Reaction on Patrick Sponsel Passing Away
Past President NAELB, Very Popular/Well Respected Man

Extra sent to email subscribers

Patrick Sponsel Succumbs to Cancer
http://leasingnews.org/Pages/sponsel.html

The National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers has many posts
on their “Forum,” which is closed to the public. However, here are some responses received by Leasing News (in chronological order):

"Patrick would want us to all go on living. He was such a positive person. He loved leasing and had a real passion for it. Patrick never felt sorry for himself even though he knew that the cancer was spreading. He faced it head on and fought it courageously. I often told him how much I admired him for his bravery through it all."

Rosanne Wilson, CLFP
1st Independent Leasing

--

“Patrick will be dearly missed by many.”
 
Dustin Bond
Vice President, Mazuma Capital

--

“Bud Callahan & I had a real great crying session together.”

Paul Burnham
El Dorado Commercial Finance

--

“Patrick was my friend. He told me once ‘The secret to living is giving.’ That's why he worked so hard for the NAELB. His work enhanced our association. My prayers go out to his wife Cheryl and his children.”

Linda Kester
Sales Trainer

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"Shocking news about Patrick Sponsel. We seem to be losing a lot of good people lately. Even when you expect it, such a loss is terrible. He was truly one of the good guys."

Bob Teichman, CLFP
Teichman Financial Training

---

“Patrick will be missed. I enjoyed working with him. He was a grounded person with solid values and I could always count on him for honesty, thoughtfulness and dedication.”

Spencer Richman
American Financial Network

----

“Patrick and I have been friends for close to 20 years. He was one of my first customers when I started in the leasing business and he’s taught me a lot over the years. Patrick had a lot of knowledge and was always open to sharing his thoughts and ideas. He worked tirelessly for the NAELB and leasing community. He is the reason I joined the marketing committee for the NAELB. The guy was a marketing genius; he was constantly sending me marketing ideas and thoughts. I will miss Patrick’s calls and his laugh. RIP Patrick. The leasing world lost a great one.”

Carrie Radloff, CLFP
American Financial Partners
Red Thread Financial Group, LLC

March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The good news is that it’s largely a preventable type of cancer. Read this blog post to learn about who is at risk, the symptoms and screening tests and how to reduce your risk of colon cancer.

Reduce Your Risk of Colon Cancer
http://www.pamfblog.org/2016/02/colonoscopy-prevent-colon-cancer/

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Well-Known New Jersey Leasing Attorney Passes Away
Lawrence A. Rudnick

Lawrence A. Rudnick was a director of Schatzman Baker, Princeton,
New Jersey. He was a long time member of the Eastern Association
of Equipment Lessors, serving on the Legal Committee for many
years, Chairman 1998-2000.

New York Times Obituary

RUDNICK--Lawrence Alan, 68, died peacefully at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick on February 14th. Born in Brooklyn, he resided in South Amboy, NJ. A graduate of Rutgers University and Rutgers University School of Law, he was a member of the firm of Schatzman Baker of Princeton. Married to Beth (Gross) for 46 years, he was also loved by sons and daughters-in-law Jonathan and Amy and Scott and Amanda, as well as the two great treasures of his life-grandsons Aaron and Jake.

 

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New ELFA President/CEO Profound on FASB Changes
"Rules Are Not Going to Impact Lessee Behavior"

An "AccountingToday" interview by Michael Cohn of Equipment Leasing and Finance Association President and CEO Ralph Petta was both profound and very promising for the leasing industry.

Leasing News received permission from “AccountingToday”
 to reprint from the interview:

Ralph Petta
ELFA President/CEO

“When companies perform a lease vs. buy analysis, all of the reasons that lease financing makes a lot of sense in the United States, and the reason that there’s a trillion-plus dollars in new business volume transacted every year, is because there are a lot of positives and a lot of advantages to choosing a financing product over a straight debt or sale product. We really don’t anticipate that the rules are going to impact lessee behavior in selecting the financial product that they use to acquire equipment.”

“Leases are going to go on balance sheets,” said Petta. “That’s an accounting construct, but the good thing is the P&L, the income statement doesn’t change, so there’s still going to be a two-lease model here in the United States, which is not the case in the rest of the world. The IASB adopted the one-lease model where are all leases are treated as finance leases, so they preserved what we think is the best of lease accounting, which has been for the past 30 years of so, which is differentiating between the two types of lease transactions. We’re pleased that things came out the way they did. A lot of hard work and a lot of people doing things and pulling in the same direction, which was a good thing.”

Since the beginning of the discussions, Petta was personally involved with the FASB meetings and the committee working on the proposed new changes.

He does not believe the equipment leasing companies will have much trouble adjusting to the new standard.

“It won’t be a very onerous process,” he said. “The FASB has given U.S. companies a few years to transition to the new rules, so public companies will have until 2019, and private companies will have to come online in 2020, so there will be time to transition to the new rules. Some of our member companies have already started looking at that, and we have been pretty diligent in keeping our members, the lessor community, abreast of all the changes."

Complete Article as well as to Register to receive “AccountingToday:”
http://www.accountingtoday.com/blogs/debits-credits/news/equipment-leasing-group-pleased-with-fasb-standard-77310-1.html

 

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Top Five Leasing Company Websites—
in North America

(The lower the rating, the higher of the list of websites visited
the most, according to Alexa.com)

Summary:
In comparing the numbers with December 7, 2015, the last view,
Direct Capital, a subsidiary of CIT Bank (CIT Group), moved to
number one of the Top Five North America websites.

CIT “fell” from 49,244 to 54,084 in the ranking, close to Direct Capital, but became second on the list, which it has dominated since Leasing News started the search.

In other news, GreatAmerica Finance has been falling lower and lower in discovering the most recent results.  This time, it in came in sixth,  replaced by Financial Pacific, a subsidiary of Umpqua Bank.

Yes, this time the numbers really dropped for Great America, going down on the list in the US from 185,695 to 285,313, WWW from 959,336 to 1,788,923, with the time spent on the site from 4:12 to 2:30; major changes.

TimePayment, relatively new to the group is hanging in there, going from 148,053 to 156,066 in US numbers, but greatly improved in time on the site to four minutes, the highest of the group.

Balboa Capital suffered the most, “falling” in all the rankings, but still
came in third…

 

Time on Site: 2:12
www.directcapital.com
USA Alexa Traffic Rating: 53,549
WWW: 183,110
Sites linking in: 437

Time on Site: 3:06
www.cit.com
USA Alexa Traffic Rating: 54,084
WWW: 242,021
Sites Linking in: 430

Time on Site: 2:30
http://www.balboacapital.com/home.aspx
US Alexa Traffic Rating: 119,965
WWW: 532, 898
Sites Linking in: 124

Time on Site: 4:00
www.timepayment.com
USA Alexa Traffic Rating: 156,066
WWW: 970,445
Sites Linking in: 45

Time on Site: 3:04
www.finpac.com
USA Alexa Traffic Rating: 188, 159
WWW: 1,095,123
Sites Linking In: 28

Note: Many leasing companies affiliated with banks are included in the bank website and therefore an independent rating of visitors is not available.

December 7, 2015 Top Five Leasing Company Web Sites—
  in North America
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2015/12_07.htm#five

 

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

 

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

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

California Legislature Takes Steps to Outlaw
Evergreen Clauses for On Line Contracts
By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal Editor

California SB 1428

On February 19, 2016, California Senator Edward Hernandez (D. West Covina) introduced a bill which is exceedingly simple but which may radically change the way that lenders and lessors conduct business—by eliminating the automatic renewal provisions in contracts formed on line. 

An “evergreen clause” is so-named because they continually spring to life unless one of the parties does an affirmative act. I first saw them in the early 1960s in labor contracts. They were quickly adopted into equipment leases in the 1980s and currently form a nice revenue enhancer for equipment lessors, assuming the lessee does not serve a notice of its intent to exercise a purchase option. 

Most lessees, especially for small to medium ticket deals, rarely read the fine (10p font) print which often requires the lessee to serve a notice of its intent to exercise a purchase option 180 days before termination in a specified manner. If the lessee fails to timely serve this notice, lessors often take the position that the lease is automatically extended. The results can be catastrophic for lessees, with annual or quarterly forced renewals. I’ve never understood the justification for such clauses in equipment leases, because the lessor almost never needs to plan for the purchase option, except in a FMV lease. Its purpose is strictly to generate revenue for the lessor. 

The state of California has finally taken a baby step to correct this injustice.  Adopted as SB1428, the bill is ridiculously simple: 

“A contract that is entered into online that includes a provision for the automatic renewal of the term of the contract shall also include a provision that allows a party to terminate the contract in the same manner as the contract was entered into.”

Granted the bill presently applies to online contracts only, but there are plenty of small ticket leases that are online. Moreover, this bill hasn’t reached the governor’s desk yet, so we don’t know what the legislative process might do to the bill, including expanding its coverage to any contract. 

It should be pointed out that at least five states have enacted bills to regulate evergreen clauses, so California may be a little late coming to the party, but I have no doubt that the evergreen clause as we know it may yet be exterminated.

The bottom line to this legislation is that only a few small ticket equipment lessors have much to worry about the bill, but traditional equipment lessors may want to take stock of their evergreen policy. There’s a new marshal in town.

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

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

 

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Saluting

Leasing News Advisor 
Paul Weiss

Paul Weiss has been in and around equipment leasing for almost 30 years.

Paul co-founded Panthera Leasing in 2011. This summary from LinkedIn:

Highly experienced management team with substantial success in capital equipment leasing. Panthera has considerable financial wherewithal to do transactions for our own account at the cutting edge of equipment finance. We offer unusual leasing, rental, utilization and option programs made possible by its structuring experience and substantial capital. We focus entirely on long lived equipment and capitalizing on the exceptional economics therein.

 -In 2011 we commenced operations with our owned railcar portfolio. Panthera Aviation was formed in the fall of 2011 and owns commercial airframe engine and rotable parts positions. 
 -In 2012, we invested in THP/CA heavy transporter equipment and prime movers. 
 -In 2013 we added a significant amount of production equipment engaged in the handling and crushing of rock and aggregates. 
 -In 2014 we purchased the first of what we hope will be a fleet of large Peterson heavy duty wood grinders being deployed in CA and OR.  This equipment type is a natural extension of our aggregates and recycling equipment fleet. Also in 2014, we added an operations base in Oregon from which we will provide a range of commercial services focused on providing equipment into aggregates and recycling.
 -In 2015 we opened a Reno, NV distribution center for our Panthera Aviation rotables business.

Among other leasing industry affiliations, Paul co-led the leveraged buyout of ICON Capital in 1996 as its President and Vice Chairman until he sold his substantial ownership stake in late 2006. ICON was then the largest in its field in syndication volume for lease investment programs to individual investors. He was responsible for the company's lease acquisitions and securities sales and marketing efforts. According to the Monitor, ICON became one of the largest independently owned leasing companies in the United States after it was acquired by Mr. Weiss and his partners in 1996.

He is also a private investor and an Advisor to or Director of numerous Bay Area emerging growth companies. He is a frequent speaker on business development and entrepreneurship and a frequent judge on startup and emerging growth company financing competitions.

Prior to acquiring ICON in 1996 Mr. Weiss was Executive Vice President and a co-founder of Griffin Equity Partners (1993-1996), Senior Vice President of Gemini Financial Holdings, Inc. (1991-1993) and Vice President of Pegasus Capital Corporation (1988-1991). In each of these capacities, he was responsible for large ticket seasoned lease portfolio acquisitions. Mr. Weiss believes he has been involved with more than $4 billion of large ticket leasing acquisitions during his career as a principal. He was named as one of the top 25 most influential in the leasing industry by Leasing News in 2009. Prior to entering the equipment leasing business in 1988, Mr. Weiss was an investment banker and securities analyst.

He is a longtime resident of Marin County, California. Paul can be reached at paul@pantheraleasing.com.

 

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Please Respond to Leasing News Survey
How You Connect to the News Edition

 

Young Americans Can't Live Without Their Phones
New Chart Shows Usage of Age Groups

by Eugene Kim, www.businessinsider.com

Most Americans under the age of 50 love their mobile phones, and say they can't live without it, according to a recent Harris Poll survey.

The survey, charted for us by Statista, says 44% of US adults have difficulty unplugging from their cell phones, with the trend becoming clearer among younger people.

In particular, both the Millennials and Generation X'ers picked mobile phones as the top device they can't let go, far outpacing their obsession with TVs or PCs. The opposite was true for people aged over 50, with mobile phones coming in last.

 

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

NAELB Welcomes Monica Harper Back
Now NAELB Leasing School New Marketing Director

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The National Association of Equipment Leasing Broker’s Leasing School announces the addition of Monica Harper to its team as the new Marketing Director. Former Marketing Director, Linda Kester will continue as an instructor for the school.

Monica Harper
NAELB Leasing School Marketing Director

Monica Harper brings over 17 years of experience in association management to the school, with nine years in the equipment leasing industry as the former executive director of the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers (NAELB). Her experience with event marketing, broadcast email communications, social media and membership development will serve the NAELB Leasing School as it continues grow and expand its reach.

Linda Kester

The school enjoyed a successful launch greatly due to the efforts of Linda Kester. Linda’s marketing expertise as a nationally recognized sales trainer and founder of the Institute for Personal Development has enabled the NAELB Leasing School to attract quality students to its equipment leasing training program. Linda will continue to provide the school’s students with real-world knowledge and experience to help with the sales and marketing of their lease brokerages.

Gary Greene
Managing Director
NAELB Leasing School

“We are thrilled to have Monica on board.  Her background with the leasing industry and her experience providing top notch customer service will be assets to the school,” says Gary Greene, Managing Director of the NAELB Leasing School.  “It will be the best of both worlds having both Linda and Monica on our team.”

About the NAELB Leasing School:
The NAELB Leasing School was established in May 2014 by the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers to teach entrepreneurs how to open, operate and succeed in their own equipment leasing and finance brokerage businesses. The school provides a full week of training, a year of mentoring, and a one-year membership in the NAELB.

 

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

 

 

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

 

It is reported that, the financial leasing industry scale increased from CNY 70 billion in 2007 to CNY 1.2 trillion in June 2012, increasing by 16 times within 5 five years with compound annual growth rate of 90%, it is predicted that by 2020, the industry scale of financial leasing in China will be close to CNY 10 trillion with compound annual growth rate of about 30%, and the leasing penetration rate can be expected to exceed 10%.

Under the background of the current market demand, the 9th China Leasing Summit 2016 (www.duxes-events.com/leasecn9), combined Asia Auto Rental & Leasing Special and Equipment Leasing Special, will be held on June 14-17, in Beijing. This summit is part of Duxes’ venerable Leasing Series which has gone from strength to strength for over eight years and has included speakers from governments, leading International leasing regulatory bodies, industry associations and the business’ leasing individuals.

Not only will the summit provide a comprehensive analysis of the latest changes in government policy and market developments but also will provide the innovative leasing models and financing channels in the industry fields including agri-machinery, machine tools, high-end industrial equipment, healthcare equipment, high-tech equipment , construction equipment, environmental-friendly and new energy equipment, cross-border leasing, and more.

In short, this is the event to attend to get all the important information, meet influential people and, to run a successful and profitable leasing business in China and Asia.

For further information, contact:
Ms. Vivi Ye
Tel: +86 21 5258 8005 Ext. 8106
Email: vivi.ye@duxes.cn
Website: www.duxes-events.com/leasecn9 

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

 

Boxer
Irvine, California  Adopt-a-Dog

Sadie Winter
ID: #A080099
Female
Age: 4 Years, 3 months
Spayed
At Shelter since Jan 13, 2016

For more information about this animal, call:
Irvine Animal Care Center at (949) 724-7740
Ask for information about animal ID number A080099

City of Irvine
Animal Care Center
6443 Oak Canyon
Irvine, CA 92618

Adoption Hours
Weekdays: noon-6 p.m.
Weekends: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Center is closed on Tuesdays and holidays.

 

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

 

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Attorneys Who Specialize in
Banking, Finance, and Leasing

Birmingham, Alabama The lawyers of Marks & Associates, P.C. have over 30 years experience in dealing with virtually every type of equipment financing and are recognized throughout the industry for prompt, practical solutions and exemplary service. They offer cost-conscious, effective lease enforcement and good counsel.  Email: Barry@leaselawyer.com Website: www.leaselawyers.com	California, National: city: Riverside  Ellen Stern - get results, reasonable pricing; numerous industry contacts, nearly 30 yrs exp.in SoCal, 20 yrs equip.: CFL license specialist, documentation, work-outs, litigated collections, recoveries; deal-maker.  Email: leaselaw@msn.com
Kenneth C. Greene California Leasing and Financial consultant, active in several leasing associations, as well as involved in music and film production inLA.  Mention "Leasing News" for a free consultation. 818.575.9095 Skype: 424.235.1658 ken@kengreenelaw.com	Connecticut, Southern New England:  EVANS, FELDMAN & BOYER, LLC Collections, litigation, documentation, portfolio sales and financing, bankruptcy. We represent many of the national and local leasing companies doing business in this state. Past chairman EAEL legal committee. Competitive rates.  email: rcfeldman@snet.net
Los Angeles/Santa Monica Hemar & Associates, Attorneys at Law Specialists in legal assistance, including debt collection, equipment recovery, litigation for 35 years. Fluent in Spanish.  Tel: 310-829-1948  email: phemar@hemar.com
Los Angeles, Southern CA  Seasoned attorney representing secured creditors in auto finance and truck/equipment lease industry.  Bankruptcy and State Court litigation.   Vincent V. Frounjian (818) 990-0605or email: vvf@pacbell.net.	Encino, California: Statewide “ELFA”  Hemar, Rousso & Heald, LLP 30 yr excellent reputation Lessor representation commercial litigation, debt collection, and bankruptcy. Call Stephen E. Jenkins Esq (818) 501-3800
Los Angeles, Statewide: CA.     "ELFA" Aggressive creditors rights law firm specializing in equipment leasing handling collection matters on a contingency, fixed fee or hourly cbasis. email:RGarwacki@prodigy.net	Los Angeles, Statewide: CA      "ELFA" Practice limited to collections, bankruptcy and problem accounts resolution. Decades of experience. 10-lawyer firm dedicated to serving you. Call Ronald Cohn, Esq. (818)591-2121 or email. Email: rrcohn@aol.com
Los Angeles- Statewide, CA Lawyer specializing in banking and leasing issues statewide. Documents and litigation.  Tom McCurnin, Barton, Klugman & Oetting. Voice: (213) 617-6129  Cell:(213) 268-8291 Email:  tmccurnin@bkolaw.com	California & National Paul Bent – More than 35 years experience in all forms of equipment leasing, secured lending, and asset based transactions. Financial analysis, deal structuring, contract negotiations, documentation, private dispute resolution, expert witness services.  (562) 426-1000 www.paulbentlaw.com pbent@paulbentlaw.com
Illinois Trabaris, P.C.: Finance attorney with 24 years’ experience with transactional, documentation, secured financing and workouts /restructurings.  Kevin Trabaris Phone:(847)840-4687  Email: kevin@trabaris.com Website: www.trabaris.com.    Blog: trabaris.com/info/blog/	Law Firm - Service, Dallas, TX. "ELFA" Mayer regularly practices in leasing, secured financing, project development and finance and corporate finance.  email: dmayer@pattonboggs.com Website: www.pattonboggs.com
Massachusetts (collection/litigation coast to coast)  Modern Law Group focuses its practice on collections, lease enforcement and asset recovery. For the past five years, our attorneys have helped clients recover millions of dollars. We are able to cover your needs coast to coast. Email phone 617-855-9085www.modernlawgroup.com	Michael J. Witt, experienced bank, finance, and leasing attorney, also conducts Portfolio Audits. Previously he was Managing Counsel, Wells Fargo & Co. (May, 2003 – September, 2008); Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Advanta Business Services (May, 1988 – June, 1997) Tel: (515) 223-2352 Cell: (515) 868-1067 E-mail: MWitt@Witt-Legal.com Web: www.witt-legal.com
National:  The OMEGA Network Group-nationwide legal representation of small and mid ticket equipment lessors-flat fee bankruptcy & replevin, contingent collection,  billable litigation (704-969-3280) tong_92@yahoo.com	National: Coston & Rademacher: Business attorneys serving the lease-finance industry since 1980. Transactional, documentation, corporate/finance, workouts, litigation, bankruptcy, portfolio management. Chicago-based national practice. Jim Coston, CLP (Members: ELFA, NEFA).  email: Jcoston@costonlaw.com Website:www.costonlaw.com
St. Louis County , MO. - statewide:  Schultz & Associates LLP., collections, negotiation, and litigation. Also register and pursue recovery on foreign judgments. Contingency and reasonable hourly rates.  Ronald J. Eisenberg, Esq. (636) 537-4645 x108  reisenberg@sl-lawyers.com www.sl-lawyers.com	NJ,De,Pa: Specializing in leased equipment/secured transactions. Collections, replevins/workouts reasonable rates. Sergio Scuteri/Capehart & Scratchard, PAsscuteri@capehart.com / www.capehart.com
New York and New Jersey Peretore & Peretore, P.C. documentation, portfolio purchase & sale, replevin, workouts, litigation, collection, bankruptcy.  Aggressive. Over 25 years experience.www.peretore.com	Thousand Oaks, California:  Statewide coverage Spiwak & Iezza, LLP 20+ years experience,Representing Lessors banks in both State/ Federal Courts/ all aspects of commercial leasing litigation. Nick Iezza 805-777-1175 niezza@spiwakandiezza.com

 

Receivables Management LLC John Kenny • End of Lease Negotiations & Enforcement  • Third-Party Commercial Collections  john@jkrmdirect.com | ph 315-866-1167| www.jkrmdirect.com

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for investigative
reporting provided by John Kenny)

News Briefs---

Fintech Will Mostly End in Tears, Christopher Flowers Says
http://bitcoinagile.com/5A63BC/fintech-will-mostly-end-in-tears-christopher-flowers-says_stream

Total Q4 auto charge-offs at banks eclipse $1B, but also report 11.9% Rise in Net Income
http://www.autoremarketing.com/subprime/total-q4-auto-charge-offs-banks-eclipse-1-billion

Forbes 2016 World's Billionaires
http://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2016/03/01/forbes-2016-worlds-billionaires-meet-the-richest-people-on-the-planet/#7bda7a4d41cb

How to Reinvent Your Mature Business
 with Tech-Savvy Professionals by Bill Verhelle (5 pages)
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/HowReinventMature2016.pdf

Wells Fargo Completes Acquisition of GE Capital’s North American Commercial Distribution Finance and Vendor Finance Businesses
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160301006338/en/Wells-Fargo-Completes-Acquisition-GE-Capital%E2%80%99s-North

 

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--You May Have Missed It

Cruz, Rubio Celebrate 1 Year Anniversary Net Neutrality Rules
   -- By Trying To Kill Them
https://www.techdirt.com/blog/netneutrality/articles/20160226/0
7303133720/cruz-rubio-celebrate-one-year.shtml

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

5 Healthy Habits That Can Cause Headaches
These Good-for-You Habits Might Be a Pain in the Head
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1824

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Winter Poem

The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.

When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here.

- Author Unknown

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Sports Briefs----

Chapman suspended 30 games
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14878838/aroldis-chapman-new-york-yankees-suspended-30-games

Rating how active each NFL team will be in free agency
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/32for32x160301/rating-how-active-every-nfl-team-free-agency

 

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California Nuts Briefs---

Sierra snowpack falls below average
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article63368402.html

With high approval, Jerry Brown is California’s ‘Teflon governor’
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article63212002.html 

Robin Williams tunnel officially gets new signs
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Robin-Williams-tunnel-officially-gets-new-signs-6864015.php

Bay Area tech titans among Forbes billionaire list yet again
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Forbes-Billionaire-list-2016-bay-area-tech-6863588.php

 

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for appraisals and equipment valuations provided by Ed Castagna)

 

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Sommelier Course
10 Weeks by day or 17 by evening
http://www.internationalculinarycenter.com/landings/
wine3/index.htm?leadsrc=LNKD

New Wave of Sommelier Clubs Will Change
   How You Experience Wine
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-29/new-wave-of-sommelier-clubs-will-change-how-you-experience-wine

Kosher Wine Business Booming, Racking Up Tens Of Millions In Sales
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/02/29/kosher-wine-business/

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/

Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm

      1769 - DeWitt Clinton was born in Little Britain in the New York colony.  Clinton was the 6th Governor of New York, a NY Assemblyman and Senator, a US Senator, and the Mayor of New York City.
As Governor, he presided over construction of the Erie Canal that gave the US a water route to the Atlantic Ocean by connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River.  The only other route, the St. Lawrence River, was controlled by the English at that time.  The westward expansion of the US was enabled greatly by the Erie Canal.  Clinton died on 2/11/1828. 
    1776 - Charleston, South Carolina, set up an independent government under a temporary local constitution that was to be in effect until an agreement with England could be reached. John Rutledge was chosen President on March 17. The government, said to be the first independent government within the recognized borders of the colonies, successfully defended Charleston against the British army and fleet on June 28, 1776, thus freeing the South from attack for nearly three years.
http://www.edwardrutledge.com/
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/eveolasovrealtor/page1.html
    1776 - Americans begin shelling British troops in Boston. On March 17, the British evacuated Boston after American forces seized and fortified Dorchester Heights on March 4. British General Howe sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia, to await reinforcements.
    1776 - The Battle of the Rice Boats, around the Savannah River on the border between the Province of Georgia and the Province of South Carolina, was fought on March 2 and 3, 1776. The battle pitted the Patriot militia from Georgia and South Carolina against a small fleet of the Royal Navy. A group of boats containing rice are the target of a British attack on March 2, 1776. The Council of Safety reacts quickly, ordering the local militia to set boats on fire and drive the British away. The Inverness, loaded with rice and deerskins, is set on fire and cut loose, drifting into the brig Nelly. While some 500 Whigs from South Carolina join the 600 Georgia rebels, the two ships drift downstream, setting three more ships on fire. Royal Governor Wright, who has fled to the relative safety of the British vessels barely escapes.
    1789 - Pennsylvania ended the prohibition of theatrical performances.
    1791 - Long-distance communication sped up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.
    1793 - Birthday of Sam Houston in Rockbridge County, VA.  A famed American patriot and the first President of the Republic of Texas, Houston was a congressman (1823-27) and governor (1827-29) of Tennessee. He resigned his office as governor in 1829 and rejoined the Cherokee Indians (with whom he had lived for several years as a teenage runaway), who accepted him as a member of their tribe. Houston went to Texas in 1832 and became commander of the Texas army in the War for Texas Independence, which was secured when Houston routed the much larger Mexican forces led by Santa Ana, April 21, 1836, at the Battle of San Jacinto. After Texas’ admission to the Union, Houston served as US senator and later as governor of the state. He was deposed in 1861 when he refused to swear allegiance to the Confederacy.  He died in Texas in 1863.
    1799 - Congress standardized US weights and measures.
    1807 - The African slave trade was prohibited after January 1, 1808 by an act of Congress, which outlawed importation of slaves into any place within the jurisdiction of the U.S.
    1815 - To put an end to robberies by the Barbary pirates, the United States declares war on Algiers.
    1819 – Shooting squirrels becomes popular sport out West. The eastern U.S. was slowly becoming urbanized, but the frontier, moving ever westward, was still the place for the vigorous outdoor activities associated with newly settled rural areas. Marksmanship was highly prized and involved such sports as squirrel shooting by four-man teams. On one occasion, a team shot 152 squirrels by nightfall and the other, 141. Considered a brutal sport was the rough-and tumble fight. There were no rules and the two contestants were free to bite off ears or gouge out eyes until a fighter gave up or was knocked unconscious. By the way squirrel shooting is still popular today in many regions.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=140823&category=Game+Call
s&dept%5Fname=Squirrel+Calls&mscssid=470F59DW6NAP8JGM8NWTV7NWC6XPDWJ4
http://www.viriato.net/airgunning/hunting/sr.html
http://www.funsupply.com/airguns/longrange.html
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ar/state/history/terr/chron.txt
    1819 - The first immigration law enacted by Congress established rules and procedures for passenger ships bringing immigrants to the U.S. The most important procedure was the numerical registry of immigrations, which made it possible to compile accurate statistics on immigrations in later years.
    1824 - Interstate commerce was brought under federal control
    1825 – The first grand opera in US sung in English was performed in NYC.
    1828 - Melissa Burton Coray was born at Mersey, Ontario, Canada. At the age of 18, she accompanied her Mormon Battalion soldier husband, William Coray, on a 2,000-mile military march on foot from Council Bluffs, IA, to San Diego, CA, then 1,500 more miles across the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Nevada desert to Salt Lake City, UT, the only woman to make the entire trip. On July 30, 1994, a mountain peak near Carson Pass was named for her, the 2nd peak in California to be named for a woman.
    1829 - Birthday of Carl Schurz, American journalist, political reformer and army officer in Civil War. Born near Cologne, Germany, he died at New York, NY May 14, 1906.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAschurz.htm
http://www.germanheritage.com/biographies/mtoz/schurz.html
    1829 - New England Asylum for the Blind, the first in the US, incorporated in Boston.
    1836 - Texas adopted its Declaration of Independence from Mexico.
    1846 - A great storm hit Virginia and the Carolinas. The storm caused half a million dollars damage, and in North Carolina, drowned fifty families and a thousand cattle on Notts Island.''
    1850 - First masquerade ball in San Francisco with 600 guests. The event was organized by Tiffany Shlain.  In 1998, it moved to the Palace of Fine Arts with 2,000 guests.
    1853 - Territory of Washington organized after separating from Oregon Territory.
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ar/state/history/terr/chron.txt
    1861 - The US Congress creates Dakota and Nevada Territories out of the Nebraska & Utah territories. One of the many things leading up to the Civil War were territories and states being created that would become “free states” and thus the “slave states” would lose their leverage in Congress, and the fear that “slavery” would be abolished. On February 4, the Confederacy was formed and earlier in the year states started seceding from the Union. The creation of these territories was signed by President James Buchanan.  Abraham Lincoln would be inaugurated as President in two days; Hannibal Hamlin was his Vice-President.
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ar/state/history/terr/chron.txt
    1861 - Government Printing Office purchased its first printing plant in Washington, DC.
    1865 - Freedman's Bureau was founded for the education of Black Americans
    1865 - Confederate General Jubal Early's army was defeated at the Battle of Waynesboro, VA during the Civil War.
    1866 – The first US company to make sewing needles by machine incorporated in Connecticut
    1867 - Jesse James gang attempts to rob bank in Savannah, MO, 1 dead. The attempted robbery on a private bank occurred 2:30 pm, east of St. Joseph, Missouri in Andrew County. There were five men in the gang, four men dismounted and entered the bank. Judge John McClain refused to be robbed and put up an admirable defense. During the attempt, McClain was shot but lived. No money was stolen.
http://web.islandnet.com/~the-gang/rob.htm
http://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/history/jessejames.asp
http://www.granburytx.com/docs/james.htm
    1867 - Congress created the Department of Education
    1868 – The University of Illinois opened.
    1874 – Baseball adopted the batter’s box for the first time.
    1877 - A United States electoral commission declared Rutherford B. Hayes President, the only American President to be elected this way. The original result had been too close to call, with several disputed ballots. The nation had never before faced a dispute over the results of a presidential election, although elections had been decided by congress several times due to electoral procedure results. A candidate needed 185 electoral votes to win and Samuel J. Tilden, the Democratic candidate, clearly had 184. In dispute were the 19 electoral votes of three states still under carpetbag rule, Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina, plus one vote in Oregon. In Congress, both parties agreed on January 29 to establish an electoral commission to decide the issue. The commission, with five members from each house of Congress and five members from the Supreme Court, was made up of eight Republicans and seven Democrats. All the commission’s decisions were to fall along party lines. On March 2, Congress accepted the commission’s decision, which awarded all the disputed votes to the Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes, who thus received 185 electoral votes to Tilden’s 184. The Republicans were accused of offering southern Democrats economic favors for their region if they supported Hayes’s claim. In any event, the new President showed a conciliatory attitude toward the South: the last Federal troops were withdrawn and there was no further effort to protect the rights of blacks. Reconstruction was over.
    1888 - The Grand Fountain Savings Bank, also known as the True Reformers Savings Bank, was chartered. It was the first bank for African-Americans operated by African-Americans. It began operations on April 3, with a paid-up capital of $4,000. The first day’s deposits were $1,268.69. The board of directors was elected by the society of the United Order of True Reformers, a group founded by William W. Browne.
http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/1990/
William_W_Browne_a_businssman_ahead_of_his_time
    1889 - Kansas passed the nation’s first anti-trust legislation.
    1893 – The first federal railroad legislation passed, requiring safety features
    1899 - Mt. Rainier National Park established, located in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state.  This is the fourth oldest national park.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar02.html
    1900 - Kurt Weill was born in Dessau, Germany.  A talented composer, he was active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. His best-known work is “The Threepenny Opera” (1928), written in collaboration with Bertolt Brecht, from which the hit song, “Mack the Knife” was recorded in 1958 by Bobby Darin. Having fled Nazi Germany in 1933 for Paris, where he worked once more with Brecht on the ballet “The Seven deadly Sins”, he then landed in NYC where his musical of “The Threepenny Opera” was given its premiere on Broadway, but closed after 13 performances to mixed reviews. Weill died on 4/3/1950.
    1901 - Congress passed the Platt Amendment, limiting the autonomy of Cuba as a condition for the withdrawal of American troops.
    1903 – In NYC, The Martha Washington Hotel opened becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.
    1904 - Theodor Seuss Geisel, the creator of “The Cat in the Hat” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, was born at Springfield, MA. Known to children and parents as Dr. Seuss, his books have sold more than 200 million copies and have been translated into 20 languages. His career began with “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street”, which was turned down by 27 publishing houses before being published by Vanguard Press. His books included many messages, from environmental consciousness in “The Lorax” to the dangers of pacifism in “Horton Hatches the Egg” and Yertel the Turtle's thinly veiled references to Hitler as the title character. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1984 "for his contribution over nearly half a century to the education and enjoyment of America's children and their parents." He died Sept 24, 1991, at La Jolla, CA.
    1904 - "Official Playing Rules of Professional Base Ball Clubs" were adopted.
    1907 - After a crowded and contentious session, California Assembly members voted 58 to 19 to move the state capital from Sacramento to Berkeley.   As a result of the vote on the bill, California voters were given an opportunity to decide the question in January, 1908.
   1909 - Melvin “Mel” Ott, New York Giants’ Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder, was born at Gretna, LA.  Ott hit 511 home runs, a National League record until Willie Mays surpassed it in 1966. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951. Died at New Orleans, LA, Nov 21, 1958.
1910 - Two trains crashed in a snowstorm in Wellington, Washington, 118 die.
    1912 - Drummer Red Saunders was born in Memphis TN
http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~campber/saunders.html
http://www.theiceberg.com/artist.html?artist_id=25418
    1914 - Martin Ritt’s birthday at New York, NY. American film and television director.  His best-known films are “Hud” (1963), “Sounder” (1972), and “Norma Rae” (1979). He is perhaps best known
for his innovative television dramas in the 50’s and 60’s. During the 1950’s he was blacklisted by McCarthy’s anti-Communist crusade. Died December 8, 1990, at Santa Monica, CA.
    1917 - Congress passes the Jones Act making Puerto Rico a territory of the United States and makes the inhabitants U.S. citizens.
    1917 - Desi Arnaz’s birthday, at Santiago, Cuba, born Desidero Alberto Arnaz y Acha III, to a wealthy family. The 1933 revolution sent them to Miami, FL, and the young Arnaz sought a music career. Arnaz led his own band and introduced the conga line to America. He had several musical hits including “Babalu.” He moved into acting, meeting his future wife, Lucille Ball, at RKO. Ball and Arnaz created one of the great TV comedies, “I Love Lucy” (1951-1957) and started the innovative Desilu TV production company. Karl Freund, the cameraman on “I Love Lucy”, and Arnaz himself have been credited with the development of the linked multi-film camera setup using adjacent sets in front of a live audience that became the standard production method for situation comedies. Ball and Arnaz divorced in 1960. In November 1962, Arnaz resigned as president when his holdings in the company were bought out by Ball, who succeeded him as president.  This made her the first woman to head a major studio, and one of the most powerful women in Hollywood at the time. Arnaz died on December 2, 1986 at Del Mar, Ca.
    1917 – Reliever Jim Konstanty was born Casimir James Konstanty in Strykersville, NY.  Over most of his 11-year Major League career, Konstanty was a relief pitcher at a time when the job usually fell to pitchers on their last legs and when most starters went all nine innings.  He was so effective in this role that during the 1950 season of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Whiz Kids who won the National League pennant, Konstanty won the MVP award.  The Cy Young Award for the outstanding pitcher of the year would not be created until 1956.  To date, he is the only National League relief pitcher to achieve such an honor. He appeared in 74 games (then a major league record), winning 16 games with a National League leading 22 saves, which at the time was not a stat that existed.  He died in 1976.
    1918 – The Yankees purchased 1B George Burns from the Detroit Tigers and immediately traded him to the Philadelphia A's.
    1923 - Arthel “Doc” Watson was born in Deep Gap, NC.  Singer and musician (“Riding the Midnight Train”, “Then and Now”), he first gained notice in 1961 with an engagement at Gerde's Folk City in New York's Greenwich Village.  His reputation was solidified with an appearance at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. Watson relied heavily on traditional material - songs such as "Tom Dooley" and "Shady Grove." He recorded for Folkways and Vanguard records in the '60s. In the early '70s, Doc Watson's career was revived by a guest appearance on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's three-album set, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."
    1923 - Orrin Keepnews, co-founder of Riverside Records, jazz writer and reviewer, was born in New York City.
http://www.jazzweek.com/news/article/1_000416.html
http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?refid=ovav_key&docid=1G1:19341648
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195063309/inktomi-bkasin-20/ref%3Dnosim/
104-4344982-0045565
    1924 - Harmonica player Alexander “Papa George” Lightfoot was born in Natchez, MS.  He died in 1971 in Campbell, MS
http://www.eharmonica.net/alexander_lightfoot.htm
    1924 – Jazz tenor saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis’ birthday in NYC.  Tough tenor Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis is a gutsy hard-driving swinger who displays raw lyricism and real energy in his playing. Admired by all his fellow musicians, he was for a while closely associated with the Count Basie Band, but also formed small bands with fellow tenor player Johnny Griffin in the 60s and Roy Eldridge in the 70s.  Davis died in 1986.
http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,420939,00.html?artist=Eddie+%22Lockjaw%22+Davis
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search/102-0189534-1011323?tag=drjohnholleman&keyword=eddie+lockjaw+davis&mode=music
    1925 - Highway Numbers introduced.  The Joint Board on Interstate Highways, recommended by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), worked to form a national numbering system to rationalize the nation’s roads. Standardized road signs in the shape of a shield, identifying the routes were also introduced. Later, the system would be improved with the use of odd and even numbers that distinguish between north-south and east-west routes, respectively.  For the most part, these US Highways sought to link major population areas to speed movement of goods and people from place to place.  The Interstate Highway System that would follow generally speeds travel around major populations.
    1927 - Raleigh, North Carolina was buried under 17.8 inches of snow in 24 hours to establish a record snowfall for the city. Nashville, North Carolina received 31 inches of snow.
    1927 – Babe Ruth became highest paid baseball player in history, signing a contract for $70,000 per year.  Then he went out and established a new HR record with 60 in the 1927 season.
    1929 - Chicago Blackhawks were shut-out for a NHL record 8th straight game.
    1930 – Author D.H. Lawrence died in France.  English by birth, Lawrence’s writings broke ground on then-hushed subjects of homosexuality, adultery, sex, and obscenity.  His novels include ”Sons and Lovers”, “The Rainbow”, “Women in Love”, and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”.  He arrived in the US in 1922 and settled in New Mexico at what is now called the D.H. Lawrence ranch.
    1931 – Author and journalist Tom Wolfe was born in Richmond, VA.  “The Bonfire of the Vanities”, “The Right Stuff”.
    1931 – Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was born in North Caucasus, Russia.  With President Ronald Reagan, his reorientation of Soviet strategic aims contributed to the end of the Cold War.  He also led the removal of the constitutional role of the Communist Party in governing the state, and inadvertently led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in 1989, the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1990 and the Harvey Prize in 1992.
    1933 - The motion picture “King Kong” starring Fay Wray, had its world premiere in New York
    1934 - Birthday of Dottie Rambo in Madisonville, KY.  Contemporary gospel singer and songwriter. She has authored such country gospel favorites as "In the Valley He Restoreth My Soul," "Build My Mansion Next Door to Jesus" and "I Just Came to Talk With You, Lord."  She died in 2008.
http://www.dottierambo.net/dotnew.htm
http://www.dottierambo.org/booking.asp
http://www.worshipmusic.com/dottie-rambo.html
    1934 – The Union Pacific tested a light-weight high-speed passenger train near Omaha
    1936 - Andy Kirk Band records,” Walkin’ and Swingin’’ Decca 809.
    1937 - The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signed a collective bargaining agreement with US Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry.
    1938 – In Los Angeles, landslides and floods caused over 200 deaths
    1939 – Thanks for joining us!  The Massachusetts Legislature ratified the US Bill of Rights - 147 years late.
    1940 - Madison Square Garden held the first intercollegiate track meet telecast.     1943 - Protected by American and Australian fighters, 137 American Flying Fortress and Liberator bombers attacked a Japanese convoy en route from its base at Rabaul to New Guinea. All the transports and four of the destroyers were sunk and 3,500 Japanese troops were drowned. Of the 150 Japanese aircraft involved in the fighting, 102 were shot down. The Battle of Bismarck Sea was a major victory for the Allies, ending any efforts by the Japanese to send reinforcements to New Guinea.
    1944 - Rock singer Lou Reed was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was lead singer and songwriter
of the Velvet Underground in the late 1960s. The group's bleak outlook captured the attention of Andy Warhol, who made them a part of his "Exploding Plastic Inevitable" multi-media show, which toured the US and Canada in 1966. Lou Reed made a bitter departure from the Velvet Underground in 1970, living in seclusion for a couple of years. His solo career began in 1972, and his second album, "Transformer," was produced by David Bowie. From this LP, came Reed's only top-ten single, "Walk on the Wild Side." Reed's later albums ranged from commercial rock to grating instrumental noise. A live concert LP, "Rock 'n' Roll Animal," was certified gold in 1974.
    1945 – The bombing of Dresden, Germany by the US 8th Air Force.
    1948 - Guitarist Larry Carlton born, Torrance, Ca.  Carlton has won four Grammy Awards for his performances and compositions, including the theme song for the hit TV series, “Hill Street Blues”.
http://guitar.about.com/library/weekly/aa051099.htm
http://www.larrycarlton.net/
http://www.fourplayjazz.com/larryhome.htm
http://www.gibson.com/whatsnew/pressrelease/2001/apr3a.html
    1949 - The first automatic streetlight system in which the streetlights turned themselves on at dark is installed in New Milford, Connecticut by the Connecticut Light and Power Company. Each streetlight contained an electronic device that contained a photoelectric cell capable of measuring outside light. By November of 1949, seven miles of New Milford’s roads were automatically lit at dusk by a total of 190 photoelectric streetlights. No longer would the proud men of New Milford be forced to don stilts in order to light their streetlamps.
    1949 - Lucky Lady II, a B-50 Superfortress, completed the first nonstop round-the-world flight at Fort Worth, TX, covering 23,452 miles in 94 hours.
    1950 - Birthday of singer Karen Carpenter in New Haven, CT. She teamed with her pianist brother as the Carpenters who became a highly successful pop duo during the 1970s. The Carpenters had 19 hits including "Close to You," and "We've Only Just Begun," the latter now a staple at weddings across the country.  She died in 1983 from anorexia nervosa just short of her 33d birthday, a disease little known at the time. Her battle with the disease that led to her death has been the subject of several TV movies and documentaries and generated needed attention to the disorder.
http://www.leadsister.com/timeline/index.htm
http://atdpweb.soe.berkeley.edu/quest/Mind&Body/Carpenter.html
http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/Stage/4933/LeAnnsKarena.index.html
    1951 - The first All-Star Game of the National Basketball Association was played at the Boston Garden, Boston, MA, before a crowd of 10,094 patrons. The East team, coached by Joe Lapchick, defeated the West team, coached by John Kundla, by the score of 111-94.
    1951 - George Wettling’s Jazz Band (Sullivan, Hall, Davison) cut “Collier’s Climb.”
    1953 – The Academy Awards were telecast for the first time, on NBC.
    1955 - Bo Diddley has his first recording session at Universal Recording Studio in Chicago, where he lays down "Bo Diddley", which will top the US R&B chart by the following June.
    1957 - Teenage heartthrob Tab Hunter’s song "Young Love" was number one in the U.S. and stays there for the entire month.
http://www.tabhunter.com/
    1957 - Top Hits
“Young Love” - Tab Hunter
“Teen-Age Crush” - Tommy Sands
“Butterfly” - Charlie Gracie
“There You Go” - Johnny Cash
    1958 - First surface crossing of the Antarctic continent was completed in 99 days.
    1959 - Miles Davis cuts "Kind of Blue" for Columbia. It is considered the number one jazz album best seller today. It was originally released as a Columbia Jazz Club Member alternative, and was considered avant-garde in its day.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002ADT/thejazzfiles/
104-4344982-0045565
http://www.thejazzfiles.com/JazzDavis.html
March 2
    1960 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia) sets NBA playoff record of 63 points.
    1962 - Jon Bon Jovi was born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. in born Perth Amboy, NJ.  Lead singer of the group Bon Jovi and songwriter ("You Give Love a Bad Name"), Bon Jovi's melodic heavy metal on such chart-toppers as "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer" made them America's hottest rock band in 1986. He scored a solo No. 1 hit in 1990 with the million-selling “Blaze of Glory”, the theme song of the film “Young Guns II.''  Albums such as "Slippery When Wet" and "New Jersey" were multi-million-sellers.
    1962 - Wilt Chamberlain poured in 100 points, an NBA record, as the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the New York Knicks, 169-147, in Hershey, PA. Chamberlain made 36 field goals and a record 28 foul shots and set yet another record by scoring 59 points in the second half.
    1962 – President Kennedy announced the US will resume above ground nuclear testing
    1963 - Chubby Checker hosts "The Limbo Party" at San Francisco's Cow Palace. His special guests include Marvin Gaye, the Four Seasons, the Crystals, Lou Christie, Dick & Dee Dee, Paul & Paula and Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass.
    1963 - The Four Seasons score their third consecutive Billboard #1 with "Walk like a Man".
    1963 - The Cascades achieved their only Billboard Top 40 hit when "Rhythm of the Rain" topped out at #3.
    1964 - The Beatles "Twist and Shout" backed with "There's a Place" is released in the U.S. on Tollie Records, the fourth label to release a Beatle record in America. Also on this day, shooting began on The Beatles' first feature film “A Hard Day's Night”. The film was a black-and-white semi-fictional account of "a day in the life" of the Beatles, and included eight songs written specifically for the film. Richard Lester was director. It was at this time that George Harrison first met Pattie Boyd, who would later become his wife.
    1965 - Top Hits
“This Diamond Ring” - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
“My Girl” - The Temptations
“The Jolly Green Giant” - The Kingsmen
“I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail” - Buck Owens
    1965 - The movie version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music", starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer,  had its world premiere in New York.
    1966 - Left wing Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks became the first NHL player to score 50 goals in a season twice when he scored his 50th goal of the 1965-66 season in a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
    1966 - 215,000 US soldiers in Vietnam.
    1967 - Senator Robert Kennedy (D-New York) proposes a three-point plan to help end the war. The plan included suspension of the US bombing of North Vietnam and the gradual withdrawal of US and North Vietnamese troops from South Vietnam with replacement by an international force. Secretary of State Dean Rusk rejected Kennedy's proposal because he believed that the North Vietnamese would never agree to withdraw their troops.
    1967 - Winners of the ninth annual Grammy Awards for 1966 are announced. Record of the Year is Frank Sinatra's "Stangers in the Night." "Sinatra, a Man and His Music" is tabbed Album of the Year and Song of the Year is John Lennon and Paul McCartney's "Michelle." Herb Alpert wins a Grammy for “What Now My Love,'' Best Non-Jazz Instrumental. The Mamas & the Papas wins a Grammy for  “Monday Monday,'' Best Contemporary Group Performance.
    1968 - Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues" is released as is Simon & Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair."
    1968 - CUTINHA, NICHOLAS J., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Gia Dinh, Republic of Vietnam, 2 March 1968. Entered service at: Coral Gables, Fla. Born: 13 January 1945, Fernandina Beach, Fla. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. While serving as a machine gunner with Company C, Sp4c. Cutinha accompanied his unit on a combat mission near Gia Dinh. Suddenly his company came under small arms, automatic weapons, mortar and rocket propelled grenade fire, from a battalion size enemy unit. During the initial hostile attack, communication with the battalion was lost and the company commander and numerous members of the company became casualties. When Sp4c. Cutinha observed that his company was pinned down and disorganized, he moved to the front with complete disregard for his safety, firing his machine gun at the charging enemy. As he moved forward he drew fire on his own position and was seriously wounded in the leg. As the hostile fire intensified and half of the company was killed or wounded, Sp4c. Cutinha assumed command of all the survivors in his area and initiated a withdrawal while providing covering fire for the evacuation of the wounded. He killed several enemy soldiers but sustained another leg wound when his machine gun was destroyed by incoming rounds. Undaunted, he crawled through a hail of enemy fire to an operable machine gun in order to continue the defense of his injured comrades who were being administered medical treatment. Sp4c. Cutinha maintained this position, refused assistance, and provided defensive fire for his comrades until he fell mortally wounded. He was solely responsible for killing 15 enemy soldiers while saving the lives of at least 9 members of his own unit. Sp4c. Cutinha's gallantry and extraordinary heroism were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
    1968 – Must be the day for big airplanes!!  The Air Force displayed its Lockheed C-5A Galaxy, then the biggest plane in the world.
    1969 - Phil Esposito, center of the Boston Bruins, became the first player in National Hockey League history to score 100 points in a season when he scored a goal in Boston’s 4-0 victory of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
    1969 - At the 11th Grammy Awards, Glen Campbell is presented with Album of the Year honors for "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" is named Record of the Year. Jose Feliciano is dubbed Best New Artist and the Bobby Russell composition "Little Green Apples" is given the nod as Song Of The Year. Mason Williams won Best Instrumental Performance for "Classical Gas" and Judy Collins takes home a statue for Best Folk Performance for "Both Sides Now".
    1969 – The Supersonic transport Concorde was tested for the first time.
    1970 - American Airlines' first flight of a Boeing 747.
    1970 – The Supreme Court ruled draft evaders cannot be penalized after 5 years
    1972 - Pioneer 10: This unmanned probe began a journey on which it passed and photographed Jupiter and its moons, 620 million miles from Earth, in December 1973. It crossed the orbit of Pluto, and in 1983, become the first known Earth object to leave our solar system. On Sept 22, 1987, Pioneer 10 reached another space milestone at 4:19 PM, when it reached a distance 50 times farther from the sun than the sun is from Earth. It was also the first spacecraft to carry a message intended to be read by living beings elsewhere in the universe. Bolted to the probe’s exterior wall was a gold-anodized plaque, six by nine inches in area that carried a number of illustrations: drawings of a human man and woman, a star map marked with the location of the sun, and a second map showing the flight path of Pioneer 10. The message was designed by astronomer Carl Sagan.
    1973 - Top Hits
“Killing Me Softly with His Song” - Roberta Flack
“Dueling Banjos” - Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell
“Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” - Spinners
“Rated ‘X’ " - Loretta Lynn
    1974 - A grand jury in Washington, D.C. concludes that President Nixon was indeed involved in the Watergate cover-up.
    1974 - Stevie Wonder takes home five Grammy Awards during ceremonies held at the Hollywood Palladium. The singer is honored for Album of the Year ("Innervisions"), Best Pop Vocal Performance ("You Are the Sunshine of My Life"), Best R&B Song ("Superstition"), Best R&B Vocal Performance ("Superstition") and Best Engineered Recording ("Innervisions"). Says Wonder on his five trips up to the podium: "I would like to thank you all for making this the sunshine of my life tonight." Gladys Knight & the Pips wins Grammys for “Neither One of Us'' (Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus) and “Midnight Train to Georgia.'' (Best R&B vocal performance by a group).
    1974 - Neil Diamond wins a Grammy for “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,'' Best Film Soundtrack.
    1974 - Terry Jacks, who had left The Poppy Family in 1970, had the top song in the US with "Seasons in the Sun". The tune was originally written in French, titled "Le Moribund" ("The Dying Man") and recorded as an album cut by The Kingston Trio. It was recommended by Jacks to The Beach Boys, who did record it, but declined to release it. Their decision worked out well for Jacks, who sold over eleven and a half million copies of the record.
    1975 - Roberta Flack won three Grammy Awards for "Killing Me Softly with His Song." Best new artist was Bette Midler.
    1976 – Amid swirling rumors that the team would leave, Bob Lurie became CEO of the SF Giants
    1977 - Future Tonight Show host Jay Leno debuted with host Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show”.
    1978 - The coffin containing the body of actor-director Charlie Chaplin was stolen from a Swiss cemetery. Chaplin, who had died a year earlier, is considered one of the great geniuses of cinema. His body was recovered three months later, found in a cornfield 10 miles from the cemetery in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, and the grave robbers were arrested. Chaplin's body was reburied in a vault surrounded by cement.
    1979 - Over 1,100 Christian organizations combined to form the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). This oversight agency was created to demonstrate to the public that religious groups wanted to make themselves accountable for the funds they raise and spend.
    1979 - The three-day Havana Jam, sponsored by CBS Records and the Cuban government, began in the 5,000-seat Karl Marx Auditorium in Havana. Among the acts appearing were Weather Report, Stephen Stills and Billy Joel. They were the first US pop artists to appear in Cuba in more than 20 years.
    1981 - Top Hits
“I Love a Rainy Night” - Eddie Rabbitt
“Woman” - John Lennon
“Keep on Loving You” - REO Speedwagon
“Southern Rains” - Mel Tillis
    1981 – Howard Stern’s first radio broadcast, on WWDC in Washington, DC
    1982 – Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl winning (twice) QB, Ben Roethlisberger was born in Lima, OH.
    1983 - Sony and Philips introduced their jointly-developed compact disc system.  The CD is a digital medium in which sound waves are replicated as a series of binary numbers on the 12 cm disc. A laser in the CD player reads the digital information, which is then translated into sound. In contrast, vinyl records were traditionally recorded using analog technology, which replicates sound waves in the grooves of a record. The sound is transmitted through a needle vibrating in a groove via a cartridge to an amplifier. The major advantage of digital recording over analog is that it eliminates extraneous noise. In analog recording, a noise reduction mechanism is needed to minimize hisses and crackles. Within a decade of the CD's introduction, vinyl records had virtually disappeared from stores.
    1984 - After 30 years in business, the first McDonald’s franchise closed in Des Plaines, Illinois. A new drive-in McDonalds opened right across the street.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/ILDESmcd.html
    1985 - For the first time, country singer, Gary Morris hit #1 on the country charts with "Baby Bye Bye" from his album, "Faded Blue".
    1985 - The federal government approved a screening test for AIDS that detected antibodies to the virus, allowing possibly contaminated blood to be excluded from the blood supply.
    1986 - Queen Elizabeth signed the Australia bill, formally severing the last constitutional ties with Britain.
    1987 - Two sets of quintuplets were born, one set to Rosalind Helms in Peoria, Illinois, and another set to Robin Jenkins of Las Vegas, Nevada.
    1987 - United States Government officials said the median price for a new home topped $100,000 for the first time. The price of $110,700 was up from $94,600.
    1988 - Grammy news: U2's "The Joshua Tree" wins Best Album, while Paul Simon's "Graceland" wins Best Record. Jody Watley wins Best New Artist.
    1989 - Top Hits
“Straight Up” - Paula Abdul
“Lost in Your Eyes” - Debbie Gibson
“The Lover in Me” - Sheena Easton
“I Sang Dixie” - Dwight Yoakam
    1989 - NY Met Darryl Strawberry swung at teammate Keith Hernandez…with his fists!
    1991 - Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Aspects of Love" closed in New York after 377 performances. It was the shortest run of any Lloyd Webber musical on Broadway. "Aspects of Love" was said to be the most expensive play in Broadway history, costing about two million dollars to open and running up expenses of eight million by the time it closed. Little of the investment was recouped during the show's nearly 11-month run. The British production was much more successful, running for more than three years.
    1992 - Second baseman Ryne Sandberg signed a four-year contract with the Chicago Cubs worth $28.4 million to become baseball’s highest paid player at the time, passing Bobby Bonilla of the New York Mets. The eight-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner retired in the middle of the 1994 season but returned to the game at a far lower salary in 1996.  Sandberg is currently the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, the team that traded him to the Cubs.
    1995 - "Smokey Joe's Cafe" opened at Virginia Theater, NYC.
    1996 - Another east coast snowstorm deposited 4.6 inches of snow at Central Park in New York City to bring its seasonal snowfall total to 66.3 inches, breaking the old season snowfall record of 63.2 inches set in 1947-48.
    1998 - In a surprise announcement, Apple Computer said it would stop producing its Newton handheld computer. The ill-fated Newton, which cost an estimated $500 million to develop over ten years, got off to a bad start when it debuted in 1993. The press panned its much ballyhooed handwriting recognition capability, and although later versions corrected some of the problems, the product never quite recovered from its traumatic entry into the marketplace. In the late 1990s, the Newton was overtaken by new products like 3Com's Palm Pilot, which sold one million units during its first two years on the market, compared with 200,000 Newton’s sold in five years.
    1998 - Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicated that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.
    1999 - Bob Dylan is the opening performer at the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. During the encore, Dylan performs with U2's Bono for a rousing rendition of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door.
    2001 - Yahoo stock (YHOO on NASDAQ) loses $2.75 to close at $21.69. On a split adjusted basis, it had traded as high as high as $237.50 on 03 January 2000, and as low as $1.32 on 22 September 1996.
    2002 – After the withdrawal of the Russian Army from Afghanistan after 11+years, the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan began.  Operation Anaconda ended on March 19 after killing 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, with 11 Western troop fatalities.
    2003 – Hank Ballard died in Los Angeles.  Ballard was a R&B singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, and one of the first rock ‘n’ roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s. He played an integral part in the development of the genre, releasing the hit singles “Work with Me Annie” and answer songs "Annie Had a Baby" and "Annie's Aunt Fannie" with his Midnighters. He later wrote and recorded “The Twist” which spread the popularity of the dance and was notably covered by Chubby Checker. He was inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame in 1990.
    2005 - Thirty-two years after his death, Jackie Robinson received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow. The medal is accepted by Rachel Robinson, his widow. Baseball was represented in a way by former Texas Rangers executive, now President George w. Bush. Robinson joined Roberto Clemente, Joe Louis and Jesse Owens as the only athletes among about 300 Gold Medal recipients
    2011 - The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that members of the fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church have a First Amendment right to picket the funeral of a Marine.
    2012 - The Red Cross was denied access to provide relief to the Baba Amr district in Homs by the Syrian army.
    2012 - A tornado outbreak occurred over a large section of the Southern United States and into the Ohio Valley region, resulting in 40 tornado-related fatalities.
    2012 – Major League Baseball expanded the post season by adding a second wild card team in each league to the playoffs.  The two wild card teams in each league will play one game to determine which one will then face the team with the league's best record in the Division Series.
    2014 - President Putin received unanimous approval from Russia's parliament to send troops to the Ukraine, which was not received very
well by the United States, as well as most of Europe, especially NATO
members.