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Wednesday, February 10, 2010



(Greg Norman Jr. hit a 111-yard pitching wedge to within an inch
of the cup in the final event Monday, and he and his father
won the $800,000 Golf Skills Challenge.
Greg Sr. seemed delighted about the shot by
his 23-year-old son, a professional kiteboarder by trade.
"That's what teamwork is all about," the elder Norman said.)

Golfer Gregory John Norman AO "The Great White Shark" born 10 February 1955 Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia. He was considered the world's the world's number one ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s, he has won 91 professional events around the world, including 20 U.S. PGA Tour titles.
http://www.shark.com/sharkwatch/biography/


Headlines---

Classified Ads---Sales
  Tygris to operate as division of EverBank
Commerce National Bank 2010 Economic Forecast
  Classified Ads---Help Wanted
   New Hires---Promotions
    Placards---What You Always Do
Alexa Report Leasing Web Site Popularity
 Sales makes it Happen---by Steve Chriest
  "Me-too" players
    Cartoon---feedme.cat
 Classified ads—Attorneys
  Credit Card Bust-Out Scheme 63 Months Jail
    Murray, Utah---Adopt-a-Pet
News Briefs---
 Storm Batters East, Closing Schools/Grounding Planes
  Fed to Reveal Its Strategy Raising Interest Rates
   Android Doubles U.S. Market Share
    DeGeneres Is Firm, Funny on American Idol
Least Trusted Banks in America
  You May have Missed---
   "Gimme that Wine"
   Today's Top Event in History
    This Day in American History
      SuDoku
       Daily Puzzle
        GasBuddy
  Weather, USA or specific area
     Traffic Live----

######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release”

SEATTLE

  

Meet and learn from Mr. Terry Winders, CLP

Leasing #102 columnist for Leasing News,
long time educator and trainer

Sales and Operations
click here for course information and to register

April 12th until Noon on the 14th
Seattle, Washington
Hosted by Financial Pacific

$395.00 Paid in Advance for first person from company
$345 with each additional attendee 

"Certified Leasing Professionals attending this seminar will earn CPEs (Continuing Professional Education)
Credits toward their recertification"


(This ad is a “trade” for the writing of this column. Opinions
contained in the column are those of Mr. Terry Winders, CLP)


[headlines]

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Classified Ads -- Sales


Boston, MA
Senior leader in companies of varying size and scope, including start-ups. My current focus is sales, as a leader or as an individual contributor. thomasherlihy33@comcast.net
Cherry Hill, NJ
College grad seeking entry level sales position for equipment leasing and financing in small to mid-size ticket markets. Have 6 months experience in the industry and self-motivated. Contact Matt at 609-280-2178 or
email at mkuzan@gmail.com

Fresno, CA
Aggressive, competitive self-starter w/successful vendor/direct equipment
leasing and asset-based lending experience seeks return to leasing industry
after successful stint in business banking sales.
Email: dsp559@hotmail.com
Resume

Minneapolis, MN
16 years leasing experience from micro to large ticket market, variety of equipment. Most recently calling on vendor telecom dealers in Upper Midwest. 
golfadm@yahoo.com

Montgomery, AL
Individual with 10 years advertising sales exp. & 7 years insurance sales exp. Wants independent contractor situation in Alabama.
Work with leasing company or broker.334-590-5133
E-mail: billmcneal2003@yahoo.com

Orange County, CA
In excess of 20+ years sales experience in the lease finance industry. Looking to work with a direct lender to help increase their profitability!
shermbp@gmail.com

Philadelphia Metro Area - 30 Years experience Healthcare sales/ management- 3 years experience newly create "small-ticket" healthcare division. Good success - Mitch Utz 215-460-4483
Email: mitutz@msn.com
Pittsburgh , PA
Aggressive self starter looking for leasing position w/10 plus yrs sales exp., plus banking experience 814-227-4592
mwiser500@hotmail.com

Pittsburgh, PA
Over 25 years of leasing experience including Captive, Dealer, Broker, and Third Party. Multiple equipment types. Seeking a Territory or National Sales position.
vsiegel2@aol.com

San Francisco Bay Area:
Business Development “Hunter” with transferable book of business in multiple segments: commercial construction, technology, fitness, etc. Years of managerial experience: can also be a “player/coach”.
E-mail: VdrPgmBizDev@aol.com

SouthEast
Award winning commercial leasing salesman, middle market Georgia , Alabama , Tennessee , and Florida in addition to originating leases nationally. 26 years experience.
Resume
Texas/Oklahoma
15 year lease vet looking for plact to take business.great references. all major equipment types. open to compensation. please contact if interested.
E-mail: bankingdallas@yahoo.com

For a full listing of all “job wanted” ads, please go to:http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Other e-Mail Posting Sites:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Posting_sites.htm


[headlines]

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Tygris to operate as division of EverBank

The move by Tygris Commercial Finance Group, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, and Parsippany, New Jersey, to EverBank Financial Corporation, Jacksonville, Florida has become quite successful for all those involved.


Rick Wolfert

Frederick E. "Rick" Wolfert, formerly vice chairman of Commercial Finance of the CIT Group and president of Heller Financial left to join Aquiline Capital Partners (the private equity firm lead by Jeff Greenberg, former Chairman and CEO of Marsh & McLennan Cos.) and joined by TPG and New Mountain Capital as lead investors. They formed Tygris (Tiger) and when the market changed, began looking for a deposit based funder.  When they found EverBank, it was an ideal match for the bank as well as the Aquiline Capital.

Wolfert has basically taken a sabbatical, living in Georgia, and is no longer involved with Tygris.


Jim McGrane

James D. McGrane, Chief Executive Officer of USXL, whose operations was taken over by Tygris, and he was President of Small Ticket Leasing. He is now president of Tygris, and there will be no other changes in officers or operations at the Parsippany headquarters. He will have oversight over both Parsippany and Chicago locations.

The Chicago office has been downsized, particularly with the success of Laird Boulden joining CapitalSource Inc. (NYSE: CSE), Chevy Chase, Maryland, where effective February 1, 2010 he will become President of Corporate Asset Finance. Stephen J. O'Connor and Robert S. Wille will be among the group he is bringing to CapitalSource. Both have worked with Boulden for many years and share his extensive equipment-based lending experience. This basically reduces the Chicago office to manage the MarCap portfolio, and hopefully sub-lease some of the large office.

The Parsippany office is basically the USXL operation with the top executives and experience. Tygris will operate as division of EverBank based in Parsippany. The group had attempted to form a bank when the connection was made with EverBank Financial Corp.®, one of the nation's largest privately-held financial services firms. Officially his acquisition of Tygris Commercial Finance Group, Inc. is now complete. From the bank's viewpoint, the addition of Tygris to the EverBank Family of Companies expands the bank’s product offering and provides access to more than $470 million in additional capital to continue to offer high-credit-quality residential loans, retail deposit products and specialized financing as well as pursue other strategic acquisition opportunities.


Robert Clements
Chairman & CEO of
EverBank Financial Corp

“We are very pleased to welcome Tygris into the EverBank family and are excited to align ourselves with an industry leader who is equally committed to providing exceptional financial solutions to our customers. Their disciplined approach to underwriting and commitment to innovation is a natural fit with EverBank’s culture and business philosophy,” said Rob Clements, Chairman and CEO of EverBank Financial Corp.

“Commercial customers will benefit from having a stable, competitive, service-driven source of equipment financing in a marketplace that has seen unparalleled dislocation over the last several years,” added Mr. Clements.

According to FDIC filings, EverBank had 1,768 employees September 30, 2009, with $7.7 billion in assets, growing from $6.5 billion the previous year; equity capital had grown from $488 million to $597 million with a net income of $45.9 million. Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio: 13.35%.

According to EverBank, current numbers show nearly $8.1 billion in assets and over $6.3 billion in deposits.  As a result of the deal with Tygris, EverBank now has approximately $1 billion in total capital, with Tier 1 (core) capital and risk based capital ratios of approximately 10% and 18%, respectively.   



[headlines]

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Commerce National Bank 2010 Economic Forecast - Highlights

Commerce National Bank hosted its fifth annual Economic Forecast featuring Dr. Robert T. Parry, the previous President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank. Here are the highlights from Dr. Parry's presentation.

· The U.S. economy technically ended the "great" recession in July or August of 2009.

· The GDP increased by an impressive rate of 5.7% in the 4th quarter of 2009.

· Dr. Parry is expecting the U.S. economy to continue to improve at the rate of 2-3% during 2010.

· Unemployment will remain stubbornly high through 2010.

· Business conditions will continue to improve, but at a much slower rate than we would like to see.

[headlines]
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Classified Ads---Help Wanted

Sales

Newport Beach, CA / New York, NY
20 openings CA/4 NY - Min. 1yr exp.
Est. customer/vendor a plus. Base plus comm.
Info@eaglebusinessfinance.com

Eagle Business Finance is a national Leasing company offering brokered and internal funding services from $1,000 to $2,800,000
www.eaglebusinessfinance.com





5 Years+ Small Ticket or Middle Market Exp.
with Established Customer/Vendor relationships.
Remote Office or On Site/ Jobs@TEQlease.com
Attn: Mike Lockwood or Russ Runnalls CLP

TEQlease Provides Customized Equipment
Leasing Solutions For Businesses Nationwide
www.TEQlease.com


National Business Development Manager 
With seven years experience including current existing book of business. Remote Office Okay. Click here for more info.

Western Finance & Lease, a subsidiary of Western State Bank established in 1901, solicits originations throughout the US and provides
funding solutions for a wide range of industries.
.
 

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

[headlines]
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New Hires---Promotions

Mike Chard has joined Balboa Capital, Irvine, California, as regional account manager, Austin Texas. He is joining the Evergreen copier division.  He has seven years with Key Equipment Finance as a regional sales manager covering the Southern states. Prior he was with Danka, Alliance and Conseco

Fred Crivlare has joined Balboa Capital, Irvine, California, as regional account manager, Chicago, Illinois. He is joining the Evergreen copier division.  Prior he was at Key Equipment Finance for seven years covering the Midwestern area.  He has 21 years experience, working also at Wells Fargo, Conseco, Green Tree, Finova and Bell Atlantic Tricon.

Peter D. Hancock joins AIG International Group, New York, New York, as Executive Vice President, Finance, Risk, and Investments. Mr. Hancock has spent his entire career in financial services, including 20 years at J.P. Morgan, where he established the Global Derivatives Group, ran the Global Fixed Income Business and Global Credit Portfolio, and served as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer and Chairman of its Risk Management Committee. He later co-founded Integrated Finance Limited, an advisory firm specializing in strategic risk management, asset management, and innovative pension solutions. Most recently, he served as Vice Chairman of KeyCorp, responsible for Key National Banking; Member of Executive Council and Member of Management Committee.

Jerry Harne has joined Balboa Capital, Irvine, California, as regional account manager, Orlando, Florida. He is joining the Evergreen copier division. He was with Key Equipment Finance for seven years where he was responsible for a Southeast territory. Previously he was vice president of sales at Wells Fargo/Conseco and Green Tree Financial; regional sales manager at Copelco Credit Corporation and Deutsche Credit.

 


Bill Fite was appointed executive vice president and head of Regions Equipment Finance Corporation (REFCO), a wholly owned subsidiary of Regions Bank. He has held senior leadership roles with a variety of significant industry players including senior vice president and national sales manager of Key Equipment Finance commercial leasing services group, group president and CEO of ORIX's equipment finance group, senior vice president and senior executive of the equipment finance and leasing division of ABN AMRO’s Lease Plan USA unit. He previously held positions at Citizens and Southern National Bank, and Citicorp Industrial Credit, Lease Plan USA, and Citicorp Industrial Credit.

Lori G. Frasier appointed senior vice president of research and development, Key Equipment Finance, Superior, Colorado.

She originally joined Key in 2003 as senior vice president of human resources and facilities management. She has 17 years of experience in operations and human resources, including both international and matrix-based organizations. She is the former chair of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s Human Resources task force and currently serves on the association’s Compensation and Diversity steering committees.

Linda Howe joins Marlin Leasing, Mount Laurel, New Jersey. She previously was with CIT. She has over fifteen years of experience with previous roles at Citigroup and Advanta Leasing.

Claudia Mroz joins Marlin Leasing, Mount Laurel, New Jersey. as a Business Development Manager in the Atlanta, Georgia office. She previous was with SCMI Leasing and GE Capital. She has over twenty years of experience in leasing.

Tom O'Connell joins Marlin Leasing, Mount Laurel, New Jersey as a Business Development Manager. He most recently was with Summit Funding Group. O'Connell's recent experience was focused in mid-ticket vendor finance. His prior experience includes Bank of America and CitiCapital.

Christopher Shields joins Marlin Leasing as a Business Development Manager in their headquarters office in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. He most recently spent six years at TBS Capital Corporation.

 

[headlines]
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[headlines]
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Alexa Report Leasing Web Site Popularity

(The lower the rating, the better; based on
how many visit all WWW sites.)

Alexa Ranks Leasing Media Web Sites
World rankings

Rank
2/9/2009
1/9/2010  
WEBSITE NAME
1.
195,057
178,825   www.leasingnews.org  Leasing News
2.
546,517
722,904   www.ibaa.org Ind Community Bankers of America
3.
816,790
917,678   www.elfaonline.org
4.
818,036
742,075   www.monitordaily.com Monitor Daily
5.
943,250
1,200,674   www.naelb.org* National Assoc. of Equip Leasing Brokers
6.
1,659,013
1,548,754   www.lessors.com  eLessors Networking Association
7.
2,039,553
1,363,526   www.leasinglife.co.uk The Journal for Asset Finance
8.
 2,315,026
2,989,845   wwww.leasefoundation.org Equip. Leasing & Fin Fndn
9.
2,457,598
2,900,715   www.Worldleasingnews.com World Leasing News
10.
2,478,479
2,567,865   www.cfa.com  Commercial Finance Association
11.
4,156,504
4,650,458
  www.iicl.org  Institute of International Container Lessors
12.
4,265,774
5,075,433   www.clpfoundation.org   CLP Foundation
13.
4,621,503
6,131,102   www.nefassociation.org National Equipment Finance Assoc.
14.
5,556,944
16,470,951   www.aglf.org  Assoc of Government Leasing  Financing
15.
6,229,377
4,467,128   www.executivecaliber.ws  Exec Caliber-Jeffrey Taylor
16.
7,314,666
6,995,424   www.lesseeadvocate.com Lessee Advocate
17.
9,139,079
16,527,368   www.nationalfunding.org
18.
12,320,422
12,791,648   www.leasingnotes.com Leasing Notes
19.
21,594,149
20,540,046   www.leasecollect.org Lean -Lease Enforcement Att Net
20.
22,280,486
21,083,659   www.Leasingpress.com Leasing Press

Alexa Ranks Leasing Media Web Sites
US rankings

Rank
2/9/2009 1/9/2010  
WEBSITE NAME
1. 52,989 41,741   www.leasingnews.org  Leasing News
2.
105,050 111,253   www.ibaa.org Ind Community Bankers of America
3.
177,315
230,016   www.naelb.org* National Assoc. of Equip Leasing Brokers
4.
218,749 225,170   www.elfaonline.org
5. 267,126 210,748   www.monitordaily.com Monitor Daily
6.
408,545 no data   www.Worldleasingnews.com World Leasing News
7.
535,576 618,672   wwww.leasefoundation.org Equip. Leasing & Fin Fndn
8. 661,062 no data   www.clpfoundation.org   CLP Foundation
9.
636,220 no data   www.nefassociation.org National Equipment Finance Assoc.
10.
797,642 no data   www.cfa.com  Commercial Finance Association
         
  no data 305,062   www.lessors.com  eLessors Networking Association
  no data 959,583   www.iicl.org  Institute of International Container Lessors
no data no data   www.executivecaliber.ws  Exec Caliber-Jeffrey Taylor
  no data no data   www.aglf.org  Assoc of Government Leasing  Financing
no data no data   www.Leasingpress.com Leasing Press
no data no data   www.leasingnotes.com Leasing Notes
no data no data   www.leaseassistant.org Lease Assistant
no data no data   www.leasecollect.org Lean -Lease Enforcement Att Net
no data no data   www.nationalfunding.org
  no data no data   www.lesseeadvocate.com Lessee Advocate

David G. Mayer's Business Leasing and Finance News is not included in the Alexa report list as it does not have its own individual site and Alexa finds Patton Boggs, LLP Attorneys at Law.  The rating is not valid as it includes all those who visit and communicate with the law firm.  When Business Leasing and Finance News has its own individual web site, it will be included in the Alexa survey.

*It should be noted that NAELB web site "list serve" requires logging onto their site, meaing their e-mails are counted as a visit to the site, whereas they are "list serve" communication.  These are technically visits to the web site, but primarily to use "list serve."

The Alexa tool bar works on most browsers. They are partnered with Google.

You may download their free tool bar A graph and analysis of the last three months are available.

((Please Click on Bulletin Board to learn more information))
(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

 


[headlines]
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Sales makes it Happen


by Steve Chriest

“"Me-too" players”

I remember sitting in my office over a period of years when leasing representatives from a well known, Midwest funding source visited me at least four times during any given year. They all were young, bright, enthusiastic representatives who I would love to have invited to a Super Bowl party. They were not, unfortunately, of much value to me in the business. Why? They and their company were "me too" players who suffered from a lack of real identity.

After exchanging obligatory pleasantries, the sales reps would invariably ask the same question: "So, how can we do more business with your company?" My reply would always be the same: "You're the salesman; you should know this business better then me. Why should we do business with your company?

The polite, young reps would laugh nervously. I explained that a significant percentage of our business was done with another large, well known funding source, then located in the Pacific Northwest. They were stable, had competitive pricing, though not always the lowest by any means, had predictable credit and funding policies, were responsive and were, above all, highly predictable and dependable. What else could I want? The nice salespeople from the Midwest funder did their best to then "pitch" me.

"We're stable and our pricing is competitive too," they would say." Our credit and funding policies are competitive too! We're responsive, highly predictable and dependable too! And, we're nice people, too!"

Me too, me too, me too!

What they may never have realized is that without differentiation, they looked like they were trying their best to look exactly like their major competitor!

Clients aren't likely to switch their allegiance from their current leasing company or broker if you appear to be the mirror image of your competitors.

It's always difficult to truly stand out from the competition, but failure to do so sounds the death knell for countless approaches.

Don't be a "Me-too" player.

About the author: Steve Chriest is the founder of Selling UpTM (www.selling-up.com), a sales consulting firm specializing in sales improvement for organizations of all types and sizes in a variety of industries. He is also the author of Selling The E-Suite, The Proven System For Reaching and Selling Senior Executives and Five Minute Financial Analyst, Basic CREDIT & Analysis Tools for Non-Accountants. He was the CEO of a very successful leasing company and executive at a major company. You can reach Steve at schriest@selling-up.com.

Sales Makes it Happen articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Legacy/index.html

[headlines]
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Classeifid ads—Attorneys

Birmingham, Alabama
The lawyers of Marks & Weinberg, P.C. have over 30 years experience in dealing with virtually every type of equipment financing and are recognized throughout the industry for prompt, practical solutions and exemplary service. They offer cost-conscious, effective lease enforcement and good counsel.
Email: Barry@leaselawyer.com
Website: www.leaselawyers.com
California, National: city: Riverside
Ellen Stern - get results, reasonable pricing; numerous industry contacts, nearly 30 yrs exp.in SoCal, 20 yrs equip.: CFL license specialist, documentation, work-outs, litigated collections, recoveries; deal-maker.
Email: leaselaw@msn.com

Kenneth C. Greene
California & Nevada
Hamrick & Evans, LLP, Universal City , LA; San Francisco Bay
Area, No.Calif. & Nevada. Call for free consultation (828)763-5292 or (415) 806-2254,
kgreene@hamricklaw.com
Connecticut, Southern New England:
EVANS, FELDMAN & BOYER, LLC Collections, litigation, documentation, portfolio sales and financing, bankruptcy. We represent many of the national and local leasing companies doing business in this state. Past chairman EAEL legal committee. Competitive rates.
email: rcfeldman@snet.net  
Los Angeles, Southern CA
Seasoned attorney representing secured creditors in auto finance and truck/equipment lease industry.  Bankruptcy and State Court litigation.   Vincent V. Frounjian (818) 990-0605 or email: vvf@pacbell.net.

Encino, California: Statewide “ELFA”
Hemar, Rousso & Heald, LLP 30 yr excellent reputation Lessor representation commercial litigation, debt collection, and bankruptcy.
Call Stephen E. Jenkins Esq (818) 501-3800

Los Angeles, Statewide: CA.     "ELFA" Aggressive creditors rights law firm specializing in equipment leasing handling collection matters on a contingency, fixed fee or hourly cbasis. email:RGarwacki@prodigy.net

Los Angeles -statewide: CA      "ELFA"
Practice limited to collections, bankruptcy and problem accounts resolution. Decades of experience. 10-lawyer firm dedicated to serving you. Call Ronald Cohn, Esq. (818)591-2121 or email. Email: rrcohn@aol.com   

Long Beach, CA
Wagner & Zielinski,  successfully representing lessees/ lessors.  Not a member of any leasing organization, therefore not beholden to special interests.  Richard Wagner
(562) 216-2952 www.wzlawyers.com

Long Beach CA.
Paul Bent -- 30 years experience in all forms of equipment leasing, secured lending, and asset based transactions, from analysis and deal structuring to contract negotiations to closing to private dispute resolution. (562) 426-1000
www.paulbent.com

Law Firm - Service, Dallas, TX. "ELFA"
Mayer regularly practices in leasing, secured financing, project development and finance and corporate finance.
email: dmayer@pattonboggs.com
Website:
www.pattonboggs.com

National: Coston & Rademacher: Business attorneys serving the lease-finance industry since 1980. Transactional, documentation, corporate/finance, workouts, litigation, bankruptcy, portfolio management. Chicago-based national practice. Jim Coston, CLP (Members: ELFA, NEFA).
email: Jcoston@costonlaw.com
Website:www.costonlaw.com

St. Louis County , MO. - statewide:
Schultz & Associates LLP., collections, negotiation, and litigation. Also register and pursue recovery on foreign judgments. Contingency and reasonable hourly rates.
Ronald J. Eisenberg, Esq. (636) 537-4645 x108
reisenberg@sl-lawyers.com
www.sl-lawyers.com
NJ,De,Pa: Specializing in leased equipment/secured transactions. Collections, replevins/workouts reasonable rates. Sergio Scuteri/Capehart & Scratchard, PA sscuteri@capehart.com / www.capehart.com
Thousand Oaks, California:
Statewide coverage Spiwak & Iezza, LLP 20+ years experience,Representing Lessors banks in both State/ Federal Courts/ all aspects of commercial leasing litigation.
Nick Iezza 805-777-1175
niezza@spiwakandiezza.com

Westport, CT: We represent finance companies, banks, lessors, etc., in replevins/seizures, collections and bankruptcy matters in Connecticut and New York. Flat fee, contingency and hourly rates.
Email: rchinitz@replevinlawyer.com

Post a Free Attorney Listing in Classified:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Attorney/Attorney-post.htm

[headlines]
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### Press Release ############################

$900,000 Credit Card Bust-Out Scheme
Nets Redondo Beach Man
63 Months in Federal Prison

Los Angeles – The perpetrator of a credit card bust-out scheme has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for his conviction on conspiracy, mail fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering charges.

Mahmoud Khalid Azzam, of Redondo Beach, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court in Los Angeles. In his plea agreement Azzam admitted that he, in conjunction with his co-conspirators, obtained point of sale terminals to swipe credit cards to fraudulently obtain money from victim banks.  

Azzam admitted that he worked with co-conspirators Charles Nix and Shelly Poling, who have both pleaded guilty to participating in the scheme.

According to his plea agreement, Azzam and Nix provided Poling with credit card applications that Poling completed using the names of non-existent individuals, as well as people who knew that their names would be used as a part of this scheme.  Poling completed the credit card applications, using false information including names, places of employment, social security numbers, and/or annual salaries.    

After fraudulently obtaining the credit cards, Azzam and Nix swiped the cards through their point of sale terminals, creating the appearance that goods or services had been paid for with the credit card.  Once the point of sale transaction was approved, the credit card company transferred money into bank accounts controlled by Azzam and his co-conspirators.

Azzam admitted that he and his co-conspirators used fraudulently obtained funds in an effort to promote and conceal the scheme.  To do this, Azzam and his co-conspirators would pay for initial purchases of merchandise with checks, in the names of fictitious businesses and individuals, in order to create a good line of credit, enticing the victim companies to increase the line of credit on an account. 

Azzam and his co-conspirators eventually abandoned the credit cards they established during the course of the scheme and failed to pay the victim companies for all of the transactions conducted.  Azzam admitted that, as a result of the fraudulent transactions, the members of the conspiracy obtained approximately $900,000.

In addition to prison, Azzam was also sentenced by United States District Judge George H. King to pay restitution of $956,718.91 to victim banks defrauded by his scheme and to spend 5 years on supervised release after serving his prison sentence.

Nix previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud, bank fraud, and wire fraud charges in connection to this scheme.  He faces a statutory maximum 75 years in federal prison and fines totaling $1,750,000.  Poling also pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering charges in connection to her conduct in this case.  Poling faces a statutory maximum 85 years in prison and fines totaling $1,750,000 when sentenced by Judge King.  Both Nix and Poling are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge King later this year.

Judge King ordered Azzam to begin serving his prison sentence on April 8, 2010.

The investigation and prosecution of Azzam, Nix, and Poling was conducted by IRS - Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in conjunction with the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.

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

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Murray, Utah---Adopt-a-Pet

Little John
Border Collie, Labrador Retriever [Mix]
Medium Baby Male Dog Pet ID: 2175166

"Little John is so cute and playful.  He loves toys and jumps around playing with them.  So adorable. He gets along with other dogs."

Adoption includes: Spay/Neuter, current Vaccinations, De-worming, New Pet DVD, small bag of Food, and Misc. Freebies

Little John is up-to-date with routine shots and spayed/neutered.

My Contact Info
     Second Chance for Homeless Pets
     200 E. Gordon Lane
     Murray, UT
    *801-590-8999

http://www.adoptapet.com/animal-shelter-search?city_or_zip=84047+&distance=35&adopts_out=dogs


Adopt-a-Pet by Leasing Co. State/City
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Adopt_Pet.htm

Adopt a Pet
http://www.adoptapet.com/

[headlines]
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News Briefs----

Storm Batters East, Closing Schools and Grounding Planes
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11snow.html?hp

Fed to Reveal Its Strategy for Raising Interest Rates
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/economy/10fed.html?ref=business

Android Doubles U.S. Market Share
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2010/02/android_doubles.html

DeGeneres Is Firm, Funny On 'American Idol' Debut
http://www.billboard.com/news/ellen-degeneres-is-firm-funny-on-american-1004066244.story#/news/ellen-degeneres-is-firm-funny-on-american-1004066244.story

[headlines]
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The Least-Trusted Banks in America
http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/the-least-trusted-banks-in-america/?scp=1&sq=least%20trusted%20banks&st=cse

 

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“Gimme that Wine”

WineZap Names Ten Most Popular Wines in 2009
http://www.drinksmediawire.com/afficher_cdp.asp?id=6109&lng=2

Hungarian Dry Whites? Forge Ahead
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/dining/10pour.html?ref=dining

Cork industry gears up for €20m campaign
http://www.decanter.com/news/294697.html

Dark days for Cult Cabs
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-cultcab4-2010feb04,0,3672344.story


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

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

Winery Atlas
http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas/

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

The London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex) is an electronic exchange for fine wine.
http://www.liv-ex.com/

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Today's Top Event in History

1998 - AOL raised its monthly flat access rate from $19.95 to $21.95, explaining it needed to upgrade its network to handle the onslaught of people taking advantage of its flat price. The increase was set to go into effect in April 1998. Eventually seven users could use the dial-up program. DSL and cable brought the internet faster speeds than the AOL dial-up and by the first quarter of 2003, for the first time in its history, AOL began losing more members than it was putting on.

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This Day in American History

    1676 - In King Philip’s War Narragansett and Nipmuck Indians, searching for food, raided Lancaster, Mass. Over 35 villagers were killed and 24 were taken captive including Mary Rowlandson and her 3 children. Rowlandson was freed after 11 weeks and an account of her captivity was published posthumously in 1682.
    1677 - Virginia Governor William Berkley revokes the royal pardon which Colonel Herbert Jeffreys has brought for rebels of Bacon’s Rebellion. In defiance of the Crown, Berkley proceeds to execute 23 of the rebels.
    1753-Treaty of Paris ends French and Indian War. Canada was ceded to Britain, France received various West Indies possessions and Spain won Louisiana and Havana. Known in Europe as the Seven Years' War, this conflict ranged from North America to India, with many European nations involved. In North America French expansion in the Ohio River Valley in the 1750s led to conflict with Great Britain. Some Indians fought alongside the French; a young George Washington fought for the British. As a result of the signing of the Treaty of Paris, France lost all claims to Canada and had to cede Louisiana to Spain. Fifteen years later French bitterness over the loss of its North American colonies to Britain contributed to its supporting the colonists in the American Revolution.
    1841 - The Act of Union, uniting Upper and Lower Canada, came into effect.
    1846-Their leader assassinated and their homes under attack, the Mormons of Nauvoo, Illinois, begin a long westward migration that eventually brings them to the valley of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been persecuted for their beliefs ever since Joseph Smith founded the church in New York in 1830. Smith's claim to be a modern-day prophet of God and his acceptance of polygamy proved controversial wherever the Mormons attempted to settle. In 1839, Smith hoped his new spiritual colony of Nauvoo in Missouri would provide a permanent safe haven for the Saints, but anti-Mormon prejudice there proved virulent. Angry mobs murdered Smith and his brother in June 1844 and began burning homes and threatening the citizens of Nauvoo. Convinced that the Mormons would never find peace in the United States, Smith's successor, Brigham Young, made a bold decision: the Mormons would move to the still wild territories of the Mexican-controlled Southwest. Young had little knowledge of the geography and environment of the West and no particular destination in mind, but trusting in God, he began to prepare the people of Nauvoo for a mass exodus. On this day in 1846, Young abandoned Nauvoo and began leading 1,600 Mormons west across the frozen Mississippi in subzero temperatures to a temporary refuge at Sugar Grove, Iowa. Young planned to make the westward trek in stages, and he determined the first major stopping point would be along the Missouri River opposite Council Bluffs. He sent out a reconnaissance team to plan the route across Iowa, dig wells at camping spots, and in some cases, plant corn to provide food for the hungry emigrants. The mass of Mormons made the journey to the Missouri River, and by the fall of 1846, the Winter Quarters were home to 12,000 Mormons. After a hard journey across the western landscape, Young and his followers emerged out onto a broad valley where a giant lake shimmered in the distance. With his first glimpse of this Valley of the Great Salt Lake, Young reportedly said, "This is the place." That year, some 1,600 Mormons arrived to begin building a new civilization in the valley. The next year, 2,500 more made the passage. By the time Young died in 1877, more than 100,000 people were living in the surrounding Great Basin, the majority of them Mormons. Young, however, had not escaped the troubles that plagued the Church in the East. By early 1848, the Mormons' haven became a U.S. territory after the American victory in the Mexican War. The Mormons had finally found a permanent home along the Great Salt Lake, but its isolation and freedom from persecution was short-lived.
    1855 - US citizenship laws were amended to include all children of US parents born abroad.
    1861-Jefferson Davis receives word that he has been selected president of the new Confederate States of America. Davis was at his plantation, Brierfield, winter pruning rose bushes with his wife Varina when a messenger arrived from nearby Vicksburg. It was not a job he wanted, but he accepted it out of a sense of duty to his new country. Varina later wrote that she saw her husband's face grow pale and she recalled, "Reading that telegram he looked so grieved that I feared some evil had befallen our family. After a few minutes he told me like a man might speak of a sentence of death." Davis said of the job: "I have no confidence in my ability to meet its requirement. I think I could perform the function of a general." He could see the difficulties involved in launching the new nation. "Upon my weary heart was showered smiles, plaudits, and flowers, but beyond them I saw troubles innumerable. We are without machinery, without means, and threatened by powerful opposition but I do not despond and will not shrink from the task before me." Davis was prescient in his concerns. He drew sharp criticism during the war--Alexander Stephens, the vice president, said Davis was "weak and vacillating, timid, petulant, peevish, obstinate," and Stephens declared that he held "no more feeling of resentment toward him" than he did toward his "poor old blind and deaf dog." His appointment of his friends as general was one of his main undoing, plus his inability to keep to a course. It is said, he changed his mind about military strategy often, actually following the suggestions of the last military person who spoke with. He had been elected to a six year term, never finishing it, and many believe he would not have been re-elected.
    1855 -- The Women's Hospital of New York City is founded. Although it provides much needed care for poor women, the hospital was also the arena for J. Marion Sims. Much of his work was done on Black slaves where he saved countless lives and developed new procedures in gynecology. He founded the hospital for Black women to receive free care.
http://jeffline.tju.edu/SML/archives/exhibits/notable_alumni/j_marion_sims.html
http://www.healthcarehof.org/honorees98/sims.html
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/m_r/moss/sims.htm
    1863 - Two of the world's most famous midgets, General Tom Thumb, who stood three feet, four inches high, and his bride, Lavinia Warren, who was two feet, eight inches tall, were married in New York City, in front of 2,000 of their closest friends.
    1863 - Alanson Crane patented the fire extinguisher.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blfiresprinkler.htm
    1868-Birthday of William Allen White, American newspaperman, owner and editor of the Emporia Gazette. Coined the phrase “tinhorn politician” and in one obituary, wrote of the deceased that he had “The talent of a meat-packer, the morals of a money changer and the manners of an undertaker. “born at Emporia, KS, he died there Jan 29, 1944.
    1868- the temperature of 32 degrees below zero recorded at Muscatine, Iowa on the Mississippi was the lowest for the period 1839 to 1965.
    1893—Birthday of “The Schnozz,” Jimmy Durante, born at New York City. His first break into show biz came when he was 17 and got a regular job playing ragtime at a saloon at Coney Island. Later his friend Eddie Canto urged him to try comedy. In the 1920's, he had a very popular nightclub in New York called “Durant.” The painter had left “e” off and wanted a $100 bucks to re-do the sign and lights. Durante developed a unique comedic style as a short-tempered by lovable personage. His shtick included slamming down his hat and flapping his arms. His clothing, enormous nose, craggy face, gravely singing voice and mispronunciations were all part of the persona. Durante, whose career spanned six decades, appeared on TV, stage and Screen. His television signoff, “ Good night , Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are! “ became a trademark. Jimmy Durante died at Santa Monica, CA, Jan 29, 1980.
    1893-Birthday of William Tatem “Bill” Tilden, Jr., tennis player, born at Philadelphia, PA. Generally considered one of the greatest players of all time, Tilden won more tournaments than the record books can count. A nearly flawless player, he was also an egotistical showman on the court with an interest in show business. He turned pro in 1930 and continued to win regularly. Died at Hollywood, CA., June 5, 1953.
    1897-The familiar slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print" appeared on page one of The New York Times. It had first appeared on the editorial page on Oct 25,1896. Although in 1896 a $100 prize was offered for a slogan, owner Adolph S. Ochs concluded that his own slogan was better.
    1898-Birthday of Katharine Burr Blodgett, inventor, research physicist, who developed the first non-reflecting glass (as used in picture frames) and was the first research scientist at General Electric Laboratories who was also a woman.
    1899- the record low temperature for the state of Ohio was set at Milligan when the mercury dipped to 39 degrees below zero. The record low temperature for Virginia was also set at Monterey with 29 degrees below zero.
    1902-Birthday of Walter Brattain, who together with William Shockley and John Bardeen, invented the transistor. The three shared the Nobel Prize for physics in 1956 for the transistor and for their work on semiconductors. The transistor replaced the bulky vacuum tubes previously used in electronics and paved the way for all later microelectronics.
    1902—Drummer Chick Webb birthday
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_webb_chick.htm
http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Chick%20Webb.html
http://art.staviator.com/C/Chick_Webb.html
http://www.cd-music.org/music/22384Chick-Webb.html
    1907-Birthday of tenor player Walter” Foots” Thomas, Muskogee, OK
http://www.lindycafe.com/_music/musicians/ccalloway.html
    1908- Birthday of Jean Coulthard, the first composer from the Canadian west coast to gain wide recognition, born in Vancouver. Her orchestral compositions "Canadian Fantasy," "Excursion," "Ballade (A Winter's Tale)" and "Song to the Sea" established her reputation in Canada in the early 1940's. In 1953, the CBC commissioned her to write” A Prayer for Elizabeth" to mark the Queen's coronation.
http://music.acu.edu/www/iawm/articles/winter98/colton.html
http://www.yorku.ca/caml/coulthard.htm
    1916-Birthday of accordion player Aldus Roger, Carencro, LA
http://www.cajunfrenchmusic.org/biographies/roger-a.htm
http://www.cajunculture.com/People/rogeraldus.htm
http://www.lsue.edu/acadgate/music/alleman.htm
    1920 - Representatives for major league baseball outlawed pitches that involve tampering with the ball, including using sandpaper or emery paper. It may be a baseball law but, it is often broken like others. Many umpires have the nail files to prove it.
    1921-Birthday of pianist Joe Big Duskin, Birmingham,AL
http://cincinnati.citysearch.com/feature/20472
http://www.arhoolie.com/titles/422.shtml
http://artists.spun.com/big_joe_duskin
    1923 - For the first time, ink paste was manufactured by the Standard Ink Company. It was available in one color: black.
    1925 - In Michigan City, Indiana, the first waterless gas storage tank was put into service.
    1927-Birthday of opera singer Leontyne Price, Laurel, MS.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb10.html
1927, Gisele Mackenzie, Canadian singer, star of Your Hit Parade TV show during the 1950s. Her mother was a concert singer and pianist.
    1932-Birthday of accordian/zydeco player Rockin' Dopsie, Sr. Carencro, LA
http://www.rockindopsie.com/
http://www.neworleansproducts.com/rockindopsie/dopsieband.htm
http://www.epluri.com/NOTfolder/Acts/Rockin'%20Dopsie/rockindopise.html
His son, Rockin' Dopsie, Jr.
http://www.neworleansproducts.com/music/zydecogumbo/index.html
    1933 -54ºF (-48ºC), Seneca OR (state record)
    1933 - The Postal Telegraph Company of New York City introduced the singing telegram.
    1933 - In round 13 at match held at Madison Square Garden in New York, Primo Carnera knocked out Ernie Schaaf. While the crowd and the press at the match shouted, "Fake!" at the knockout, Schaaf later died as a result of that punch. It was no fake.
    1934 - The United States Postal Service issued the first stamps without perforations or glue in New York City. One had to cut apart the stamps, then apply glue to the back to get them to stick to an envelope. After numerous complaints, the Postal Service changed this idea.
    1935 - The Pennsylvania Railroad started passenger service with its new "streamlined" electric locomotive. The engine was 79 1/2 feet long and weighed 230 tons.
    1939-Birthday of singer Roberta Flack, born in Asheville, North Carolina. She had a half-dozen ballad hits in the 1970's, including three number-ones - "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "Feel Like Makin' Love." Flack returned to the top-10 in 1991 with "Set the Night to Music," a duet with Maxi Priest.
    1942-A Japanese submarine launches a brutal attack on Midway, a coral atoll used as a U.S. Navy base. It was the fourth bombing of the atoll by Japanese ships since December 7.The capture of Midway was an important part of the broader Japanese strategy of trying to create a defensive line that would stretch from the western Aleutian Islands in the north to the Midway, Wake, Marshall, and Gilbert Islands in the south, then west to the Dutch West Indies. Occupying Midway would also mean depriving the United States of a submarine base and would provide the perfect launching pad for an all-out assault on Hawaii. Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, mastermind of the Pearl Harbor attack and commander in chief of the Japanese combined fleet, knew that only the utter destruction of U.S. naval capacity would ensure Japanese free reign in the Pacific. Japanese bombing of the atoll by ship and submarine failed to break through the extraordinary defense put up by Adm. Chester Nimitz, commander of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, who used every resource available to protect Midway and, by extension, Hawaii. Yamamoto persevered with an elaborate warship operation, called Mi, launched in June, but the Battle of Midway was a disaster for Japan, and was the turning point for ultimate American victory in the Pacific. The television series “Victory at Sea” has an excellent episode regarding this early part of the war, especially the Japanese underestimation of the American fighting stamina.
    1942-Second Lieutenant Alexander Ramsey “Sandy” Ninger, Jr. was posthumously awarded World War II's first Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Bataan. He had graduated from West Point in 1941 and was on his first assignment after being commissions.
http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_1940_wwii/nininger.html
    1942 - For Decca Records in Los Angeles, California, Ted Fio Rito's orchestra recorded "Rio Rita". Bob Carroll provided the vocals for the song that became the group's theme song.
    1942- the first gold disc ever awarded to an artist was presented to the Glen Miller Orchestra by RCA Victor during a radio broadcast. The presentation was for Miller's recording of "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," which sold more than 1.2-million copies on the Bluebird label. The award was not solid gold - it was merely gold lacquered.
    1945---"Rum and Coca Cola" by Andrews Sisters hits #1
http://www.mareesalbumlyrics.com/Rum_And_Coca_Cola.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002P8A/002-1958450-0644835
http://www.singers.com/jazz/vintage/andrews.html
    1945---Top Hits
Rum and Coca Cola---Andrew Sisters
Accentuate the Positive - Johnny Mercer
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
I'm Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
    1946--Folk singer Donovan, whose last name is Leitch, was born in Glasgow. He was the British answer to Bob Dylan, and his career was launched in 1965 with his hit single "Catch the Wind." Donovan's biggest success was "Sunshine Superman," number one on both sides of the Atlantic in 1966. Donovan's music, as well as the flowing robes and love beads he wore, were out of date by 1970.
    1949 - Lee J. Cobb, Arthur Kennedy and Mildred Dunnock starred in, "Death of a Salesman", which opened at New York City's Morocco Theatre. The play would later become a major motion picture.
    1949-Joe Fulks of the Philadelphia Warriors set an NBA record by scoring 63 points in a game against the Indianapolis Jets. Fulks' total was the largest recorded by an NBA player before the introduction of the 24-second clock in 1954. His record stood until November 8, 1959,when Elgin Baylor of the Minneapolis Lakers scored 64 points.
    1950-Birthday of opera singer Leontyne Price, born Laurel, MS.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb10.html
    1952--DAVIS, GEORGE ANDREW, JR.  Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Air Force, CO, 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force. Place and date: Near Sinuiju-Yalu River area, Korea, 10 February 1952. Entered service at: Lubbock, Tex. Born: 1 December 1920, Dublin, Tex. Citation: Maj. Davis distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. While leading a flight of 4 F-86 Saberjets on a combat aerial patrol mission near the Manchurian border, Maj. Davis' element leader ran out of oxygen and was forced to retire from the flight with his wingman accompanying him. Maj. Davis and the remaining F-86's continued the mission and sighted a formation of approximately 12 enemy MIG-15 aircraft speeding southward toward an area where friendly fighter-bombers were conducting low level operations against the Communist lines of communications. With selfless disregard for the numerical superiority of the enemy, Maj. Davis positioned his 2 aircraft, and then dove at the MIG formation. While speeding through the formation from the rear he singled out a MIG-15 and destroyed it with a concentrated burst of fire. Although he was now under continuous fire from the enemy fighters to his rear, Maj. Davis sustained his attack. He fired at another MIG-15 which, bursting into smoke and flames, went into a vertical dive. Rather than maintain his superior speed and evade the enemy fire being concentrated on him, he elected to reduce his speed and sought out still a third MIG-15. During this latest attack his aircraft sustained a direct hit, went out of control, and then crashed into a mountain 30 miles south of the Yalu River. Maj. Davis' bold attack completely disrupted the enemy formation, permitting the friendly fighter-bombers to successfully complete their interdiction mission. Maj. Davis, by his indomitable fighting spirit, heroic aggressiveness, and superb courage in engaging the enemy against formidable odds exemplified valor at its highest. 
    1954: The Glenn Miller Story has its American premiere in New York City.
    1956 - Elvis Presley recorded "Heartbreak Hotel" for RCA Records in Nashville, Tennessee. The record was awarded two gold records, one for each side. The hit song gracing the other side was "I Was the One".
    1953---Top Hits
Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Why Don't You Believe Me - Joni James
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes - Goldie Hill
    1956-- Little Richard records "Long Tall Sally"
    1957-Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other Southern black clergy founded the Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to help coordinate civil rights activities in the South. King remained the SCLC's president until his assassination in 1968. King's son, Martin Luther King III, became the SCLC's president on January 15, 1998.
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/enc_SCLC.htm
    1958--Elvis Presley attains his ninth US number one single with the double-sided hit "Don't" / "I Beg of You".
    1958-Frank Sinatra's "Come Fly with Me" rose to the top of the US album chart, where it would stay for the next five weeks.
    1959-Link Wray performs his controversial instrumental hit "Rumble" on American Bandstand. Because of its title, many radio stations refused to play the record, but it still managed to sell over a million copies and reach #16 on the Billboard Pop chart.
    1959- St. Louis, Missouri was hit by an F4 tornado. Nearly 2000 buildings were damaged or destroyed and over $10 million in damage was done. 21 people lost their lives and 345 sustained injuries
    1961 - The Los Angeles franchise in the American Football League was moved to San Diego, California. In L.A. the team was called the Dodgers.
    1961---Top Hits
Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles
Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
Shop Around - The Miracles
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
    1961-Henry Mancini had the #1 album in the US with the soundtrack to the film Breakfast at Tiffany's.
    1962 - Francis Gary Powers, the U.S. pilot of a U-2 plane shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, was exchanged for KGB agent Rudolf Abel in Berlin.
    1964 - The press reported "millions of teenage boys are spending extra time in front of the mirror trying to make their hair look like Paul McCartney's...," after The Beatles appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" the night before.
    1965-Viet Cong guerrillas blow up the U.S. barracks at Qui Nhon, 75 miles east of Pleiku on the central coast, with a 100-pound explosive charge under the building. A total of 23 U.S. personnel were killed, as well as two Viet Cong. In response to the attack, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered a retaliatory air strike operation on North Vietnam called Flaming Dart II. This was the second in a series of retaliations launched because of communist attacks on U.S. installations in South Vietnam. Just 48 hours before, the Viet Cong struck Camp Holloway and the adjacent Pleiku airfield in the Central Highlands. This attack killed eight U.S. servicemen, wounded 109, and destroyed or damaged 20 aircraft. With his advisors advocating a strong response, President Johnson gave the order to launch Operation Flaming Dart, retaliatory air raids on a barracks and staging areas at Dong Hoi, a guerrilla training camp 40 miles north of the 17th parallel in North Vietnam. Johnson hoped that quick and effective retaliation would persuade the North Vietnamese to cease their attacks in South Vietnam. Unfortunately, Operation Flaming Dart did not have the desired effect. The attack on Qui Nhon was only the latest in a series of communist attacks on U.S. installations, and Flaming Dart II had very little effect.
    1965 - An often used quote was first spoken by Hubert H. Humphrey who said, "The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping hand of a neighbor." Humphrey was a beloved United States Senator from Minnesota and a Vice-President during the Lyndon Johnson administration. He eventually ran for the Presidency but lost to Richard M. Nixon, primarily because Nixon promised to end the war in Viet Nam (which he eventually did) and Humphrey was Johnson's former vice-president, who at best “waffled” on the Viet Nam war. Perhaps what lost him the very close race was the Chicago Democratic National Convention. The convention, which began August 126,1968, was the most violent in U.S. history. Antiwar protestors clashed with police and national guardsmen. Hundreds of people, including bystanders and members of the press, were beaten by police, some in full view of television cameras. Nixon beat Humphrey 31,785,480 to 31,275,166, and independent George C. Wallace, a third-party candidate, 9,906,473. The electoral vote was 302 to 191 and Wallace received 45. The republicans gained four seats in the House and five in the Senate (the Democrats still held majorities of 58-42 in the Senate and 243 in the House). The Republicans gained five governorships in the election.
    1966-Andrew Brimmer is appointed the first Black person to serve on the Federal Reserve Board.
http://www.umass.edu/economics/Staff/brimmer.html
    1967-Procedures for presidential succession were further clarified by the 25th Amendment, along with provisions for continuity of power in the event of a disability or illness of the president, ratified today in 1967.
    1967-- The Beatles record---"A Day In The Life". The Beatles and George Martin added the orchestral crescendos to "A Day in the Life", using a 40-piece orchestra. Martin would later recall that when he told some of Britain's finest musicians that they were to play twenty-four bars of cacophonous, improvised crescendo, "they all looked at me as though I were completely mad."
    1969---Top Hits
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Touch Me - The Doors
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
    1970-BACA, JOHN P.  Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. Place and date: Phuoc Long Province, Republic of Vietnam, 10 February 1970. Entered service at: Fort Ord, Calif. Born: 10 January 1949, Providence, R.I. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Baca, Company D, distinguished himself while serving on a recoilless rifle team during a night ambush mission A platoon from his company was sent to investigate the detonation of an automatic ambush device forward of his unit's main position and soon came under intense enemy fire from concealed positions along the trail. Hearing the heavy firing from the platoon position and realizing that his recoilless rifle team could assist the members of the besieged patrol, Sp4c. Baca led his team through the hail of enemy fire to a firing position within the patrol's defensive perimeter. As they prepared to engage the enemy, a fragmentation grenade was thrown into the midst of the patrol. Fully aware of the danger to his comrades, Sp4c. Baca unhesitatingly, and with complete disregard for his own safety, covered the grenade with his steel helmet and fell on it as the grenade exploded, thereby absorbing the lethal fragments and concussion with his body. His gallant action and total disregard for his personal well-being directly saved 8 men from certain serious injury or death. The extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by Spc4. Baca, at the risk of his life, are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
    1971-Four journalists, including photographer Larry Burrows of Life magazine, Kent Potter of United Press International, Nenri Huett of the Associated Press, and Keisaburo Shimamoto of Newsweek, die in a South Vietnamese helicopter operating in Laos. The journalists had been covering Operation Lam Son 719, a limited attack into Laos by South Vietnamese forces, when their helicopter crashed. Vietnam was one of the most reported conflicts in the history of warfare. In 1964, when the massive American buildup began, there were roughly 40 U.S. and foreign journalists in Saigon. By August 1966, there were over 400 news media representatives in South Vietnam from 22 nations. The Vietnam War correspondents in the field shared the same dangers that confronted the front-line troops, risking their lives to witness and report the realities of the battlefield. Sixteen Americans lost their lives while covering the war. American journalists are among the 42 U.S. civilians still missing in action and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, including NBC News correspondent Welles Hangen and Time photographer Sean Flynn, both of whom disappeared while covering the war in Cambodia.
    1977---Top Hits
Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor
New Kid in Town - Eagles
Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Near You - George Jones & Tammy Wynette
    1978-Van Halen's debut album is released. The LP hit the top-20 and has sold over 6 million copies (as of 1997). It contained the singles "You Really Got Me and "Runnin' With The Devil."
    1978- Southern California received up to 8 inches of rain, resulting in widespread floods and mudslides. The rainfall produced a wall of water, which ripped through the mountain resort community of Hidden Springs drowning at least 13 persons. The storm caused 50 million dollars in damage, making it one of the most destructive in history.
    1979 - Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" was the #1 US single. It was a track from the album "Blondes Have More Fun", which was the #1 U.S. album this day. The album stayed at the top for three weeks. "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" was number one for four weeks: If you want my body and you think I'm sexy; come on sugar let me know. “If you really need me just reach out and touch me; come on honey tell me so...”
http://users.cis.net/sammy/sexy.htm
    1982--- Bismarck, North Dakota experienced its 45th consecutive day of subzero temperature readings which tied the previous record long string of subzero daily lows ending on the same date in 1937
    1985 - One of the Houston Rockets' "Twin Towers", seven foot four inch tall Ralph Sampson, the Rockets star center, scored 24 points; leading the West to beat the East, 140-129 in the NBA All-Star Game held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Sampson was chosen as the games' Most Valuable Player.
    1985- "Tears Are Not Enough," the contribution of Canadian recording artists to African famine relief, was recorded at Manta Sound in Toronto under the name "Northern Lights."  The song was written by Bryan Adams and his regular songwriting partner, Jim Vallance. Adams's performance of the song at the Live Aid concert in July 1985 was marred by satellite blackout.
    1985---Top Hits
I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner
Easy Lover - Philip Bailey with Phil Collins
Careless Whisper - Wham! featuring George Michael
Ain't She Somethin' Else - Conway Twitty
    1987- a gala benefit concert was held at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto to honor the 100th anniversary of the Royal Conservatory of Music. Among the alumni who participated were tenor Jon Vickers, violinist Steven Staryk, soprano Lois Marshall and conductor Victor Feldbrill.
    1987- one of the Soviet Union's top rock bands, Autograph, played in Quebec City as part of its first North American tour. The concert was organized to coincide with the Rendezvous 87 hockey series between the NHL all-stars and the Soviet Union.
    1989-the first Chairman of a major political party who was African-American was Ronald H. Brown, who was elected chairman of the Democratic Party National Committee. Brown later served as secretary of commerce in the cabinet of President William Jefferson Clinton. He was killed in an airplane crash near Bosnia during a ceasefire.
    1989- Miami Vice's 100th episode seen on TV
http://timstvshowcase.com/miamivic.html
    1990- Paula Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" became the first album to generate six number-one singles when "Opposites Attract" hit the top of the Billboard chart.
    1991- Kevin Costner, Donny Osmond, Meryl Streep and Mike Tyson were among dozens of celebrities who gathered in Burbank, California to record a tribute to US troops in the Persian Gulf. The song, "Voices That Care," was composed and produced by Canadian David Foster.
    1992 - The New Kids on the Block filed suit on this date against former producer Gregory McPherson, accusing him of slander. McPherson had publicly accused the group of lip-syncing, and said that the young entertainers did on 20 percent of the singing in concerts and on their 1988 hit album, Hangin' Tough. McPherson claimed that New Kids manager Maurice Starr and Starr's brother were the real voices. The group's attorney denied his claim. Two months later, McPherson dropped his $21 million suit against Starr.
    1992 - In Indianapolis, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson was found guilty of rape of an 18-year-old beauty contestant, Desiree Washington. The jury found him guilty on all three counts after deliberating for 9 hours.
    1992 - Noted black author Alex Haley died at age 70 in Seattle of a heart attack. Haley would be best-remembered for his gripping account of African family history spanning two centuries, Roots, which was later turned into a wildly successful television miniseries. The eight-part series was aired on consecutive nights and became the most watched show in TV history. Some 130 million people-nearly half the country's population at the time--watched the last episode of the show. Haley's books led to an increased interest in the study of black history and heritage. Haley later spent two decades with the U.S. Coast Guard as a journalist, writing adventure stories to take the edge off his boredom. When he retired, he moved back to New York to pursue a writing career. He interviewed trumpeter Miles Davis and political activist Malcolm X for Playboy in the 1960s and later collaborated with the Black Muslim spokesman to write The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), an acclaimed work that fueled the black-power movement in America and was cited extensively in institutions of higher learning. Haley then started his best-known work, Roots: The Saga of an American Family, published in 1976. The blend of fact and fiction, drawn largely from stories recited by Haley's grandmother, chronicles seven generations of Haley's family history, from the enslavement of his ancestors to his own quest to trace his family tree. To write the mostly nonfiction work, Haley pored over records in the National Archives and went by safari to the African village of Juffure to meet with an oral historian (Haley later donated money to that village for a new mosque). There are those who claim that Haley copied the work from other writers. It was never proven and all law suits brought against him were not successful. In the early 1970s, he and his brothers founded the Kinte Foundation, named for Haley's ancestor Kunta Kinte, to collect and preserve African American genealogy records. Haley received special citations from the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award committees in 1977 for Roots, which sold more than a million copies in one year. It was translated into 26 languages. Later in his life, Haley wrote a biography of Frank Wills, the security guard who discovered the break-in at the Watergate Hotel that brought down Richard Nixon's presidency.
    1993- Michael Jackson, in a live TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, said he had an inherited disorder that causes skin pigmentation to fade. He denied altering most of his face, but did admit to minor cosmetic surgery. Jackson also said he finds the comfort in children and animals that he missed in a friendless, workaholic childhood. In the wake of Jackson's first solo interview in nearly a decade, sales of his "Dangerous" album, released 14 months earlier, skyrocketed.
    1993- Mick Jagger marked the release of his "Wandering Spirit" album with an invitation-only gig at a dance club in New York. Most of the material was from his solo effort, but Jagger also performed a couple of Rolling Stones' tunes - "Live With Me" and "Rip This Joint." The concert was beamed to clubs in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto.
    1994- a severe ice storm occurred over portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Heavy rainfall of over 5 inches in some sections resulted in one of the worst icing in many years for this region. Ice accumulation reached 6 inches in Mississippi, resulting in damage to 3.7 million acres of commercial forestland valued at an estimated $1.3 billion. Over 80,000 utility poles were pulled down by the weight of the ice. Some residents of Mississippi were without power for up to a month. Damage and cleanup costs exceeded $50 million in Arkansas.
    1996- Canadian country singer Shania Twain drew an estimated crowd of 10,000 to 20,000 fans for an autograph session at the Mall of America in Minneapolis.
    1996 - An IBM computer called Deep Blue made chess history by comfortably beating world champion Garry Kasparov, a machine's first victory under classic tournament rules.
    1997-Heavyweight Riddock Bowe announced that he had retired from boxing in order to join the US Marines. He had enlisted on January 27 and reported to Paris Island on this date. On February 21, Bowe announced that he had changed his mind and that the Marines had agreed to release him. “He could not,” said the Corps,” handle the regulated lifestyle.” Bowe, 29, married and the father of five, had won the heavyweight championship in 1992 from Evander Holyfield only to surrender it to Holyfiled in 1993. In his Marines stint, he endured 36 hours of actual training.
    1998 - AOL raised its monthly flat access rate from $19.95 to $21.95, explaining it needed to upgrade its network to handle the onslaught of people taking advantage of its flat price. The increase was set to go into effect in April 1998. Eventually seven users could use the dial-up program. DSL and cable brought the internet faster speeds than the AOL dial-up and by the first quarter of 2003, for the first time in its history, AOL began losing more members than it was putting on.
    2008-The Eagles won a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "How Long". It was the band's fifth Grammy Award.

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