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Monday, August 23,2004
Headlines---
Kendra
Bernal No Longer in Utah
First
Class Action Against NorVergence Assignees
CapitalWerks
Jim Raeder to Make Statement
IKON/GE
Sued for Restraint of Trade/Unfair Competition
U.S.
ABS market at typical August pace
Taxware
Strengthens IDS Next-Generation Solution
Ex-Im
Bank Renews Offer 1/3 Exposure Fee Reduction
######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press
release”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classified
Ads---Credit
Atlanta, GA.
VP Credit/Operations/Sr. Credit Officer. 15yrs exp. in equipment leasing. Strong financial analysis and management skills. Experience developing and maintaining profitable customer/vendor relationships.
Email: credops@msn.com
Credit: Atlanta,
GA.
Senior Credit Officer
in middle-market equip. finance, vendor, 3rd party, specialty, flow
credit to the fortune 1000. Team builder, originations capable, strong
work ethic, ability to multi-task.
Email: kyletrust@hotmail.com
Atlanta, GA.
10 yrs experience
in
credit/collections/recovery/documentation
in the leasing industry. P&L responsibility, team builder &
strong portfolio mgnt skills.
Email: mortimerga@adelphia.net
Credit: Boston
Ma.
Challenging position
where my skills, professional experience, organization, leadership,
strategic thinking, creativity, energy, passion, competitive nature
will enable me to define opportunities and personal development.
Email: bernd.janet@verizon.net
Corona, CA.
VP credit Consumer Credit prime/sub prime Auto lending/leasing/mortgages. 20+yrs exp. If you are looking for someone to affect the bottom line I am that person. Will relocate.
Email: amosca2000@yahoo.com
Danbury, CT.
Skilled in team building,
management & training. Seasoned credit, portfolio and risk management
professional. Experienced
Email: vgjmoro@aol.com
Fort Lee NJ
3 Years Experience. Looking in NJ/NY.
Email: angitravis@mail.com
Los Angeles, CA
Over 15 years experience in Credit/Operations with Small Ticket and transactions up to $500,000.00. CLP, with excellent relationships with most major lenders.
Email: jonbh123@earthlink.net
Mill Valley, CA
Senior corporate officer with financial services credit background. M and A, fund raising and workout expertise.
Email: nywb@aol.com
New Jersey, NJ
Credit Analyst with
10+ years experience in small-ticket lending up to $500,000. Experience
with both vendor-direct and with brokers.
Email: b.leavy@worldnet.att.net
New York, NY
3+ years of leasing
credit / contracts experience. Currently in the leasing industry and
moving to NY! Exp. working at both funding source and broker.
Email: lease4you@mail.com
New York, NY.
V.P. Credit & Collections w/23 years exp.looking for a situation where I can utilize my varied & extensive knowledge of credit/collections/risk-management & leasing.
Email: rcouzzi@yahoo.com
New York, NY.
5+ yrs leasing credit exp./highly proficient knowledge of Ops: documentation & recovery. Currently in the SMB segment - moving back to NY/NJ area.
Email: SMBOPS2004@aol.com
Phoenix, AZ.
Credit/Leasing Manager- 8 years underwriting. Proven performer, strong negotiator and sales support.
Worked with the best-
Randy Schiell, Chuck Brazier, Jim Lahti.
Contact: Elizabeth
Rose (480)510-7434
Email: ravenfinance@aol.com
San Francisco, CA.
10+ years Credit Analyst experience underwriting for a direct lessor, regional bank and vendor leasing company. Have CLP and will make decisions ( won't rely on a FICO score for enlightenment.)
Email: pmtorres1@yahoo.com
88 Classified ads posted at:
http://64.125.68.90/LeasingNews/JobPostings.htm
These ads are free.
To post one, please go here:
http://64.125.68.90/LeasingNews/JobPostings.htm
New Help wanted ads
will start on September 10th,
as Kit Menkin will
be on vacation, a cruise to Alaska with
Duckhorn Winery,
from August 31 to the 10th.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Economic
Events This Week
August 25
Wednesday
Durable Good Orders:
July
New Home Sales: July
August 26
Thursday
Weekly Jobless Claims
August 27
Friday
GDP: 2nd Quarter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kendra
Bernal No Longer in Utah
Notorious
Funding Tree Kendra Bernal was found in Utah by Leasing
News,
but she is no longer there.
“In regards
to Kendra Bernal...I am the general manager of the Salt Lake City company
that Ms Bernal was recently employed with. We also have been victimized
by Ms Bernal's deception. We are in process of filing criminal charges
against her.
“We were
not aware of her past criminal history, when she was hired by our firm.
Once this was discovered, Ms Bernal was immediately terminated. We take
great pride in the fact that we have served our clients with a level
of ethical excellence for over 20 years, and have a perfect record with
the Better Business Bureau.
“ Information
about Ms Bernal's theft of our company property, has been forwarded
to the district attorney's office in Riverside.”
( Name With Held )
Kendra
Bernal is due for sentencing in California on August 25, 2004 at 8:30am Department 4. Her previous attorney, who she owes $15,000
for his services and skipped on him, he says, talked to her in Utah
where she had every intention of appearing in California court,
she told
him.
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Funding_Tree-Kendra_Bernal.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Your
One stop solution for training and reference material for the
Leasing Professional
www.theleasinglibrary.com |
CONFERENCE
COUNT-DOWN----
Lessors
Network Annual Atlanta, GA August 25-26
NAELB
Irvine, CA Regional Meeting
September 10 Irvine, Ca
EAEL
Expo September 27 (no location
stated on web site)
UAEL
Monterey, CA October 21-24
http://www.uael.org/events/conferences/ace/default.asp
ELA
Palm Desert, CA October
24-26
www.elaonline.org/events/2004/annconv/convhome.cfm
AGLF
Rancho Mirage, CA November 10-12
www.aglf.org/25AM04_fallpgm.pdf
MAEL
Rosemont, Illinois November
18
Please go to the association web site to learn more.
To learn about these and other leasing associations, please
go to: http://www.leasingnews.org/associations.htm
|
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------
First
Class Action Against NorVergence Assignees
A copy of the actual
filing in the first of what looks like
a series of class
action suits against leasing companies
who purchased NorVergence
"cost to lessor" was posted Friday
in our eMail section. Leasing News is receiving requests
for its copy, and
for those who missed it:
GARY S. GRAIFMAN
Kantrowitz Goldhamer
& Graifman, P.C.
747 Chestnut Ridge
Road
Chestnut Ridge, NY
10977
845-356-2570
Copy of Complaint:
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/Norvergence%20Class%20Action%20Complaint.pdf
CapitalWerks
Jim Raeder to Make Statement
by
Christopher “Kit” Menkin
In recent articles
regarding Alliance Funding Group and CapitalWerks,
we have heard from
everyone but Mr. Raeder, who we have learned
has just returned
from Geneva late last week.
We have asked him
for a statement as the New York Times News
story has brought
accusations from people who do not want to
be named, but have
derogatory things to say about he
and his company;
things that have been said behind his
back for years.
In all complaints
made against his company, Mr. Raeder has
funded the leases
or returned money, explaining the situation
to everyone’s satisfaction.
In our knowledge with many funding
sources, he has stood
behind any of the leases he or his partner
Mark McQuitty has
assigned.
Leasing News believes
these accusations are both unfair and
unfounded, despite
the criticism we receive about our direct
experience, and have
asked Mr. Raeder to make a statement.
It is also appropriate
to read the “Letter to the Editor” by
Equipment Leasing
Association President Michael Fleming,
sent to the New York
Times ( please note, both Alliance
Funding Group and
CapitalWerks are not members of ELA,
although after this
defense of fees, perhaps they should join:)
“Dear Editor:
“I would like to
clarify a few points in the article “In Equipment Leasing Deals, Let
the Renter Beware” (August 12, 2004). The article is misleading as it
implies that so called “access fees” -- more commonly referred to as
application or commitment fees -- are unusual. The article also suggests
that such fees should always be fully refundable. Whether a home mortgage,
line of credit or an equipment lease, the application or commitment
fee document should clearly spell out the responsibilities of the parties,
including conditions such as refundability.
“In most financial
businesses it is common for credit application fees or commitment fees
to be part of the financing transaction. Similar to loan application
fees when applying for a mortgage, lessees pay a commitment fee to a
lessor. These fees pay for the research and due diligence before credit
is extended. As standard practice, commitment fees aren’t refunded if
the lease deal does not go through because the organization needs to
defray costs for work already conducted.
“Every day 30,000
to 40,000 leases are written for hundreds of thousands of companies
from small bakeries to multi-national companies in the U.S. The overwhelming
number of these transactions proceed routinely as reflected by an industry-wide
delinquency rate of less than 2 percent.*
“The industry, as
a whole, produced between $100 billion and $300 billion additional real
GDP, produced between $227 billion and $229 billion additional real
equipment investment, and created between three million and five million
additional jobs between 1997-2002.**
“But, the most important
contribution of the equipment leasing industry lies in providing access
to capital. If leasing were unavailable many entities, from non-profit
to private organizations, from tax-exempt entities to public companies,
would not be able to acquire the equipment they need.”
Michael Fleming
President
Equipment Leasing
Association
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IKON/GE
Sued for Restraint of Trade/Unfair Competition
IKON Office Solutions,
reportedly the world's largest independent channel for document management
systems and services, has announced that William S. Urkiel, the Company's
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, plans to retire in
2005. IKON has outlined a transition plan for the Chief Financial Officer
position, whereby Mr. Urkiel will remain in the CFO position through
the search process, followed by a transition period during which he
will be available to support the new CFO.
In the meantime,
Leasing News has learned on June 25, 2004, NewCal Industries, a California
corporation, Pinnacle Document Systems, a California corporation, Pacific
Automation, an Oregon Corporation, and Kearns Business Solutions, a
South Carolina
California against
Ikon Office Solutions, an Ohio Corporation and Kearns Business Solutions.
The civil case claims
“unreasonable restraint of trade,”
“unfair
competition,” “unlawful,
unfair and fraudulent business relations,”
as well as “unfair,
deceptive, untrue and misleading advertising,”
laying out the foundation
of there charges in this filing.
http://www.two.leasingnews.org/loose_files/P001Complaint%20(2).pdf
None of the parties
contacted would make a comment
to Leasing News and referred us to public relations personnel, who have
not returned our telephone calls.
A July 29th
press release stated:
“Finance income from
the U.S. and Canadian portfolios declined by 61% from the prior year
and is expected to decline primarily over the next 24 months, as the
Company completes its previously announced transition out of captive
lease financing in the U.S. and Canada.
“Revenues for the
third quarter were $1.16 billion, declining 1.3% compared to the prior
year. Growth in targeted revenue streams was offset by the decline in
finance revenues as the Company began its transition out of captive
lease financing in North America.
“Targeted revenue
streams, which represent 95% of total revenues and exclude revenues
from U.S. and Canadian lease financing and computer-related technology
hardware, grew by 4% compared to the same period a year ago.
“This strategic shift
includes the funding of new lease originations by IKON Financial Services(SM),
a strategic alliance under GE Commercial Finance ("GE"). Foreign
currency translation provided a 1.1% benefit to total revenues.”
According to the
present release, “IKON Office Solutions (www.ikon.com)
integrates imaging systems and services that help businesses manage
document workflow and increase efficiency. As the world's largest independent
distribution channel for copier and printer technologies, IKON offers
best-in-class systems from leading manufacturers such as Canon, Ricoh
and HP and service support through its team of 7,000 service professionals
worldwide. IKON also represents the industry's broadest portfolio of
document management services: outsourcing and professional services,
on-site copy and mailroom management, fleet management, off-site digital
printing solutions, and customized workflow and imaging application
development, as well as equipment lease financing. With Fiscal 2003
revenues of $4.7 billion, IKON has approximately 600 locations throughout
North America and Europe.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classified
Ads---Help Wanted
Credit-Funding-Operations
|
Credit Analyst: Seeking an energetic and organized Credit Analyst. At least one to two years of experience as a Credit Analyst in financial services (banking, insurance, leasing, or mortgage) is required. Funding Manager: Seeking a very organized, detail oriented Funding Manager. Minimum two years experience in brokering and discounting commercial equipment transactions is required. Operations Manager: Seeking an experienced Operations Manager with knowledge of all sides of operations. Must have a minimum of five years related experience. Send
email or fax to Ryan Johnson, Corporate Recruiter. |
|
|
Controller / Vendor Sales Specialist/ Entry Level Accountant
|
Equipment Finance Sales Executive
|
|
Senior Contract Specialist
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S.
ABS market at typical August pace
ABSnet
Last week marked
another slow session in the U.S. ABS primary market, as August rolled
on and the Republican National Convention neared.
With the FOMC raising
short-term interest rates 25 basis points to 1.5% early in the week,
and a new set of disappointing employment numbers coming late the week
before that, the market had a lot to digest. However, secondary liquidity
improved dramatically on Wednesday, the day after the Fed’s announcement,
according to research from Credit Suisse First Boston. The overall tone
of the secondary market remains positive, CSFB analysts said.
Real estate ABS was
responsible for the bulk of volume, with about $4.7 billion having priced
for the week. AmeriQuest Mortgage had a big week and priced roughly
$3 billion in two separate transactions from its new subprime MBS shelf.
In the equipment
sector, Trinity Leasing came in with a $157.6 million transaction backed
by railcar leases via Credit Suisse First Boston, completed with a full
Ambac wrap. The single-tranche fixed-rate offering came in at 60 basis
points over swaps, the tight end of guidance.
The first, pricing
Monday, was a $2.89 billion subprime MBS offering via Citigroup Global
Markets off AmeriQuest’s Park Place Securities Trust vehicle. The series
2004-WCW2 deal widened across the capital structure, with the triple-A
rated, 2.40-year notes coming in at 38 basis points over one- month
Libor versus guidance in the 35 basis point area over. The one-year
triple-A class came outside of expectations at 17 points over, while
the 2.7-year triple-A class was four points outside of talk, at 34 basis
points over. Meanwhile, the 5.20-year triple-B rated notes priced at
205 points over Libor relative to guidance in the 195 to 200 point range.
Later in the week,
AmeriQuest tapped the market again for $982 million in traditional home
equity led jointly by Banc of America Securities and Morgan Stanley.
The triple-A rated one-year notes were a touch wide at 17 basis points
over one-month Libor versus talk in the 16 basis point area over. Down
in credit, spreads tightened on the 5.02-year triple-B plus notes, pricing
at 190 points over one-month Libor versus guidance in the 200 basis
point area over.
Soundview Mortgage
was also in the market with $463.4 million in subprime MBS led jointly
by RBS Greenwich Capital and Wachovia Securities. The offering priced
largely in line with guidance, as both the 2.44- and 6.51—year triple-A
rated notes came on target at 16 and 35 basis points over one-month
Libor, respectively. The 4.73-year double-A rated notes priced wide
at 68 basis points over Libor relative to talk in the 65 basis point
area over.
Additionally, Barclays
Capital issued $392.5 million of home equity loan-backed notes off of
its SABR shelf. The spread on 2.63-year triple-A rated notes was 38
basis points over one-month Libor.
At week’s end, GMAC-Residential
Funding Corp. was still shopping a $600 million mixed-collateral subprime
deal from its RASC shelf. The three-year triple-A rated notes were being
talked in the 50 basis point area over swaps. Meanwhile, price guidance
for the three-year, triple-A floaters was set at 28 points over one-month
Libor. — SM
### Press Release
##############################
Partnership
with Taxware Strengthens IDS Next-Generation Solution
Sales and Use Tax
Calculation Structure Is Perfectly
Aligned with ProFinia™
Lease/Loan Accounting System
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.,
– International Decision Systems, Inc. (IDS), the global leader in comprehensive
software solutions for the equipment finance industry, has announced
a strategic value-added reseller (VAR) partnership with global tax automation
expert Taxware LP. The partnership brings together ProFinia, the next-generation lease/loan accounting software
solution from IDS, and Taxware’s Sales and Use Tax Solution, industry-leading
tax calculation and compliance software that's used by thousands of
companies nationwide.
“Key Taxware features can be leveraged by the flexible and open
architecture of ProFinia, helping customers lower tax management costs
by eliminating the need for manual intervention,” explains Carol Nelson,
Director of Product Management for IDS. “The partnership demonstrates
our commitment to bringing our customers bottom-line savings that directly
increase their ROI.”
“Taxware is an industry
leader with international adaptability,” says Bruce Reed, Vice President
of Business Development for Taxware LP. “Our goal is to strategically
partner with other global industry leaders like IDS.”
Taxware Sales and
Use Tax Solution Features
“Tax calculation and management is growing increasingly complicated,
with more than 27,000 transaction tax codes worldwide and 8,000 sales
tax jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada alone,” said Reed. “Our tax
content is designed to complement existing systems like ProFinia, in
order to drive more value from customers’ current technology investments.”
Other highlights
of Taxware Sales and Use Tax Solution include the ability to:
• Calculate sales taxes, use taxes and value-added taxes;
• Determine product taxability and unique jurisdictional issues,
updating monthly to reflect the latest tax changes;
• Create full detail line item reports adhering to electronic
date
interface (EDI) reporting standards;
• Permit special tax overrides and manage exemptions, special
rates, caps and thresholds; and
• Provide a fully populated product taxability matrix containing
more than 2,000 classifications of products and services
with
the ability for users to add custom product codes unique
to
their business.
More on IDS ProFinia,
next-generation InfoLease®
ProFinia delivers
many ways to make the lease/loan process more efficient and profitable.
For example, ProFinia:
• Is an asset-centric system that enables increased productivity,
improved efficiency, and seamless integration;
• Allows customers to choose an industry standard underlying
database;
• Provides secure Internet-based communication to link business
partners and customers
around the clock and around the
world;
• Is built with J2EE, the industry standard development language
on which the vast majority of Fortune 1000 companies are
deploying applications;
• Provides fast, simple system navigation through a user-friendly
interface;
• Enables seamless integration with the industry-leading front
end
solution, IDS Rapport, as well as other means of integrating
front-end and back-end data; and
• Supports global business practices including multiple language
requirements, local tax laws, currencies, business calendars
and localization of terms and conditions.
IDS will support
the installation, implementation and initial set up of ProFinia code
mapping to the Taxware Sales and Use Tax Solution and continue to provide
first-level support to customers licensing Taxware in conjunction with
ProFinia.
About International
Decision Systems
International Decision
Systems (IDS) is the global leader in developing lease/loan accounting
and portfolio management software and services. Headquartered in Minneapolis,
Minn., IDS also has offices in London, Sydney, and Singapore. IDS offers
the largest and most experienced global consulting, implementation,
and technical support teams in the equipment financing industry. For
more information, visit www.idsgrp.com.
About Taxware
Taxware, a subsidiary
of First Data Corporation, is a leading developer of global commercial
tax compliance systems. For more than 25 years, Taxware's products have
simplified the tax calculation and compliance process with solutions
for sales, use, value added and other consumption taxes for businesses
around the globe. By combining expert knowledge of the most current
research and changes in tax legislation with the best available automated
processes, Taxware has developed comprehensive solutions that facilitate
compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, serving as the control for corporate
transaction tax operations. Taxware has relationships with many Fortune
1000 customers including Wal-Mart and Home Depot as well as partnerships
with leading systems ERP solution providers, including PeopleSoft, SAP,
and Oracle. To learn more about Taxware products, please visit www.taxware.com.
### Press Release
############################
Ex-Im Bank Renews Offer of One-Third Exposure Fee Reduction on
Export
Financing of U.S. Large Commercial Aircraft
Airlines in Countries
Adopting, Ratifying and Implementing the Cape Town
Treaty Can Benefit
From the Exposure Fee Reduction
WASHINGTON, -- The Export-Import Bank of the United States
(Ex-Im Bank) renewed its offer to reduce the Bank's exposure fee by
one-third on financings of U.S. large commercial aircraft for buyers
in countries that sign, ratify and implement the Cape Town Treaty. The treaty is an international agreement that
will facilitate asset-based financing and leasing of large commercial
aircraft.
Ex-Im Bank's offer
enables eligible foreign buyers to receive an Ex-Im Bank exposure fee
of as low as 2 percent, a one-third reduction of the current minimum
3 percent exposure fee on financings of large commercial aircraft. More
favorable financing terms also apply to asset-based financings of spare
engines to such buyers. Ex-Im Bank has extended the offer for approvals
issued through fiscal year 2005, which will end on September 30, 2005.
The United States
signed the Cape Town Treaty in May 2003. The U.S. Senate approved the
treaty on July 22, 2004, and President George W. Bush signed the implementing
legislation on August 9, 2004. The U.S. ratification process will be
completed when the ratification documents are formally deposited in
Rome, Italy, with the international organization, UNIDROIT, which is
the depositary of the Cape Town Treaty and related protocols.
"Ex-Im Bank
is renewing our offer of a one-third reduction of our exposure fee because
we are committed to encouraging other countries to adopt the Cape Town
Treaty and the related aircraft protocol," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman
Philip Merrill. "Ex-Im Bank strongly believes that the
Cape Town Treaty will reduce certain risks associated with cross-border
sales and leases of aircraft and aircraft engines."
Merrill added that
Ex-Im Bank believes the reduced risk "justifies a reduction in
our exposure fee for airlines based in countries that ratify and implement
the treaty. The treaty is intended to make greater amounts
of financing available to airlines on more attractive terms. Less costly financing will enable airlines
to upgrade their fleets, thereby supporting jobs in the aerospace industry."
Ex-Im Bank will offer
the one-third reduction of its exposure fee (in connection with approvals
issued through September 30, 2005) to buyers in any foreign country
that has signed, ratified and implemented the treaty and the related
aircraft protocol (including certain optional provisions specified in
letters sent by Ex-Im Bank to such buyers).
The Cape Town Treaty,
which was concluded at an international diplomatic conference held in
Cape Town, South Africa in November 2001, establishes a commercially
oriented, comprehensive international legal framework to protect security
and leasing interests in aircraft equipment. The treaty has been signed
by 28 countries, of which four countries already have ratified the treaty. The treaty entered into force on April 1, 2004,
and will become effective as applied to aircraft and aircraft engines
once eight countries ratify the aircraft protocol. The United States
is expected to complete its ratification process later this year.
Ex-Im Bank, the official export credit agency of the United States, is in its 70th year of helping finance the sale of U.S. exports, primarily to emerging markets throughout the world, by providing loan guarantees, export credit insurance and direct loans. In the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has authorized financing to support the export of more than $22 billion of U.S. large commercial aircraft. For more information, visit
SOURCE Export-Import Bank of the United States
CO: Export-Import Bank of the United States; Ex-Im
Bank
ST: District of Columbia, South Africa
SU: TRD FOR EXE
Web site: http://www.exim.gov
## Press Release
###########################
News
Briefs----
Economists dial back
growth forecasts
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2004-08-22-econ-survey_x.htm
July job figures
decline in six swing states
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-08-22-
Two Measures of Employment:
How Different Are They?
http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2004/el2004-23.html
More self-employed
bet on not getting sick, hurt
http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/2004-08-22-health_x.htm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sports Briefs----
Gatlin dethrones Greene
in 100 meters
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/olympics/0804/23men.html?UrAuth=%60NY
NUOaNWUbTTUWUXUUUZT[U^UWU^UbUZU%60UcUcTYWYWZV
Firm approves plan to
remodel Rose Bowl for possible NFL team
http://www.theredzone.org/news/showarticle.asp?ArticleID=1463
U.S. Rolls Into Softball
Gold - Medal Game
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-OLY-Australia-US-SOF.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Gimme
that Wine”
New winemaking team
named at B.R. Cohn
http://www.sonomanews.com/articles/2004/08/19/news/business/business05.txt
New Screwpull Corkscrews
Make Cork Extraction Easy
http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Daily/News/0,1145,2574,00.html
Fall Wine Auctions
to Start Off With Some Blockbusters
http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Daily/News/0,1145,2573,00.html
Delicato Gets Financing
http://www.winesandvines.com/headline_08_02_04_delicato.html
PIERCE'S DISEASE
UPDATE
http://www.wineinstitute.org/communications/pierces_disease/pierces_disease_update.htm
Tours of Napa
This
Day in American History
1500
-- Christopher Columbus, accused
of mistreating the natives of Haiti, is arrested and sent back to Spain
in chains. Plunder continued to take precedence over conversion, but
the Catholics continued to be embarrassed. Their ideology was not altogether
suited to their practice. The Catholics made much of their conquests
of Aztecs and Incas, whom they described as empires with institutions
similar to those of the Hapsburg Empire and the religious practices
as demonic as those of the official enemy, the heathen empire of the
Ottoman Turks. But the Catholics did not make much of the wars of extermination
against communities that had neither emperors nor standing armies. Such
feats, although perpetrated regularly, conflicted with the ideology
and were less than heroic. The act of slavery was condoned, as natives
were considered “property” for this purpose,
plus
paid a “fine” for his release.
—
Freddy Perlman, The Continuing Appeal of Nationalism
1572- In France, late this night, Catholic conspirators began massacring
thousands of Huguenots (French Protestants), under orders of Catherine
de Medici, advisor to her son, Charles IX, King of France.
Huguenots, who could escape, went to other countries, many of
them immigrating to the New World.
1784-
the state of Franklin, formed this day, when it seceded from North Carolina.
It consisted of three counties between the Bald Mountains and the Holston
River, an area that is now in eastern Tennessee.
It citizens established a senate and a house of commons at Jonesboro
and elected John Sevier as governor for a four year term.
Sevier was arrested in 1788 on charges of high treason. The state was not admitted to the Union. Upon
his release from jail, Sevier was elected to the House of Representatives.
He served as the first governor of Tennessee after it was admitted
to the Union as the 16th state in 1796.
1834- Britain abolishes slavery in colonies; 700,000 slaves freed.
The
anti-slavery abolition movement gained much strength from this, as
demonstrated with the formal organization of the American Anti-Slavery
Society, formed in Philadelphia, December 4.
http://www.freetheslaves.net/timeline2.html
http://www.brycchancarey.com/abolition/index.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/sla_hist.htm
http://www.brycchancarey.com/abolition/index.htm
1859-The
first elevator installed was in the six-story Fifth Avenue Hotel, New
York City, which opened this day. The elevator operated on the principle
of an Archimedean screw. It was viewed and inspected by Albert Edward,
Prince of Wales, on October 11,1960. The first elevator in an office building was
installed in 1868 in the original Equitable Life Assurance Society building
located on lower Broadway, New York City.
The first electric elevator successfully operated was installed
in 1889 by Otis Brothers and Company in the Demarest Building, Fifth
Avenue and 33rd Street, New York City and the age of the
skyscrapers began
in
major cities throughout the United States.
1864-
The Union navy captured Fort Morgan, Alabama, breaking the Confederate
dominance of the ports of the Gulf of Mexico. As the Union fleet of
four ironclad and fourteen wooden ships sailed into the channel on August
5, one of the lead ships, the Tecumseh, hit a mine, at the time known
as a "torpedo."
In
reply to the warning, "Torpedoes ahead!" given by the forward
ships, commander Admiral David Farragut called out, "Damn the torpedoes!"
and, taking the lead with his flagship the Hartford, sailed over the
double row of mines and into Mobile Bay.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug23.html
1869-The first carload of freight (boots and shoes) arrives in San
Francisco from Boston.
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/rail.html
1869
–Birthday of Edgar Lee Masters, Garnett, Kansas. Author of Spoon River Anthology, epitaphs spoken
by about 250 persons buried in the graveyard of a village in the Middle
West.
http://www.outfitters.com/illinois/fulton/masters.html
1889-The first ship-to-shore wireless message received in US (San
Francisco).
1900-National
Negro Business League was founded in Boston, MA by Booker T. Washington.
Four hundred delegates from34 states attended the founding conference,
which promoted the growth of African-American-owned businesses. Washington
was elected the fist president of the organization.
http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/2upa/Aaas/NationalNegroBusinessLeague.htm
http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/african/Article_Detail.asp?Article_ID=385
1900
-- Folk singer Malvina Reynolds (Milder) born, San Francisco, California.
She was refused her diploma by Lowell High School because her parents
were opposed to US participation in World War I. Died 1978.
http://www.sisterschoice.com/mal-bio.html
http://www.sisterschoice.com/malvinamain.html
http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/reynolds.html
1902
- Fannie Merrit Farmer opened her cooking school, Miss Farmer’s School
of Cookery, in Boston, MA. Ms. Farmer was the leading cooking authority
of her day. Known as the ‘mother of measurements’, she revolutionized
food preparation throughout the world with her introduction of precise
measurements -- the level teaspoon, tablespoon, cup, etc. And, in 1919,
candy maker Frank O’Connor paid Fannie the ultimate compliment by naming
his now famous company, Fanny Farmer Candy Shops.
1906
- Thunderstorms deluged Kansas City, MO, with six inches of rain during
the early morning, including nearly three inches in thirty minutes.
1911
-- Ishi — last member of his stone-age tribe — discovered in California.
The region is known as the Land of Ishi because this is where the last
survivor of the Yahi Yana tribe, a man named Ishi, escaped from settlers
who exterminated the rest of the Yahis. They had lived here for at least
3,000 years before being killed off, along with the elk they had hunted,
another dreadful moment in the settling of the West. There is controversy that Ishi was not a “pure
bred” and therefore was not the last of his tribe, as taught in California
schools to this day.
http://www.mohicanpress.com/mo08019.html
http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/naind/html/na_017600_ishi.htm
http://www.bookcrossing.com/search/?title=ishi+lastandauthor
=kroeberandcategory=andisbn=andbcid=and=Wait..
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/96legacy/releases.96/14310.html
1913-Birthday
of band leader Bob Crosby.
http://www.parabrisas.com/d_crosbybob.html
http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/pennvalley/biology/lewis/crosby/bobcros.htm
http://www.bobcrosbybobcats.com/
http://www.jazzbymail.com/albums_rw/rwstudy.html
1917-
-- Race Riot occurs in Houston, Texas, when the 24th Infantry seeks
revenge on the city's white police after the brutal beating of two of
the regiment's soldiers. After two hours of violence, 15 whites, including
four policemen, are killed and 12 more injured. Four soldiers die. 118
soldiers are charged in connection with the riots and 19 executed, most
in almost total secrecy, in one of the most infamous court-martials
ever involving African-Americans
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/HH/jch4.html
http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/~chssocst/ssus2HoustonRiot.htm
http://www.africana.com/research/encarta/www1blacks.asp
http://www.hal-pc.org/~lfa/BB19.html
1921
- Denver, CO, was drenched with 2.20 inches of rain in one hour, a record
for that location.
1927-
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were electrocuted at the Charleston,
MA, prison. Convicted of a shoe factory payroll robbery during which a guard
had been killed, Sacco and Vanzetti maintained their innocence to the
end. Six years of appeals marked this American cause celebre during
which substantial evidence was presented to show that both men were
elsewhere at the time of the crime.
however, on the 50th anniversary of their executive,
Massachusetts governor Michael S. Dukakis proclaimed August 23, 1977,
a memorial day, noting that the 1921 trial had been “permeated by prejudice.”
Dukais was to run for president with Lloyd Bentsen for vice-president
in 1988, but to be defeated by George Bush and Sen. Dan Qualye in November,
carrying only ten states. Some say it was his freeing of these gentlemen,
among others,
while
pundits blame it on the “dirty trick” Texas campaign of the ridiculous
picture
of Dukais in an oversized helmet supposedly steering a tank. (others
say
he was a poor choice, and history shows he basically “disappeared”
from
the political scene after his loss.)
1929-Birthday
of drummer Danny Barcelona, Honolulu, HI.
http://www.storyville-records.com/Oct2.html
http://www.jazzrecords.com/jazzbooks/video3.htm
1936-Birthday
of Rudy Lewis, one of the lead singers with the Drifters, Philadelphia,
PA.
http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=94
http://www.rhinorecords.com/Albums/72417bio.html
http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~mjzappat/drifters/drifters.html
1939-
Glenn Miller completes 14 weeks at Glen Island Casino.
Air checks make it a phenomenal summer success and makes “the
Miller sound” the hit of the country.
1943
- "LIFE" magazine spotlighted a dance craze that was sweeping
the U.S.A. -- the Lindy Hop. The Lindy was named after American aviation
hero Charles A. Lindbergh; and began its entry into the American lifestyle
in 1927. The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York was really jumping when
George ‘Shorty’ Snowden, one of the Savoy’s famous dancers, started
doing twists, turns, jumps and twirls to the music of greats like Duke
Ellington, Cab Calloway, Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald. Snowden told
everyone he was doing the Lindy Hop. The jitterbug, swing or Lindy as
it was called by white dancers became an integral part of Hollywood’s
golden era and was picked up by the youth of America during WWII, as
exhibited on the "LIFE" cover.
http://www.jitterbuzz.com/lifmag.html
http://www.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/depts/edu/textbooks/lindy.html
http://www.savoystyle.com/willamae_ricker.html
http://www.mcn.org/a/lindyhop/
http://dancing.org/lindy-what-is.html
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Balcony/1404/history.html
1943-Along
the beaches at Cape Fear outside Camp Davis, A-24 planes flown by members
of the Women Air Service Pilots are dragging training targets behind
them. The targets are being shot at with live ammunition by men training
to be part of anti-aircraft gun crews. Instructors are next to each
man to pull a recruit's finger away who is too excited and shoots at
the plane instead of the target. It happens often. WASP Byrd Granger in On Final Approach, the
History of the Women Air Service Pilots wrote:
"Instructor Lt. Bruce Arnold, son of
General Hap Arnold is... too late (as) he reaches to snatch a gunner's
hand from the trigger. Dismayed he sees a 50mm round speed with deplorable
accuracy toward the A-24, not the target. It will be a direct hit."
WASP Mabel Rawlinson is piloting while in
the rear cockpit is male instructor Lt. Roubillard who is checking her
on night flying. Pilot Rowlinson immediately radios they have been hit.
Granger writes:
"The
engine is rough, faltering. The landing pattern takes the plane, sputtering
over the barracks where women pilots hear it. They run out of the barracks
as the crippled plane coughs one last time, then plunges into the swampy
wood at the north end of the runway. On impact it breaks in two and
the front section blazes. Mabel struggles to release the hatch. She
cannot open it.
"Lt. Roubillard, emerging (almost unhurt)
from the separated rear section, hears her screams as she burns to death.
So do the women WASP pilots running towards the crash. It is 9:20 p.m.
It is almost totally dark. And the crash will remain one of the closest
guarded secrets of World War II. Roubillard says Rawlinson's flying
ability saved his life.
"... She might have survived if the A-24
cockpit latch had operated. But (the latch which she had written up
to be fixed) was (considered too) minor a problem to have repair priority."
To this day Rawlinson's death as a result
of friendly fire is hardly acknowledged and there are many who claim
no women were ever killed. Thirty-seven women died in the WASP program.
1946
-- Humphrey Bogart movie "The Big Sleep" opens. Based on the
novel by Raymond Chandler.
1947
- Margaret Truman, daughter of U.S. President Harry S Truman, presented
her first public concert. Margaret sang before 15,000 people at the
Hollywood Bowl. The concert did not get great reviews. In fact, the
critics didn’t like Margaret’s singing at all. And Margaret’s dad didn’t
like the critics, and said so, from the White House.
1950---Top
Hits
Mona
Lisa - Nat King Cole
I
Wanna Be Loved - The Andrews Sisters
Play
a Simple Melody - Bing Crosby
I’m
Moving On - Hank Snow
1953-Birthday
of saxophone player Bobby Watson, Lawrence, KS.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/watson_bobby_1_/bio.jhtml
http://www.umkc.edu/conservatory/faculty/bio_info.asp?primarykey=60
http://www.ejn.it/mus/watson.htm
1958---Top
Hits
Nel
Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) - Domenico Modugno
Little
Star - The Elegants
My
True Love - Jack Scott
Alone
with You - Faron Young
1964
-- Beatles do Hollywood Bowl concert.
1965
- The U.S. premiere of the motion picture "Help!", starring
The Beatles, was held for thousands of moviegoers wanting to see the
group’s first color motion picture. Their first film, "A Hard Day’s
Night", had been produced in black and white.
1966---Top
Hits
Summer
in the City - The Lovin’ Spoonful
Sunny
- Bobby Hebb
See
You in September - The Happenings
Almost
Persuaded - David Houston
1968-
Aretha Franklin's "Lady Soul" earns a gold LP while the Rascals'
"People Got to Be Free" is awarded a gold 45.
1969
- Mrs. Audrey McElmory of La Jolla, CA won the world cycling championship
in Czechoslovakia.
1969-"Honky
Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones hits #1 on the pop chart.
1969-
The Who's "I'm Free" peaks at #37 on the chart.
1969-
Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Marrakesh Express" peaks at #28
on the chart, while Chicago's "Questions 67 & 68" peaks
at #71
1970
- U.S. swimmer Gary Hall broke three world records at the AAU (Amateur
Athletic Union) outdoor swimming meet, held in Los Angeles, CA.
1972- Republican convention (Miami Beach, FL) re-nominates VP Agnew
but not unanimous-1 vote went to NBC newsman David Brinkley).
1974---Top
Hits
The
Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace
(You’re)
Having My Baby - Paul Anka
Tell
Me Something Good - Rufus
As
Soon as I Hang Up the Phone - Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn
1975- War's
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" peaks at #6 on the pop chart.
1975- Fleetwood
Mac's self titled LP enters the charts. It's the band's first album
with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.
1980- AC/DC's
"Black In Black" LP enters the charts. It's the band's first
album with new lead singer Brian Johnson and also their most popular,
selling over 10 million.
1982---Top
Hits
Eye
of the Tiger - Survivor
Hurts
So Good - John Cougar
Abracadabra
- The Steve Miller Band
Nobody
- Sylvia
1984
- South Fork Ranch, the home of the fictitious Ewing clan of the CBS-TV
show "Dallas", was sold. The ranch, a 200-acre spread near
Dallas, was to be transformed from a tourist site into a hotel, according
to the new owners.
1986-
Billy Joel's LP "The Bridge" enters the album charts. The
album featured two top-10 hits, "Modern Woman" and "A
Matter Of Trust."
1987
- A cold front brought autumn-like weather to the Northern and Central
Plains Region. Afternoon highs were in the 50s and 60s across parts
of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska that just two days earlier were in
the 90s or above 100 degrees. Thunderstorms produced locally heavy rain
in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
1989
- Thunderstorms produced heavy rain with flash flooding in West Virginia.
Pickens, WV, reported 4.80 inches of rain in 24 hours. Evening thunderstorms
in Mississippi deluged Alta Woods with 4.25 inches of rain in less than
an hour. Thunderstorms also produced heavy rain in southeastern Kentucky,
and flooding was reported along Big Creek and along Stinking Creek.
The Stinking Creek volunteer fire department reported water levels 12
to 14 feet above bankfull. Fort Worth TX hit the 100 degree mark for
the first time all year. Strong winds ushering cool air into northwest
Utah gusted to 70 mph, raising clouds of dust in the salt flats.
1990---Top
Hits
Vision
of Love - Mariah Carey
Come
Back to Me - Janet Jackson
If
Wishes Came True - Sweet Sensation
Next
to You, Next to Me - Shenandoah
1990-
Singer Billy Idol begins a tour in Montreal -- this just six months
after almost losing his leg in a motorcycle accident
1992-James
A. Baker III, resigned as secretary of state and was appointed chief
of staff to President George Bush I.
In his new post Baker was to take over command of Bush’s reelection
campaign, which was seen as floundering.
1996-Restrictions
intended to discourage smoking by young people were announced by President
Clinton. The new rules banned vending machines in many
locations; prohibited brand-name sponsorship of sporting events; and
out-lawed advertising billboards located within 1000 ft of schools.
Baseball
Poem
there Is nothing,
in sport, like a new baseball
by
Tim Peeler
Without seeing
one, I can feel it in
My hand, fresh from an umpire's dark blue
Canvas bag: a sweet white sphere—but
not as
Smooth as one
might think a palomino's
Forgiving hide.
r
It feels a
bit like your dry face after
A very close
shave, and the odor is
Quite like
a new leather belt or wallet—
A good pitcher
could smell the sharp break in
The face of
the rock—and every baseball
Has one: a
mouth, closed eyelids, a low brow,
The receding
hairline of red stitches.
In sport
what can you compare with this orb?
A puck?
A grainy leather basketball?
Without
seeing one, I can feel how it
Rests
in the open palm of my right hand,
The excitement
of placing two fingers
With or against the lightly rising seams,
Rubbing it with my glove propped between my
Elbow
and hip while a batter fidgets
Inside
a perfectly fresh line of chalk.
--- with the permission
of the author, from his
book of baseball poetry:
“Waiting for Godot’s
First Pitch”
More Poems from Baseball
available from Amazon
or direct
from the publisher
at: www.mcfarlandpub.com
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