About the company: Located on the water in
beautiful Newport Beach, California.The environment is positive. |
Growing vendor based equipment leasing company
Learn our value proposition
2 Years Sales or Related Exp.
College Degree Preferred
You will work with people
that you can trust and respect
Click here to learn more
|
|
Monday, September 29, 2008
Piano player, rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter and pianist Jerry Lee Lewis born Ferriday, Louisiana, September 29, 1935; “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On", “Great Balls of ire,” “Breathless,” “High School Confidential,” “Another Place, Another Time,” “What Made Milwaukee Famous (Made a Loser Out of Me).” The 1989 film “Great Balls of Fire!” starring Dennis Quaid was about his life.
http://www.myspace.com/jerryleelewis
http://www.leasingnews.org/Pages/Jerry_Lewis.htm |
Headlines--- New Readers---Welcome Aboard
ELFA Introduces “New Career Center”
Sonic “clarifies” GE pulling back Restaurants
WaMu Bank Failure---Sept. 19th
Gary Shiver’s New Company: Navitas
UAEL Conference by Bob Teichman, CLP
How long for Recovery? by Al Schuler
Jeff Taylor predicted today’s leasing market
Classified Ads---Help Wanted
New Hires---Promotions
Top Stories --September 22-26
Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Disclaimer of Warranties
The question now: Will bailout plan work?
Treasury Would Emerge With Vast New Power
Bank bailout to impact expansion financing
Watch lending between banks
News Briefs---
You May have Missed---
Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Fats Domino
September 15, 2006
"Gimme that Wine"
Today's Top Event in History
This Day in American History
Baseball Poem by Wayne Lander
SuDoku
Daily Puzzle
GasBuddy
Weather, USA or specific area
Traffic Live----
######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release”
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New Readers---Welcome Aboard
Thank you for subscribing. You may also want to “bookmark” www.leasingnews.org as the “news edition” is also posted here. Generally it is every Monday-Wednesday-Friday, unless a holiday or there is not enough news in the industry for an edition.
Readers on our mailing list also get extra’s, such as this sent out Friday afternoon:
Statement on Proposed Agreement Federal Economic Rescue Act of 2008
Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
President Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr.
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-26-08.htm
[headlines]
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****Announcement***********************************
ELFA Introduces “New Career Center”
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association has teamed with Boxwood Technology to create this one-stop resource for managing your career or finding qualified candidates for openings in your company. The ELFA Career Center is designed to help companies locate the best-qualified candidates, while also offering job seekers a venue for posting their resumes to potential employees in the industry. It also provides access to a wide range of information about equipment leasing and finance to help candidates become better prepared for a career in this industry.
There is a special introductory offer in effect now through the end of October: Normally, a 30 day posting is $395 for member companies. If companies post a job before the end of October, we will extend the posting an additional 30 days for no additional fee. The promotional code for this is N24XM.
Prices for employers:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/ELFA_Career_Center.pdf
ELFA Career Center added to lists on line for employment:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Posting_sites.htm
****Announcement************************************
----------------------------
Leasing News Advisor Fred St Laurent, CEO and President SFBI Recruiters, Inc. DBA MRI Big Creek, did a report on www.theleaseblog.com. Leasing News has received permission to quote his thoughts about the ELFA Career Center site:
“The interface is simple and functional and I enjoyed the process. Although I was confused about how to take advantage of the code they listed that doubles the length of the ad and resume search the customer service was eager, friendly and resolved the issue (my bad) in no time at all.”
“The job search function is smartly engineered and I think they will see some traffic there. You can also search the jobs without registering a resume which allows for confidentiality for the candidate so it should be highly effective in attracting visitors to look at the jobs posted. The resume search function (which is enabled once you create and pay for a posting) is also easy to use.
“My hope as a recruiter is that the new ELFA Jobsite will have global exposure and also compete with the Monitor as a place for companies to post their jobs. (The Monitor currently sells job postings to companies but does not allow other recruiters to buy ads.)
“I will track the development of the site (especially the number of resumes added over the next 60 days) and blog on it (www.theleaseblog.com) as it develops for those who have an interest.”
Fred
For a full listing of all Leasing News “job wanted” ads, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm
Leasing Recruiters:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Recruits/index.htm
To place a free “job wanted” ad here, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm
[headlines]
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Sonic “clarifies” GE pulling back from Restaurant Loans
### Press Release ###########################
OKLAHOMA CITY — Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ: SONC), the nation's largest chain of drive-in restaurants, today commented on remarks in the media concerning GE Capital and the reported pullback it is making in financing for franchisees. Sonic clarified that during the past year GE Capital provided less than 10% of the lending to its franchisees. GE is just one of many lenders who finance Sonic franchisees and, in fact, many franchisees maintain access to other diversified sources of financing. Furthermore, Sonic has not received any notification from GE Capital, either directly or indirectly, that it will stop financing new loans to Sonic franchisees.
About Sonic
Sonic, America's Drive-In, originally started as a hamburger and root beer stand in 1953 in Shawnee, Okla., called Top Hat Drive-In, and then changed its name to Sonic in 1959. The first drive-in to adopt the Sonic name is still serving customers in Stillwater, Okla. Sonic has more than 3,400 drive-ins coast to coast, where more than a million customers eat every day. For more information about Sonic Corp. and its subsidiaries, visit Sonic at www.sonicdrivein.com.
####Press Release####
Leasing News has received “off the record” comment from two GE employees that the information is basically correct, but they are not in the position to explain more, implying it is not only their employment but their benefit. Rumors are flying that GE Capital will be spun off. It may be make them more competitive, not less, however how that will affect present employees is not known.
Regarding restaurant leasing, for the last year many regular lessors have been making more restrictions on restaurant financing, including Financial Pacific, Pawnee, and others, including Bank of the West Leasing which requires financial statements to consider restaurant lessees (no “app. only.”)
Leasing News has been trying to determine the affects on franchisors as the last five years franchisees have found easy financing. The value of the franchisor in the transaction has generally carried credits, but that may have changed in this economic climate.
Original Dow Jones story Sonic now “clarifies:”
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=255785
[headlines]
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WaMu Bank Failure---September 19th
The WaMu bank failure was anticipated by the OTS quite early, and in fact the decree was signed on September 19th. The media has reported on the fraudulent mortgage loans accepted by WaMu and subprime loans. WaMu got out of leasing almost two years ago, running out of money to keep this division going, plus profits have been down for quite some time. As important, readers should remember all the television ads poking fun at banks charging for checks, banking accounts, and all the services WaMu was offering for “free.”
Reportedly the coup de grace began after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers where WaMu customers withdrew $16.7 billion in a 10-day period.
The former savings and loan, which became a bank, was no doubt highly mismanaged with little due diligence and offering such products as “option adjustable-rate mortgages” with no money down; many real estate agents tacking second mortgages as “front money” for borrowers who never should
have qualified for the amount required for the first mortgage.
Copy of OTS decree on WaMu, dated September 19th:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/Thrift_supervision.pdf
[headlines]
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Gary Shiver’s New Company: Navitas
The former president of Marlin Business has opened his new company Navitas Lease Finance Corp. It is up and operating. He states, " My only restriction with Marlin is not to hire anyone who is currently an employee of Marlin, or was an employee as of the date of my separation. This restriction runs out January 31, 2009. The only other restrictions would be the 'common law' type restrictions such as use of proprietary or confidential information, etc." The only other restrictions would be the 'common law' type restrictions such as use of proprietary or confidential information, etc."
http://navitaslease.com/
[headlines]
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UAEL 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition
By
Bob Teichman, CLP
Denver, Colorado, September 28, 2008
From Thursday though today, some 250 equipment lease and finance professionals defied the economic meltdown and met at the Sheraton Hotel here in Denver to compare notes, meet with funders and peers, and try to learn where the economy and the equipment leasing and finance industry will be in the near and the not-so-near future.
The constant hum was the poor state of funding. Banks and other funders have made major cutbacks. At least one lessor said that although applications were up, approvals and fundings were down, leading to flat production. Most agreed that those lessors with access to funds will do well in the coming months. Some lessors, who have their own funds or have solid lines were positively gleeful about their opportunities.
A major topic of discussion was the proposed merger between the United Association of Equipment Leasing (UAEL) and Eastern Association of Equipment Lessors (EAEL.) Members were asked to vote on the merger and the management of both associations expects that the voting will be completed by mid-October. If the members of both associations agree to the merger, a new association, to be called the National Equipment Finance Association, will be formed and will begin activities on January 1, 2009.
The members at the meeting were all very positive about the merger, and Paul Knowlton, president of UAEL said that as of yesterday, the trend of the voting appeared to be in favor of the merger.
Since the meeting was, as usual, devoted to the trade show on Friday, with some fifty exhibitors, there were few educational sessions. Most exhibitors were pleased with the traffic; some booths were busy all day with visitors.
One well-attended workshop was on improving production by controlling stress; particularly appropriate right now.
A very popular panel discussion, presented by Curt Kovash of Manifest, Steve Crane of Bank of the West, Chuck Brazier of Pinnacle Business Finance and industry icon Paul Menzel which dealt with current economic conditions. The panelists discussed the best and worst industries, showing that real-estate related industries are faring worst and medical faring best. Other good industries are manufacturing, agriculture and legal. The panelists noted that, as funds become less available, credit is tightening, with minimum target credit scores now at 675 to 690, up from the 650 that prevailed earlier.
The conference concluded last night with a dinner at Coors Field. Standing at the edge of the baseball diamond, munching on prawns and other goodies while surrounded by the vast stadium with its thousands of seats, was a remarkable experience.
The overall feeling was optimistic. Our industry has been through disasters before. This one may be different in detail, but most of the people at the conference have a lot of experience and recognize that there are significant opportunities for success.
Mr. Teichman is the Chairman of the Leasing News Advisory Board:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Advisory%20Board/Teichman_Bob.htm
[headlines]
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How long for Recovery?
by Al Schuler, US Department of Agriculture
How long will it take for house prices to bottom and recover following the bailout? Same questions for unemployment, GDP, etc. The current bailout is much larger - $700 billion versus about $225 billion for RTC. By the way, the taxpayer/government recovered about $140 billion, so the net loss to the taxpayer was about $85 billion with the RTC.
The current bailout package is much larger and more complicated, so the lag times for GDP and house prices to bottom, and then return to "normal", could be longer.
Mr. Schuler enclosed this analysis:
"....after the RTC was established in 1989 it took a year for the stock market to bottom, two years for the economy to bottom, and three years for the housing market to bottom. And recall that after the FSA in Japan was unveiled in 1997 the stock market didn’t bottom for another five years and it’s an open question as whether the economy ever did manage to stage a sustainable recovery.
“In the Swedish case of the early 1990s, even with an effective government solution, the process of extinguishing the bad debts via government intervention was painful – the equity market incurred a 28-month long bear market that saw Sweden’s major index decline 45% from peak to trough and the economy undergo a 20-month recession that saw domestic demand contract by 2-1/2%.”
David Rosenberg
Merrill Lynch
http://www.clusterstock.com
[headlines]
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Jeff Taylor predicted the leasing market in progress
As Jeff Taylor, CPA, CLP, wrote in his book, "The Future of Equipment Leasing," September, 2006, “…you may want to consider becoming a broker or start your own private leasing company.”
Here is the summation from his book:
On September 8, 2005 the Equipment Leasing Association met with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to educate them on the positive aspects of equipment leasing throughout the world.
They stated that the global equipment leasing market is approximately $600 - $700 billion annually with the U.S. accounting for one-third of the global market (est. $220 billion in 2004).
They pointed out that Corporate America leases for the following reasons:
• Access to capital
• Lower cost of capital
• 100% financing
• Convenience
• Asset risk management
• Tax planning and minimization
• Off-balance sheet financing
• Regulatory capital and asset constraints
They also said that 77% of their member's volume was in the form of direct finance leases and conditional sales, which most experts acknowledge as alternative forms of loans. Only 9% were classified as true operating leases.
So the questions, logically, that I have to ask are:
If only 9% of the world's major company’s volume is in the form of loan financing and not true operating leases, does that mean that equipment leasing companies:
• Are afraid of offering true leases?
• Cannot afford to offer true leases?
• Will no longer take residual risk?
• No longer exist and no one notices?
My predictions for public leasing companies are as follows:
Small Ticket - will abandon true leases and all residual risk and support direct finance leases and loans to consumers. Captive companies including IBM, HP, John Deere, J & J will dominate. All transactions will be credit scored and audited for compliance.
Middle Market - will lean towards direct finance leases and loans, yet create true operating leases in which they feel they can make money in re-leasing used equipment. They will abandon consumers and focus on business markets. They will use brokers to acquire business and jettison full-time sales people.
Large Ticket - They will continue to leave the U.S. and find a home in Europe, India and Asia where the tax laws are more equitable and capital is abundant.
Given the overbearing rules and regulations governing fair market value, disclosures and present value computations promoted by FASB and the increasing reduction in tax benefits to those who take tax risk, it is no wonder to see this phenomenon occurring here in the U.S., while our International competitors grab an ever increasing lion's share of the marketplace.
While FASB/SEC focuses on taking down large public leasing companies, the true leasing marketplace has started to migrate back to the small local lessor who existed before he sold out to large corporations with deep pockets.
If the FASB gets their way, they will require that all public leasing companies and public users of leases report all material long-term leases on the balance sheet using a rights and obligations approach based on fair value estimates derived principally from analytical models.
The only company that would not be affected by this ruling would be a private company, one that is not in the limelight of public reporting. So, if you work for a large public leasing company and want to sell equipment leasing over the next 5-10 years, you may want to consider becoming a broker or start your own private leasing company.
The book is available at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Future-Equipment-Leasing-Jeffrey-Taylor/dp/0972704736
[headlines]
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Classified Ads---Help Wanted
Credit Professional
|
Credit Professional
Long Beach, California
Ground floor opportunity to join new and emerging powerhouse in the equipment finance and leasing industry; to play an integral role in our growth!
To learn more, click here.
We are an asset-based finance company specializing in business equipment leases ranging from $500 to $5,000,000.
|
|
Vendor Sales Specialists
About the company: Located on the water in
beautiful Newport Beach, California.The environment is positive. |
Growing vendor based equipment leasing company
Learn our value proposition
2 Years Sales or Related Exp.
College Degree Preferred
You will work with people
that you can trust and respect
Click here to learn more
|
|
[headlines]
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New Hires---Promotions
Kevin Gilroy has been named relationship manager for Tygris Commercial Finance Company, Parsippany, N.J. He previously worked for CitiCapital as a senior account executive from 2006-2008. In this position, he was responsible for signing new vendors and maintaining customer relationships in the healthcare and energy equipment sectors. He also worked for First Data as a sales manager, focusing on leasing of merchant services equipment. He received a degree in meteorology from Western Connecticut State University.
Kal Patel has been named relationship manager for Tygris Commercial Finance Company, Parsippany, N.J. He is is responsible for account management and business development within the Healthcare Finance Group. He worked for MarCap from 2003-08, most recently as Midwest regional manager. Prior to this, he was a senior credit manager at CitiBank from 2002-2003. Patel began his career at Merrill Lynch Corp., holding analyst and portfolio management positions in corporate finance from 1997-2002. He received a degree in finance from Northern Illinois University.
Justin Tabone was appointed vice president, healthcare business development for Tygris Commercial Finance Company, Parsippany, N.J. He worked for MarCap from 2004-2008, most recently as vice president, strategic account group. There, he managed the firm’s vendor finance division. Prior to this, Tabone worked for Partners Equity Capital (PECC), a start-up company formed by former executives of Tokai Leasing and De Lage Landen. At PEC, he was the first healthcare regional manager and a key player in forming the firm’s vendor platform. Tabone also worked for DVI Strategic Partner Group, focusing on healthcare leasing, as well as Key Bank and BayBanks Boston. Tabone graduated from Boston University with a degree in international relations with an emphasis in economics.
[headlines]
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Top Stories --September 22-26
Here are the top ten stories most “opened” by readers last week:
(1) GE shutting down outside leasing business?
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-25-08.htm#ge
(2) How’s Leasing Business?---“Heard on the Street”
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-23-08.htm#heard
(3) How’s Leasing Business?
---“Heard on the Street” II
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-25-08.htm#heard
(4) WaMu loaned millions in California loan fraud
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008194436_wamu220.html
(5) Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
“Early Buy Out Options”
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-23-08.htm#102
(6) GE Is Dragged Down Along With Banks
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/business/22ge.html?em
(7) Rates rise, mortgage applications fall
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=%7B86AD109E%2DDE72%
2D4A5A%2D9591%2D9373BD071402%7D&siteid=rss
(8) Jerry Oestreich Leasing Partners NY
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-23-08.htm#lpc
(9) Robert Krause Joins The Alta Group
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-25-08.htm#alta
(10) Dee DiBenedictis Launches Lease Broker Ass't
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-25-08.htm#lba
Leasing News Extra (not rated due to technical reasons)
Statement on Proposed Agreement Federal Economic Rescue Act of 2008
Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
President Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr.
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/September%202008/09-26-08.htm
[headlines]
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Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Disclaimer of Warranties
To begin with, please remember that UCC Article 2A splits leases into two categories, two party (vendor leasing) and three party (finance leases). This is important because in a two party lease the Lessor is also the equipment supplier and since the Lessor is the purveyor of goods and the Lessee is a company leasing the use of the equipment for a limited period of time, the use of the equipment and, just as in Article 2 of the UCC in the case of sales, they are entitled to certain basic protections regarding the quality of the leased asset. In the absence of a disclaimer of warrantees the Lessor may be subject to implied warranties of fitness and merchantability. This means that the Lessee has a right to expect the equipment to perform correctly without failure or significant down time. When there is a breach of the implied warranty of merchantability, the lessee may not only recover lease payments previously made, but may also recover consequential damages.
There are generally two warranties that may be implicit in any sale of “goods.” First, the Warranty of Fitness for a Particular Purpose is implied if it can be shown that the seller at the time of purchase has reason to know a particular purpose for which the goods are required. The buyer must rely on the seller’s judgment or skill when making the purchase. Basically, the seller warrants that the goods sold shall be fit for that particular purpose.
The second warranty is the Implied Warranty of Merchantability. This is a warranty that the goods are fit for the ordinary purposes for which they are used. The purpose is to hold the seller responsible when inferior goods, not of a merchantable standard, are passed on to the unsuspecting buyer.
However, a merchant may disclaim these warranties. There are generally two rules when doing so. First, use the word “merchantability” in the disclaimer and make the language conspicuous. For example, the disclaimer should be in bold or capital letters and in a larger type face. Next, one may use expressions such as “AS IS” or “with all faults” to disclaim implied warranties. Again, these should be easy for the buyer to see.
In net leases that are finance leases (three party Lease)Article 2A exempts the Lessor from implied warranties and again like Article 2, provides for a method to waive these warranties. You must include a disclaimer of Warranties (supply contract) in bold print (conspicuous) plus you must pass on to the Lessee any and all warrantees provided by the vendor and state same in your lease agreement and most important require this pass through in your vendor purchase order. Example Purchase Order Language:
Title to the equipment shall pass from you directly to us and shall be free of all liens and encumbrances. You warrant that the equipment will comply with all warranties, agreements and representations made by you to lessee, and you agree that all warranties agreements and representations made by you (supply contract) to lessee or to us shall be fully enforceable by us and/or by lessee in its own name.
In addition a net lease finance Lessor requires the “Lessee” as part of the disclaimer to inspect and accept the equipment (acceptance certificate). If it meets with the lessee’s approval and they sign and acceptance certificate with the correct language you have taken another step in protecting yourself from equipment claims. Here is some example acceptance language:
The following Items of Equipment have been (a) delivered to Lessee under the Lease (as evidenced by a signed Delivery Certificate), (b) fully and completely installed (if and to the extent any installation is required), (c) tested by Lessee to the extent Lessee deems appropriate in order to make this Certificate), (d) found to be suitable to Lessee for purposes of accepting those Items under the Lease and making them subject to the Schedule and the Lease (without waiving any rights or claims against the Vendor), (e) put into use on or as of the Commencement Date, and (f) accepted by Lessee, and Lessee hereby waives any right to revoke its acceptance with respect thereto:
With both the disclaimers of warrantees and the acceptance certificate, a net Lessor under a three party finance lease is protected legally from equipment failure. This does not rule out that the Lessee will be upset and try not making payments if the equipment fails to live up to the promises of the vendor. Once again it is important to have a check list for the salesperson, or your cover letter, to verbalize your net lease status and the fact that you have passed on the warrantees so that the Lessee can take any equipment failures directly to the vendor plus the fact you have a “hell and high water” provision that requires them to make payments regardless of equipment failure.
These provisions are very important if you are to be free of responsibility for equipment performance. Remember to have your legal counsel review your lease documents at least every two years to stay on top of the changes brought on by new legal cases.
Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty years and can be reached at leaseconsulting@msn.com or 502-327-8666.
He invites your questions and queries.
Previous #102 Columns:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Leasing_102/Index.htm
(This ad is a “trade” for the writing of this column. Opinions
contained in the column are those of Mr. Terry Winders, CLP)
[headlines]
### Press Release ###########################
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News Briefs---- The question now: Will bailout plan work?
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-09-28-money-economy-bailout-deal
_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Treasury Would Emerge With Vast New Power
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/29/business/29bill.html?adxnnl=1&ref=business&
adxnnlx=1222671687-wHRLl7MsRfgQk0Q8LZvEkQ
Bank bailout to impact business, expansion financing
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2008/09/29/Bank-bailout-to-impact-
business-expansion-financing
A successful bailout? Watch lending between banks
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080928-1056-bailout-isitworking.html
Americans gloomier, for now
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-09-28-poll-depression_N.htm
Airbus kicks off assembly line in China
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/Airbus_kicks_off_assembly_line_in_China/
articleshow/3537379.cms
[headlines]
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(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)
You May have Missed--- Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Ray Charles Sept. 15,2006 the Netherlands--
Directed by Paul Scheffer and a cameo by Rod Stewart.
7.24 minutes long Boogie Woogie!!! (two songs)
http://www.leasingnews.org/Audio/Charles_Lewis.htm
[headlines]
----------------------------------------------------------------
“Gimme that Wine” Napa Valley & Carneros Chardonnay
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/26/
WIC112RJFI.DTL&hw=wine&sn=001&sc=1000
Bob and Jim Varner: Mission: To grow perfect Chardonnay fruit, then leave it be
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/25/WIIN132KOQ.DTL
Santa Cruz Harvest begins for a smaller wine grape crop
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_10544765
Award-Winning Filmmaker Creates Series of Wine Films
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/prnewswire/press_releases/national/
Hungary/2008/09/24/AQW016
Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com
http://www.wine-searcher.com/
US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/
Winery Atlas
http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas
Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm
The London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex) is an electronic exchange for fine wine.
http://www.liv-ex.com/
[headlines]
----------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Top Event in History
1947 - Musician Dizzy Gillespie (performing with Charlie Parker) made his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City. Playing with a full-sized band, Gillespie was the leader of a new wave of jazz known as bebop. Over time, Gillespie became one of the great jazz players of all time.
[headlines]
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This Day in American History
1803- The first Roman Catholic Church in Boston was formally dedicated. (Catholics had not been permitted any religious freedom within this predominantly Puritan colony prior to the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780.)
1907- Birthday of Gene Autry, born Tioga, Texas: ‘The Singing Cowboy', actor in over 100 cowboy westerns, singer, CMA Hall of Fame and the only person to have 5 Hollywood Walk of Fame stars. They were for film, radio, TV, stage and records; born Tioga, Texas. Autry made 635 recordings, including more than 300 songs written or co-written by him. His records sold more than 100 million copies and he has more than a dozen gold and platinum records, including the first record ever certified gold. His Christmas and children's records Here Comes Santa Claus and Peter Cottontail are among his platinum recordings. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer , the second all-time best selling Christmas single, boasts in excess of 30 million in sales. In 1950, Autry became the first major movie star to use the television medium. Always a man of vision, Autry excelled and for the next five years he produced and starred in 91 half-hour episodes of The Gene Autry Show for CBS Television. This success lead him to produce such popular TV series as Annie Oakley, The Range Rider, Buffalo Bill Jr., The Adventures Of Champion as well as the first 39 episodes of Death Valley Days. My father Lawrence Menkin wrote many of the episodes, plus served as story editor.
http://www.cowboypal.com/genehp.html
http://www.autry.com/geneautry/geneautry_biography.html
1908-Birthday of Thomas Edward (Eddie) Tolan, Olympic gold medal sprinter born at Denver, CO). Tolan was the first black American athlete to win two gold medals, triumphing in the 100 meters and the 200 meters at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. At his death, he still held the Michigan high school record of 9.8 seconds in the 100-yard dash. Died at Detroit, MI, Jan. 31, 1967.
1918 --Captain GH Wilkins, official AIF photographer, rallies United States troops at the battle of the Hindenburg Line, while taking photographs for this action he is awarded a bar to his Military Cross, becoming the only Australian official photographer to be decorated for bravery in the field.
1927 - An outbreak of tornadoes from Oklahoma to Indiana caused 81 deaths and 25 million dollars damage. A tornado (possibly two tornadoes) cut an eight-mile long path across Saint Louis MO, to Granite City IL, killing 79 persons. The damage path at times was a mile and a quarter in width. The storm followed a similar path to tornadoes which struck in 1871, 1896, and 1959.
1935-Birthday of singer/piano player Jerry Lee Lewis. ("Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On," "Great Balls of Fire"), born Ferriday, LA.
1937-Birthday of guitarist Joe Hughes, Houston, Texas.
http://www.cascadeblues.org/History/hughes_joe_guitar.htm
1938 -Charleston, SC was hit with 5 tornadoes, which killed 32 people and did $2 million in damage
1942- Hugh Mulzac, first Black captain of a US merchant ship, launches with the Booker T Washington,
1946 - "The Adventures of Sam Spade" premiered on CBS radio this Sunday night. In the summer of 1946, it had aired on ABC on Friday nights. "The Adventures of Sam Spade", starring Howard Duff as detective Spade, became a hit on Sunday night radio.
It was based on novels by writer Dashiell Hammet.
1947 - Musician Dizzy Gillespie (performing with Charlie Parker) made his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City. Playing with a full-sized band, Gillespie was the leader of a new wave of jazz known as bebop. Over time, Gillespie became one of the great jazz players of all time.
1947---Top Hits
Feudin' and Fightin' - Dorothy Shay
I Wish I Didn't Love You So - Vaughn Monroe
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now - Perry Como
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) - Tex Williams
1948-Brithday of broadcaster and amateur golfer Bryant Gumbel, born, New Orleans, LA.
1953-- “Make Room for Daddy,” premiers on TV. Danny Thomas starred as Danny Williams, a nightclub singer and comedian, in this family sitcom. The series was renamed "The Danny Thomas Show" in 1956 after Jean Hagen (who played his wife, Margaret) left the show. Many cast members returned for the show's sequel, "Make Room for Granddaddy" in 1970. Thomas' co-stars were: Sherry Jackson and Penney Parker as Danny's daughter Terry; Rusty Hamer as son Rusty; Amanda Randolph as housekeeper Louise; Horace McMahon as Danny's agent, Phil Arnold; Jesse White as agent Jesse Leeds; Sid Melton as Charlie Halper, owner of the Copa Club; Ben Lessy as Danny's pianist, Ben; Mary Wickes as his publicist, Liz O'Neal; Hans Conried as Uncle Tonoose; Nan Bryant as Danny's mother-in-law and Marjorie Lord as his new wife Kathy O'Hara. Rusty Hamer was our next door neighbor growing up in Pacific Palisades, California. His brother was my age and we were best friends, double-dating all the time. Danny Thomas, who many now remember as Marlo's dad and Phil Donahue's father-in-law, is also remembered for many things that influenced television. At the suggestion of his friend, Desi Arnaz, Thomas negotiated a deal that would allow him to retain ownership rights to his programs, like Make Room for Daddy, which debuted this day on ABC-TV. Later, in 1957, the show would move to CBS under the Desilu/Danny Thomas Productions banner. The rest is, literally, TV history. His success allowed him to give something back to the world, in the form of his philanthropic efforts to build St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis. "All I prayed for was a break," he once told an interviewer, "and I said I would do anything, anything, to pay back the prayer if it could be answered. All I needed was a sign of what to do and I would do it." And so it was.
1954---Willie Mays made a fabulous over-the-shoulder catch that many regard as the most famous in baseball history. It came in the first game of the World Series as the New York Giants were playing the Cleveland Indians. Vic Wertz of the Indians hit a long drive to deep center field in the Polo Grounds. Bays turned on the ball, caught it running full stride about 475 feet from home plate, wheeled and threw. The Gaints won the game, 3-0, in 10 innings on Dusty Rhodes's pinch-hit home run and swept the Indians in the Series.
1955---Top Hits
The Yellow Rose of Texas - Mitch Miller
Love is a Many-Splendored Thing - The Four Aces
Tina Marie - Perry Como
I Don't Care - Webb Pierce
1955 - Arthur Miller's play, A View from the Bridge, opened on Broadway on this date, and received mixed reviews from critics.
1956-So far, RCA Victor has received over 856,327 advance orders for Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender."
1959 -Hurricane Gracie made landfall near Beaufort, SC with sustained winds of 97 mph with a peak gust to 138 mph. 10 people were killed in South Carolina and Georgia. As the weakening storm moved through Virginia on the 30th, she spawned an F3 tornado at Ivy, VA which killed 11 people
1959 - The irreverent cartoon TV series, Rocky and Bullwinkle, created by Jay Ward, debuted on ABC on this date. It was the most sophisticated satirical cartoon series of the television era at that time. The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis debuted on CBS on the same evening.
1958-"It's All in the Game" by Tommy Edwards topped the charts and stayed there for 6 weeks.
1958-The Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace" enters the pop chart at #27 and the Moonglows' "Ten Commandments of Love," enters the pop charts at #41.
1960 - ABC-TV brought "My Three Sons" into United States homes. Movie actor Fred MacMurray had a hard time adjusting to the small screen. "My Three Sons" did so well CBS bought it in 1965, for somewhere between seven and ten million dollars.
1962- President JF Kennedy authorized use of federal troops in integration of University of Mississippi. James H. Meredith was escorted onto the University of Mississippi campus by U.S. marshals. Tow men were killed in the ensuing mob violence, which was quelled with the aid of 3000 fe4deral soldiers. The next day Meredith was enrolled and began to attend classes amid continuing disruption by protestors. On June 6, 1966, James Meredith was shot and wounded while on a lone march from Memphis, Tenn. to Jackson, Miss. to encourage black voter registration. Only June 26, 26 groups from across the country joined with Meredith to complete the march. From 1989 to 1991, Meredith served as a policy advisor to conservative Republican Senator Jesse Helms, who only ten years earlier had opposed the establishment of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. He is an author and businessman today.
http://www.africanamericans.com/JamesMeredith.htm
1962 - My Fair Lady closed on this day after a run of 6½ years. At the time, the show held the Broadway record for longest-running musical of all time. 3,750,000 people watched the wonderful show and heard tunes like Wouldn't it Be Loverly, Show Me, Get Me to the Church on Time, I'm an Ordinary Man, I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face and the Vic Damone/Robert Goulet standard, On the Street Where You Live. The team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe turned George Bernard Shaw's play, Pygmalion, into a colorful, musical production. They gave a new life to the rough- around-the-edges, cockney, flower girl; the subject of a bet between Professor Higgins (Just You Wait, 'Enry 'Iggins) and a colleague. The Professor bet that he could turn Eliza Doolittle into a proper lady (The Rain in Spain). With a Little Bit of Luck he did it. Eliza, looking and acting very much like a princess, sang I Could Have Danced All Night. After its Broadway success, My Fair Lady was made into a motion picture (1964) and won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture.
1966-Birthday of football player Kenneth Howard (Ken) Norton, Jr., born Jacksonville, IL.
1963---Top Hits
Blue Velvet - Bobby Vinton
Sally, Go 'Round the Roses - The Jaynetts
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
Abilene - George Hamilton IV
1963-Rolling Stones 1st tour (opening act for Bo Diddley & Everly Bros)
1967 -”Alice” premiers on TV. Linda Lavin played the title role in this CBS comedy that was based on the 1975 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Alice Hyatt was the new girl in town--a widow raising her son while trying to make ends meet by waitressing at a diner. She also had dreams of making it big as a singer. Nine years later, Alice was able to leave her "temp" job for a gig. Lavin's co-stars were: Vic Tayback as diner owner Mel Sharples, Philip McKeon as Alice's son, Tommy, Beth Howland as waitress Vera Gorman, Polly Holliday as sassy waitress Flo Castleberry, Diane Ladd as Flo's replacement Belle Dupree, Celia Weston as waitress Jolene Hunnicut, Martha Raye as Mel's mother, Carrie and Marvin Kaplan as customer Henry Beesmyer. The last episode was on August 31, 1976.
http://www.tv.com/alice/show/612/summary.html&full_summary=1
http://web.triton.net/o/ochs/guides/wherearetheynow.html
1967 - Motown's Soul label released Gladys Knight and the Pips's I Heard It Through the Grapevine. It ultimately reached Number 2 on the pop charts and Number 1 on the rhythm and blues charts.
1967-Mickey Hart joins the Grateful Dead.
1970-- The New American Bible was published by the St. Anthony Guild Press. It represented the first English version Roman Catholic Bible to be translated from the original Biblical Greek and Hebrew languages. (The Rheims-Douai Version of 1610 had been based on Jerome's Latin Vulgate.)
1971---Top Hits
Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond
Maggie Mae/Reason to Believe - Rod Stewart
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - Joan Baez
The Year That Clayton Delaney Died - Tom T. Hall
1973- "We're an American Band" by the Grand Funk Railroad topped the charts and stayed there for a week.
1974-- The U.S. Congress passed the Equal Credit Opportunity Act designed to equalize credit opportunities for women and men. Under the new law, women's income had to be counted in the same way as men's income for credit ratings. It also decreed no one should be refused credit on account of sex or marital status.
1975- WGPR-TV Detroit, first Black-owned station in US, begins broadcasting.
1976 --Tommy Lasorda is named to succeed Walter Alston as Dodger manager. 'Smokey', compiled a 2040-1613 record (.558), during his 23-year tenure with the club winning seven pennants and four world championships.
1977 - In history's most-watched prize fight, Muhammad Ali defeated Ernie Shavers, in a decision, to claim the heavyweight championship boxing crown. The bout was televised from Madison Square Garden in New York City to an estimated 70 million viewers on NBC-TV. The first woman official of a heavyweight title boxing match officiated the match.
1977 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band," Meco. The 15-minute song is a disco version of several themes from the top movie of 1977.
1979 - Cheap Trick's "Ain't That A Shame" peaks at #35 on the singles chart, while Robert Palmer's "Bad Case Of Loving You" peaks at #14, Nick Lowe's "Cruel To Be Kind" peaks at #12 and Dave Edmunds' "Girls Talk" peaks at #65.
1979 ---Gold hits record $400.20 an ounce in Hong Kong.
1979---Top Hits
My Sharona - The Knack
Sad Eyes - Robert John
Rise - Herb Alpert
It Must Be Love - Don Williams
1982-The first poisoning of store merchandise known to have resulted in numerous deaths took place in and around Chicago, Il. In a three-day period from September 29 to October 1, 1982, seven people died after taking Tylenol, a brand of acetaminophen, which they had bought at a local drugstores and supermarkets. A murderer who was never apprehended had removed the bottles from store shelves, opened them, added cyanide to the capsule of Tylenol, and replaced them in the stores. Tylenol removed all their product from the stores and destroyed them. The poisonings led to the introduction of wraps and seals on all pharmaceutical products and many other products as well.
1983 - Heavy rains began in central and eastern Arizona which culminated in the worst flood in the history of the state. Eight to ten inch rains across the area caused severe flooding in southeastern Arizona which resulted in thirteen deaths and 178 million dollars damage. President Reagan declared eight counties of Arizona to be disaster areas.
1983- A Chorus Line became the longest-running show on Broadway, with performance number 3,389. Grease, the rock 'n' roll production, had been the previous box-office champ since 1980.
1984- "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince & the Revolution topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.
1984-The Cars' "Drive" peaks at #3 on the pop singles chart.
1985 - MacGyver, starring Richard Dean Anderson, debuted on ABC on this night.
Fortunately, the last detail is unimportant when compared to his astounding mind. Drawing on a vast practical knowledge of science, Macgyver is able to make use of any mundane materials around him to create unorthodox solutions to any problem he faces. The enemies of world peace and justice continually learn that underestimating this man is a fatal mistake for their plans. The popular series last seven years, perhaps making MacGyver a verb in our language for turning someting simple into a major tool.
http://www.tv.com/macgyver/show/706/summary.html&full_summary=1
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088559/
1986 - The sitcom, Designing Women, starring Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Annie Potts, and Jean Smart premiered on CBS. The well-written show had a loyal following, and touched on many female topics that few shows then, or now, tackle. Last episode: May 24, 1993
http://www.lifetimetv.com/shows/deswomen/index.html
http://www.tv.com/designing-women/show/525/summary.html&full_summary=1
1987 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Didn't We Almost Have It All," Whitney Houston.
1987---Top Hits
Didn't We Almost Have It All - Whitney Houston
Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
Lost in Emotion - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Three Time Loser - Dan Seals
1987--“Thirtysomething,” premiers on TV. This ABC drama series about a group of seven baby boomers was created by boomers Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. The show's characters were very real to many viewers who were able to identify with their struggles--such as the death of a parent, disease, relationships, singlehood, marriage, divorce, career setbacks and the birth of a child. The cast featured Ken Olin as Michael Steadman; Mel Harris as his wife, Hope; Jade Mortimer and the Craven twins, Brittany and Lacey, as their daughter Jane; Timothy Busfield as Michael's business partner, Elliot Weston; Patricia Wettig (Olin's real-life wife) as Elliot's wife, Nancy; Luke Rossi as their son Ethan; Jordana Shapiro as their daughter Brittany; Polly Draper as Hope's friend Ellyn Warren; Melanie Mayron as Michael's cousin, Melissa Steadman and Peter Horton as family friend Gary Shepherd. The popular show lasted until 1991.
http://www.thirdstory.com/thirtysomething/
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0092492/
1987 - A slow moving cold front produced rain from the Great Lakes Region to the Central Gulf Coast Region. A late afternoon thunderstorm produced wind gusts to 62 mph at Buffalo NY. Warm weather continued in the western U.S. In Oregon, the afternoon high of 96 degrees at Medford was a record for the date.
1989 - Seven cities reported record high temperatures for the date, as readings soared into the 80s and low 90s in the Northern Plateau and Northern Plains Region. Record highs included 91 degrees at Boise ID, and 92 degrees at Sheridan WY. The high of 100 degrees at Tucson AZ marked their 51st record high of the year, and their 92nd day of 100 degree weather.
1990 - In Washington, DC, the National Cathedral (officially, the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul) was completed after 83 years of construction. Begun in 1907, the Gothic edifice had been used in its incomplete form since 1912.
1991-snow began in Caribou, ME at 8:35 p.m. on the29th and ending at 2 am on the 30th with 2.5 inches accumulating.
1994 - The Pointer Sisters receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star on Hollywood Boulevard was originally set to be unveiled in January, but an earthquake struck Los Angeles three days before the scheduled ceremony. The Pointers are the first African-American female music group to receive the honor.
1996-Astros Retiren's Number. The Houston Astros retired uniform number 34 in honor of their former pitcher, Nolan Ryan, who played for Houston for nine seasons.
The ceremony made Ryan the only player to have his number retired by three teams, the California Angeles, adn the Texas Rangers having previously accorded him the honor.
2001-Some 7,000 people marched for peace in Washington DC while an estimated 7-10 thousand marched in San Francisco. They marched to mourn terrorist victims, and to urge the nation to heal poverty and injustice that fuels global violence instead of focusing on military revenge.
2002--- Barry Bonds sets a new season mark for on-base percentage with a .582 OBP. The 38-year old Giant left fielder, who became the oldest first-time winner of a batting title hitting .370, easily surpassed the 1941 mark established by Ted Williams with a .553 OBP.
2004 ---Major League Baseball announces Washington D.C. will become the new home of the Montreal Expos in time for the 2005 season. The nation's capital, which was chosen over finalists including Las Vegas and Northern Virginia, will have baseball first time in 33 years since the expansion Senators left in 1971 to become the Texas Rangers.
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[headlines]
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Baseball Poem
A Fairy Tale
by
Wayne Lanter
"The body of a horse, the heart of a boy,"
Campanella claimed, catching four games
a day in the negro leagues - sometimes
losing twenty pounds in the process.
Talented enough to do it,
little boy enough to think it's important,
beyond the money and people shouting,
the pure pleasure of driving a fastball
over the three-eighty sign.
When he objected to her Korean tour,
Monroe lectured )Joltin' Joe.
"You don't know what it's like
to have thirty thousand people cheer
for you." Some time before, sixty thousand watched
him catapult two shots into the seats off Feller.
"Yes, I do," he said.
Even a hundred mile-an-hour fastball has its limits.
Feller warned young pitchers
of "hitters you can't throw it by."
He hadn't seen Dalkowski throw.
Maybe Dave Pope had the fastest hands
of anyone. In the cage or in a game,
turn on it. It turns on that.
In the beat of a boy's heart Campanella
ended up "a horse that couldn't run."
Pulled from a tangle of twisted metal
he sits at home plate in a wheelchair,
the stars and stripes draped across his legs.
For years DiMaggio sold coffee-makers.
Feller and Pope lived on to old age,
old age. Dalkowski simply dropped off
the radar, or so it seems.
Monroe? Everybody knows that story.
How they souped-up the ball,
lowered the mound,
reduced the strike zone,
suspended pitchers for throwing at hitters,
brought in the fences,
yes, they brought in the fences.
Everybody knows that story.
from:
"A Season of Long Taters"
Baseball Poems
by
Wayne Lander
Published by Snark Publishing
637 W. Hwy 50 #119
O'Fallon, Illinois, USA
(Printed with permission of the author) |
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SuDoku
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http://leasingnews.org/Soduku/soduko-main.htm
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Daily Puzzle
How to play:
http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm
Refresh for current date:
http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm
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http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Map_Gas_Prices.aspx
http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Mobile_Instructions.aspx
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Weather
See USA map, click to specific area, no commercials
http://www.weather.gov/
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Traffic Live---
Real Time Traffic Information
You can save up to 20 different routes and check them out
with one click, or type in a new route to learn the traffic live.
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