"Under all the positive news, why is Amur Equipment
 Finance quiet about a relationship with PIMCO?"
Question by Christopher Menkin, Editor

Why is Amur Equipment Finance, Grand Island, Nebraska, unwilling to comment/confirm something that most would view as a very positive development in light of the Pine River litigation and collateral auction that had occurred previously? (1)

Recently, the company announced these positive events:

• The company purchased the Wells Fargo banking office at 304 W. Third Street, Grand Rapids, as the new location, providing additional space to grow its existing workforce by 50 percent, the Grand Island Independent reported. (2)

• August 19, 2019 announced the completion of Seventh Securitization $269.4 Million notes. (3)

• Opened office in Omaha, Nebraska, its second in the state. "Able to expand our footprint in the area further...AmurEF now employs over 160 professionals across the United States with key management, credit processing, underwriting, servicing, and finance functions located in its headquarters in Grand Island, Nebraska.  AmurEF also has additional offices in New York, New Hampshire, Texas, and California.  The address of the new office is 1111 North 102nd Court, Suite 222, Omaha, NE 68114." (4)

• Voted "Best Employer in Grand Island, NE , for the third consecutive year.(5)

• 16 employees passed the exam and are now Certified Lease and Finance Professionals, bringing their total number of employees now CLFPs to 33. (6)

• Appointment of Industry Veteran Paul Larkins to its Board of Directors.

• Jacklynn Manning, CLFP, Vice President of Marketing was elected to serve on the 2019/2020 Board of Directors for the National Equipment and Finance Association (NEFA)

According to Moody's pre-sale document for the recent bond securitization, widely circulated to potential bond buyers, in April 2019, an investment vehicle controlled by Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC (PIMCO) acquired a strategic equity interest in the holding company (AMUR). Amur used the infusion of cash to pay off its subordinated debt, saving on interest payments and improving is balance sheet partly by increasing the equity in the company. According to the filing, Amur has quarterly board meetings with PIMCO.

Leasing News does not have permission to publish the document.

Christopher Gillock, Managing Director/CEO Colonnade Securities, LLC, wrote in the Monitor Magazine that PIMCO was the buyer of Amur Equipment Finance, noting that PIMCO has $1.84 trillion in assets under management; PE division bought Amur. (7)

Amur Equipment Finance appears to be in the best shape of its history.

Leasing News has written over 100 articles on Axis Capital (one of the companies’ former names) and should be in position to complement its growth and involvement in the financial community. (8)

Under all the positive news, why be quiet about a relationship with PIMCO?

------

(1) Delaware Appeals Court Affirms Judgment in Amur Finance Case by Tom McCurnin, Leasing News Legal Editor
 http://leasingnews.org/archives/Aug2018/08_01.htm#deleware

Notice of Disposition of Collateral, December 5, 2018
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/dispostion_collateral2018.pdf

(2) Purchase Wells Fargo building in Grand Rapids, Nebraska
https://www.theindependent.com/news/business/new-building-will-give-amur-equipment-finance-room-to-grow/article_8d0c0ad2-e6ef-11e8-9982-134743a6390e.html

(3) Amur Equipment Finance Completes Seventh Securitization
$269.4 Million notes issuance
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Aug2019/08_02.htm#amur

(4) Amur Equipment Finance Opens Office in Omaha, Second in the State
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_04.htm#amur

(5) Best Employer Third Consecutive Year
https://www.amuref.com/news/amur-equipment-finance-voted-best-employer-grand-island

(6) CLFP Foundation Adds 53 New CLFPs
824 Active Professionals and Associates
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_06.htm#clfp

(7) Further Confirmation PIMCO Purchased Amur But Company Continues to Deny
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_06.htm#further

(8) http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=17005499&
pageid=r&mode=ALL&n=0&query=axis+capital&SUBMIT=+Find+

 

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Looking to Improve Your Career
   Post a Free Position Wanted Here

Free Career Positon Wanted goes into our Classified Ad section here
http://leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

It also runs once a week in the News Edition.

Use your personal email address only. We encourage you to add a resume, although not necessary. If you do so, please make sure your name, address and telephone number are not included. If so, we will delete them. The reason is once the resume is placed on line: it remains in Google, as well in Leasing News Editions’ archives. A search of your name will bring up your posting, which will have your address and telephone number for years to come.

It is also a good idea to create an email for the ad specifically that you can delete after use.
This is “free” to those looking for a new position. Each ad is limited to (100) words.

To post your free position wanted, please email: kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

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Help Wanted

 

 

Top Ten Stories
November 4 - November 8

(Stories most opened by readers)

(1) Further Confirmation PIMCO Purchased Amur
         But Company Continues to Deny
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_06.htm#further

(2) Funders Looking for Broker Business
          Updated
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_08.htm#funders_updated

(3) New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
          and Related Industries
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_08.htm#hires

(4) Purchase, Renewal, Return ("PRR") Clauses
          By Christopher Menkin
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_04.htm#prr

(5) Fees in Leasing Explained
          By Mr. Terry Winders, CLFP
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_06.htm#fees

(6) Amur Equipment Finance Opens Office in
          Omaha, Second in the State
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_04.htm#amur

(7) Marlin Business Services Corp. Earnings Call Transcript
     Key Highlights 3rd Quarter plus 10Q Evergreen Excerpt
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_04.htm#marlin

(8) Which U.S. State is the Biggest Exporter?
   2018 exports by U.S. states (in billion U.S. Dollars)
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_04.htm#which

(9) New Hard Lending Association Forming
      The National Private Lenders Association
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_04.htm#npla

(10) Solar Financing Firms
    Working with Third Party Originators
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2019/11_08.htm#solar

[headlines]
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Good Reasons to Make a Career Change

Career Crossroads---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

Any consideration of a move is a proactive approach in overseeing your own career. However, first determine if you are looking to change your Job, Career or Employer. 

In any of these cases, making any change requires an assessment of external and internal factors.  So the question becomes – change what?  Do you want to change the company you work for, change your career path entirely or the position you currently hold? 

Take a look at the Sample Assessment below and ask yourself if making a change will fix the issues you are facing.  For example, will a new company resolve matters or are they problems embedded within the industry itself and would only be fixed if you changed industries entirely?

You will want to assess if these factors are temporary or are there factors that would permanently affect you.

Sample Personal factors may include:

1. Overwhelmed … Do you worry that you can’t handle the responsibilities or feel you did not receive enough training to master critical tasks?
2. Skills are becoming obsolete … Is there a gap in the skills you need to be successful?

Sample External factors may include (outside of your control):

1. Company is being bought or merged.
2. Industry is going through significant changes.

Before Taking Steps to Change:

Explore the possibility of improving your current situation. Some considerations for a change may just be temporary and the issue may resolve itself.  How about your contribution? Is there some way that you could make adjustments to improve your circumstances; for example, could you transfer to a position in a different division? If at this point your current situation can’t be improved, then you must develop a plan to assess your marketability e.g. reach out to a recruiter or career coach.
The key is to take charge of managing your career by being a step ahead of changes in the overall industry/economy and within your company. By doing so, you will be in a better position to handle any type of career/job/company change rather than just reacting when your boss summons you into his/her office down the road to let you know you are no longer needed.

Sample Self-Assessment: 
Rank each factor on a scale from 1-5 with 5 = affects me greatly
I don’t feel appreciated by my co-workers _____
My work environment is dysfunctional _____
This job does not fit into my long-range plans____
I am not valued as an employee by my supervisors/boss ___
Most days, I am overwhelmed at work___
My pay was cut___
Now add them up and divide by six.

For a Free Self-Assessment
Contact info@riirecruit.com and request a Career Change Assessment 

Emily Fitzpatrick
Sr. Recruiter
Recruiters International, Inc.
Phone:  954-885-9241
Cell:  954-612-0567
emily@riirecruit.com
Invite me to connect on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/pub/emily-fitzpatrick/4/671/76
Also follow us on Twitter #RIIINFO

Career Crossroads Previous Columns
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/crossroad.html

 

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Allan Levine, Co-Founder, Madison Capital:
Recipe for my success and proud of it!

My wife Eileen is my best cheerleader. I greatly appreciate her support. Today, I got here at 7 am, did 30 minutes of strength training, did a few transactions, handled a few PR missions, working on the computer and telephone.

I am often asked how I am able to maintain my high level of energy and business performance while in my mid-70’s. First, one must like they do, maintain a high level of interest by creativity (differs for each), stay ahead of the curve, and keep one’s brain engaged (think out of the box). One should always be thinking of how to be better than the competition.

I am also big on exercise. For the record, I have been in the vehicle and equipment finance business for 46 years, merged my company twice, and stopped running the company day to day two years ago. Now, I sell (lots of repeat and new referred clients), read some credit, mentor, and answer questions when asked.

I start my day with a protein drink, then hit the office gym for weights 3-4 days a week at about 7:30 am for 30 minutes. Cardio is done 3 nights a week and Saturday and Sunday and when on vacation, too. I also mix in my version of YOGA which is a stretching regimen, almost daily, for 10-15 minutes (twice a day). It increases my mobility and I work on exercise for my hip, too.  Golf is also a summertime three –day-a-week gig. My wife and I travel, too; often with our kids and grandkids.

Now, if you do not like what you do, none of the above will keep you pumped up. If so, get a new job. I get as much joy from closing a $250K vehicle or equipment transaction as I did playing lacrosse in college. In short, like what you do and spin that passion into a game, mission, and regimen. That takes me to where I set goals annually. Some call me crazy, I probably am a bit, but I laugh a lot. Actually, I record all workouts from AB work, to my cardio, cycling, rowing, treadmill and arm work. It's a habit, just as a habit to continually set monthly and annual work out and sales goals.

Adjustments seem to be always happening. That is called staying in the game. I am always chasing a workout or a transaction. I only think of what is next, never what was (unless there was a lesson to be learned), and how do I get there? Keep on moving, don't sit still.

NO, I am not quitting anytime soon. Always looking for the next transaction, next vendor program, or new piece of equipment for the office or home gym.

Happy selling. Feel great about what you do; or, find something else that gets you pumped up and moving. Don’t sit still.

Allan Levine
Leasing News Advisor, too
alevine@madisoncapital.com
http://leasingnews.org/Advisory%20Board/Allan_Levine.htm

Assure the quality of your communication content…grammar, spelling, syntax, punctuation…hire an expert. Whether website content, business or technical writings, take advantage of over forty years executive writing, proofreading and editing in the EFL industry…with the reader’s time and comprehension in focus. Ralph P. Mango ralphmango@hotmail.com Associate Editor Leasing News, responsible for proofreading and editing each news edition, as well as contributing content.

  

The chart is based on Freedom House’s findings. It shows a world map of internet freedom, categorizing countries with respect to obstacles to internet access, limits on online content and violations of user rights. According to the report, China was the worst abuser of internet freedom for the fourth year running as "censorship and surveillance were pushed to unprecedented extremes."

30 years after his research laid the groundwork for the development of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee is not happy with the current state of the internet. Speaking at a Washington Post event marking the 30th anniversary of his creation earlier this year, he complained that the internet has been “hijacked by crooks,” referring to hate speech, privacy issues and the malicious spreading of false information.

Berners-Lee’s observations are in line with the assessment of Freedom House, an NGO advocating freedom and democracy around the world, whose latest Freedom on the Net report concludes that "what was once a liberating technology has become a conduit for surveillance and electoral manipulation." The report is especially critical of the role that social media has lately come to play in the political landscape, finding that platforms such as Facebook and Twitter "have provided an extremely useful and inexpensive platform for malign influence operations by foreign and domestic actors alike."

By Felix Richter, Statista

https://www.statista.com/chart/3942/internet-freedom-across-the-world-visualized/

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

Bridgewater Bank Announces
Formation of Equipment Finance Division

BLOOMINGTON, Minn.---Bridgewater Bank, a leading Twin Cities bank focused on meeting the unique needs of successful individuals and entrepreneurs, today announced its new division, Bridgewater Equipment Finance. Bridgewater Equipment Finance will provide a variety of financing solutions to commercial clients, including financing for equipment, vehicles, facilities and other purchases needed to fuel business growth. The locally-led equipment finance team will work directly with clients to identify opportunities that improve cash flow, preserve assets and expand budgets for capital acquisitions and more.

Jerry Baack, President and CEO. said, “An equipment finance division is a natural complement to our business. We continue to focus on providing commercial clients with the right products and services they need to grow in a competitive business environment.”

Providing the most experienced, discerning and responsive team is part of Bridgewater Bank’s commitment to clients seeking equipment financing solutions. The Bank has attracted top local talent to forge the new division, including Tony Ferraro, Kathy Hanson, Charlie Hicks and Mark Decker, all of who are seasoned professionals in the equipment leasing space.

Tony Ferraro, Senior Vice President Commercial Lending, declared, “We have the right foundation to build this division.. “Bridgewater has a great culture, and we are adding the best talent to aggressively develop this new area of the Bank. There’s no doubt current and potential clients will appreciate what we offer.”

About Bridgewater Bank
Bridgewater Bank is a full-service bank dedicated to serving the diverse needs of commercial real estate investors, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals in the Twin Cities. With an asset size of over $2.2 billion as of September 30, 2019, Bridgewater is one of the largest, locally-led banks in the State of Minnesota. Providing clients with responsive support and simple solutions has led to continuous growth and profitability since the Bank’s inception in 2005. Bridgewater offers a range of deposit, lending and cash management solutions to meet a wide range of banking needs for clients throughout the Twin Cities. https://www.bridgewaterbankmn.com/

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

 

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

LeaseQuery Announces $40 Million
in Series A Funding

ATLANTA-- LeaseQuery, one of the largest providers of purpose-built lease accounting software, today announced that Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division has invested $40 million in the company through Series A funding.

More than 10,000 accountants across public, private, nonprofit and government organizations use the LeaseQuery platform to solve one of the largest challenges in the industry: complying with the new lease accounting standards from FASB, IASB, and GASB. According to a recent LeaseQuery survey, just 5% of private companies have completed their transition.

The Atlanta-based company is on track for another record year of growth in 2019, after achieving 708% year-over-year revenue growth in 2018, and recently opened a new office in Birmingham, Ala. LeaseQuery reports their client base has grown from 500 companies at the end of 2018 to nearly 1,000 today.

George Azih, CEO of LeaseQuery, said, “We founded LeaseQuery to solve a singular problem. The new lease accounting standards are incredibly complex, and accountants needed purpose-built software to comply and unlock insight about their leasing strategy.

“We’re thrilled to have Goldman Sachs’ investment as we continue to grow and expand our offerings to support accountants.”

The new lease accounting rules are adding trillions to the balance sheets of companies across every industry, and the challenges of implementing the rules mean that getting it right is an imperative both for accountants and businesses, and also for continued confidence in the capital markets.

John Giannuzzi, Vice President with Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division, commented, “With nearly 1,000 customers, LeaseQuery is the leader in the lease accounting market. LeaseQuery is a tested, dedicated lease accounting solution built by accountants, and the company’s combination of customer insight, differentiated technology and accelerated growth is unique and exciting.”

Stephanie Cohen, Goldman Sachs’ Chief Strategy Officer,  who founded Launch With GS, explained,  “LeaseQuery has found a way to deliver easy-to-use solutions to their clients’ complex problems,” said, an investment strategy that aims to narrow investing gaps by directing capital and opportunities toward diverse management teams.

“George and his team are a prime example of an executive team that is succeeding by bringing innovation to space that is in need of disruption.”

For more information, visit www.LeaseQuery.com.

About LeaseQuery

LeaseQuery helps more than 10,000 accountants and other finance professionals eliminate lease accounting errors through its CPA-approved lease accounting software. It is the first lease accounting software built by accountants for accountants. By providing specialized consulting services in addition to its software solution, LeaseQuery enables companies across all sectors to ensure compliance with the most comprehensive regulatory reform in 40 years. For more information about LeaseQuery, visit www.LeaseQuery.com.

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

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

Monitor’s Equipment Finance Disrupted
Declares “Conference is Revolutionary!”

Nearly 100 equipment finance and leasing professionals came together at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia for Monitor’s inaugural conference, Equipment Finance Disrupted+.

Lisa Rafter, Owner and Publisher of Monitor, said, “We couldn’t have been more pleased with how our first conference turned out. By taking a deep dive into the concept of technology and disruption, we were able to provide important information and lively discussions to help our industry prepare for what’s ahead.”

Keynote speaker Deb Reuben, CLFP, President of Reuben Creative, kicked things off with a speech focused on the ways companies can reorient themselves to learn about, follow the development of and prepare for upcoming technological developments and advances. Bill Verhelle, president of Innovation Finance, and Rafe Rosato, chief innovation officer at DLL, followed up with powerful presentations regarding innovation strategies from their respective perspectives as a start-up and an established 50-year-old organization.

The afternoon sessions continued with two Innovation Challenge panels which included lively discussions and Q&A sessions, featuring Steve Nelson of TD Equipment Finance; Don Bryson of Canon Financial Services; Michelle Speranza of LEAF Commercial Capital; Jeff Lezinski of Odessa; Yoshi Mua of MMedia; and Vanessa Flick of DLL.

Verhelle and Rosato then returned to the stage for a “fireside chat” where they elaborated on the topic of disruption and provided insights into their unique journeys on the road to innovation. To end the day, Reuben engaged the audience in an interactive discussion about the vulnerabilities of the equipment finance industry to disruption and the overall impact of new technology.

Todd Madson, Director of Business Development, TCF Financial, declared. “This event met all of my expectations to be able to network with my peers and to have intelligent conversations about how this industry can be disrupted, along with what things are already happening to cause that disruption.”

Monitor plans to continue its conference series with more regional events, starting with a follow-up of its Disrupted+ theme in Southern California in February 2020. Companies interested in future sponsorship opportunities for a conference should contact Susie Angelucci at susie.angelucci@monitordaily.com.

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

Beagle and Border Collie
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania  Adopt-a-Dog

Dilly
ID #A290883
Male
Five Years Old
Shelter since Nov. 11, 2019
Adoption Fee:  $65.00

For more information about this animal, call:
Montgomery County SPCA - Conshohocken Facility & Executive Offices at (610) 825-0111
Ask for information about animal ID number A290883

Montgomery County SPCA
19 E. Ridge Pike
PO Box 222
Conshohocken, PA 19428-0222

PHONE: (610) 825-0111
EMAIL: mcspca@voicenet.com

Contact via internet:
https://www.montgomerycountyspca.org/Contact/NgIndex

SPCA Hours
Adoptions:

Monday thru Friday (11am to 4:30pm)
Saturday (10am to 3pm)
Sunday (12pm to 3pm)

Adoption Rules:
https://www.montgomerycountyspca.org/Page/Adopt

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Classified Ads---Employment Web Sites

Here is a list of top internet job web sites, several specializing in financial, money, and leasing, too.

www.adams-inc.com
www.affinitysearch.com
www.allnursejobdescriptions.com
www.bajobs.com
www.careerbank.com
www.careerbuilder.com
www.careerpath.com
www.careerjet.com
www.craigslist.org
www.creditjobstoday.com
www.eApplicants.com
www.efinancialcareers.com
www.ejobapplications.com
www.employmentcrossing.com
www.hotjobs.com
www.Hound.com
jobapplicationdb.com
www.indeed.com
www.jobs.net
www.jobs-applications.com
www.jobssearchengine.net
www.ladders.com
www.linkedin.com/jobs
www.LinkUp.com
www.livecareer.com
www.MarketingJobs.com
www.monster.com
www.monstertrak.monster.com/
www.moonlightingapp.com/
www.neuvoo.com
www.resumeblaster.com
www.salary.com
www.simplyhired.com
www.snagajob.com/part-time-jobs/
www.topjobapplications.com/
www.toplanguagejobs.com
https://us.jooble.org/
www.vault.com
www.vetjobs.com
www.ziprecruiter.com

News Briefs----

Merger of BB&T, SunTrust Granted
  Elimination of more than 25 SunTrust branches
https://dsnews.com/daily-dose/11-08-2019/merger-of-bbt-suntrust-granted

American robots lose jobs to Asian robots
    as Adidas shifts manufacturing
https://nypost.com/2019/11/11/american-robots-lose-jobs-to-asian-robots-as-adidas-shifts-manufacturing/

Subway is scrambling to put the brakes
   on store closings
https://nypost.com/2019/11/10/subways-latest-policy-criticized-by-franchise-owners/

Alleged OneCoin Scam Could Be Much Bigger
   than $4 Billion, Larger than US Gov't Estimates
https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/news/alleged-onecoin-scam-could-be-much-bigger-than-4-billion/ 

Jury orders Wells Fargo to pay
   USAA $200 million in damages
https://www.businessinsider.com/wells-fargo-willfully-infringed-on-two-usaa-patents-business-insider-2019-11

U.S. economy continues to expand, but at a slower pace,
   reaching about 2 percent growth in 2020
https://www.newswise.com/articles/u-s-economy-continues-to-expand-but-at-a-slower-pace-reaching-about-2-percent-growth-in-2020?sc=bwhn

CECL Has Been Delayed for Most Lenders
    would delay effective dates for current expected credit loss
https://www.garnetcapital.com/news/article/CECL-Has-Been-Delayed-for-Most-Lenders/40062806

 

[headlines]
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You May Have Missed---

20 jobs that were popular before the Great Recession
    that have almost disappeared
https://www.businessinsider.com/jobs-that-have-disappeared-since-the-great-recession

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Vince Lombardi on Football

All right Mister, let me tell you what winning means you're willing to go longer, work harder, give more than anyone else.

The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.

Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work a company work, a society work, a civilization work.

Winning isn't everything it's the only thing.

--Vince Lombardi

[headlines]
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Seahawks knock Niners from ranks of unbeatens in OT win
https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Seahawks-knock-49ers-from-unbeaten-ranks-with-14827479.php

New Giants’ GM Scott Harris ready to turn things around:
    ‘It can happen really fast’
https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/article/New-Giants-GM-Scott-Harris-ready-to-turn-14826252.php

What We Learned in N.F.L. Week 10
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/11/sports/football/nfl-scores.html

These six NFL teams should start worrying about their playoff potential
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/mike-jones/2019/11/11/nfl-playoffs-cowboys-colts-bills-chiefs-teams/2565845001/

New fan amenities added to Sacramento soccer stadium
   design, riving cost above $300 million
https://www.sacbee.com/article237115359.html

[headlines]
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California Nuts Briefs---

Big California water district pulls out of Shasta Dam expansion.
   Environmentalists still worry
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article237165159.html?

[headlines]
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“Gimme that Wine”

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

A café, an art gallery and a cigar bar:
   these are Yountville's tasting rooms
https://napavalleyregister.com/wine/a-caf-an-art-gallery-and-a-cigar-bar-these/article_713cbfbd-034b-56b4-aa1e-a0563ccef6b9.html

Napa's Crimson Wine Group names Jennifer Locke CEO
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/10299927-181/ceo-crimson-wine-napa-business

Rob McMillan of Silicon Valley Bank's wine division Briefs
Napa Planning Commission on Premium Wine Sales and Supply Challenges
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=222225

Washington Vintners Look To Tap The Higher Pricing Tiers
https://www.shankennewsdaily.com/index.php/2019/11/11/24219/washington-vintners-look-to-tap-the-higher-pricing-tiers/

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines Debuts Exclusive,
  Small-Lot Releases in Direct-to-Consumer Portfolio
https://www.winebusiness.com/newreleases/?go=getArticle&dataId=222152

When Disaster Strikes, Sonoma Endures
https://www.winespectator.com/articles/when-disaster-strikes-sonoma-endures

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

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

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

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

This Day in History

     1602 - The Vizcaino expedition held Mass on the feast day of San Diego de Alcala. He named the California landing port after the saint.
    1701 - The Carolina Assembly passed a Vestry Act making the Church of England the official religion of the Carolina Colony. Strong opposition by Quakers and other resident Nonconformists forced the colony's proprietors to revoke their legislation two years later.
    1751 - Margaret Molly Corbin (d. 1800) birthday, Franklin County, PA.  Revolutionary War hero who was near her husband at a battle when he was killed (women were on the battlefields of the war both as participants and as water, food, and munitions suppliers) and she immediately took over the cannon until she was wounded by enemy fire. Disabled, she lost the use of her left arm.  She was granted a soldier's half-pay as a pension and she was considered a full member of the military until mustered out in 1783. In 1926, the Daughters of the American Revolution had her remains moved from an obscure grave and re-interred with other soldiers behind the Old Cadet Chapel at West Point where they also erected a monument to her. Near the place of the battle, in Fort Tryon Park in New York City, a bronze plaque commemorates Margaret Corbin "the first American woman to take a soldier's part in the War for Liberty".
http://www.hhoc.org/hist/
http://www.thejukejoint.com/cabcalloway1.htmlmc_corbin.htm
http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/corbin.html
    1775 - General Washington forbids recruiting officers enlisting blacks who were not “free men.” He later rescinds this as many blacks enlist in the British Army to earn their freedom from slavery.  Washington was from Virginia and was one of the largest land owners and slave owners in the state. As a side note, his best friends included the father of Robert E. Lee, who was to become a Confederate general. Henry Lee was to be the main drafter of the Declaration of Independence as he was very popular, very well respected and educated, but due to a family emergency at his farm, he suggested Thomas Jefferson fill his stead. Coda: In the 1800's, Washington freed many of his slaves, who continued to work the land as “free men” and after his death granted land to those remaining.
http://www.americanrevolution.org/blk.html
    1815 - Birthday of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (d. 1902) at Johnstown, NY. American woman suffragist and reformer.  “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” she said at the first Women's Rights Convention, in 1848, “that all men and women are created equal.” For 54 years, she was the women's rights movement's principal leader, organizer, theorist, and writer. She preserved the early women's movement  and her story in the first three volumes of the monumental “History of Woman Suffrage (1881-1922)”, written along with Susan B. Anthony and Joseyln Gage. You can read some of Stanton's works in the WiiN Library:
http://www.womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blstanton.htm
http://www.nps.gov/wori/ecs.htm
http://www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov12.html
    1864 - Union General William T. Sherman orders the business district of Atlanta destroyed before he embarks on his famous March to the Sea.  When Sherman captured Atlanta in early September, 1864, he knew that he could not remain there for long. His tenuous supply line ran from Nashville, Tennessee, through Chattanooga, then one hundred miles through mountainous northern Georgia. The army he had just defeated, the Army of Tennessee, was still in the area and its leader, John Bell Hood, swung around Atlanta to try to damage Sherman's lifeline. Of even greater concern was the Confederate cavalry of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest was a brilliant commander who could strike quickly against the railroads and river transports on which Sherman relied. During the fall, Sherman conceived of a plan to split his enormous army. He sent part of it, commanded by General George Thomas, back toward Nashville to deal with Hood while he prepared to take the rest of the troops across Georgia. Through October, Sherman built up a massive cache of supplies in Atlanta. He then ordered a systematic destruction of Atlanta to prevent the Confederates from recovering anything once the Yankees had abandoned the city. By one estimate, 37 percent of the city was ruined. This was the same policy Sherman would apply to the rest of Georgia as he marched to Savannah. Before leaving on November 15, Sherman's forces had burned the industrial district of Atlanta and left little but a smoking shell. In retaliation, the Confederates attempt to burn New York City on November 25.  As a side note: Historians believe much of the destruction of Atlanta was also caused by Confederate soldiers leaving no supplies for the invading Union Army, causing fires in residential areas.
    1889 – DeWitt Wallace (d. 1981), American publisher who co-founded “Reader’s Digest,” was born in St. Paul, MN.
     1892 - William “Pudge” Heffelfinger became the first generally-acknowledged professional football player when he was paid $25 for expenses and a cash bonus of $4500. It was the cash bonus that made him professional. Scoring the winning touchdown for the Allegheny Athletic Association, he helped his team beat the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, 4-0.
    1898 - Birthday of Flora Belle Ludington (d. 1967), Huron County, MI.  Innovative librarian of Mount Holyoke College who advanced the cooperative inter-library system that allows students and researchers use of the entire library system of the United States.
    1906 - The mercury soared to 106 degrees at Craftonville, CA, a November record for the U.S.
    1910 – The first movie stunt saw a man jump into Hudson River from a burning balloon.
    1911 - Trumpet player Buck Clayton, born Wilbur Dorsey Clayton (d. 1991) birthday, Parsons, KS.
http://www.harlem.org/people/clayton.html
http://www.umkc.edu/lib/spec-col/clayton.htm
http://www.harlem.org/people/clayton.html
http://www.thejukejoint.com/cabcalloway1.html
    1912 – Explorer Robert Falcon Scott’s dead body and diary were found in Antarctica.  He was an English Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic: the Discovery Expedition (1901–04), and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition (1910–13). On the first expedition, he set a new southern record by marching to latitude 82°S and discovered the Polar Plateau, on which the South Pole is located. During the second venture, Scott led a party of five which reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, only to find that they had been preceded by Roald Amundsen’s Norwegian Expedition. On their return journey, Scott's party discovered plant fossils, proving Antarctica was once forested and joined to other continents. At a distance of 150 miles from their base camp and 11 miles from the next depot, Scott and his companions died from a combination of exhaustion, starvation and extreme cold.
    1915 - Harvard University's Theodore W. Richards became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry. He was given his award in Stockholm, Sweden.
http://www.nobel.se/chemistry/laureates/1914/richards-bio.html
    1917 – Jo Stafford (d. 2008) was born in Coalinga, CA.  A traditional pop music singer and occasional actress, whose career spanned five decades through the early 1980s, her 1952 song "You Belong to Me” topped the charts in the United States and United Kingdom, the record becoming the first by a female artist to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart.
    1920 - In the wake of the growing scandal surrounding accusations that members of the Chicago White Sox conspired to fix the 1919 World Series, baseball owners appointed Federal Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, the game's first commissioner with extremely broad powers. Landis replaced the National Commission, a three-man governing board, to a seven-year term from 1921 to 1928. He received a salary of $42,500 a year plus $10,000 for expenses to rule the 16 American and National League baseball clubs. He was re-elected three times and died in office on November 24, 1944.
    1920 - An underwater highway tunnel with twin tubes was started this day to run from New York City to Jersey City under the Hudson River. It was named after its chief engineer, Clifford Milburn Holland. It was opened on November 12, 1927 by President Calvin Coolidge, who gave the signal from the presidential yacht Mayflower, anchored in the Potomac River off Washington, DC. In that first hour, 20,000 people walked through the tunnel from shore to shore. Vehicular traffic was allowed through on November 13, 1927.
    1921 - The first conference of great powers to be held on American soil and affecting American interests was the Conference on the Limitation of Armaments, which was assembled at Memorial Continental Hall in Washington, DC, from this day to February 6, 1922. Nine nations took part in this conference: The United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, China, Holland, Belgium, and Portugal. The American delegation was headed by Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes.
    1925 - Louis Armstrong Hot Five makes their first recording,
Chicago, ILL Okeh
    1928 – SS Vestris sunk approximately 200 miles off Hampton Roads, VA, killing at least 110 passengers, mostly women and children who die after the vessel was abandoned.
    1929 - Birthday of Grace Kelly (d.1982) at Philadelphia, PA.  American award-winning actress (“Rear Window,” “To Catch a Thief”) who became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married that country's ruler, Prince Rainier Ill, in 1956.  She died of injuries sustained in an automobile accident, Sept 14, 1982, at Monte Carlo, Monaco.
    1930 – Bob Crewe (d. 2014) was born in Newark, NJ.  A prolific songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer, he was known for producing and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons.  He also had hit recordings with The Rays (“Silhouettes”), Diane Renay (“Navy Blue”), Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (“Devil With the Blue Dress”), Freddy Cannon (“Tallahassee Lassie”), Lesley Gore (“California Nights”), Oliver (“Jean”), Michael Jackson, Bobby Darin, Roberta Flack, Patti LaBelle (“Lady Marmalade”), Barry Manilow, and his own Bob Crewe Generation (“Music to watch Girls By”).  1985 inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
    1933 - First Sunday football game in Philadelphia (previously illegal).
    1933 – The first known photo of the Loch Ness Monster was taken.
    1936 – The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened across San Francisco Bay, linking the two cities.
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/Bridge/sfobay.html
http://www.sfmuseum.org/assoc/bridge00.html
    1939 - The youngest of the three DiMaggio brothers, Dominic, was bought for $40,000 by the Boston Red Sox from the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League.
    1941 - Madame Lillian Evanti, opera singer, founds the National Negro Opera Company.
http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/223/
Americna_Negro_Theatre_formed
    1942 - The naval battle of Guadalcanal began between Japanese and American forces during World War II. The battle lasted until November 15. The U.S. scored a major victory, inflicting heavy losses on a Japanese task force and preventing Japanese reinforcements from reaching the island. The early TV series “Victory at War” captures much of the famous battle.
http://www.friesian.com/history/guadal.htm
    1943 – Singer Brian Hyland, “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” was born in Woodhaven, NY. 
    1944 – Booker T. Jones, of Booker T. and The MGs, was born in Memphis.
    1945 - Singer Neil Young, of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, was born Toronto, ON, Canada.
    1946 - Drive-in banking service was instituted by the Exchange National Bank of Chicago, IL. Ten tellers' windows protected by heavy bulletproof glass and impregnable corrugated steel were equipped with automatic slide out drawers to enable motorists to transact business without leaving their cars.
    1948 - Japanese premier Hideki Tojo was sentenced to death with several others by an international war crimes tribunal.   
    1951 - Top Hits
“Because of You” - Tony Bennett
“Sin (It's No)” - Eddy Howard
“And So to Sleep Again” - Patti Page
“Slow Poke” - Pee Wee King
    1953 - U.S. District Court Judge Grim ruled in favor of the NFL, allowing the TV blackout of home games.
    1954 – Ellis Island was closed as a US immigration port
    1955 - Billboard began its "Top 100" chart, with the first Number One listed as "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" by the Four Aces. The magazine wouldn't combine all its pop charts into one until 1959.  
    1955 - The worst recorded attendance to a football game occurred in the Washington State vs. San Jose State game at Pullman, Washington. The game was played as scheduled, despite high winds and a temperature of 0 degrees F. The total paid attendance was 1.
    1957 - "Jamboree," the first movie starring Jerry Lee Lewis, previews in Hollywood. Among those featured in the flick are Fats Domino (with whom Lewis shares top billing), Carl Perkins, Frankie Avalon, Slim Whitman and Connie Francis.  Perkins rejects a song called "Great Balls Of Fire" that Jerry Lee has already recorded, and Lewis' version, released along with the film, becomes a hit. Perkins instead opts to sing a song called "Glad All Over" in the film, which goes nowhere.
    1958 - A team of rock climbers led by Warren Harding completed the first ascent of The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley.
    1959 - Top Hits
“Mack the Knife” - Bobby Darin
“Mr. Blue” - The Fleetwoods
“Don't You Know” - Della Reese
“Country Girl” - Faron Young
    1959 - Between Noon on the 11th and Noon on the 12th, a winter storm buried Helena, MT, under 21.5 inches of snow, which surpassed their previous 24 hour record by seven inches.
    1964 - Shirley Ellis records "The Name Game" as a follow-up to her #8 hit, "The Nitty Gritty". Her latest effort would reach #3.  “…if the first two letters are ever the same drop them both, then say the name…like Bob, Bob, B, O Ob…”
    1966 - Donovan's "Mellow Yellow" is released and begins its climb to #2 in the US. It was long rumored that the song is about smoking dried banana skins, which was believed to be a hallucinogenic drug in the 1960s, but this rumor has since been debunked. The song's title actually refers to the fact that Donovan had suffered from liver disease in early 1966 and had become severely jaundiced. He originally says it refers to his trip in the Greek Isles and remembers Sapho the poetess and safron in the food making it yellow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellow_Yellow
http://www.alohatropicals.com/mb-01.html
    1967 - On Broadway, Pearl Bailey took over the lead role in the musical, "Hello Dolly." "Pearlie Mae," as Bailey was called, was a hit.
    1967 - The Detroit Lions set an NFL record by fumbling the football 11 times and losing 5.
    1967 - Top Hits
“To Sir with Love” - Lulu
“Soul Man” - Sam & Dave
“It Must Be Him” - Vikki Carr
“You Mean the World to Me” - David Houston
    1967 - BARNES, JOHN ANDREW III, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 503d Infantry 173d Airborne Brigade. Place and date: Dak To, Republic of Vietnam, 12 November 1967. Entered service at: Boston, Mass. Born: 16 April 1945, Boston, Mass. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Barnes distinguished himself by exceptional heroism while engaged in combat against hostile forces. Pfc. Barnes was serving as a grenadier when his unit was attacked by a North Vietnamese force, estimated to be a battalion. Upon seeing the crew of a machine gun team killed, Pfc. Barnes, without hesitation, dashed through the bullet swept area, manned the machine gun, and killed 9 enemy soldiers as they assaulted his position. While pausing just long enough to retrieve more ammunition, Pfc. Barnes observed an enemy grenade thrown into the midst of some severely wounded personnel close to his position. Realizing that the grenade could further injure or kill the majority of the wounded personnel, he sacrificed his life by throwing himself directly onto the hand grenade as it exploded. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his own safety, and profound concern for his fellow soldiers, he averted a probable loss of life and injury to the wounded members of his unit. Pfc. Barnes' extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
    1967 – In the final season of Vince Lombardi as coach of the green Bay packers, Travis Williams returned 2 kickoffs for TDs against the Cleveland Browns, setting the largest margin of a Browns defeat (48), winning 55-7.
    1968 - Supreme Court voids Arkansas law banning teaching of evolution in public schools. Alabama continues warning high school students that evolution is 'controversial', putting stickers on biology books.
    1968 - A severe coastal storm produced high winds and record early snows from Georgia to Maine. Winds reached 90 mph in Massachusetts, and ten inches of snow blanketed interior Maine.
    1969 - U.S. Army announced its investigation of Lt. William Calley for the alleged massacre of civilians at the village of My Lai, Vietnam.  Independent investigative journalist Seymour Hersh broke the story.
    1971 - President Nixon set February 1, 1972 as the deadline for the removal of another 45,000 American troops from Vietnam as part of his “Vietnamization” of the war.
    1972 - Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins became the first NFL coach to win 100 regular season games in only 10 seasons as the Miami Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots, 52-0.
    1974 - A great Alaska storm in the Bering Sea caused the worst coastal flooding of memory at Nome, AK with a tide of 13.2 feet. The flooding caused $12 million damage, however no lives are lost.
    1974 – South Africa was suspended from the United Nations General Assembly over its apartheid racial policies.
    1975 – New York Mets P Tom Seaver won his third Cy Young Award.  He posted 243 strikeouts with a 2.38 ERA and led the NL with 22 victories.
    1975 - Top Hits
“Island Girl” - Elton John
“Lyin' Eyes” - The Eagles
“Who Loves You” - Four Seasons
“I'm Sorry” - John Denver
    1979 - Jefferson Starship singer Marty Balin's rock opera "Rock Justice" opens a four-day run at San Francisco's Old Waldorf night club. Balin stars in and co-directs the musical, about a rock star who dreams he's on trial for not having a hit record.
    1979 – Kenny Rogers began filming the CBS-TV movie,”The Gambler,” based on his 1978 smash tune of the same name. It will spawn four sequels.   
    1979 – Responding to the taking of American hostages, President Jimmy Carter announced the immediate halt to all imports of Iranian oil.
    1980 – NASA space probe Voyager I made its closest approach to Saturn and took the first images of its rings.
    1981 - The space shuttle Columbia was launched for the second time; it was the first space vehicle to be used more than once.
    1983 - Lionel Richie started the first of four consecutive weeks at #1 on the music charts as "All Night Long (All Night)" became the United States most popular song.
    1983 - Top Hits
“Islands in the Stream” - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
“All Night Long (All Night)” - Lionel Richie
“One Thing Leads to Another” - The Fixx
“Somebody's Gonna Love You” - Lee Greenwood
    1984 - Madonna releases the "Like A Virgin" LP.
    1986 - For the first time in the history of the NBA, both head coaches were absent from the game when coaches K.C. Jones and Don Nelson were too sick to be at the Boston-Milwaukee game. The Boston Celtics had their 44th straight home victory as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 124-116.
    1986 - Red Sox Roger Clemens becomes only the second American League pitcher to unanimously win the Cy Young Award. Denny McLain was the first to accomplish the feat in 1968.
    1987 - Heavy snow spread across much of New England. Totals in Massachusetts ranged up to 14 inches in Plymouth County. The seven-inch total at the Logan Airport in Boston was their highest of record for so early in the season, and the 9.7-inch total at Providence, RI was a record for November. Roads were clogged with traffic and made impassable as snowplow operators were caught unprepared for the early season snowstorm.
    1988 - "Rattle and Hum," the album by U2, started a six-week run at the top of the U.S. album charts. Hum along now, as we list the tracks on the "Rattle and Hum": "Helter Skelter", "Van Diemen's Land", "Desire", "Hawkmoon 269", "All Along the Watchtower", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "Freedom for My People", "Silver and Gold", "Pride (In the Name of Love)", "Angel of Harlem", "Love Rescue Me", "When Love Comes to Town", "Heartland", "God Part II", "The Star Spangled Banner", "Bullet the Blue Sky", "All I Want is You".
    1989 - Thirty-three cities reported record high temperatures for the date as readings soared into the 70s and 80s from the Southern and Central Plains to the Southern and Middle Atlantic Coast Region. The afternoon high of 80 degrees at Scottsbluff, NE was a record for November, and highs of 76 degrees at Rapid City, SD and 81 degrees at Chattanooga, TN were the warmest of record for so late in the season.
    1990 – Tim Berners-Lee published a formal proposal for the World Wide Web.
    1991 - Top Hits
“Cream” - Prince & The N.P.G.
“Can't Stop This Thing We Started” - Bryan Adams
“Real, Real, Real” - Jesus Jones
“Someday” - Alan Jackson
    1995 - Miami quarterback Dan Marino passes Fran Tarkenton (47,003 yards) to become the NFL's all-time passing yards leader on a 9-yard toss to Irving Fryar in the Dolphins' 34-17 loss to New England. Marino finishes his career with 61,361 yards passing.
    1996 - Reverend Jesse Jackson threatened to lead a potentially crippling boycott against Texaco if the oil giant failed to settle a lingering racial- discrimination lawsuit. Six Texaco employees initially filed the $520 million suit in 1994; the ensuing years saw the case mushroom into a complaint backed by some 1,400 workers. Despite growing pressure, Texaco was slow to respond to the case. However, Jackson's involvement, coupled with the revelation of a "secret" audio tape that captured Texaco executives making racial slurs and plotting to derail the lawsuit, helped bring the case to a close. On November 15, Texaco announced what was believed to be a $ 175 million settlement to the case, which included a one-time salary boost for minority employees, as well as the establishment of "diversity training and sensitivity programs".
    1997 – Carly Simon is hospitalized with breast cancer, undergoing both chemo and a mastectomy.
    1997 – Ramzi Yousef was found guilty of masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World trade Center.
    1998 - Top Hits
“Doo Wop (That Thing)” - Lauryn Hill
“Lately” - Divine
“The First Night” - Monica
“One Week” - Barenaked Ladies
    2001 - American Airlines flight 587 crashed in Belle Harbor, New York, just after takeoff from Kennedy Airport and mere weeks after 9/11, killing 265.
    2001 – Seattle Mariners RF outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who led the AL with a .350 batting average, was named Rookie of the Year. Chris Assenheimer of the Elyria, OH Chronicle-Telegram voted for C.C. Sabathia, the only one not for Ichiro, stating the nine years of professional experience in Japan made Suzuki less of a rookie than Sabathia.
    2002 - Miguel Tejada, who receives 356 points from the Baseball Writers' Association, including 21 first-place votes of the 28 cast, is selected as the American League's Most Valuable Player. The A's shortstop joins countrymen Sammy Sosa and George Bell as Dominican Republic natives to win the award.
    2007 – The Yankees re-signed C Jorge Posada for $52.4 million over four years. This made Posada the highest-paid catcher in Major League history, edging out Mike Piazza’s $13 million average from 1999-2005.
    2014 – The US and China agreed to cut greenhouse gases with President Barack Obama setting a goal of at least a 26% reduction over 2005 levels by 2025.