Archives---May 15, 2003
What Lessors Are Saying About. . .Staffing Up
(Edited due to length)

From Equipment Leasing and Finance Survey
on Employment Expectations:

“We are trying to hire 20 to 24 people right now from all over the country,”¨ said Gary Shivers of Marlin Leasing Corp. “We're poised to take advantage of the rebound.” Shivers is not alone in his confidence.

While Shivers primarily will be adding sales people, Jim Possehl of Republic Financial Corp. is actively seeking to hire 20 people in sales, asset management and accounting. Vince Kolber told us two areas for staffing needs will be in originations and portfolio management & underwriting for his company, Residco.

Paul Larkins of Key Equipment Finance reports that as the economy improves they expect to incrementally add staff to both credit and asset management departments and add sales staff on an "as-needed" basis.

Why such optimism?

“Our vendor base has been slower than we've experienced historically lately, meaning we have less deals per vendor," said Shivers." But, we are doing business with more vendors. So, when the rebound comes we'll experience a sling shot effect.¨

Republic, which buys nonperforming portfolios, is taking advantage of market conditions.

“We’re trying to add staff now due to the timing in the marketplace. We'll grow our staff by 20 percent this year," said Possehl.

Key's Larkins said, "As the economy improves, we will need to incrementally add staff to our risk management areas (both credit and asset management departments) to handle the flow of business. We will also "opportunistically" add sales staff to further support both our commercial and vendor partners, as needed.

“Naturally as clients begin to invest, we need to spend even more time with them (sales), and turn around their transactions (credit and asset management) in a manner that exceeds their expectations,” continued Larkins.

TODAY

It appears hiring is on the "retreat" according to ZRG Partners (1) as as evidenced by the fewer ad placements in Leasing News. However, it still remains difficult to obtain experienced personnel. The reason: many have left the leasing and finance marketplace in the last four years, don't want to return, as well as the trend has been to work remotely.

In addition, many firms still want the "corporate family contact" and have compromised to visits to the "home office," although prefer sales personnel particularly to meet with sales management in person more often. It is getting difficult to find experienced personnel, especially to work out of a specific location, as remote with the internet and software available makes the job easier, although they are executives such as at Yahoo, who like employees sharing experiences and helping each other “face-to-face,” and that does not mean on a video conference.

Kit Menkin, editor

(1) US Hiring Index retreats 8.8% in Q1 2013
ZRG's USA Equipment Leasing Report
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2013/4_17.htm#zrg

 

Classified Ads---Controller

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

Chicago, IL experienced in lease accounting, operations, management, and Sarbanes-Oxley. Seeking position with equipment lessor. Would consider contract assignments or relocating.  Email: leasecontroller@comcast.net

Southeastern, MI Controller & Management experience w/ equip lessors &broker. MBA, CPA w/ extensive accounting, management, securitization experience with public and private companies. Willing to relocate.  Email: Leasebusiness@aol.com

Word Count Increased to 50

The number of words allowed in Classified Ads---Jobs Wanted, placed
by those seeking employment or to improve their position has been
changed from 25 to 50 words. All those now advertising will be
contacted regarding the change.

Resume's and photos are continued to be invited.
These ads will continue to be free to those seeking work.

Free Posting for those seeking employment in Leasing:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm

All “free” categories “job wanted” ads:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

 

 

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Western Equipment Finance Parent
Takes over Central Arizona Bank

Central Arizona Bank, Scottsdale, Arizona, was closed with Western State Bank, Devils Lake, North Dakota, to assume all of the deposits.

"Western Equipment Finance, a subsidiary of Western State Bank, began financing commercial equipment nationwide in 1990. The company is headquartered in Devils Lake and currently has over $165 million in equipment finance transactions outstanding."
https://www.westernbanks.com/about-us-our-history.htm

The bank is the 13th to fail this year and the second in Arizona: was Gold Canyon Bank, Gold Canyon, on April 5, 2013.

It is interesting as normally the FDIC closes banks the end of the week, not in the middle. It is also interesting that Western State Bank, Devils Lake, North Dakota, which has eight branches in North Dakota, but one in Chandler, Arizona, originally established January 01, 1899 which they grew from a loan production facility, then acquired and made a banking facility in 2009 (their web site states) and then Casa Grande, evidently from Centra Arizona Bank in 2012.

The bank had 9 full time employees as of December 31, 2012. Year-end 2010 they had 19 full time employees. In 2008 the bank changed its name from Valley First Community Bank to Central Arizona Bank, planning to open an office in Casa Grande in 2012 (which Western State Bank acquired in 2012)---and the net equity was up to $10.5 million in 2009---but in 2009 it dropped to $4.6, hitting the problems of many other Arizona banks as evidenced by the numbers below.

Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio .0287 3/31/2013

(in millions, unless otherwise noted)

Net Equity
2006 $7.7
2007 $8.1
2008 $10.5
2009 $4.6
2010 $1.7
2011 $922,000
2012 $716,000
3/31 $671,000

Profit
2006 $717,000
2007 $327,000
2008 -$1.0
2009 -$6.1
2010 -$5.6
2011 -$1.8
2012 -$1.4
3/31 -$52,000

Non-Current Loans
2006 0
2007 0
2008 $1.9
2009 $3.1
2010 $5.1
2011 $4.07
2012 $2.8

Charge Offs
2006 0
2007 0
2008 $940,000 ($608,000 commercial/industrial, $324,000
nonfarm/nonres.)
2009 $1.9 ( $993,000 construction/land,$489,000 nonfarm/nonresidential, $41,000 1-4 family_
2010 $3.0 ( $1.4 nonfarm/nonres.,$697,000 1-4 family, $611,000 commercial/industrial, $129,000 construction/land,$109,000 individuals)
2011 $1.3 ($669,000 1-4 family, $601,000 nonfarm/nonres.,$65,000 construction/land, $13,000 commercials
2012 $426,000 ( $295,000 nonfarm/nonres.,$189,000 commercial/ind., $29,000 individuals, -$90,000 construction/land) 3/31 $5,000 ($3,000 commercial/industrial, $2,000 construction/land)

Construction and Land, 1-4 family multiple residential, Multiple Family
Residential, Non-Farm Non-Residential loans.

3/31/2013
Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio .0287

As of March 31, 2013, Central Arizona Bank had approximately $31.6 million in total assets and $30.8 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Western State Bank agreed to purchase essentially all of the failed bank’s assets.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $8.6 million
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2013/pr13040.html

List of Bank Failures:
http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html

Bank Beat:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Bank_Beat.htm

Working Capital Loans for Small Businesses
Channel Partners is now offering a new Easy Rewards program that allows you to earn rewards on EVERY deal over $15,000 in EVERY state!
www.channelpartnersllc.com p: (763) 746-7760 f: (763) 592-8297 information@channelpartnersllc.com

 

 

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Community Banks grow C&I loans amid 'fierce' competition
By Andrew Wolcott and Lindsey White, SNL Financial

Community banks across the nation experienced an uptick in lending during the first quarter: New England saw the strongest growth, and commercial and industrial lending emerged as a bright spot in every part of the U.S.

Nationwide, SNL Financial found that banks under $10 billion in assets experienced nearly 2% median loan growth compared to the first quarter of 2012. The picture was somewhat less rosy compared to the fourth quarter of 2012, as banks under $10 billion saw a median linked-quarter drop in nearly every loan category except residential construction. But as Sterne Agee & Leach Inc. analyst Peyton Green noted, the first quarter tends to be seasonally slow.

Banks experienced median, year-over-year loan growth in every region of the U.S. except the Southeast. "The Southeast being more development oriented and more growth oriented coming into the downturn certainly could cause it to take a little longer to come out of the recession," Green said.

Green said that some small banks in the Southeast are bucking the lending trend. "The numbers may not have been great this year, but they're much better than they were a year ago," he said, pointing to names like Little Rock, Ark.-based Bank of the Ozarks Inc.; Tupelo, Miss.-based Renasant Corp.; and Nashville, Tenn.-based Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc. "All reported loan growth in the first quarter this year which was up [compared to] last year," he said.

The New England region experienced the strongest overall growth — nearly 6% — followed by the Southwest and then the Mid-Atlantic.

Note: Geographical loan growth is based on company headquarters.

Every area of the U.S. saw C&I lending rise from year-ago levels. "The C&I recovery has been on for over a year," Green told SNL. "It was the first part of the commercial sector to go through the recession and the first part to heal."

Gray Medlin, managing director and head of the San Francisco office at Monroe Financial Partners, said the trend makes sense: Banks moved away from real estate loans after real estate got a bad name during the recession. But he does not believe the current emphasis on C&I lending is sustainable.

"The bread and butter of community banks always has been good real estate lending, because good real estate is good collateral: Dirt doesn't get up and walk away," Medlin said. Real estate took a serious hit during the recession, but in a normal environment, he said, local real estate loans are the best credits for community banks.

Medlin also expects that construction and development loans will make a comeback as the economy continues to improve. "Community banks, they're set up to do good construction and development lending with reliable, well-capitalized builders and developers, and they can make lots of money at it," he said.

"My prediction is, to get loan growth back, the community banks will have to begin shifting back towards real estate, and I think they should. It's a natural for them."

Medlin's predictions may already be coming true, at least in the commercial real estate category. Banks under $10 billion saw year-over-year CRE loan growth in every part of the U.S. but the Southeast.

Lending may be stagnant for community banks in the Southeast, but the same is not necessarily true for their larger counterparts. William Schwartz, senior vice president of the U.S. financial institutions group at DBRS, said he has recently spoken to some big-bank management teams in the Southeast who "all seem to be pretty pleased with what's going on." Even bankers in areas that were especially challenged during the recession, like Florida and Atlanta, are now more confident, he said.

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based BB&T Corp. certainly experienced strong year-over-year loan growth during the quarter, as did many of the nation's biggest banks. Capital One NA grew loans by a whopping 73.95%, thanks in part to acquisitions. In November 2012, ING Bank FSB was consolidated into the Capital One Financial Corp. unit. Capital One also acquired card and retail services from HSBC Holdings Plc in May 2012.

JPMorgan Chase Bank NA grew loans by 3.23% year over year, while Bank of America NA's loans increased by 4.51% and Wells Fargo Bank NA's grew by 5.25%.

Compared to its big-bank peers, Citibank NA saw some of the weakest year-over-year growth, as lending climbed by just 0.42%. Citi took the biggest hit in the residential construction category, where loans fell by nearly 68%.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was the smallest banks that saw the smallest amount of loan growth during the first quarter. Those with less than $100 million in assets posted median loan growth of 0.77%, while those with between $1 billion and $10 billion grew loans by 5.67%.

Medlin said size matters when it comes to lending. "One of the first things you talk about when I meet a community banker is, how big is big enough to remain competitive, to remain relevant?" he said. "They're finding out that if they were bigger, if they had more capital, if their legal lending limit was bigger, they could compete for that good loan."

Observers agree that competition for lending remains tough — as Schwartz put it: "Everybody and his brother is competing for asset generation and asset growth."

Medlin made a similar point. "There is certainly a growth in loan demand but the competition for good credit is fierce," he said. "The bigger banks have come downstream and are bothering with smaller deals that historically they might not have. They can afford to offer really long terms and low fixed rates, and that's giving community bankers heartburn in a lot of cases."

 

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Sales Makes it Happen by Steve Chriest

Rethinking Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty is a major concern for everyone in business today, perhaps because there appears to be so little loyalty among so many customers. At best, loyalty is fleeting among many customers, and at worst, it simply isn’t part of their thinking.

I am always amazed at how many books are written each year on the subject of customer loyalty. These books are written and read, I think, because we don’t want to face the reality of pervasive disloyalty in the business world. We do a good job for our customers, we treat them fairly, our pricing is competitive and we remain loyal to our customers. So why aren’t they more loyal to us?

At the risk of sounding cynical, customer loyalty really is a simple concept, and for me can be boiled down into the following statement: Customers are loyal so long as the rewards of loyalty outweigh the rewards of disloyalty! Approached from this understanding, the challenge of gaining customer loyalty may not become easier, but surely comes into clearer focus.

To make matters more challenging, providing good service to customers today will not guarantee continued loyalty. I was shocked to discover that 80% of customers who switch vendors rate the service of their previous vendors as “satisfactory to good.” Good service is no longer good enough to guarantee customer loyalty!

Keeping customers loyal continues to be more challenging than ever for most businesspeople.

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

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Leslie Brown latest Certified Lease Professional

Leslie Brown, CLP
Senior Portfolio Manager
TEAM Funding Solutions

There are currently 169 Certified Lease Professionals.

The CLP designation identifies you as a knowledgeable professional to employers, clients, customers, and peers in the leasing industry.

"People who have their CLP’s are more skilled, productive and confident with their daily work," Ted Reynolds, President, TEAM, said. "Not only does a CLP education demonstrate a high level of excellence, but it also provides a refined knowledge for individuals to properly pursue their career goals.

"Leslie Brown has been with TEAM for over 7 years and performs at an extraordinary level. She displays amazing passion in every aspect of her life. It’s a real treasure to be associated with her.”

Leslie Brown, CLP, stated "I realized that becoming a CLP was a must...I appreciate my company and colleagues support. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity."

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

Leasing Industry Help Wanted

 

  

Broker/Lessor Relationship Manager Canada Responsible for the development and maintenance of all broker/lessor relationships for Financial Pacific Leasing located in Canada. Promote the FinPac product and develop new sources of business. Work remotely from your location in Canada with periodic travel within Canada and Seattle, WA. Base salary plus commission plan. Please click here for more information. www.finpac.com Since 1975 serving the broker/lessor industry in the $5,000 to $50,000 marketplace.

 

 

 

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

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

Mark Kohler Receives ELFA Legal Excellence Award

ELFA President/CEO Woody Sutton, Kohler and Stenback.
(Photo: ELFA)

Washington, D.C.—The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association has awarded Mark Kohler, General Counsel for Syndications at GE Capital Americas, the Edward A. Groobert Award for Legal Excellence. Kohler received the award at the ELFA Legal Forum on May 6 in Charleston, S.C. ELFA Legal Committee Chair Lynn Stenback, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Macquarie Equipment Finance, Inc., presented the award to Kohler in recognition of his significant contributions to the equipment leasing and finance industry and the Legal Committee.

Kohler has been an active member of ELFA for more than a decade. He served on the Legal Committee from 2006 to 2009. In 2007, he joined the Legislative and Regulatory Subcommittee of the Legal Committee, which monitors and examines relevant proposals emerging from legislative and regulatory bodies at the local, state and federal levels of government. He assumed the Chairmanship of the subcommittee in 2008. In this capacity, Kohler leads the subcommittee in analyzing and developing positions on policy matters impacting the equipment finance industry in general and ELFA members’ businesses in particular.

Kohler also has participated in the activities of other legal subcommittees, made numerous presentations at the annual ELFA Legal Forum, and authored articles in the association’s Equipment Leasing & Finance magazine.

The award is named for ELFA’s long-time Secretary and General Counsel Edward A. Groobert, who was active in the legal affairs of the association from the mid-1960s until his retirement in 2010.

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association is the trade association that represents companies in the $725 billion equipment finance sector, which includes financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad. Its more than 575 members include independent and captive leasing and finance companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as manufacturers and service providers. ELFA has been equipping business for success for more than 50 years. For more information, please visit www.elfaonline.org and follow ELFA on Twitter @elfaonline.

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

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

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

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

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Madison Street Capital’s Jaydip Sinha Joins
Pailan Group’s Board of Governors

Appointment Brings International Investment Banker’s Years of Experience to Well Respected Educational Institution

Chicago, IL/Gurgaon, India –--Madison Street Capital’s Jaydip Sinha is now a member of the Board of Governors of the Pailan Group’s Management Division. The announcement was made by Charles Botchway, CEO of Madison Street Capital. As a member of the Board of Governors, Mr. Sinha will focus on advising the board on the division’s management curriculum and growth opportunities.

Charles Botchway
CEO, Madison Street Capital

“As an accomplished investment banker, Jaydip has a great passion for knowledge and people,” said Charles Botchway, CEO of Madison Street Capital. “This passion has driven him to become a guest lecturer at several of India’s prestigious business schools as well as the exclusive investment banking partner of the Government of India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs. We are very proud of Jaydip’s accomplishments."

As a Managing Director at Madison Street Capital and head of the firm’s operations in India, Mr. Sinha oversees a variety of client engagements, including mergers and acquisitions advisory, business valuation services, corporate advisory, corporate financing, growth solutions, and Educational Operation Management Outsourcing (EOMO) opportunities.

Jaydip Sinha
Managing Director, India
Madison Capital

“The Pailan College of Management & Technology prepares its students to become vibrant and competent professionals that can play a leading role in the economic growth of India,” said Jaydip Sinha, Managing Director at Madison Street Capital and head of the firms operations in India. “The new post-graduate program at the Pailan College of Management & Technology will host one of the largest interfaces of private industry and post-graduate academic studies in Eastern India. This exchange of knowledge and professional capital is crucial to the development of modern management professionals."

Recently, Madison Street Capital India was nominated as the first investment banking firm in India to partner with the Government of India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs as one of their preferred partners in providing training and consultation to middle market companies on business growth and sustainability.

Prior to joining Madison Street Capital, Mr. Sinha worked with a large U.K. based investment banking group, where he focused on providing middle market companies with growth solutions, transaction advisory services, and pioneering engineering procurement services. Additionally, Mr. Sinha has led the regional and national operations of companies in the security and surveillance industry, telecommunications industry and the infrastructure industry in India and the USA.

Apurba Kurmar Saha
Founder & Chairman,
Pailan Group

“There is a real-time need for education institutions to implement value-added academic curriculums that produce skilled managers capable of multi-tasking and adapting to today’s dynamic business environment,” said Apurba Saha, Founder and Chairman of the Pailan Group.“Mr. Sinha’s core competencies – including strategic planning, management, business development, deal execution, and project management among others– strengthen or board and offer our students access to a tremendous resource for their academic and professional development.”

One of the single largest educational conglomerates in Eastern India, the Pailan Group is a multi-faceted and multi-disciplined organization that also operates in the food processing, aviation, real estate, media and entertainment industries.

The Pailan College of Management & Technology (PCMT) offers undergraduate and post graduate academic programs that produce industry ready corporate and IT professionals. Backed up by state-of-art labs, library facilities and high quality training; PCMT equips students with the competencies and skills that set them apart from their peers. Affiliated with the West Bengal University of Technology, the certified educational institute is situated at Bengal Pailan Park, Joka, Kolkata, India.

About Madison Street Capital:
Madison Street Capital is an international investment banking firm that provides mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory, financial advisory, financing services, valuation services, and operational improvement and restructuring services to public and private businesses as well as asset managers. Madison Street Capital has focused expertise in partnering with middle-market firms to successfully navigate complex transactions and successfully assist clients in optimizing the potential of their organizations. Madison Street Capital’s experienced professionals serve clients across the globe from offices in North America, Asia, and Africa. For additional information, please visit our website at www.madisonstreetcapital.com or give us a call at 312-529-7000.

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

 

 

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Classified ads—Asset Management

Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing.htm#sec2

Leasing Industry Outsourcing
(Providing Services and Products)

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

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

Broker/Lessor Relationship Manager Canada Responsible for the development and maintenance of all broker/lessor relationships for Financial Pacific Leasing located in Canada. Promote the FinPac product and develop new sources of business. Work remotely from your location in Canada with periodic travel within Canada and Seattle, WA. Base salary plus commission plan. Please click here for more information. www.finpac.com Since 1975 serving the broker/lessor industry in the $5,000 to $50,000 marketplace.

Shepherd/Labrador Retriever Mix
Norwalk, Connecticut Adopt-a-Dog

Emma
Female
Medium size
Spayed/Neutered
Up-to-date with routine shots
Prefers a home without: cats, dogs

“These pets are either long term residents, less adoptable, shy, special needs, or more difficult with some requiring very experienced adopters. Some need to be an “only” pet.”

“ In addition to the reduced fee, we are offering an immediate free Vet exam by our Veterinarian and a $100 gift certificate for Vet care one year after adoption.”

PLEASE COME AND MEET ME!

SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS SPCA OF CONNECTICUT & ANIMAL ADOPTION NETWORK 359 SPRING HILL ROAD MONROE, CT 06468 NOON - 3 PM (203) 445-9978 www.spcact.org 7 DAYS A WEEK: ADOPTION ARRANGEMENTS MAY BE MADE AT THE SHELTER IN MONROE BY APPOINTMENT. CALL (203) 445-9978 FOR DIRECTIONS GO TO: MAPQUEST.COM

SPCA of CT, Norwalk, CT
203-445-9978

 

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----

 

Airlines collected record baggage fees in 2012
http://www.boston.com/business/news/2013/05/14/airlines-collected-record-baggage-fees/CwhYsDKjWoCLuxZVMihYCL/story.html

Coke says secret formula for sale on eBay not the real thing
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/coke-says-secret-formula-for-sale-on-ebay-not-the-/nXrNC/

A Roller Coaster Comes Down
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/15/nyregion/20130515-coaster.html?hp

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---You May Have Missed

David Brooks: Competitiveness Vs. Creativity: GE vs. Apple
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2012/04/25/david-brooks-competitiveness-vs.-creativity-ge-vs-apple/

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

The Soccer Mom Fitness Trap
You're Busy, But Not Active
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=345

 

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Baseball Is
by Greg Hall ©

Baseball is grass, chalk, and dirt displayed the same yet differently
In every park that has ever heard the words play ball.
Baseball is a passion that bonds and divides all those who know it.
Baseball is a pair of hands stained with newsprint,
A set of eyes squinting to read a boxscore,
A brow creased in an attempt to recreate a three-hour game
From an inch square block of type.
Baseball is the hat I wear to mow the lawn.
Baseball is a simple game of catch
and the never-ending search for the perfect knuckleball.
Baseball is Willie vs Mickey, Gibson vs Koufax, and Buddy Biancalana vs the odds.
Baseball links Kansan and Missourian, American and Japanese,
But most of all father and son.
Baseball is the scent of spring,
The unmistakable sound of a double down the line,
And the face of a 10-year-old emerging from a pile of bodies
With a worthless yet priceless foul ball.
Baseball is a language of very simple words that tell unbelievably magic tales.
Baseball is three brothers in the same uniform on the same team for one brief summer
Captured forever in a black and white photo on a table by the couch.
Baseball is a glove on a shelf, oiled and tightly wrapped,
Slumbering through the stark winter months.
Baseball is a breast pocket bulging with a transistor radio.
Baseball is the reason there are transistor radios.
Baseball is a voice in a box describing men you've never met,
In a place you've never been,
Doing things you'll never have the chance to do.
Baseball is a dream that you never really give up on.
Baseball is precious.
Baseball is timeless.
Baseball is forever.

[headlines]
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Sports Briefs----

Steady as he goes: At 30, Gore model of consistency
http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2013/05/14/frank-gore-at-30-49ers-rb-showing-no-signs-of-slowing/

Coach Pete Carroll wastes no time planning roles for rookie draft picks | Seahawks
http://seattletimes.com/html/seahawks/2020979874_seahawks14.html

CEO: America's Cup changes "just rumors"
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/CEO-America-s-Cup-changes-just-rumors-4515678.php

NBA committees don't alter recommendation to keep the Kings in Sacramento
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/14/5417950/nba-committees-dont-alter-recommendation.html

Editorial: Buying the Sacramento Kings, plus tip
http://seattletimes.com/html/editorialsbavotesonicsxml.html

 

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California Nuts Briefs---

 

California Gov. Jerry Brown proposes more education spending, but his budget is less upbeat
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23243754/california-gov-jerry-brown-proposes-more-education-spending

Travel Essentials | Marin County, Calif.
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/travel-essentials-marin-county/

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Napa Grapegrowers Look to 2030
http://www.winesandvines.comsection=news&content=116405

Canada’s bubbly personality
http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/05/13/canadas-bubbly-personality/

Ruth's Chris Steak House Honors Robert Mondavi's 100th Birthday with Worldwide Wine Dinner in 96 Locations on June 13
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/13/5415446/ruths-chris-steak-house-honors.html

Oenophiles at Loggerheads--Just Mention Oak
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/dining/11iht-wine11.html?ref=dining&_r=4&pagewanted=all&

Should You Shrink Your Wine List?
http://www.fsrmagazine.com/wine/restaurants-turn-dust-collectors-revenue-generators

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

    1602- Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, who left Falmouth , England on March 26,1602 landed on the southern Maine coast near what is now Cape Porpoise . He became the first Englishman to explore the United States . He anchored his ship at what is now New Bedford , Massachusetts . He named Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard , and other landmarks.
http://www2.magmacom.com/~cgosnell/geneal/gosnold3.html#BART1 
http://www.vineyard.net/vineyard/history/dukes/bnk2go_3.htm 
    1856-birthday of Lyman Frank Baum, American newspaperman who wrote “The Wizard of Oz,” originally as a political polemic, born Chittenango , NY . He wrote many other books for children, including more than a dozen about Oz. He died at Hollywood , CA., May 6, 1919.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may15.html 
    1856-The Vigilance Committee was formed to clean-up San Francisco
( lower half of http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may15.html )
    1857--Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming, Scottish-born U.S. astronomer who discovered white dwarf stars. She developed the Draper Catalogue of Stellar Spectra and classified more than 10,000 stars. She identified 222 variable stars, discovered 10 novae, and 94 Wolf-Rayet stars. After emigrating to the U.S. , her husband abandoned her when she was pregnant. She got a job as a maid in the home of the director of the Harvard Observatory who, angry at his men for their sloppy work, hired her to show them up at the observatory. She was the first American woman elected to the Royal Astronomical Society in 1906.
http://www.astrogea.org/surveys/Williamina_Fleming%20.htm 
    1862-the first enclosed baseball park was the Union Grounds, Brooklyn , which opened on May 15,182, on a site at Lee Avenue and Rutledge Street that had been formerly used as a skating rink.
http://www.colby.edu/~edkearns/basestadium/History.htm 
    1863- American author Annie Fellows Johnston birthday; her Little Colonel series of more than 50 novels and sold more than a million books. She didn't get a chance to write until her husband died.
http://www.littlecolonel.com/annie.htm 
http://www.littlecolonel.com/bio.htm 
http://www.culbertsonmansion.com/AFJ_room.htm 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6303095232/
fast-videoasin-20/103-1190042-2158241 
    1869-this is quite a collector's item today, the first stamp depicting the American flag, the 30-cent blue and carmine stamp. It depicted an eagle with outstretched wings, facing to the left, resting on a shield with flags grouped on either side.
    1872-Julia Ward Howe declares the first Mother's Day as an anti-war holiday. 
http://www.countryjoe.com/juliawardhowe.htm 
    1885-thirst first forest reserve by a state prohibited the sale of state lands in certain counties in the Adirondack Mountains . It was designated as a state park, where logging and other commercial forms of exploitation were prohibited.
    1890-birthday of Katherine Anne Porter, American prose writer, born at Indian Creek , TX . Her one long navel, Ship of Fools(1962) is considered by some to be one of the greatest allegorical works in English. She won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1965 for Collected Short Stories. Died September 18,1980k at silver Springs, MD
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kaporter.htm 
    1901-birthday of clarinet player Edmond Hall,Reserve, LA
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/hall_edmond/bio.jhtml 
http://ubl.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,440188,00.html?
artist=Edmond+Hall 
    1901- Dorothy Hansine Andersen, American pathologist and pediatrician who in 1938 identified the disease cystic fibrosis and later developed a simplified diagnose. Graduating from Johns Hopkins Medical School , she was unable to get a residency in surgery. After recognizing CF in autopsied baby hearts, her prestige and responsibilities grew, but she was continually maligned (there were always efforts afoot to get ride of that troublesome woman) - a cigarette was usually hanging from the corner of her mouth (she died of lung cancer) and her hair was always a mess - and because she did "unladylike"-things like rebuilding her cabin getaway with her own hands, as well as not being properly deferential. DHA perfected a course on open heart surgery and conducted seminars throughout the country. She had been orphaned at 19 without a single close relative.
http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/46.html 
    1902 – Birthday of Richard J. Daley, former mayor of Chicago ) born Chicago ; died Dec 20, 1976—the last of the “Boss of the City.”)
http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/mayors/daley1.html 
http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/daley1elect.html 
http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/wired/975/daley.html 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316834033/
103-9368180-9796616 
    1906-birthday of guitarist Rev.Johnny “Uncle” Williams, Alexandria , LA 
    1918-Country crooner Eddy Arnold was born on a farm near Henderson , Tennessee . Arnold is said to have sold more records than any other country artist - about 60 million - and he has done so by appealing to people who normally wouldn't even think of buying a country record. His big break came in the early 1940's when he joined Pee Wee King's Golden West Cowboys. That gave him exposure on the Grand Ole Opry, and in 1944 he signed a contract with RCA Victor. Arnold had his first million-seller, "I'll Hold You in My Heart," in 1947, soon followed by others such as "Bouquet of Roses," "Anytime," and "Cattle Call." Eddy Arnold was still topping the country charts in the 1960's with such hits as "What's He Doing in My World" and "Make the World Go Away."
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/arnold_eddy/bio.jhtml 
http://www.eddyarnold.com/ 
    1926 - The New York Rangers became the newest franchise to be awarded by the National Hockey League. Two years later, the Rangers won their first Stanley Cup.
    1928-birhday of trumpet player Joe Gordon, Boston , MA Died Nov 4., Santa Monica , Ca.
http://www.52ndstreet.com/reviews/mainstream/blakey_gordon.html 
    1930-Ellen Church became the first airline stewardess( today's flight attendant), flying on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Cheyenne, WY.
    1931-if we only had video then to record the famous time at Beta Theta Pi House, Yale, which brought the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra featuring both Bix Biederbecke and Bunny Berrigan on trumpet. 
    1937-May 15- Trini Lopez
http://www.trinilopez.com 
Total eclipse of the moon 9:05pm,reaches middle of eclipse at 11:40m, and leave penumbra at 2:14am,EDT.
www.deg.com, this is "Hug Your Cat Day."
    1937- automation was taking the U.S. to storm as the internet was doing the turn of this century. Foodomat and Automat restaurants were the rage, including the first Keedoozle store that opened this day in Memphis, Tennessee. Clarence Saunders was the president. Sample merchandise was displayed behind rows of tiny glass windows. The customer made purchases by inserting a noticed rod into a keyhole beside the items desired. the mechanism automatically recorded the selections. The merchandise was automatically collected and wrapped when the insertion of the key in a final slot released the contents to a conveyor for wrapping. Keedoozle is a coined word for “Key-does-all.” He is best known for his first self-service stores: Piggly Wiggly. He changed the way people purchased things at stores. He died in 1953 working on the first “Foodelectric” store. It is not known how he chose the name Piggly Wiggly ( I have heard my first wife's mother-in-law, still alive at 96, living on a ranch in Lamoille ,Nevada, call the pigs to order with “Here, Piggly Wiggly.” Maybe it is an old farm call to bring the pigs into feed.
http://www.frugalfun.com/customerservicepart3.html 
http://www.pigpower.com/pig1916.htm
http://www.pigglywiggly.com/cgi-bin/customize?aboutus.html 
    1937- Madeleine Albright birthday, the first U.S. Secretary of State who is also a woman. When President Bill Clinton first appointed MA as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 1992 he made it a full cabinet post to show his high regard for Albright. It was also a signal that she would be an important part of his administration since she sat in on the major foreign affairs meetings. When Clinton's first secretary of state resigned, Albright was promptly moved up. Clinton and Albright go way back to when she held weekly political discussions at her home when she was with Georgetown University (where Clinton studied). A noted expert in foreign affairs, she was one of the first to advocate new relationships with the Soviet Union and Mikhail Gorbachev which led to the fall of the Iron Curtain. /// She also argued that economic sanctions would force Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait and she opposed the Gulf War. Born in Czechoslovakia, Albright speaks Czech, French, Polish, and Russian as well as English. She is the divorced mother of three daughters and because of the traditional/fearful secrecy - her father was exiled from his homeland - she did not find out she was part Jewish until she was at the U.N.
http://abcnews.go.com/reference/bios/albright.html 
http://www.celebrity-photos-crazy.com/c6596-madeleine-albright.html 
    1938-birthday of singer Lenny Welch, Asbury Park, NY 
http://www.allbutforgottenoldies.net/lenny-welch.html 
http://www.cdmo.com/cgi-bin/cdmo/83785-10132- 
    1940- Nylon hose went on sale at stores throughout the country. Competing producers bought their nylon yard from E.J. du Point de Nemours. W. H. Carothers of Du Point developed nylon, called "Polymer 66" in 1935. It was the first totally man-made fiber and over time substituted for other materials and came to have wide-spread application.
    1940-Donald Arvid Nelson, basketball coach and former player, born Muskegon, MI.
    1945--COURTNEY, HENRY ALEXIUS, JR. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 6 January 1916, Duluth, Minn. Appointed from: Minnesota. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Executive Officer of the 2d Battalion, 22d Marines, 6th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Islands, 14 and 15 May 1945. Ordered to hold for the night in static defense behind Sugar Loaf Hill after leading the forward elements of his command in a prolonged fire fight, Maj. Courtney weighed the effect of a hostile night counterattack against the tactical value of an immediate marine assault, resolved to initiate the assault, and promptly obtained permission to advance and seize the forward slope of the hill. Quickly explaining the situation to his small remaining force, he declared his personal intention of moving forward and then proceeded on his way, boldly blasting nearby cave positions and neutralizing enemy guns as he went. Inspired by his courage, every man followed without hesitation, and together the intrepid marines braved a terrific concentration of Japanese gunfire to skirt the hill on the right and reach the reverse slope. Temporarily halting, Maj. Courtney sent guides to the rear for more ammunition and possible replacements. Subsequently reinforced by 26 men and an LVT load of grenades, he determined to storm the crest of the hill and crush any planned counterattack before it could gain sufficient momentum to effect a breakthrough. Leading his men by example rather than by command, he pushed ahead with unrelenting aggressiveness, hurling grenades into cave openings on the slope with devastating effect. Upon reaching the crest and observing large numbers of Japanese forming for action less than 100 yards away, he instantly attacked, waged a furious battle and succeeded in killing many of the enemy and in forcing the remainder to take cover in the caves. Determined to hold, he ordered his men to dig in and, coolly disregarding the continuous hail of flying enemy shrapnel to rally his weary troops, tirelessly aided casualties and assigned his men to more advantageous positions. Although instantly killed by a hostile mortar burst while moving among his men, Maj. Courtney, by his astute military acumen, indomitable leadership and decisive action in the face of overwhelming odds, had contributed essentially to the success of the Okinawa campaign. His great personal valor throughout sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country. 
    1951---Top Hits 
If - Perry Como 
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
On Top of Old Smokey - The Weavers (vocal: Terry Gilkyson)
Cold, Cold Heart - Hank Williams
    1953 - World heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano collected his 44th pro boxing victory on this night, knocking out former champ, Jersey Joe Walcott, at Chicago Stadium in two minutes, 25 seconds of the first round
    1953-Charlies Parker-Dizzy Gillespie jazz concert at Massey Hall, Toronto
( Bud Powell, Max Roach, Charles Mingus , the first fusion of Bop with what was then called “Modern Jazz.”) 
http://www.musthear.com/reviews/masseyhall.html 
http://www.torontojazzlive.com/ 
    1959---Top Hits
The Happy Organ - Dave ‘Baby' Cortez
Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home) - The Impalas
Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) - Edward Byrnes & Connie Stevens
White Lightning - George Jones
    1962 - After five years on "Wagon Train", Robert Horton let his performing contract expire and left the popular TV series. Robert Fuller replaced Horton as the trail scout who rode with wagon master Chris Hale, played by actor John McIntire.
    1964 - The Smothers Brothers, Dick and Tom, gave their first concert in Carnegie Hall in New York City.
    1965--The Byrds enter the Hot 100 for the first time with their version of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", which will climb to #1 by June. 
    1967---Top Hits
The Happening - The Supremes 
Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley 
Groovin' - The Young Rascals 
Sam's Place - Buck Owens
    1969-Governor Ronald Reagan sends in National Guard to reclaim People's Park from 6,000 protesters in Berkeley, California. Police gunfire kills a bystander, James Rector, blinds another, and injures dozens. 
    1969-birthday of Emmitt Smith, III, famed Dallas Cowboy, born Pensacola, FL.
http://emmitt22.com/ 
http://www.texnews.com/cowboys/proemmitt.html 
    1970-The Carpenter's second album was released by A&M Records. The title song, "(They Long to Be) Close to You", became a pop music standard and the first of six million-sellers in a row for Karen and Richard. In all, The Carpenters would have 10 gold records for singles and a dozen top ten hits to their credit. The duo won Best New Artist honors at the Grammy Awards in 1970.
http://www.2xtreme.net/roberta/html/carpenter.html 
    1972 - Glen Campbell earned a gold record for his "Greatest Hits" album on this day.
http://www.glencampbellshow.com/ 
    1972-Goerge Wallace, a former governor of Alabama and a symbol of segregation, was shot by Arthur Bremer while Wallace was at Laurel, MD, campaigning for the US presidency. For the remained of his life ( until he died in 1998), Wallace was paralyzed from the waist down. On August 4, 1972, Bremer was sentenced to 67 years in prison for the shooting.
    1975---Top Hits 
He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando & Dawn 
Before the Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender 
Jackie Blue - Ozark Mountain Daredevils
She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles) - Gary Stewart
    1981-Len Barker of the Cleveland Indians pitched a perfect game, the first in major league baseball in 13 years, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0, in Cleveland. Barker finished the year at 8-7, and was traded to the Atlanta Braves during the 1983 season.
    1982-Five weeks after first appearing on the Billboard Pop chart, "Ebony and Ivory" reached #1. The Paul McCartney / Stevie Wonder duet would stay at the top for seven weeks. 
    1983---Top Hits
Beat It - Michael Jackson 
Let's Dance - David Bowie 
Overkill - Men at Work 
Whatever Happened to Old Fashioned Love - B.J. Thomas
    1991---Top Hits 
Joyride - Roxette 
I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) - Hi-Five
Here We Go - C + C Music Factory Presents Freedom Williams and Zelma Davis 
If I Know Me - George Strait 
    1998-Golfer Notah Begay III, a college teammate of Tiger Woods, shot a 59 in the second round of the Nike Tour's Dominion Open in Richmond, VA. Begay thus became the third golfer to shoot a 59 in a US professional event after Al Geiberger and Chip Beck. Begay, however, did not go on to win the four-round tournament. Bob Burns did, shooting a 14-under-par 274. Begay tied for sixth place with a score of 277.
    2002 - The White House acknowledged that in the weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush was told by U.S. intelligence that Osama bin Laden's terrorist network might hijack American airplanes, but that officials did not know that suicide hijackers were plotting to use planes as missiles. 
    2008--Two weeks after he appeared on American Idol, Neil Diamond topped the Billboard Hot 200 album chart for the first time in his career when "Home Before Dark" went to number one. The closest he came before was with the 1973 soundtrack to "Jonathan Livingston Seagull", which reached #2.