Balboa Capital, Irvine, California
Bulletin Board Complaint

This is the eighth Bulletin Board Complaint for Balboa Capital, Irvine, California (1), among many others that were resolved.

This one was resolved, but due to the circumstances, not fully resolved and therefore makes the Leasing News Complaint Bulletin Board. It concerns a 24 month lease got a Hunter Wheel Balancer and mounting king and spacer for $4,085 (where sales tax was added to the monthly payments).

The lease was to DJ's Auto Specialist and Sales whose principal Tom Anderson is a retired US Army solider with a very good following got his honest work and customer service in Laurel, Maryland (2).

He describes poor customers service and other problems with two leases with Balboa and since February of last year has been trying to terminate both, writing letters and telephone calls, getting very little response. He stated he wanted to payoff both leases. After the first lease expired, he kept getting money taken from his bank account and attempted to stop it. He realized he had paid 27 payments plus a $341.57 deposit---the insurance charge was part of it (3).

The issue was not only the payments but the residual. In the February 2, 2012 Balboa Payoff the residual is $1,840, there also is $589.95 plus $35.40 sales tax on the property tax and termination fee of $279.00. (3)

According to the Maryland Department of Revenue, there is no sales tax on personal property tax, and without the right account number for Balboa, could not verify the personal property tax. By the way, there is no termination fee requirement in the Balboa Capital Contract that Leasing News could discover.

The March 4, 2013 Balboa Payoff quote shows $486.20 in payment balance, plus tax (despite the payments made), the residual is now $2,250 (higher), a $51.30 property tax with $3.08 sales tax and termination fee is $479.00 (higher). (5)

Leasing News contacted Robert J. Rasmussen, Chief Operation Officer, Balboa Capital, with a cc: Phil Silva, President, and suggested Balboa or Leasing News obtain three dealers to find out the "fair market value of the Hunter Wheel Balancer" and/or obtain an opinion from a professional equipment appraiser that would be a third party who would perform this gratis.

Mr. Rasmussen responded:

"We intend to hear the customer out and treat him fairly as we attempt to do with all of our clients.

"While I appreciate the gesture to be involved and with all due respect, given our history, we find it hard to believe that you could be a neutral party.

"We will work directly with the customer. To the extent that he wants you to be involved then that is his prerogative."

In working with Mr. Anderson, it was agreed on a fair market value to set for, as well as the condition of a "Bill of Sale" and UCC2 termination from Balboa.

The good news, the final payoff was $850.00 for the residual plus $51.00. Everything else was waived (6).

The bad news, no "Bill of Sales" or UCC2 Termination nor return of telephone calls to Mr. Anderson nor to Leasing News, who made such an inquiry.

(1)
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2012/12_10.htm#bbc
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2010/4_23.htm#bbc_balboa
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-10-08.htm#bbc
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/August%202008/08-25-08.htm#bbc
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/August%202008/08-13-08.htm#balb
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/January%202007/01-29-07.htm#bbc
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/BBC_Balboa.htm

(2)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/djs-auto-specialists-and-sales-laurel-2
http://www.demandforce.com/b/djsauto
http://www.djsauto.com/index.php
http://laurel.patch.com/listings/djs-auto-specialists

(3) Count of Payments
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/CountofPayments.pdf

(4) February 2, 2012 payoff quotehttp://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/Feb22012payoffquote.pdf

(5) March 4, 2012
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/BalboaMarch4payoff.pdf

(6) Final Payoff
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/FinalPayoff_32013.pdf

 

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Classified Ads---Credit

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

Greater Atlanta, GA
13 yrs. small ticket--directly w/brokers & direct sale, plus working
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Cell: (770) 561-1434 LinkedIn:
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Free Posting for those seeking employment in Leasing:
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All “free” categories “job wanted” ads:
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New Hires---Promotions

 

Christopher "Chris" Holm appointed marketing vice president of the Direct Client group, SunTrust Equipment & Leasing. He will be based in Denver, Colorado and cover Colorado, Kansas, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. He previously was sales director, Hawker Beechcraft (June, 2010-March, 2013), vp-senior account manager, GE Commercial Finance (November, 2006-June, 2010) vice president, RBS Asset finance (2003-2006), supervising senior accountant, KPMB (1996-1998). University of Missouri-Kansas City, Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Accounting (1990 – 1995). www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-holm/10/182/514

Mitch Larkin has been appointed vice-president sales for BancLease Acceptance Corporation, Irving, Texas. He will operate a satellite office in Pikesville, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. Previously he was senior vice President of Sentry Financial (August, 2011-March, 2013. He joined Bankers Capital, vice-president of the broker division, February, 2009. February, 2006, he joined Madison Capital, leaving Butler Capital, where he had been for over five years. He has over 40 years experience in the leasing and financial service industry. He is a graduate of Husson University, Bangor, Maine.
www.linkedin.com/pub/mitchell-larkin/23/880/a3a

 

[headlines]
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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Orange, California Funding Coordinator Generate documents & addendum's, approve all signed documents, process, working closely with sales team; responsible for developing positive and strong working relationships both internally and externally. This is a key position, important for the growth of Quick Bridge funding 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.

 

 
 

Business Development Officer Baltimore-Washington DC Area Existing client base a plus, work from corporate office as needed. Salary plus commission structure, benefits, expense plan. Allan Levine 443 796 7337 Nancy Pistorio 443 796 7325 Email: Alevine@madisoncapital.com or npistorio@madisoncapital.com A great place to work www.madisoncapital.com 35 years equipment & vehicle financing full service direct funder for small to mid-ticket transactions, with syndication abilities for large ticket.

 

 

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

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

 

Help Wanted Classified Ads Cost $595 four HTML lines (note, a space is counted as a line) $40 for each additional line or space The classified ad will appear for 21 days. The idea is to attract an applicant to learn more, either to click to a full description on your web site or to a full job description attachment (free, no charge). All "Help Wanted" ads go into the "Help Wanted" classified ad section, which appears in each news edition, and is well read. The ad will also appear on the web site for those who go directly to the web site section. A "Help Wanted" ad appears at the top of the headlines in each edition in a chronological basis with other help wanted ads. The position cannot be purchased. The ad also continues to appear in the classified ad section in the news edition as well as the web site in addition to appearing above the headlines. If there is only one help wanted ad, a display ad may be utilized in the rotation basis as this position, meaning the one help wanted ad is not going to be on top in every edition. Contact kitmenkin@leasingnews.org for more information or to help word a classified ad. Leasing News reserves the right to refuse advertising, particularly to a company that has appeared in the complaint bulletin board

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What's In It For Me?
by Patrick Sponsel, NAELB President

(This is a long time question of why to attend any conference or meeting away from your regular routine, whether in sales, credit, operations. Mr. Sponsel's answers are more directed to members of the National Association Equipment Leasing Brokers, but also many apply to others who make their living in the financial industry. Editor)

Ah, the age old question asked to determine the outcome of a decision needing to be made. So what is in it for you if you attend the 2013 NAELB Annual Conference in Las Vegas this April 18-20? Besides putting more money in your pocket and closing more deals? How about enhancing your value to your customers and networking with the most professional group in the equipment leasing and financing industry? Not enough?

Here are 10 more answers to that question.

1. Face to face time with decision makers from over 40 funding sources!
2. Relationships established, maintained and enhanced with peers and business partners who are willing to help someone they know (i.e. met in person).
3. Education with and from some of the brightest in this industry. Find out what really works and what doesn't.
4. Discussions, off the record, that may help you facilitate a more profitable business this year
5. Who you hang out with determines who you are. These folks epitomize what's right with this industry. The best of the best attend meetings!
6. Ideas that are generated because you had more than e-mail or phone contact with the individual.
7. Social networking on a physical level. You may learn what sincerely motivates others that will help you to become better now!
8. Funding sources and operational tools to make your business run smoother and more efficiently.
9. It's not what you know. It's who you know that makes you the expert your clients are looking for.
10. It's an investment in the most important person in the world. You. You're worth it. Aren't you?

See you in Las Vegas!

Patrick Sponsel
NAELB President

About the NAELB Conference:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Pages/naelb_2013.html

Top 25 Community Banks: Less than $500 million
By Sam Carr and Tyler Hall, SNL Financial

(SNL Financial released its annual ranking of top 100 best performing banks. Here is the category less than $500 million in assets:)

For this ranking, SNL looked at commercial banks with less than $500 million in assets, 60 or fewer offices and loan portfolios greater than one-third of their total assets. Additionally, the banks' loan portfolios had to consist of less than 50% credit card loans, and no more than half of the banks' revenue could be from nontraditional banking activities. Companies with a parent with more than $500 million in assets were also excluded, except for those whose parent grew to more than $500 million in 2012 but have not yet filed on a consolidated basis. Moreover, banks had to be well-capitalized according to regulatory standards.

Based on the above criteria, 4,180 banks were eligible for the rankings. Companies meeting the criteria received scores based on their rank in each of the following six metrics: pretax return on average tangible assets, net charge-offs as a percent of average loans, efficiency ratio, adjusted Texas ratio, net interest margin and loan growth.

From a state perspective, in addition to taking the top spot, booming North Dakota also placed 13 other banks in the top 100 best-performing banks, the most of any state. With only 70 banks headquartered in the state eligible for the ranking, North Dakota had the highest concentration of banks making the list. Additionally, the Midwest as a whole had a strong showing accounting for 59 of the top 100 banks. Outside the Midwest, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana accounted for 10, eight, and four top-performing community banks, respectively.

United Community Bank of North Dakota topped SNL's annual ranking of the top-performing community banks with assets less than $500 million. With a performance that would make fellow North Dakotan Phil Jackson proud, the Leeds, N.D.-based bank, which placed No. 29 in last year's ranking, boosted its return on assets and net interest margin, increased efficiency, and grew loans by nearly 38% from the prior year. Asset quality continued to be a source of strength as net charge-offs decreased 28 basis points to 0.02% over the same period, though its adjusted Texas ratio increased year over year by 1 basis point to 0.02%.

The 100-year-old company, led and majority-owned by CEO DeWayne Streyle and Vice President Keith Streyle, has four branches well-situated to serve customers in the eastern edges of the energy-booming regions of the Bakken shale formation in the Williston Basin. The bank's loan growth and changing loan composition are a testament to the shifting economic priorities of the region which is experiencing a large influx of workers combined with a short supply of housing. United Community Bank of North Dakota's loan book shows that agriculture production and farm loan concentrations have been declining while construction and land development loans and multifamily property loans have grown to 9.77% and 9.82% of total loans, respectively, from less than 4% and 3% in 2008.

First runner-up was Sutherland, IA-based Security State Bank which is up from No. 48 in the 2011 ranking, followed by Greenville, MO-based Peoples Community Bank whose third-ranking is unchanged from the prior year. Flushing, NY-based Amerasia Bank, previously ranked as 2011's top performing community bank within its size bracket, dropped to No. 5 while other familiar top 10 finishers Oklahoma City-based Bank 7 and Edmond, Okla.-based Prime Bank dropped to fourth, and sixth, respectively.

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

 

[headlines]
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Top 100 Community Banks: $500 Million to $5 billion
By Sam Carr and Tyler Hall, SNL Financial

(SNL Financial released its annual ranking of top 100 best
performing banks. Here is the category for community banks
with assets between $500 million and $5 billion).

Texas was home to the most banks in the top 100 in 2011 with 12. The Lone Star State also had the most banks, 68, in the analysis. Nebraska had six of nine banks in the analysis wind up in the top 100, which was good for the highest concentration by percentage.

To compile this ranking, SNL defined community banks as institutions with between $500 million and $5 billion in assets and with 60 or fewer offices. Also, at least one-third of the banks' balance sheets must be composed of loans, and they cannot have more than half of their loans in credit cards. Banks with a majority of revenue derived from nontraditional banking activities or that were not well-capitalized were excluded.

SNL ranked companies at the bank holding company level if consolidated data was reported. Otherwise, commercial bank subsidiary data was used. Thrifts were excluded. Based on the described criteria, 723 companies were eligible for the rankings.

Out of the Georgia darkness, there is a light. Atlanta-based State Bank Financial Corp. ranked highest among SNL's annual list of best-performing community banks between $500 million and $5 billion in assets for 2011.

SNL ranked the best-performing community banks using six core financial performance metrics that focus on profitability, asset quality and growth for the 12-month period ended December 31, 2011. The metrics used were: return on average tangible assets before tax, net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans, adjusted Texas ratio, efficiency ratio, net interest margin and loan growth. SNL measured each company's standard deviation from the mean of each metric. The standard deviations, which are each equally weighted, were added together to calculate a performance score for each company.

Despite being based in a state that has seen 77 failures since 2008, State Bank Financial took advantage of the situation and consumed 12 of its fallen peers through failed-bank transactions over that time period, including two in 2011.

State Bank Financial Chairman and CEO Joseph Evans said during the bank's fourth-quarter 2011 earnings conference call that its strong capital position gives the bank a strong platform to continue to grow. Evans, who has more than 30 years of experience in banking, has been steering the company since 2009. State Bank Financial ranked in the top five on efficiency and NIM of the best-performing 100. The company was able to lower its cost of funds by growing its noninterest-bearing deposits and actively managing its interest-bearing deposits.

Houston-based AFNB Holdings Inc. finished second in the overall annual ranking. The Asian-American-focused bank also participated in an FDIC-assisted transaction, which translated into a $40 million gain on bargain purchase for the year. This gain helped give it the highest return on average tangible assets before taxes of the top 100.

Coming in third behind AFNB Holdings was Bossier City, La.-based Citizens National Bank NA. Although it was less efficient than many others in the top 100, it received a big boost from excellent asset quality and loan growth largely generated from its acquisition of Citizens Bankshares of Springhill Inc.

Forty of the top 100 community banks are publicly traded or have a publicly traded parent. Somerset, Pa.-based Somerset Trust Holding Co. posted the highest one-year return to shareholders, 59.77%. Only seven on the list are trading below tangible book value. The cheapest is Middletown, N.Y.-based Orange County Bancorp Inc., which is ranked 100th and is trading at 81.1% of tangible book. Poplar Bluff, Mo.-based Southern Missouri Bancorp Inc. is the cheapest as a multiple of earnings, trading at just 6.3x earnings.

 

Business Development Officer Baltimore-Washington DC Area Existing client base a plus, work from corporate office as needed. Salary plus commission structure, benefits, expense plan. Allan Levine 443 796 7337 Nancy Pistorio 443 796 7325 Email: Alevine@madisoncapital.com or npistorio@madisoncapital.com A great place to work www.madisoncapital.com 35 years equipment & vehicle financing full service direct funder for small to mid-ticket transactions, with syndication abilities for large ticket.

 

John Rosenlund Receives CLP Award
by David Normandin, CLP,
Sr. VP, PacTrust Bank Equipment Finance

(David Normandin, left, presents award)
(Photo by Mary E. Armstrong, CLP, FinPac)

The Certified Leasing Professional Foundation recognized John Rosenlund, Portfolio Financial Service Company, and president, National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) for six years of service on the CLP board of directors.

John G. Rosenlund, CLP
Director—Risk Management
Portfolio Financial Servicing Company

Five of the six years, John served on the executive committee. I had the honor of presenting him at the NEFA Conference a glass monument for his selfless service to the educational and standards initiatives of the Foundation.

He was one of the first persons to welcome me into the industry and has been and continues to be a great mentor and friend. I know that I am not alone and believe that there are many others that John has had a positive impact in our business.

Thanks John for your past and continued investment in our industry.

In addition, John Harders with Arvest Equipment Finance was presented his CLP certificate for successfully passing the exam and becoming the newest CLP. Arvest now has 5 CLP's on staff and has truly created a culture of professionalism and investments into the knowledge, skills and abilities of their team. The Foundation is growing strong with 10 people signed up to sit for the exam certification in just over the first 2 months of 2013.

John Rosenlund, CLP--Why I Became a CLP
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2012/7_18.htm#clp

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

Iowa Equipment Lessor Gets Revenge on Lessees Who
Converted Video Equipment
By Tom McCurnin

Iowa Court of Appeals Slams Lessee’s Principals For Conversion
of Leased Equipment Subject to Lease.

Midwest Media Group, Inc. v. Fusion Entertainment, Inc. 2012 WL 5541613 (Iowa App.,2012)

I’ve always been fascinated by end game strategies when a company is over its head in debt. Sometimes the principals decide to get cute and form a new company, with the same principals, the same fixtures, and the same phone number.

A lessee in Iowa tried that scam and got nailed. The facts follow:

Midwest Media Group (“MMG”) was an Illinois corporation that leases and sells high-end video equipment. Independent News Network (“INN”) produced video segments for various news stations. On October 22, 2007, MMG executed a rental contract with Independent News Network to lease media equipment for an aggregate contract balance of $399,585.60. On November 9, 2007, MMG executed another rental contract with Fusion Entertainment, Inc., an Iowa corporation with an aggregate contract balance of $729,069.60. Both INN and Fusion were owned by the same two principals.

A year later, both Fusion and INN defaulted. INN News filed bankruptcy in 2008 and scheduled all of the equipment, both Fusion’s and Independent News’ equipment, without designating the different lessees and the existence of the leases. I reviewed the bankruptcy, and it also seemed that much of the equipment was not scheduled. The principals then formed Latino Media Group, which operated in the same office space, provided the same services to the same customers, and had the same officers and directors and used INN as an assumed name. Latino News Group continued to use MMG’s rental equipment to generate revenue.

When MMG discovered the switch, it sued the principals for breach of lease, conspiracy, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment. Fraud and negligent misrepresentation were dismissed.

At trial and on appeal, the principals made three arguments:

First, the principals argued that the contract was a secured loan, not a lease. The Iowa Courts quickly disposed of this argument as the contract, finding that the lessees could terminate the lease by paying an early buyout amount.

Second, the principals argued that unjust enrichment was not appropriate because one may not have equitable remedies like unjust enrichment and a contract obligation at the same time. While the Iowa Court agreed, the fact remained that the principals effectively tied up the equipment for several years while in bankruptcy, and for that time period, the principals were liable.

Third, the principals argued that they couldn’t be liable for conversion because it was the Latino Media Group, not them which converted the equipment. The Iowa Courts saw right through that flimsy argument holding that the principals were liable as officers of the corporation for the fraudulent acts they participated in or committed in that capacity. Finally, the Iowa Court affirmed the conspiracy claim, holding that the principals testimony was not credible nor consistent with prior sworn testimony.

The Court awarded judgment in favor of the lessor and against the principals in the sum of $711,496.05.

The lessons for the equipment lessor are obvious here, as the lessor apparently did business with disreputable persons who would do almost anything to use equipment without paying for it.

First, there was a two year delay between the default this lawsuit and I was unclear why the lessor waited so long to act. The opinion was silent why the lessor did not immediately move for relief from the automatic stay to get its equipment and why it was duped with the new company owned by the principals.

Second, like the old banking adage, “know your customer,” the lessor should know the principals of its lessees. Here the principals Jeff Lyle and Dave McNally seemed to me like upstanding people, but apparently went over to the dark side when INN filed bankruptcy, with Lyle signing declarations that the bankruptcy schedules were accurate, when in fact, they were fabrications. I’m not sure anything could have been discovered to reveal the true spots of the principals here.

Third, I was confused why there was little or no activity in the bankruptcy, in that the Court’s decision was based in large part that the equipment was “ensnared” in the bankruptcy. I saw no motions for a debtor’s examination or a motion for relief from the automatic stay. It’s like everything was placed on hold for two years. My collection mentor, Jim Grant, always said, “First to the feast is the first to eat.” I was puzzled why such little action was taken.

Fourth, for the debtors, if the debtor wants to walk away from a corporate only lease, that’s fine, but make the walkaway clean. Leave the equipment in place, tell the creditor where to pick it up, and don’t use assets of the old debtor corporation for the new corporation, including furniture, computers, or other assets. I’m not sure the two years of revenue was worth a $700,000 judgment--- which will likely be non-dischargeable.

Successor liability can really bite a debtor in the hindquarters.

Midwest Media Case:http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/MidwestMediaCase.pdf

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

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

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

Direct Capital Releases Guide to Close More Sales
(10 Page Guide Included)

Direct Capital--Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a leading nationwide provider of equipment leasing, business loans, and working capital, has released a new informational guide to help small businesses close more sales with financing.

The guide provides information in several areas, including:

• How to guide the customer to select the right kind of financing

• How funding sales with consumer financing could impact your sales and your customer’s credit profile

• Which financing option carries the least amount of personal risk

The guide also reveals what small businesses should look for when choosing to partner with a financial provider and the consequences of offering the wrong financing to your customers.

Advantages of Commercial Financing (10 pages):
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/DirectCapitalCloseMoreSales.pdf

About Direct Capital
Established in 1993, Direct Capital provides financing for small- to mid-ticket equipment, franchise remodels and technology purchases, working capital, and business loans. The company is headquartered in Portsmouth, N.H. and operates offices in New York, California, and Georgia. You can subscribe to its PointBlank blog at http://blog.directcapital.com/.

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

Bookmark us

Fernando's View
By Fernando F. Croc

Zany magicians ("The Incredible Burt Wonderstone") and gentle Japanese animation ("From Up on Poppy Hill") come to the box-office, while DVDs offer a controversial Oscar nominee ("Zero Dark Thirty") and a pair of masterpieces ("Badlands," "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp").

In Theaters:

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (Warner Bros. Pictures): Ten years after "Bruce Almighty," Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey team up again for this lightweight comedy about rivalry among professional magicians. Carrell stars as the titular Burt Wonderstone, who with his friend Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) dazzles Las Vegas audiences with conjuring tricks. Their success, however, is threatened when the daring stunts of an eager street magician named Steve Gray (Carrey) make them look increasingly stale. Things look grim for Burt and Anton, until they meet Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin), the old-school illusionist who first introduced them to the thrills of magic. Directed by TV veteran Don Scardino, the film is an affable affair that benefits greatly from the likable personalities of its zany cast members.

From Up on Poppy Hill (GKids): Japanese studio Ghibli continues to release quality animation with this breezy, charming tale directed by Goro Miyazaki, the son of animation master Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away"). Taking place at a seaside school in the early 1960s, the story centers on Umi (voiced by Sarah Bolger), a teenage girl who wards off her lonely through poetry and a crush on a classmate named Shun (Anton Yelchin). While the staid community eagerly awaits the arrival of the Olympic Games, the young characters face their own feelings regarding the past vanishing in the face of changing times. Though there's comparatively little of the fantasy usually associated with Japanese animation, this modest coming-of-age fable is nevertheless just as charming and affecting as the studio's fanciful efforts, suggesting a sense of wonder that emanates from life's everyday details.

Netflix Tip: Missed St. Patrick's Day? No problem, catch some up with some cinematic Irish with Netflix. Check out the robust humor of "The Quiet Man" (1952) and "Waking Ned Devine" (1998), the poignant drama of "My Left Foot" (1989) and "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" (2006), and the suspenseful action of "The Departed" (2006).

On DVD:

Zero Dark Thirty (Sony): Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal, who both won Oscars for "The Hurt Locker," team up once more for this engrossing chronicle of the real-life manhunt for al-Queda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. Unfolding over the course of a decade, the story follows Maya (Jessica Chastain), a young and tenacious CIA operative who's determined to track down the mastermind behind the September 11th attacks. It is through her obsessive eyes that we witness many sides of the investigation, from the grueling torture of prisoners to the mountains of often misleading data that pass through government and media. The search climaxes with a remarkably choreographed nocturnal raid that makes great use of Bigelow's cinematic skills. More interested in muscular suspense than in thorny politics, this is impeccably crafted filmmaking.

Badlands (Criterion): Widely acclaimed as one of the world’s greatest directors, the reclusive Terrence Malick (“The Tree of Life”) got his start in the business with this haunting 1973 drama. Based on true-life events, the film follows the strange romance between Kit (Martin Sheen), a moody juvenile delinquent, and Holly (Sissy Spacek), an alienated teenager in the 1950s. After killing Holly’s strict father (Warren Oates), the two run off together and try to live in the woods before embarking on a crime spree. The story may sound right out of sordid headlines, but Malick’s cool and detached approach results in an uniquely, sometimes disconcertingly poetic portrait of dislocated characters against an indifferent world. Check out this remarkable debut and see the beginnings of the genius behind “The Thin Red Line” and “The New World.”

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Criterion): Known jointly as “The Archers,” Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were a filmmaking team who in the 1940s and 1950s revolutionized British cinema with a series of astonishing features. This lovely 1943 drama, which follows an unlikely friendship over the course of four decades, may be their most beloved film, and is being released by Criterion in a gorgeously restored print. At the center is Clive Candy (Roger Livesey), who we first encounter as a blustery old military officer but then get to know as a younger officer. While world wars come and go, Candy befriends a German officer (Anton Walbrook) and falls in love with a woman (Deborah Kerr). Combining breathtakingly inventive filmmaking with a deep humanism for its characters, the film is one of the all-time greats.

 

 

Chinese Shar-Pei/Mix
Denver, Colorado Adopt-a-Dog

Thor
Animal ID: 19032038
Species: Dog
Breed : Chinese Shar-Pei/Mix
Age 2 years 3 months 23 days
Sex Male
Size Medium
Color Tan
Spayed/Neutered
Declawed No
Housetrained Unknown
Site MaxFund Dog Shelter
Location Big Dog Room
Intake Date 1/27/2013

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catsanddogsmaxfundorg

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Save on top named brands and help homeless pets when you shop online at www.ThePetangoStore.com

Shop now and save on: pet food, flea & tick, heartworm treatment, and more!

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/

 

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Open Positions at Leasing Funders/Various Locations

You will find many jobs open in various leasing companies. Most are at the main office or a branch. The larger companies change listings and readers should click to them, as they change weekly, if not daily.

Leasing News invites other employers to list their "open positions." 
The listing is free.

Advantage Funding
http://www.advantagefund.com/employment.htm

AIG
http://www.aigcorporate.com/addresources/globalcareers.html

Altec
https://careers.altec.com/psc/P90HALT_APP/APPLICANT
/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?nocrumbs=yes&

Alter Moneta
http://www.altermoneta.com/careers/opportunities.html

Atlas Copco
http://www.atlascopco.com/us/careers/openjobs/

Ascentium Capital
http://ascentiumcapital.atsondemand.com/

Balboa Capital
http://www.balboacapital.com/about_us/careers.aspx

Bank of America
http://careers.bankofamerica.com/overview/overview.asp

Bank of Ozarks
https://bankozarks.applicantharbor.com/jobmainlist.php?a=m

Bank of the West
https://www.bankofthewest.com/about-us/careers/job-search.html
(type in state, and keyword leasing or category)

Channel Partners
http://www.channelpartners.com/careersearch.html

CIT Job Openings
http://sj.tbe.taleo.net/SJ1/ats/careers/

CSI Leasing
http://www.csileasing.com/ViewJobPostings.aspx

Data Sales
http://www.datasales.com/open_jobs.html

De Lage Landen Financial
https://tbe.taleo.net/NA4/ats/careers/jobSearch.jsp

Direct Capital
http://tbe.taleo.net/NA2/ats/careers/jobSearch.jsp

Farm Credit
http://www.farmcreditnetwork.com/careers/opportunities

Financial Pacific
http://www.finpac.com/careers.aspx

Fifth-Third Bank
https://cvg53.cvgs.net/Main/careerportal/JobAgent.cfm

GE Capital
www.ge.com/careers

GreatAmerica Leasing
http://jobs.greatamerica.com/

Home Savings Bank
http://www.home-savings-bank.com/careers.php

Huntington Bank
https://www.huntington.com/us/HNB3400.htm

Key Bank
Click here

Macrolease
http://leasingnews.org/hwanted_macrolease3.html

Marlin Business Services
https://www.marlinfinance.com/career-postings.asp

Madi$on Capital
http://www.madisoncapital.com/employment.

Meridian Bank
https://www.meridianbank.com/careers.html

Microfinancial/Timepayment
http://www.hirebridge.com/jobseeker2/Searchjobresults.asp?cid=5224

Northern California Farm Credit (office listings)
http://www.norcalfc.com/locations.html

Pacific Capital Companies
http://leasingnews.org//hwanted_pacificcap2.html

People's United Bank
https://www3.ultirecruit.com/PEO1003/JobBoard/ListJobs.aspx

PL Capital
http://www.plcapital.com/careers.asp

Prime Alliance Bank
http://www.primealliancebank.com/home/careers

Regions Bank
https://regions.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobsearch.ftl

Republic Financial
http://tbe.taleo.net/NA8/ats/careers/jobSearch.jsp

Sterling Bank
https://www.synovus.apply2jobs.com/ProfExt/index.cfm?fuseaction=m
External.showSearchInterface

Taycor Financial
http://www.taycor.com/about-taycor-financial/careers/

TCF Bank
https://tcfbank.taleo.net/careersection/corporate/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en

TD Bank
https://tderec.ijob.com/recruit/servlet/com.lawson.ijob.util.Login

US Bank 
(type position in blank space and/or state)
http://www.usbank.com/cgi_w/cfm/careers/careers.cfm

Wells Fargo
https://employment.wellsfargo.com/psp/PSEA/APPLICANT

Zions Bank
https://zionsbancorp.taleo.net/careersection/

 
 

News Briefs----

 

Mortgage rates wilt in the shadow of Cyprus
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/mortgages/mortgage-analysis.aspx?ic_id=Top_Stories_link_1

HP shareholders come close to ousting committee chairman
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/hp_board

Senate rejects House GOP budget authored by VP nominee Paul Ryan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/senate-rejects-house-gop-budget-authored-by-vice-presidential-nominee-paul-ryan/2013/03/21/5c44f870-928e-11e2-9173-7f87cda73b49_story.html

Chicago to Close 61 School Buildings
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-public-school-closings-20130321,0,6209792.story

Lawyers drafting severance agreement for City Manager Tommy Gonzalez
http://irvingblog.dallasnews.com/2013/03/lawyers-drafting-severance-agreement-for-city-manager-tommy-gonzalez.html/

Saturday mail delivery should stay - U.S.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/21/news/economy/postal-service-saturday/

Drought that ravaged US crops likely to worsen in 2013, forecast warns
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/mar/21/noaa-outlook-drought-worse-2013

Testing a New Class of Speedy Computer
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/technology/testing-a-new-class-of-speedy-computer.html?ref=business&_r=0

Starbucks moves rewards program into grocery stores
http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/

 

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---You May Have Missed

Why NBC is Replacing Jay Leno
http://tv.yahoo.com/news/-the-tonight-show--saga-continues--is-leno-out--fallon-in--210548186.html

Jay Leno's Sendoff, and Conan's Last Laugh
http://tv.yahoo.com/news/jay-lenos-sendoff-conans-last-laugh-172859149.html

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

5 Mind-Body Exercises for a Healthier Heart
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1613

 

[headlines]
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Spring Poem

Written in early spring

        by William Wadsworth

I heard a thousand blended notes
While in a grove I sat reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What Man has made of Man.

Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower,
The periwinkle trail'd its wreaths;
And 'tis my faith, that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopp'd and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure, -
But the least motion which they made
It seem'd a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What Man has made of Man?

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Sports Briefs----

Ted Ginn signs one-year deal with Panthers
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/3/21/4133082/2013-nfl-free-agency-ted-ginn-signs-one-year-deal-with-panthers-per

Harvard pulls upset, wins first NCAA tournament game
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaab--harvard-stamps-its-brand-on-march-madness-051642729.html

Highlights of day one of NCAA tourney
http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/n-c-a-a-tournament-live-analysis/?hp

• 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

 

 

 

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California Nuts Briefs---

Sacramento has fifth-highest gain in housing prices, Zillow reports
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/21/5282370/sacramento-has-fifth-highest-gain.html

Sales Soft in Silicon Valley, But Home Prices Way Up
http://saratoga.patch.com/articles/silicon-valley-home-prices-up-nearly-one-third-488f0fd5?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001

Los Gatos Real Estate Co. Hits $1 billion in sales
http://losgatos.patch.com/articles/coldwell-banker-los-gatos-hits-1b-sales

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Randall Grahm, the zany Rhone Ranger tells all
http://tastingroom.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/2013/03/20/randall-grahm-the-zany-rhone-ranger-tells-all/

Robert Parker sues Antonio Galloni for Fraud, Breach of Contract

Giving Napa’s pioneers their due
http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2013/03/20/giving-napas-pioneers-their-due/

Kosher-For-Passover Wine Taste Test
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/19/kosher-passover-wine-taste-test_n_2909528.html

Amber Ale Dressed in Red, White and Blue
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/dining/reviews/amber-ale-dressed-in-red-white-and-blue.html?ref=dining

Seattle winery embraces new frontier
http://www.theolympian.com/2013/03/20/2469581/seattle-winery-embraces-new-frontier.html

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

 

    1526-The first North American Slave Revolt: Nearly 40 years before the first permanent European settlement in North America, Spanish explorers bring enslaved Africans to what are now the Carolinas. The Africans escape in what is the first recorded slave revolt in North America. In 1501- Spanish settlers brought slaves from Africa to Santo Domingo (now the capital of the Dominican Republic). There was a slave revolt in 1522 on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which now comprises Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Most of Columbus bounty were Indian slaves as this was large commerce for basically “free labor.” In 1562, John Hawkins, the first Briton to take part in the slave trade, makes a huge profit hauling human cargo from Africa to Hispaniola.
    1619-Africans brought to Jamestown are the first slaves imported into Britain's North American colonies. Like indentured servants, they were probably freed after a fixed period of service. 
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/tl.html
    1621-A peace treaty and defensive alliance between the Wampanog Indians and the Pilgrims was concluded at Strawberry Hill, Plymouth, Mass. Arranged by Squanto, an English-speaking Indian, it was one of the earliest recorded treaties between Europeans and Indians in North America. Squantohad been kidnapped and sold as a slave in Spain. He escaped to England, where he learned English, and lived in Newfoundland for a time before returning to Massachusetts in 1916.
http://www.night.net/thanksgiving/massasoit-treaty.html
    1621 - The Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe lead by Chief Massassoit reach a treaty agreement. They form a defensive alliance. Squanto, who speaks English because he had been captured by the English in 1615 and spent two years in England, brokers the pact.
    1622 - The Powhattan Confederacy massacred 347-350 colonists in Virginia, a quarter of the population. On Good Friday over 300 colonists in and around Jamestown, Virginia, were massacred by the Powhatan Indians. The massacre was led by the Powhatan chief Opechancanough and began a costly 22-year war against the English. Opechancanough hoped that killing one quarter of Virginia’s colonists would put an end to the European threat. The result of the massacre was just the opposite, however, as English survivors regrouped and pushed the Powhattans far into the interior. Opechancanough launched his final campaign in 1644, when he was nearly 100 years old and almost totally blind. He was then captured and executed.
    1622- The first Indian massacre, led by Powhatan's brother, almost wiped out the settlements outside Jamestown, Virginia, which was itself heavily fortified. 347 colonists out of a population of 1,240 were slain. In 1644, another Indian uprising, led by Opechancanough, threatened Jamestown, but was surprised by the colonists, and resulted in a treaty which forced the Indians to cede additional territory and effected a peace until 1675. Remains of the successful English settlement were found in 1996, including wood stains showing where the original wall was, the skeleton of a settler, and glass beads used for trading with the local Indians.
    1630 - The first legislation prohibiting gambling was enacted in Boston, Massachusetts.
    1765- Britain enacted a requirement to buy revenue stamps for every pair of dice, every pack of playing cards, and every newspaper, document, and pamphlet. The purpose of the tax was to raise funds to pay for the upkeep of the British army in America. Colonists mounted a sustained boycott of British goods until the tax was repealed.1862-the Confederate cruiser built in England the Oneto, set sail from Liverpool, bound for the Bahamas. The ship was transferred to Captain John Newland Maffitt of the Confederate Navy, who took rank as commodore. The guns and stores were sent in another ship that followed.
    1812-Birthday of Stephen Pearl, author, born in Templeton, Massachusetts ; died in New York City, 21 May 1886. He was an ardent abolitionist, and in 1839 removed to Texas, where he converted many of the slave-owners, who were also large land-owners, by showing them that they would become rapidly rich from the sale of land if immigration were induced by throwing the country open to free labor. Here he acquired considerable wealth in the practice of his profession. He also had a dedicated following around a “universal” philosophy and language.
http://www.famousamericans.net/stephenpearlandrews/
    1820- Naval hero Stephen Decatur died from a duel. One of Decatur's colleagues, Commodore James Barron had been the subject of scandal in 1807 when he commanded the frigate Chesapeake and failed to prepare it for battle to British warship Leopold. Barron's disgraceful defeat lead to his court martial in 1808. One of Decatur's naval duties was to sit on the trial of Barron's court martial. Although Decatur and Barron had been friends, Decatur agreed to a verdict that expelled Barron from the Navy for five years. This event began the thirteen year dispute that would end on the dueling grounds in Maryland. Barron was overseas at the end of his five year expulsion from the Navy and did not return to help defend his country during the War of 1812. Upon Barron's return to the United States in December 1818, Decatur challenged his absence during the war. In his defense, Barron claimed he had no money, and therefore could not get back to his country. Back and forth over four years, letters were written and both men stood their ground. Eventually, the quarrel became a fatal battle of honor. 
Although dueling was illegal in the city of Washington, it was still common for naval officers to challenge one another. On March 22, 1820, Commodore Stephen Decatur and Commodore James Barron met on the dueling ground in Bladensburg, Maryland. Both men were shot, but Decatur was mortally wounded. He was brought back to his home on Lafayette Square and died several hours later. The nation mourned the death of a great naval hero.
http://www.decaturhouse.org/museum/history2.htm
    1822- Birthday Rosa Bonheur, born in France, her paintings were celebrated in her home country, but her paintings were the rage in the Golden Age of American History. Her father was a minor painter and by an early age, she showed an aptitude for sketching live animals. Before long she dressed in boys' clothing so she could go into the fields and stockyards to study animals (in the days of skirts to the ground). By the time she was 19, two of her paintings were exhibited in the annual Parisian Salon and at 23 she received her first medal. Although radical in the way she lived her personal life, Bonheur was politically and artistically conservative. She worked in a very traditional way, making sketches and studies in preparation for larger, final paintings. This is an oil study for her most famous painting,The Horse Fair. The study is quite small; the final painting is 8 x 16 feet. Bonheur believed in direct observation of nature and was determined to be accurate in all details. To this end, she dissected animal parts, sketched from life, and attended horse fairs, which were opportunities for dealers of horses to show off their stock to potential buyers. This was not the type of event normally attended by women. To avoid the taunts and comments a woman could receive if she were seen at a horse fair, Bonheur applied for permission from the prefecture of police to dress in men's clothing, and received authorization to do so in 1852. She reportedly did live in an acknowledged lesbian relationship for most of her life. Her paintings were the rage of the 19 th century in America. One of her finest and most famous painting, The Horse Fair (1853), was purchased by Cornelius Vanderbilt, it was brought to the U.S. (where her artistic abilities and personality "meshed with American interest in innovation and bravura") and now hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/bonheur_rosa.html
    1842-publisher / abolitionist Josiah Warren (1798-1874) opens 2nd Time Store in New Harmony. Warren founded several “equity” stores, founded three utopian colonies, and wrote True Civilization. These stores based sales on the hours of labor and worked on the trade of these goods for the time of labor, utilizing a “clock” formula. He is considered America's first anarchist.
http://www.famousamericans.net/josiahwarren/
http://www.kat.gr/kat/history/Txt/Gl/Anarchism/JosWarren.htm
http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/warren.html
http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/nh.html
    1862-The Confederate cruiser built in England was the Oneto, which sailed this day from Liverpool, England, bound for the Bahamas. The ship was transferred to Captain John Newland Maffitt of the Confederate Nay, who took ran as commodore. He is considered one of the best known naval commanders of the Confederate navy. The guns and stores were sent in another ship that followed. Maffitt organized blockade-running operations from the West Indies. The high point of his career, however, was his captaincy of the commerce-raider C.S.S . Florida. In only two cruises, Maffitt took 57 prizes, wreaking over $4 million worth of damage to Union shipping. Reassigned to blockade-running in 1863, Maffitt continued to baffle Yankee captains and bring vital military cargoes into Southern ports until nearly the end of the war. Maffit was a true Naval hero known for his ingenuity, courage, seamanship and high-spirited leadership .
http://nautarch.tamu.edu/PROJECTS/denbigh/Maffitt.htm
http://www.csnavy.org/jnm.htm
http://www.civilwar-photos.com/monthly.htm
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-m/j-maffit.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0872499863/
inktomi-bkasin-20/ref%3Dnosim/104-0082188-8675910
    1872-the State of Illinois was the first to pass a law banning sex discrimination in employment: “ no person shall be precluded or debarred from any occupation or employment ( except military) on account of sex” was one of the provisions. 100 years later the Senate passed the passed a law to prohibit sex discrimination, but it required ratification by 38 states, which even when the deadline was extended, it never received the necessary passage so did not become the law of the land. Ironically, only 35 states ratified the 1972 amendment. Among the ones that ironically did not was Illinois:
Alabama 
Arizona 
Arkansas 
Florida 
Georgia 
Illinois 
Louisiana 
Mississippi 
Missouri 
Nevada 
North Carolina 
Oklahoma 
South Carolina 
Utah 
Virginia
    1874-The Young Men's Hebrew Association originated in the 1840s as the Young Men's Hebrew Literary Association. The first YMHA opened in Baltimore, MD, in 1854, but was unsuccessful The first permanent YMHA was founded this day in 1874 by a group of German-Jewish businessmen and professionals headed by Dr. Simeon Newton Leo. The first president was Lewis May. A second club was started in Philadelphia in 1875.
    1882-The Edmunds Act is passed by Congress, making polygamy a felony offense, disenfranchising polygamists and barring them from public office. Apparently the only US law to deprive citizens of their civil rights without trial. More than 1,300 men were imprisoned under the terms of this measure. It was specifically enacted to halt the growth of the Mormon religion in Utah.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h734.html
http://www.vermonthistory.org/educate/Edmunds/gEdmunds.HTM
    1893-The first women's collegiate basketball game was played at Smith College at Northampton, MA. Senda Berenson, then Smith's director of physical education and "mother of women's basketball," supervised the game, in which Smith's sophomore team beat the freshman team 5-4.
    1899-Ruth Page, American dancer and choreographer Ruth Page was born at Indianapolis, IN. She was a leading figure in Chicago dance with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Opera Ballet and the Chicago Ballet. She died Apr 7, 1991, at Chicago, IL. 
http://www.ruthpage.com/
    1907-trumpter player Rex Stewart born Philadelphia, PAhttp://www.dnai.com/~lmcohen/BOOKS/dc801590.htm
    1908 -- Birthday of Louis L'Amour (1908-1988) lives. American writer of western fiction. After the 1950s L'Amour published, at the peak of his career, several westerns a year. Best known is Hondo.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/lamour.htm
    1908-guitarist/violinist Claude Williams born Muskogee, OK 
http://shoko.calarts.edu/~chung/artists/ClaudeWilliamsBio.html
    1915-tenor sax player Buddy Tate born Sherman, TX
http://elvispelvis.com/buddytate.htm
    1919 –Electric guitarist Charlie Christian birthday
http://www.duke.edu/~asr2/charlie.html
    1920 - A spectacular display of the Northern Lights was visible as far south as Bradenton FL, El Paso TX, and Fresno CA. At Detroit MI, the display was described "so brilliant as to blot out all stars below first magnitude". 
    1922-trumpter player Joe Wilder born Colwyn, PA
http://www.lpb.com/eveningstar/joe2.htm
    1928-guitarist Johnny “Texas” Brown born Chotaw City, MS
http://bioc09.uthscsa.edu/~seale/tjbrown.html
    1931-yesterday Day in History had James T. Kirk birthday; today is William Shatner's birthday, Montreal, QC, Canada.
    1936 -great floods were at their crest on rivers from Maine to Ohio. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania reached 6.1 feet, Harrisburg hit 3.5 feet, and Hartford hit 8.6 feet, a depth greater than ever before. 107 lives were lost and damage was placed at $270 million.
    1936 - A great flood crested on rivers from Ohio to Maine. The flood claimed 107 lives and caused 270 million dollars property damage. 
    1943-singer/guitars/song writer George Benson born Philadelphia, PA. Benson began as a jazz guitarist, playing and recording with organist Brother Jack McDuff, and recording a series of mainstream jazz LPs on his own for several labels. In 1975, Benson signed with Warner Brothers, where he was encouraged to sing. The result was "Breezin'," which became the biggest-selling jazz album of all time. His hit singles, all vocals in the Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway mold, include "On Broadway," "This Masquerade," "Give Me the Night" and "Turn Your Love Around."
    1943-Birthday of Keith Relf, vocalist, guitarist and harmonica player with the legendary British band, the Yardbirds, was born in Richmond, England. The group gave birth to three major guitar heroes of the 1960's - Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. For his part, Relf is credited with being one of the first to use guitar feedback. After the Yardbirds broke up in 1968, Relf and another member of the group, Jim McCarty, formed a duo called Together. Relf then organized a classical rock band, Renaissance, and a heavy rock group, Armageddon. In 1976, Keith Relf was found dead in his London home with a guitar in his hands. He had died of an electric shock.
    1945—Top Hits
A Little on the Lonely Side - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Jimmy Brown)
Accentuate the Positive - Johnny Mercer
My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time - The Pied Pipers
There's a New Moon Over My Shoulder - Jimmie Davis
    1948- Andrew Lloyd Webber birthday, composer of such smash musicals as "Jesus Christ, Superstar," "Evita," "Cats," "Phantom of the Opera," "Starlight Express" and "Aspects of Love" was born in London. Webber, the son of a composer, studied music at the Guildhall School and the Royal College, as well as attending Oxford. With lyricist Tim Rice, Webber was asked to write a children's show for EMI Records. The result was a version of an Old Testament story, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," which was a moderate success.With manager David Lands underwriting their efforts, Webber and Rice started work on a rock opera, "Jesus Christ, Superstar," which tells the story from the viewpoint of children who might have known Christ. The recording of the opera was released on two LP's in October, 1970, and four years later had sold 5.5 million copies. "Jesus Christ, Superstar" opened on Broadway in 1971 and in London a year later. . A film version, directed by Norman Jewison, was made in 1973.
    1953—Top Hits
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Doggie in the Window - Patti Page
Kaw-Liga - Hank Williams
    1955-Disc Jockey Alan Freed joins the staff of Coral records as an A&R man. His two year deal calls for him to work with Coral's parent Company, Decca, as a producer.
    1956 - Sammy Davis, Jr. becomes an instant celebrity when he stars in the Broadway play Mr. Wonderful. 
    1956 - Sammy Davis, Jr. starred in the play, "Mr. Wonderful", in New York City. The critics were unkind, saying that they didn't care for the production. Audiences, however, gave it ‘thumbs up' and the show went on to be one of Broadway's more popular musicals, catapulting Davis into the limelight. He appeared with Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas, as Sinatra was also making a comeback, having won the Academy Award in 1954 as best supporting actor in “From Here to Eternity.” They became fast friends. The public black and white relationship was ahead of its time.
    1956 - Perry Como became the first major TV variety-show host to book a rock and roll act on his program. The ‘Incomparable Mr. C.' booked Carl Perkins for the show and Perkins sang "Blue Suede Shoes".
    1958 - Movie producer Mike Todd and three other passengers were killed when the Lockheed Lodestar aircraft they were in exploded while in midair. Mike Todd was Elizabeth Taylor's third husband, and she took his untimely death very hard. It was reported that Taylor had planned to be on board as well, but her husband discouraged her from the trip due to an illness she was getting over. Todd produced the Oscar- winning movie from two years earlier, Around the World in 80 Days, and introduced innovative methods of filming to the industry.
    1958- At the urging of his mother, Hank Williams Junior makes his stage debut in Swainsboro, Georgia. he is the eight year old son of the late country singer (who past away New Year's Day 1953) and his wife, Audrey Williams. It would take years and a near-fatal accident before he could develop a style of his own and come to terms with being the son of one of country music's greatest performers
    1960-the first patent for a laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) granted to Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes.
    1961—Top Hits
Surrender - Elvis Presley
Where the Boys Are - Connie Francis
Dedicated to the One I Love - The Shirelles
Don't Worry - Marty Robbins
    1961- industrial designer Raymond Loewy made this sketch of a futuristic sports car at the request of Sherwood Egbert, the recently appointed president of the ailing Studebaker Corporation. Egbert charged Loewy to design a new car bold enough to capture the popular imagination and boost the company's sagging fortunes. Loewy and his team of designers produced a prototype in record time, and the Avanti debuted in the spring of 1962 to rave reviews. My parents liked it so much they sold their Olds to get a red Avanti. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar22.html
    1962 - 19-year-old Barbra Streisand becomes an instant celebrity when she stars in the Broadway play I Can Get It for You Wholesale. 
    1962 - The play, "I Can Get It For You Wholesale", opened on Broadway. It featured a 19-year-old named Barbara Streisand. She stopped the show at the famed Shubert Theatre in New York City. Streisand starred as Miss Marmelstein. Audiences kept coming back for more of Barbara for 300 performances. 1969 - UCLA defeated Purdue 92-72 to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball championship. The Bruins were the first team to win three consecutive championships -- all under legendary head coach John Wooden. UCLA went on to dominate the college basketball title through the 1973 season. 1969 - UCLA won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball championship after defeating Purdue 92-72. The Bruins were the first team to win three consecutive championships, while under head coach John Wooden. Until the 1973 season, UCLA went on to dominate the college basketball title.
    1963 -"Our Day Will Come" by Ruby and The Romantics topped the Billboard Hot 100. 
    1966- Sopwith Camel appears at the Matrix in the San Francisco Marina District.
    1967 -McNERNEY, DAVID H. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. place and date: polei Doc, Republic of Vietnam, 22 March 1967. Entered service at: Fort Bliss, Tex. Born: 2 June 1931, Lowell, Mass. Citation: 1st Sgt. McNerney distinguished himself when his unit was attacked by a North Vietnamese battalion near polei Doc. Running through the hail of enemy fire to the area of heaviest contact, he was assisting in the development of a defensive perimeter when he encountered several enemy at close range. He killed the enemy but was painfully injured when blown from his feet by a grenade. In spite of this injury, he assaulted and destroyed an enemy machinegun position that had pinned down 5 of his comrades beyond the defensive line. Upon learning his commander and artillery forward observer had been killed, he assumed command of the company. He adjusted artillery fire to within 20 meters of the position in a daring measure to repulse enemy assaults. When the smoke grenades used to mark the position were gone, he moved into a nearby clearing to designate the location to friendly aircraft. In spite of enemy fire he remained exposed until he was certain the position was spotted and then climbed into a tree and tied the identification panel to its highest branches. Then he moved among his men readjusting their position, encouraging the defenders and checking the wounded. As the hostile assaults slackened, he began clearing a helicopter landing site to evacuate the wounded. When explosives were needed to remove large trees, he crawled outside the relative safety of his perimeter to collect demolition material from abandoned rucksacks. Moving through a fusillade of fire he returned with the explosives that were vital to the clearing of the landing zone. Disregarding the pain of his injury and refusing medical evacuation 1st Sgt. McNerney remained with his unit until the next day when the new commander arrived. First Sgt. McNerney's outstanding heroism and leadership were inspirational to his comrades. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country. 
    1967 - Elvis Presley begins filming his 25th movie, Clambake, in Los Angeles.
    1967 - The Who make their US stage debut, performing at the Paramount Theater in New York City.     1968 - President's daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson, ordered off San Francisco cable car for eating ice cream cone.
    1968 - For the real trivia buffs: President's daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson, ordered off cable car for eating ice cream cone, of course, only in San Francisco.
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/rock.html
http://www.sfheart.com/SF_History.html
http://www.sfgate.com/sf/howe/1115.html
    1969—Top Hits
Dizzy - Tommy Roe
Traces - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost
Indian Giver - 1910 Fruitgum Co.
Only the Lonely - Sonny James
    1972- the Senate passed the 27th Amendment, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sending it to the states for ratification. Hawaii led the way as the first state to ratify and by the end of the year 22 of the required states had ratified it. On Oct 6,1978, the deadline for ratification was extended to June 30, 1982, by Congress. The amendment still lacked three of the required 38 states for ratification. This was the first extension granted since Congress set seven years as the limit for ratification. The amendment failed to achieve ratification as the deadline came and passed and no additional states ratified the measure. 
http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/
    1972- The Yankees trade first baseman Danny Cater to the Red Sox for lefty reliever Albert Walter Lyle. Over the next seven years, Sparky will pitch in 420 games in relief with 57-40 record and a 2.41 ERA notching 141 saves as he helps the Bronx Bombers to appear in three World Series.
    1975 - Barry Manilow makes his first US television appearance, performing "Mandy" and "It's A Miracle" on ABC-TV's American Bandstand. 
    1975 - Frankie Valli's "My Eyes Adored You" hits #1 
    1976-Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter tells the audience at the National Association of Record Merchandisers' Scholarship Foundation Dinner that Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin and other bands inspired him while working late nights when he was the Governor of Georgia. To prove he would never lie to them, he quoted lines from the Beatles' "Yesterday" and Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind.
    1977-a blockbuster coastal storm lashed New York and New England. Norfolk, Connecticut was buried under 33 inches of snow. 24 inches was reported at Pittsfield, Massachusetts and 18 inches piled up at Gardner, Massachusetts. Snow amounts exceeded 30 inches in the Catskills in southeastern New York. 3 to 5 inches of rain deluged south coastal New England and wind gusts reached 60 to 90 mph. A 450 foot radio tower in Framingham, Massachusetts was toppled by the high winds.
    1977—Top Hits
Love Theme from "A Star is Born" (Evergreen) - Barbra Streisand
Fly like an Eagle - Steve Miller
Rich Girl - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
    1977 - Comedienne Lily Tomlin made her debut on Broadway, as "Lily Tomlin on Stage" opened in New York.
    1977-Stevie Wonder releases the single, "Sir Duke." The tune was a tribute to Duke Ellington and would spend 3 weeks at #1
    1977-The John Denver TV special, Thank God, I'm A Country Boy aired on ABC-TV. Guests included Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell and Roger Miller. 
    1982-Diana Ross' first solo album for RCA, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," goes platinum less than three months after its release.
    1985—Top Hits
Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon
The Heat is On - Glenn Frey
Material Girl - Madonna
Crazy for Your Love – Exile
    1988 - Rain and high winds battered the Northern Pacific Coast Region, with wind gusts to 78 mph at Ocean Shores WA. The high winds uprooted trees and down power lines. Ten cities in the northeastern U.S. reported new record low temperatures for the date. Eight cities in the central U.S. reported record highs. Southerly winds gusting to 60 mph helped push the mercury at Ottumwa IA to a record warm reading of 83 degrees
    1988 - Rain and high winds battered the Northern Pacific Coast Region, with wind gusts to 78 mph at Ocean Shores WA. The high winds uprooted trees and down power lines. Ten cities in the northeastern U.S. reported new record low temperatures for the date. Eight cities in the central U.S. reported record highs. Southerly winds gusting to 60 mph helped push the mercury at Ottumwa IA to a record warm reading of 83 degrees. 
    1989-Dick Clark announces he'll no longer host "American Bandstand," ending a 33-year run.
    1989 - Six cities in the Great Lakes Region, and three in southern Texas, reported new record low temperatures for the date, including Alpena MI with a reading of 9 above zero, and Brownsville TX with a reading of 38 degrees
    1989 - Six cities in the Great Lakes Region, and three in southern Texas, reported new record low temperatures for the date, including Alpena MI with a reading of 9 above zero, and Brownsville TX with a reading of 38 degrees.
    1990 - A surge of arctic air kept temperatures in the teens and 20s during the day in the north central U.S., and heavy snow fell over parts of Montana. Record warmth was reported in the western U.S., and in Alaska. Phoenix AZ reported a record high of 94 degrees, and the town of Barrow, located along the arctic coast of Alaska, reported a record high of 20 degrees.
    1999---Top Hits
Believe- Cher
Heartbreak Hotel- Whitney Houston Feat. Faith Evans
Angel Of Mine- Monica
I Still Believe- Mariah Carey
    2002- After a poor spring trying to make the Dodgers as a bench player, 38-year-old Dante Bichette (.299, 274, 1,141) announces his retirement. The four-time All-Star played with the Angels, Brewers, Rockies, Reds and Red Sox during his 14-year major league career.
    2004-Ozzy Osbourne topped a Yahoo poll as the UK's favorite ambassador to welcome aliens to Earth.
    2012-Paul McCartney announced that his 1971 album "Ram", which included the hit single "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey", had been re-mastered and would be re-released next May. Macca was quoted as saying "This is an album from a long, long time ago, when the world was different. It reminds me of my hippie days and the free attitude with which it was created."

NCAA Basketball Champions This Date

    1958 Kentucky
    1969 UCLA