More Millionaires on the Way

There are 1210 billionaires in the world as of march 2011, according to Forbes in their latest list.

Mega bank Credit Suisse list of those exceeding $1 million: 24.2 million millionaires– about 0.5% of the world’s adult population, or more than the entire population of Australia. 41% of them live in the U.S., 10% in Japan and 3% in China.

CNN (CNNMoney) reports, "Despite the Great Recession, which wiped out $15.5 trillion in household wealth in the United States alone, the number of millionaires in this country and abroad will grow rapidly over the next decade.

In the U.S., the total number of families with a net worth of over $1 million, including real estate, will double by 2020, according to a report by the Deloitte Center for Financial Services. It should be noted that statistics show the greatest loss for millionaires and others since the recession has been real estate, $15 trillion.

 

 

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

 

Where Millionaires Live in America

(number one)

(1)

Los Alamos, New Mexico
Concentration of millionaires: 11.7%
Millionaire households: 885
Metropolitan population: 17,950
Households with $5 million+ in investable assets: 126
Median income (all households): $91,741

(2)
Naples, Florida
(Napes-Marco Island)
Naples Marco Island Everglades CVB
Concentration of millionaires: 9.1%
Millionaire households: 12,277
Metropolitan population: 321,520
H ouseholds with $5 million+ in investable assets: 1,753
Median income (all households): $ 58,133

(3)
Bridgeport, Connecticut
(Greater Bridgeport area)
Concentration of millionaires: 8.8%
Millionaire households: 29,713
Metropolitan population: 916,829
Households with $5 million+ in investable assets: 4,259
Median income (all households): $81,114

(4)
Washington, DC
(Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV)
Concentration of millionaires: 8.5%
Millionaire households: 179,196
Metropolitan population: 5,582,170
Households with $5 million+ in investable assets: 25,684
Median income (all households): $84,424

(5)
San Jose, California
(Silicon Valley)
Concentration of millionaires: 8.1%
Millionaire households: 50,044
Metropolitan population: 1,836,911
Households with $5 million+ in investable assets: 7,173
Median income (all households): $85,020

(6)
Easton, Maryland
Concentration of millionaires: 7.9%
Millionaire households: 1,252
Metropolitan population: 37,782
Households with $5 million+ in investable assets: 179
Median income (all households): $61,591

(7)
Oxnard, California
(Ventura County)
Concentration of millionaires: 7.8%
Millionaire households: 20,410
Metropolitan population: 823,318
Households with $5 million+ in investable assets: 2,933
Median income (all households): $74,828

(8)
Juneau, Alaska
Concentration of millionaires: 7.6%
Millionaire households: 904
Metropolitan population: 31,275
Households with $5 million+ in investable assets: 130
Median income (all households): $76,437

(9)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Concentration of millionaires: 7.6%
Millionaire households: 24,106
Metropolitan population: 953,207
Households with $5 million+ in investable assets: 3,455
Median income (all households): $67,066

(10)
San Francisco, California
(San Francisco Bay Area)
Concentration of millionaires: 7.5%
Millionaire households: 121,229
Metropolitan population: 4,335,391
Households with $5 million+ in investable assets: 17,376
Median income (all households): $74,876

http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/map-where-millionaires-live-in-america.html?si=1

Please send to a colleague. Ask them to subscribe.

We are Free? No registration process. Just send email address

to kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Advance Restaurant Finance * Fast Approvals * No Need to Change Credit Card Processors Looking for sales reps to call on small to medium sized retail merchants nationwide. Experience preferred in this industry, but open to ambitious "make sales" self-motivators. Base salary, commissions,full benefits available. Email with resume to: slohmann@arfcash.com www.arfcash.com

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.

Pawnee Leasing 30th Year Anniversary---Part II

Gary Souverein, President 2005--Present

Rob Day, Founder Pawnee Leasing, President 1982-1999
Sam Leeper, President 1999-2005
Gary Souverein, President 2005--Present

Gary Souverein

"Our Board determined that Gary Souverein, who had been with the company principally in marketing and credit but had experience in all departments, would be my successor,” Sam Leeper, retiring president told Leasing News. “It was time for me to embark on my next career step, retirement."

"We had gone through the process of interviewing potential equity investors, as introduced by Bruce Kropschot, “Leeper explains. “ Within a month of finalizing our banking facility, I received a call from Mr. Barry Shafran, CEO of a Canadian company by the name of ‘cars4U’. I was initially taken back when a company associated with the auto industry was interested in acquiring a commercial equipment leasing company. I was also reluctant to put our employee team through another due diligence process. However, I learned that they were familiar with leasing through one of their affiliates, a consumer auto lessor, and were looking to acquire a commercial leasing company in the US.”

“After careful research by both parties, we signed a Letter of Intent. Unfortunately, the timing was difficult in light of the rising mortgage loan and consumer credit problems in the US and the due diligence was very comprehensive. A final contract was signed in December of 2005 subject to the completion of the formation of a new public enterprise and the completion of a public stock offering (IPO) in Canada for the newly formed company. The new company would be named Chesswood Income Fund.

“In early 2006, Barry, Gary and I successfully completed an IPO road show throughout Canada, including Boston and New York, and the sale was completed that May. Rob, Dick and I maintained an interest in Chesswood and Rob and I joined the Canadian board. By this time I was stepping aside, and Gary fully had the reins."

 

Rob Day at Microphone, Sam Leeper to his left

“The acquisition would be through the formation of a newly created public company that would combine cars4U and Pawnee. The new entity, Chesswood Income Fund, via an initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange, acquired Pawnee.

Gary Souverein takes it from here:

“In April 2006, after several months of due diligence and public offering document preparations, Barry, Sam and I would spend 2 weeks in Toronto preparing with a firm that trained management teams specifically for IPO’s. While there’s much more to it, in short, we spent this time scripting and practicing a 30 minute oral and visual presentation as well as rehearsing responses to questions that we might receive from institutional and retail investors during our road show. We would get to know our investment bankers from TD Securities very well as they were both involved in the due diligence, construction of the public offering documents and also helped craft and perfect our message we wanted to convey in our road show. The TD team would be our handlers, setting and taking us to each appointment, quietly in a corner listening to each presentation and the Q&A between us and their interested investors. They would school us on managing our time and interface with their clients. We’d get chastised by TD for being too expansive in responding to questions; but we loved to talk about Pawnee!”

“Curiously, one common question: ‘Can you tell me about these brokers, how do they get business?’ The road show was 2 weeks of, 5-8/day, 60 minute presentations. They were long days with all being filled with presentations, an exhausting process presenting day in, day out in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, Winnipeg, Boston and New York. One day found us starting in Boston, flying to New York and then flying to Vancouver that night for presentations the next day. While Barry had been through it before, it was a career highlight for Sam and I. The road show process culminates in a ‘filling of the book’, or commitment by investors to purchase into the IPO. It’s not until the final day that investors are asked to make these commitments so it’s a frantic day for the investment banking team and a stressful time for us, for if we were unsuccessful in raising the full offering there would be no sale, and months of effort and hundreds of thousands of dollars of due diligence and preparation costs would be wasted.”

“ Barry, Sam and I finished our last presentation in Winnipeg on a Friday afternoon and went to catch flights, Barry to Toronto and Sam and I back to Denver…the book was filling up but Sam and I would not find out until our plane landed that evening that the offering was a success. The next week, we were back in Toronto for follow-on processes and a meeting related to the offering and within the next week Chesswood Income Fund was a reality and Pawnee was sold on May 6, 2006.”

“In the fall, we began to see there was simply too much money in the market and competition that had migrated from their competencies. We were finding competition doing twice the risk at half our rate. We were convinced that the competitive landscape had become irrational and on an unsustainable path and a market correction was in our industry’s future. We had the added benefit that the nature of our portfolio alerted us to the troubles ahead, earlier than many other funders. This recognition caused us to make, by late 2006, the incredibly difficult decision to pullback our originations.”

“After 25 consecutive years of growing Pawnee’s originations, we contracted in 2007 and 2008. I’m a terribly competitive person and really didn’t like being critiqued by our brokers and in the leasing press, for losing market share to the competition. While we were tightening credit and toiling with challenging collections in our portfolio, most of our competitors would continue charging ahead seemingly oblivious to the challenges that they would soon face --- for most of them late 2008 would mark the beginning of their misfortunes and in a few cases, their demise.

“2008 created some voids in the funding environment with funders exiting the broker channel completely and others contracting their credit appetite. In the fall of 2008 we began our market entry into what we term the “B+” market space. This market has risk-based pricing from abut 14% to 26% and we underwrite transactions up to $50,000. This has been a great opportunity for us and we’ve continued to penetrate this market further and today it is a significant portion of our originations. It’s also been an opportunity for us to broaden and deepen our relationships with our brokers as we do a broader stream of their business. I’ve never been as bullish about Pawnee, I think we’ve got lots of room to grow and continue to excel with our broker customers.

Gary with John Donohue of Direct Capital

(Both were on the National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA)

Board together, and as Gary explains, “He stopped over to share a day of skiing with me in Breckenridge, CO on our way to the NEFA conference you attended last year (Scottsdale?). I love to ski and John is one of the classiest people in our industry and client of our business.)

“We send about 50 care packages every quarter to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan stuffed with goodies, health care products, toys, candy, reading materials and notes from our staff. A small effort for the sacrifice our men and women make for us.”

(Rob Day and Sam Leeper are on the Chesswood Group Board of Directors, and while retired, Rob also remains the ambassador, active in charities in his retirement)

Pawnee Today

“First, anyone reading this and still in the business should be commended – you have prevailed! “ Gary said. “While the market is still challenged, we’re hearing for the first time since 2008, brokers adding headcount to their sales force. I think this speaks to what’s happening out there and expectations for improvement in 2012.”

“I look back at the three major influences on Pawnee over our 30 years:

“The first was our founder Rob Day. While Rob hasn’t been involved in the day-to-day business since 1999, his impression on the culture of Pawnee is still evident today. He was a passionate, driven, nimble, creative and customer-focused leader. I believe our team today provides some of the best service levels in the business in large part because of the culture he ingrained into the Company in our early years. Rob was adamant that we be different and not follow the pack. This thinking has served us well and in large part defines our business today.”

“The second is what I’d call “The Trade and Sam Leeper”. By 1997, Pawnee’s growth was out-stripping the financial capacity of Pawnee’s small shareholder group and our banking facilities, and we needed more capital. At the same time Rob was contemplating succession planning for himself. Rob recognized Pawnee needed a new influence for our next phase of growth. Our banker from Bank One (now JPMorgan Chase Bank), Sam Leeper, was aware of our needs and introduced Pawnee to Dick Monfort. Sam had handled the Monfort family’s banking affairs for some time. The Monfort family is a household name in the Colorado community and Dick and his brother are well known as owners of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team. The “trade” was Dick’s purchase of the minority shareholders’ interests in Pawnee and the concurrent hiring of Sam Leeper to succeed Rob. Dick met Pawnee’s capital needs and Sam was precisely the ingredient Pawnee needed; Sam, with engineering and finance training, was methodical, structured and a master of systems and process building. Sam subtly shifted our focus from thinking of ourselves as a leasing company to being a risk management and collection company.”

“Third is Chesswood. The value that Chesswood brings us today is the tremendous human capital we have supporting us; Barry, although headquartered in Toronto, serves as our Chairman and CEO and is actively involved in all strategic matters, Lisa Stevenson, CHW’s CFO serves as a Director and adds to our bench strength whenever called upon and we have the added benefit of continuing to draw on Rob and Sam, who sit on Pawnee and Chesswood’s Board of Directors. Chesswood’s Board is an impressive collection of entrepreneurs including Chesswood’s Chairman Ed Sonshine, who is the CEO of Canada’s largest REIT and also is a Director of Canada’s largest bank, Royal Bank of Canada.”

Part I---Pawnee 30th Anniversary
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_21.htm#pawnee

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

 

 

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

 

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

TAB Bank’s Leasing Division Provides Blue Bridge With $12MM

TAB Bank continues to expand its footprint in the equipment leasing industry. The bank announced a commitment of $12 million to fund equipment leases originated by Blue Bridge Financial. The facility is subject to certain negotiated terms and conditions and is a one-year, renewable term.

Headquartered in Buffalo, NY with offices in Las Vegas, Blue Bridge is a national provider of equipment finance loans and solutions to small businesses and financing institutions with existing lines of credit.

Mark DeBacker, Blue Bridge CEO, noted, “We are pleased with our relationship with TAB Bank and the capacity that this facility will provide for us to expand our small business lending programs to more qualified small business borrowers.” Brian Gallo, president and chief credit officer, added, “TAB Bank has made a clear commitment to provide financing to small businesses and we look forward to growing our business with their support.”

TAB Bank’s recently added VP of Equipment Leasing, Mike Coon, put together the transaction. Coon commented, “Blue Bridge has a great reputation in the equipment leasing industry and we are pleased to have this relationship as part of TAB’s growing assets.”

TAB Bank provides funding solutions to specialty finance and leasing companies. TAB also provides financing for transportation and non-transportation companies in all stages of business life cycles during any economic environment.

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

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

Expansion of "Solutions" from Executive Solutions

Executive Solutions (ESLF), a leading executive search firm addressing talent requirements at all levels and functional roles within the equipment leasing industry since 1990, is proud to announce the development of a suite of products to complement their retained and contingent executive search expertise.

"Over the last 22 years, we have worked with independents, captives, and bank owned leasing and finance companies of all sizes. This has given us tremendous insight into what works and what doesn't. We consistently see companies struggle for months and sometimes years trying to find the 'right' employee", said Jon Gerson, VP of Strategic Initiatives. "Taking so long is expensive; not just because of the resources that are tied up while searching, hiring, and training new employees, but also because of the lost opportunity cost, damaged customer relations, and negative impact on employee morale."

The first new product to be introduced is a natural progression of ESLF's core knowledge base; the identification, interviewing, selection, and retention of talent. Recruiting, hiring, and retaining talented individuals is the most important aspect of any company's success, but few people tasked with the hiring process have received formal training and many companies employ an ad hoc approach. By bringing a fresh perspective informed by decades of guiding clients in the hiring process, Executive Solutions' goal is to help their clients address and improve the often inconsistent results that occur when the interviewing and talent selection process is poorly defined.

The initial offerings in this product line will be focused on Interviewing, Selecting, and Hiring Talent, and will consist of:

• Training and assistance writing specific, detailed, and comprehensive Job Descriptions

• The establishment of company-wide SMART Goals & Objectives-- for employees and managers.

• Interview Skills Training
  
  Evaluation and improvement of the Interview Process

"We have always sought to provide value to our clients that go beyond recruiting," adds Teri Gerson, President and Founder of ESLF. "This seemed to be the next logical step. With Jon leading the way, we are excited to deliver a formal solution to companies who so often improvise this important process".

Jon Gerson, VP Strategic Initiatives, Talent Specialist
Executive Solutions for Leasing & Finance, Inc.
678.528.8996 jongerson@exsolutions.com
www.exsolutions.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jongersonexecutivesolutions

 

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

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

Fleet Financing Resources Year-End 2011 $607,000

Riverside, CA – Fleet Financing Resources, LLC (FFR), a boutique style lender providing titled vehicle financing, reports year-end December, 2011 results. As compared to the prior year-end 2010, total financed volume increased 10% to $30 million, Revenues increased 3% to $2.8 million, and Net Income decreased 20% to $670,000.

Fleet Financing Resources notes that the drop in Net Income is the result of having opened a new regional office, as well as the addition of several key staff members to position the company for long term growth. “We are extremely pleased with our year end results, our asset portfolio remains strong and historic low rates reflect favorable growth,” said Dave Reynolds, president and CEO of Fleet Financing Resources.

“The strong overall portfolio performance is largely attributed to our outstanding team that bring a high quality product to market in both the front and back office” added Reynolds. Continued success with the $68 million vendor program through Wells Fargo Equipment Finance combined with the $35 million vendor program with AllPoints/Capital One Bank help secure FFR’s position as one of the top tier lenders in the equipment financing marketplace.

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

San Diego, California-- Adopt-a-Dog

Charlie #92375
German Shepherd/Mix |
Male | 8Mths 1Wks
Adoption Fee: $75.00
Color: Brown Brindle / White
Neutered: Yes

“I'm available for adoption but patiently waiting for an open spot in the adoption gallery. To meet me, please contact customer service at 619-299-7012

“Why I'd make a great companion: With lots of fun-loving energy and charisma, I absolutely love to play! Whether we snuggle on the couch or enjoy a day at the park, I'm at home as long as I'm with you. I have lots of energy and will enjoy regular exercise and long walks. I'm known to make a lasting impression on everyone I meet.

“Other things you should know about me: My adoption fee includes my spay / neuter, current vaccinations, permanent microchip identification, a certificate for a free veterinary exam, and a license if residing in Oceanside or Vista!”

I'm currently located at
Sherman Street
550 Gaines St. San Diego, CA 9211
(619) 299-7012

To meet me, please contact customer service at 619-299-7012
http://www.sdhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home_page

 

Adopt-a-Pet by Leasing Co. State/City
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Adopt_Pet.htm

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

Fernando's View
By Fernando F. Croc

Moviegoers are fortunate to have two of the year's best films ("The Deep Blue Sea," "This Is Not a Film") arriving, while DVD watchers can settle down with three of last year's most intriguing releases ("Carnage," "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life").

In Theaters:

The Deep Blue Sea (Music Box Films): A director of visual beauty and aching emotions, Terence Davies serves up another exceptional cinematic experience with this affecting drama set in England in the 1950s. Rachel Weisz stars as Hester, the wife of High Court Judge William (Simon Russell Beale). Though seemingly comfortable in their upper-class household, she yearns for something exciting, and hopes to find it through an affair with Freddie (Tom Hiddleston), an ex-pilot she first met during the days of World War 2. However, it's not long before problems emerge in Hester's relationship with her younger lover, and she has to face the reality behind her idealized notions of romance. Though based on a theatrical play, Davies imbues the poignant story with a purely cinematic flow, largely helped by the terrific blend of repression and abandon in Weisz's performance.

This Is Not a Film (Palisades Tartan): Accused of subversion, Iranian director Jafar Panahi has his filmmaking rights revoked and is forced into house arrest while waiting for his sentence. Out of this real-life Kafkaesque situation emerges one of a truly unique first-person documentary, in which Panahi slyly makes a passionate cinematic statement about his own (as well as his country's) predicament. Addressing his friend's camera while padding around his Tehran apartment, he talks about the movies that got him into trouble in the first place, acts out the roles of his new screenplay, chats with friends and family, and tends to his pet iguana. The result is a multi-layered yet immediately accessible examination of an artist's dilemma which, despite the anxieties hanging over the scenario, brims with humor and hope. Yes, it is indeed a film, and one of the year's very best. With subtitles.

Netflix Tip: Arguably the greatest British filmmaker working today, Terence Davies is sadly still unknown to many viewers. Remedy that with a Netflix festival and catch up with his achingly beautiful and personal movies, which include "Distant Voices, Still Lives" (1988), "The Long Day Closes" (1992), "The Neon Bible" (1995) and "The House of Mirth" (2000).

On DVD:

Carnage (Sony): Veteran provocateur Roman Polanski ("Rosemary's Baby") is in fine sardonic form in this brisk and effervescently nasty chamber comedy. The claustrophobic setting is a small Brooklyn apartment, where two married couples come to deal with the way their children have been fighting. The place belongs to Penelope (Jodie Foster) and Michael (John C. Reilly), whose son was hurt in a scuffle with the son of Nancy (Kate Winslet) and Alan (Christoph Waltz), and things start off cordially enough with all-around apologies and cobbler. In no time, however, their politeness gives way to increasingly rude behavior, as these adults' attitudes turn out to be far more childish than the events that got them there in the same place. Making brilliant use of limited space and drawing impeccable timing from his four exceptional actors, Polanski serves up a biting, hilarious bit of human farce.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sony Pictures): After the uncharacteristic lightness of Oscar-winning "The Social Network," director David Fincher returns to dark thriller territory with this stylish adaptation of Stieg Larsson's international best-seller. Taking place in a Sweden of gorgeous surfaces and wicked underpinnings, the story takes the shape of an investigation by journalist Mikael (Daniel Craig), who's determined to get to find the truth about the disappearance of a heiress four decades ago. His search is aided by Lisbeth (Rooney Mara), a young computer hacker whose hostile veneer hides a streak of wounded vulnerability. The more they investigate, however, the more dark secrets they uncover, and the closer they get to danger. Suspenseful and visually intoxicating, the movie is a first-rate thriller that imbues lurid narratives with cinematic artistry.

Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Music Box Films): Fans of “Ray,” “Walk the Line,” “La Vie en Rose” and other song-filled biopics will savor this unconventional take on the turbulent life of legendary (and often scandalous) French crooner Serge Gainsbourg (resourcefully embodied by Eric Elmosnino). Following the songwriter’s life from his early days sneaking into art classes during WWII to his controversial later projects during the 1980s, the movie uses fantasies and music sequences to illustrate how his various female conquests—including such ‘60s icons as Brigitte Bardot (Laetitia Casta), Juliette Greco (Anna Mouglais) and Jane Birkin (Lucy Gordon)—influenced his art. Directed with visual panache and playfulness by comic-book artist Joann Sfarr, this is a cut above the usual cinematic life-story. With subtitles.

 

John Kenny Receivables Management www.jrkrmdirect.com • End of Lease Negotiations & Enforcement • Fraud Investigation • Credit Investigations • Asset Searches • Skip-tracing • Third-party Commercial Collections The Solution to Your Credit & Accounts Receivable Needs John Kenny 315-866-1167 |  John@jkrmdirect.com

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for investigations
and background information provided by John Kenny)

News Briefs----

 

Kiss those low mortgage rates goodbye
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/news/kiss-low-mortgage-rates-goodbye.aspx?ic_id=Top_Financial News Center_link_1

Great America Group Launches GA Trax™
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/great-american-group-launches-ga-trax-2012-03-22

T-Mobile cutting 1,900 jobs across U.S.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/story/2012-03-22/t-mobile-cutting-jobs/53711772/1

Americans lost $30B of mobile phones in 2011
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/story/2012-03-22/lost-phones/53707448/1

Rupee plunges to 3-month low
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Rupee-plunges-to-3-month-low/articleshow/12375877.cms

Marriott, CEO of hotel giant, retiring but still full of ideas
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017757229_inpersonmarriott19.html

U.S. Inches Toward Goal of Energy Independence
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/business/energy-environment/inching-toward-energy-independence-in-america.html?ref=business

'American Idol' ousts another finalist/determines the season's Top 9
http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/american-idol-ousts-another-finalist-and-determines-season-top-9--13307.php

 

 

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

 

You May Have Missed---

Online movie viewing to top DVDs
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2012/03/22/Online-movie-viewing-to-top-DVDs/UPI-94161332465577/

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

SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

7 Steps to Tune Up Your Bike for Spring
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1474

 

 

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

Sports Briefs----

Louisville Cardinals Keep Surging, Eliminating a No. 1 Seed
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/sports/ncaabasketball/louisville-eliminates-top-seeded-michigan-state.html?_r=1&hp

Andrew Luck attracts a circus atmosphere for his Pro Timing Day
http://www.mercurynews.com/mark-purdy/ci_20236683/mark-purdy-andrew-luck-attracts-circus-atmosphere-his

Surprise: Return star Ginn returns on one-year deal
http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2012/03/22/surprise-return-star-ginn-returns-on-one-year-deal/

 

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

Spring Poem

Jabberwocky 
by Lewis Carroll

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son 
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun 
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand; 
Long time the manxome foe he sought-- 
So rested he by the Tumtum tree, 
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood, 
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, 
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through 
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head 
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? 
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" 
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

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

 

California Nuts Briefs---

Local Pearl Harbor vet Gene Oliver dies at 90
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120322/OBITS/120329852/1350?Title=Local-Pearl-Harbor-vet-Gene-Oliver-dies-at-90

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

“Gimme that Wine”

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

 

2011 California Wine Shipments Within U.S. Reach All-Time High:
U.S. Is World's Largest Wine Market
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2011-california-wine-shipments-within-us-reach-all-time-high-us-is-worlds-largest-wine-market-143801956.htm

Napa Valley wineries savor the vintner's art
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/16/SSH61NJOH3.DTL

Aglianico joins the Italian varietals in Amador County
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/21/4352980/dunne-on-wine-aglianico-joins.html

Americans open to purchasing wine from various countries
http://www.eturbonews.com/28419/americans-open-purchasin

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
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm

     1775- Anniversary of Patrick Henry’s speech for arming the Virginia militia at St. Johns Church, Richmond, Virginia. He was addressing the second Virginia convention, and delivered his immortal speech against arbitrary British rule, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” Ironically, history has made this the best known, but from a contemporary journal, his most famous remark at the time, the one most repeated, occurred when he uttered:
“ Caeasar had his Brutus; Charles the first his Cromwell; and George the Third may profit by their example.” He was then interrupted and accused of treason, where he responded, “ If this is treason, make the most of it.” The speech caused a sensation, being bolder than any speech given that year.
    1810 - In France, Napoleon Bonaparte signs the Rambouillet Decree which mandates the seizure, confiscation and sale of any US ship in French ports. The Decree is published 14 May and is to be retroactive to 20 May 1809.
    1839-“O.K.” First Appearance in Print. “The Boston Morning Post” printed the first known “ok.k”. It derived from a misspelling of “all correct”—“all korrect.” Etymologist Allen Read doggedly tracked down the word’s origin in the 1960’s. “O.K” is now used in most languages.
    1842 -- Congressman Joshua R. Giddings of Ohio is censured by the House of Representatives for introducing resolutions opposing slavery and the coastal slave trade. (The "Gag Rule," first adopted by a South- dominated Congress in 1836, and renewed at the beginning of each session thereafter, pledges every member not to mention the slavery issue on the floor of the House.)
    1857-Fannie Farmer Cookbook standardizes measurements in cooking.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar23.html
    1858- Eleazer A. Gardner of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania obtained a patent on an “improvement in tracks for city railways.” The cable was housed in an underground tunnel with a series of pulleys inside. It was not until 1873 that the cable car began operation on the Clay Street Hill in San Francisco. It was the first cable car put into service anywhere in the world, on an improvement and new patent by Andrew Smith Hallidie for an “endless-wire rope way.”
http://www.sfcablecar.com/history.html
    1862-As General George McClellan began the Peninsular campaign to move on the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson engaged a larger force of Union troops at Kernstown in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Although he ultimately was forced to retreat, the Battle of Kernstown provided a diversion central to the South’s military strategy. Fearing an attack on Washington, DC, northern troops were kept around Washington as part of its defense, leaving fewer troops available for the Peninsular campaign.
    1864- George J. Dyke, the co-founder of Vancouver's first music school, was born in St. Blazey, England. In the 1890's, Dyke helped found a violin academy, which was a forerunner of the Vancouver Conservatory. Dyke died in Victoria in 1940. 
    1867-The second Reconstruction Act was passed over President Johnson’s veto. It provided for the registration of all qualified votes, who were subsequently to decide on readmittance to the Union.
    1868- University of California founded (Oakland CA)
http://www.berkeley.edu/about/history/
    1872-"Emperor" Joshua A. Norton is often credited with the idea of bridging the bay between San Francisco and Oakland. His most famous decree­ March 23, 1872­which ordered construction of a bridge between Oakland Point and Goat Island, was apparently based upon concepts outlined in several newspaper articles during the early 1870s. Charles Crocker of the Central Pacific Railroad had earlier proposed a railroad bridge from Oakland to San Francisco via Goat Island.
    1877- Mormon zealot John Doyle Lee was executed by a firing squad for masterminding the Mountain Meadows Massacre. In 1857, a wagon train of 127 Arkansas Methodist emigrants, bound for California, were killed by a party of Mormon settlers and Paiute Indians at Mountain Meadows (near Cedar ity), Utah.
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/i_r/lee.htm
http://www.usu.edu/usupress/individl/johnlee.htm
http://www.lib.utah.edu/spc/mss/accn186/186.html
http://www.onlineutah.com/historylee.shtml
    1889-President Harrison opens Oklahoma for colonization, creating the great Oklahoma land rush, which was fully out of control as
there was no local authority or representative of the federal government in charge. The date set was for April 22 and for white settlers only.
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v020/v020p218.html
http://www.multied.com/Bio/presidents/b_harrison.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11230c.htm
http://marti.rootsweb.com/land/oklands.html
    1911-National Urban League founded.
http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/micro/417/36.html
http://www.nul.org/about/mission.htm
    1904-Birthday of actress Joan Crawford, born Lucille fay LaSueur at San Antoinio, TX. Crawford became a Hollywood star with her performance in Our Chancing Daughters. She won an Oscar in 1945 for her role in Mildred Pierce. Events of Crawford’s life are chronicled in Mommie Dearest. Other films included The Women, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Twelve miles out. I am confused about the actual dates, but I believe it was in 1947, my father Lawrence Menkin was brought to Hollywood to work on the "Possessed" movie. He had a number of photographs of Joan Crawford and he ( she also looked a lot like my mother.) He never said anything about her that I can remember, but he hated the Hollywood scene, the doctoring of the script, and after finishing whatever he was brought in for, was offered another film to work on, but wanted to go back to New York where he was much better known, and had an offer from Dr. Dumont to work on television shows with Bill Cadigan(sp?) for the new Dumont television channel, which he said was more exciting. He was born and raised in New York City. I can tell you he did not learn to drive until the early 1950's, so being in California without an ability to drive would certainly also be a deterrent, plus his family stayed in New York while he was working in Hollywood. By the way, Joan Crawford was nominated for an Oscar, but lost it to Loretta Young for "The Farmer's Daughter." She died at New York, NY, May 10, 1977.
http://www.famoustexans.com/joancrawford.htm
http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Crawford/crawford.htm

    1907 - San Francisco Mayor Eugene Schmitz reportedly is considering resigning as chief executive of the city on the condition that he is granted immunity from further prosecution and indictment by the grand jury. Scmitz is being kept in his house at Pierce and Vallejo streets and is constantly watched by details or detectives. 
    1912-Residents of Kansas City, Missouri began to dig out from a storm that dumped 25 inches for snow in 24 hours. This snowfall total was nearly twice that of any other storm of modern record in Kansas City before or since that time. A record 40 inches of snow fell during the month of March that year and the total of 67 inches for the winter season was also a record. Olathe, Kansas received 37 inches of snow in the storm establishing a single storm record for the state.
    1913 - A vicious tornado hit the city of Omaha, NE. The tornado struck during the late afternoon on Easter Sunday, and in just twelve minutes cut a swath of total destruction five miles long and two blocks wide across the city killing 94 persons and causing 3.5 million dollars property damage.
    1917--Pianist Johnny Guarnieri birthday
http://jagmusic-1.com/Bio.htm
http://entertainment.msn.com/artist/?artist=113789
http://soley.zodchiy.ru/J/Johnny_Guarnieri.html
    1925-The trial of a teacher for violating a state ban on teaching the theory of evolution took place in July, 1925. John Thomas Scopes, a high school science teach in Dayton, TN, was convicted of breaking a law passed by the Tennessee legislature and signed this day in 1925 by Governor Austin Peay. It provided that “ it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of the universities, normal, and all other public schools of the state which are supported in whole or in party by the public school funds, of the state to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.” Scopes was prosecuted by William Jennings Bryan and defended by Clarence Darrow. He was fined $100. The conviction was later overturned on technical grounds.
    1926--Birthday of Martha Wright, singer who sang one part 1,080 times for the longest run ever recorded on the Broadway stage, but few remember her name because she succeeded Mary Martin as Nellie Forbisch in South Pacific.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Wright_(actress)
    1932-Birthday of guitarist/harmonica player Louisiana Red (Iverson Minter,)
born Vicksburg, MS
http://www.eharmonica.net/iverson%20minter.htm
http://www.oldies.com/artist/biography.cfm/id_339.html
    1938-Birthday of vibes player Dave Pike Detroit MI
http://www.ubiquityrecords.com/dave_pike.html
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/catalog/pike_d_cat.html
http://www.hipwax.com/music/patch/vibes_dp.html
    1944-Woody Herman waxes homogenized protest “Milkman Keep Those Bottles Quiet.”This day in 1987 he makes his last appearance with the Herd, Grand Meadow, Minnesota.
    1945--CARTER, EDWARD A., JR. Medal of Honor
Rank: Staff Sergeant. Citation: For extraordinary heroism in action on 23 March 1945, near Speyer, Germany. When the tank on which he was riding received heavy bazooka and small arms fire, Sergeant Carter voluntarily attempted to lead a three-man group across an open field. Within a short time, two of his men were killed and the third seriously wounded. Continuing on alone, he was wounded five times and finally forced to take cover. As eight enemy riflemen attempted to capture him, Sergeant Carter killed six of them and captured the remaining two. He then crossed the field using as a shield his two prisoners from which he obtained valuable information concerning the disposition of enemy troops. Staff Sergeant Carter's extraordinary heroism was an inspiration to the officers and men of the Seventh Army Infantry Company Number 1 (Provisional) and exemplifies the highest traditions of the Armed Forces.
    1946---Top Hits
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
Personality - Johnny Mercer
Day by Day - Frank Sinatra
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
    1950- “Beat the Clock” premiered on television. On this game show from the team of Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, couples performed stunts within a specified time period (usually under 60 seconds) with the winners being given a chance to try a special stunt to win a great prize. Special stunts were very difficult, and the same one was attempted every week until a couple got it right. In 1952, James Dean got his first TV job testing stunts and warming up the audience. Bud Collier was the host, assisted by Roxanne (real name Dolores Rosedale). A 1969 syndicated version hosted by Jack Narz and then by Gene Wood had celebrities to help the contestants. A 1979 revival was hosted by Monty Hall.
    1952-Bill Mosienko of the Chicago Blackhawks set an NHL record by scoring three goals in 21 seconds in a game against the New York Rangers. Mosienko scored at 6:09, 6:30 and 6:30 of the third period against goalie Lorne Anderson. Chicago Won 7-6.
    1954—Top Hits
Make Love to Me! - Jo Stafford
Cross Over the Bridge - Patti Page
Wanted - Perry Como
Slowly - Webb Pierce
    1955--Elvis Presley auditions for TV's Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, where he plays "Good Rockin' Tonight". His performance is weak and the show's producers turn him down.
    1958-A teenage quartet from Hollywood, California who called themselves The Four Preps saw their first big hit, "Twenty-Six Miles (Santa Catalina)" peak at #2 on the Hot 100. They would go on to place six more songs in the Top 40 over the next four years, including "Big Man" (#3) and "Down by the Station" (#13).
    1959-The Skyliners, a five member group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, entered the Billboard Pop chart for the first time with the now classic doo-wop hit, "Since I Don't Have You". The song will be their biggest success, reaching #12. Joe Rock would later say that he was upset about a girl who had just left him and wrote most of the lyrics while sitting in his car between stoplights.
    1962---Top Hits
Hey! Baby - Bruce Channel
Midnight in Moscow - Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen
Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You - Connie Francis
That’s My Pa - Sheb Wooley
    1963- the Beatles' first LP, "Please, Please Me," was released in Britain. The album included the title song, which had topped the British chart a month earlier. The LP, with the exception of the title song, was recorded in one 13-hour session on February 11th. Other hits included in the Beatles' first album included "Love Me Do," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Do You Want To Know a Secret?" and "Twist and Shout."
    1963- The Beach Boys release "Surfin U.S.A."
1964 IBM vastly underestimates System/360 demand. IBM told reporters that the company expected to install 5000 units of its new computer line, System/360, in the next five years. The company vastly overshot its goals, installing 25,000 by 1969. During the first two years of the new product line's production, the company could fill only about half of the nine thousand orders it received. The System/360 line was the first series of compatible computers: Previous computers were custom-built for each customer and required individual programming. The product line, which cost $5 billion to develop, fostered IBM's dominant position in the computer industry.
    1964--Elvis Presley received his final discharge from the US Army Reserve. He had left active duty in February, 1960. 
    1965 - Astronaut John Young became the first person to eat a corned beef sandwich in space. Young snuck the sandwich on board to supplement his meals of dehydrated foods, including powdered fruit juice.
    1970---Top Hits
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
The Rapper - The Jaggerz
Give Me Just a Little More Time - Chairmen of the Board
The Fightin’ Side of Me - Merle Haggard
    1971--FITZMAURICE, MICHAEL JOHN Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Troop D, 2d Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Khe Sanh, Republic of Vietnam, 23 March 1971. Entered service at: Jamestown, N. Dak. Born: 9 March 1950, Jamestown, N. Dak . Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Fitzmaurice, 3d Platoon, Troop D, distinguished himself at Khe Sanh. Sp4c. Fitzmaurice and 3 fellow soldiers were occupying a bunker when a company of North Vietnamese sappers infiltrated the area. At the onset of the attack Sp4c. Fitzmaurice observed 3 explosive charges which had been thrown into the bunker by the enemy. Realizing the imminent danger to his comrades, and with complete disregard for his personal safety, he hurled 2 of the charges out of the bunker. He then threw his flak vest and himself over the remaining charge. By this courageous act he absorbed the blast and shielded his fellow-soldiers. Although suffering from serious multiple wounds and partial loss of sight, he charged out of the bunker, and engaged the enemy until his rifle was damaged by the blast of an enemy hand grenade. While in search of another weapon, Sp4c. Fitzmaurice encountered and overcame an enemy sapper in hand-to-hand combat. Having obtained another weapon, he returned to his original fighting position and inflicted additional casualties on the attacking enemy. Although seriously wounded, Sp4c. Fitzmaurice refused to be medically evacuated, preferring to remain at his post. Sp4c. Fitzmaurice's extraordinary heroism in action at the risk of his life contributed significantly to the successful defense of the position and resulted in saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. These acts of heroism go above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect great credit on Sp4c. Fitzmaurice and the U.S. Army. 
    1973 - "Concentration", the longest-running game show in television, starring Hugh Downs, came to an end after 15 years on NBC. A syndicated version without Downs aired, but did not last long. 
    1973-Jason Kidd, basketball player, born San Francisco, CA.
    1973--"Derek and the Dominos in Concert," the two record set released well over a year after the short-lived group's break-up, goes gold.
    1974 - Cher hit the top of the music charts when "Dark Lady" reached the #1 for a one-week stay. Other artists sharing the spotlight during that time included: Terry Jacks, John Denver, Blue Swede, Elton John and MFSB.
    1974-Cher enjoys her third, solo, US number one hit with "Dark Lady".
    1975- San Francisco's Kezar Stadium is the site for a Bill Graham-run benefit show called SNACK (Students Need Athletics, Culture and Kicks). The Show features the Tower of Power, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship, Joan Baez, Graham Central Station, Neil Young and special guest Bob Dylan. It's to raise money for the San Francisco school system which recently canceled most sports and after-hour activities because of a $3-million budget deficit. Almost $200,00 is raised, but it's really not needed because the day before the event, an announcement is made that through a financial adjustment $2.1 million has been "found."
    1977 - No. 1 Billboard hit: ``Rich Girl,'' Daryl Hall & John Oates. Hall and Oates met in 1969 in a service elevator while trying to escape a fight between rival gangs at a record hop in Philadelphia's Adelphi Ballroom.
    1978---Top Hits
Night Fever - Bee Gees
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys - Waylon & Willie
    1981 - No. 1 Billboard hit: ``Rapture,'' Blondie. The song is the first rap song to reach No. 1.
    1983- Barney Clark died after living almost 112 days with an artificial heart. The heart, made of polyurethane plastic and aluminum, was implanted in Clark at the University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Dec 2, 1982. Clark was the first person ever to receive a permanent artificial heart. Born at Provo, UT, Jan 21, 1921, Clark was 62 when he died.
    1983 - No. 1 Billboard hit: ``Billie Jean,'' Michael Jackson. The song is the first No. 1 single from ``Thriller,'' the best-selling album of all time.
    1983--In his "Star Wars" speech, Pres. Ronald Reagan proposes a space-based system to blast incoming missiles out of the sky -- just like the 1940 film "Murder in the Air," whose hero, Secret Service Agent Brass Bancroft (played by Ronald Reagan!), gets involved with the "Inertia Projector," a death ray that can zap planes.
    1985-Billy Joel marries Christy Brinkley on a boat moored alongside the Statue Of Liberty. 
    1985-Former Credence Clearwater Revival front man John Fogerty went to #1 on the US album chart with "Centerfield".
    1985 - Musician, Billy Joel married model, Christie Brinkley in a private ceremony held in New York City. They announced in April 1994 that they had separated.
    1986---Top Hits
These Dreams - Heart
Secret Lovers - Atlantic Starr
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
What’s a Memory like You (Doing in a Love like This) - John Schneider
    1987- A 3 day snowstorm commenced over the central Plains. It left amounts exceeding one foot in a south to north band from the Texas Panhandle to South Dakota. Blizzard conditions prevailed with winds gusting to 78 mph at Dodge City, Kansas and Altus, Oklahoma. Pampa, Texas was buried under 20 inches of snow, the worst in the area in at least 70 years. 24 inches of snow was recorded at Neligh, Nebraska.
    1987-“The Bold and the Beautiful” premiered on TV. A continuing daytime serial created by William Bell and Lee Phillip Bell to be "young and hip." It is set in the fashion industry of Los Angeles with two central families, the Logans and the Forresters. The cast has included, as the Forresters: John McCook, Susan Flannery, Clayton Norcross, Jeff Trachta, Ronn Moss, Teri Ann Linn, Colleen Dion and as the Logans: Robert Pine, Judith Baldwin, Nancy Burnett, Nancy Sloan, Carrie Mitchum (granddaughter of Robert), Ethan Wayne (son of John), Brian Patrick Clarke, Katherine Kelly Lang and Lesley Woods. Other cast members include Jeff Conaway, Tippi Hedren and Hunter Tylo.
    1989-After 33 years, 59 year-old Dick Clark retired from hosting the television program, “American Bandstand.”
    1990 - An upper level storm system produced heavy snow in the Lower Missouri Valley. Snowfall totals ranged up to nine inches at Kansas City MO, with eight inches reported at Falls City NE, Columbia MO and Saint Louis MO. Thunderstorms produced heavy snow in the Kansas City area during the evening rush hour.
    1991-Elton John joins George Michael onstage at London's Wembley Arena for a duet on the 1974 hit "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me". The 'live' version will be released as a single and top the charts on both sides of the Atlantic next December. Michael will donate $500,000 from the royalties to various charities.
    1991- WLAF Makes its Debut: The World League of American Football, part of a marketing attempt by the National Football League to extend the game’s popularity in Europe, made its début as the London Monarchs defeated the Frankfurt Galaxy 24-11.
    1993- during a surprise concert in Red Bank, New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen ripped off his shirt and offered a version of Billy Ray Cyrus's "Achy Breaky Heart." Springsteen told his audience that it was a "damn good" tune. The surprise show, which benefited a local theatre and a food bank, was a warm-up for a European tour.
    1985-Billy Joel marries Christy Brinkley in New York. They would divorce in 1994.
He would brag about the marriage in every concert I attended, until the divorce, of course. He did wrote some pretty good songs for her, but evidently it was not enough.
    1998 - The movie, "Titanic", won a record-tying 11 Oscars at the 70th Annual Academy Awards (tying the number of awards won by "Ben-Hur" in 1959). Comedian/actor Billy Crystal kept the crowd at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, and the millions watching on TV, in stitches as "Titanic" (James Cameron, Jon Landau, producers) won Best Picture; Best Director (James Cameron); Best Cinematography (Russell Carpenter); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Peter Lamont [art director], Michael Ford [set decorator]); Best Costume Design (Deborah Lynn Scott); Best Sound (Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Gary Summers, Mark Ulano); Best Film Editing (Conrad Buff IV, James Cameron, Richard A. Harris); Best Effects/Sound Effects Editing (Tom Bellfort, Christopher Boyes); Best Effects/Visual Effects (Robert Legato, Mark A. Lasoff, Thomas L. Fisher, Michael Kanfer); Best Music/Original Dramatic Score (James Horner); and Best Music/Song (James Horner [music] and Will Jennings [lyrics] for "My Heart Will Go On", performed by Céline Dion). Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt took top acting honors as the misanthropic writer and the waitress who softens his heart in "As Good as it Gets". The Best Supporting Actor Oscar went to Robin Williams for "Good Will Hunting" and Best Supporting Actress was Kim Basinger for her "L.A. Confidential" part (Lynn Bracken: “Merry Christmas to you, officer.”)
www.infoplea
http://ww se.com/ipa/A0748303.html
    1998-The National Football League awarded an expansion franchise to the City of Cleveland. The team, to be called the Browns, as was Cleveland’s former team, now the Baltimore Ravens.
    2004 - An album Paul Simon recorded in 1965 that has never saw the light of day in America gets its first official release there. "The Paul Simon Songbook," previously only available as an import and long out-of-print even in that form, is released via Columbia/Legacy. The original 12-track album was recorded in the wake of the lukewarm response afforded Simon & Garfunkel's 1964 debut, "Wednesday Morning 3 A.M."
    2007 - A trailer is thrown through a bowling alley as a tornado moves through Clovis, NM. About 100 homes and businesses are destroyed, at least three schools are damaged and telephone poles are snapped. Thirteen tornadoes struck a dozen communities along the New Mexico/Texas border. Two people were critically injured.
    2011 - A series of tornados are spawned from severe thunderstorms in Pennsylvania. In Hempfield Township dozens of homes and a high school auditorium where students are rehearsing a play are severely damaged.

NCAA Basketball Champions This Date

    1948 Kentucky
    1957 North Carolina
    1963 Loyola (L.)
    1968 UCLA