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Kote Flosse Twitter: Correction, He Resigned
Three Executives No Longer at Currency

In Monday's story, an insider reported that three were let go from Currency, Los Angeles, California. (1) It was confirmed in an email that three had left the firm.

To clear up the matter, one of the three, Kote Flosse, who was CFO & COO, posted on twitter, "I left @GoCurrency because I fundamentally disagreed with our board’s decision to terminate two of the smartest, nicest, hardest-working and competent people at the company (our CEO and CIO). It was their decision to make and my decision to leave."

(1) Currency Makes Executives Changes
Under New Management
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2020/03_11.htm#currency

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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Brian Bellows was hired as Business Development Manager, ENGS Itasca, Illinois. Previously, he was Relationship Manger, Capital One Auto Finance (May, 2012 – March, 2020); Relationship Manager, Front Office Bank of New York (November, 2007 - May, 2013); Account Executive Advantage Freight Network (May, 2007 - November, 2007); Account Manager/Account Executive, Fremont Investment and Loan (April 2004 - March, 2007); Cintas, Account Executive (June, 2003 - June, 2004). Education: Butler University, Lacy School of Business. Bachelors, Business Administration. Marketing. (1999 - 2003). https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-bellows-6776444/

Justin Berard, CLFP, was hired as Vice President of Sales, Navitas Credit Corporation, Aliso Viejo, California. Previously he was Senior Account Manager, Amur Equipment Finance (February, 2017 - March, 2020); Vice President, Sales, Ascentium Capital (April, 2014 - February, 2017; National Account Manager, Partners Capital Group (July, 2009 - April, 2014). Education: Saddleback College. https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-berard-08716415/

Dillon Bernad was promoted to Associate Vice President, First National Capital Corporation, Irvine, California. He joined the firm March, 2017, as Finance Manager. Previously, he was Associate, Pacific Peak Investments (January, 2016 - February, 2016); Assistant Director/Coach, Buku Lacrosse Club (January, 2014 - Present). Education: Concordia University Irvine, Bachelor's degree Business Finance (2013 - 2016). https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillon-bernad-bb6a9b13b/

Steven Healey was hired as Managing Director, Utica Equipment Finance, Boston, Massachusetts. Previously, he was Managing Director CapX Partners (February, 2014 - March, 2020); Managing Director, Full Circle Capital (June, 2008 - February, 2014) Director, CapitalSource (April, 2004 - March 2008); Managing Director, Fleet National Bank. Education: Harvard University, AB, Biology (1981 -1985). https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-healey-1441857/

John Marlett was rejoined Regions Equipment Finance, Austin, Texas as Senior Vice President. Previously he was Vice President, Commercial Banking, East West Bank (April, 2017 - March, 2020). Prior, he was at Regions Equipment Finance Corporation, starting January, 2012, as Vice President; promoted January, 2014, as Vice President Commercial Banking. Vice President, Equipment Leasing & Finance, Texas Capital Bank (April, 2010 - January, 2012); Vice President, GE Capital Corporation (May, 2006 - December, 2009). Education: Fort Lewis College, BA, Business (1984 - 1988).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-marlett-b21b0910/

Brian O'Meara was promoted to Strategic Account Manager, Marlin Capital Solutions, Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. He re-joined the firm July, 2018 as Senior Business Development Manager. Previously, he was Senior Business Development Manager, Navitas Credit Corporation (February, 2018 - July, 2018). He began his career at Marlin Business Services as Business Development Manager, March, 2012; promoted 2014 to Senior Business Development Manager. His first year he booked $400,000 of New Booked Volume; 2013: Over $900,000 New Book Volume (Top 5 in company, Admirals Club Winner); 2015: over $1.2 Million of New Booked Volume, 2nd overall in the company, Admirals Club Winner; 2015: Over $600K of New Booked Volume. Education: La Salle University. Bachelor of Science (BS), Business Administration and Management, General (2002 -2007). https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-o-meara-b8282a50/

Kaila Paquette was hired as Mortgage Loan Processor, LeaderOne Financial, Dover, New Hampshire. Previously, she was Funding Operations Manager, Harbour Capital Corporation (February, 2018 - March, 2020); Audit Specialist, Currency (August, 2017 - February, 2018); Senior Funding Manager, Direct Capital, a Division of CIT Bank, N.A. (March 2013 – August, 2018); Assistant Manager, Panera Bread (October, 2011 - March, 2013); Event Manger, Portsmouth Gas Light Co.(May, 2004 - October, 2011); Team Leader, Harbour Capital Corporation (December, 2007 - December, 2008). Education: Great bay Community College. Associate of Science (A.S)., Business Management. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaila-paquette-2647b286/

Olayinka Sanusi was hired as Senior Vice President, West Region, DLL Greater Los Angeles Area. Previously, he was Vice President, Southwest Region, Wells Fargo (April, 2018 - January, 2020); Vice President, West Region, Wintrust Financial Corporation (July, 2016 - April, 2018); Vice President Relationship Management, San Francisco Bay Area, JP Morgan, Chase & Co. (February, 2015 - June, 2016). He joined GE September, 2008, as Corporate Audit Staff, Financial Associate Auditor; promoted September, 2010, Corporate Audit Staff, Financial Audit Manager; promoted October, 2011, Vice President, Corporate Finance, Southeast Region and San Francisco Bay Area. Education: University of Massachusetts, Bachelor's Degree, Computer Systems Engineering, Minor in Business, Management and Mathematics (2002 - 2006). Activities and Societies: Varsity Football.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/olayinkasanusi/

Jay Shaw was promoted to Head of Sales, Enova SMB, Enova International, Chicago, Illinois. He joined the firm as Senior Manager of Partner Engagement, May, 2019. Prior, he was at Quick Bridge Funding, starting September, 2013 as Director of Operations, Chief Compliance Officer, September, 2013; promoted October, 2014, Director of Account Management; promoted September, 2016, Director, Account Management & Syndication; Vice President of Operations, Pacific Capital Companies, LLC (April, 2012 – July, 2013); Vice President of Operations, IMCA Capital (April, 2009 - April, 2012). He began his career at CapNet Financial Services, starting June, 2005 as Senior Account Manager; promoted August, 2008, Marketing/Business Intelligence Associate. Education: Mihaylo College of Business and Economics at Cal State Fullerton. Master of Business Administration (M.B.A). (2016 - 2019). University of California, Riverside. Bachelor's Degree, Political Science, Law & Society, cum laude (2001 -2005). Activities and Societies: member of baseball team (2001 - 2005). https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-shaw-a37b3788/

Correction

Mark Sheehan joins LCA as a Vice President, National Accounts Business Development. Mr. Sheehan, who resides in the Dallas area, was most recently at Crestmark Equipment Finance, where he was responsible for new business development across multiple industries. He joined the firm in November, 2019. Previously, he was Vice President, Wintrust Capital (December, 2014 - October, 2016); Vice President, Business Development, EverBank (December, 2012 - December, 2014); Vice President, Sales, PNC Financial Services Group (February, 2013 - December, 2012); Vice President, Sales, First Data Corporation; Account Sales Manager, Comdisco (January, 2000 - October, 2001); Regional Account Manager, Extricity Software (April, 1999 - January, 2000); Senior Account Manager, Versant (March, 1994 - February, 1999); Managing Director, Director of Vendor Relations and Sales Support, Platinum Technology (September, 1991 - March, 1994); Sales Support/Manager, XA Systems (April,1988 - August, 1991); DBA, EDS (1980 - 1988). Education: University of Cincinnati. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-sheehan-77b64b2/

Mark Torrossian was hired by OnDeck, New York, as Senior Vice President, "a newly created role that will oversee the organization's Accounting and Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) functions. Throughout his 16-year career, Torossian has demonstrated consistent success in financial roles that improve business performance. He joins OnDeck from BNY Mellon where he was most recently the Chief Financial Officer of their Asset Servicing business in the Americas. Previously, Torossian was a business line controller for several divisions and head of the infrastructure cost allocation team for the Bank. He began his career at Merrill Lynch, where he served in a variety of accounting and FP&A roles. A Certified Public Accountant, Torossian received his BBA in Public Accounting, and M.S. in Finance from Pace University. He is an adjunct Accounting Professor at Pace and currently serves as the Chairman of the Advisory Board for the University's Master's in Finance for Professionals program."

Daniel Vilchis was hired as Account Executive, Alliance Funding Group, Orange County, California. Previously, he was Account Executive at Regents Capital Corporation (December, 2019 - February, 2020); Financial Representative, Northwestern Mutual, Internship (June 2017 - December, 2018). Languages: English. Spanish. Organizations: Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. American Marketing Association. Licenses and Certifications. Annuity License. Life, Health, and Accident Insurance License. Long-Term Care Insurance License. Volunteer: Audio Engineer, Newport Mesa Christian Church (August, 2019 - Present). https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-vilchis/

C.J. Zaruba was hired to join the Senior Management Team of Quality Leasing CO., Inc., the commercial equipment financing subsidiary of the Tom Wood Automotive Group., Indianapolis, Indiana. He will be working out of Quality Leasing’s Indianapolis office. He previously was Chief Operating Officer, Express Auto (February, 2019 - March, 2020); Director of Operations, Reliable Auto Finance (June, 2017 - August, 2018); Vice President, Operations Risk and Director of Compliance, KAR Auction Services, Inc. (August, 2013 - August, 2016); Division President, Preferred Automobile Credit Co. (May, 2006 - August, 2013); Senior Manager of FASTruck (joint venture with Freightliner, LLC). Mercedes- Benz Financial Services, USA, LLC (June, 2003 - July, 2000) (He joined the firm as Senior Division Counsel May, 1989). Volunteer: Co-Chair, Financial Services Focus Group, Lehigh Valley Professionals (January, 2017 - June, 2017). Merit Badge Counselor, Boy Scout Troop 1600 September, 2015 - June, 2017). Education: Albany Law School of Union University, JD. “He is currently licensed to practice law by the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Activities and Societies: Editorial Board of Albany Law Review. Union College, Bachelor of Arts (B.A), Political Science. Activities and Societies: Intern, US Senate, Washington, DC; Term Abroad, Athens, Greece, Alpha Delta Phi. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjzaruba/

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Help Wanted

Senior Leader
Vendor Services/Equipment Lease Finance/Operations

• Lead and further develop the Tandem Finance
existing vendor services/ops organization
• Small ticket, Vendor based originations model
• Direct Lender, 38 years established publicly
traded parent organization
• Located in The Woodlands, TX (HOU area)
• Reporting to President
• Salary/Bonus/Benefits

Bring your Passion, Experience and Enthusiasm
to our rapidly expanding business in this senior level role.
Reply to: msheehan@tandemfinance.com

"Flattening the Curve"
Controlling the Spread of Coronavirus

Yet the speed at which the outbreak plays out matters hugely for its consequences. What epidemiologists fear most is the health care system becoming overwhelmed by a sudden explosion of illness that requires more people to be hospitalized than it can handle. In that scenario, more people will die because there won’t be enough hospital beds or ventilators to keep them alive.

A disastrous inundation of hospitals can likely be averted with protective measures we’re now seeing more of — closing schools, canceling mass gatherings, working from home, self-quarantine, self-isolation, avoiding crowds — to keep the virus from spreading fast.

Epidemiologists call this strategy of preventing a huge spike in cases “flattening the curve.”

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Leasing and Finance Companies Meeting Announcements
(Closed, Open, or Postponed. Alphabetically. Abbreviated.)

American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, May 6th has not been postponed.

At this time, the 2020 AACFB Annual Conference will move forward as planned. Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, has implemented a number of procedures to help protect the health and safety of our attendees. These include:

AACFB will provide each attendee with a personal bottle of hand sanitizer.
Sanitation stations will be placed throughout the property.
Portable hand-washing stations will be available in the meeting space.
Bartenders, chef attendants and hotel staff setting up the meeting rooms will wear gloves.
Increased cleaning protocols have been implemented to include more frequent wiping and disinfecting of touch points in the hotel, such as door handles, elevator buttons, handrails, restroom stall doors and sinks.
Standard employee health practices have been reinforced, including sending employees home and/or encouraging employees to stay home if they are sick or demonstrated health symptoms that could impact fellow colleagues or guests.
Standard food safety awareness programs have been reinforced, including frequent hand washing and making alcohol-based hand gel/rub available at every food station and every table at food outlets.
In addition, the Southern Nevada Health District is continuing to work with state and federal partners to ensure all health and safety protocols are being followed.

At this time, conference registration numbers are ahead of last year and we have not experienced any attendee or exhibitor cancellations. We will of course continue to monitor developments and take recommendations from the CDC into account as the situation unfolds. If any plans regarding the conference should change, we will send a notification as soon as that change has been made. We are making every effort to move forward with the conference, however, travel insurance is recommended when booking flights, etc.

Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
ELFA will be contacting all registered attendees, sponsors, speakers, exhibitors and planning committees shortly to provide more information regarding each of the following
events:

- April Principles of Equipment Leasing and Finance Workshop
Schedule for April 07 – 09, Chicago. Postponed. Should you have any questions, please contact Alexa Carnibella at acarnibella@elfaonline.org.

- Women's Leadership Forum, scheduled April 20-21, will be postponed until later this year, subject to identifying a suitable date and location. All attendees will receive an email from ELFA shortly with details regarding the rescheduling of this event.

- 32nd Annual National Funding Conference, scheduled April 21-23, is cancelled as an in-person event and will proceed as virtual meetings. All attendees and funding sources will receive an email from ELFA shortly with details regarding the logistics and refunds for this event.

- Bank Best Practices RoundTable
April 21 2020, Chicago, Illinois. This roundtable has been cancelled. All attendees will receive an email from ELFA shortly regarding refunds for these events. We are exploring the option of offering one or more webinars this spring—we will provide more information when it is available.

- Best Practices Roundtables, scheduled April 21, have been cancelled. All attendees will receive an email from ELFA shortly regarding refunds for these events. We are exploring the option of offering one or more webinars this spring—we will provide more information when it is available.

- Independent Best Practices RoundTable
April, 21, 2020. Cancelled. All attendees will receive an email from ELFA shortly regarding refunds for these events. We are exploring the option of offering one or more webinars this spring—we will provide more information when it is available.

Emerging Talent Networking Event, April 21, has been cancelled. All attendees will receive an email from ELFA communicating the cancellation.

Please note: All of these events were scheduled to take place at the Hilton Palmer House hotel in Chicago. If you need to cancel hotel reservations at the Hilton Palmer House, please call the hotel directly at (312) 726-7500 for assistance or locate your original email hotel confirmation.

National Vehicle Leasing Association

Due to health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the NVLA Board of Directors decided on Wednesday to cancel the 2020 NVLA Annual Conference scheduled for March 25-27 in Austin, TX.

Refund Requests
Registrants and exhibitors can expect further correspondence from NVLA in the coming days with instructions on how to choose between a refund or a credit to be applied to a future NVLA Annual Conference.

Hotel Reservations
The Sheraton Austin at the Capitol will cancel all hotel room reservations in the NVLA room block and send guests confirmation emails.

If you booked your room through an alternative channel, please contact the reservation line at the Sheraton Austin at the Capitol at 866-642-4671 to cancel or modify your reservation.

Flight Bookings
We recommend attendees who have booked flights to Austin review their airline’s cancellation policies.

Investors' Conference on Equipment Finance

Scheduled for March 25, New York City, the Investors' Conference on Equipment Finance has been postponed.

We will announce future dates as soon as they become available.

If you have any questions or concerns then please raise this with your IMN representative or email the team at events@imn.org.

National Equipment Finance Association

March 25 - 27th Conference in San Antonio, Texas has been cancelled.

We sincerely regret this necessary cancellation and apologize for any inconvenience it may cause you. We recommend that you please review your airline’s COVID-19 cancellation policies for booked flights.

Women in Leasing LinkedIn Group

Shari Lipski, CLFP, reports the March 25th lunch in San Antonio, Texas, has been cancelled, as the NEFA Conference was cancelled due to the Coronavirus.

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The current expansion is the longest ever, trailed by the growth cycle that lasted from March 1991 to March 2001 and culminated in the bursting of the dot-com bubble. As opposed to many shorter growth periods of the past, the current expansion is one of moderate growth. With an average annual GDP growth of 2.3 percent, the ongoing upturn is in fact the second slowest since the end of World War II.

As the coronavirus continues to spread in the United States and worldwide, fears of a global recession are mounting, however, threatening to end the unprecedented growth streak. Even if the outbreak hits the world economy significantly, the U.S. might still avoid sliding into a recession though. Compared to the euro area, which has been drifting towards recession before the outbreak, the U.S. economy looks robust, and the fact that the Fed still has room to cut rates could prove crucial in preventing a downturn.

By Felix Richter
https://www.statista.com/chart/18513/length-of-us-expansions/

Equipment Leasing and Finance Industry Confidence
Dips in March Amid Uncertainty Around Coronavirus

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) releases the March 2020 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI) today. Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $900 billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market in March is 46.0, a decrease from the February index of 58.7.

Valerie Hayes Jester, President, Brandywine Capital Associate, when asked about the outlook for the future, MCI-EFI survey respondent s, said, “The fundamentals of our economy continue to be strong. The current events in the worldwide markets and the impact of COVID-19 are impacting the very near term. Business demand for equipment finance is always based on the long-term perspectives of the commercial sectors, and I do not believe that pessimism is the predominant emotion in our customer base. 2019 was a strong year and I have no reason to believe that demand will not continue to increase in the future. I did not agree with the Federal Reserve’s action of lowering rates, and I don’t believe that the decrease will have any impact on the equipment acquisition decisions of small businesses.”

Bank, Small Ticket

David Normandin, CLFP, President and CEO, Wintrust Specialty Finance, declared, “I am optimistic about the near future simply based upon the metrics in the business that demonstrate increased application flow, strong approval rates, and consistent pull through.”
Bank, Middle Ticket

Adam Warner, President, Key Equipment Finance, noted, “Banks and finance companies need to understand the impact that the coronavirus outbreak may have on their portfolios and new business. Manufacturing, shipping, travel, and healthcare are just a few examples of potential affected sectors.”

Michael Romanowski, President, Farm Credit Leasing, observed,
“We expect moderate growth this year as agribusinesses and producers have curtailed capital investment over the past few years. In many cases, investment needs to be made to replace aging equipment. It is still too early to predict the impacts of coronavirus on our customer base and if it will have an impact on capital investment. Presently, we believe coronavirus will have minimal impact on planned capital investment activities.” Michael Romanowski, President, Farm Credit Leasing

Full Report:
https://www.elfaonline.org/news/press-room/press-releases/details/2020/03/12/equipment-leasing-and-finance-industry-confidence-dips-in-march-amid-uncertainty-around-coronavirus

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Shares of European long-haul airlines were in freefall on Thursday, after President Trump had announced a 30-day ban against travelers from large parts of Europe. The restriction, effective immediately, prohibits people who have recently been in one of the 26 European countries that are part of the Schengen Agreement from entering the United States. American citizens are exempt from the rule and will be directed to airports where screening can take place. They may have trouble catching a plane, however, as many flights between Europe and the United States will likely be cancelled.

Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and International Airlines Group (parent of British Airways and Iberia among others) all saw their share price crash on Thursday. As of 2:00 pm CET, shares of the three industry heavyweights were down between 6.7 and 9.0 percent, marking another bad day for an industry that has arguably been battered like no other as the coronavirus spread across the world in recent weeks. As the following chart shows, Air France-KLM saw its market capitalization cut in half over the past month, while Lufthansa and IAG suffered similar, if slightly smaller losses.

Even before President Trump’s announcement of the travel ban, Lufthansa, Germany’s largest airline and the second largest European carrier in terms of passenger volume, announced the cancellation of 23,000 flights between March 29 and April 24 “due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the spread of the coronavirus.” Just last week, the passenger airlines could lose up to $113 billion in revenue this year alone.

By Felix Richter, Statista

https://www.statista.com/chart/21107/stock-price-of-european-long-haul-airlines

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

Multi-Unit Franchising Conference Rescheduled
to August 31 – September 3, 2020

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA/LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Franchise Update Media has rescheduled the 2020 Multi-Unit Franchising Conference in Las Vegas. The new date is August 31 – September 3, 2020 at the new Caesar’s Forum.

The health and well- being of our guests, clients, and team is our top priority. The evolving circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, corporate travel bans and large group cautions led to this decision.

All details of the conference remain the same, but at a later date. Keynote speakers Astronaut Captain Scott Kelly and Kevin O’Leary, venture capitalist and investor on ABC’s Shark Tank, have reconfirmed they will speak at the event.

Gary Gardner, Chairman of Franchise Update Media, “We made the decision to move the conference date out of an abundance of caution and concern for our customers. We will execute the same great event experience you anticipate, just a little later.

“Some franchisees are experiencing a slowing in sales as a result of COVID-19. We will all be ready to get back to normal business when this is over, he added. We look forward to providing a forum for everyone to engage in great networking, content and an exhibit hall full of new franchise brands and business services. We’ll see you in August!”

For more information, visit www.Franchising.com.

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

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Fernando's View
By Fernando F. Croce

Elegant horror (“The Invisible Man”) and compassionate drama (“Young Ahmed”) come to theaters, while DVD releases offer a harrowing Western (“The Nightingale”) and a pair of fascinating documentaries (“Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am In,” “Antonio Gaudi”).

In theaters:

The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures): H.G. Wells’ sci-fi classic gets a solid update in this elegantly crafted, trenchantly relevant remake, anchored by a typically arresting performance by Elizabeth Moss. Moss plays Cecilia, a San Francisco architect trapped in an abusive marriage with Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a tech entrepreneur. She manages to escape from their home, and news of Adrian’s suicide soon follow. Her attempts to start a new life are shattered by strange happenings, which grow more sinister until Cecilia is convinced that her supposedly dead husband has invisible powers and is stalking her. When the authorities won’t believe her, it’s up to her to protect herself. A vast upgrade from director Leigh Whannell’s previous frightfests, the film uses horror tropes to unnervingly probe contemporary unease and outrage.

Young Ahmed (Kino Lorber): Cinema’s current masters of humanistic realism, Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (“Two Days, One Night”) tackle one of their most provocative subjects in this lucid and searing study of violence and redemption. Ahmed (Idir Ben Addi) is a Muslim teenager in Belgian, who finds himself torn between the extremist views of an imam (Othmane Moumen) and the secular teachings of a young teacher (Myriem Akheddiou). As his impressionable views seem to be building toward an act of brutality, Ahmed becomes as troubled and vulnerable as the boyish protagonists from the Dardenne brothers’ other films. Like those other characters, he’s portrayed with profound sensitivity and compassion, resulting in a film that combines suspense and empathy and, perhaps, even hope. With subtitles.

Nextflix: One of the co-founders of legendary British comic troupe Monty Python, Terry Jones (1942-2020) had the irreverent wit and knack for surrealism that characterized the group. So check out Netflix for his best films, which include “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975), “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” (1979), and “The Meaning of Life” (1983).

On DVD:

The Nightingale (IFC Films): Director Jennifer Kent follows her acclaimed debut “The Babadook” with this similarly harrowing Western, set in colonial Australia in the early 1800s. In the hellish depths of a Tasmanian penal jungle, a young Irish maid named Clare (Aisling Franciosi) swears revenge on the sadistic commander (Sam Clafflin) who slaughtered her family. With the help of a sly aboriginal tracker named Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), she ventures deeper and deeper into a human darkness that turns out to be even more disturbing than the supernatural horror of the director’s previous film. Can Claire’s remaining shreds of humanity survive this pitiless descent? Combining blunt-force violence with an inquiry on the bond between oppressed groups, Kent’s tale of survival and cruelty is tough to watch, and even harder to shake off.

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am In (Magnolia Pictures): The great lioness of African-American literature, acclaimed novelist Toni Morrison takes center stage in Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ candid, absorbing documentary. Before she was an award-winning writer and fiery activist, Morrison was a little girl practicing her words on a sidewalk during the nation’s segregated years. Her rise is illustrated with archival footage as well as interviews with such luminaries as Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis and Russell Banks. Mostly, and wisely, the film lets the formidable and witty Morrison herself explains the prejudices she had to conquer and the issues she addressed in her works, which include “Beloved,” “The Bluest Eye,” and “Song of Solomon.” The results are informative, compelling, and richly attuned to the author’s fierce brand of storytelling.

Antonio Gaudí (Criterion): Renown for his magnificently eccentric shapes, legendary Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí(1852-1926) gets a striking showcase in this eye-filling 1984 documentary from Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara (“Woman in the Dunes”). As the camera travels through Barcelona, Gaudí’s blend of the primitive and the modernist continue to boggle the mind, with works that look like medieval discoveries while others suggest alien creations. Much of the tour is dedicated to detailed views of the Casa Batlló, the Casa Milà, the Casa Vicens, Güell Palace and the monumental, unfinished La Sagrada Familia basilica,with their twisty columns and murals and segmented staircases. Eschewing interviews or biographical details, Teshigahara’s film offers a meditative immersion by instead simply gliding from one architectural wonder to the next. The effect is spellbinding.

News Briefs----

Fed to pump in more than $1 trillion in dramatic ramping up
of market intervention amid coronavirus meltdown
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/12/fed-to-pump-more-than-500-billion-into-short-term-bank-funding-expand-types-of-security-purchases.html

New York bans gatherings of more than 500 people,
shuts down Broadway amid coronavirus spread
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2020/03/12/new-york-bans-gatherings-more-than-500-people/5033724002/

San Francisco public schools to shut for
two weeks to curb coronavirus spread
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Coronavirus-live-updates-Six-dead-in-Washington-15100710.php

Coronavirus: Infected TSA employees at Mineta San Jose Airport
patted down passengers, put hands on travel documents
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/12/coronavirus-infected-tsa-employees-at-mineta-san-jose-airport-patted-down-passengers-put-hands-on-travel-documents/

California has thousands of coronavirus tests,
but it can’t use them all. Here’s why
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article241141876.html?

President Trump’s travel ban sidesteps
his own European resorts
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/12/trump-coronavirus-travel-europe-resorts-126808

Modell’s to close all its remaining stores
after bankruptcy filing - 115 Stores
https://nypost.com/2020/03/12/modells-to-close-all-its-remaining-stores-after-bankruptcy-filing/

Gold's Gym Sells 24 Company-Owned Locations
To Franchisee
https://www.franchising.com/articles/golds_gym_sells_24_c
ompanyowned_locations_to_franchisee.html

Fifth Third Bank is facing similar allegations
to Wells Fargo's accounts scandal
https://www.businessinsider.com/fifth-third-bank-wells-fargo-face-regulatory-scrutiny-2020-3

MGM halts its Las Vegas buffets amid
the coronavirus outbreak, others are doing the same
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/10817429-181/mgm-halts-its-las-vegas

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You May Have Missed---

'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' Just Joined the Long List
Of Talk Shows Getting Rid of Live Studio Audiences
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/ellen-degeneres-show-just-joined-153200969.html

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O Captain! My Captain!

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills; 10
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; 20
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

- Walt Whitman

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MLB shuts down due to coronavirus:
Spring training suspended, season delayed
https://www.sfchronicle.com/athletics/article/MLB-reportedly-to-suspend-operations-amid-15126528.php

US Soccer cancels all Women's and Men's games through April
https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/US-Soccer-cancels-all-Men-s-and-Women-s-games-15126259.php

NCAA Tournament canceled; NHL suspends season;
Full List
https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/coronavirus-live-updates-ncaa-tournament-canceled-nhl-suspends-season-mlb-to-halt-spring-training/live/

Drew Brees willing to take below-market deal from Saints
http://www.theredzone.org/Blog-Description/EntryId/80733/Drew-Brees-willing-to-take-below-market-deal-from-Saints

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

California Nuts Briefs---

Governor Gavin Newson and California Public Health Officials
Call for Cancelling all Gatherings over 250 Statewide
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/12/coronavirus-gov-newsom-says-cancel-gatherings-over-250-statewide/

Four San Jose firefighters test positive for COVID-19,
at least seventy more exposed
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/12/san-jose-firefighter-tests-positive-for-covid-19-50-more-exposed/

Opinion: Doctors call for school closures ‘done right’ ‘We must
act now, otherwise COVID-19 will overwhelm our medical system’
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/12/opinion-doctors-call-for-school-closures-done-right/

Coronavirus has crippled global shipping.
That’s bad for California farmers and winemakers
https://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article241104291.html?

Drought expanding in California
— nearly half the state now affected
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/12/drought-conditions-expanding-in-california-to-nearly-half-the-state/

Monterey Bay Aquarium update on Coronavirus
https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/newsroom/press-releases/monterey-bay-aquarium-update-on-coronavirus/

68,000 jobs, six office projects herald downtown
San Jose economic boom
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/12/68000-jobs-six-office-projects-herald-downtown-san-jose-economic-boom/

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

“Gimme that Wine”

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

Livermore Winery Partners with Bronco to Go National
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=227376

That Napa Valley winery corporate retreat?
In the age of the coronavirus, forget it
https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/That-Napa-Valley-winery-corporate-retreat-In-the-15124100.php

Napa Valley Wine Academy home to U.S.'s
two newest Masters of Wine
https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/napa-valley-wine-academy-home-to-u-s-s-two/article_cc995c07-3f17-5798-9f10-cefcee22dc86.html

Free Wine App
https://www.nataliemaclean.com/mobileapp/

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

[headlines]
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This Day in History

     1565 - Smoking of tobacco was introduced to England by John Hawkins. Hawkins was primarily a slave trader, carrying Africans to the West Indies. Most of his dealings were with the Spanish in the West Indies, but during his second trip to the region visited the small French colony in Florida and learned to smoke tobacco from the colonists, who had learned from the Indians. Hawkins returned to England with a shipload of tobacco. He described the Indian use of the plant this way: “The Floridians when they travel have a kind of herb dried, who with a cane and an earthen cap in the end, with fire, and dried herbs put together, doe sucke thorow the cane the smoke thereof, which smoke satisfieth their hunger, and therwith they live foure or five days without meat or drinke, and this all the Frenchmen used for this purpose.”
    1639 - New College was renamed Harvard College for clergyman John Harvard.
    1687 - Father Eusebio Kino, 42, an Italian-born Jesuit in the service of Spain, began missionary labors in the American Southwest. In all, Kino established 25 Indian missions in the area now divided between northern Mexico and Arizona.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/azhistory/02086kino0210.html
http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/april/papr/du_kino.html
http://www.nps.gov/tuma/Father_Kino.html
http://discoverseaz.com/History/Kino.html
    1781 - The planet Uranus was discovered by Sir William Herschel.
    1789 - Young Enoch Brooks inscribed his name in this children's Bible in Princeton, New Jersey. Now a rare artifact of Americana, Brooks' book is one of four extant copies of “A Curious Hieroglyphick Bible.” With nearly five hundred woodcuts by American artists, this Bible was the most ambitious woodcut volume produced in America up to that time. He was not only a prolific printer of children’s books but at one time owned more than 20 book stores in the Boston, MA area.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar13.html
    1791 - Thomas Paine's “The Rights of Man” was published in London.
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1776-1800/paine/ROM/rofmxx.htm
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/thomas_paine/rights_of_man/part1.html
http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~dino55/rightsofman.htm
    1794 - Eli Whitney received a patent for the cotton gin, allegedly based on the ideas and concept of a Black slave on a plantation he was visiting. Whether he, the black slave, or Katherine Greene, the owner of the plantation he was visiting, came up with the concept of wire cleaning the cotton balls is a matter of historic controversy. Whitney's cotton gin was capable of maintaining a daily output of 50 lb. of cleaned cotton and its effect was far-reaching, making southern cotton a profitable crop for the first time. Whitney, however, failed to profit from his invention. Numerous imitations appeared, and his 1794 patent was not validated until 1807. This made cotton a major crop in the South where slaves were “imported” to meet the demand, and who could be utilized for other crops due to this invention. “By the early 1800's, more than 700,000 slaves lived in the South. They accounted for about a third of the region's people. By 1860, the slave states had about 4 million slaves. Slaves outnumbered whites in South Carolina and made up over half the population in both Maryland and Virginia. Slavery began to develop even deeper roots in the South after Eli Whitney of Massachusetts invented his cotton gin in 1793. This machine removed the seeds from cotton as fast as 50 people working by hand and probably contributed more to the growth of slavery than any other development. Whitney's gin enabled farmers to meet the rapidly rising demand for cotton. As a result, the Southern cotton industry expanded, and cotton became the chief crop in the region. The planters needed more and more workers to pick and bale the cotton, which led to large increases in the slave population. The thriving sugar cane plantations of Louisiana also used many slaves during the first half of the 1800's. By 1860, about 4 million slaves lived in the South.” It is stated that in 1860, one in three people in the South were slaves.
http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/152.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3h1522.html
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/whitney.html
http://www.eliwhitney.org/main.htm
http://www.csusm.edu/Black_Excellence/documents/pg-c-gin.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3narr6.html
http://www2.worldbook.com/features/features.asp?feature=aajourney
&page=html/bh112.html&direct=yes
http://ia.thebostonchannel.com/blackhistory/1947088/detail.html
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/cotton_gin_patent/cotton_gin_patent.html
http://web.mit.edu/invent/www/inventorsR-Z/whitney.html
    1798 - Birthday of Abigail Fillmore (d. 1853), first wife of Millard Fillmore, 13th president of the US, was born at Stillwater, NY. It is said that the White House was without any books until Abigail Fillmore, formerly a teacher, made a room on the second floor into a library. Within a year, Congress appropriated $250 for the president to spend on books for the White House.
    1804 – Absalom Jones was a lay minister at the interracial congregation of St. George’s Methodist Church. Together with Richard Allen, he was one of the first African Americans licensed to preach by the Methodist Church. As 1791 began, Jones wanted to establish a black congregation independent of white control, while remaining part of the Church. After a successful petition, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, the first black church in Philadelphia, opened its doors on July 17, 1794. Jones was ordained as a deacon in 1795 and as a priest on March 13, 1804, becoming the first African-American priest in the Episcopal Church.
http://www.ube.org/abjones.htm
http://www.justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/98.html
http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Absalom_Jones.htm
http://www.io.com/~kellywp/LesserFF/Feb/AbsJones.html
http://david-alexander.tripod.com/id117.htm
    1813 - Lorenzo Delmonico (d. 1881) was born in Marengo, Switzerland and was invited to join his uncles in their successful pastry shop and catering business in New York in 1831. He soon transformed the business into one of the first, best, most elegant and famous restaurants in the country, Delmonico’s. Lorenzo was not a chef, but he purchased the food and created the very extensive menu. He helped make the concept of the 'restaurant' an acceptable and successful one. After many moves the final Delmonico’s restaurant was forced to close in 1923, a victim of Prohibition.
http://www.cbbqa.com/delmonico/Filippini.html
http://www.cbbqa.com/delmonico/Steak.html
http://www.cbbqa.com/delmonico/Potatoes.html
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/foodnames.html
    1836 - Houston retreats from Santa Anna's army. Less than a week after the disastrous defeat of Texas rebels at the Alamo, the newly commissioned Texas General Sam Houston begins a series of strategic retreats to buy time to train his ill-prepared army. Revolutionary Texans had only formally announced their independence from Mexico 11 days earlier. On March 6, 1836, the separatists chose Sam Houston to be the commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army. Houston immediately departed for Gonzales, Texas, where the main force of the revolutionary army was stationed. When he arrived, he found that the Texas army consisted of 374 poorly dressed and ill-equipped men. Most had no guns or military experience, and they had only two days of rations. Houston had little time to dwell on the situation, because he learned that the Mexican general Santa Anna was staging a siege of the Alamo in San Antonio. Before Houston could prepare his troops to rush to aid the defenders, however, word arrived that Santa Anna had wiped them out on March 6. Scouts reported that Santa Anna's troops were heading east toward Gonzales. Unprepared to confront the Mexican army with his poorly trained force, Houston began a series of strategic retreats designed to give him enough time to whip his army into fighting shape. Houston's decision to retreat won him little but scorn from the Texas rebels. His troops and officers were eager to engage the Mexicans, and they chafed at Houston's insistence on learning proper field maneuvers. Houston wisely continued to organize, train, and equip his troops so they would be prepared to meet Santa Anna's army. Finally, after nearly a month of falling back, Houston ordered his men to turn around and head south to meet Santa Anna's forces. On April 21, Houston led his 783 troops in an attack on Santa Anna's force of nearly twice that number near the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River. With the famous cry, "Remember the Alamo," the Texans stormed the surprised Mexican forces. After a brief attempt at defense, the Mexican soldiers broke into a disorganized retreat, allowing the Texans to isolate and slaughter them. In a stunning victory, Houston's army succeeded in killing or capturing nearly the entire Mexican force, including General Santa Anna, who was taken prisoner. Only two Texans were killed and 30 wounded. Fearful of execution, Santa Anna signed an order calling for the immediate withdrawal of all Mexican troops from Texas soil. The Mexicans never again seriously threatened the independence of the Lone Star Republic.
    1846 - In San Francisco, Colonel Castro issued a proclamation that declared John Frémont and his party to be a band of highwaymen.
    1852 - "Uncle Sam" made his debut as a cartoon character in the New York Lantern.
    1855 – Percival Lowell (d. 1916) was born in Boston. Businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars. He founded the Lowell Observatory in Arizona and formed the beginning of the effort that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death.
    1865 - Slaves were assigned to military duty in the Confederate Army by a bill signed by President Jefferson Davis. During the Civil War, blacks not only had related jobs, but also were uniformed soldiers and officers. CSA General Patrick Cleburne had suggested enlisting slaves a year before, but few in the Confederate leadership considered the proposal, since slavery was the foundation of southern society. One politician asked, "What did we go to war for, if not to protect our property?" Another suggested, "If slaves will make good soldiers, our whole theory of slavery is wrong." General Lee weighed in on the issue and asked the Confederate government for help. "We must decide whether slavery shall be extinguished by our enemies and the slaves be used against us, or use them ourselves." Lee asked that the slaves be freed as a condition of fighting, but the bill that passed the Confederate Congress on March 13 did not stipulate freedom for those who served. The measure did nothing to stop the destruction of the Confederacy. Several thousand blacks were enlisted in the Rebel cause, but they could not begin to balance out the nearly 200,000 blacks that fought for the Union.
http://www.rebelgray.com/BlackSoldiers.htm
http://www.nps.gov/apco/blacks.htm
http://www.augustachronicle.com/stories/022199/met_confeds.shtml
http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/burke_cw.htm
http://www.africana.com/archive/dailyarticles/index_20010410.asp
http://www2.netdoor.com/~jgh/mobile.html http://www.theonlinedispatch.com/dans/_disc2/00000142.htm
    1868 - The US Senate began its trial to impeach President Andrew Johnson. For the first time in the nation’s history, a president was impeached. Pres. Johnson was accused by Congress of having violated the Tenure of Office Act of 1867 which forbade the president to discharge any federal officer holder appointed “by and with the consent of the Senate.” Johnson tested the act by removing Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton on February 21. The impeachment was brought largely because the radical Republicans bitterly opposed Johnson’s plans for Reconstruction. Johnson’s firing of Stanton gave them the opportunity they had been seeking. On February 24, the House of Representatives voted to impeach. The US Senate trial began on this date. Sworn in as president after Lincoln's assassination in April 1865, President Johnson enacted a lenient Reconstruction policy for the defeated South, including almost total amnesty to ex-Confederates, a program of rapid restoration of U.S. state status for the seceded states, and the approval of new, local Southern governments, which were able to legislate "black codes" that preserved the system of slavery in all but name. The Republican-dominated Congress greatly opposed Johnson's Reconstruction program and passed the "Radical Reconstruction" by repeatedly overriding the president's vetoes. Under the Radical Reconstruction, local Southern governments gave way to federal military rule, and African-American men in the South were granted the constitutional right to vote. In March 1867, in order further to weaken Johnson's authority, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act over his veto. The act prohibited the president from removing federal office holders, including Cabinet members, who had been confirmed by the Senate, without the consent of the Senate. It was designed to shield members of Johnson's Cabinet like Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who was appointed during the Lincoln administration and was a leading ally of the so-called Radical Republicans in Congress. In the fall of 1867, Johnson attempted to test the constitutionality of the act by replacing Stanton with General Ulysses S. Grant. However, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to rule on the case and Grant turned the office back to Stanton after the Senate passed a measure in protest of the dismissal. On February 21, 1868, Johnson decided to rid himself of Stanton once and for all and appointed General Lorenzo Thomas, an individual far less favorable to the Congress than Grant, as Secretary of War. Stanton refused to yield, barricading himself in his office, and the House of Representatives, which had already discussed impeachment after Johnson's first dismissal of Stanton, initiated formal impeachment proceedings against the president. On February 24, the House voted 11 impeachment articles against President Johnson. Nine of the articles cited his violations of the Tenure of Office Act; one cited his opposition to the Army Appropriations Act of 1867, designed to deprive the president of his constitutional position as commander in chief of the U.S. Army, and one accused Johnson of bringing "into disgrace, ridicule, hatred, contempt, and reproach the Congress of the United States" through certain controversial speeches. On March 13, according to the rules set out in Section 3 of Article I of the U.S. Constitution, the impeachment trial of President Johnson began in the Senate. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presided over the proceedings, which were described as theatrical. On May 16 and again on May 26, the Senate voted on the charges brought against President Johnson. Both times the vote was 35 for conviction and 19 for acquittal, with seven moderate Republicans joining 12 Democrats in voting against what was a weak case for impeachment. Because both votes fell short--by one vote--of the two-thirds majority needed to convict Johnson, he was judged not guilty and remained in office. Nevertheless, he chose not to actively seek reelection on the Democratic ticket. In November, Ulysses S. Grant, who supported the Republicans' Radical Reconstruction policies, was elected President of the United States. In 1875, after two failed bids, Johnson won reelection to Congress as a U.S. senator from Tennessee. He died less than four months after taking office at the age of 66. Fifty-one years later, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Tenure of Office Act unconstitutional in its ruling in Myers v. United States.
    1868 - Birth of Charles E. Cowman (d. 1924), Toulon, IL. American missionary pioneer. In 1901, he sailed to Japan with his wife Lettie (who later authored "Streams in the Desert"), where, in 1910, they founded the Oriental Missionary Society.
http://www.backtothebible.org/devotions/bio_cowman.htm
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=6249X&p=1014019
    1873 – P.B.S. Pinchback, first Black state governor, is denied his senate seat by the Senate. Senators were elected at this time by the state legislature. In January, 1873, the Louisiana legislature elected Pinchback to the U.S. Senate which was also contested by another rival, W.L. McMillen. Though McMillen eventually acknowledged Pinchback's claim to the seat, Senators uncovered evidence that Pinchback had paid $10,000 to obtain it. The Senate denied Pinchback his seat by a vote of 32 to 29.
http://www.theblackmale.com/black-men/History/pinchback.htm
http://www.fact-index.com/p/p_/p__b__s__pinchback.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/reference/articles/p_b_s_pinchback.html
    1884 - Standard Time was adopted throughout the United States.
    1886 – Frank Baker (d. 1963) was born in Trappe, MD. A left-hand-hitting 3B, he led the Philadelphia A’s to three World Series championships. During the 1911 World Series he earned the nickname “Home Run” by hitting the go-ahead homer off Rube Marquard in Game 2 against the New York Giants, and the 9th inning, game tying HR of Christy Mathewson in Game 3. He led the American League in home runs for four consecutive seasons, twice led the league in RBIs, and batted .363 in six Series. Baker earned Baseball Hall of Fame honors in 1955.
    1887 - Chester Greenwood of Maine received a patent for earmuffs.
    1906 - Clarinet/sax player Frank Teschemacher (d. 1932) born Kansas City MO.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/tesch.html
http://wwwp.musicmatch.com/artist/artist.cgi?ARTISTID=600112
    1911 - Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (d. 1986), science fiction writer, recluse and founder of the Church of Scientology, born at Tilden, NE. His best-known book was “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.”
http://www.lronhubbard.org
    1912 - The Chamber of Commerce of the United Sates was founded by approximately 500 representatives of commercial organizations, trade associations, and individual establishments, who were invited to participate in a series of discussions by President William Howard Taft and Secretary of Commerce and Labor Charles Nagel. The headquarters of the chamber of Commerce of the United States was dedicated on May 20, 1925.
    1912 – Mystery writer Bill S. Ballinger (d. 1980), aka Frederic Freyer, B.X. Sanborn, was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa. American thriller writer who specialized from the early 1950's in a multi-level kind of narration or divided narration. Received Edgar Allan Poe Award from Mystery Writers of America in 1960 for his TV work.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/ballinge.htm
    1913 - Guitarist Lightin’ Slim (d. 1994) was born Otis V. Hicks, St. Louis, Mo.
http://mathrisc1.lunet.edu/blues/Louisiana.html#O_Hicks
http://www.luckymojo.com/blueshoodoolightninslim.html
    1913 - Sammy Kaye (d. 1987), one of the most successful bandleaders of all time, was born Samuel Zarnocay, Jr., in Lakewood, Ohio. Although the syrupy sweet romantic sounds were denounced by critics and music purists, the "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye" formula was so successful that his orchestra stayed together long after the big band era had ended. His hit records in the 1940's included "Daddy," "Harbor Lights" and "It Isn't Fair."
http://www.sammykayeorchestra.com/
http://data.sonicnet.com/artists/az/kaye_sammy/bio.jhtml
   1914 - Base player Bob Haggart (d. 1999) was born New York City.
http://www.riverwalk.org/profiles/haggart.htm
http://jazzbymail.com/artists/haggart.html
http://www.52ndstreet.com/justjazz/Haggart_birthday.html
http://www.atlantajazzparty.com/ajp10.html
http://pudbrown.hypermart.net/haggart.htm
    1922 - Drummer Willie “Rough Dried” Williams (d. 1988) born Lake Village, AR
    1923 - A great improvement in radio receivers was advertised. The new models had a concealed speaker and eliminated the need for headphones, which were considered a nuisance because they were so heavy to wear and messed up hairdos. The new radios were also said to have a ‘foolproof’ design.
    1924 - Pianist Dick Katz (d. 2009) born Baltimore MD
http://www.jazzcanadiana.on.ca/_KATZ.HTM
http://www.theiceberg.com/artist.html?artist_id=24371
    1925 - Legislation prohibiting the teaching of evolution within the state's public school system was passed by Tennessee State Assembly. A celebrated violation of this law led to the famous July Scopes Monkey Trial
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/tennstat.htm
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/scopes.htm
    1925 - Guitarist Bob “Poor” Woodfork (d. 1988) born Lake Village, AR
    1926 – Drummer Roy Haynes birthday, Boston, MA. Haynes is among the most recorded drummers in jazz, and in a career lasting more than 70 years has played in a wide range of styles. He has a highly expressive, personal style ("Snap Crackle" was a nickname given him in the 1950s) and is known to foster a deep engagement in his bandmates.
http://www.ejn.it/mus/haynes.htm
http://www.dreyfusrecords.com/artists/RoyHaynes.shtml
    1929 - Helen Candaele Saint Aubin (d. 1992), known as Helen Callaghan during her baseball days, was born at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Saint Aubin and her sister, Margaret Maxwell, were recruited for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which flourished in the 1940s when many Major Leaguers were off fighting World War II. She first played at age 15 for the Minneapolis Millerettes, an expansion team that moved to Indiana and became the Fort Wayne Daisies. For the 1945 season the left-handed outfielder led the league with a .299 average and 24 extra base hits. In 1946, she stole 114 bases in 111 games. Her son Kelly Candaele's documentary on the women's baseball league inspired the film “A League of Their Own.” Saint Aubin was known as the "Ted Williams of women's baseball."
    1930 - Trumpeter Blue Mitchell (d. 1929) born Miami, FL.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/mitchell_blue/bio.jhtml
http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/blue.html
    1932 - Country singer Jan Howard was born Lula Grace Johnson in West Plains, Missouri. Howard first hit the charts in 1960 with "The One You Slip Around With." She is best known for her duets with Bill Anderson, which included "For Loving You," a country chart-topper from 1967. Howard was also successful on her own, with such country hits as "Evil on Your Mind" and "My Son," a tribute to her son, Jim, who died in Vietnam two weeks after the song was recorded in 1968.
http://www.janhoward.com/bio.php
    1932 - With six million unemployed, chaos in Berlin, starvation and ruin, the threat of Marxism and a very uncertain future, the German people turn to Hitler by the millions. In the presidential election, Hitler receives over eleven million votes (11,339,446) or 30% of the total. Hindenburg receives 18,651,497 votes or 49%. Since Hindenburg does not get the majority, a run-off election is held. In the campaign that follows, Hitler crisscrosses Germany in an airplane, descending from the clouds into the arms of growing numbers of fanatics, at ever larger rallies. He gives them a positive message, promising something for everyone, then ascends back into the clouds. "In the Third Reich every German girl will find a husband!" - Hitler once promises.
    1932 – Hunger marches were taking place throughout the country. The Bonus marchers are expelled from Washington. President Herbert Hoover sends a secret message to Congress advising it not to cut the pay of Army or Navy personnel because they may be need to put down the marchers whose numbers seem to be growing. He believes they are communist inspired as are the hunger marches in England and Germany. The economy is not as bad as the newspapers report, he adds.
http://www.weisbord.org/ThreeOne.htm
http://www.studsterkel.org/htimes.php
    1939 - Singer and songwriter Neil Sedaka was born in Brooklyn, New York. Sedaka began writing songs with his lifelong musical partner, Howard Greenfield, at age 13, and, in 1958, sold his first song, "Stupid Cupid," which became a hit for Connie Francis. The following year, Sedaka began his own recording career. His first single for RCA Victor, "The Diary," was inspired by Francis, while the three were taking a temporary break during their idea-making for a new song. Francis was writing in her diary, Sedaka asked if he could read it, and Connie promptly replied with a "no." After Little Anthony and The Imperials passed on the song, Sedaka recorded it himself and his debut single hit the Top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 14 in 1958. He then scored hits with such songs as "Oh Carol," written for Carole King, "Calendar Girl" and "Breaking Up is Hard to Do," which went to number one in 1962. For much of the 1960's, Sedaka concentrated on songwriting, composing chart successes such as "Working on a Groovy Thing" for the Fifth Dimension and "Puppet Man" for Tom Jones. In 1975, Elton John helped Sedaka get back on the charts by having him record an LP for his Rocket label. From "The Hungry Years" came the number-one hit single "Laughter in the Rain." Sedaka topped the charts for a second time that year with "Bad Blood." He was inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1983, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was an October 2006 inductee of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. On November 15, 2013, Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters in Los Angeles gave him their Art Gilmore Career Achievement Award. Somehow, given his massive contributions to the genre, he is NOT a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
http://www.history-of-rock.com/neil_sedaka.htm
http://www.neilsedaka.info/
    1940 - “The Road to Singapore,” starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour, opened. The comedy was the first of seven Road pictures, which brought fame and fortune to its actors.
    1941 - The Benny Goodman Sextet cuts “Air Mail Special”
    1943 - The Major Leagues approved a new official baseball manufactured by the Spalding Company for the upcoming season. Instead of the usual combination of cork and rubber, the inside of the ball is made up of recycled cork and balata, materials not needed in the war effort. Officials insist the ball will have the resiliency of the 1939 ball, but the players will express dismay that they cannot drive the new ball and point out the dearth of runs and homers in 1942 even with the old ball.
    1944 - Top Hits
“Mairzy Doats” - The Merry Macs
“Besame Mucho” - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen
“No Love, No Nothin’ “- Ella Mae Morse
“Rosalita” - Al Dexter
    1945 - CRAIN, MORRIS E., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 141st Infantry, 36th Infantry Division. Place and date: Haguenau, France, 13 March 1945. Entered service at: Paducah, Ky. Birth: Bandana, Ky. G.O. No.: 18, 13 February 1946. Citation: He led his platoon against powerful German forces during the struggle to enlarge the bridgehead across the Moder River. With great daring and aggressiveness, he spearheaded the platoon in killing 10 enemy soldiers, capturing 12 more and securing its objective near an important road junction. Although heavy concentrations of artillery, mortar, and self-propelled gunfire raked the area, he moved about among his men during the day, exhorting them to great efforts and encouraging them to stand firm. He carried ammunition and maintained contact with the company command post, exposing himself to deadly enemy fire. At nightfall the enemy barrage became more intense and tanks entered the fray to cover foot troops while they bombarded our positions with grenades and rockets. As buildings were blasted by the Germans, the Americans fell back from house to house. T/Sgt. Crain deployed another platoon which had been sent to his support and then rushed through murderous tank and small-arms fire to the foremost house, which was being defended by 5 of his men. With the enemy attacking from an adjoining room and a tank firing pointblank at the house, he ordered the men to withdraw while he remained in the face of almost certain death to hold the position. Although shells were crashing through the walls and bullets were hitting all around him, he held his ground and with accurate fire from his submachine gun killed 3 Germans. He was killed when the building was destroyed by the enemy. T/Sgt. Crain's outstanding valor and intrepid leadership enabled his platoon to organize a new defense, repel the attack and preserve the hard-won bridgehead.
    1946 - The first Medal of Honor awarded, posthumously, to a soldier of Japanese ancestry was conferred upon Private First Class Sadao S. Munemori of Company A,100th Infantry Battalion, 442dn Combat Team to his mother, Mrs. Nawa Munemori. He was recognized for action near Seravezza, Italy, on April 5, 1945, when he knocked out two machine guns with grenades and saved the livers of two of his companions by diving on an exploding grenade.
    1947 - "The Best Years of Our Lives," produced by Samuel Goldwyn, was a big favorite winning the Best Picture prize at the 19th Academy Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Actor/producer/comedian Jack Benny hosted the glittering gala. "The Best Years of Our Lives" won Oscars for Best Director (William Wyler); Actor (Fredric March); Supporting Actor (Harold Russell); Film Editing (Daniel Mandell); Screenplay (Robert E. Sherwood); and a shared award with "The Jolson Story" for Best Score. Other awards for the best of 1946: Actress: Olivia de Havilland in "To Each His Own", and Actress in a Supporting Role: Anne Baxter in "The Razor’s Edge". The Best Song was "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" (from "The Harvey Girls") by Johnny Mercer and Harry Warren. Foreign-made films showed up in these Oscars, bringing an end to Hollywood’s then exclusive rights to the coveted awards. Of the foreign movies nominated, three were British ("Henry V" - producer, Laurence Olivier; "Brief Encounter" starring Celia Johnson; "Perfect Strangers" which won the Oscar for Best Writing/Original Story [Clemence Dane]), one was French ("Les Enfants du paradis", an original screenplay by Jacques Prévert) and one Italian ("Roma, città aperta", screenplay written by Sergio Amidei, Federico Fellini).
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0148339.html
    1951 - The comic strip, "Dennis the Menace," appeared for the first time in 18 newspapers across the U.S. The strip became an international favorite in thousands of newspapers and spawned a CBS-TV program that starred Jay North as Dennis. The series lasted for several seasons and is still seen in syndicated re-runs. A somewhat popular movie starring Walter Matthau as Mr. Wilson and Christopher Lloyd as the bad guy was released in 1993.
http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/dennis/about.htm
    1951 - The state of Iowa experienced a record snowstorm. The storm buried Iowa City under 27 inches of snow.
    1952 - Top Hits
“Slowpoke” - Pee Wee King
“Tell Me Why” - The Four Aces
“Please, Mr. Sun” - Johnnie Ray
“Wondering” - Webb Pierce
    1953 – After decades of relative quiet regarding franchise shifts, owner Lou Perini requested permission from the National league to move his Boston Braves to Milwaukee. After the 1953 season, the St. Louis Browns relocated to Baltimore to become the Orioles.
    1954 – The beat goes on! 1951 playoff hero of ‘The Shot Heard ‘round the World,’ Bobby Thomson, broke his ankle while in spring training with the Milwaukee Braves. His replacement? A promising prospect named Henry Aaron. Thomson was out until July 14th. His career was never the same after that.
    1956 - In a rally in Birmingham, Alabama, Asa Carter, the executive secretary of the north Alabama White Citizen's Council, charged that rock and roll was introduced to white teenagers by the N.A.A.C.P. and other pro-integration forces. He initiated a campaign to pressure radio stations to bar what he termed "immoral music."
    1956 - Elvis Presley's first album is released by RCA. The self-titled disc would sell over a million copies and become The King's first Gold record.
    1958 - “The Long Hot Summer,” starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Orson Welles, opens in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Newman, who won the Cannes Film Festival award as Best Actor for his performance in the film, married Woodward the same year-the pairing is one of Hollywood's longest lasting marriages.
    1958 - The Quarry Men, with both John Lennon and Paul McCartney playing guitar, perform at the Morgue Skiffle Cellar in Oakhill Park.
    1958 - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) launches its Gold Award Program to honor artists with outstanding sales. One million units sold of a single 45 rpm record earned Gold status; in 1976, the Platinum Award was introduced for singles which moved two million units. Today, the single awards are given at the half-million (gold) and million (platinum) level of sales or downloads, with the same award qualifications for album-length releases. The Diamond Award (album sales of over 10 million) was introduced in 1999.
    1960 - Top Hits
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
“Wild One” - Bobby Rydell
“Baby” (“You’ve Got What It Takes”) - Dinah Washington & Brook Benton
“He’ll Have to Go” - Jim Reeves
    1960 - National Football League owners voted to allow the Chicago Cardinals to move to St. Louis. The Cardinals are generally regarded as the oldest continuing operation in pro football, having been founded as the Morgan Athletic Club, a neighborhood team, in 1899. The Cardinals remained in St. Louis through the 1987 season after which owner Bill Bidwill transferred the team to Phoenix, AZ.
    1960 – The Chicago White Sox unveiled an important uniform innovation. The Sox's road uniforms feature players' names on the backs of the jerseys, marking the first time that players' names will appear on major league uniforms. The innovation will make it easier for fans watching games on television to identify the players on the field. The idea is yet another creation of colorful White Sox owner and innovator Bill Veeck. With few exceptions – New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants – all teams now have names on their jerseys both home and road uniforms.
    1961 - President John F. Kennedy sets up the Alliance for Progress.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1961kennedy-afp1.html
    1962 - Trumpeter Terence Blanchard born New Orleans LA
http://www.terenceblanchard.com/
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=1TERENCE|BLANCHARD
http://www.offbeat.com/ob2004/backtalk.html
    1962 - Wing Luke becomes the first non-white to be elected to the Seattle City Council, and the highest Asian-American elected official in the continental US
at the time.
http://www.wingluke.org/wing_luke1.htm
http://www.wingluke.org/
    1964 - Kitty Genovese, 28, was stabbed to death near her Queens, New York, home. The case came to be a symbol of urban apathy, though initial reports that 38 neighbors ignored Genovese's calls for help have been disputed.
    1964 - Motown Records released Mary Wells's "My Guy," written and produced by Smokey Robinson. It was the Supremes’ co-founder only number-one hit as a single.
http://www.marywilson.com/
    1964 - According to Billboard, over 60 percent of all US singles currently sold are Beatles records.
    1968 - The Byrds received a gold record for the album, "Greatest Hits", which featured "Turn! Turn! Turn!", written by Pete Seeger (excerpted from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible); "Eight Miles High"; "Mr. Spaceman"; "Mr. Tambourine Man"; "All I Really Want To Do"; and "My Back Pages". The group consisted of Jim McGuinn, David Crosby, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman and Mike Clarke. Kevin Kelly, Gram Parsons, Clarence White, John York and Gene Parsons were also members of the group through the years. The Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.
    1969 - “The Love Bug” was released by Walt Disney studio. Directed by Robert Stevenson, the film starred "Herbie," a loveable Volkswagen bug with a personality. Abused by the evil racecar driver "Thorndyke" (David Thomlinson), Herbie is rescued by the young good-guy racecar driver "Jim" (Dean Jones). Grateful for his rescue, Herbie rewards the hapless Jim by winning one race after another on his driver’s behalf. The excitement begins when the ruthless Thorndyke plots to get Herbie back by any means necessary. Based on a story by Gordon Buford, “The Love Bug” inspired two sequels, “Herbie Rides Again” and “Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo.”
    1968 - Top Hits
Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat
(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls - Dionne Warwick
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Take Me to Your World - Tammy Wynette
    1970 - An extremely popular cover of "LIFE" magazine was issued, showing the current fashion battle over long versus miniskirts.
http://www.life.com/Life/covers/1970/cv031370.html
    1971 - The Allman Brothers Band records its breakthrough album, "Live at the Fillmore East."
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=My_eGallery
&file=index&do=showpic&pid=1616&orderby=
    1972 - "The Merv Griffin Show," starring game show and late-night television host, Merv Griffin, started its syndicated debut for Metromedia Television. Joining Merv were Arthur Treacher and Mort Lindsey and his orchestra. In the 1940s, Griffin had a number one song with the Freddy Martin Orchestra, "I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Cocoanuts," which launched him to fame. He had his own radio show at KFRC in San Francisco in the late 1940’s, branching into early local television. Griffin battled Johnny Carson on CBS-TV late night, and lost. He also fought ABC-TV's Joey Bishop, and again lost. He did win in the Metro media show and in ownership of stations such as WPIX-TV 11 in New York and WPOP Radio in Hartford, Connecticut. Later, he came up with "Wheel of Fortune" and the formula for "Jeopardy," which he also owns; making him one of the world's richest entertainment moguls. Griffin also owns several hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Beverly Hills. His estate is managing these assets very nicely, thank you since Griffin passed on in 2007.
    1972 - Author Clifford Irving pleads guilty to a charge that the "autobiography" of Howard Hughes on which he supposedly collaborated was a hoax.
http://www.who2.com/cliffordirving.html
    1974 - The Arab Oil Embargo was lifted. It would take several weeks before long gasoline lines disappeared here. The oil-producing Arab countries agreed to lift their five-month embargo on petroleum sales to the US. During the embargo prices went up 330 percent and a ban was imposed on Sunday gasoline sales. The embargo was in retaliation for US support of Israel during the October 1973 Middle-East War.
    1976 - Top Hits
December 1963 (Oh, What a Night) - The Four Seasons
All by Myself - Eric Carmen
Take It to the Limit - Eagles
The Roots of My Raising - Merle Haggard
    1976 - The Four Seasons, featuring Frankie Valli, returned to the pop charts after an absence of 10 years. The group's "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" became the top song in the United States. Valli’s real name is Castelluccio and with him were Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito. Joe Long and Charlie Callelo were members in the 1960s, when Gaudio focused on producing for the group and DeVito left. The original producer was Bob Crewe. The name, The Four Seasons, was taken from a bowling alley in New Jersey. The group charted a total of 30 songs, plus Valli had nine solo hits. In 1990, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Broadway hit and subsequent movie “Jersey Guys” is a portrayal of the group origins and success.
    1976 - Johnny Taylor's "Disco Lady" begins a six week stay at the top of the Billboard R&B chart. It is the first number one song to contain the word "disco" in the title.
    1980 - Pink Floyd's "The Wall" goes platinum a few weeks into its 15 week stay at Number One. The two-record set is largely the brainchild of bass player Roger Waters, who now emerges as the group's creative head.
http://www.rogerwaters.org/
http://ingsoc.com/waters/
http://www.pinkfloyd-co.com/mast_idx.html
    1983 - Radio talk show host Larry King brought his topical interview program to syndicated TV. Using a telephone hook-up, viewers called in to speak to particular guests. King appeared on CNN 1985-2010, interviewing a variety of newsmakers and celebrities. In 2012, King launched his own web series, “Larry King Now,” that is in the same vein as his TV talk show on CNN. The web series is available on Ora TV, Hulu, and RT (Russia Today).
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/larry.king.live/
    1983 - Randy Smith’s NBA consecutive-game streak came to an end as he played in his 906th straight game. Smith played for Buffalo, San Diego, Cleveland, New York, and San Diego (again.)
    1984 - Top Hits
“Jump” - Van Halen
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” - Cyndi Lauper
“Somebody’s Watching Me” - Rockwell
“Going, Going, Gone” - Lee Greenwood
    1985 - National Football League owners met in Phoenix, AZ and tabled a proposal that would have allowed transmitters and receivers in football helmets. The idea was to allow quarterbacks to talk with players in noisy stadiums. The idea did become a reality, but a minor one. Players complained of too much interference and static. With those bugs eliminated, the QB and the defensive captain each have such transmitters today.
    1986 - Susan Butcher wins the Iditarod dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, in the record time of 11 days, 15 hours, almost seven days faster than the time in 1985 when Libby Riddles was the first woman to win the race. Butcher again wins the race in 1987 in what is called a new era in the dogsled competition
    1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from northwest Texas to Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska during the day, and into the night. Severe thunderstorms spawned 59 tornadoes, including twenty-six strong or violent tornadoes, and there were about two hundred reports of large hail or damaging winds. There were forty-eight tornadoes in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, and some of the tornadoes in those three states were the strongest of record for so early in the season, and for so far northwest in the United States. The most powerful tornado of the day was one which tore through the central Kansas community of Hesston. The tornado killed two persons, injured sixty others, and caused 22 million dollars along its 67-mile path. The tornado had a life span of two hours. Another tornado tracked 124 miles across southeastern Nebraska injuring eight persons and causing more than $5 million damage.
    1993 - "Informer" by Toronto rapper Snow reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. It would remain in the top spot for seven weeks, making it one of the most successful Canadian songs ever on the US chart. Snow's debut album, "12 Inches of Snow," also was a million-seller.
    1994 - Prodigy puts newspaper online--the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. One of the earliest online newspapers, the Journal-Constitution listed local information, including Little League scores, lunch menus, and crime reports, as well as local advertising. The news service was available as a subscription service, with additional fees for bulletin board usage. Other early online newspapers included the St. Louis Dispatch and Florida Today.
    1998 - Candice Bergen and the cast of “Murphy Brown” filmed the 245th and final episode of the award-winning and sometimes controversial CBS sitcom. The hour-long finale featured appearances by Julia Roberts, Bette Midler, and George Clooney, as well as Bergen's real mother, Frances.
http://timstvshowcase.com/murphybak.jpg
    1999 - It had been nearly fifteen years since Cher led the US hit parade with "Dark Lady," but she was back on top with her fourth solo number one, "Believe." It was also #1 in the UK.
    2006 – Legendary Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Feller says that controversial Barry Bonds should be kept out of the exclusive club, having admitted using the banned ‘cream’ and ‘clear.’
    2012 - A Harvard Medical School study claims that red meat increases the risk of death and has additional negative health implications.
    2015 – Scientists concluded that a large ocean exists beneath the icy surface of Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon. The discovery was made using the Hubble Space Telescope to observe aurora movements at the moon’s poles.

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