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State of Leasing and Finance, November, 2017
By Scott Wheeler, CLFP

Optimism continues in the commercial equipment leasing and finance industry. I traveled extensively in the month of October, facilitating on-site visits with my clients and attending two national conferences (the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association 56th Convention and National Equipment Finance Association Funding Symposium). The record attendance at both conferences is a testimony to the current activity in the industry. My on-site visits confirmed that both banks and independent finance/leasing companies are actively positioning themselves for growth and sustainability. I want to share the following general observations:

Our industry is changing. Automation, efficiencies, and internal processes are adapting to the changing needs and wants of our commercial clients.
Competition is fierce, especially for the highest quality assets. Margins continue to be squeezed, especially for the commodity players (specifically banks).
With only a few exceptions, portfolios continue to perform exceptionally well based upon historical data. Many perceive low delinquencies to be the "new normal." I am constantly reminding professionals to maintain their credit underwriting discipline to avoid the next bump in the road. Although we cannot predict when the bump in the road will occur, it will come, and the most prudent professionals are preparing for it.
Independents are becoming more equipment-centric. They are providing real expertise to the market. They are realizing up-side potentials because of their ability to generate significantly more business and because of their ability to re-market equipment when needed, or at the end of lease terms. I am encouraged by the trend, but warn professionals to not be overconfident, until their expertise has been fully tested in a down market.
A slight increase in yields may be a "shot in the arm" for some participants. A slight increase in yields will cause commercial clients to act now, rather than risk a future rise in equipment and financing cost. A sense of urgency will cause a jump in origination. Hopefully, a slight rise will also give participants an excuse to raise their margins. Many agree that the industry is not being correctly rewarded for the risk it is assuming. That trend is not sustainable over the long run. A little inflation could be a welcome remedy - but too much would definitely be a challenge. Watch out for what you wish for.
The potential in the market continues to grow for those professionals and organizations that understand their position in the market, know their clients, and strive to offer superior products and services.

Wheeler Business Consulting works with management teams to further develop their human capital, to identify and strengthen weak links within the organization, and to improve overall efficiencies. Wheeler Business Consulting works with banks, independents, captives, origination companies, and investors in the equipment leasing and finance arena. We provide training, strategic planning, and acquisition services. Scott Wheeler is available to discuss your long-term strategies, to assist your staff to maximize outcomes, and better position your organization in the market.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Scott A. Wheeler CLFP
Wheeler Business Consulting LLC
Phone: (410) 877-0428
Email: scott@wheelerbusinessconsulting.com

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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Tom Cross was hired as Business Development Association, PNC Business Credit. Previously he was Sales Development, Advanced Concrete Technologies, Inc. (2013 - 2016); Project Coordinator, Self Employed, Construction & Property Maintenance (2011 - 2013); Senior Account Manager, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance (2000 - 2011); Marketing Officer, Wentworth Capital Corporation (1992 - 2000); Construction Estimator, Abington Group, Inc (1990 - 1992); Construction Estimator; Project Manager, NCM Construction Management (1986 - 1990). Education Bowling Green State University, Bachelor of Science, Construction Management. Activities and Societies: Sigma Phil Epsilon, Varsity Wrestling Team.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-cross-66811a27/

Chris Gittens was promoted to President of Canadian Operations for Element Fleet Management, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He joined the firm July, 2013, as Chief Commercial Officer. Previously, he was Vice President and Commercial Leader, GE Capital Canada Fleet Services (February, 2010 - June, 2013). He joined GE Capital Solutions, May, 2004, as Structuring Manager; promoted 2006, Senior Manager. Prior he was at TD Commercial Banking, starting May, 1998, as Financial Analyst; promoted, 2000, Relationship Manager. Education: Universiteit van Amsterdam, International Marketing Exchange Program, International Marketing. University Exchange program through Wilfrid Laurier University specializing in Marketing. Wilfrid Laurier University, HBA, Honours Economics with Financial Management (1994 - 1998).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophergittens/

George Tezel was promoted to President of GATX Rail International, as James F. Earl, Executive Vice President of GATX and President, Rail International, has elected to retire effective March 1, 2018. Mr. Tezel joined GATX in Chicago, January, 2012 as Vice President and Group Executive, GATX Rail International; promoted 2013 as Chairman of the Board, IMC, GATX Leasing Holdings (Chine) PTE. LTD, (Singapore and Shanghai, China. He was promoted General Director, GATX Rail Vostok, January, 2013 (Moscow, Russian Federation). He originally joined the firm in San Francisco as Associate Director, Corporate Finance, December, 2000; promoted January, 2003, Director Corporate Finance; promoted January, 2005, Director of Business Development, GATX Rail; promoted March, 2007, Vice President, Strategic Growth; promoted November, 2008, Vice President and Managing Director, International Business Development; became Management Committee Member, AAE Join Venture, AAE Ahaus Alstatter Eisenbahn Cargo AG, 2008. He began his career in 1999 as Senior Financial Analyst, Tech Data Corporation. Volunteer: CFA Association (Russia), October, 2014 - Present). Member of Make-A Wish Illinois Board's Strategic Planning Committee, Make-A-Wish, Illinois (June, 2010 - December, 2014). Education: University of South Florida, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Finance and International Business. Marmara University, Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Industrial Engineering (1992 - 1996).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gokce-tezel-3280594/

Jason Zeager was hired as Lead Generation Manager, Z Consulting, Honolulu, Hawaii. He continues as Social Media Manager, Instagram Business (October, 2016 - September, 2017); Vendor Account Manager, Providence Capital Funding (October, 2007 - October, 2016); Account Executive, Balboa Capital, February 2004 - September, 2007). Education: California State University, Long Beach, College of Business Administration (2003 - 2006).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-zeager-818b5110/

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Equipment Leasing Account Executive

What sets CoreTech apart from other equipment leasing companies is our team members and impeccable reputation. Are you unhappy with the ethics of your company and the promises made to you? Come to Newport Beach and join us.

To learn more, please click here

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CoreTech specializes in medium to
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Over 100 law firms trust CoreTech for their leasing needs, why wouldn't you?

Marlin Business Services Highlights
10-Q for Quarter Ended Sept 30, 2017

“Overview
Founded in 1997, we are a nationwide provider of credit products and services to small businesses. The products and services we provide to our customers include loans and leases for the acquisition of commercial equipment, working capital loans and insurance products. We access our end user customers primarily through origination sources consisting of independent commercial equipment dealers, various national account programs, through direct solicitation of our end user customers and through relationships with select lease and loan brokers. We use both a telephonic direct sales model and, for strategic larger accounts, outside sales executives to market to our origination sources and end user customers. Through these origination sources, we are able to cost-effectively access end user customers while also helping our origination sources obtain financing for their customers.

“Our leases are fixed-rate transactions with terms generally ranging from 36 to 60 months. At September 30, 2017, our lease portfolio consisted of 90,070 accounts with an average original term of 48 months and average original transaction size of approximately $16,000.”

page 35

“As of September 30, 2017, the Company leases all eight of its office locations including its executive offices in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, and its offices in or near Atlanta, Georgia; Salt Lake City, Utah; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Highlands Ranch, Colorado; Denver, Colorado; Plymouth, Michigan; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These lease commitments are accounted for as operating leases. The Company has entered into several capital leases to finance corporate property and equipment.”

page 19

“During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, we generated 22,336 new leases with equipment cost of $407.0 million, compared to 19,603 new leases with equipment cost of $333.7 million generated for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. Approval rates declined by 3% to 56% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017, compared to 59% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2016.”

page 45

“RESIDUAL PERFORMANCE
Our leases offer our end user customers the option to own the equipment at lease expiration. As of September 30, 2017, approximately 70% of our leases were one dollar purchase option leases, 29% were fair market value leases and less than 1% were fixed purchase option leases, the latter of which typically contain an end-of-term purchase option equal to 10% of the original equipment cost. As of September 30, 2017, there were $26.8 million of residual assets retained on our Consolidated Balance Sheet, of which $22.7 million, or 84.4%, were related to copiers (see Renewal income. Editor). As of December 31, 2016, there were $26.8 million of residual assets retained on our Consolidated Balance Sheet, of which $22.5 million, or 83.8%, were related to copiers. No other group of equipment represented more than 10% of equipment residuals as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016. Improvements in technology and other market changes, particularly in copiers, could adversely impact our ability to realize the recorded residual values of this equipment.

“Fee income included approximately $0.9 million and $1.1 million of net residual income for the three-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively. Fee income included approximately $2.7 million and $3.2 million of net residual income for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively. Net residual income includes income from lease renewals and gains and losses on the realization of residual values of leased equipment disposed at the end of term as further described below.

(Renewal)
“Our leases generally include renewal provisions (Evergreen? Editor) and many leases continue beyond their initial contractual term. Based on the Company’s experience, the amount of ultimate realization of the residual value tends to relate more to the customer’s election at the end of the lease term to enter into a renewal period, purchase the leased equipment or return the leased equipment than it does to the equipment type. We consider renewal income a component of residual performance. Renewal income net of depreciation totaled approximately $1.2 million and $1.3 million for the three-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively. Renewal income net of depreciation totaled approximately $3.5 million and $3.8 million for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively.”

Pages 54 and 55

“Insurance premiums written and earned. Insurance premiums written and earned increased $0.5 million to $5.3 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017, from $4.8 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2016, primarily due to an increase in the number of contracts enrolled in the insurance program as well as higher average ticket size.”

“Other income. Other income was $6.2 million and $2.0 million for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively. Other income primarily includes various administrative transaction fees and fees received from referral of leases to third parties, and gain on sale of leases and servicing fee income, recognized as earned. Selected major components of other income for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 included $2.2 million of referral income, $1.4 million of insurance policy fees, and $1.5 million gain on the sale of leases and servicing fee income. In comparison, selected major components of other income for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2016 included $0.4 million of referral income, $0.4 million of insurance policy fees, and $0.3 million gain on the sale of leases and servicing fee income.”

“Salaries and benefits expense. Salaries and benefits expense increased $4.0 million, or 16.8%, to $27.8 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 from $23.8 million for the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to an increase in total personnel and increased compensation related to increased origination volume.”

Page 50

“Provision for credit losses. The provision for credit losses increased $5.0 million, or 56.2%, to $13.9 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 from $8.9 million for the corresponding period in 2016. Lease portfolio losses tend to follow patterns based on the mix of origination vintages comprising the portfolio. The anticipated credit losses from the inception of a particular lease origination vintage to charge-off generally follow a pattern of lower losses for the first few months, followed by increased losses in subsequent months, then lower losses during the later periods of the lease term. Therefore, the seasoning, or mix of origination vintages, of the portfolio affects the timing and amount of anticipated probable and estimable credit losses.

“The increase in our provision for credit losses resulted from increased delinquency and charge-offs and to a lesser extent growth in the portfolio, and an additional $0.5 million for estimated inherent losses from the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. This additional reserve is an estimate based on information currently available which includes information obtained from contacting affected customers.

“Net charge-offs were $10.3 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017, compared to $7.2 million for the corresponding period in 2016. The increase in charge-off rate is primarily due to the ongoing seasoning of the portfolio as reflected in the mix of origination vintages and the mix of credit profiles. Net charge-offs as an annualized percentage of average total finance receivables increased to 1.65% during the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017, from 1.36% for the corresponding period in 2016. The allowance for credit losses increased to approximately $14.5 million at September 30, 2017, an increase of $3.6 million from $10.9 million at December 31, 2016.”

page 51

10-Q for Quarter Ended Sept 30, 2017 (67 Pages)
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/MarlinSept2017.pdf

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Leasing/Finance/Loan Conferences
Updated Information/Exhibitors

8:00AM - 6:00PM EST

Tickets
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fintech-world-summit-2017-the-evolution-of-finance-tickets-34997256737#tickets

For More Information, please go here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fintech-world-summit-2017-the-evolution-of-finance-tickets-34997256737?aff=es2

November 7, 2017
The Regency Ballroom
1300 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94109

Information:
https://www.empirefintechconference.com/pages/sf2017

Asia Pacific Leasing Summit 2017
November 8-10, 2017
Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers

Information
http://www.duxes-events.com/leaseap/

Commercial Finance Association
73rd Annual Conference
November 8 - 10, 2017
Sheraton Grand Chicago, Chicago, Il

Ellen Alemany, Chairwoman of CIT Group
Thursday General Session

Tom Ricketts, Chairman and Owner of the Chicago Cubs
Thursday Lunch Keynote

Register Today
https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/CFA/5af7a9c9-58cf-45d6-9b3c-bcb8cecd80cc/UploadedImages/73rdAC-RegForm.pdf

November 12 to November 13, 2017
EXPO Super Regional Conference
Hyatt Regency Jersey City
2 Exchange Place
Jersey City, New Jersey 07302

The Hyatt Regency Jersey City is beautifully situated on the Hudson River with fabulous views of the New York City Skyline. And all the action of New York City is just 7 minutes away on the PATH train, which is just outside the door of this year's Expo, with trains running every 10 minutes!

EXPO Co-Chairmen, Frank Peretore and Robert Hornby, assisted by a team of member volunteers will be putting a top-notch, timely education program together to compliment all the great networking EXPO is famous for.

Exhibitors
4 Hour Funding
Advantage Funding
American Lease Insurance
Amur Equipment Finance
Beneficil Equipment Finance Corp.
Bryn Mawr Funding
Business Credit Reports
Channel Partners Capital
ECS Financial Services, Inc.
Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc.
LeaseTeam, Inc.
Marlin Business Bank
North Mill Equipment Finance, LLC
Pawnee Leasing Corporation
Quality Leasing Co., Inc.
VFI Corporate Finance

Registration:
https://nefassociation.site-ym.com/page/17ExpoPrice

Registered to Date:
http://www.nefassociation.org/events/RSVPlist.aspx?id=936462

Western Regional Meeting
November 17 - 18, 2017
Doubletree by Hilton - Anaheim
Anaheim, California

Exhibitors to Date
360 Equipment Finance
4 Hour Funding
American Lease Insurance
Amur Equipment Finance
Ascentium Capital LLC
Beneficial Equipment Finance Corporation
BlackRiver Business Capital
Blue Bridge Financial, LLC
BlueVine
BSB Leasing
Channel Partners Capital
CLFP Foundation
Cobra Capital
Dakota Financial, LLC
Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc.
First Federal Leasing
FORA Financial
Global Financial & Leasing Services
Hanmi Bank
InstaCOVER
Marlin Equipment Finance
Maxim Commercial Capital, LLC
Navitas Credit Corp
NCMIC
Orange Commercial Credit
Paradigm Equipment Finance, Inc.
Pawnee Leasing Corporation
Quality Leasing Co., Inc.
Quiktrak, Inc.
RapidAdvance
TEAM Funding Solutions
Tetra Financial Group
TimePayment Corporation
VFI Corporate Finance

General Information
https://www.naelb.org/events/event-description?Calendar
EventKey=c32837eb-8b8a-49ae-a908-c0b1d8557d6e&Home=%2fhome

4th Middle East Leasing Summit
December 4 -7
Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Dubai

Information
http://www.duxes-events.com/leaseme

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

GreatAmerica Financial Services Reaches $2 Billion:
Celebrates 25th Anniversary

(Cedar Rapids, IA) – GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation announced today that it surpassed the $2 billion mark in assets and concurrently reached its 25th year of uninterrupted organic growth. The two milestones are the latest installment of the remarkable journey of a young immigrant’s dream to build a company that would be the best in its field.

“Tony [Golobic] changed the paradigm in the leasing business,” said Carol Mitschke, Owner of Frontier Business Products and one of the first GreatAmerica customers. “He understood that he needed to partner with the office equipment Dealer on the financing piece, and be invested together to make sure customers were happy and stayed with their Dealer.”

As GreatAmerica grew, it applied its Dealer-centric approach to other industries, averaging annual double-digit asset growth since its inception. GreatAmerica also drew on the knowledge base of its customers to build tools and systems to help them grow. FleetView®, PathShare®, SnappShot®, DocEase® and Collabrance® are just a few of the GreatAmerica non-financing initiatives created to help build the businesses of their channel partners.

Tony Golobic, Chairman and CEO of GreatAmerica explained, “Our longevity and success has had everything to do with the bond between our loyal partners and our exceptional employees. We’ve been fortunate to have strategies in place that drive us to constantly re-evaluate where we are in providing the best value-add services for our customers. Their needs have changed over the years, and we continue to evolve to create a frictionless platform to help them become more successful and differentiate.”

At the GreatAmerica Annual Awards event this summer, employees celebrated the 25th Anniversary and saw for the first time the GreatAmerica origin story.

Jennie Fisher, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Office Equipment Group and the third person hired at GreatAmerica, commented, “There are a lot of elements in our origin story that are woven into our culture. “The “why” of what we are doing becomes very clear, especially after seeing how the foundation stones have been laid. Most, if not nearly all of our 525 employees make that connection and strive to live up to our “Hard Work. Integrity. Excellence.” motto.

About GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation
GreatAmerica is among the largest independent small ticket national commercial equipment finance companies in the U.S. and is dedicated to helping manufacturers, vendors, and dealers be more successful and keep their customers for a lifetime. A family-owned business, GreatAmerica was established in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1992 and today is organized into seven business units. It has a staff of over 500 employees with offices in Georgia, Minnesota, and Missouri. We also offer innovative non-financial services to help our customers be more successful. For additional information, please visit the GreatAmerica corporate website: www.greatamerica.com

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

News Briefs----

Would-Be Pita Bread Tycoon Enters Plea
in $3 Million Leasing Fraud Case
https://patch.com/connecticut/vernon/would-be-pita-bread-tycoon-enters-plea-3m-fraud-case

National Leasing in Winnipeg sees assets grow to $2.5B
Expects 70,000 to 80,000 customers once the deal closes
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/winnipeg-leasing-company-sees-assets-grow-to-25b-454354873.html

The Top Small Business Funders By Revenue
deBanked Magazine
http://debanked.com/2017/10/the-top-small-business-funders-by-revenue-2/

U.S. Manufacturing Is Powering Up,
Regional Report Cards Show
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-31/u-s-manufacturing-is-powering-up-regional-report-cards-show

Fed Leaves Interest Rate Unchanged
With Shift in Leadership Expected
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/business/economy/federal-reserve-yellen.html

Video Highlights 56th Annual ELFA Convention
Ralph Petta/Tony Cracchiolo discusses the state of the industry
https://apps.elfaonline.org/events/2017/ac/video.cfm

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You May Have Missed---

10 Most Powerful Women In Finance 2017:
Leading the Tech Revolution at Old School Firms
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2017/11/01/10-most-powerful-women-in-finance-2017-leading-the-tech-revolution-at-old-school-firms/#1c39ae033e76

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Baseball Poem

Carl Erskine’s Last Pitch
By
Wayne Lanter

It was a fastball over the top
in his patented style out of the green
centerfield foliage. A new ball, maybe
not rubbed up enough. The grip tenuous,
unable to get good rotation over the top,
it could have slipped a bit, as all things
slipped that spring. Bad weather in Florida
had something to do with it,
something in the difficulty
at thirty-four of getting in shape to pitch.
At any rate, it didn't have the life
you'd come to expect of that kind
of pitch from him, riding down toward the knees
then rising as light as Christ on Easter Sunday,
light as a spirit breathed onto the wind,
looking for all the world belt high,
then lifting over the bat by a fraction of an inch,
just not quite where it appeared to be.
And fast. He was really fast.

On loan to AAA to get work, that spring
it rained for two weeks
and the bases were always loaded with nobody out.
This time the pitch was where it promised to be
to an obscure hitter from an A league,
trying to make the team,
belt-high driven up the alley in leftfield to the wall.
Three innings and five runs.
The manager didn't come to the mound. But that did it.

Anyway Erskine stared into right field,
back to the dugout, hat in hand,
wiping his forehead with his forearm.
He was not Ralph Branca on the clubhouse steps.
The stands were mostly empty.
Furillo and Reese and Snider, Hodges and Campy and Cox,
were already on the sidelines.
It was spring and rained all morning,
so the stands were empty. He finished
the inning, then on his way to the dugout, careful
not to step on the third-base foul-line,
handed the ball to the umpire
like a small kid handing over something
that didn't belong to him. He didn't say
anything, just tossed his glove onto the bench,
and sat looking out at the field of empty bases,
vacant as a blank schedule, a calendar
with no pitching dates penciled in.

There was nothing anybody could do.
The last nail in his coffin, the ballplayers said.
A rock at the mouth of the sepulcher.

An inning later he picked up another ball
and wrapped his fingers around it,
looked at the configuration, the connections,
the threads crossed one over one.
He held it for a moment, just a moment,
then dropped it back into the ball sack.

from:
"A Season of Long Taters"
Baseball Poems
by
Wayne Lander
Published by Snark Publishing
637 W. Hwy 50 #119
O'Fallon, Illinois, USA

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Hollywood ending! Astros beat Dodgers in Game 7 to win World Series
http://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Hollywood-ending-Astros-beat-Dodgers-in-Game-7-12324196.php

Astros homered their way to a World Series
https://www.theringer.com/2017/11/2/16596960/houston-astros-george-springer-win-world-series-game-7-los-angeles-dodgers

Papa John's says anthem protests are hurting deal with NFL
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21250448/nfl-sponsor-papa-john-not-happy-anthem-protests

49ers get a win in Jimmy Garoppolo trade
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/7586037-181/barber-49ers-get-a-win

49ers got Jimmy Garoppolo; now they have to sit him
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/7586534-181/grant-cohn-49ers-got-jimmy

Patriots sign Brian Hoyer, but not before
the Packers try to grab him instead
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/patriots-sign-brian-hoyer-not-packers-try-grab-instead-170328597.html

Brian Hoyer interest exposes Packers’ Colin Kaepernick deception
http://nypost.com/2017/11/01/brian-hoyer-interest-exposes-packers-colin-kaepernick-deception/

Brock Osweiler to replace Trevor Siemian at QB for Broncos
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21250672/denver-broncos-swap-qb-brock-osweiler-vs-philadelphia-eagles

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California Nuts Briefs---

Insurance data show Northern California fires
are costliest in US history
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/7588194-181/sonoma-napa-mendocino-fires-costliest?artslide=0

Oroville Dam ready to withstand winter rains
as first phase of repairs is finished, officials say
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article182123271.html#emlnl=Alerts_Newsletter

San Jose council agrees to buy land near Google project
amid resident concerns
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/31/san-jose-council-agrees-to-buy-land-near-google-project-amid-resident-concerns/

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Don’t Cancel Your Wine Country Travel Plans to No. Cal.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/food-drink/wine/napa-sonoma-travel-after-wildfires

Constellation Brands wine company buys stake
in Canadian cannabis company
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/7581519-181/constellation-brands-wine-company-buys?artslide=0

California signs on to farmworker housing funding
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/napacounty/7499519-181/state-250000-napa-farmworker-housing?ref=tsm

REX HILL Wins Robert Parker Wine Advocate Extraordinary Winery Award
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=191681

Trefethen Family Vineyards to Celebrate 50th Anniversary in 2018
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=191625

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

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This Day in History

     1675 – Plymouth Colony governor Josiah Winslow led a colonial militia against the Narragansett Indians during King Philip’s War. This was an armed conflict between Native Americans of present-day New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–78. The war is named for the main leader of the Native American side, Metacomet, who had adopted the English name "King Philip" in honor of the previously-friendly relations between his father and the original Mayflower Pilgrims.
    1734 - Birthday of Daniel Boone (Boon) (d. 1820) at Berks County, near Reading, PA. American frontiersman, explorer and militia officer, he is credited with the exploration and growth of Kentucky, working for the Pennsylvania Company. In February, 1778, he was captured at Blue Licks, KY, by Shawnee Indians, under Chief Blackfish, who adopted Boone when he was inducted into the tribe as “Big Turtle.” Boone escaped after five months, and, in 1781, was captured briefly by the British. Despite Walt Disney’s version, he had no legal title to the lands he explored and he retired to Missouri. He experienced a series of personal and financial disasters during his life, but continued a rugged existence, hunting until his 80s. The bodies of Daniel Boone and his wife, Rebecca, were moved to Frankfort, KY, in 1845. What made him popular in history was his autobiography: “The Adventures of Colonel Daniel Boon (that’s the way he spelled his name,) formerly a hunter, containing a narrative of the Wars of Kentucky.”
http://www.americanwest.com/pages/boone.htm
http://earlyamerica.com/lives/boone/
    1749 – Ohio Company formed its first post at Oldtown, Maryland colony. Formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, this was a land speculation company organized for the settlement by Virginians of the Ohio Country (approximately the present state of Ohio) and to trade with the Native Americans. The company had a land grant from Britain and a treaty with Indians, but France also claimed the area, and the conflict helped provoke the outbreak of the French and Indian War. The conflicting land claims of the Ohio Country ceded by the King through Virginia Governor Dinwiddie included, in Dinwiddie's opinion, the "forks of the Monongahela," (present-day Pittsburgh). In addition to the Pennsylvania colonial government claims of this territory, the French were fighting for and occupying much of the Ohio Valley, most notably at Fort Duquesne. Dinwiddie responded by sending a military unit under the command of George Washington to the region, which led to the outbreak of the War. Washington’s brothers Lawrence and Augustine were among the Company founders.
    1776 - William Demont (or Dement), traitor to the American cause during the Revolutionary War, deserted and notified the British of the position of Fort Washington (now the Washington Heights neighborhood in New York City). He enabled the British General Sir William Howe to conquer the fort with a force of 8,900 men on November 16, 1776. They captured 2,818 American officers and men, 43 guns, and 2,800 muskets. Demont was a member of the 5th Pennsylvania Battalion, who was appointed adjutant in Colonel Robert Magraw’s battalion on February 29, 1776. http://www.geocities.com/nhfortress/Fort_Washington/history.html
http://theamericanrevolution.org/battles/bat_fwas.asp
http://www.thebattlefornewyork.com/walking_tour.php
    1783 - By the end of the American Revolution, some 100,000 Loyalists had fled the U.S. Also known as Tories, they had suffered various penalties for their loyalty to the Crown, including confiscation of property, removal from public office, and punitive taxation. Probably no more than 10% of the colonials were Tories, who were generally well-to-do, engaged in commerce or the professions, or public officials. Many fled to Canada, some to England. Some returned after the war. Many, however, had remained behind. After the conflict many were able to recover at least some of their confiscated property. Many of those who had fought alongside with the British were granted land in Canada.
    1783 - Gen. George Washington issued his "Farewell Address to the Army" near Princeton, N.J.
    1795 - Birthday of James Knox Polk (d. 1849), the 11th president of the US, at Mecklenburg County, NC. His term of office: Mar 4, 1845—Mar 3, 1849. A compromise candidate at the 1844 Democratic Party convention, Polk was awarded the nomination on the ninth ballot. He declined to be a candidate for a second term and declared himself to be “exceedingly relieved” at the completion of his presidency. He died shortly after leaving office.
    1810 - A 7-inch snowfall in New York City permitted very early sleighing in the city streets.
    1820 - The Revenue cutter Louisiana captured five pirate vessels during a cruise from Florida to Cuba.
    1824 - The first popular vote in a presidential election took place when 356,038 votes were cast for four candidates. This was also the first election in which the final decision was made by the House of Representatives because none of the candidates won a majority of electoral votes. Although Andrew Jackson received a greater share of both the popular and the electoral vote than the runner-up, John Quincy Adams, a deal was struck to give Adams the electoral votes of Henry Clay, another candidate. Adams thereby acquired enough votes to be declared the winner.
    1846 - Donner Party crossing the Sierra stopped for the evening and were trapped by a snowstorm. Many of the party survived by eating the flesh of the dead. 40 of the 87 people in the Donner party died. They remained snowbound until February.
    1852 - Franklin Pierce was elected President over Gen. Winfield Scott, who ran as a Whig. In 1852, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution giving Scott the pay and rank of a lieutenant general. Scott was the first to hold this rank since George Washington.
    1861 – Captain Nathaniel Gordon became the only person in U.S. history to be executed for slave-trading. He was also considered a pirate.
http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/tombs/gordon/
whytombs1.htm
http://blackhistory.harpweek.com/7Illustrations/Slavery/
ExecutionOfSlavetrader.htm
    1861 - Controversial Union General John C. Fremont is relieved of command in the Western Department and replaced by David Hunter. Fremont’s actions in Missouri fueled secessionist spirit and alienated many Northerners who were unwilling to wage a war to end slavery. Lincoln requested privately that Fremont rescind the order, but he refused. Lincoln had no choice but to negate the order of emancipation and remove Fremont from command in the west. Fremont still had many supporters, so Lincoln placed him in charge of a small army in Virginia. Some Republican allies urged Fremont to challenge Lincoln for the 1864 presidential nomination, but Fremont declined. After the war, he served as territorial governor of Arizona and died in New York in 1890.
    1862 - Mary Todd Lincoln corresponded with her husband advising him of popular sentiment against cautious General in Chief of the Federal Army George B. McClellan. Contrary to popular belief, Mrs. Lincoln was a close confidante and the love of Lincoln’s life. He was to let McClellan go in favor of U.S. Grant, which also led to McClellan running as the Democratic opponent against him for President.
(Lower half: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov02.html )
    1865 - Birthday of Warren Gamaliel Harding (d. 1923) at Corsica, OH. Twenty-ninth President of the US, his term of office: Mar 4, 1921 - Aug 2, 1923 (died in office). His undistinguished administration was tainted by the Teapot Dome scandal, and his sudden death while on a western speaking tour in San Francisco, CA prompted many rumors. He was a well-known womanizer of his time, and his election was right after women were given the right to vote. The saying in Washington, DC, “We gave the women the right to vote and they picked handsome Warren G”. He was said to bring women into the White House, on trips, and died of heart attack as his wife was treating him for exhaustion with an electronic device they purchased in San Francisco.
    1880 - James A. Garfield was elected 20th president. During the Civil War, Garfield was a commander at the bloody fight at Chickamauga. The election was close, with Republican Garfield getting 48.27% to Democrat Winfield Hancock‘s 48.25% and a difference of less than 2,000 votes. Garfield was shot by a disgruntled office seeker four months into his presidency. Guiteau deemed his contribution to Garfield's victory sufficient to justify the position of consul in Paris, despite the fact he spoke no French, nor any foreign language. White House officials referred him to Sec of State Blaine, as the consulship was within the Department of State. Guiteau pressed his claim, and Blaine told him he would not receive the position. Guiteau concealed himself by the ladies' waiting room at Baltimore’s 6th St Station from where Garfield was scheduled to depart. Most of Garfield's cabinet planned to accompany him at least part of the way; Blaine, who was to remain in Washington, came to the station to see him off. The two men were deep in conversation and did not notice Guiteau before he took out his revolver and shot Garfield twice, once in the back and once in the arm. Although he would show signs of recovery, he finally died on Sept 18 at the New Jersey seaside home to which he was brought to convalesce. Giteau was convicted and executed on June 30, 1882.
    1881 – The American Association was formed as a major league in professional baseball. The members are the Brooklyn Atlantics, Cincinnati Red Stockings, Louisville Colonels, Philadelphia Athletics, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, and St. Louis Brown Stockings. Brooklyn was replaced by the Baltimore Orioles before the start of the first season.
    1889 - North Dakota and South Dakota were admitted into the Union as the 39th and 40th states, the first time that two states simultaneously became a part of the United States. President Benjamin Harrison had a problem with admitting the two states on the same day. Which one would be first? He decided it was easier to mix up the admissions papers so no one would know and just list the states alphabetically. That’s why North Dakota is the 39th and South Dakota is the 40th of the United States of America. The Dakotas took their name from the Sioux Indian word for ’ally’, although the settlers and the Sioux weren’t always allies (Battle of Wounded Knee). Those searching for a route to the Pacific Ocean settled in South Dakota, Ft. Pierre being the first permanent white settlement. Pierre remains the capital of South Dakota. Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota. Both states are still essentially rural and agricultural. The western meadowlark and the ring-necked pheasant, the North and South Dakota state birds, respectively, still fly over the vast meadowlands. North Dakota’s flower is the wild prairie rose, while the pasque flower holds that title in South Dakota. North Dakota, home of several major air bases and intercontinental ballistic missile sites, is known as the Peace Garden State, while its more southern counterpart is called the Coyote State.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov02.html
    1895 – Years before Henry Ford’s cars began being manufactured, the first gasoline-powered race in the United States took place with first prize of $2,000.
    1898 - University of Minnesota student Johnny Campbell directed a crowd in cheering "Rah, Rah, Rah! Ski-u-mah, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!", making Campbell the very first cheerleader and November 2, 1898 the official birth date of organized cheerleading. Soon after, the University of Minnesota organized a "yell leader" squad of six male students, who still use Campbell's original cheer today. In 1903 the first cheerleading fraternity, Gamma Sigma, was founded.
    1902 - San Francisco’s China Town was amazed to see an 18-year-old petite girl give a rousing ovation against the foot binding of women, their arranged marriages and forced illiteracy. Sien King King became a member of the Chinese bachelor society and continued her battle for feminism. She believed the repressive actions against women prevented the Chinese from advancing in the U.S. (and the world).
    1908 - Trumpet player Bunny Berigan (d. 1942) birthday, born Roland Bernard Berigan, Hilbert, WI.
http://user.tninet.se/~npt755v/bundisc.htm
    1911 - Birthday of Johnny Richards (d. 1968) in Toluca, Mexico, jazz composer-arranger.
    1913 – Burt Lancaster (d. 1994) was born in Manhattan. Lancaster was nominated four times for Academy Awards and won once for “Elmer Gantry” in 1960. He also won a Golden Globe for that performance and BAFTA Awards for “The Birdman of Alcatraz” (1962) and “Atlantic City” (1980). His production company was the most successful and innovative of star-driven independent production companies in Hollywood in the 1950s, making movies such as “Marty” (1955), “Trapeze” (1956), “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957), and “Separate Tables” (1958). In 1999, the AFI named Lancaster 19th among the greatest male stars of classic Hollywood cinema.
    1917 - The Balfour Declaration proclaimed British support for the "establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people" with the clear understanding "that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities".
    1914 – Johnny Vander Meer (d. 1997) was born in Prospect Park, NJ. He is the only pitcher in Major League history to throw consecutive no-hitters, blanking the Boston Bees and Brooklyn Dodgers in June, 1938.
    1920 - Warren G. Harding was elected 29th president. He defeated James Cox. The electoral vote was Harding, 404; Cox, 127. The popular vote was Harding, 16,152,200; Cox, 9,147,353. The election campaign was primarily a referendum on the Wilson presidency and the League of Nations. Cox supported it fully, while Harding did not make his position clear. Harding supported prohibition and Cox opposed it. Cox ran a vigorous campaign, while Harding ran a mostly a front porch campaign. Cox's efforts and that of his hard campaigning Vice Presidential candidate had little effect. Ultimately, the weariness of the nation determined the election in favor of Harding, who obtained an overwhelming victory. The Republicans increased their majorities in both houses, leasing 59-37 in the Senate and 301-131, with one minor party seat and two vacancies, in the House.
    1920 – KDKA, Pittsburgh, PA started broadcasting as the first commercial radio station. The first broadcast is the result of the Presidential election of 1920.
    1923 - Birthday William Robert (Billy) Haughton (d. 1986), standard bred driver and trainer, at Gloversville, NY. Haughton won nearly 4,900 races in his career. Along with Stanley Dancer, he dominated the New York trotting scene in the 1950s and then moved on to a national career. He suffered severe head injuries in a three-horse accident at Yonkers Raceway and died at Valhalla, NY, July 15, 1986.
    1926 - The first Senate election in which neither candidate was seated after a recount was the election in Pennsylvania. William Bauchop Wilson, a Democrat, was narrowly defeated by William Scott Vare, a Republican who presented his credentials as senator-elect for the term beginning March 4, 1927. The Senate, on December 6, 1929, decided by a vote of 58-22 that Vare was not entitled to the seat due to charges of corruption and fraud concerning his election. Governor John Stuchell Fisher, appointed Joseph Ridway Grunday, a Republican, to the vacant seat. Grundy served from December 11, 1929 to December 1, 1930. He was unsuccessful for the nomination of this office after being accused of contributing $400,000 to the former incumbent Senator Pepper, who had been defeated by Vare.
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=V000071
http://www.blossburg.org/wb_wilson/thestory_7.htm
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=G000510
    1929 – Amar Bose (d. 2013) was born in Philadelphia. An electrical and sound engineer, he was a professor at MIT for over 45 years. He was also the founder and chairman of Bose Corporation. In 2011, he donated a majority of the company to MIT in the form of non-voting shares to sustain and advance MIT’s education and research mission.
    1931 - Birthday of alto saxophonist Phil Woods (d. 2015), Springfield, MA.
    1936 - The Basie Band splits for Kansas City for points East and Worldwide fame. "Goin' to Chicago, Sorry I Can't Take You." Little Jimmy Rushing.
    1938 – Jay Black, lead singer of Jay and the Americans, was born David Blatt in New York City, growing up in Borough Park, Brooklyn. He was the second, and more widely known Jay to lead the group, the first being Jay Trainor.
    1938 – Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx won his third AL MVP.
    1942 - Birthday of Shere Hite, author and researcher. Her best known work, “The Hite Report,” one of the pioneer works on the realities of women's sexuality.
    1942 - WILKINS, RAYMOND H., (Air Mission) Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Army Air Corps. Place and date: Near Rabaul, New Britain, 2 November 1943. Entered service at: Portsmouth, Va. Born: 28 September 1917, Portsmouth, Va. G.O. No.: 23, 24 March 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy near Rabaul, New Britain, on 2 November 1943. Leading his squadron in an attack on shipping in Simpson Harbor, during which intense antiaircraft fire was expected; Maj. Wilkins briefed his squadron so that his airplane would be in the position of greatest risk. His squadron was the last of 3 in the group to enter the target area. Smoke from bombs dropped by preceding aircraft necessitated a last-second revision of tactics on his part, which still enabled his squadron to strike vital shipping targets, but forced it to approach through concentrated fire, and increased the danger of Maj. Wilkins' left flank position. His airplane was hit almost immediately, the right wing damaged, and control rendered extremely difficult. Although he could have withdrawn, he held fast and led his squadron into the attack. He strafed a group of small harbor vessels, and then, at low level, attacked an enemy destroyer. His 1,000 pound bomb struck squarely amidships, causing the vessel to explode. Although antiaircraft fire from this vessel had seriously damaged his left vertical stabilizer, he refused to deviate from the course. From below-masthead height he attacked a transport of some 9,000 tons, scoring a hit which engulfed the ship in flames. Bombs expended, he began to withdraw his squadron. A heavy cruiser barred the path. Unhesitatingly, to neutralize the cruiser s guns and attract its fire, he went in for a strafing run. His damaged stabilizer was completely shot off. To avoid swerving into his wing planes he had to turn so as to expose the belly and full wing surfaces of his plane to the enemy fire; it caught and crumpled his left wing. Now past control, the bomber crashed into the sea. In the fierce engagement Maj. Wilkins destroyed 2 enemy vessels, and his heroic self-sacrifice made possible the safe withdrawal of the remaining planes of his squadron.
    1944 - During the day, the US 8th Air Force attacks the Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg. The Americans claim 183 German fighters (including 4 jets) destroyed for the loss of 40 bombers and 28 fighters (including losses to antiaircraft defenses). During the night, Bomber Command attacks Dusseldorf with 992 bombers as well as sending smaller forces to strike other targets. A total of 20 planes are reported lost in all operations.
    1944 - BOLTON, CECIL H., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company E, 413th Infantry, 104th Infantry Division. Place and date: Mark River, Holland, 2 November 1944. Entered service at: Huntsville, Ala. Birth: Crawfordsville, Fla. G.O. No.: 74, 1 September 1945. Citation: As leader of the weapons platoon of Company E, 413th Infantry, on the night of 2 November 1944, he fought gallantly in a pitched battle which followed the crossing of the Mark River in Holland. When 2 machineguns pinned down his company, he tried to eliminate, with mortar fire, their grazing fire which was inflicting serious casualties and preventing the company's advance from an area rocked by artillery shelling. In the moonlight it was impossible for him to locate accurately the enemy's camouflaged positions; but he continued to direct fire until wounded severely in the legs and rendered unconscious by a German shell. When he recovered consciousness he instructed his unit and then crawled to the forward rifle platoon positions. Taking a two-man bazooka team on his voluntary mission, he advanced chest deep in chilling water along a canal toward 1 enemy machinegun. While the bazooka team covered him, he approached alone to within 15 yards of the hostile emplacement in a house. He charged the remaining distance and killed the 2 gunners with hand grenades. Returning to his men he led them through intense fire over open ground to assault the second German machinegun. An enemy sniper who tried to block the way was dispatched, and the trio pressed on. When discovered by the machinegun crew and subjected to direct fire, 1st Lt. Bolton killed 1 of the 3 gunners with carbine fire, and his 2 comrades shot the others. Continuing to disregard his wounds, he led the bazooka team toward an 88-mm. artillery piece which was having telling effect on the American ranks, and approached once more through icy canal water until he could dimly make out the gun's silhouette. Under his fire direction, the two soldiers knocked out the enemy weapon with rockets. On the way back to his own lines he was again wounded. To prevent his men being longer subjected to deadly fire, he refused aid and ordered them back to safety, painfully crawling after them until he reached his lines, where he collapsed. 1st Lt. Bolton's heroic assaults in the face of vicious fire, his inspiring leadership, and continued aggressiveness even through suffering from serious wounds, contributed in large measure to overcoming strong enemy resistance and made it possible for his battalion to reach its objective.
    1946 - A three-day snowstorm began at Denver, CO. By the time it ended had dropped 31 inches of snow on the city, the second greatest snowfall ever.
    1947 - The mammoth flying boat Hercules, then the world’s largest airplane, was designed, built and flown (once) by Howard Hughes. Its first and only flight was about one mile and at an altitude of 70 feet over Long Beach Harbor, CA. The $25 million, 200-ton plywood craft was nicknamed the “Spruce Goose.” It is now displayed near the Queen Mary at Long Beach, CA.
    1948 - When Harry S Truman went to bed, he was losing the election for President to Thomas E. Dewey. "Chicago Daily Tribune" printers were out on strike and getting the newspaper to readers was no simple task. To make a long story short, the editors had to guess at the outcome of the election and picked/printed the wrong person to win. Upon arising the next morning, Truman learned he had won. On a short train stop in St. Louis, he stepped onto the back platform of the train and was presented with one of the newspapers with the infamous headline, “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN.” It was at that moment that the famous photo of Truman holding up the paper was taken. When asked to comment, Truman said “This is for the books.”
    1949 - Top Hits
“That Lucky Old Sun” - Frankie Laine
“You’re Breaking My Heart’ - Vic Damone
“I Can Dream, Can’t I?” - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Jack Leonard)
“Slipping Around” - Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely
    1950 - VAN WINKLE, ARCHIE, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Vicinity of Sudong, Korea, 2 November 1950. Entered service at: Arlington, Wash. Born: 17 March 1925, Juneau, Alaska. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a platoon sergeant in Company B, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Immediately rallying the men in his area after a fanatical and numerically superior enemy force penetrated the center of the line under cover of darkness and pinned down the platoon with a devastating barrage of deadly automatic weapons and grenade fire, S/Sgt. Van Winkle boldly spearheaded a determined attack through withering fire against hostile frontal positions and, though he and all the others who charged with him were wounded, succeeded in enabling his platoon to gain the fire superiority and the opportunity to reorganize. Realizing that the left flank squad was isolated from the rest of the unit, he rushed through 40 yards of fierce enemy fire to reunite his troops despite an elbow wound which rendered 1 of his arms totally useless. Severely wounded a second time when a direct hit in the chest from a hostile hand grenade caused serious and painful wounds, he staunchly refused evacuation and continued to shout orders and words of encouragement to his depleted and battered platoon. Finally carried from his position unconscious from shock and from loss of blood, S/Sgt. Van Winkle served to inspire all who observed him to heroic efforts in successfully repulsing the enemy attack. His superb leadership, valiant fighting spirit, and unfaltering devotion to duty in the face of heavy odds reflect the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service.
    1954 - The first US Senator elected by a write-in vote was James Strom Thurmond, Democrat of South Carolina. For the term ending January 3, 1961, Thurmond received 139,106 votes, defeating Edgar Brown, the official candidate of the Democratic Party, who received 80,956 votes. Thurmond represented South Carolina in the Senate from 1954 until 2003, at first as a Democrat and, after 1964, as a Republican.
    1955 - Julie London's first pop song, a sultry version of "Cry Me a River," made its appearance on the charts. The song spent 5 months on the charts, but only reached #9 at its peak. Julie is the former wife of Dragnet’s Jack Webb and songwriter/trumpeter Bobby Troup.
    1955 - Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons" first appears on the charts. It will become one of the biggest selling singles of its time.
    1956 - A riot breaks out at Fats Domino's show in Fayetteville, NC, with police resorting to tear gas to break up the unruly crowd. Fats jumps out of a window to avoid the melee; he and two other band members are slightly injured.
    1957 - Top Hits
“Jailhouse Rock” - Elvis Presley
“You Send Me” - Sam Cooke
“Silhouettes” - The Rays
“Wake Up Little Susie” - The Everly Brothers
    1958 - The Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams set an NFL single-game attendance record as 90,833 fans watched the Rams beat the Bears, 41-35, at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
    1958 - "Billboard" magazine introduced a new chart ranking top singles, in order, from number 1 to 100. Before this invention, only 30 records were on weekly hit lists.
    1959 - Charles Van Doren, when questioned about winning $129,000 on a television quiz show, told a congressional investigation committee that he was given the answers in advance by program staff members. His testimony was the most dramatic to date in the ongoing investigation of quiz show scandals. Van Doren had been a low-salaried college assistant professor who appeared on the show “Twenty-One.” It was revealed that rigging was prevalent on many television quiz shows during the early 1950s in order to boost viewer ship. Van Doren benefited from the rigging not only by receiving the huge amount of money, but by later earning a regular spot on the “Today” television show.
    1960 – Publishing company Penguin Books was found not guilty of obscenity in the trial R v. Penguin Books Ltd., the “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” case. Sales of the controversial novel took off.
    1961 - The temperature at Atlanta, GA, reached 84 degrees to establish a record for November.
    1962 - The missile bases in Cuba were being dismantled, President Kennedy reported to the nation, adding that “progress is now being made toward restoration of peace in the Caribbean.”
    1962 - Elvis Presley film “Girls! Girls! Girls!'' premieres.
    1963 - Following the overthrow of his government by South Vietnamese military forces the day before, President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother are captured and killed by a group of soldiers. The deaths of Diem caused celebration among many people in South Vietnam, but also lead to political chaos in the nation. Diem was perceived as an impediment to the accomplishment of U.S. goals in Southeast Asia. His increasingly dictatorial rule only succeeded in alienating most of the South Vietnamese people, and his brutal repression of protests led by Buddhist monks during the summer of 1963 convinced many American officials that the time had come for Diem to go. Three weeks later, an assassin shot President Kennedy. By then, the United States was more heavily involved in the South Vietnamese quagmire than ever.
    1963 - The Beach Boys' "Be True To Your School" is released.
    1963 - Dion angrily walked off the set of the British ITV television program “Ready Steady Go!” in the middle of performing his hit "Donna the Prima Donna," claiming the go-go dancers surrounding him during the song were distracting.
    1963 - Reviewing the Beatles' concert the night before in Cheltenham, England, the British paper Daily Mirror uses the headline "Beatlemania!" effectively inserting the phrase into the popular consciousness for the first time.
    1964 – CBS became the first corporate owner of a Major League team, buying 80% of the New York Yankees for $11,200,000. They would proceed to oversee the worst period of Yankees history, and sold the team in 1973 to a syndicate headed by George Steinbrenner for under $10 million. Under CBS ownership, the Yankees never made the post season and only once finished as high as fourth in a season.
    1965 - Top Hits
“Yesterday” - The Beatles
“A Lover’s Concerto” - The Toys
“Get Off of My Cloud” - The Rolling Stones
“Hello Vietnam” - Johnny Wright
    1965 – Norman Morrison, a 31-year-old Quaker, set himself afire in front of the river entrance to the Pentagon to protest the use of napalm in the Vietnam War.
    1966 - The Cuban Adjustment Act allowed 123,000 Cubans the opportunity to apply for permanent residence in the United States.
    1967 - President Johnson and "The Wise Men" concluded that the American people should be given more optimistic reports on the progress of the war, regardless of reality. When this ruse was unmasked in 1968 by Walter Cronkite, after his visit to Viet Nam to report on the Tet Offensive, President Johnson was said to have uttered these famous words, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.” It was not long thereafter that Johnson decided not to run for re-election.
    1968 - Another Stevie Wonder hit went on sale, "For Once in My Life" would reach #2 on the pop charts on December 28, 1968.
    1968 - Cream is presented with a platinum album for “Wheels of Fire” at the Madison Square Garden stop of their farewell tour.
    1969 - The Rolling Stones quasi-documentary “Sympathy for the Devil,” directed by Jean-Luc Godard, premieres in San Francisco.
    1971 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,'' Cher. It was her first chart-topper as a solo artist in the US. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA for its sales of over 1 million copies.
    1973 - Top Hits
“Midnight Train to Georgia” - Gladys Knight & The Pips
“Keep on Truckin’” - Eddie Kendricks
“Paper Roses” - Marie Osmond
“We’re Gonna Hold On” - George Jones & Tammy Wynette
    1974 - "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.
    1974 - Three Dog Night's next to last chart record, "Play Something Sweet" enters The Hot 100 where it will peak at number 33. August of 1975 would see the end of their eight years as hit makers when "Til the World Ends" would reach number 32.
    1974 - Even though he was the one who was the most opposed to touring in the final years of The Beatles, George Harrison became the first to set out on a solo tour when he appeared in Vancouver, Canada with Billy Preston. It will be a troublesome show for him as his voice is ravaged after LP sessions and tour rehearsals. The concert and the rest of the tour played in front of thin crowds.
    1976 - James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, Jr., was elected President of the United States. Walter F. Mondale was elected Vice President. The electoral vote was Carter 297; Pres. Ford, 240. The popular vote was Carter, 40,828,929, Ford, 39,148,940. In congressional elections, the Democrats kept a 2-1 Senate majority, 61-38, with one seat going to an independent, and House majority of 292-143.
    1981 - Top Hits
“Arthur’s Theme” (“Best That You Can Do”) - Christopher Cross
“Start Me Up” - The Rolling Stones
“Private Eyes” - Daryl Hall & John Oates
“Never Been So Loved” (“In All My Life”) - Charley Pride
    1983 - President Ronald Reagan signs a bill establishing Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.
    1984 - After a judge rules that he shot in self-defense, The Reverend Marvin Gay Sr. is given only five years’ probation for killing his son, Marvin Gaye. (Marvin added an "e" to his stage name) Ironically, it was Marvin Jr. who had given his father the .38 revolver used in the killing.
    1985 – With his new single, "Part-Time Lover," topping the charts, Stevie Wonder becomes the artist with the longest period between Number Ones: 22 years. This song also sets a record by going to #1 on five different Billboard charts. Winning this spot makes Wonder the first artist to have a single on five different Billboard charts: the Hot 100, Hot Black Singles, Hot Adult Contemporary, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play and Hot Dance/Disco 12-inch Singles.
    1985 - For the second time in television history, a soundtrack LP from a television show topped the album charts. "Miami Vice," with a title track by Jan Hammer, spent 11 nonconsecutive weeks at #1. The only other television soundtrack to hit #1 was Henry Mancini’s "Peter Gunn" in 1959.
    1985 - "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.
    1989 - Top Hits
“Miss You Much” - Janet Jackson
“Sowing the Seeds of Love” - Tears For Fears
“Listen to Your Heart” - Roxette
“High Cotton” – Alabama
    1989 - Squalls in the Upper Great Lakes Region the first three days of the month buried Ironwood, MI under 46 inches of snow, and produced 40 inches at Hurley, WI. Arctic cold invaded the Southern Plains Region. Midland, TX reported a record low of 22 degrees.
    1991 - Karyn White’s "Romantic" hit #1 for one week on the "Billboard Hot 100" chart.
    1993 - Christine Todd Whitman was elected the first woman governor of New Jersey.
    1994 - Top Hits
“I'll Make Love To You”- Boyz II Men
“All I Want to Do”- Sheryl Crow
“Secret”- Madonna
“Another Night”- Real McCoy
    1995 - The immensely popular Seinfeld episode, "The Soup Nazi," first aired on NBC.
    1995 - The TV music show “Soul Train” celebrates 25 years on the air with appearances by Al Green, Bill Withers, Diana Ross and Patti LaBelle.
    1997 - Denver QB John Elway accounted for 276 total yards in a 30-27 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, bringing his career total to 50,273 yards. He was the third player in NFL history -- after Dan Marino and Fran Tarkenton -- to reach the 50,000 plateau.
    1999 - Top Hits
“Smooth” - Santana Featuring Rob Thomas
“Satisfy You” - Puff Daddy Featuring R. Kelly
“Heartbreaker” - Mariah Carey Featuring Jay-Z
“Mambo No. 5” (“A Little Bit Of...”) - Lou Bega
    1999 - NBA.com TV, a 24-hour TV network, was launched by the National Basketball Association. Commissioner David J. Stern said, “NBA.com TV represents the convergence of the Internet, television and basketball. By combining the immediacy and depth of information from NBA.com with current and historical television programming from the NBA, NBA.com TV will offer our fans complete, round-the-clock coverage of the league."
    2000 - Wrigley Field has been granted preliminary landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Any plans to refurbish or tear down Cubs' home since 1916 will have to be reviewed by this panel.
    2000 - www.classicbands.com goes online, publishing in both official languages: Rock and Roll.
    2003 - Top Hits
“Baby Boy” – Beyonce, Featuring Sean Paul
“Stand Up” – Ludacris, Featuring Shawnna
“Holidae In” – Chingy, Featuring Ludacris & Snoop Dogg
“Get Low” - Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz, Featuring Ying Yang Twins
    2006 - Justin Timberlake and Gnarls Barkley each win several trophies at the 13th annual MTV Europe Music Awards, held in Copenhagen. Timberlake, who also serves as host and performer at the event, wins for best male and best pop. Gnarls Barkley wins best song for their international smash "Crazy."
    2014 - The U.N. issued a report concluding that immediate global actions are needed to prevent runaway impacts of climate change. The report claims failure to act now will result in extensive future damage which will be prohibitively expensive to control.

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