Thursday,
August 5, 2004 Headlines--- Classified
Ads---Marketing / Ops / Info System Why
Qwest Pulled the Plug on NorVergence Cartoon--Discovers
Cash Flow Problem GE
Kicks Off ELFF Campaign $37,500
a Year for 3 Years Oak
Brook Bank New Leasing Unit Microfinancial
Continues To Reduce Debt Obligation Willis
Lease Renews Revolving Credit Facility SalesChain
Releases mySalesChain.com v2.0 DealerTrack
Acquires LeaseLink Tools ######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press
release” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classified
Ads---Marketing / Operations / Information System Information System:
Portland, OR. Automatte, expand
resources! Front-end to back-office hands-on product/project manager.
Quickly define requirements/ work w developers to create most resourceful,
user- friendly processes. Email: robin_walker@comcast.net
or telephone 503.760.6115. Marketing:
Orange County, CA.Seeking management opportunity to create/improve outbound
call center new business marketing in leasing industry. Very experienced
in all aspects of telemarketing, management, prospecting and closing. E-mail: princedm@pacbell.net Operations:
New York, NY. 10+ years in equipment
leasing/secured lending. Skilled in management & training, documentation,
policy and procedure development & implementation, portfolio reporting.
Strong work ethic. Email: dln1031@nyc.rr.com Operations:
Experienced Credit, Collections, lease and Finance operations. Manager w/ expertise in improving bottom line performance, excellent trainer, manager, motivator. Get result/keep the customer coming back. Email: rgmorrill@comcast.net Operations:
Wayne, NJ 20+ heavily experienced collection/recovery VP looking to improve someone's bottom line. Proven, verifiable track record. Knowledge of all types of portfolio. Will relocate Email: cmate@nac.net Operations:
West Palm Beach, FL. Sales, credit, presentation
and placement. Seasoned lease professional, currently independent, looking
for a manufacturer, distributor or captive requiring expertise in sales assistance in product financing. Email: southernleasing@bellsouth.net full listing of all ads at: http://64.125.68.90/LeasingNews/JobPostings.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get
Your “Blog” Here Leasing News introduced
photographs, links to resumes, personal web sites, and “blogs”
for the free “job wanted” classified ads. Several readers have
asked, “What is a blog?” More
important than its definition,
you can build one for free, and it is not difficult to do. Matt Gebhardt explains
its best in an article he wrote for “The Inside Internet.” www.elementkjournals.com “The term blog is
really the favored shortened version of the term weblog, which, as you
might really assume, is basically
a personal log posted on the web. These no-frills Web pagesare self-published
personal musings, observations, essays, notes, and favorite links of
the author, also known as the blogger. Because
of the lack of influence from advertisers, potential advertisers,
editors, and publishers (at least back in the infant stage of blog evolution),
these pages often convey much more of the author's personality than
people are used to seeing in the public sector. “Blogs differ from
simple personal Web pages in several ways. First, the tools used to
create blogs, such as Blogger (www.blogger.com),
enable the author to create a page and update it with incredible ease
and rapidity, since blogs traditionally lack more than very basic design
elements. Secondly, blogs are generally updated on a near daily basis. “Professional bloggers
are often people with an inside track to breaking news and trends, and
some experts are even predicting that the collective blogs on the Internet
(also known by some as the blogosphere) may transform and democratize
the dissemination of news. The main idea behind this line of thought
is that the blogosphere can provide the common consumer with breaking
news and insights, unedited and free from political and economic pressures. “Blog, bloggers, and the blogosphere all sound innocent. But blogs, such as the Drudge Report (www. drudgereport.com) and Ethel the Blog (http: //stommel.tamu.edu/-.baum/ethel/blogger.html), are continually gaining
in both popularity and respect-ability. Their uses are just beginning
to be tapped-experts in the fields of marketing, journal-ism, and academics
are all showing interest. “To take a look at some interesting blogs, be sure to check out the Blogdex at http://blogdex.med
.mit.edu, an online index of blogs created by the MIT Media Library.
If you're interested in creating your own blog, there's even a free
hosting service for Blogger-powered Web logs called Blog*Spot, located
online at www.blogspot.com. And
of course, you can follow the growth of the blog phenomenon in future
articles of Inside the Internet.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why
Qwest Pulled the Plug on NorVergence by
Christopher Menkin Qwest Communication,
one of the major suppliers to NorVergence, perhaps the number
one service provider, was the main factor to three companies first trying
to stall off liquidation with a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
It did not work. Once
the Qwest $15 million was realized, it quickly
brought other telephone companies to the hearing to realize
that over $30 million was owed to them alone. One of the reasons
the plug was pulled is the financial trouble of Qwest itself, who yesterday
posted a second quarter net loss of$776 million, compared to a loss
of $64 million for the same quarter in 2003. Revenues were also down
from $3.6 billion to $3.4 billion in the same time period. This does
not include figures for companies such as NorVergence, who will appear
in the next quarter. The results included
special items totaling $487 million, or 27 cents per share, much of
that from the placement of $300 million in a reserve for ongoing litigation
in shareholder lawsuits and securities investigations. Qwest officials
said that puts the total in the reserve at $500 million. There also was a
$127 million charge associated with some 1,600 job cuts, primarily in
the information technology division. Qwest, which operates in 14 West
and Midwestern states including Minnesota, has said they expect an additional
1,800 layoffs by the end of the year. Red ink will continue. While the revenue
was down, profits, too, Qwest reported a 6 percent increase in revenue
for long distance service and a 3 percent increase in data and Internet
revenue. Access line losses declined 1.3 percent from the first quarter
but were unchanged in a year-over-year comparison. Qwest chief financial
officer Oren Shaffer said the growth in key areas was offset by competitive
pricing pressure, the access line losses, and changes in the
industry. He did not mention “bad accounts.” "I would like
to characterize our growth as slightly below our expectations primarily
due to unexpected competitive price pressure especially in our enterprise
market," he said. He did
not mention NorVergence. In the second quarter,
Qwest said it added 109,000 DSL subscribers to put its total at 853,000
and said it hopes to have 1 million DSL subscribers by the end of the
year. Qwest said it added 733,000 in-region long-distance lines in the
second quarter, giving it 4.1 million total lines. It is obvious that
Qwest could not carry NorVergence customers, and its debt owed
by the company itself. Whether it will survive in this changing
wireless internet world is yet to be seen. ______________________________________________________ *** announcement
*************************************** GE
Kicks Off ELFF Campaign $37,500
a Year for 3 Years General Electric
Company’s Commercial Finance business announced its continued support
of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation by pledging $37,500
per year for the next three years.
GE’s total pledge of $112,500 is the single largest corporate
pledge the Foundation has received to –date during its 2004 year-long
campaign. In announcing GE’s
2004 pledge, Rick Wolfert, President & CEO, GE Healthcare Financial
Services and a member of the Foundation’s National Development Committee
stated, “GE has a longtime commitment to excellence in the equipment
leasing industry. We believe that our corporate support and participation
in the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation research focused foundation
is a wise and prudent investment in the continuing and future health
and stability of our industry. GE
is pleased to have the opportunity to invest in our industry’s future
through the Foundation.” In accepting GE’s
2004 support pledge, James Renner, Chairman, Equipment Leasing &
Finance Foundation and Chairman of the National Development Committee
said, “We are honored and pleased with GE’s generous and outstanding
support. Their continuing demonstration of corporate
citizenship is an example and encouragement to all of us in the industry
— and we are most grateful to GE for their support.” Now is the time for
every company in our industry to join together and share in helping
to assure the continued and future health, success and stability of
our industry through our Foundation. Please join other industry leaders
- make your pledge or contribution today and help assure a better tomorrow
for all of us! The success of this
year's campaign will enable your Foundation to continue to expand focused
research advances in our industry among which are: 1.Operation excellence
and discipline studies 2.Diversity in the
workplace initiatives 3.Research on the
effects lower tax rates would have on the industry 4.Forecasting research
and analysis 5.Off shore issues
and trends 6.Publishing Journal
of Equipment Lease Financing 7.Publishing Annual
State of the Industry Report 8.Publishing Industry
Future Council Report 9.Capital Adequacy
studies The Foundation will
continue funding research grants for academics and industry experts,
in addition to also funding authorship honorariums and developing a
comprehensive statistical database for research. The Board of Trustees
launches the Foundation's 2004 Annual Campaign with the announcement
of the formation of the National Resource Development Committee, Chaired
by James Renner, President, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Inc. This
committee will coordinate all the Foundation's development initiatives
- including the all-important Annual Campaign - the primary source for
funding the Foundation's vital industry programs and projects. Joining Chairman Renner on the Committee are 21 leading industry 21 executives. Full committee list is available at, http://www.leasefoundation.org/about/committees/Natldev.htm The Development Committee
is already hard at work and is pleased to announce the 2004 Annual Campaign
Goal is $300,000 - an increase of $100,000 over last year's achieved
goal! The success of this year’s campaign will enable your Foundation
to continue to expand its focus on industry research. Initial Donors have already stepped forward to lead the way. For a complete list of companies and individuals who have already donated to the 2004 campaign visit, http://www.leasefoundation.org/donors/donors.htm
To
donate: http://www.leasefoundation.org/donors/
About The Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation The Equipment Leasing
and Finance Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides
vision for the equipment leasing and finance industry through future-focused
information and research. Primarily funded through donations, the Foundation
is the only organization dedicated to future-oriented, in-depth, independent
research for the leasing industry. Foundation products include the Industry
Future Council Report, the State of the Industry Report, and the Journal
of Equipment Lease Financing and numerous research reports. Established
in 1989, Founders include leasing industry member Paul S. Gass, the
Equipment Leasing Association, and others. Visit the Foundation online
at http://www.LeaseFoundation.org About GE Healthcare
Financial Services GE Healthcare Financial
Services, a unit of GE Commercial Finance, is a provider of capital,
financial solutions, and related services for the global healthcare
market. With over $13 billion of capital committed to the healthcare
industry, GE Healthcare Financial Services offers a full range of capabilities
from equipment financing and real estate financing to working capital
lending, vendor programs, and practice acquisition financing. With its
knowledge of all aspects of healthcare from hospitals and long-term
care facilities to physicians’ practices and life sciences, GE Healthcare
Financial Services works with customers to create tailored financial
solutions that help them improve their productivity and profitability.
For more information, visit www.GEHealthcareFinance.com.
Equipment Leasing
& Finance Foundation – Your Eye On the Future! **** Announcement
************************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letters---We
Get eMail Thanks
for running the story Kit. I have received many emails commenting on
it. Some of the "old pros" are intrigued by the simplicity
and creativity of what we are doing. Just goes to show that many in
our industry work with blinders on. I
would like to add that we have also received calls from people wanting
to know which territories are still available. I have noticed recently
that people who want to get into the leasing business have somehow found
Leasing News. Ken Glasgow CCLG Inc. d/b/a Corporate Capital Leasing Group 24 Offices Nationwide 800-549-9570 www.cclg.com http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Corp_cap_grows.htm --- Thank you very much
for the update on PinnLeasing. ( name with held
) http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Pinn_fund_lease.htm --- This morning I completely
read for the first time, your new format. Thank you very much for the
vast improvement! Regards. Stan Stanley A. Evans,
Jr. Executive Solutions
for Leasing and Finance, Inc. -- In the article about
Nationwide, I'm refreshed to read the following quote from Evan Lang
of Nationwide Funding. http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Nationwide_high_road.htm --- You were of some
help (with the “job wanted” ad, but I did accept a sales position with a company not associated with the lease
financing world. It's a new experience
for me and I really am enjoying my job. If it doesn't work out
I know I can always go back into the lease financing business. (We keep track of
people who find or leave the free “job wanted” list. Many leave the industry, such as Ms. Chupa,
although there appears a trend in
the other direction, particularly since many lessors are now expanding
and hiring. editor ) -- Regarding NorVergence...Peter
Salzano was not the real CEO, it was his brother tom Salzano!!!!!!!!
I know, I worked with him there and it was just Pete’s name on the paperwork.....
Please spread the word, TOM SALZANO WAS THE CEO & OWNER OF NORVERGENCE justin cantor Brooklyn, NY -- Collateral, collateral,
collateral. If leasing companies had actually looked at the collateral
perhaps this would not have gone as far as it did. From the Yahoo—Listserve: .....all the employees
were not crooks. All of the employees I personally knew were honest
hard-working people (like you I presume) who needed to feed their families
and unaware of the scam. After all, it was a job; we had no knowledge
of the sham. Furthermore, we the employees are still owed at least three
weeks wages some even five weeks. I also had my medical insurance deducted
from my last paycheck only to realize that my daughter's emergency room
claim was rejected due to the premium NOT being paid by the NorV unprincipled
management...I just received the bill yesterday. And I have heard of
much worse cases such as one employee responsible for $80k to $90k due
to premiums not being paid. Believe me, we the honest hard-working employees,
also, together with you and all the good customers, anticipate seeing
those responsible in hand-cuffs. ( name with held ) I understand that all of the Norvergence employees were hurt right along with the customers, but I have
a hard time believing that if Norvergence was still
in existence that you'd be speaking to me in such civil tones. I think
it would be more likely you'd be lying to me and hiding behind Norvergence policies. If anyone from customer service reading this recognizes my name I think you know what I'm talking about.
I have a laundry list of names catalogued along with false promises made over the last year of trying to deal with 4 Norvergence contracts spread across 3 companies. I
was lied to by salespeople, customer service reps, customer service managers, escalations, the escalations manager, the regional VP, and the
VP of customer service (actually she didn't lie to me, she just refused to acknowledge that I existed).
My Norvergence problem is severely compounded by the individual failures that I have been met with over
the last year. These
failures are the results of Norvergence employees who took advantage of a system that allowed them to shirk responsibility whenever possible. As these employees make their way into other telecommunications companies, I am confident that
they will continue their legacy of incompetence, failure and lies. Furthermore,
I'm sure that their efforts will be encouraged and rewarded by dishonest telecom giants like Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and MCI, just
to name a few. The same companies that made the Norvergence promises so attractive to companies like ours. The
same companies that have slowly been destroying this country, one phone line at a time while employing thousands and thousands of so-called hard working individuals just trying to feed their families. You can bluster and yell and overreact all you want, but the fact remains that what each individual did
at Norvergence contributed to the situatioun that has hurt 11,000 small to mid-size businesses. In many cases, these are small, family owned businesses, now faced with thousands in losses from downtime, the leases, legal fees, the overall stress of dealing
with this situation, and the prospect of crawling back
to the companies we ran from at your urging. So no, we are not the same, we have not been equally burdened.
As Norvergence employees you fed the flames of your evil machine with the souls of companies like mine, and you did it happily until the walls came down around you. Now
you conspire with each other to fool your next employer and join the ranks of another deception based product, again in the attempts to
feed your family or some other nonsensical justification for the careers you've chosen. I have no pity, no understanding and no tolerance
for anyone that ever counted themselves among the employees at Norvergence. ### Press Release
##############################
Oak Brook Bank Announces an Additional Commercial Real Estate Department
and a Leasing Unit in Its Commercial Lending Department OAK BROOK, Ill.--- The Hiring of 5 Seasoned Lenders; the
Hiring of a New Chief Legal Officer; and 10 Officer Promotions First Oak Brook Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FOBB) announced the formation
of a new commercial real estate area and a leasing unit, the addition
of five experienced lending officers, and the promotion of ten bank
officers. Also, First Oak Brook Bancshares announced the appointment of its
new Chief Legal Officer, and the $2.1 billion Oak Brook Bank, the Company's
primary operating subsidiary, announced the permanent appointment of
its General Counsel. Oak Brook Bank forms the Corporate and National Real Estate Department
and appoints two seasoned real estate experts to be its nucleus:
The Corporate & National Real Estate Department ("CANRED")
was established in the second quarter of 2004 to complement and extend
the reach of Oak Brook Bank's current middle-market real estate lending
activities housed in its Commercial Real Estate Loan Department. CANRED
is primarily focused on seeking out and underwriting larger-sized real
estate loans. CANRED will also be the focal point for the Bank's branch
expansion efforts ; overseeing the activities of the Bank's two real
estate development subsidiaries, Oak Real Estate Development Corp. and
West Erie LLC; and promoting real estate-related Community Reinvestment
Act (CRA) initiatives. To head the new function, the Bank has appointed Lawrence D. Silberman
as its Executive Vice President and Leonard Carnevale as Vice President.
Their backgrounds are described below. In announcing the formation of CANRED, Richard M. Rieser, Jr.,
Company President and Bank CEO, said, "In terms of loan generation, we expect to attract new borrowers
to the Bank through the extensive network of local, national, institutional
and correspondent contacts these seasoned lenders bring with them. While
performing an initial pass-through of Larry and Len's contacts cross-matched
against our existing Commercial Real Estate Department's client and
prospect lists, we confirmed very little overlap exists. Therefore,
we are confident we can achieve a lift in production from a broader
base of real estate loan proposals. Also, a prudent and measured complementary focus on larger loan
size should produce operating efficiencies. Our intent is not to build
a portfolio of box-car sized loans, but to utilize this platform to
access more loan opportunities and then mitigate risk, while enhancing
returns, with an outward-bound syndication/participation capability."
Lawrence D. Silberman, 48, joins Oak Brook Bank as Executive Vice
President and Head of Corporate and National Real Estate. He has also
been named CEO of Oak Real Estate Development Corporation, the Bank's
wholly-owned residential real estate development and investment subsidiary.
Mr. Silberman began his banking career at the Northern Trust Company
in 1982. Most recently, Mr. Silberman served as Senior Vice President
in the Income Property Group at Key Bank Real Estate Capital in Chicago.
Mr. Silberman, a lifelong resident of Highland Park, Illinois, where
he currently serves as a City Councilman, holds a BA from the University
of Chicago and received his MBA from Northwestern University's JL Kellogg
Graduate School of Management. Leonard Carnevale, 50, joins Oak Brook Bank as Vice President in
its new Corporate and National Real Estate Department. He works with
commercial real estate developers and also focuses on the Bank's branch
expansion program. Mr. Carnevale has 27 years of real estate experience,
most recently with Lend Lease Real Estate Investments. Previously, he
served in the real estate investment departments of two large insurance
companies, Pacific Life and Prudential Insurance. He began his career
at Real Estate Research Corporation in Chicago. Mr. Carnevale, a resident
of Indian Head Park, earned his Bachelors degree from the University
of Notre Dame and his Masters in Urban Studies and Law degrees from
Loyola University. Oak Brook Bank forms new leasing unit in its Commercial Loan Department:
During the 2nd Quarter, Oak Brook Bank added a very experienced
lender, John Castellano, with a strong background in leasing to its
Commercial Loan Department. Mr. Castellano's experience is summarized
below. Mr. Castellano is expecting to utilize his extensive referral
network among large financial institutions to purchase for the Bank
discounted leases, principally the "debt strip" or loan piece.
Underlying credits will typically be near-investment or investment grade,
with primary reliance on the credit-worthiness of the leasees, rather
than the collateral. John A. Castellano, 45, joins Oak Brook Bank as Vice President
of the Leasing Unit--a new part of Oak Brook Bank's Commercial and Industrial
Lending Department. Mr. Castellano brings 22 years of banking and leasing
experience with him. Prior to joining Oak Brook Bank, Mr. Castellano
was Vice President of Citicapital Bankers Leasing and previously worked
for National City Bank Leasing, Bank of America, and Societe Generale.
John lives in Palatine and received his B.A. in Finance from Northern
Illinois University in 1981. Oak Brook Bank hires two additional experienced lenders for its
Commercial Loan Department, Brian S. Boilek and Philip L. Olivero: Brian S. Boilek, 36, joins Oak Brook Bank as Vice President and
Senior Commercial Lender in the Bank's Commercial and Industrial Lending
Department. Mr. Boilek is focusing his loan generation efforts on the
South Suburban markets of Chicago. He has 18 years banking experience,
beginning his career at First National Bank of Illinois in Lansing.
Most recently, Mr. Boilek was at Fifth Third Bank and National City
Bank of Indiana. Mr. Boilek is a resident of Munster, Indiana and received
both his Bachelor's and MBA from Indiana University. Philip L. Olivero, 43, joins Oak Brook Bank as Vice President in
its Commercial and Industrial Lending Department. Mr. Olivero will focus
his business development activities on the Far Western suburbs of Chicago.
Upon the opening of Oak Brook's recently-announced branch in Yorkville,
Illinois, scheduled for mid-2005, Mr. Olivero will be based in that
office. Most recently, Mr. Olivero was a Vice President at First National
Bank of Ottawa and Unionbancorp in Ottawa. From 1986 until 1997, Mr.
Olivero was a bank examiner with the Office of Banks and Real Estate
of the State of Illinois. Mr. Olivero currently resides in Peru, Illinois.
He received his B.S. in Finance in 1983 from Illinois Wesleyan University
in Bloomington. First Oak Brook Bancshares, Inc. and Oak Brook Bank announce appointment
of key legal officers, Mitchell L. Hollins and Lorenzo Pate: Mitchell L. Hollins, 57, joins First Oak Brook Bancshares, Inc.
as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and Oak Brook Bank as its
Chief Legal Officer and Secretary. Prior to joining the Company, Mr.
Hollins practiced law in Chicago for 31 years - most recently as a senior
partner in the securities and corporate practice groups at Piper, Rudnick
and previously at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. Additionally, Mr.
Hollins has been a frequent lecturer at national seminars and at the
graduate schools of business at Northwestern University and the University
of Chicago, focusing on the legal aspects of entrepreneurship. A resident
of Glencoe, Mr. Hollins earned his JD at New York University, where
he was Note and Comment Editor of The Journal of International Law &
Politics. Lorenzo Pate, 34, was promoted to General Counsel of the Bank.
Previously, he served as Acting General Counsel of the Bank. Mr. Pate
has been a practicing attorney for eight years. He has been with Oak
Brook Bank's Law Department for the past 5 years and also serves as
its Ethics Officer, Assistant Secretary, and President of Oak Real Estate
Development Corporation. Prior to joining the Bank, Mr. Pate was an
associate at the law firm of Gardner, Carton & Douglas in Chicago.
Mr. Pate is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law
and earned his B.S. in Finance also from the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign. Mr. Pate resides on the Near West side of Chicago
where he has been active in community redevelopment efforts.
Oak Brook Bank announces nine additional promotions: Scott A. Bachmann, 24, promoted to Vice President in the Commercial
and Industrial Lending Department. Mr. Bachmann began his banking career
at Oak Brook Bank in 2001 as a trainee in the Management Training Program.
He earned his undergraduate degree in Management and International Business
from Indiana University at Bloomington and currently resides in Chicago,
Illinois. Philip D. Bueche III, 36, promoted to Vice President in Oak Brook
Bank's Investment Sales Center, specializing in fixed income sales.
Previously, Mr. Bueche worked for over 10 years in Bond Operations at
American National Bank in Chicago. He is a 1990 graduate of Loyola University
with a BBA degree and holds Series 52 and 63 securities licenses. Christopher G. Hutter, 24, promoted to Vice President in Commercial
Real Estate Lending. Mr. Hutter began his career at Oak Brook Bank in
2001 as a trainee in the Management Training Program, following his
graduation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where
he earned his B.S. in Finance. Currently, Mr. Hutter is pursuing his
M.B.A. in Finance at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, and lives
in Lockport, Illinois. J.W. Cole Parsons, 42, promoted to Vice President in the Commercial
Banking Department. Based in the Bank's Countryside office, Mr. Parsons
joined Oak Brook Bank in 2003. Previously, he was an Assistant Vice
President at Hinsbrook Bank and Trust in its Commercial Banking Department
and at Bank One in the Treasury Management Group of its Commercial Banking
Division. Mr. Parsons holds a B.S. in Business from Arizona State University
and resides in Plainfield, Illinois. Wendy S. Dorn, 51, promoted to Assistant Vice President and Retail
Lockbox Manager in the Treasury Management Department. Ms. Dorn has
been with Oak Brook Bank since 1989. She is a resident of Villa Park.
Kathryn Hamilton, 25, promoted to Assistant Vice President in the
Human Resources Department. Ms. Hamilton began her career with Oak Brook
Bank in 2001 as a trainee in the Management Training Program. Ms. Hamilton
is a graduate of Georgetown University with a B.S. in International
Business and Spanish. She is a resident of Western Springs. Justin L. Ragner, 24, promoted to Assistant Vice President in the
Commercial Banking Department. Mr. Ragner began his career at Oak Brook
Bank in 2001 as a trainee in the Management Training Program. He earned
a B.S. in Business Administration from Washington University in St.
Louis and lives in Chicago. Thomas A. Sternberg, 24, promoted to Assistant Vice President in
the Investment Management and Trust Department where he specializes
in equity research. Mr. Sternberg joined Oak Brook Bank as a trainee
in the Management Training Program in 2002. Mr. Sternberg is a graduate
of Duke University with a B.S. in Economics, and he is currently pursuing
his Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He lives in Chicago. Jennifer L. Szatkowski, 24, promoted to Assistant Vice President
and Branch Manager of the Graue Mill office of Oak Brook Bank. Ms. Szatkowski
began her career with Oak Brook Bank in 1998 in Retail Banking and is
a resident of LaGrange Park. Oak Brook Bank currently operates 17 offices in Addison, Aurora,
Bensenville, Bolingbrook, Broadview, Burr Ridge, Countryside, Glen Ellyn,
Graue Mill (Oak Brook), LaGrange, Lisle, Oak Brook, Naperville, St.
Charles, Warrenville, Glenview and Chicago. Fifteen of these offices
are in the western suburbs of Chicago, one on the North Shore and one
in downtown Chicago. Oak Brook Bank has announced 3 more branches to
open in 2005 - in Darien, Yorkville and Wheaton, Illinois.
First Oak Brook Bancshares, Inc. is the 10th largest independent,
publicly-held bank holding company headquartered in Illinois. The $2.1
billion Oak Brook Bank is the 12th largest bank in Illinois. First Oak
Brook Bancshares, Inc. is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the
symbol FOBB. CONTACT:First Oak
Brook Bancshares, Inc. Richard M. Rieser, Jr. 630-571-1050 ext. 213 rrieser@obb.com ### Press Release
############################## MICROFINANCIAL
Continues To Reduce Debt Obligation WOBURN, Mass--MicroFinancial
Incorporated (NYSE-MFI) announced today that the company continues to
reduce its outstanding debt obligations in excess of the amounts required
by the Company's long-term bank agreement. As of August 2, 2004,
the senior credit facility has been reduced to $16.6 million, as compared
to an expected $19.5 million for the same period, as stated in the bank
agreement. In addition, all of the company's securitized debt obligations
have been paid in full. Richard Latour, President
and Chief Executive Officer stated, "I am pleased that we continue
to surpass our required repayments and other financial expectations
of our bank agreement. Year to date through August 2, 2004, we have
reduced our total interest bearing debt by approximately $42.0 million." The Company continues
to seek various financing, restructuring and strategic alternatives
that will enable it to strengthen its position in the leasing market. About Microfinancial MicroFinancial Inc.
(NYSE: MFI), headquartered in Woburn, MA, is a financial intermediary
specializing in leasing and financing for products in the $500 to $10,000
range. The company has been in operation since 1986. CONTACT: MicroFinancial Incorporated Richard F. Latour, 781-994-4800 President and CEO SOURCE: MicroFinancial
Incorporated ### Press Release
############################# Willis
Lease Renews Revolving Credit Facility SAUSALITO, Calif.----Willis
Lease Finance Corporation (Nasdaq:WLFC) announced today that it has
renewed one of its primary revolving credit facilities with a syndicate
of banks led by Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. as structuring and security
agent and National City Bank as administrative agent. California Bank
& Trust, City National Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, HSH Nordbank, and
State Bank of India are also participants in the credit. The credit facility makes immediately available to Willis Lease
up to $126.0 million on a revolving basis through May 31, 2006, with
final maturity on May 31, 2007. This and other credit facilities support
the company and its subsidiaries in financing the $498.1 million equipment
lease portfolio as of June 30, 2004. "We are very pleased we have been able to renew this facility,"
said Charles F. Willis, President and CEO. "Access to capital is
fundamental to our success, and we see the continued support of both
domestic and international banks as a vote of confidence for our business
model." About Willis Lease Willis Lease Finance Corporation leases spare commercial aircraft
engines, rotable parts and aircraft to commercial airlines, aircraft
engine manufacturers and overhaul/repair facilities worldwide. These
leasing activities are integrated with the purchase and resale of used
and refurbished commercial aircraft engines. CONTACT:Willis Lease
Finance Corporation Monica J. Burke, 415-331-5281 ### Press Release
############################
SalesChain
Announces the Release of mySalesChain.com v2.0 Connecticut - - SalesChain
LLC, the technology leader in on demand sales force automation and customer
base management ("SFA") solutions for office equipment dealers,
today announced the immediate availability and deployment of mySalesChain.com
version 2.0, the industry's most content rich and customizable SFA solution
for office equipment dealers. The
latest release of the mySalesChain.com service includes advanced word
processing and shared scheduling with monthly, weekly and daily views. The mySalesChain.com
solution provides world-class visibility and control over prospect and
customer data while delivering real-time functionality and control for
sales representatives and owners a-like including: · Shared Contact Management · Prospect and Opportunity Management · Pipeline Reporting · Workflow Automation · Integrated Document Imaging · Word Processing · Total Customer View (A complete book of account including Assets, Contracts,
Service History, Usage History and Lease Contracts) · Shared Calendar and Scheduling · Marketing Campaign · Lease Portfolio Management · OMD Integration · Telemarketing · Automated Sales Representative Assignment "mySalesChain.com
v2.0 represents a quantum leap forward for SFA, benefiting office equipment
dealers beyond imagination" said Tim Szczygiel, President and Founder
of SalesChain. "SalesChain
continues to build enterprise level sales automation solutions. Our focus on customer service, functionality, education, scalability
and affordability make us the partner of choice." About SalesChain SalesChain is a leading provider of on demand sales force automation and customer base management software. SalesChain provides unprecedented access and control over customer and prospecting data, with emphasis placed on workflow automation and lease portfolio management. For more information please visit www.SalesChain.com
or call 203-262-1611. ### Press Release
############################ DealerTrack
Acquires LeaseLink Family of Desking Tools Broadens Capabilities
of Leading Online Auto Finance Platform MELVILLE, N.Y., --
DealerTrack, Inc., which operates North America's leading online auto
finance platform, today announced that its webalg, inc. affiliate has
acquired substantially all of the assets of LML Technologies. The assets include the LeaseLink(R) family of desking solutions,
which enable automotive dealers to identify the best leasing, retail
or balloon financing options to meet their customers' needs. LML's GuestTrack(TM) business development tool and its FinanceWizard(TM)
product were also included in the asset transaction. LML invented LeaseLink,
one of the industry's first desking tools, 14 years ago. With features such as A-B-C pencil, advanced
worksheets and guaranteed data, LeaseLink has built a customer base
of approximately 3,000 automotive dealers. Mark O'Neil, DealerTrack's
president and chief executive officer, commented, "We are very
pleased to announce this key expansion of the DealerTrack(TM) platform. With its speed, power and data guarantee, LeaseLink
is the best-in-class desking tool for dealers who want to evaluate financing
options for their customers. We
are particularly excited about LML's recent rollout of the industry's
first 'live' retail loan comparison capability, which enables LeaseLink
to analyze a much broader range of financing alternatives than any other
tool in the marketplace." Mark Simmons, president
and chief executive officer of LML Technologies, said, "We would
like to thank our loyal customers in dealerships across America for
their support over the years. Together
with the DealerTrack team, we have carefully developed an action plan
to ensure that our customers' ongoing needs are met -- and that most,
in fact, realize incremental benefits -- as LeaseLink integrates with
the DealerTrack product suite." Mr. O'Neil concluded,
"This transaction provides us with a significant enhancement to
the capability of the integrated DealerTrack platform. We believe that offering dealers a more comprehensive auto finance
solution with products such as the F&I Tool Suite, eContracting,
DMS Integration, Activity Reports, WebsitePlus and now LeaseLink, will
make the financing process more seamless and more profitable." About DealerTrack,
Inc.: With over 24,000 dealers and over 80 financing sources currently connected, DealerTrack is North America's premier independent Web-based platform that automates and accelerates the entire automotive financing process. The DealerTrack suite of products -- which work together as one easy- to-use, integrated solution -- includes: credit report access; credit application processing; electronic contracting; desking tools; activity reporting; and a dealer website product. Additionally, the DealerTrack platform features integration with top dealer management systems for credit reports, credit application processing and electronic contracting. Through its participation in AFSA, ASC X9, SPeRS, STAR and other organizations, DealerTrack continues to drive industry-wide technology standards to support the total financing process. More information on DealerTrack is available at http://www.dealertrack.com
or by calling 877-357-8725. ### Press Release########################### Capgemini Promotes Alvi Abuaf to Lead the Financial Services Practice
NEW YORK-- --Capgemini
U.S. LLC, a part of the Capgemini Group, one of the world's largest
providers of Consulting, Technology and Outsourcing services, announced
today that Alvi Abuaf has been promoted to Vice President, Leader of
the firm's Financial Services Practice for the Americas. Mr. Abuaf has
been serving as the leader of the Securities Industry and Wealth Management
Practice for the Americas. His new position will encompass all of the
financial services industry including Insurance, Retail and Commercial
Banking, Capital Markets, Real Estate and Wealth Management. Mr. Bertrand
Lavayssiere, who served as the leader of both Americas and Global practice
will continue his role as the Global Leader. "I have worked closely with Alvi over the last few years and
am delighted to announce his promotion to lead the Americas Financial
Services Practice," said Mr. Lavayssiere. "Over the past several
years, Alvi has been influential in driving and building Capgemini's
client relationships and industry focused solutions. His deep financial
services expertise and market focus will help drive our vision of growth
for the practice in the Americas." "Alvi's depth of experience and proven leadership in financial
services positions Capgemini very well to execute on our business plan
of providing clients with unparalleled collaborative industry expertise,"
stated Chell Smith, Americas Chief Executive Officer for Capgemini.
"Alvi has demonstrated his talents in many ways, most notably by
earning a stellar reputation for leading our Securities Industry and
Wealth Management practice. Through his efforts, the practice doubled
its revenues last year. I am confident that Alvi will grow our overall
Financial Services Practice as we look toward 2005." "This is an exciting time for the Financial Services Practice
at Capgemini," remarked Alvi Abuaf. "We will be very focused
on growth. I plan to enhance our practice's overall expertise by developing
deeper capabilities in areas such as wealth management, claim processing,
insurance agent portals, regulatory and compliance, retail financial
services and equity research. We will grow our client portfolio, deepen
our relationships with financial services focused vendors, leverage
our current assets and extend our team to provide a deeper set of capabilities
to our clients. We will become the shining star of the industry"
Mr. Abuaf joined Ernst & Young Consulting Services, later acquired
by Capgemini, in 1989. He was elected to the partnership in 1991. Prior
to joining Ernst & Young Consulting Services, Mr. Abuaf was a Principal
at The McLean Group, a boutique Management Consultancy in New York and
London, which was acquired by Ernst & Young Consulting Services.
He earned a bachelor's degree with honors from the State University
of New York at Buffalo, and a master's degree from Columbia University.
Mr. Abuaf lives in New York City with his wife and two children.
About Capgemini Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of Consulting,
Technology and Outsourcing services, has a unique way of working with
its clients, which it calls the Collaborative Business Experience. Through
commitment to mutual success and the achievement of tangible value,
the company helps businesses implement growth strategies, leverage technology,
and thrive through the power of collaboration. Capgemini employs approximately
55,000 people worldwide and reported 2003 global revenues of 5.754 billion
euros. Capgemini's Financial Services practice is well recognized for
offering creative solutions, thought leadership and technology to the
banking, insurance, wealth management, asset management, investment
banking, real estate, leasing and securities processing sectors. More
information about individual service lines, offices and research is
available at www.capgemini.com. CONTACT:Capgemini John Patterson, 917-934-8735 john.j.patterson@capgemini.com or GCI Group Robert
Ferris, 212-537-8025 rferris@gcigroup.com ### Press Release
############################# http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/business/9312917.htm Classified
Ads—Help Wanted Account Executive / Small ticket
leasing account reps
Credit-Funding-Operations
Equipment Finance Sales Executive
Marketing Indirect Origination
Senior Contract Specialist
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- News
Briefs--- Factory orders rise
by 0.7 percent in June http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20040804-1406-economy.html Fed Is Expected to
Raise a Rate Next Tuesday http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/05/business/05fed.html?hp Who’s afraid of Alan
Greenspan? http://www.absnet.net/include/showfreearticle.asp?file=/headlines/1.htm Venture Funding Stable
Second Quarter http://www.nvca.org/pdf/FundRaise_Q204_PressRelease.pdf Analysts say $50-a-barrel
oil is possible http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2004-08-04-$50-oil_x.htm Caterpillar workers
set to strike as early as today http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5600730/ Next-generation wireless
Net eyed for Nantucket http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2004/08/04/ next_generation_wireless_net_eyed_for_nantucket/ Microsoft to Issue
Service Pack 2-Security Up-date (wait a few months before up-loading
this as there will be bugs. editor ) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41463-2004Aug5.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports
Briefs--- Alex Rodriguez's
two-run homer in the 11th gave the Yankees an 8-6 victory over the A's
on Wednesday night. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/05/sports/baseball/05yanks.html?hp Carter waived amid
reports he failed drug tests http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/ 080504dnspoquincy.4456a81e.html Carter 'shocked'
after release, blasts drug rumors http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/ 080504dnspoquincy.4456a81e.html Raiders release Tim
Brown http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/08/04/sports1717EDT0354.DTL http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/08/04/SPG0R8277F1.DTL http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/08/04/SPG0R827VG1.DTL Rattay misses second straight day of practice http://www.theredzone.org/news/showarticle.asp?ArticleID=1381
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Gimme
that Wine” A Riesling, Once
Again, Is Named New York's Top Wine http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/04/dining/04CONT.html Bizarre Website Captures
Eccentricity of Bonny Doon http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=70878 Slow going for Napa tourism http://www.napanews.com/templates/index.cfm?template= story_full&id=8F084B81-611E-4897-B2F3-E9717680F948 Wine renaissance
reviving the glory that was Greece http://www.nj.com/living/ledger/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/1091609891184251.xml By
Joe, this vintner does it again http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=84555 This
Day in American History 1570-
Spanish Jesuits led by Fray Batista Segura arrived in the Chesapeake
Bay area of Virginia, for the purpose of converting the American Indians
to Christianity. (Unfortunately, six months later, the entire group
was massacred by the very Indians they had come to evangelize.) Spain
then ordered all Jesuits to leave Florida. 1583-Sir Humphrey Gilbert, English navigator and explorer, aboard his sailing ship, The Squirrel, sighted the Newfoundland coast and took possession of the area around St. John’s harbor in the name of the Queen, thus establishing the first English colony in Northern America. Gilbert was lost at sea, in a storm off the Azores, on his return trip to England. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0820808.html 1604-Birthday
of John Eliot, American “Apostle to the Indians,” translator of the
Bible into an Indian tongue ( the first bible to be printed in America),
was born at Hertfordshire, England. He died at Roxbury, MA, May 12,
1690. http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/164.html 1656 -Eight Quakers from England arrived in Boston and were immediately
imprisoned by the local Puritan authorities. (The church-and-state amalgam
of Puritanism looked upon non-ritual Quakerism with suspicion, regarding
it as theologically apostate and politically subversive). what
they were escaping from: religious prosecution. 1749-Birthday
of Thomas Lynch, signer, Declaration of Independence, born Prince George’s
Parish, SC. Died 1779 ( lost
at sea, exact date of death unknown.). 1775-
the Spanish ship San Carlos, commanded by Juan Manuel de
Ayala, entered San Francisco Bay. (
lower half of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug05.html ). http://www.itp.berkeley.edu/~asam121/angel.html 1830-Birthday
of James A Healy, first Black bishop in America. http://www.holycross.edu/departments/publicaffairs/website/features/healy1.htm 1844
- The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid at Bedloe’s Island
(now called Liberty Island), New York. The actual statue was accepted
as a gift to the United States from the people of France by U.S. President
Grover Cleveland on October 28, 1886. The statue
became a symbol of freedom to the European immigrants who passed it
on their way to Ellis Island and their admittance to the United States.
It remains today as a symbol of liberty for all http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/liberty/liberty.html 1858-
Julia Archibald Holmes became the first woman on record to reach the
summit of Pike's Peak. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug05.html 1858-Through
the efforts of Cyrus West Field, after two unsuccessful attempts, the
Transatlantic cable was completed.
The cable was 1,950 statute miles long and more than two-thirds
of it was laid more than 2 miles deep. Introductory and complimentary
messages were exchanged by President James Buchanan and Queen Victoria
on August 16, 1858. The cable was weak and the current insufficient,
and service was suspended on September 1, 1858. 1861-Income
tax was levied by Congress during the Civil War by an act this day which
imposed a 3 percent tax on incomes exceeding $800 and 1.5% tax on income
derived from government securities. The income tax lists were open to
public inspection by “ all persons who may apply to inspect the same.”
This was interpreted in such a way as to eliminate idle curiosity seekers.
The law was not enforced and was replaced the following year by another.
It was rescinded in 1972 along with other Civil War taxes. An income
tax law was passed by Congress on August 27,1894, as part of the tariff
act, but it was declared unconstitutional. The 16th Amendment
to the Constitution, which was declared ratified on February 25, 1913,
gave Congress the power to lay and collect income taxes. 1864-the
Great Battle of Mobile Bay: a Union fleet under Admiral David Farragut
attempted to run past three Confederate forts into Mobile Bay, Alabama. After coming under fire, the Union fleet headed
into a maze of underwater mines, known at the time as torpedoes. The ironclad Tecumseh was sunk by a torpedo,
after which Farragut is said to have exclaimed, “ Damn the torpedoes,
full steam ahead!” The Union
fleet was successful and Mobile Bay was secured. ( Torpedoes in these
days especially after
General Jubal A. Early had entered the District of Columbia in July,
and continued to battle Union forces
from the Shenandoah Valley. Farragut’s
victory under overwhelming obstacles spurred
General Grant, the rest of the troops, and brightened up President Lincoln’s outlook as he thought
the war was going poorly, there were many who thought Congress should find “peace” with
the Confederates, and former General McClennan was favored to beat Lincoln in the November
election, until possible Farragut’s amazing victory. He was 63 years old, not in very
good health, and to command his ship, had his sailors strap him to the
riggers so he could view
what was happening and give orders.
It is not often that one man can lead a Navy into victory
with the Army to follow. http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/73morgan/73morgan.htm http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-c/chika-k.htm http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/al003.htm http://www.2xtreme.net/ctyson/civwar/farrag10.htm http://www.nps.gov/vick/visctr/sitebltn/farragut.htm http://www.admiralfarragut.org/ 1867-Birthday
of Jacob Ruppert, Jr., baseball executive born at New York, NY. Ruppert
was the son of a brewery owner who purchased the New York Yankees in
1914 with Tillinghast Huston for $450,000.
Ruppert bought Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox, built Yankee
Stadium and made his team the best in baseball. Died New York, January
13, 1939. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=914 http://store.yahoo.com/scripophily/yanplaytrana.html 1869-
Birthday of Grant C. Tullar, American Methodist evangelist and music
publisher. He is remembered today for composing the tune to the hymn,
"Face to Face with Christ My Savior." Died May 20, 1950, Ocean Grove, NJ. http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/t/u/tullar_gc.htm 1899-Birthday
of Conrad Aiken, American poet, short-story writer, critic and Pulitzer
Prize winner ( poetry, 1930). He
was born at Savannah, GA, and died there August 17, 1973. http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=770&CFID=8427572&CFTOKEN=3561476 1902-
Band Leader/Coronet Player Luis Russell Birthday http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,488020,00.html?artist=Luis+Russell 1908-Birthday of trumpet player Don Albert, New Orleans, LA. http://www.landing.com/profiles/satch68.htm http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9098/9098.ch4.pdf 1909-Congress
passed a law to tax corporations. The
act taxed all corporations with an income over $5,000. The law was passed prior to the adoption of
the U.S. income tax amendment. 1912-Birthday
of Raol Wallenberg, Swedish architect born at Stockholm, Sweden. He
was the second person in history ( Winston Churchill was the first )
to be voted honorary American citizenship ( US House of Representatives
396-2, September 22,1981). He is credited with saving 100,000 Jews from
almost certain death at the hands of the Nazis during WW11.
Wallenberg was arrested by Soviet troops at Budapest, Hungry,
January 17, 1945, and, according to the official Soviet press agency
Tass, died in prison, at Moscow, July 17, 1947. 1914
- Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland, Ohio became the
first intersection in the U.S. to be equipped with an electric traffic
light. Cross arms were installed 154 feet above the ground and equipped
with red and green lights and buzzers, as we may commonly see today
at railroad intersections.
Two buzzes signaled Euclid Avenue traffic to proceed and one
buzz signaled the traffic on 105th Street.
It was not until 1923 that African-American Garrett A. Morgan
invented and developed the
traffic light that is presently in use today.
He sold the patent rights to General Electric Corporation for
$40,000. Morgan was a prolific
inventor, among his other inventions were the gas mask used by American
troops in World War I and a smoke inhalator that saved the lives of
workers trapped in a tunnel under Lake Erie in 1916.1921
- KDKA radio in Pittsburgh, PA did the first play-by-play broadcast
of a baseball game. Harold Arlin described the action as the Pirates
beat Philadelphia 8-5. 1921
- The "New York World" published the first cartoon to be awarded
a Pulitzer Prize. "On the Road to Moscow", by Rollin Kirby,
received the prestigious journalism honor. 1923
- Henry Sullivan became the first American to swim across the English
Channel and he did it on this day. 1924
- The comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" debuted in the New
York "Daily News". Annie and her little dog, Sandy, were creations
of cartoonist Harold Gray. His work would come to life in the Broadway
and film adaptations of Annie a half-century later -- to great success. 1926-Magician Harry Houdini stays chained in a coffin under water
for several hours and escapes. http://www.magictricks.com/cheaptricks/posters/houdini1.htm http://www.magictricks.com/houdini/ 1926-Birthday of singer Jeri Southern, Royal,NE. http://www.mrlucky.com/songbirds/html/sep99/9909_southern.html http://www.allbutforgottenoldies.net/damita-jo.html 1936
- Jesse Owens won his third gold medal by running a 200-meter race in
20.7 seconds at the Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany. http://wawa.essortment.com/jesseowens_refk.htm 1939-Birthday
of Tommie Lee Aaron, baseball player born at Mobile, AL. The brother
of home run king Henry Aaron hit 13 homes in a seven-year major league
career. Died at Atlanta, GA. 1941-Birthday
of percussionist Airto Moriera, Brazil. 1943-Birthday of singer Sammi Smith, Orange, CA. http://www.countrypolitan.com/prof0501.php 1944-Birthday
of Robbie Robertson, guitarist with the Band,
born in Toronto. First known as The Hawks, The Band evolved from
a group taken to Ontario from the US by Ronnie Hawkins. The original
members were gradually replaced by Canadian musicians, with the exception
of drummer Levon Helm. The Band moved to the US in 1965, where they
became Bob Dylan's backup group. 1945- Atom Bomb dropped on Hiroshima (Aug 6th in Japan), the first
atomic bomb dropped. Death by radiation
was not contemplated as the blast was to scare Japan into surrendering has man controlled air bombs and
torpedoes were becoming more numerous and it was alleged they would rather die fighting, then surrender. 1948
– Top Hits You Can’t Be True,
Dear - The Ken Griffin Orchestra (vocal: Jerry Wayne) Woody Woodpecker Song - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Gloria Wood
& The Campus Kids) It’s Magic - Doris
Day Bouquet of Roses
- Eddy Arnold 1949
-- Mann Gulch Fire. A crew of 15 Smokejumpers, the U.S. Forest Service's
elite airborne firefighters, jump into a remote forest fire in the Montana
wilderness. Less than two hours later only two survived. 1950-Birthday
of one of my favorite singers, Huey Lewis, whose real name is Hugh Cregg
the Third, was born in New York City. He formed his six-man rock band,
the News, in San Francisco in 1980. Huey Lewis and the News first reached
the charts in 1982 with "Do You Believe in Love." The band
reached its peak in 1985 and '86 with the charttoppers "The Power
Of Love" and "Stuck With You." He lives in nearby
Marin County, appears often locally, along with his friend Robin Willia.
Often sings the National Anthem for the S.F. 49er football games.
He is reportedly a big 49er fan. http://www.getmusic.com/microsites/hueylewis/
ms 1952-"American
Bandstand" goes national on ABC-TV. It started in 1952 as a local
hit parade show in Philadelphia. Dick Clark became the host in 1956
and his first guests are the Chordettes. http://www.fiftiesweb.com/bandstnd.htm http://www.timvp.com/bandstnd.html http://www.fiftiesweb.com/ab.htm http://www.fiftiesweb.com/american-bandstand-1.htm http://www.jumptheshark.com/a/americanbandstand.htm 1954-
Elvis Presley, backed by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black,
recorded three songs at the Sun Records studio in Memphis. Two of the
tunes, "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky,"
were released as Presley's first record. Both sides were local hits
in the Memphis area. 1956
– – Top Hits My Prayer - The Platters Hound Dog/Don’t Be
Cruel - Elvis Presley Whatever Will Be
Will Be (Que Sera Sera) - Doris Day I Walk the Line -
Johnny Cash 1957-“
Dick Clark’s "American Bandstand" caught the attention of
network executives at ABC-TV in New York, who decided to put the show
on its afternoon schedule. However, the one thing they couldn't do was
disrupt an airing of the hugely popular "Mickey Mouse Club"
at 5 p.m. What to do? Halfway through the "American Bandstand"
show, Clark would tell listeners to come back for more of the show ...
but “right now ... here comes the Mouse!” At that time, the network
would cut away from Philadelphia and show Walt Disney's Mouseketeers.
Following the show ... "American Bandstand" would return for
another 30 minutes. American Bandstand” and Dick Clark are synonymous;
he hosted the show for more than 30 years.
“ AB” started out as a local show at Philadelphia in 1952. Clark, then a disk jockey, took over as host
at the age of 26. The format
was simply: teens dancing, performers doing their latest hits, Clark
introducing song and listing the top 10 songs each week. This hour-long
show was not only TV’s longest-running musical series, but also the
first one devoted exclusively to rock and roll. The show was cancelled
six months after Clark turned over the hosting duties to David Hirsch
in 1989. 1960
- In an unprecedented move, two major-league baseball clubs traded managers.
Jimmy Dykes of the Detroit Tigers moved to manage the Cleveland Indians
while Joe Gordon left the Indians to take over the managerial reins
of the Tigers. 1961
- The temperature at Ice Harbor Dam, WA, soared to 118 degrees to equal
the state record established at Wahluke on the 24th of July in 1928.
The afternoon high of 111 degrees at Havre, MT, was an all-time record
for that location. 1962-Jamaica
Independence Day, a national holiday observing the independence from
Britain August 6, but celebrated
the first Monday in August. 1962-We
generally celebrate only birthdays, but the world fell in love with
Marilyn Monrow’s unique combination of sensuality and approachability.
She was the epitome of Hollywood glamour, making 29 files in her career. Her tragic death at age 36, at Los Angeles,
from an overdose of sleeping pills, is shrouded in controversy. I knew the first film cameramen on the scene,
before the police arrived, and he told me there was a note she had written. It was also known
she had called 1964-The
first Navy pilot shot down and captured in North Vietnam was Lieutenant
(j.g.) Everett Alvarez, Jr., 26, of Santa Clara, CA, aviator on the
U.S.S. Constellation. He parachuted
into the ocean. He was rescued
by the crew of a small Vietnamese boat, to whom he surrendered.
He was confined in the Hon Gay naval base and later in the Hoa
Lon prison. He was returned
to the United States almost ten years later, on February 13, 1973. http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/a/a038.htm 1964- The US begins bombing North Vietnam and racial turmoil brings
America to face more
racial turmoil as the world rebounds with the news the day before when three young civil rights workers were found murdered
and buried in an earthen dam on a farm outside Philadelphia, Miss. The
three, James Chaney,21, of Meridian, Miss., and Andrew Goodman,20, and
Michael Schwerner, 24, both of New York City, had disappeared on June
21 after being held for six hours by Neshoba County police on charges
of speeding. Their burned station wagon was found June 23,
prompting President Johnson to order an FBI search for the three men.
1964
– – Top Hits A Hard Day’s Night
- The Beatles The Little Old Lady
(From Pasadena) - Jan & Dean Everybody Loves Somebody
- Dean Martin Dang Me - Roger Miller http://www.usafricaonline.com/DrKing.html 1967- Bobby Gentry releases her only hit "Ode to Billy Joe". wrote and recorded in 1967. (Billie
Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge because of a homosexual
relationship in the movie, but Bobby Gentry said she's not telling what
really happened: "what was dropped off the Tallahachee bridge?")
won 3 grammy awards and was made into a movie in 1976 http://www.swinginchicks.com/bobbie_gentry.htm
http://www.leoslyrics.com/listlyrics.php?sid=~%AA%E5Rv%12-%FA http://home.t-online.de/home/walterv/gentry.htm http://www.moviefolio.com/movies/Ode_to_Billy_Joe_1976.cfm http://shopping.yahoo.com/shop?d=v&id=1800102319 1969-Willie
Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit the only home run ever out of
Dodger Stadium. His blast off
pitcher Alan Foster cleared the right-field pavilion and traveled an
estimated 506 feet from home plate. 1969-
the Rolling Stones gave a free concert in London's Hyde Park. In memory
of Brian Jones, the group's former lead guitarist, Mick Jagger read
an excerpt from the poems of Shelley and released thousands of butterflies
over the park. Jones had been found dead in the swimming pool of his
home two days earlier. 1972
– – Top Hits Alone Again (Naturally)
- Gilbert O’Sullivan (If Loving You is
Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right - Luther Ingram Daddy Don’t You Walk
So Fast - Wayne Newton It’s Gonna Take a
Little Bit Longer - Charley Pride 1974
- The comic strip "Tank McNamara" premiered in 75 newspapers.
Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds created the 6-foot, 4-inch, 225-pound former
defensive tackle of the State University Sand Crabs; and who became
a jock/sportscaster. http://www.thirdage.com/news/comix/tank/ 1974-President
Nixon released tape transcripts revealing he had impeded the Watergate
investigation. One example of the evidence was an order to
H.R. Halderman on June 23, 1972, to tell the FBI: “ Don’t go any further
in this case, period!” In three more days he would resign as president. 1975
- Singer Stevie Wonder signed the recording industry’s largest contract:
$13 million over a seven-year period. Wonder stayed with his original
label, Tamla/Motown, while other major Motown artists, including Diana
Ross, Gladys Knight and The Four Tops had left the label over creative
differences and financial accounting disputes. 1979---
In an 8-1 win over the Giants, Dodger right-hander Don Sutton becomes
the team's all- time strikeout leader with his 2,487th career strikeout. 1980
– – Top Hits Magic - Olivia Newton-John Little Jeannie -
Elton John Take Your Time (Do
It Right) - The S.O.S. Band Dancin’ Cowboys -
The Bellamy Brothers 1981- President Reagan fires 11,500 air traffic controllers who struck
two days ago. 1983
- Vida Blue was released by the Kansas City Royals. Blue had spent 13
years in the big leagues. At his release by the Royals, the former Cy
Young Award winner had gone 0-19 in pitching appearances. 1986:
Artist Andrew Wyeth revealed that he had, over a 15-year period, secretly
created 240 drawings and paintings of a woman named Helga Testorf, a
neighbor in Chadds Ford, Penn. The critical furor, other than that caused
by the adultery, was fueled by the (indignation) fact that Helga was
not young and not beautiful—Neither was he. 1987
- Severe thunderstorms raked eastern South Dakota. The thunderstorms
spawned half a dozen tornadoes, produced softball size hail at Bowdle,
and produced wind gusts to 90 mph south of Watertown. Hot weather continued
in eastern Texas. Afternoon highs of 100 degrees at Houston and 106
degrees at Waco equaled records for the date 1989-For
the first time, the race off in the Hambletonian, harness racing’s most
prestigious race, ended in a dead heat with Park Avenue Joe being declared
the winner over Probe. Park
Avenue Joe finished second in the first head and won the second heat.
Probe won the first heat but broke stride and finished ninth in the
second heat. 1984
- Toronto’s Cliff Johnson set a major-league baseball record by hitting
the 19th pinch-hit home run in his career as he led the Blue Jays to
a 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Johnson hit an additional pinch-homer
in 1986 to extend his record to 20. 1984
- Joan Benoit won the first women’s Olympic marathon at the Summer Games
in Los Angeles, California. 1984-Edwin
Moses wins Gold Medal in Olympics track and field in Los Angeles, California. 1984-Evelyn
Ashford wins Gold Medal in Olympics track and field in Los Angeles,
California. 1986- It's revealed Andrew Wyeth had, secretly created 240 drawings
& paintings of his neighbor Helga Testorf, in Chadds Ford, Pa . http://www.artwallpapers.com/modernart_Andrew_wyeth.htm http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/3aa/3aa244.htm http://www.andrew-wyeth-prints.com/helga.html http://www.picassomio.com/books/isbn/0060929219/es/ Clinton to give him a pardon, but was not one of the 1500 granted.. Mario served his time, is 83, sick, and living alone.
When he was in Congress, he helped the mentally retarded, the police,
and the people of Northern Ireland. He just didn't have anyone to buy
him a pardon. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000432 http://www.thenationalcouncil.com/ppresidents/biaggi.htm http://www.thenationalcouncil.com/ http://www.recguns.com/Sources/VG2.html 1988
– – Top Hits Roll with It - Steve
Winwood Hands to Heaven -
Breathe Make Me Lose Control
- Eric Carmen Don’t We All Have
the Right - Ricky Van Shelton 1989
- Thunderstorms produced severe weather in Oklahoma, and from Iowa to
the Upper Ohio Valley, with 216 reports of large hail or damaging winds
between early Saturday morning and early Sunday morning. Thunderstorms
moving across Iowa around sunrise produced extremely high winds which
caused ten million dollars damage to crops in Carroll and Greene Counties.
Thunderstorm winds at Jefferson IA reached 102 mph. Afternoon thunderstorms
produced tennis ball size hail at Bay Mills, WI. 1990-The
first Round-the-World solo sailing trip by an African-American was achieved
by marketing executive and Coast Guard captain William Pinkney, in the
cutter Commitment. The 22-month voyage, across a distance of 342,000
nautical miles, began in Boston, MA. Pinkney sailed south past the coast of South
America, across the Atlantic Ocean to Capetown, South Africa, and on
to the Australian island of Tasmania. After a nine-month break, he sailed
around Cape Horn and back up the coast of Africa. The Commitment was
equipped with a satellite computer system and a short-wave radio that
allowed 20,000 schoolchildren in Boston and Chicago to follow Pinkney’s
progress. 1993:
The first piece of legislation Bill Clinton signed as president was
the Family Leave Act which went into effect on this date. It provides
up to 12 weeks of emergency unpaid family leave to care for newly born
infants or sick relatives with a guarantees that the person's old job
(or equivalent) is there. Many to most European countries provide up
to 36-week guarantees. 1994
- Michael Jackson and bride, Lisa Marie Presley, visited Budapest, Hungary.
While there, they filmed an advertisement for his upcoming album, "HIStory
- Past, Present and Future - Book 1". The couple also visited children’s
hospitals where they comforted young patients and distributed toys.
1994-
Hootie and the Blowfish released their major-label debut, "Cracked
Rear View." The album took almost a year to make it to number one
on the Billboard chart, and when it did, it knocked Michael Jackson's
"HIStory" from the top spot. By mid-1996, "Cracked Rear
View" had sold more than 13 million copies in the US, becoming
one of the most successful debut albums ever. 1995-
more than 100 Grateful Dead fans were hurt when a wooden deck collapsed
at a campground lodge in Wentzville, Missouri. Hundreds of people were
on or under the deck sheltering from heavy rain. More than 4,000 Deadheads
were staying at the campground while attending Grateful Dead concerts
in the St. Louis suburb. 1997-
the remaining members of John Lennon's original group, The Quarrymen,
reunited to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the historic meeting
between Lennon and Paul McCartney. They performed the Del Vikings hit
"Come Go With Me" from the back of a truck that toured the
streets around Liverpool's St. Peter's Church where Lennon and McCartney
first met on July 6th, 1957. 1999
- St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire belted home runs #500
and 501 to reach the 500-homer mark faster than anyone had before. He
did it in his 5,487th at-bat. Babe Ruth had held the previous record,
having reached #500 in 5,801 at-bats. In case you are wondering, the
others in the top five were Jimmie Foxx (7,074), Mickey Mantle (7,300)
and Mike Schmidt (7,331). McGwire connected for his historic homer(s)
in St. Louis’ Busch Stadium, the same ballpark where he had broken Roger
Maris’ 37-year-old single-season home-run record Sept. 8, 1998, when
he hit homer #62. McGwire went on to hit 70 home runs that season, finishing
just ahead of Chicago Cubs’ Sammy Sosa, who hit 66. 2000-
Sammy Sosa becomes the first Cubs' player to reach 100 RBIs six consecutive
times. Hack Wilson did it for five straight seasons from 1926-30. 2001--
Trailing the Mariners 14-2, the Indians, beginning in the seventh inning,
score 12 times to tie score. Cleveland will win the game in the 11th
inning, 15-14 making it the third time (1911 Tigers, 1925 A's) a team
has won after being behind by 12 runs. Baseball
Poems (This
is an acrostic poem, in which the first letter of each line spells out
a clue into the poem's meaning.) Preoccupied
by Nancy Weaver Victor suffers In his room, with Old World strains Long studied ... In his hands, Never mastered. Boys! Are better busied Slinging bats and stealing bases; Even measuring odds, Batting averages Angles and trajectory and ... Losers, unknown to composers of Lovely concertos. A
Ballad of Baseball Burdens by Franklin
P. Adams The burden of hard hitting. Slug away Like Honus Wagner or like Tyrus Cobb.
Else fandom shouteth: "Who said you
could play? Back to the jasper league, you minor
slob!" Swat, hit, connect, line out, goet on
the job. Else you shall feel the brunt of fandom's
ire Biff, bang it, clout it, hit it on the
knob – This is the end of every fan's desire. The burden of good pitching. Curved or straight.
Or in or out, or haply up or down, To puzzle him that standeth by the plate,
To lessen, so to speak, his bat-renown:
Like Christy Mathewson or Miner Brown,
So pitch that every man can but admire And offer you the freedom of the town
– This is the end of every fan's desire. The burden of loud cheering. O the sounds!
The tumult and the shouting from the
throats Of forty thousand at the Polo Grounds Sitting, ay, standing sans their hats
and coats. A mighty cheer that possibly denotes
That Cub or Pirate fat is in the fire; Or, as H. James would say, We've got
their goats – This is the end of every fan's desire. The burden of a pennant. O the hope, The tenuous hope, the hope that's half
a fear, The lengthy season and the boundless dope,
And the bromidic, "Wait until next
year." O dread disgrace of trailing in the rear,
O Piece of Bunting, flying high and higher
That next October it shall flutter here:
This is the end of every fan's desire. ENVOY Ah, Fans, let not the Quarry but the Chase
Be that to which most fondly we aspire!
For us not Stake, but Game; not Goal, but
Race – THIS is the end of every fan's desire.
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