Leasing News Receives Constant Contact

"All Star Award"

The Leasing News email edition is sent out by Constant Contact,
who noted:

"Your efforts last year to reach your customers and engage with them were exemplary. Stellar. Your customers noticed and responded positively. And we certainly noticed. That’s why we’re so proud to name you to our roster of 2012 All Stars.

"This status is an annual designation that only 10% of our customers achieve for their use of Constant Contact products. The standards for becoming an All Star this year were tougher than ever, and that you managed to do it for consecutive years is quite an accomplishment."

 

 

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Constant Contact News Edition
“Opt Out” Explained
by Kit Menkin

Two-thirds of our readers visit Leasing News direct on the Web Site: www.leasingnews.org. The news edition is posted here and then is converted into the news edition and then archived in our "archive section," which also can be "searched" for specific person, company, or story.

Yes, most reader use “bookmark.” Extra news items are put on the Web Site as well as sent by Constant Contact.

Since starting the news edition, it first was small and handled on the computer, and then regular email refused to send them out over a certain amount, can’t remember, so it was done in waves--- then a mail server computer was added as the list was too large. Finally after being hacked so often, even with software programs and hardware firewalls connection, we went to what is now being called the “cloud,” an offsite server which held our website and email. They had better security as well as staying on top of the hackers was getting to be too much for our IT person as well as web master, all in house at the time.

From the very beginning, I have personally added and deleted all addresses. Leasing News has never spammed by adding anyone who has not requested to be added. Even when someone recommends another, even if from the same company, it is always verified. Email addresses are never shared or given out, and when requested by readers for a specific address, the party is contacted to gain permission to pass on the email address.

No addresses or other information is required or recorded. Those who have had complaints against them or do not follow netiquette, are removed from the list. Leasing News reserves the right not to send an email---although the edition is always available at www.leasingnews.org

Normally three to five readers a day ask to unsubscribe; however, some give a new address. Most are leaving the industry. Perhaps some do not like what was written. Usually five to ten a day to be added; sometimes more. In fact, a really good story bring more subscribers to email. The last three years saw hundreds leave the mailing list, I am sorry to report. The good news is the mailing list grows by colleagues sending to others and has since started in 1992.

Constant Contact does not send to those with a vacation/auto reply or to "mailbox full." There are always readers who have "blocked" email and it changes as Constant Contact sends out using many different email programs through their system, as well as more and more companies are not only reading employee emails, but blocking them. Often we attempt to correct them.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

Classified Ads---Legal

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

San Diego , CA  Experienced in-house corporate, equipment leasing and financial services attorney seeks position as managing or transactional counsel. Willing to relocate. Cell Phone: 760-533-4058; Email:marshallrosenberg@gmail.com | Resume

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

 

Comprehensive personal property tax outsourcing services We accept file exports and integrate personal property tax information with all lease management or accounting software. No other firm offers the combination of individual attention, software capabilities expertise, "full disclosure" and web port accessibility to information more than we do.  Click here to learn what our clients say about our service Gary DiLillo, President 440.871.0555 or gary@avptc.com

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Northern Leasing Systems Says "It isn't so!"
(New York is an Evergreen Notification State)

NY AG Eric Schneiderman

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced through a press release his office had settled a lawsuit against Northern Leasing System "... and its partners, including Lease Source-LSI LLC, Golden Eagle Leasing LLC, MBF Leasing LLC and Lease Finance Group LLC."

He stated in the release Northern Leasing Systems " will refund the more than $3.6 million they debited from customers’ accounts in spring 2011. NLS and its partners also agreed to refrain from efforts to collect the remaining $7 million from customers targeted in the scheme, make automatic refunds to certain former customers, use a claims process for all other customers and make reforms to future lease agreements to clearly disclose information about administrative fees. The companies will also pay $575,000 worth of penalties, costs and fees to the state of New York...

“My office will go after companies who cheat the marketplace and use shell companies to pick the pockets of unsuspecting and hard-working business owners in New York and across the country,” Schneiderman said. “This settlement sends a clear message that deceptive business practices will not be tolerated in New York, and we will take action to help protect consumers and small businesses from fraud.”

"The New York-based Northern Leasing Systems Inc. and its affiliates provided credit card processing machines and other equipment to small businesses. NLS and its partners allegedly siphoned more than $3.6 million in unauthorized fees from the bank accounts of close to 110,000 former customers as part of a plan to steal more than $11 million. The scheme was discovered and the companies were stopped..."

A spokesperson for Northern Leasing system made this exclusive statement for Leasing News:

“Northern Leasing prides itself on the fairness of its business practices and the open dialogue we maintain with our merchants.

"We resolved the dispute with the Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York because it was not in the best interest of our company or our merchants to continue a long and protracted litigation.

"The Consent Order & Judgment with the State of New York states: ‘Nothing contained in this Consent Order shall be construed as an admission or denial by Respondents of any liability, wrongdoing or legal or factual issue.’

"We have served over one million merchants since 1991. One of the reasons we’ve been so successful during those 22 years is that we take merchant issues very seriously.”

Bookmark us

 

Los Angeles BBB Expelled from National Association
by Christopher Menkin

Leasing News has been writing about the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and its practices for several years, including a three month review of BBB ratings on various leasing companies. Some are on companies no longer in business from a poor record or failure, such as Chase Industries, who in January still had an A+ rating, or on Bulletin Board Complaints from some serious, such as Integrity Finance Groups (A-) or Radiance capital (A+). As well as the practice of an improved rating by signing up and paying to be "accredited." Or the unbelievable such as Equilease Financial Service, Norwalk, Connecticut, getting an "F"; (no complaints, except they were not able to contact Equilease as they never heard of the company. Equilease said they did not want to join BBB and it was left at that.)

The fact are these “chapters” are more like a "franchise" operations. The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), the umbrella organization, in “expelling” its L.A. franchise from the national organization, means its loses the right to use the BBB name and logo as well as all services that the national may supply (being hooked up with the other franchises).

Carrie A. Hurt, interim president and chief executive of the Council of Better Business Bureaus , based out of Austin, Texas (He is president and CEO of the BBB in Austin, according to LinkedIn) , stated in the press release: “Over a period of more than two years, BBB of the Southland failed to resolve concerns about compliance with several standards required of BBBs, including standards relating to accreditation, reporting on businesses, and handling complaints.”

“We have a new website at la.bbb.org that allows consumers to file complaints and businesses to register with BBB,” Hurt noted. “The website will be updated frequently as new information is available. We will also publish an e-newsletter for those who want to be updated on a regular basis. We appreciate the patience of businesses and consumers while we rebuild.”

The press release further stated, “Hurt emphasized that current Accredited Businesses in Los Angeles can maintain their accreditation and continue to use the BBB seal during the transition. They will be asked to recommit to BBB’s ‘Code of Business Practices’[ and agree to resolve complaints in a timely manner. Consumers can access a “Directory of BBB Accredited Businesses in the Greater Los Angeles Market” online, as well. BBB Accredited Businesses will be receiving a letter inviting them to continue their affiliation with BBB. (I didn’t make this up. It comes from the press release. Editor).

The Los Angeles Times reported: "In 2010, a group of Los Angeles business owners that had been critical of the BBB conducted a sting operation by paying dues for fake companies, including one named after the Palestinian organization, Hamas, which the U.S. government considers a terrorist group.

"The fake businesses were all accredited and given ratings, according to the ABC News report. Hamas received an A-minus rating.

"In 2009, The Times' consumer affairs columnist David Lazarus wrote about Chef Wolfgang Puck, who owns several restaurants in Southern California. Puck's non-BBB restaurants were rated poorly, while lesser-known eateries paid roughly $300 in dues and were graded A-plus."

There have been complaints to Leasing News about the Los Angeles Bureau as well as others across the United States where it seems a paid member gets a higher rating than a non-paid members, plus complaints can be "deleted."

Here is a community Yelp in the Los Angeles area:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/los-angeles-better-business-bureau-colton

January, 2013 Leasing News BBB ratings
http://www.leasingnews.org/Pages/bbb_listings.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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Funder Looking for Broker Group Needs Good “BBB”
Conditions on being on the List

Despite the Los Angeles Chapter disqualification and problems with several other chapters in the United States, qualities to be listed on the Funder list require a good BBB rating. The main qualification remains to be a “real” funder, not just a discounter or lessor with a warehouse line. To be listed, the company also has to qualify for the Leasing News funder list:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm.

There also can be no history of complaints at Leasing News, as well as the condition of notifying lessees in advance when the lease will end and what the residual will be; specifically not automating extra lease payments, or insisting their discounter follow the same policy.

There is no advertising fee or charge for a listing. They are “free.”

Leasing News makes no endorsement of any of the companies listed, except they have qualified to be on this specific list as not having any complaints posted.

These companies have notified Leasing News they are actively looking for brokers to do business with.

Alphabetical list - click on company name to view more details

1st Enterprise Bank Leasing Advantage Funding Agility Solutions Allegiant Partners Incorporated Allegheny Valley Bank Leasing  American Leasefund, Inc. Bankers Capital  Barrett Capital Corporation Black Rock Capital Blackstone Capital Partners, L.P. Blue Bridge Financial, LLC Boston Financial & Equity Corp.

BSB Leasing, Inc. Calfund, LLC Chesapeake Industrial Leasing Co., Inc. Cobra Capital LLC Commerce National Bank Leasing  Dakota Financial  Data Sales Co., Inc. Exchange Bank Leasing (formerly Dumac Leasing) FirstLease, Inc. First Federal Leasing Financial Pacific Leasing Forum Financial Services, Inc. Gonor Funding Lease Corporation of America Manufacturer's Lease Plans, Inc

Mar Vista Financial Maxim Commercial Credit, LLC National Equipment Finance National Machine Tool Financial Corporation NFS Leasing, Inc Northwest Leasing Company, Inc P&L Capital Corporation Pawnee Leasing Corporation RLC Funding Standard Professional Services, LLC Summit Leasing, Inc. TEAM Funding Solutions Vision Financial Group, Inc.

(We encourage companies who are listed to contact us for any change or addition they would like to make. Adding further information as an "attachment" or clarification of what they have to offer would be helpful to readers is very much encouraged.

Full List:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/New_Broker.htm

Leasing Industry Help Wanted

 

Orange, California Director of Underwriting Manage credit department with approval up to $75,000, greater with committee Portfolio Manager Manage Collection Efforts for 1,000+ customer base Cash Management Accountant 1 to 2 years of related accounting/treasury experience For more description of duties and requirements, please click on position www.quickbridgefunding.com Quick Bridge Funding provides working capital loans to small and mid-sized companies throughout the United States. With an innovative program we provide capital to an to an under-served market.

 

 

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.

 

Sales Makes it Happen
----Expect More from Sales Professionals
--by Steve Chriest

Summary: You are more likely to get better production from sales professionals when you set high performance expectations that include more than sales quotas and that are designed to help them succeed in what is being called the “new economic normal.”

Well-meaning executives often encourage their sales professionals to take just one idea, “one nugget” from a two or three day sales training workshop, and to incorporate that idea into their daily sales activities.

Unfortunately, this is a low expectation approach that often robs the executives of the best potential performance of their sales teams. This point was brought to my attention recently in a sales training workshop I facilitated on selling to senior executives.

A workshop participant agreed that an inordinate amount of the right kind of preparation is required if disaster is to be avoided in making senior executive-level sales calls. I asked her if she would commit to using our process and tool to prepare for an upcoming important meeting with senior executives at a key account. She agreed.

The results she reported, in her words, prove my point:

1. The planning process helped focus the message and focus on what solution impact our proposal would have on the customer’s business. We were able to keep the message concise and brief.

2. Time spent on reviewing the pre-call planning worksheet was a tremendous help in preparing for the call.
   

3. We were able to ask for specific commitment – the customer answered the question, “Where do we go from here?”

4. We got the pricing discussion out on the table up front.

5. I took charge of the meeting, and assigned specific ownership and tasks. I even had the confidence to do this with a higher-level internal manager who attended the meeting.

6. I was able to keep all participants in the meeting focused and “on task.”

7. We as a team were thoroughly prepared for the E-level meeting.

These are tangible, substantial results of a commitment by a sales professional to use more than just a “nugget” she learned in a sales training workshop. This sales professional saw the value in using a process for planning and executing an executive-level sales call, and used the entire process for a fruitful outcome.

Setting appropriate expectations for sales professionals that requires them to replace an ad hoc approach to selling with an integrated process, elevates how they play the game of sales, and provides them with an opportunity to improve sales revenue and build customer relationships that last.

About the author: Steve Chriest is the founder of Selling UpTM (www.selling-up.com), a sales consulting firm specializing in sales improvement for organizations of all types and sizes in a variety of industries. He is also the author of Selling The E-Suite, The Proven System for Reaching and Selling Senior Executives and Five Minute Financial Analyst, Basic CREDIT & Analysis Tools for Non-Accountants. He was the CEO of a very successful leasing company and executive at a major company. You can reach Steve at schriest@selling-up.com.

Sales Makes it Happen articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Legacy/index.html

 

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Less In-Store Branch Banks, but More Deposits
By Robert Clark and Tahir Ali, SNL Financial

(Edited due to length)

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co. reigned as the in-store branching king in terms of deposits, far outdistancing peers with $13.75 billion as of June 2012. On a total in-store deposit basis, that represented a 4.69% increase from June 30, 2011. The year-over-year same-store growth was 6.46%. Wells Fargo's average in-store deposit size was $29.4 million at June 30, 2012, which was the highest level out of the top 20 in-store banks and well more than double the industry average.

Of the seven active in-store locations across the industry at March 4 with deposits in excess of $100 million at June 30, 2012, Wells Fargo ran four of them, including the largest. That branch is in a Vons Corp. Inc. store in Escondido, Calif. At June 30, 2012, its deposits were $141.5 million, up from $137.8 million in the previous year and $24.3 million in 2008.

Wells Fargo company spokeswoman Richele Messick said the bank has "a strong tradition of in-store banking going back to the 1990s." She remarked, "Customers want convenience and we know that many choose their bank based on its location. Much like other retailers, we try to place our stores and ATMs where we know our customers live, work and shop. We believe that in-stores, traditional stores and off-site ATMs all work together to create a great and powerful distribution."

Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp operated 766 in-store branches as of March 4, the most of any banking institution. But the average branch size for the bank was just $9.4 million in deposits at June 30, 2012, well below the industry average of $12.6 million. That gap could decrease in the future as U.S. Bancorp lops off some of its weakest branches and the newer ones gain greater traction.

The total number of in-store branches for U.S. banks and thrifts has fallen 4.60% since June 30, 2011, to 5,750 as of March 4, based on data collected by SNL Financial.

In-store branches have declined in recent years as banks and thrifts look for ways to maximize efficiency. With slack loan growth, squeezed margins and greater regulatory costs, many banking institutions must cut back on overhead expenses to grow, or even maintain, profits. One way to trim those costs is to shut down underperforming branches. An easy target in that process has been in-store branches, which often hold a low amount of deposits and generate limited loan production and fee income.

The total number of in-store branches for U.S. banks and thrifts has fallen 4.60% since June 30, 2011, to 5,750 as of March 4, based on data collected by SNL Financial.

In-store branches have declined in recent years as banks and thrifts look for ways to maximize efficiency. With slack loan growth, squeezed margins and greater regulatory costs, many banking institutions must cut back on overhead expenses to grow, or even maintain, profits. One way to trim those costs is to shut down underperforming branches. An easy target in that process has been in-store branches, which often hold a low amount of deposits and generate limited loan production and fee income.

David Kerstein
President, Peak Performance
Consulting Group

David Kerstein, president of bank consultancy Peak Performance Consulting Group in Austin, Texas, is not surprised by the downward trend, "Some banks have done very well with them but overall there have been mixed results. With branch transactions in general declining, there have been a number of banks that have questioned the value in terms of their total distribution mix, especially for banks that are starting to rethink how many branches they need and what are the functions that are going to occur in those branches."

Kerstein explained that in-store branching "requires a different management process" compared to traditional branches. "If you think about that model, they are less expensive, and they are embedded in hopefully high-traffic locations. But they also have certain built-in deficits. They have very small spaces and they tend to be transaction points. They don't have very much room so being able to offer more consultative services or opening accounts is just more difficult to manage in that environment."

Chuck Stroup runs the in-store division at U.S. Bancorp. He echoed Kerstein's comments on the average branch size, noting that "there are lots of things you could do on deposits to bring in more or bring in less. Sometimes that's what people will play on. They will set a really aggressive rate out there and bring in lots of deposits. And that's just never been our strategy. We try to go after the whole relationship with the customer."

In addition to gathering deposits, Stroup said the in-store locations generate a robust amount of loan production. He said that while the branch deposit information is "readily available through the FDIC, what you can't get through the FDIC are things like loans and fee income. We look at all those when we measure branch performance. And we do quite well in loans. I'm guessing if you could find comparative data on loans, you would see we are heads above the pack. This is one of the reasons that we continue to invest in the business. It's a great source of new customers and it's also a great source of loans for us. In our total in-store/on-site branch business right now, we have just under $8 billion in deposits and almost $5 billion in loans."

From July 1, 2011, through March 4, U.S. Bancorp experienced a net loss of 15 in-store branches, consisting of 66 closures (the most of any banking company) and 51 openings (the third-most in the industry). According to Kerstein, the bank has "given a lot of thought as to which locations make sense, and how to use them and how to manage them differently."

Fifty-two of the 66 closed branches held less than $10 million in deposits as of June 30, 2011. The majority of the closed branches were in Giant Eagle stores in Ohio, as the supermarket switched to a relationship with Columbus, Ohio-based Huntington Bancshares Inc. Stroup remarked, "That's what drove the unusual closure activity for us. It wasn't any strategic change at the company." He said U.S. Bancorp has been closing "10 to 15 branches every year just based on performance and different opportunities."

As for the new branches, 16 are in Wal-Mart and the other 35 are based in more than a dozen different stores. Stroup said the bank has "pretty steadily opened in the neighborhood of 25 to 35, some years in the range of 50 branches each year. And that's our strategy going forward. This year, we'll open right around 30."

Stroup explained that U.S. Bancorp has a plethora of options for new branches, "Now, we probably look at 200 to 300 opportunities every year from our different partners. That gives us a nice advantage because we can fill in gaps in our market. In Southern California, we've done a lot of filling in the last few years. Going forward, a lot of the growth will continue to be in Southern California just because our market share there is small but growing. But we'll still do a lot of stores in Ohio and the Pacific Northwest where we have opportunities. As the population moves in a certain metropolitan area, this is a great way for us to go in and quickly and inexpensively take advantage of the growth, like in Seattle for example."

Of the top 50 in-store companies by total deposits, the fastest-growing for the year ended June 30, 2012, was Giant Foods. Its deposit base expanded to $249.6 million from $172.4 million. Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group Inc. operated 73 of the 74 stores in Giant Foods as of March 4. The other, run by Souderton, Pa.-based Univest Corp. of Pennsylvania, was the only one with more than $10 million in deposits as of last June.

Wal-Mart hosted the most in-store branches, with 1,531 at March 4, and the most deposits, with $6.88 billion as of June 30, 2012. Deposits at branches in the retail giant were down from $7.10 billion at June 30, 2011, but up from $6.68 billion in 2008. The average deposit base at June 30, 2012, across the franchise was only $4.4 million.

 

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Ten Websites Where Americans Spend the Most time
247wallst.com

10.
ESPN
Pct. of all time spent online: 0.6%
Desktop visitors: 38.7 million
Mobile visitors: 34.6 million

Based on unique visitors, ESPN is the 23rd largest digital property in the U.S., according to ComScore, and the highest sports-related property in the country.

9.
Craigslist
Pct. of all time spent online: 0.7% (tied for 8th highest)
Desktop visitors: n/a
Mobile visitors: n/a

Craigslist claims that more than 60 million people in the United States visit its sites each month, leading to 50 billion page views each month.

8.
Tumblr
Pct. of all time spent online: 0.7% (tied for 8th highest)
Desktop visitors: n/a
Mobile visitors: n/a

Tumblr is not among the 25 largest Web properties in the United States, but those who go on the site spend a lot of time there. Consuming 5.7% of all time on social media, more time is spent on Tumblr than any other social media property, except for Facebook. Notably, the site has become popular for fashion and humor blogging.

7.
eBay
Pct. of all time spent online: 0.9%
Desktop visitors: 77.7 million
Mobile visitors: 39.5 million

EBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) has benefitted from the large growth in online retailing. In the fourth quarter of 2012, revenue in the marketplace division — the e-commerce segment of the company — grew 16% compared with the same quarter in 2012. EBay also owns PayPal, an online payment processor. The service generated $1.54 billion in revenue during the fourth quarter of 2012, an increase of 24% compared to the prior year. PayPal processed roughly 700 million payments during the quarter and had 123 million users.

(Reportedly Direct Capital does much of the lease and other financing, perhaps another reason why their web site gets such high ratings and is designed for the WWW. Editor).

6.
Amazon
Pct. of all time spent online: 1.0%
Desktop visitors: 128.2 million
Mobile visitors: 80.5 million

Similar to eBay, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has been a huge beneficiary of the increase in online retail purchases. During the most recent holiday season, sales conducted by a third-party on the website were up 40% from the same time in 2011. Amazon also is directly challenging Hulu and Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) with its Prime Instant Video service. The streaming service has added new movies and TV programs to its portfolio in recent months. Amazon on Thursday announced that shows from the E.W. Scripps Co. (NYSE: SSP) network of channels — such as HGTV, Food Network and Travel Channel — will soon be available through the service.

5.
AOL
Pct. of all time spent online: 2.5%
Desktop visitors: 117.6 million
Mobile visitors: 62.4 million

The company’s most popular news website is The Huffington Post, which it bought in 2011. The Huffington Post, like many news outlets, recently has devoted many of its resources to video programming. The company launched its news streaming service, HuffPost Live, in August 2012. The service was created with the intent to engage users. Features such as the “join this segment” let viewers speak their mind via webcam.

4.
Microsoft
Pct. of all time spent online: 4.9%
Desktop visitors: 170.9 million
Mobile visitors: 55.2 million

Microsoft Corp.’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) sites, including MSN, Hotmail and Bing, had nearly 169 million unique visitors in December, more than any other Web property except for Google and Yahoo! Bing, the second-most popular search engine behind Google, has seen its share of search grow slightly, from 15.1% of all searches in December 2011 to 16.3% in 2012. Microsoft has made a major push into mobile with its new Windows Surface Tablet, which was released late in 2012.(Which has the advantage of Microsoft Office as well as other business applications. Editor).

3.
Yahoo!
Pct. of all time spent online: 7.0%
Desktop visitors: 185.8 million
Mobile visitors: 92.2 million

Although Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) has struggled in recent years because it has lost advertising market share to Facebook and Google, it is still the most popular portal on the Web. The company recently redesigned its website in order to make it more personalized. The site includes a live news feed of articles that are customized to the visitors’ interests and to what their friends share on social networks. The company has made significant strides in mobile as well. More than 92 million people accessed at least one of the site’s properties through a mobile device in December 2012. (And a great sports section, as well as much improved news section. Editor)

2.
Google
Pct. of all time spent online: 10.0%
Desktop visitors: 193.8 million
Mobile visitors: 113.7 million

In December alone, Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) sites had almost 194 million desktop unique visitors and nearly 114 million mobile visitors throughout the country. Google owns YouTube, by far the most visited video site. In 2012, more than 188 billion videos were streamed on the website, according to ComScore. In comparison, only about 8.9 billion videos were streamed on Hulu, the second-most visited video property. Despite becoming a multidimensional company over the years, Google shows no signs of letting up on its original business of search. A whopping 66.7% of all Internet searches were conducted through Google in December 2012, up from 65.9% during the same month of 20.

1.
Facebook.com
Pct. of all time spent online: 10.8%
Desktop visitors: 150.3 million
Mobile visitors: 97.7 million

Responsible for 10.8% of all time on the Internet, more time is spent on Facebook than any other site. Of all the time spent on the different social networking sites, 83% is spent on Facebook

Full Report by Sam Weigley
http://247wallst.com/2013/03/04/the-10-websites-where-americans-spend-the-most-time/

 

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

Great American Insurance Group and ECS Financial
Announce New Strategic Relationship

Cincinnati, Ohio – – Great American Insurance Group, an industry leader in insurance and risk management solutions for equipment lease and finance businesses, is pleased to announce a new strategic relationship with ECS Financial Services, Inc., a leading provider of lease portfolio management, tax compliance and accounting services to the equipment leasing industry.

Great American’s specialty insurance solutions are now being recommended by ECS, meeting the need of ECS clients wanting a complete risk management/account service solution. Similarly, Great American is referring business to ECS as an outsourced solution for compliance, accounting services and portfolio management. The relationship allows clients to take advantage of both companies’ expertise, helping them protect and manage their equipment portfolios more effectively and with fewer resources.

Nancy Geary
ECS Financial Partner

“It’s always a plus when we can offer our clients useful portfolio management tools, and Great American’s solutions are a great compliment to our current services. The synergies between our respective client bases also make this alliance a great fit,” says ECS Financial partner, Nancy Geary.

Ken Schneider, Divisional Vice President, Specialty Equipment Services Division of Great American Insurance Group

“Entering into this relationship with ECS Financial demonstrates our dedication to our clients’ long term success. We view the relationship with ECS as a complement to our products and services available to our clients,” comments Ken Schneider, Divisional Vice President, Specialty Equipment Services Division of Great American Insurance Group.

About Great American’s Equipment Finance Solutions
Great American Insurance Group, provides equipment finance solutions to make financing equipment faster, easier, and more profitable for lease and finance businesses while helping them provide additional value to their customers.

About Great American Insurance Group
Great American Insurance Group’s roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the operations of Great American Insurance Group are engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialty commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of traditional fixed, indexed and variable annuities and a variety of supplemental insurance products. Great American Insurance Company has received an “A” (Excellent) or higher rating from the A.M. Best Company for over 100 years (most recent evaluation February 22, 2013). The members of Great American Insurance Group are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG), also based in Cincinnati, Ohio. AFG’s common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “AFG.” Great American Insurance Group is located at 301 E. 4th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.

About ECS Financial Services, Inc.
ECS Financial Services, Inc. is a leading outsource provider dedicated to helping equipment leasing companies thrive. Our lease portfolio management, sales, property and income tax compliance, and accounting services are focused entirely on equipment lessors’ needs and make critical contributions to their success. As one of the only CPA firms that specialize in equipment leasing, our knowledge is broad and deep. We offer more than four decades of experience and the expertise of numerous Certified Leasing Professionals, as well as proven success managing large and complex portfolios, and resolving tax and accounting issues.

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

 

• Contract Negotiations • Fraud Investigations  • Credit Investigations • Skip-tracing  • Third-party Commercial Collections John Kenny  Receivables Management For flat fee or commissions basis  john@jkrmdirect.com | ph 315-866-1167| www.jkrmdirect.com

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

Classified ads—Finance/Human Resources

Leasing Industry Outsourcing
(Providing Services and Products)

Finance: Chicago, IL Experienced in big ticket origination, syndication, valuation and workout. Twenty five years, MBA, CPA, JD, LLM (Tax), structuring specialist. Inbound and outbound transactions. Email:pal108381@comcast.net Transaction Summary | The Lechner Group  Website: www.tlgattorneycpa.com	Finance: Naperville, IL Your guide to the right questions and answers in finance. Expert in capital raising, GAAP, acquisitions, lease economics. CPA. MBA.  E-mail: m.willow@ameritech.net
Finance: Charlotte, NC 15 Years of Equipment Leasing Experience and Recruiting with Business Aviation niche. Visit us at www.turningpointgrp.com  E-mail: info@turningpointgrp.com	Human Resource Consultant: New York, NY Employee Relations, Recruiting, Benefits, employee customer surveys, plus payroll administration "ON-LINE" services-- AND IN PERSON at your location Please visit:www.adviceonhr.com
Information System: North Detroit, MI  INFOLEASE EXPERT - 18 years experience.  Since being downsized in 2002, working as a consultant for several leasing companies.  Seeking consulting projects nationwide.  email: darwint@prodigy.net	Finance: New York, NY “Think Outside the Bank”. Barrett Capital is a merchant banking and consulting firm, specializing in asset based financing: equipment, vehicles, receivables and real estate. Email:bkorn@barrettcapital.com Web: www.barrettcapital.com

All "Outsourcing" Classified ads (advertisers are both requested
and responsible to keep their free ads up to date:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing.htm

How to Post a free "Outsourcing" classified ad:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing-post.htm

 

Mr. Terry Winders available as a consultant regarding assisting attorneys in resolving disputes or explaining procedures or reviewing documents as utilized in the finance and leasing industry. He is the 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. 502.649.0488/Leaseconsulting@msn.com

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

Labrador Retriever Two Color/Black with White
Bellevue, Washington Adopt-a-Dog

 

ID #: 19277540
Name: Braxton
Breed: Retriever, Labrador / Mix
Gender: Male
Size: Small
Age: 1 year, 2 months

“Braxton is a 1 year old black lab mix. He is a sweet, fun and loving guy! Braxton would be a wonderful companion to an active adopter to share on all of your outdoor adventures! Along with fun, this little guy is smart too! He knows some commands and is eager to learn more. Come meet Braxton at the Seattle Humane Society, you will be happy you did!

“As with all of our dogs, Braxton has been neutered, micro chipped, vaccinated and behavior tested. He will go home with a certificate for an examination by a King County veterinarian and an identification tag. PLUS, most dog adoptions include six weeks of training in one of our on campus behavior courses – a great way to start off on the right paw!

“Resident dogs are required to visit with Braxton prior to adoption. Introduce to dog-savvy cats. Please see an adoption advisor for additional behavior information.

“This pet comes with an implanted 24PetWatch microchip and free registration into the 24PetWatch pet recovery service. For more information call 1-866-597-2424.

“This pet also is eligible for 30 days of pre-paid pet health insurance. For more information please visit www.sheltercare.com or call 1-866-375-PETS.”

DONATE TO SAVE ANIMALS' LIVES
Adoption Hours
Sunday – Wednesday | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday – Saturday | 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
ADOPT ME NOW!
Visit Our Pets In Person
Seattle Humane Society
13212 SE Eastgate Way
Bellevue, Washington 98005
(425) 641-0080

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/

 

News Briefs----

Better Business Bureau L.A. chapter changes name after expulsion
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-after-expulsion-bbb-of-the-southland-now-is-business-consumer-alliance-20130312,0,6197106.story

NB Consultant Charged With Leasing Fraud Against Cisco
http://www.ocbj.com/news/2013/mar/12/nb-consultant-charged-fraud-against-cisco/

Over 25% of H&R Block Tax Returns May Be Delayed
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100547218

Boeing wins OK to test 787 battery fixes
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-faa-oks-boeing-plan-to-test-787-battery-fixes-20130312,0,6752973.story

Dell Agrees to Open Its Books to Icahn
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/icahn-signs-confidentiality-agreement-with-dell/?src=dlbksb

Costco 2Q results rise, top analysts' estimates
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020537822_apusearnscostco.html

Hostess Sells Twinkies Brand to Investment Firms
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/hostess-picks-apollo-led-group-as-new-owner-of-twinkies/?ref=business

 

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---You May Have Missed

Mo. golfer survives fall into Ill. course sinkhole
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Mo-golfer-survives-fall-into-Ill-course-sinkhole-4347711.php

[headlines]
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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

15 Diet-Friendly Ice Cream Choices
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1118

 

[headlines]
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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]
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Sports Briefs----

49ers deal Smith to Chiefs, acquire Boldin from Ravens
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/49ers-deal-smith-chiefs-acquire-boldin-ravens-223925832--nfl.html

Chiefs get a steal in Mike DeVito
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/chiefs-steal-mike-devito-235607709--nfl.html

TE Delanie Walker signs four-year deal with Titans
http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2013/03/12/te-delanie-walker-signs-four-year-deal-with-titans/

The 49ers’ top 10 needs heading to free agency
http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2013/03/11/the-49ers-top-10-needs-heading-to-free-agency/#10458-2

Dolphins land WR Mike Wallace for 5 years, $60M
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/dolphins/2013/03/12/mike-wallace-free-agent/1982983/

Jets have Revis trade offer from Buccaneers
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/report-jets-revis-trade-offer-193127753--nfl.html

Michael Huff, Darrius Heyward-Bey released by the Oakland Raiders
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/michael-huff-darrius-heyward-bey-released-oakland-raiders-005611407--nfl.html

 

 

[headlines]
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California Nuts Briefs---

Sacramento man wins $1 million at Cache Creek Casino
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/12/5256954/sacramento-man-wins-1-million.html

Bay Area foreclosure sales at historic lows
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22776264/foreclosure-sales-at-historic-lows-bay-area

Berkeley's Chez Panisse begins rebuilding, pushes back reopening date
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22775702/berkeleys-chez-panisse-begins-rebuilding-pushes-back-reopening

Los Gatos mourns the loss of Peter Carter
http://www.mercurynews.com/los-gatos/ci_22768348/los-gatos-mourns-loss-peter-carter?source=rss

[headlines]
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“Gimme that Wine”

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

As California farmworkers age, a labor shortage looms
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/10/5250292/as-california-farmworkers-age.html

Iowa Wineries team up to promote local production, help each other
http://www.southwestiowanews.com/council_bluffs/news/local_news/wineries-team-up-to-promote-local-production-help-each-other/article_67ad1246-8830-11e2-a108-001a4bcf887a.html

Central Calif. Local wine needs to be economic priority
http://santamariatimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/commentary/local-wine-needs-to-be-economic-priority/article_8699acd8-8942-11e2-902f-001a4bcf887a.html

California table grapes pass shipping record
http://westernfarmpress.com/grapes/california-table-grapes-pass-shipping-record

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

      1565- Smoking of tobacco was introduced to England by John Hawkins. Hawkins was primarily a slave trader, carrying Africans to the West Indies. Most of his dealings were with the Spanish in the West Indies, but during his second trip to the region visited the small French colony in Florida and learned to smoke tobacco from the colonists, who had learned from the Indians. Hawkins returned to Eng­land with a shipload of tobacco. He described the Indian use of the plant this way: “The Floridians when they travel have a kind of herb dried, who with a cane and an earthen cap in the end, with fire, and dried herbs put together, doe sucke thorow the cane the smoke thereof, which smoke satisfieth their hun­ger, and therwith they live foure or five days without meat or drinke, and this all the Frenchmen used for this purpose.”
    1687-Father Eusebio Kino, 42, an Italian-born Jesuit in the service of Spain, began missionary labors in the American Southwest. In all, Kino established 25 Indian missions in the area now divided between northern Mexico and Arizona.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/azhistory/02086kino0210.html
http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/april/papr/du_kino.html
http://www.nps.gov/tuma/Father_Kino.html
http://discoverseaz.com/History/Kino.html
    1789-Young Enoch Brooks inscribed his name in this children's Bible in Princeton, New Jersey. Now a rare artifact of Americana, Brooks' book is one of four extant copies of A Curious Hieroglyphick Bible. With nearly five hundred woodcuts by American artists, this Bible was the most ambitious woodcut volume produced in America up to that time. He was not only a prolific printer of children’s books but at one time owned more than 20 book stores in the Boston, MA area. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar13.html
    1791 - Thomas Paine's The Rights of Man was published in London.
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1776-1800/paine/ROM/rofmxx.htm
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/thomas_paine/rights_of_man/part1.html
http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~dino55/rightsofman.htm
    1794- Eli Whitney received a patent for the cotton gin, allegedly based on the ideas and concept of a Black slave on a plantation he was visiting. Whether he, the black slave, or Katherine Greene, the owner of the plantation he was visiting, came up with the concept of wire cleaning the cotton balls is a matter of historic controversy. Whitney's cotton gin was capable of maintaining a daily output of 23 kg (50 lb) of cleaned cotton, and its effect was far-reaching, making southern cotton a profitable crop for the first time. Whitney, however, failed to profit from his invention. Numerous imitations appeared, and his 1794 patent was not validated until 1807. This made cotton a major crop in the South where slaves were “imported” to meet the demand, plus could be utilized for other crops due to this invention. “By the early 1800's, more than 700,000 slaves lived in the South. They accounted for about a third of the region's people. By 1860, the slave states had about 4 million slaves. Slaves outnumbered whites in South Carolina and made up over half the population in both Maryland and Virginia. Slavery began to develop even deeper roots in the South after Eli Whitney of Massachusetts invented his cotton gin in 1793. This machine removed the seeds from cotton as fast as 50 people working by hand and probably contributed more to the growth of slavery than any other development. Whitney's gin enabled farmers to meet the rapidly rising demand for cotton. As a result, the Southern cotton industry expanded, and cotton became the chief crop in the region. The planters needed more and more workers to pick and bale the cotton, which led to large increases in the slave population. The thriving sugar cane plantations of Louisiana also used many slaves during the first half of the 1800's. By 1860, about 4 million slaves lived in the South.” It is stated that in 1860, one in three people in the South were slaves.
http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/152.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3h1522.html
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/whitney.html
http://www.eliwhitney.org/main.htm
http://www.csusm.edu/Black_Excellence/documents/pg-c-gin.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3narr6.html
http://www2.worldbook.com/features/features.asp?feature=aajourney
&page=html/bh112.html&direct=yes
http://ia.thebostonchannel.com/blackhistory/1947088/detail.html
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/cotton_gin_patent/cotton_gin_patent.html
http://web.mit.edu/invent/www/inventorsR-Z/whitney.html
    1798-birthday of Abigail Fillmore, first wife of Millard Fillmore, 13th president of the US. Born at Stillwater, NY. It is said that the White House was without any books until Abigail Fillmore, formerly a teacher, made a room on the second floor into a library. Within a year, Congress appropriated $250 for the president to spend on books for the White House. Died at Washington, DC, Mar 30, 1853. 
    1802- Absalom Jones ordained first Black priest in Episcopal Churchhttp://www.ube.org/abjones.htm
    1813-. Lorenzo Delmonico was born in Marengo, Switzerland and was invited to join his uncles in their successful pastry shop and catering business in New York in 1831. He soon transformed the business into one of the first, best, most elegant and famous restaurants in the country, Delmonico’s. Lorenzo was not a chef, but he purchased the food and created the very extensive menu. He helped make the concept of the 'restaurant' an acceptable and successful one. After many moves the final Delmonico’s restaurant was forced to close in 1923, a victim of Prohibition.
http://www.cbbqa.com/delmonico/Filippini.html
http://www.cbbqa.com/delmonico/Steak.html
http://www.cbbqa.com/delmonico/Potatoes.html
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/foodnames.html
    1818- Absalom Jones ordained first Black priest in Episcopal Church
http://www.justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/98.html
http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Absalom_Jones.htm
http://www.io.com/~kellywp/LesserFF/Feb/AbsJones.html
http://david-alexander.tripod.com/id117.htm
    1836- Houston retreats from Santa Anna's army. Less than a week after the disastrous defeat of Texas rebels at the Alamo, the newly commissioned Texan General Sam Houston begins a series of strategic retreats to buy time to train his ill-prepared army. Revolutionary Texans had only formally announced their independence from Mexico 11 days earlier. On March 6, 1836, the separatists chose Sam Houston to be the commander-in- chief of the revolutionary army. Houston immediately departed for Gonzales, Texas, where the main force of the revolutionary army was stationed. When he arrived, he found that the Texan army consisted of 374 poorly dressed and ill-equipped men. Most had no guns or military experience, and they had only two days of rations. Houston had little time to dwell on the situation, because he learned that the Mexican general Santa Anna was staging a siege of the Alamo in San Antonio. Before Houston could prepare his troops to rush to aid the defenders, however, word arrived that Santa Anna had wiped them out on March 6. Scouts reported that Santa Anna's troops were heading east toward Gonzales. Unprepared to confront the Mexican army with his poorly trained force, Houston began a series of strategic retreats designed to give him enough time to whip his army into fighting shape. Houston's decision to retreat won him little but scorn from the Texas rebels. His troops and officers were eager to engage the Mexicans, and they chafed at Houston's insistence on learning proper field maneuvers. Houston wisely continued to organize, train, and equip his troops so they would be prepared to meet Santa Anna's army. Finally, after nearly a month of falling back, Houston ordered his men to turn around and head south to meet Santa Anna's forces. On April 21, Houston led his 783 troops in an attack on Santa Anna's force of nearly twice that number near the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River. With the famous cry, "Remember the Alamo," the Texans stormed the surprised Mexican forces. After a brief attempt at defense, the Mexican soldiers broke into a disorganized retreat, allowing the Texans to isolate and slaughter them. In a stunning victory, Houston's army succeeded in killing or capturing nearly the entire Mexican force, including General Santa Anna, who was taken prisoner. Only two Texans were killed and 30 wounded. Fearful of execution, Santa Anna signed an order calling for the immediate withdrawal of all Mexican troops from Texas soil. The Mexicans never again seriously threatened the independence of the Lone Star Republic.
    1846---In San Francisco, Colonel Castro issued a proclamation that declared John Frémont and his party to be a band of highwaymen.
    1865—Slaves were assigned to military duty in the Confederate Army by a bill signed by President Jefferson Davis. During the Civil War, blacks not only had related jobs, but also were uniformed soldiers and officers. CSA General Patrick Cleburne had suggested enlisting slaves a year before, but few in the Confederate leadership considered the proposal, since slavery was the foundation of southern society. One politician asked, "What did we go to war for, if not to protect our property?" Another suggested, "If slaves will make good soldiers, our whole theory of slavery is wrong." General Lee weighed in on the issue and asked the Confederate government for help. "We must decide whether slavery shall be extinguished by our enemies and the slaves be used against us, or use them ourselves." Lee asked that the slaves be freed as a condition of fighting, but the bill that passed the Confederate Congress on March 13 did not stipulate freedom for those who served. The measure did nothing to stop the destruction of the Confederacy. Several thousand blacks were enlisted in the Rebel cause, but they could not begin to balance out the nearly 200,000 blacks that fought for the Union.
http://www.rebelgray.com/BlackSoldiers.htm
http://www.nps.gov/apco/blacks.htm
http://www.augustachronicle.com/stories/022199/met_confeds.shtml
http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/burke_cw.htm
http://www.africana.com/archive/dailyarticles/index_20010410.asp
http://www2.netdoor.com/~jgh/mobile.html http://www.theonlinedispatch.com/dans/_disc2/00000142.htm
    1868-The US Senate began its trial to impeach President Andrew Jackson. For the first time in the nation’s history a president was impeached. Pres. Johnson was accused by Congress of having violated the Tenure of Office Act of 1867, which forbade the president to discharge any federal officer holder appointed “by and with the consent of the Senate.” Johnson tested the act by removing Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton on February 21. The impeachment was brought largely because the radical Republicans bitterly opposed Johnson’s plans for Reconstruction. Johnson’s firing of Stanton gave them the opportunity they had been seeking. On February 24 the House of Representatives voted to impeach. The US Senate trial began this date. Sworn in as president after Lincoln's assassination in April 1865, President Johnson enacted a lenient Reconstruction policy for the defeated South, including almost total amnesty to ex-Confederates, a program of rapid restoration of U.S.-state status for the seceded states, and the approval of new, local Southern governments, which were able to legislate "black codes" that preserved the system of slavery in all but name. The Republican-dominated Congress greatly opposed Johnson's Reconstruction program and passed the "Radical Reconstruction" by repeatedly overriding the president's vetoes. Under the Radical Reconstruction, local Southern governments gave way to federal military rule, and African-American men in the South were granted the constitutional right to vote. In March 1867, in order further to weaken Johnson's authority, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act over his veto. The act prohibited the president from removing federal office holders, including Cabinet members, who had been confirmed by the Senate, without the consent of the Senate. It was designed to shield members of Johnson's Cabinet like Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who was appointed during the Lincoln administration and was a leading ally of the so-called Radical Republicans in Congress. In the fall of 1867, Johnson attempted to test the constitutionality of the act by replacing Stanton with General Ulysses S. Grant. However, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to rule on the case, and Grant turned the office back to Stanton after the Senate passed a measure in protest of the dismissal. On February 21, 1868, Johnson decided to rid himself of Stanton once and for all and appointed General Lorenzo Thomas, an individual far less favorable to the Congress than Grant, as secretary of war. Stanton refused to yield, barricading himself in his office, and the House of Representatives, which had already discussed impeachment after Johnson's first dismissal of Stanton, initiated formal impeachment proceedings against the president. On February 24, the House voted 11 impeachment articles against President Johnson. Nine of the articles cited his violations of the Tenure of Office Act; one cited his opposition to the Army Appropriations Act of 1867 (designed to deprive the president of his constitutional position as commander in chief of the U.S. Army); and one accused Johnson of bringing "into disgrace, ridicule, hatred, contempt, and reproach the Congress of the United States" through certain controversial speeches. On March 13, according to the rules set out in Section 3 of Article I of the U.S. Constitution, the impeachment trial of President Johnson began in the Senate. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presided over the proceedings, which were described as theatrical. On May 16 and again on May 26, the Senate voted on the charges brought against President Johnson. Both times the vote was 35 for conviction and 19 for acquittal, with seven moderate Republicans joining 12 Democrats in voting against what was a weak case for impeachment. Because both votes fell short--by one vote--of the two- thirds majority needed to convict Johnson, he was judged not guilty and remained in office. Nevertheless, he chose not to actively seek reelection on the Democratic ticket. In November, Ulysses S. Grant, who supported the Republicans' Radical Reconstruction policies, was elected president of the United States. In 1875, after two failed bids, Johnson won reelection to Congress as a U.S. senator from Tennessee. He died less than four months after taking office at the age of 66. Fifty-one years later, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Tenure of Office Act unconstitutional in its ruling in Myers v. United States.
1868- Birth of Charles E. Cowman, American missionary pioneer. In 1901 he sailed to Japan with his wife Lettie (who later authored "Streams in the Desert"), where in 1910 they founded the Oriental Missionary Society.
http://www.backtothebible.org/devotions/bio_cowman.htm
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=6249X&p=1014019
March 13, 1873-PBS Pinchback, first Black state governor, is denied his senate seat by the Senate, 1873. Senators were elected at this time by the state legislature. In January 1873, the Louisiana legislature elected Pinchback to the U.S. Senate, which was also contested by another rival W.L. McMillen. Though McMillen eventually acknowledged Pinchback's claim to the seat, Senators uncovered evidence that Pinchback had paid $10,000 to obtain it. On March 13, 1875, the Senate denied Pinchback his seat by a vote of 32 to 29.
http://www.theblackmale.com/black-men/History/pinchback.htm
http://www.fact-index.com/p/p_/p__b__s__pinchback.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/reference/articles/p_b_s_pinchback.html
    1887- Chester Greenwood of Maine received a patent for earmuffs. 
    1906-clarinet/sax player Frank Teschemacher born Kansas City MO, Died, 1932 Chicago
http://www.redhotjazz.com/tesch.html
http://wwwp.musicmatch.com/artist/artist.cgi?ARTISTID=600112
    1911- Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, science fiction writer, recluse and founder of the Church of Scientology, born at Tilden, NE. His best-known book was Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. Died at San Luis Obispo County, CA, Jan 24, 1986. 
http://www.lronhubbard.org
    1912- the Chamber of Commerce of the United Sates was founded by approximately 500 representatives of commercial organizations, trade associations, and individual establishments, who were invited to participate in a series of discussions by President William Howard Taft and Secretary of Commerce and Labor Charles Nagel. The headquarters of the chamber of Commerce of the Untied States was dedicated on May 20, 1925.
    1912 – Mystery writer Bill S. Ballinger (1912-1980), aka Frederic Freyer, B.X. Sanborn, born, Oskaloosa, Iowa. American thriller writer, who specialized from the early 1950's in a multi-level kind of narration or divided narration. Received Edgar Allan Poe Award from Mystery Writers of America in 1960 for his TV work.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/ballinge.htm
    1913---guitarist Lightin’ Slim (Otis V. Hicks) born St. Louis, Mo.
http://mathrisc1.lunet.edu/blues/Louisiana.html#O_Hicks
http://www.luckymojo.com/blueshoodoolightninslim.html
    1913- Sammy Kaye, one of the most successful bandleaders of all time, was born in Rocky River, Ohio. Although the syrupy sweet romantic sounds were denounced by critics and music purists, the "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye" formula was so successful that his orchestra stayed together long after the big band era had ended. His hit records in the 1940's included "Daddy," "Harbor Lights" and "It Isn't Fair." Kaye died on June 2nd, 1987.
http://www.sammykayeorchestra.com/ 
http://data.sonicnet.com/artists/az/kaye_sammy/bio.jhtml
    1913-guitarist Slim Lightin’ (Otis V. Hicks) born St. Louis, Mo, Died July 27, 1994
http://physics.lunet.edu/blues/Louisiana.html
    1914-base player Bob Haggart bass born New York City /Died December 2, 1999
http://www.riverwalk.org/profiles/haggart.htm
http://jazzbymail.com/artists/haggart.html
http://www.52ndstreet.com/justjazz/Haggart_birthday.html
http://www.atlantajazzparty.com/ajp10.html
    1914-bassist Bob Haggart born New York City.
http://pudbrown.hypermart.net/haggart.htm
    1922-drummer Willie “Rough Dried” Williams born Lake Village, AR
    1923 - A great improvement in radio receivers was advertised. The new models had a concealed speaker and eliminated the need for headphones, which were considered a nuisance because they were so heavy to wear and messed up hairdos. The new radios were also said to have a ‘foolproof’ design. 
    1924-pianist Dick Katz born Baltimore MD
http://www.jazzcanadiana.on.ca/_KATZ.HTM
http://www.theiceberg.com/artist.html?artist_id=24371
    1925- Legislation prohibiting the teaching of evolution within the state's public school system was passed by Tennessee State Assembly. A celebrated violation of this law led to the famous July Scopes Monkey Trial
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/tennstat.htm
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/scopes.htm
    1925-guitarist Bob “Poor” Woodfork born Lake Village, AR
    1926 Roy Haynes Birthday 
http://www.ejn.it/mus/haynes.htm
http://www.dreyfusrecords.com/artists/RoyHaynes.shtml
    1929- Helen Candaele Saint Aubin, known as Helen Callaghan during her baseball days, was born at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Saint Aubin and her sister, Margaret Maxwell, were recruited for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which flourished in the 1940s when many major league players were off fighting WWII. She first played at age 15 for the Minneapolis Millerettes, an expansion team that moved to Indiana and became the Fort Wayne Daisies. For the 1945 season the left-handed outfielder led the league with a .299 average and 24 extra base hits. In 1946 she stole 114 bases in 111 games. Her son Kelly Candaele's documentary on the women's baseball league inspired the film A League of Their Own. Saint Aubin, who was known as the "Ted Williams of women's baseball," died Dec 8, 1992, at Santa Barbara, CA
    1930-trumpterer Blue Mitchell born Miami, FL Died May 21, 1929
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/mitchell_blue/bio.jhtml
http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/blue.html 
    1932- country singer Jan Howard was born in West Plains, Missouri. Howard first hit the charts in 1960 with "The One You Slip Around With." She is best known for her duets with Bill Anderson, which included "For Loving You," a country chart-topper from 1967. Howard was also successful on her own, with such country hits as "Evil on Your Mind" and "My Son," a tribute to her son, Jim, who died in Vietnam two weeks after the song was recorded in 1968. 
http://www.janhoward.com/bio.php
    1932 -- With six million unemployed, chaos in Berlin, starvation & ruin, the threat of Marxism, & a very uncertain future, the German people turn to Hitler by the millions. In the presidential election, Hitler receives over eleven million votes (11,339,446) or 30% of the total. Hindenburg receives 18,651,497 votes or 49%. Since Hindenburg does not get the majority, a run-off election is held. In the campaign that follows, Hitler crisscrosses Germany in an airplane, descending from the clouds into the arms of growing numbers of fanatics, at ever larger rallies. He gives them a positive message, promising something for everyone, then ascends back into the clouds. "In the Third Reich every German girl will find a husband!" - Hitler once promises.
    1932 – Hunger marches were taking place throughout the country; the Bonus marchers are expelled from Washington. This day Herbert Hoover sends a secret message to Congress advising it not to cut the pay of Army or Navy personnel because they may be need to put down the marchers, who’s numbers seem to be growing. He believes they are communist inspired as are the hunger marches in England and Germany. The economy is not in that bad of shape as the newspapers report, he adds.
http://www.weisbord.org/ThreeOne.htm
http://www.studsterkel.org/htimes.php
    1939- Singer and songwriter Neil Sedaka was born in Brooklyn, New York. Sedaka began writing songs with his lifelong musical partner, Howard Greenfield, at age 13, and in 1958 sold his first song, "Stupid Cupid," which became a hit for Connie Francis. The following year, Sedaka began his own recording career, scoring hits with such songs as "Oh Carol," written for Carole King, "Calendar Girl" and "Breaking Up is Hard to Do," which went to number one in 1962. 
For much of the 1960's, Sedaka concentrated on songwriting, composing chart successes such as "Working on a Groovy Thing" for the Fifth Dimension and "Puppet Man" for Tom Jones. In 1975, Elton John helped Sedaka get back on the charts by having him record an LP for his Rocket label. From "The Hungry Years" came the number-one hit single "Laughter in the Rain." Sedaka topped the charts for a second time that year with "Bad Blood."
http://www.history-of-rock.com/neil_sedaka.htm
http://www.neilsedaka.info/
    1940-“The Road to Singapore,” starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour, opened. The comedy was the first of seven Road pictures, which brought fame and fortune to its actors.
    1941-the Benny Goodman Sextet cuts “Air Mail Special”
    1944---Top Hits
Mairzy Doats - The Merry Macs
Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen
No Love, No Nothin’ - Ella Mae Morse
Rosalita - Al Dexter
    1945--CRAIN, MORRIS E. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 141st Infantry, 36th Infantry Division. Place and date: Haguenau, France, 13 March 1945. Entered service at: Paducah, Ky. Birth: Bandana, Ky. G.O. No.: 18, 13 February 1946. Citation: He led his platoon against powerful German forces during the struggle to enlarge the bridgehead across the Moder River. With great daring and aggressiveness he spearheaded the platoon in killing 10 enemy soldiers, capturing 12 more and securing its objective near an important road junction. Although heavy concentrations of artillery, mortar, and self-propelled gunfire raked the area, he moved about among his men during the day, exhorting them to great efforts and encouraging them to stand firm. He carried ammunition and maintained contact with the company command post, exposing himself to deadly enemy fire. At nightfall the enemy barrage became more intense and tanks entered the fray to cover foot troops while they bombarded our positions with grenades and rockets. As buildings were blasted by the Germans, the Americans fell back from house to house. T/Sgt. Crain deployed another platoon which had been sent to his support and then rushed through murderous tank and small-arms fire to the foremost house, which was being defended by 5 of his men. With the enemy attacking from an adjoining room and a tank firing pointblank at the house, he ordered the men to withdraw while he remained in the face of almost certain death to hold the position. Although shells were crashing through the walls and bullets were hitting all around him, he held his ground and with accurate fire from his submachine gun killed 3 Germans. He was killed when the building was destroyed by the enemy. T/Sgt. Crain's outstanding valor and intrepid leadership enabled his platoon to organize a new defense, repel the attack and preserve the hard-won bridgehead. 
    1946-The first Medal of Honor awarded to a soldier of Japanese ancestry was conferred upon Private First Class Sadao S. Munemori of Company A,100th Infantry Battalion, 442dn Combat Team, for action near Seravezza, Italy, on April 5, 1945, when he knocked out two machine guns with grenades and saved the livers of two of his companions by diving on an exploding grenade. The medal was presented posthumously this day to his mother, Mrs. Nawa Munemori.
    1947 - "The Best Years of Our Lives", produced by Samuel Goldwyn, was a big favorite winning the Best Picture prize at the 19th Academy Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Actor/producer/comedian Jack Benny hosted the glittering gala. "The Best Years of Our Lives" won Oscars for Best Director (William Wyler); Actor (Fredric March); Supporting Actor (Harold Russell); Film Editing (Daniel Mandell); Screenplay (Robert E. Sherwood); and a shared award with "The Jolson Story" for Best Score. Other awards for the best of 1946: Actress: Olivia de Havilland in "To Each His Own", and Actress in a Supporting Role: Anne Baxter in "The Razor’s Edge". The Best Song was "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" (from "The Harvey Girls") by Johnny Mercer and Harry Warren. Foreign-made films showed up in these Oscars, bringing an end to Hollywood’s then exclusive rights to the coveted awards. Of the foreign movies nominated, three were British ("Henry V" - producer, Laurence Olivier; "Brief Encounter" starring Celia Johnson; "Perfect Strangers" which won the Oscar for Best Writing/Original Story [Clemence Dane]), one was French ("Les Enfants du paradis", an original screenplay by Jacques Prévert) and one Italian ("Roma, città aperta", screenplay written by Sergio Amidei, Federico Fellini).
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0148339.html 
    1951 - ” The comic strip, "Dennis the Menace", appeared for the first time in 18 newspapers across the U.S. The strip became an international favorite in thousands of newspapers and spawned a CBS-TV program that starred Jay North as Dennis. The series lasted for several seasons and is still seen in syndicated re-runs. A somewhat popular movie starring Walter Matthau as Mr. Wilson and Christopher Lloyd as the bad guy was released in 1993. 
http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/dennis/about.htm
    1951 - The state of Iowa experienced a record snowstorm. The storm buried Iowa City under 27 inches of snow. 
    1952---Top Hits
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Tell Me Why - The Four Aces
Please, Mr. Sun - Johnnie Ray
Wondering - Webb Pierce
    1956 - In a rally in Birmingham, Alabama, Asa Carter, the executive secretary of the north Alabama White Citizen's Council, charged that rock and roll was introduced to white teenagers by the N.A.A.C.P. and other pro-integration forces. He initiated a campaign to pressure radio stations to bar what he termed "immoral music".
    1956-Elvis Presley's first album is released by RCA. The self-titled disc would sell over a million copies and become The King's first Gold record.
    1958-“The Long Hot Summer,” starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Orson Welles, opens in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Newman, who won the Cannes Film Festival award as Best Actor for his performance in the film, married Woodward the same year-the pairing is one of Hollywood's longest lasting marriages.
    1958-The Quarry Men, with both John Lennon and Paul McCartney playing guitar, perform at the Morgue Skiffle Cellar in Oakhill Park.
    1958-- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) launches its Gold Award Program to honor artists with outstanding sales. One million units sold of a single 45 rpm record earned Gold status; in 1976, the Platinum Award was introduced for singles which moved two million units. Today, the single award are given at the half-million (gold) and million (platinum) level of sales or downloads, with the same award qualifications for album-length releases. The Diamond Award (album sales of over 10 million) was introduced in 1999. 
    1960---Top Hits
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
Wild One - Bobby Rydell
Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes) - Dinah Washington & Brook Benton
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
    1960 National Football League owners voted to allow the Chicago Cardinals to move to St. Louis. The Cardinals are generally regarded as the oldest continuing operation in pro football, having been founded as the Morgan Athletic Club, a neighborhood team in 1899. The Cardinals remained in St. Louis through the 1987 season after which owner Bill Bidwill transferred the team to Phoenix, AZ.
    1961-President John F. Kennedy sets up the Alliance for Progress.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1961kennedy-afp1.html
    1962- trumpeter Terence Blanchard born New Orleans LA
http://www.terenceblanchard.com/
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=1TERENCE|BLANCHARD
http://www.offbeat.com/ob2004/backtalk.html
    1962 -- Wing Luke becomes the first non-white to be elected to the Seattle City Council, and the highest Asian-American elected official in the continental US
at the time.
http://www.wingluke.org/wing_luke1.htm
http://www.wingluke.org/
    1964- Motown Records released Mary Wells's "My Guy," written and produced by Smokey Robinson. It was the Supreme’s co-founder only number-one hit as a single.
http://www.marywilson.com/
    1964-- According to Billboard, over 60 percent of all US singles currently sold are Beatles records. 
    1968 - The Byrds received a gold record for the album, "Greatest Hits", which featured "Turn! Turn! Turn!", written by Pete Seeger (excerpted from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible); "Eight Miles High"; "Mr. Spaceman"; "Mr. Tambourine Man"; "All I Really Want To Do"; and "My Back Pages". The group consisted of Jim McGuinn, David Crosby, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman and Mike Clarke. Kevin Kelly, Gram Parsons, Clarence White, John York and Gene Parsons were also members of the group through the years. The Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. 
    1969-“ The Love Bug” released by Walt Disney studio. Directed by Robert Stevenson, the film starred "Herbie," a loveable Volkswagen bug with a personality. Abused by the evil racecar driver "Thorndyke" (David Thomlinson), Herbie is rescued by the young good-guy racecar driver "Jim" (Dean Jones). Grateful for his rescue, Herbie rewards the hapless Jim by winning one race after another on his driver’s behalf. The excitement begins when the ruthless Thorndyke plots to get Herbie back by any means necessary. Based on a story by Gordon Buford, The Love Bug inspired two sequels, Herbie Rides Again and Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo. 
    1968---Top Hits
Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat
(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls - Dionne Warwick
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Take Me to Your World - Tammy Wynette
    1970 - An extremely popular cover of "LIFE" magazine was issued, showing the current fashion battle over long versus mini skirts.
http://www.life.com/Life/covers/1970/cv031370.html
    1971 -- The Allman Brothers Band records its breakthrough album, "Live at the Fillmore East."
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=My_eGallery
&file=index&do=showpic&pid=1616&orderby=
    1972- "The Merv Griffin Show", starring game show and late-night television host, Merv Griffin, started its syndicated debut for Metromedia Television. Joining Merv were Arthur Treacher, and Mort Lindsey and his orchestra. In the 1940s, Griffin had a number one song with the Freddy Martin Orchestra, "I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Cocoanuts", which launched him to fame. He had his own radio show at KFRC in San Francisco in the late 1940’s, branching into early local television. Griffin battled Johnny Carson on CBS-TV late night, and lost. He also fought ABC-TV's Joey Bishop, and again lost. He did win in the Metro media show; and in ownership of stations such as WPIX-TV 11 in New York, WPOP Radio in Hartford, Connecticut. Later, he came up with "Wheel of Fortune" and the formula for "Jeopardy", which he also owns; making him one of the world's richest entertainment moguls. Griffin also owns several hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Beverly Hills.
    1972 -- Author Clifford Irving pleads guilty to a charge that the "autobiography" of Howard Hughes on which he supposedly collaborated was a hoax.
http://www.who2.com/cliffordirving.html
    1974-The Arab Oil Embargo was lifted. It would take several weeks before long gasoline lines disappeared here. The oil-producing Arab countries agreed to lift their five-month embargo on petroleum sales to the US. During the embargo prices went up 330 percent and a ban was imposed on Sunday gasoline sales. The embargo was in retaliation for US support of Israel during the October 1973 Middle-East War.
    1976---Top Hits
December 1963 (Oh, What a Night) - The Four Seasons
All by Myself - Eric Carmen
Take It to the Limit - Eagles
The Roots of My Raising - Merle Haggard
    1976 - The Four Seasons, featuring Frankie Valli, returned to the pop charts after an absence of 10 years. The group's "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)", became the top song in the United States. Valli’s real name is Castelluccio and with him were Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito. Joe Long and Charlie Callelo were members in the 1960s, when Gaudio focused on producing for the group and DeVito left. The original producer was Bob Crewe. The name, The Four Seasons, was taken from a bowling alley in New Jersey. The group charted a total of 30 songs, plus Valli had nine solo hits. In 1990, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 
    1976-Johnny Taylor's "Disco Lady" begins a six week stay at the top of the Billboard R&B chart. It is the first number one song to contain the word "disco" in the title.
    1980 -- Pink Floyd's "The Wall" goes platinum a few weeks into its 15 week stay at Number One. The two-record set is largely the brainchild of bass player Roger Waters, who now emerges as the group's creative head. 
http://www.rogerwaters.org/
http://ingsoc.com/waters/
http://www.pinkfloyd-co.com/mast_idx.html
    1983- Radio talk show host Larry King brought his topical interview program to syndicated TV.. Using a telephone hook-up, viewers called in to speak to particular guests. King has been appearing on CNN since 1985 interviewing a variety of newsmakers and celebrities.
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/larry.king.live/
    1983 Randy Smith’s NBA consecutive-game streak came to an end as he played in his 906th straight game. Smith played for Buffalo, San Diego, Cleveland, New York, and San Diego (again.)
    1984---Top Hits
Jump - Van Halen
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Somebody’s Watching Me - Rockwell
Going, Going, Gone - Lee Greenwood
    1985 - National Football League owners met in Phoenix, AZ and tabled a proposal that would have allowed transmitters and receivers in football helmets. The idea was to allow quarterbacks to talk with players in noisy stadiums. The idea did become a reality, but a minor one. Players complained of too much interference and static.
    1986- Susan Butcher wins the Iditarod dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, in the record time of 11 days, 15 hours, almost seven days faster than the time in 1985 when Libby Riddles was the first woman to win the race. Butcher again wins the race in 1987 in what is called a new era in the dogsled competition
    1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from northwest Texas to Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska during the day, and into the night. Severe thunderstorms spawned 59 tornadoes, including twenty-six strong or violent tornadoes, and there were about two hundred reports of large hail or damaging winds. There were forty-eight tornadoes in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, and some of the tornadoes in those three states were the strongest of record for so early in the season, and for so far northwest in the United States. The most powerful tornado of the day was one which tore through the central Kansas community of Hesston. The tornado killed two persons, injured sixty others, and caused 22 million dollars along its 67-mile path. The tornado had a life span of two hours. Another tornado tracked 124 miles across southeastern Nebraska injuring eight persons and causing more than five million dollars damage 
    1993- "Informer" by Toronto rapper Snow reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. It would remain in the top spot for seven weeks, making it one of the most successful Canadian songs ever on the US chart. Snow's debut album, "12 Inches of Snow," also was a million-seller.
    1994- Prodigy puts newspaper online--the Atlanta Journal- Constitution. One of the earliest online newspapers, the Journal-Constitution listed local information, including Little League scores, lunch menus, and crime reports, as well as local advertising. The news service was available as a subscription service, with additional fees for bulletin board usage. Other early online newspapers included the St. Louis Dispatch and Florida Today. 
    1998 - Candice Bergen and the cast of Murphy Brown filmed the 245th and final episode of the award-winning and sometimes controversial CBS sitcom. The hour-long finale featured appearances by Julia Roberts, Bette Midler, and George Clooney, as well as Bergen's real mother, Frances.
http://timstvshowcase.com/murphybak.jpg
    1999---It had been nearly fifteen years since Cher led the US hit parade with "Dark Lady", but she was back on top with her fourth solo number one, "Believe". It was also #1 in the UK.