Rate?

When you borrow money, the principal amount appears on the note, and the interest rate is stated. Usually the amount of the pre-computed interest can appear on instalment loan documents. However, the lease document does not show the equipment cost or the interest rate. All the lease agreement shows is the complete description of the equipment, and the lease payment over the agreed term.

When a loan is booked, the lessee books the equipment cost as registered as a capital equipment purchase, and depreciated on a straight line bases for GAAP accounting purposes. The equipment is depreciated under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS for Federal or State income tax purposes.) Tax depreciation is much faster than the straight line book procedure.

When these interest figures are not supplied in the lease agreement, the question then is how to determine the equipment cost, and the interest rate in a Capital lease with a bargain purchase option. You may assume that because the lessee negotiated the equipment cost, they would know this amount. However, it is the lessor that sent the purchase order to the vendor and the lessee is not privy to the contents of that purchase order. It is not unusual, that the lessee does not know the arrangements the lessor has with the vendor, the cost and timing of the payment makes their knowledge of the cost suspect. For this reason GAPP has provided a procedure to determine these numbers.

A lease (under current GAAP requirements) has a procedure that requires the lessee to discount the lease payment (or rent if you prefer) at their incremental bowering rate (IBR) (average cost of money over like term on secured transactions) to determine the net present value (NPV) of the rent stream. Then they subtract the NPV from the total rent to determine the interest.

If you discount the rent at your IBR, then the interest will be equal to the IBR. On occasion if the lessor’s actual return is higher than the lessees IBR it will become part of the NPV not the interest rate.

To show this effect, please consider a $100,000 loan at 10% over 60 months with payments of $2,124.70 in arrears. The equipment cost is clearly $100,000, and the total interest is $27,482.26. Now we will price a lease with a $1 purchase option with a $100,000 at 12% over 60 months with payments of $2,202.42 in Advance. The lessee would discount the rent of $2,202.42 at their IBR at let’s say 9%. The discount would yield a NPV of $106,893.76. This amount would be booked as the equipment cost, and after subtracting this cost from the total rent the interest would be $25,251.44 reflecting a 9% rate.

The new accounting rules, when they are implemented, will also require this procedure for all leases. The procedure is affected by residuals and irregular payments. However the rate presented by the lessee will always reflect the lessees IBR regardless of the lessors yield. True leases will require the rent payments to be taken for income tax recovery purposes, and therefore will look different than the amount required by GAAP.

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty years and can be reached at terrywinders11@yahoo.com or 502-649-0448.

He invites your questions and queries.

Previous #102 Columns:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Leasing_102/Index.htm

Mr. Terry Winders available as Expert Witness. 35 years as a professional instructor to the top equipment leasing and finance companies in the United States, author of several books, including DVD's, as well as weekly columnist to Leasing News. He also performs audits of leasing companies as an expert on documentation, and has acted as an expert witness on leasing for litigation in legal and tax disputes, including before the IRS. He also has taught the senior bank examiners, how to review a bank leasing department, for the Federal Reserve in Washington D.C. and has trained the examiners for the FDIC on how to prepare a lease portfolio for sale.

Mr. Winders received his Master of Business Administration and his Bachelor of Science degrees from the College of Notre Dame.

502.649.0448/terrywinders11@yahoo.com

(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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Kentucky Court Strikes Lessor’s Guaranty
By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal News Editor

The Short Form Guaranty Adopted By Many Lessors is Struck Down by
Kentucky Court As Not Being Specific Enough. Lessors May Need
to Reconsider Use of Such Guaranties

Wells Fargo Financial Leasing, Inc. v. Griffin, 2013 WL 4776524 (W.D.Ky. 2013)

I’m not sure who started the four line form guaranty used in many single page leases. I know I’ve been guilty of using them. Based on this Kentucky decision, maybe we should all reconsider the use of this type of Guaranty. Granted, I use them only for small deals, but in this case, the overall liability was over $300,000. The facts follow.

In July 2011, Wells Fargo Financial leased computer equipment to its lessee, SE Book Company. The lease was guaranteed by two of the Lessee’s principals, David Griffin and Charlie Jones. The form of guaranty was a short form, four line guaranty, copies of which are linked below. The lease had a forum selection clause listing Dallas County, Texas as the exclusive location for any suit, and choice of law.

The loan quickly went into default. The Lessor filed suit in the Western District of Kentucky for breach of guaranty against the guarantors.

The Court was immediately faced with a Motion to Dismiss by the guarantors alleging that the guaranties were not proper under Kentucky law.

The Court started its analysis with the question that if there was no difference between the laws of Texas and Kentucky relative to the guaranties, then there would be no reason to transfer the case.

Under Kentucky law, a guaranty must contain three things to be enforceable: (1) It must be written on the instrument it guarantees or; (2) If not written on the instrument, if it expressly refers to the instrument it guarantees; (3) It must be signed by the guarantor, and specifies his aggregate liability and the date on which the guaranty terminates.

Conversely, under Texas law, a guaranty is enforceable if the guaranty reflects (1) the parties involved, (2) a manifestation of intent to guaranty the obligation, and (3) a description of the obligation being guaranteed.

Because there was a conflict in the law between the two states, the Court had to proceed to analyze which law is applicable to this dispute. The Court concluded that Kentucky had the most applicability to the case, because the Lessor was located in Des Moines, Iowa and the two guarantors were located in Kentucky. Texas, on the other hand, had no relationship to the parties whatsoever.

Because the law of Kentucky required the guaranties to reflect the instrument which is being guarantied and the name of the entity being guarantied, and the guaranties did not do, the Court refused to enforce the guaranties and dismissed the action with prejudice.

What are the lessons for the equipment lessor here?

• Short Form Guaranties Are For Small Deals. I understand the necessity of having a simple lease form for smaller deals. I also recognize that those simple leases have short form guaranties. So their use, while potentially risky, really won’t result in a single large loss.

• Larger Deals Require Better Guaranties. In deals over a certain threshold, probably $100,000 or more, the Lessor needs to use a stand-alone guaranty, and the simplest of forms would certainly comply with Kentucky law. I don’t understand why a deal worth over $300,000 would use a guaranty that omits much of what we lawyers take for granted.

• The Bare Bones Guaranty Needs Work. The bare bones guaranty needs the name of the guarantor, the name of the debtor whose debt is being guarantied, the guarantied instrument (note, lease etc.), the amount of the guaranty (not to exceed $____) and whether the guaranty is irrevocable. Typically, there a host of waivers in which the guarantor waives compelling the creditor to resort to the collateral, waives compelling the creditor to resort to suing the debtor first, and allows the creditor to renew, extend or compromise the underlying debt without permission of the guarantor.

The bottom line is that a one size fits all guaranty is really inappropriate for larger deals where the Lessee might have the legal assets to challenge the guaranty.

Wells Fargo Case
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/WellsFargoCase_62014.pdf

Wells Fargo Guarantee
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/WellsFargoGuaranty_62014.pdf

Wells Fargo Lessee Guaranteehttp://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/WellsFargoGuarantyLease_62014.pdf

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

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

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

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Ken Pringle, CPR Finance, Receives Chamber Award

Kenneth Pringle, President, CPR Finance & Associates, Crystal Lake, Illinois received the Chrystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Presidential Award of Excellence.

The Presidential Award of Excellence is received by those who are committed to giving back to the community. The award is voted on by the chamber staff and committees that make up the local chamber.

Cisco predicts 61% of Internet Traffic
will be Wireless by 2018
Video 79%

Full Report:
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/ip-ngn-ip-next-generation-network/white_paper_c11-481360.pdf

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Top Stories June 9--June 13
(You May Have Missed One)

Here are the top stories opened the most by readers:

(1) Pictures from the Past—1988
Four Famous Golfers at WAEL Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2014/6_09.htm#pictures

(2) Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Fees in Leasing
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2014/6_09.htm#fees

(3) Archives---June 13, 2006
Bob Fisher Promoted to Executive Vice President
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2014/6_13.htm#archives

(4) New Hires—Promotions in the Leasing Industry
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2014/6_13.htm#hires

(5) Purchase, Renewal, Return ("PRR") Clauses
by Christopher Menkin
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2014/6_09.htm#ppr

(6) Debtor Can’t Terminate Security Interest of Lender
By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal News Editor
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2014/6_11.htm#debtor

(7) Another Royal Links Case—This Time the Lessor Wins
By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal News Editor
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2014/6_09.htm#royal

(8) Sales Make it Happen by Steve Chriest
“Negotiate Now!”
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2014/6_11.htm#thisday

(Tie) (9) Companies who notify lessee in advance of lease expiration
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2014/6_13.htm#notify

(Tie) (9) June 11, 2004 NorVergence
Chapter 11 BK filed 6/30/2004 - Chapter 7: 7/14/2004

(11) Letters? We get eMail
(Chronological order)
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2014/6_11.htm#letters

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

Signature Bank Completes Public Offering
Brings Bank to $6.0 Billion Capitalization

NEW YORK)-- Signature Bank (Nasdaq: SBNY), a New York-based full service commercial bank, announced the completion of its underwritten public offering of 2.1 million shares of common stock at $123.25 per share.

The net proceeds to Signature Bank from the offering were approximately $257.2 million, after the deduction of offering expenses. This offering increases the capital of the Bank to nearly $2.2 billion and brings its current market capitalization to more than $6.0 billion.

Proceeds from this offering will be used for general corporate purposes and to facilitate the Bank’s continued growth. The Bank caters to meeting the needs of privately owned businesses across metro-NY through its network of more than 90 private client banking teams spanning 27 banking offices.

President and CEO Joseph DePaolo

“The proceeds of this offering will help fuel Signature Bank’s future growth as we look to further build out our expanding banking network. We continue to focus on identifying the area’s most talented banking professionals and attracting them to our institution. Increasingly, bankers and their clients are expressing interest in joining Signature Bank as we demonstrate our proven capabilities,” explained Signature Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph J. DePaolo.

“Throughout the years, Signature Bank has grown based on our ability to provide clients a single point of contact for all their banking needs, coupled with unparalleled care and service. Our approach to commercial banking has truly set Signature Bank apart amid many too-big-to-fail institutions in the marketplace, and we are proud of the leadership position we now hold. To this end, we continue to earn recognition as a leading financial institution through various third-party rankings and accolades as we grow and flourish,” DePaolo said.

Scott A. Shay
Chairman of the Board

“We have created an institution that emphasizes the depositor and depositor safety first and foremost. Our careful, stringent and persistent management of our balance sheet over the years has helped ensure that we are prepared for possible economic change, and this has been integral to our success and that of our clients. The positive response resulting from this offering is a testament to the ongoing support we have received from the investment community since our initial public offering in 2004. We thank our shareholders for their confidence in our distinctive model, our clients for their loyalty and our Signature Bank colleagues for their tireless efforts,” added Scott A. Shay, Chairman of the Board.

J.P. Morgan acted as the sole "bookrunner" in Signature Bank’s offering.
The Bank has granted the underwriter an option to purchase up to 315,000 shares at the public offering price, exercisable until July 10, 2014.

About Signature Bank
Signature Bank, member FDIC, is a New York-based full-service commercial bank with 27 private client offices throughout the New York metropolitan area. The Bank’s growing network of private client banking teams serves the needs of privately owned businesses, their owners and senior managers.

Signature Bank offers a wide variety of business and personal banking products and services. The Bank operates Signature Financial, LLC, a specialty finance subsidiary focused on equipment finance and leasing, transportation financing and taxi medallion financing. Investment, brokerage, asset management and insurance products and services are offered through the Bank’s subsidiary, Signature Securities Group Corporation, a licensed broker-dealer, investment adviser and member FINRA/SIPC.

Since commencing operations in May 2001, the Bank has grown to $23.1 billion in assets, $18.3 billion in deposits, $1.91 billion in equity capital and $1.99 billion in other assets under management as of March 31, 2014. Signature Bank's Tier 1 and risk-based capital ratios are significantly above the levels required to be considered well capitalized.

Signature Bank's 27 offices are located in: Manhattan (9) - 261 Madison Avenue; 300 Park Avenue; 71 Broadway; 565 Fifth Avenue; 950 Third Avenue; 200 Park Avenue South; 1020 Madison Avenue; 50 West 57th Street and 2 Penn Plaza. Brooklyn (3) - 26 Court Street; 97 Broadway and 6321 New Utrecht Avenue. Westchester (2) - 1C Quaker Ridge Road, New Rochelle and 360 Hamilton Avenue, White Plains. Long Island (7) - 1225 Franklin Avenue, Garden City; 53 North Park Avenue, Rockville Centre; 68 South Service Road, Melville; 923 Broadway, Woodmere; 40 Cuttermill Road, Great Neck; 100 Jericho Quadrangle, Jericho and 360 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge. Queens (3) –36-36 33rd Street, Long Island City; 78-27 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights and 8936 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica. Bronx (1) - 421 Hunts Point Avenue, Bronx. Staten Island (2) - 2066 Hylan Blvd. and 1688 Victory Blvd.

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

News Briefs----

Device financing boosts sales of high-end iPhone 5s
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/report-device-financing-boosts-sales-high-end-iphone-5s/2014-06-13?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

7 Ways that Leasing Technology Can be Better than Purchasing It
http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/11521174/7-ways-that-leasing-technology-can-be-better-than-purchasing-it

SunTrust rolling out cards with new EMV chip to enhance security
http://www.ajc.com/news/business/suntrust-rolling-out-cards-with-new-emv-chip-to-en/ngLBg/

A dilemma with aging coal plants: Retire them or restore them?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/a-dilemma-with-aging-coal-plants-retire-them-or-restore-them/2014/06/13/8914780a-f00a-11e3-914c-1fbd0614e2d4_story.html

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

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--You May Have Missed It

Bring your own modem, router to Comcast's party
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/technology/article/Bring-your-own-modem-router-to-Comcast-s-party-5550457.php

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

The Food Safety Quiz SparkPeople Nutrition Quiz
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/quizzes_start.asp?quizid=65

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Baseball Poem

Silly Question

Papa Joe Chevalier

http://www.csupomona.edu/~jthuang/a5/Poem.html

The above is the web site in html and also the ability to hear the poem read by future MLB star Johnny Nguyen

Of course I like Baseball!
I like;
All nine innings and knee high strikes
The diamond cut by flashing spikes.
The infield hit, a long home run
Doubleheaders, the radar gun.
The curve, the knuckler, slider and splitter
A slugfest or the chance no-hitter.
The majors, the minors, the kids, the vets
The "Whiz Kids," the "Amazing Mets."
The squeeze bunt and the hit and run
The double steal on three and one.
Both real and artificial grass.
The routine grounder or astro turf hop.
Signs to take and signs to steal
Beating the deadline with a late night deal.
The brush back pitch, the managers warned
The visiting star locally scorned.
Balls with eyes and rain delays
Around the horn double plays.
Walking leads and frozen ropes
Bloops, blasts and springtime hopes.
The game of the week and cable TV
Descriptions like "Good field-no-hit
Or "Say goodbye baseball" at Safeco Field
Diving catches and trapped fly balls
Coaches sweating on 3-2 calls.
The pickoff move and stealing home
Games in the sun or under a dome.
Walks, balks, and fielders choices
An irate skipper getting the gate.
Cold soda, peanuts and ball park franks
Sometimes even the New York Yanks.
For all this and more I have good reason
To be pleased that it's Baseball season.
And if you guys don't mind suggestions,
Go somewhere else with your silly questions!

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Sports Briefs----

Germany’s Martin Kaymer Wins His First U.S. Open Golf Championship
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/16/sports/golf/martin-kaymer-wins-us-open.html?emc=edit_na_20140615&nlid=31282772

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California Nuts Briefs---

San Jose Rep: What went wrong?
http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_25960560/san-jose-rep-what-went-wrong

PUC threatens to shut down 'rideshare' companies like Uber and Lyft operating at Bay Area airports
http://www.contracostatimes.com/crime-courts/ci_25956045/cpuc-threatens-shut-down-rideshare-companies-like-uber

Lawmakers approve California budget under looming deadline
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/06/california-lawmakers-approve-state-budget.html

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Top 10 wines in the US press
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2014/06/top-10-wines-in-the-us-press-75/

Announcing the Opening of Sottomarino Winery in San Francisco
http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=134211

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

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

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

Winery Atlas
http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas/\

Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
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   1738-Birthday of Mary Katherine Goddard - Colonial printer and publisher. She was the first to publish the Declaration of Independence. She and her widowed mother worked in her son's printing plant in Rhode Island. When he moved away leaving it in debt, the women continued the business and published the Providence Gazette. They sold it and moved to Philadelphia to publish the Pennsylvania Chronicle. Selling this paper, she moved to Maryland as the editor and publisher of the Maryland Journal, which she published right through the Revolutionary war.
http://www.rebelswithavision.com/MaryKatherineGoddard.com/
http://www.baltimoremd.com/monuments/goddard.html
    1745 – English fleet occupied Cape Breton on St. Lawrence River.
    1755 - British captured Fort Beausejour and expelled the Acadians. The Acadians of Nova Scotia were uprooted by an English governor and forced to leave. Some 10,000 people moved to destinations like Maine and Louisiana. Some moved to Iles-de-la-Madeleine off Quebec. The Longfellow story "Evangeline" is based on this displacement.
    1775 - American Col. William Prescott led 1200 men from Cambridge to dig in at Bunker’s Hill but arrived at night and dug in at Breed’s Hill. A siege on Boston by Colonial militia generals John Stark and Israel Putnam prompted the British to attack.
    1806 - A total eclipse of the sun was viewed from southern California to Massachusetts.
    1822--Denmark Vessy led slave rebellion in South Carolina. According to reports, between 35 to 37 blacks slaves were hung, and perhaps up to 50 exiled into slavery into other parts of the world. The revolt had the opposite effect: alarming whites, restricting travel of Blacks, education, bringing fear to whites of further black revolt, and more laws of “repression.”
http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/510/
Slave_revolutionary_D
enmark_Vesey_wanted_freedom
http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/hamilton/menu.html
http://www.afrigeneas.com/states/sc/SC-biblio.htm
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/black_voices/voices_display.cfm?id=25
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/charleston/ssa.htm
    1858 - In a speech in Springfield, Illinois, Senate candidate Abraham Lincoln said the slavery issue had to be resolved, declaring, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
    1861 – A Union attempt to capture Charleston, South Carolina, is thwarted when the Confederates turn back an attack at Secessionville, just south of the city on James Island. In November 1861, Union ships captured Port Royal, which lay about halfway between Charleston and Savannah. This gave the Federals an important base from which to mount operations along the southern coast. Before dawn on June 16, Yankee General Henry W. Benham led 9,000 troops onto James Island. Benham had a checkered career as a commander. He helped clear western Virginia of Confederates in the summer of 1861 but was ordered arrested by General William Rosecrans for “un-officer-like neglect of duty” because he was headstrong and critical of leadership.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Secessionville
    1882 -- 17" hailstones weighing 1.75 lbs. fall in Dubuque, Iowa. Small still-living frogs are found in some of those hailstones.
    1892--Birthday of Jennie Grossinger, Austrian-born American hotel executive and philanthropist. She managed a small family inn operating on a small chicken farm taking in summer boarders and grew it into one of the most famous resort hotels in the world: Grossinger's in the Catskills Mountains. At her death in 1964, Grossinger's resort consisted of 35 buildings on 1,200 acres and served 150,000 guests a year. Her children carry on the tradition. In the beginning, her mother was the cook for the guests, her father did the maintenance, and Jennie was both chambermaid and bookkeeper.
    1883- The New York Giants hosted the first Ladies’ Day baseball game. Both escorted and unescorted ladies were admitted to the game free.
    1897 - The government signed a treaty of annexation with Hawaii.
    1902-Birthday of Barbara McClintock, a geneticist whose groundbreaking work in genetics and the precursor of DNA was published in 1951. She had to wait 32 years to be honored with the Nobel Prize. She was 49 when she published and 81 when she was awarded the Nobel.
    1903 - Ford Motor Company was incorporated.
    1904 -- James Joyce meets Nora Barnacle, a chambermaid at Finn's Hotel, Dublin, Ireland, and takes her for a walk. This is the day of Leopold Bloom's fictional odyssey through Dublin in “Ulysses” — Bloomsday.
    1909- The first airplane sold commercially was the “Gold Bug,” delivered by Glenn Hammond Curtis to the New York Aeronautical Society at Hammondsport, NY, for $5,000. Flying instructions were given to two members.
    1917-Birthday of Katharine Meyer Graham, U.S. newspaper publisher who guided the Washington Post (and Newsweek magazine) to a place of prominence. Under her direction they challenged such national newspapers as The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times, and Time magazine. She hired a strong staff of reporters and editors. She personally gave the go ahead to Post stories on Watergate that exposed President Richard Nixon’s political abuses and led to his resignation. She never, in the face of a lot of political pressure, failed to support her staff. In fact, Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell had chortled after a Post article on the corruption of the Nixon administration that "this time she's got her tit in a wringer.” He was that confident of the administration's power to crush her. He went to jail instead.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/july01/2001-07-17-graham-dead.htm
    1917 –Birthday of photographer Irving Penn.
http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa393.htm
http://www.artic.edu/aic/books/subpenn.html
http://www.execpc.com/~torrey/notefoto.html#P
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/082122459X/026-9304654-2918861
    1917 - The temperature soared to 124 degrees at Mecca climaxing the most destructive heat wave of record in California history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca,_California
    1920- Birthday of John Howard Griffin, American author and photographer, deeply concerned about racial problems in US. To better understand blacks in the American South, Griffin blackened his skin by the use of chemicals and ultraviolet light, keeping a journal as he traveled through the South, resulting in his best-known book, “Black Like Me.” Life Magazine syndicated the book, which was instrumental in the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s.
    1924 –Tenor player Lucky Thompson’s birthday.
http://www.fact-index.com/l/lu/lucky_thompson.html
http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,501507,00.htm
l?artist=Lucky+Thompson
    1933- Congress passed the Glass-Steagall Act, known as the Banking Act of 1933, creating bank deposit insurance. There was a sliding scale of protection, up to 50% over $50,000. It also prohibited consumer banks from engaging in investment banking. In August 23, 1935, the law was changed to a limit of $5,000 for any one depositor “to provide for the sound, effective and uninterrupted operation of the banking system, and for other purposes.” Banks were regulated to obtain this insurance, which changed banking for both the business community and consumers, giving them more protection and regulating the banking industry.   To accommodate the merger of Citibank and Travelers Insurance, Glass-Steagall was repealed by Congress. There is a considerable school of thought that suggests the Great Recession of 2008 would not have occurred if Glass-Steagall was still the law.
    1933 – The National Industrial Recovery Act became law. It was later struck down by the Supreme Court.
    1939- Country rock singer Billy (Crash) Craddock was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. Craddock scored a hit on the pop charts in 1959 with "Don't Destroy Me," then quit the music business because his record company wouldn't allow him to record country songs. Craddock began recording again in the late 1960's, scoring hits with such rock-oriented country tunes as "Dream Lover," a former chart success for Johnny Burnette, and "Knock Three Times," a hit on the pop charts for Dawn. Billy (Crash) Craddock topped the Billboard country chart in 1977 with "Broken Down in Tiny Pieces."
    1940—Blues singer Nolan Struck at Dunson, LA
http://centerstage.net/music/whoswho/NolanStruck.html
    1943---*SARNOSKI, JOSEPH R. (Air Mission) Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 43rd Bomber Group, Place and date: Over Buka Area, Solomon Islands, 16 June 1943. Entered service at: Simpson, Pa. Born. 30 January 1915, Simpson, Pa. G.O. No.: 85, 17 December 1943. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty. On 16 June 1943, 2d Lt. Sarnoski volunteered as bombardier of a crew on an important photographic mapping mission covering the heavily defended Buka area, Solomon Islands. When the mission was nearly completed, about 20 enemy fighters intercepted. At the nose guns, 2d Lt. Sarnoski fought off the first attackers, making it possible for the pilot to finish the plotted course. When a coordinated frontal attack by the enemy extensively damaged his bomber, and seriously injured 5 of the crew, 2d Lt. Sarnoski, though wounded, continued firing and shot down 2 enemy planes. A 20-millimeter shell which burst in the nose of the bomber knocked him into the catwalk under the cockpit. With indomitable fighting spirit, he crawled back to his post and kept on firing until he collapsed on his guns. 2d Lt. Sarnoski by resolute defense of his aircraft at the price of his life, made possible the completion of a vitally important mission.
    1943--ZEAMER, JAY JR. (Air Mission) Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Army Air Corps. Place and date: Over Buka area, Solomon Islands, 16 June 1943. Entered service at: Machias, Maine. Birth: Carlisle, Pa. G.O. No.: 1, 4 January 1944. Citation: On 16 June 1943, Maj. Zeamer (then Capt.) volunteered as pilot of a bomber on an important photographic mapping mission covering the formidably defended area in the vicinity of Buka, Solomon Islands. While photographing the Buka airdrome. his crew observed about 20 enemy fighters on the field, many of them taking off. Despite the certainty of a dangerous attack by this strong force, Maj. Zeamer proceeded with his mapping run, even after the enemy attack began. In the ensuing engagement, Maj. Zeamer sustained gunshot wounds in both arms and legs, 1 leg being broken. Despite his injuries, he maneuvered the damaged plane so skillfully that his gunners were able to fight off the enemy during a running fight which lasted 40 minutes. The crew destroyed at least 5 hostile planes, of which Maj. Zeamer himself shot down 1. Although weak from loss of blood, he refused medical aid until the enemy had broken combat. He then turned over the controls, but continued to exercise command despite lapses into unconsciousness, and directed the flight to a base 580 miles away. In this voluntary action, Maj. Zeamer, with superb skill, resolution, and courage, accomplished a mission of great value.
    1944--McCARD, ROBERT HOWARD Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 25 November 1918, Syracuse, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as platoon sergeant of Company A, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division, during the battle for enemy Japanese-held Saipan, Marianas Islands, on 16 June 1944. Cut off from the other units of his platoon when his tank was put out of action by a battery of enemy 77mm. guns, G/Sgt. McCard carried on resolutely, bringing all the tank's weapons to bear on the enemy, until the severity of hostile fire caused him to order his crew out of the escape hatch while he courageously exposed himself to enemy guns by hurling hand grenades, in order to cover the evacuation of his men. Seriously wounded during this action and with his supply of grenades exhausted, G/Sgt. McCard then dismantled one of the tank's machineguns and faced the Japanese for the second time to deliver vigorous fire into their positions, destroying 16 of the enemy but sacrificing himself to insure the safety of his crew. His valiant fighting spirit and supreme loyalty in the face of almost certain death reflect the highest credit upon G/Sgt. McCard and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
    1946-Trumpet player Tom Harrell’s birthday at Urbana, IL.
http://home.earthlink.net/~tomharrell/harrbio.html
http://www.epinions.com/Music-Tom_Harrell_albums?sp=imed
    1951---Top Hits
“Too Young” - Nat King Cole
“On Top of Old Smokey” - The Weavers (vocal: Terry Gilkyson)
“Syncopated Clock” - The Leroy Anderson Orchestra
“I Want to Be with You Always” - Lefty Frizzell
    1952- Canadian pop singer and composer Gino Vanelli was born in Montreal. He had his first international hit in 1974 with "People Gotta Move." Vanelli's recording of "I Just Wanna Stop" was a million-seller, and garnered the singer a Grammy Award nomination and a Juno Award as male vocalist of the year in 1978. Vanelli traded heavily on his sex symbol image - good looks, shoulder length curly hair and tight jeans - during the 1970's. But that image was toned down with the release of his 1985 comeback album, "Black Cars."
    1952 - Gale Storm (Margie Albright) and Charles Farrell (Vernon Albright) starred in "My Little Margie" which debuted on CBS-TV on this day. Fans of the popular comedy will remember that "My Little Margie" was based at the Carlton Arms Hotel, Apartment 10-A. Vern Albright was a very eligible widower who worked for the investment firm of Honeywell and Todd. Margie Albright, his 21-year-old daughter, was continually scheming to help dad and continually causing big trouble while helping.
    1956 - Capitol Records released "Be-Bop-A-Lula" by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps. Vincent was hailed as Capitol’s answer to Elvis Presley. In 1971, Vincent died.
    1956-A 31-year-old woman named Gogi Grant knocked Elvis out of Billboard's number one spot with a song called "The Wayward Wind". It was a tune that she recorded almost as an afterthought, with just fifteen minutes of studio time remaining. Six weeks later, Elvis would be back on top with "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You".
    1956-Patti Page saw what would be her biggest hit, "Allegheny Moon" enter the Billboard chart, where it would reach #2 during a 22 week run. In all, the Oklahoma native would place sixteen songs in the Top 40 between 1954 and 1965.
    1959---Top Hits
“Personality” - Lloyd Price
“Quiet Village” - Martin Denny
“Tallahassee Lassie” - Freddy Cannon
“The Battle of New Orleans” - Johnny Horton
     1965- Herman's Hermits earned their first gold record with "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter".
     1961 – Following a meeting between President John F. Kennedy and South Vietnam envoy Nguyen Dinh Thuan, an agreement is reached for direct training and combat supervision of Vietnamese troops by U.S. instructors. South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem had earlier asked Kennedy to send additional U.S. troops to train the South Vietnamese Army. U.S. advisers had been serving in Vietnam since 1955 as part of the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group. There would be only 900 U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam at the end of 1961, but in accordance with President Kennedy’s pledge to provide American military assistance to South Vietnam, the number of U.S. personnel rose to 3,200 by the end of 1962. The number would climb until it reached 16,000 by the time of President Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963.
    1962-Gary "U.S." Bonds performs his US Top Ten hit "Quarter To Three" on American Bandstand.
    1965-Herman's Hermits were awarded their first Gold record for "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter". The song was originally an album cut that got so much air play in the US, MGM Records released it as a single.
    1966---HOWARD, JIMMIE E. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Gunnery Sergeant (then S/Sgt.) U.S. Marine Corps, Company C, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 16 June 1966. Entered service at: Burlington, Iowa. Born: 27 July 1929, Burlington, Iowa. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty. G/Sgt. Howard and his 18-man platoon were occupying an observation post deep within enemy-controlled territory. Shortly after midnight a Viet Cong force of estimated battalion size approached the marines' position and launched a vicious attack with small arms, automatic weapons, and mortar fire. Reacting swiftly and fearlessly in the face of the overwhelming odds, G/Sgt. Howard skillfully organized his small but determined force into a tight perimeter defense and calmly moved from position to position to direct his men's fire. Throughout the night, during assault after assault, his courageous example and firm leadership inspired and motivated his men to withstand the unrelenting fury of the hostile fire in the seemingly hopeless situation. He constantly shouted encouragement to his men and exhibited imagination and resourcefulness in directing their return fire. When fragments of an exploding enemy grenade wounded him severely and prevented him from moving his legs, he distributed his ammunition to the remaining members of his platoon and proceeded to maintain radio communications and direct air strikes on the enemy with uncanny accuracy. At dawn, despite the fact that 5 men were killed and all but 1 wounded, his beleaguered platoon was still in command of its position. When evacuation helicopters approached his position, G/Sgt. Howard warned them away and called for additional air strikes and directed devastating small-arms fire and air strikes against enemy automatic weapons positions in order to make the landing zone as secure as possible. Through his extraordinary courage and resolute fighting spirit, G/Sgt. Howard was largely responsible for preventing the loss of his entire platoon. His valiant leadership and courageous fighting spirit served to inspire the men of his platoon to heroic endeavor in the face of overwhelming odds, and reflect the highest credit upon G/Sgt. Howard, the Marine Corps, and the U.S. Naval Service.
    1967- The Monterey International Pop Festival opened in California. It was the first major rock festival and attracted 50,000 people over three days. Ticket prices ranged from $3.50 to $6.50 to see more than two dozen top rock acts. The performers played for free. The festival was immortalized in D.A. Pennebaker's 1969 documentary "Monterey Pop." Among the top
acts: Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield, Otis Redding, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Mamas and Papas, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Canned Heat, Steve Miller Band, Simon and Garfunkel, The Byrds, The Butterfield Blues Band, Al Kooper, and Ravi Shankar. Also appearing: Lou Rawls, Johnny Rivers, Country Joe and the Fish, Al Kooper, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Steve Miller Band, The Electric Flag, Moby Grape, The Byrds, Booker T. & the M.G.s, Blues Project, The Mamas & the Papas & Scott McKenzie. It was one wild weekend and I remember the smoke, the stoned performers and audience, and everyone was rocking all day and night long. 50,000 attendees paid between $3.50 and $6.50 to see more than two dozen acts, all of whom agreed to play for free so all proceeds could go to charity. The event kicked off the famous "Summer of Love," in which thousands of college-age rock fans visited San Francisco, and also inspired John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas to write "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)," later a hit for Scott McKenzie. I had press passes from KFRC radio and also went back stage, what I remember most was the booze, marijuana, and everything else right out in the open.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064689/
http://www.amazon.com/Monterey-Pop-The-Criterion-Collection/dp/B000E5LEWE
http://www.philbrodieband.com/muso-monterey.htm
    1968 - Lee Trevino became the first golfer in 68 years to play all four rounds of the U.S. Open golf tournament with sub-par totals of 69, 68, 69 and 67, respectively.
    1968 - A benefit concert for The Matrix, San Francisco's first folk night club w/ Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Steve Miller Blues Band and Santana at Fillmore Auditorium. Hear Big Brother and The Holding Company imageConcert @Wolfgang's Vault
    1967---Top Hits
“Respect” - Aretha Franklin
“Him or Me - What’s It Gonna Be?” - Paul Revere & The Raiders
“Somebody to Love” - Jefferson Airplane
“It’s Such a Pretty World Today” - Wynn Stewart
    1970 - The organizers of the Woodstock music festival report that they have lost over $1.2 million on the event (money which they will later make up through movie and soundtrack rights).
    1970 - Golfer Phil Mickelson born San Diego, California.
    1972 - The only museum devoted exclusively to jazz music opened. The New York Jazz Museum welcomed visitors for the first time.
http://jazzmuseuminharlem.org/
    1974 -- Homer Simpson and Marge Bouvier wed.
    1975---Top Hits
“Sister Golden Hair” - America
“Love Will Keep Us Together” - The Captain & Tennille
“I’m Not Lisa” - Jessi Colter
“When Will I Be Loved” - Linda Ronstadt
    1976 - No longer just five, The Jacksons -- all six sons and three daughters -- get their own summer replacement variety show on CBS-TV.
    1978 - After much success on Broadway, “Grease”, came to the big screen when it premiered in New York City. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John starred in the hit movie. Several hit songs came out of the motion picture including "Grease," by Frankie Valli, "You're The One That I Want," and "Summer Nights," The first two songs went platinum selling 2,000,000+ copies, while the third sold a million. The sound track was an even bigger seller
    1979 - Donna Summer's LP Bad Girls hits #1
    1980 - The movie "The Blues Brothers" opened in Chicago, Illinois. Starring John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd, both formerly of NBC’s "Saturday Night Live", the movie was a hit. The pair played Jake and Elwood Blues and were joined by celebrity guests James Brown, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin. Cab Calloway also appeared with a rendition of his song "Minnie the Moocher."
    1981 - For $20.5 million, The Chicago Tribune purchased the Chicago Cubs baseball team from the P.K. Wrigley Chewing Gum Company. For over 60 years the Wrigley family had controlled the team. The longest, continuous ownership of a team that stayed in its original city ended with the sale.
    1983---Top Hits
“Flashdance...What a Feeling” - Irene Cara
“Time (Clock of the Heart)” - Culture Club
“My Love” - Lionel Richie
“Our Love is on the Fault line” - Crystal Gayle
    1985 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Heaven," Bryan Adams.
    1987 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for $5,000,000. The 18-year veteran of the NBA became the highest paid player in any sport at the time.
    1987 - Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead officially gives permission for Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream to name a new flavor after him, “Cherry Garcia.”
    1988- The largest operatic production in Canadian history was staged at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. About 30,000 people paid between $20 and $150 each to watch Verdi's "Aida" - complete with a 14-metre model of the Sphinx, elephants, tigers and a four-metre python. The stars were soprano Katia Ricciarelli, in the title role, and tenor Nicola Martinucci as Radames. Giuseppe Raffa conducted a 120 piece orchestra and a 140 member chorus. The production was repeated two nights later in the Olympic Stadium. An even more grandiose staging of "Aida" took place in 1987 at Giza, Egypt, site of the real Sphinx.
    1989- Sammy Sosa becomes the youngest (20-years, seven months) Dominican to play in the majors. The Texas Rangers rookie goes 2-for-4 with a double against the Yankees.
    1989 - Daytime thunderstorms produced severe weather from northern Florida to the Middle Atlantic Coast. The thunderstorms spawned eight tornadoes, and there were 138 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Thunderstorm winds gusting to 87 mph caused twenty million dollars damage at Columbia, SC. Strong thunderstorm winds killed one person at McLeansville, NC.
    1991---Top Hits
“Rush, Rush” - Paula Abdul
“Love is a Wonderful Thing” - Michael Bolton
“Losing My Religion” - R.E.M.
“If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)” - Joe Diffie
     1993 - The USPS issues a series of commemorative stamps honoring early rock heroes Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Ritchie Valens, Clyde McPhatter, and Dinah Washington.
    1995 - "Batman Forever", the third film in the Batman series premiered. Batman/Bruce Wayne (Val Kilmer) faces Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Riddler (Jim Carrey). Add a sexy psychologist (Nicole Kidman), with a thing for Batman and sidekick Robin (Chris O’Donnell), and you wind up with a smash: $52.78 million in the U.S. for opening weekend. Smash, Bang, Wow box-office, Batman!
    1999 - Cher launched her "Believe" tour in Phoenix, Arizona. The CD had become a worldwide smash, and the single made Cher, at 52, the oldest woman to have a song hit Number 1 on the charts. It was the first time in nearly a decade that the exotic, charismatic diva had gone on a concert tour. To an enthusiastic sell-out crowd, she performed the hits from her "Believe" album, and many of the public's favorite spanning the previous three decades.
    1999 - World-class sprinters all dream the impossible dream, to break the 100-meter world record. Maurice Greene’s dream came true this day at an invitational track meet in Athens, Greece, the birthplace of track and field events. Running in the stadium (home of the 2004 Olympics) with no wind at his back, his friend and training partner in another lane, 24-year-old Maurice Greene finished the 100 meters in 9.79 seconds. The previous record (9.84 seconds), set at the 1996 Olympics, belongs to Canada’s Donovan Bailey. Greene from Kansas City, Kansas is the first American to hold this sprint record since 1994. His training partner, Ato Boldon, placed second with a time of 9.86.
    2000-Heat wave ends in San Jose with temperatures over 109 degrees and over 100 degrees in San Francisco, breaking all weather history records. In June, San Francisco recorded 104, its highest ever in the history of the city.
    2001- At Turner Field in a game which featured thousands of swarming moths, Boston beat the Braves and bugs in extra innings, 9-5. Although the insects had little bearing on the outcome of the game, the insects clearly bothered the some players, including Dave Martinez who claimed to having sucked one into his mouth.
    2005 - Before a pitch in the seventh inning, the umpires are asked to investigate Brendan Donnelly's glove for a foreign substances. Upon the discovery of illegal pine tar, the Angel pitcher, who claims he uses the substance to control sweating, is tossed, resulting in managers Mike Scioscia and Frank Robinson exchanging angry words which incites a brawl clearing both benches and bullpens.
NBA Finals Champions This Date
    1996 Chicago Bulls

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