Complaint re: Merrimac has been resolved

“I am contacting you about Vince Barauskas at Merrimac Capital Services. Our lease transaction has been completed and Vince has worked well with myself and the vendors involved in getting this completed. I understand that Leasing News was going to send out a letter reference this matter and I want to make sure that it is not negative or puts Merrimac or Vince in a bad light.

“I appreciate your assistance in helping me to get in contact with Vince a couple of months ago, but since that time everything has gone well with no further issues. I have talked with other entities who have gone through Merrimac and they all had a good experience with the company. I believe our issues were isolated and numerous factors involved created a situation where communication broke down.

“Vince has not only taken care of the lease and made sure the vendors were paid, but he also paid the interest that accrued during February, March and April with no costs to our County.

“Again, I appreciate your assistance but I see no need in publishing any negative letters or information about Vince or Merrimac Capital as our transaction has been completed.

“Thank you,”

Sheriff JP Semrad

“After being in the finance industry for over 35+ years, I look forward towards booking more business as the market seems to be correcting itself and successfully work with past and future customers along with our small, medium and large ticket funding sources."

Thank you

Mr. Vincent Barauskas, managing member
Merrimac Capital Services, LLC
11 Liana Street * Woburn, MA 01801
ph: 781-933-1381 * fax: 1-866-583-6340
email: merrimacap@yahoo.com

Classified Ads---Operations

N. Phoenix, Arizona Kathleen Gibbons-Erler. Eleven years experience in all office operations, including but not limited to lease processing. Excellent follow up skills. References on Linkedin.com. kgibbons-erler@cox.net Resume

Acton, MA Strong experience in lease accounting, operations, & systems.   Implemented lease plus, Great Plains, networks. Excellent financial reporting and analysis skills. Looking for new opportunity. LinkedIn alexanderzlenz@gmail.com| Resume

For a full listing of all “job wanted” ads, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Other e-Mail Posting Sites:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Posting_sites.htm

Readers and Statistics Show Leasing Business Up

(Leasing News Chart)

During May, many independent brokers reporting see more lease applications that they could take to their bank sources, they told Leasing News. It seems the pent up demand was seeing a turn around.

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation monthly confidence for May was 67.4 from April of 65.4.

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25) reported new business volume for April grew 15 percent when compared to the same period in 2009. When compared to the prior month, the MLFI-25 volume increased by nine percent, from $4.3 billion to $4.7 billion. April originations showed year-over-year growth for the first time since July 2008.

click image for larger view
(ELFA Chart)

"Delinquencies improved as well, the report cited” Receivables over 30 days declined to 3.7 percent, from 4.2 percent in the prior month and 4.0 percent in the year-earlier period. Charge-offs increased slightly to 1.6 percent, up from 1.5 percent in the prior month, but improved over the year-earlier period.

"Credit approvals remained flat when compared to March data, but, at 68 percent, increased from same period the prior year. Of participating organizations, 46 percent reported submitting more transactions for approval during the month."

“April’s new business volume data is encouraging even though demand is still soft,” said David Merrill, President, Fifth Third Leasing Company, located in Cincinnati, OH.

David Merrill, President, Fifth Third Leasing

“Companies are still searching for signs of a sustained economic recovery before they invest heavily in capital equipment, “he said.

“When viewed in conjunction with the continued improvement in charge-off and delinquency metrics, April’s data provides reason for optimism that additional growth will occur in the second half of 2010.”

ELFA President William G. Sutton

“April’s new business volume is indeed a positive sign that businesses are starting to invest in capital assets,” said US Navy Rear Admiral (retired) ELFA President William G. Sutton. “The April data support anecdotal evidence from ELFA members that a growth trajectory is beginning to take shape, as pent-up demand gives way to equipment acquisition by business, both large and small.”

New ELFA President Exclusive
  Interview by Bernie Boettigheimer, CLP
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2010/4_30.htm#elfa_interview

Minnwest sues Allied for $2 million

In addition to Kingsbridge Holding, LLC, Lake Forrest, Illinois, filing a suit against Allied Health Care Services, Inc., 89 Main St., Orange, New Jersey for $1,051,207.74 plus attorney and court fees. Minnwest Capital Corporation , Minnetonka, Minnesota,(subsidiary of Minnwest Bank Metro) has filed a $2,070,690 suit against Allied as well as the Charles Schwartz, president of the company, as personal guarantor to the corporation.

"...Minnwest and Allied entered into three supplements to the MLA, under which Minnwest leased $2 million of equipment to Allied. Specifically, on or about December 22, 2008, the parties executed the first supplement to the MLA (the "First Supplement"). (A true and correct copy of the First Supplement is annexed hereto as Exhibit B.) Pursuant to the First Supplement, Allied leased 150 LifeCare Products PLV 102 Home Care Ventilators from Minnwest for a total lease amount of $750,000, under the terms and conditions set forth therein.
10. Also on or about December 22, 2008, defendant Schwartz executed an absolute and unconditional personal Guaranty (the "December 2008 Guaranty") of Allied's obligations under the MLA and all supplements thereto, including the First Supplement. (A true and correct copy of Schwartz's December 2008 Guaranty is annexed hereto as Exhibit C.)
11. Then, on or about January 16, 2009, the parties executed a second supplement to the MLA (the "Second Supplement"). (A true and correct copy of the Second Supplement is annexed hereto as Exhibit D.) Pursuant to the Second Supplement, Allied leased an additional 150 L LifeCare Products PLV 102 Home Care Ventilators from Minnwest for a total lease amount of $750,000, under the terms and conditions set forth therein.
12. Also on or about January 16, 2009, defendant Schwartz executed another absolute and unconditional personal Guaranty (the "January 2009 Guaranty") of Allied's obligations under the MLA and all supplements thereto, including the Second Supplement. (A true and correct copy of Schwartz's January 2009 Guaranty is annexed hereto as Exhibit E.)
13. Finally, on or about February 5, 2009, the parties executed a third supplement to the MLA (the "Third Supplement," and, together with the First and Second Supplements, the "Supplements"). (A true and correct copy of the Third Supplement is annexed hereto as Exhibit F.) Pursuant to the Third Supplement, Allied leased an additional 100 LifeCare Products PLV 102 Home Care Ventilators from Minnwest for a total lease amount of $500,000, under the terms and conditions set forth therein.
14. Also on or about February 5, 2009, defendant Schwartz executed a third absolute and unconditional personal Guaranty (the "February 2009 Guaranty," and, together with the December 2008 and January 2009 Guaranties, the "Guaranties") of Allied's obligations under the MLA and all supplements thereto, including the Third Supplement. (A true and correct copy of Schwartz's February 2009 Guaranty is annexed hereto as Exhibit G.)"

"37. Accordingly, Minnwest is entitled to take possession of the equipment it leased to Allied under the MLA and the Supplements.
WHEREFORE, Minnwest demands judgment on all Counts in favor of it and against defendants Allied and Schwartz as follows:
A. On Count One, awarding Minnwest actual, compensatory and consequential damages in an amount to be determined by the trier of fact but in no event less than $2,070,690;
B. On Count Two, awarding Minnwest actual, compensatory and consequential damages in an amount to be determined by the trier of fact but in no event less than $2,070,690;
C. On Count Three, a directive that Allied immediately turn over the leased equipment to Minnwest, a writ of replevin for possession of the equipment, and compensatory damages in an amount to be determined by the trier of fact;
D. On all Counts, awarding Minnwest its attorneys' fees, applicable interest and costs..."

Upon closer inspection of the Kingsbridge Holding invoice, as well as those in the Minnwest exhibits, and the 2010 invoice in the first report, all from Donner Medical Equipment.

Throughout the invoices seen, all the "used" or "refurbished" equipment is the same price ( no sales tax or personal property tax on this medical equipment in New York and New Jersey by state code), the invoices do not spell out much information, as units appear to have different motor sizes and other criteria, this was quite casual, particularly for a $1 million lease.

In addition to more information not be included, the numbers are not all put in, but put as 170130-170136, 170319-170329.

In addition for used/refurbished equipment, it would be more common to have some breaks in the serial numbers due to lost or bad units or whatever.

In all the schedules Leasing News saw from leasing companies they were all in sequence as well as not all spelled out in description and down in the same manner, not individually, but yet all in sequence,’ which is very unusual for “refurbished equipment.” Also only counted 190 units when supposed to be 200. If wrong, please let me know.

The Kingsbridge 200 units’ serial numbers 153859 through 154184 have a spread of 325 numbers, not all in sequence, although in groups of sequence.

Kingsbridge Exhibit “A”

Here is a count for the Minnwest invoices, unusual for "refurbished" equipment. Or if “almost new” as claimed to one lessor (“new" because they were still in the original box, was description to the lessor, Leasing News was told). Also note the sequence of numbers on the 2010 invoice:

In each of the invoices there were 50 units, and the numbers in sequence show how many different serial numbers used, meaning most were in sequence:

Minnwest #1 50 units serial numbers 152079 through 152140 ( 61 numbers for 50 units)

Minnwest #1 50 units serial numbers 151945 through 151999 ( 54 numbers for 50 units)

Minnwest #1 50 units serial numbers 152150 through 152213

(63 numbers used for 50 units)

Minnwest #2 100 units serial numbers 153667 through 153788
(121 numbers used for 100 units)

Minnwest #2 50 units serial numbers 152739 through 152797
(58 numbers for 50 units)

Minnwest #3 100 units serial numbers 154278 through 154393
(115 numbers for 100 units)

MinnWest did not view the current invoice or Kingsbridge invoice or vice-versa and were apparently not aware on how many leases that this procedure was the same.

Note: Minnwest Bank and Highland Bank have filed suit against First Premier Capital, after they lost nearly $8 million on deals FPC arranged with Equipment Acquisition Resources Inc. (EAR), a Palatine, Illinois. Complaints filed against EAR stating it was a Ponzi scheme of Sheldon Player, convicted in 1986 for running a Ponzi scheme. This one may involved more money. Leasing News put out an alert in 2007 on EAR and Sheldon Player.

-----

For readers who did not see this in “We get eMails” and the response on how this was brought to Leasing News’ attention:

“First of all (and I'll say it one more time) my hat is again off to you, this time for apparently connecting the dots on Allied Health Care Services.

“As I mentioned in my earlier note, we were approached to do a lease with Allied last fall. In spite of several requests for additional information and for explanations about obvious anomalies, we simply could not get comfortable with Allied and decided to pass. While we had a number of unanswered questions, various e-mails to the broker cited five worth repeating:

“The company has provided only internally prepared financial statements and does not have audited financial statements. This is particularly surprising given the very substantial annual income, net equity, and total assets indicated in Allied’s internally prepared financials. A company of this size and with this income level would normally have transitioned to audited financial statements – for the potential of reducing its borrowing costs, if for no other reason.

“No Lessee Website. That Allied has achieved its size and remarkable growth without having a website is difficult to fathom in today's business environment.

“Lessee’s facilities are suspect – location, etc. [Kit: A Google search last fall brought up the same photo of the same (very “tired”) building that was in last Friday’s Leasing News.]

“Vendor on transaction does not have a website either and does not appear to have any established place of business – other than the residence of the principal. [Kit: This due diligence step involved a two-minute search on Google.]

“Allied was a bit too receptive to ‘C’ credit terms, even though their financials suggested an ‘A’ credit status.

“The recurrences of situations such as this never cease to surprise me. If we all followed fundamental principles of due diligence and paid more attention to obvious ‘red flags’, lessors and funders in our industry would not only save a lot of money, but they would improve the image of our industry in the process.

Best regards,
--Roger Marce
Manufacturers’ Lease Plans, Inc.
Phoenix, Arizona
Email: Rmarce@Leaseplans.com
Off.:602-944-4411, ext. 11

(Roger was the only one who when asked if Leasing News could print his experience said, “yes.” The lack of vendor web site went on until March, could be later, as the site is new (Domain name registered February 29, 2010.) While Leasing News appreciates what others have told us “off the record,” Roger is the first “on the record.” Thank you.

(Allied Health Care Services first got Leasing News attention when asked to look further. It seems Donner Medical Marketing as funder for a $1 million lease to Allied was turned down, and the broker came back with an equipment dealer who would be selling the equipment and providing an invoice. The funder on service with Lease Police ran the program which was negative, turn the deal down. The funder afterwards called Lease Police to see if they could learn more. Of course, they turned the deal down. Bernie Boettingheimer, CLP, contacted Leasing News to learn if we had ever heard of Allied Health Care Services who was to be the lessee. Thus Leasing News queried its readers, got a major response, including reports of slowness in payments and much information to follow-up. The research became public with the law suit of Kingsbridge Holding, LLC, Lake Forest, Illinois. Perhaps they may get lucky and paid in full. Editor)

Minnwest Capital Complaint against Allied Health:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/Minnwest.pdf

Kingsbridge Files against Allied Health for $1 Million:
http://leasingnews.org/archives/May2010/5_14.htm#kingsbridge

Allied Health and Donner Medical/LPV 102:
http://leasingnews.org/archives/May2010/5_18.htm#allied_donner

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

Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Sales

Interviewing Leasing Professionals With Proven Track Record and Established Book of Business. Envision Provides: 1) Established Funding Sources, 2) Fun Working Environment, 3) Full Benefits (Health Insurance, 401k), 4) Aggressive Commission Structure. Resumes To: careers@envisioncapitalgroup.com, Contact: Jeff Edwards (949) 225-1712 Envision Capital Group is dedicated to providing the best in class products and service to our employers, customers, vendors and partners in the small and middle ticket commercial finance industry. With over 50 years of combined experience we have the knowledge, skills, abilities and relationships to help you reach your goals.

We are looking for experienced business development  professionals with established vendor / client  contacts in general manufacturing equipment,  road maintenance, material handling , radio/TV broadcasting and other hard collateral. We have openings for in-house business development positions  and Independent Sales Associates. Contact or send resumes to: John Martella SVP 800 800 8098 ext 5209 or direct: 248 743 5209 jmartella@leasecorp.com

Seeking originators with 5+ years small ticket and/or middle market experience and with established customer and vendor relationships. Remote office and on site positions are available. Please send resumes to: jobs@teqlease.com Attn: Mike Lockwood or Russ Runnalls CLP www.TEQlease.com

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

Dash in Dragonboat Race

My son Dashiell accepted a special assignment in Singapore as he has five combat missions in Iraq and the area, three times as a "Dirt Soldier" (he tells the R.A. that he is a sailor not an infantryman and the R.A.'s know where he has been and don't argue with him.) He is now on Swift Boat duty as well as other duties, but he seems to be enjoying Singapore where he is stationed. He has been able to telephone and also sends emails on a regular basis, which he was unable to do in Iraq.

(far right, he sent to his girlfriend in Norfolk along with his
friends and myself; females are accepted as part of the crew)

He and group from the base participated in the Singapore Dragonboat race, which appears to be an annual event. It a sport the English brought to the islands, and he says their influence is quite predominant in Singapore.

(He is the first rower from left to right)

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

Sales makes it Happen by Odds and Ends “Improving Your Odds” "Hiring a New Sales Person, the Interview" #1 Before you start with the interview, introduce yourself and tell your applicant a little bit about your company such as, how it got started, how long you have been in business, what your growth plans are for the future, etc. Hopefully, they will have already done some research on your company, but if you are a new small business the chances are great that they were unable to find out too much about you. This introduction also will help you to take control of the interview because you are making a statement of what you are all about. Next, it will be their turn. #2 Begin by asking your applicants questions from your prepared list of questions. Be as relaxed and informal as you can without being unprofessional. There should be no need to hurry through your interview. Your applicant is most likely to be a bit nervous and keeping the atmosphere relaxed will make for a better interview. Why? Because a relaxed applicant will talk more and the more they talk, the more you will learn about them #3 * Tell me about a little bit about yourself. * What type of experience do you have in sales and for how long? * Do you have any experience in finance or leasing? * Think of one of your most successful sales you've ever achieved. With that sale in mind, tell me about it and what you did to successfully achieve the sale. * Which vendors do you work best with---and then why, if not explained. * What are the best things that your co-workers say about you? What are the worst things? * Why do you want to work for ************ and how will you add to its success? #4 After asking your questions, have an office tool within your reach, such as a stapler, ruler or calculator. Ask your applicant to try and sell it to you. If the applicant starts to list off benefits and features to you, then this is a clue that, most likely, they are good at presenting products but not actually "selling" them. A good sign of someone who can sell is someone who will ask you questions about your and your business first before they present to you the benefits and features of a product. This is the way a good salesperson makes a more accurate assessment of a problem before offering a solution. A good salesperson should be: Self-Starter and Self-Finisher A successful sales person moves forward on their own. They never need anyone to tell them when it is time to go to work because they know that if they do not work they will not earn. They are also very persistent to finish what they start. They achieve their goals, even if they are small ones. Positive Self Image Having the attitude that they can do just about anything that they put their mind to is usually very common among sales people. They do not cower from meeting or talking to people or trying something new. They rarely allow negatives that are either spoken to them or about them to effect what they are trying to accomplish because they know who they are and what they are capable of doing. Well Mannered and Courteous The best sales people are very well mannered. You may not realize it, but good manners are a way of showing respect for others. People are attracted to those that respect them and mutual respect is fundamental in building lasting relationships with both vendors and end-users. Naturally Persuasive Another very common inherent skill with great salespeople is that they are very persuasive or know how to get what they want. They focus on what they want and they are persistent to keep chipping away until they get what they want. They almost never give up or give in. Tips: 1. List of the most common things to listen for while interviewing a sales person that will alert you that you may want to avoid hiring this sales person. * Is there a sales quota? * What is the minimum that I must sell to meet that quota? * How many sales people do you have? * I'm a real "people" person. You may be wondering why someone stating that they are a "people person" is a problem. It is because sales people who describe themselves in this way have a difficult time in sales. They want to please people so much that they allow the customer to control the sale. In the end they will never be able to ask for the order. 2. Most common positive things to listen for in an interview that tell you that this may be a great choice to add to your sales team. * Approximately how much does your most successful salesperson earn a year? * How soon can I start? * Is there a cap on how much I can earn? These remarks indicate a person who is competitive but not worried about how many others they are competing with and also, they are ready to start selling and hopefully with no limits to how much they can earn.

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

Halladay to Respond to FASB Accounting Rules

RENO, NEV., --The Alta Group, a global consulting firm, announced it has launched a practice focused on helping the $600 billion equipment finance industry cope with the upcoming changes to the lease accounting rules.

Author, Alta Principal Shawn Halladay

Headed by Shawn Halladay, an Alta principal, educator and noted expert on lease accounting, member of the Leasing News Advisory Board, the division will focus on accounting compliance and implementation.

Alta’s worldwide capabilities uniquely position it to address these new rules, which are being proposed by both the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board. The new division will be backed by the full team of management consultants who comprise The Alta Group, which has exclusively served the equipment leasing and finance industry since 1992.

Little information has been available to date on how equipment leasing companies will need to adjust to conduct business under the upcoming guidelines, Halladay said, but the current direction of the standard-setters will have a profound effect on lessors’ business activities, financial statement presentation, financial metrics, internal controls, and lease accounting systems. Lessors will need to revamp risk and asset management strategies, accounting processes, corporate governance, and even marketing and sales approaches to continue creating value for their customers.

Alta’s new division will create value for its clients by helping them understand the new lease accounting rules, design customer strategies, develop appropriate business processes, maximize revenue recognition, and assess and implement needed system changes.

-----

About Alta
The Alta Group, LLC, is a global consultancy serving equipment leasing and finance companies, investment professionals, manufacturers, banks, and government organizations. Founded in 1992, The Alta Group supports clients in North America; Latin America; Western, Central and Eastern Europe; Australia; and China. For more information, please visit http://www.thealtagroup.com

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

FinPac Announces New Scorecard

Financial Pacific Leasing Announces New Generation Scorecard. FinPac has implemented its latest generation custom scorecard as of March 1st.

A veteran of credit scorecard management since 1999, FinPac has been able to use its historical performance data to build a custom scorecard that better predicts performance in the risk niche of the small-ticket, commercial leasing market. In association with the latest generation scorecard, FinPac has also widened its range of risk based pricing in order to include slightly higher quality lessees. As a result, FinPac has experienced a 25% increase in approval rates in March and April over prior months, which has resulted in a 50% increase in the amount of approved backlog.

President, Financial Pacific, Leasing News Person of Year 2005

"For almost a year, we have worked diligently to incorporate more robust, public commercial credit data on small and micro businesses into our custom scorecard. Loss experience during the down cycle, while painful lessons for all, have provided invaluable insight into lessee performance during a period of high economic stress. This has allowed us to identify those credit attributes that best predict performance by our unique type of customer. The result is a scorecard that will let us approve more applications with improved efficiency and within acceptable risk parameters. There is more reason to do business with FinPac than ever before.", reported Paul Menzel, President & CEO.

Financial Pacific Leasing was founded in 1975, having always specialized in the second tier credit niche. FinPac is able to serve their unique profile of client by accessing the broader small ticket market through third party originators (TPOs) across the U.S. Their TPO relationships date back over twenty years and comprise of brokers/lessors who serve direct customers and equipment vendors.

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

El Segundo Woman Faces Federal Prison
after Pleading Guilty to Ponzi Scheme Related Charges

Los Angeles – an El Segundo woman pleaded guilty in United States District Court in Los Angeles to wire fraud and money laundering charges detailed in a criminal information filed by prosecutors last month.

Clelia Flores, 43, of El Segundo, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and two counts of conducting transactions in criminally derived property related to her operation of a $6 million Ponzi scheme from late 2006 through November 2007.

According to her plea agreement, Flores operated Maximum Return Investments, with offices originally located in Downey and later in El Segundo. Through Maximum Return Investments, Flores purported to offer individuals investment opportunities in real estate, gold, silver, and guaranteed bank programs.

As a part of her solicitation of money from potential investors, Flores falsely promised that the principal they invested would remain in a bank at all times, that the investors could receive their principal back at any time, and that the investors’ principal would be used as collateral for investments in real estate or commodities. Flores also falsely promised investors that investors would receive a 25% return on their principal every 45 days.

Flores admitted that she only invested a small portion of the money she received from investors, but not in the manner that she had promised. Flores admitted that she invested some of the money in risky investments that did not produce any investment returns and used a substantial portion to make Ponzi type payments to other investors.

Additionally, Flores admitted that she used approximately $315,000 of investor funds to purchase a personal residence in El Segundo.

In her plea agreement, Flores agrees that the applicable amount of restitution is no more $7,000,000.

When sentenced, Flores a statutory maximum 60 years in federal prison and fines totaling $1,000,000.

United States District Judge Margaret M. Morrow ordered Flores to appear for sentencing on October 18, 2010.

The investigation and prosecution of Flores was conducted by IRS - Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in conjunction with the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.

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

Deerfield Beach, Florida---Adopt-a-Dog

"Chi Chi is a young female Chihuahua. She is housebroken, gets along with other dogs, and very sweet. Chi Chi is just a joy she will make a wonderful companion."

For Introductions & Interviews
Please Call (754) 367-0355 or (954) 570-9507
1520 SE 14 Court
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

ADOPTION DONATION FEE INCLUDES
Spay/Neuter First Set Of Immunization
Canine Infectious Disease Testing Deworming
Flea Treatment Micro Chipping
First 2-Week Veterinarian Service

http://www.floridahumanesociety.org/index.html

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

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

 

News Briefs----

Consumer confidence rose in May
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2010/05/25/Consumer-confidence-rose-in-May/UPI-67751274807970/

Europe Pain May Impede U.S. Upturn
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/business/economy/26recession.html?ref=business

89 deaths may be linked to Toyota, NHTSA says
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2010-05-25-toyota-acceleration-deaths_N.htm

'American Idol': Did Crystal Bowersox KO Lee DeWyze?
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_15162697?nclick_check=1

Scherzinger wins on 'Dancing With the Stars'
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/DN-dancing26_0526gd.State.Edition1.3d48909.html

You May Have Missed---

Sports Briefs----

NFL gets flagged-American Needle sticks it to NFL
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/nfl_gets_flagged_supreme_court_ruling_
CGvV5uvvshempp5ugAO9WN

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0525-chicago-law--20100525,0,4480485.column

 

California Nuts Briefs---

Obama addresses heckler in SF (VIDEO), talks up oil and immigration
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=64391&tsp=1

“Gimme that Wine”

Steve Case Invests In Revitalized Vinfolio As It Expands In $3 Billion Fine Wine Market
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/steve-case-invests-in-revitalized-vinfolio-as-it-expands-in-3-billion-fine-wine-market-94814174.html

Wine: Coppola set to open new digs; also, Nordby’s ‘reskinning’
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/21501/wine-coppola-set-to-open-new-digs-also-nordbys reskinning/

A taste of tasting rooms in downtown Healdsburg
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/23/FDOL1CRP82.DTL
(great bed and breakfast, as well as restaurants, too)

Top winery stops in Healdsburg
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/23/FDOL1CRP8G.DTL

Free Mobile Wine Program
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2010/2_26.htm#mobile

Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com
http://www.wine-searcher.com/

US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/

Winery Atlas
http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas/\

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

Lay Lake

- Leah Ellen Marks 12/2/90 -12/7/07

                by Barry S. Marks

 

How John and I are fishing,

 despite everything.

Because of everything.

 

How you find bass

where the shore and the weeds

 and a fallen log make structure.

Not out in the open water.

 

How John has caught a bass

and I have not.

 

There is so much I would show you.

 

How the mist glides over Lay Lake

and two men,

the men who loved you,

 the men who failed you,

 sit in their little boat, one talking,

the other silent within himself.

 

How this lake is bound

by shores, by trees,

by land that is bound

only by the sky and the sky

and the sky.

 

from Possible Crocodiles
   Poems by Barry Marks
www.BrickRoadPoetryPress

REMEMBERING LEAH MARKS AND AFFIRMING LIFE
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/June%202009/06-05-09.htm#jewishfoundation