Subscribe@leasingnews.org

Day in American History

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Headlines---

Correction: Not Again!! Volkamer: Bottom Left
    Classified Ads---Asset Management
        Sal Maglietta to Attend Lessors Network Showcase
Placard--Your Raise Becomes Effective
    Leasing Association Meetings Open to Non-Members
        Letters---We Get Email
Classified Ads---Help Wanted
    Leasing Industry Ripe w/Challenges-Alta Group
SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI Merger means Higher Prices
    Synovus To Name Anthony CEO, Blanchard Chairman
        News Briefs---
            Sports Brief---
                California News Brief---
"Gimme that Wine"
    Today's Top Three Events in History
        This Day in American History
            Baseball Poem---Gene Carney

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

----------------------------------------------------------------

Correction: Not Again!! Volkamer: Bottom Left

“Dale Volkamer is bottom left... “

Douglas R. Dawkins CLP

Director Customer Finance

Tyco Healthcare

877-654-1116 Tollfree
925-463-4564 Direct line
925-463-4310 Fax
707-580-1431 Cell

“Oh, no!!! Gary didn't tell me this.”

cc: Gary Trebels

“Yes I did! Along with the proper spelling of Witowski. Please see the e-mail below at 2:55pm from Sunday June 12th.”

Gary

“From: Gary Trebels

To: Kit Menkin
Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2005 2:55 PM
Subject: RE: IFC Picture

“Should be

“Standing, left to right: Rudolph Trebels, CLP; Patick A. Witowski
Seated: Dale Volkamer, CLP; Scott Kreissl, Gary Trebels, CLP “

(I thought Gary had just corrected Rudy Trebles position in the picture, and the original spelling of the name of Witowski. Editor)

[headlines]

----------------------------------------------------------------

Classified Ads---Asset Management

Austin, TX .
20+ years exper. lease/finance. P & L responsibility, strong credit & collection management, re-marketing& accounting. Computers, construction, auto & transportation. Both commercial/ consumer portfolios.
Email: kmalone@austin.rr.com

Bloomfield Township, MI .
15+ yrs experience asset management and credit analyst. Leadership and training skills. Audited returns, max residual, lease end and resale negotiator.
E-mail: cmcozzolino@msn.com

Chicago, IL.
MBA, 15+ years exp. Long history of success in maximizing residual position through outstanding negotiation skills & lease contract management. Third party re-marketing, forecasting etc...
email: jgambla@aol.com

Hartford, CT.
7yrs exp structuring US Leveraged & Single Investor leases w/ pre-paid deferred rents, 467 loans & early buyouts. Engineer rv guarantees, synthetic leases, economic capital models & securitizations.
E-mail: lease_structuring@yahoo.com

Princeton, NJ.
Asset management/credit/collection
20+ years experience in equipment financing.Last five years in Asset Management including remarketing, end of lease negotiations, equipment and market evaluations
E-mail: bgaffrey@earthlink.net

Wilton, CT.
18 years exp. in IT and High Tech leasing industry. Residual forecasting, workouts, off-lease sales, mid-term restructures, auctions, all aspects of remarketing and equipment management.
Email: charrer@hotmail.com

Full Listing of all Classified Ads at:

http://216.66.242.252/AL/LeasingNews/JobPostings.htm

[headlines]

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sal Maglietta to Attend Lessors Network Annual Showcase, August

Here is a new picture of Sal Maglietta, president and CEO of U.S. Bancorp Equipment Finance. We understand he will be attending the The Lessors Network Annual Showcase August 24-25 | The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead | Atlanta, Georgia

[headlines]

---------------------------------------------------------------

[headlines]

---------------------------------------------------------------

Leasing Association Meetings Open to Non-Members

June 23 Dallas, Texas

United Association of Equpment Leasing

Dallas Summer Golf Outing

June Thursday 23, 2005
At 2:30 PM
Cost: $ 45.00 per player

Includes golf, cart and hors d’oeuvres

Where: Plantation Golf Club
4701 Plantation Lane
Frisco, TX 75035
Phone: 972-335-4653

For reservations please contact
Kim at 760-564-2227 or kim@uael.org

-------------------------------------------------------------------

June 23 Lunch, Sacramento, CA

Sacramento Region
Networking Luncheon

Thursday - June 23, 2005
12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

$25.00 per person
Includes lunch and John Haenselman of Belvedere Equipment Finance
addressing Lease vs. Loan

Non-UAEL members welcome

Location:

II Fornaio
1179 Galleria Blvd.
Roseville, CA

To reserve your spot please send check to UAEL
78120 Calle Estado, Ste. 201, La Quinta, CA 92253

Please contact Lori Littleford with any questions
(888)-278-1079 ext. 232

July 15  Chicago, Illinois

Hey, batter, batter, batter.........Swing
Batter!!!

Spring is here and that means
BASEBALL!!!

UAEL Midwest Chapter presents
A day with the Chicago Cubs at the beautiful and
Scenic Wrigley Rooftop!!
July 15, 2005
1:20PM
Chicago vs Pittsburg

Wrigley Rooftop
3639 North Sheffield Ave
Chicago, IL 60613

Tickets are limited so make your reservation today!!
Seats are not guaranteed until payment is received.

Price per Person $118.00
Food & Beverages are included in your ticket price.

Payment will ONLY be accepted by check. Please make all checks payable to UAEL and Remit to Bill Griffith.

For more information please contact
Padco Lease Corp.
Bill Griffith
800-347-5884
100 West Monroe Street
Ste 706 5 th Annual Midwest
Chicago, IL 60603 Regional Cubs Outing

3639 Wrigley Rooftop

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Directions to the Rooftop

Looking for directions? The directions below should help. If not call us at (312) 382-9100 for more assistance.

Wrigley Field is located on the corner of Addison and Clark St. in the City of Chicago.

If you are on the Kennedy Expressway, exit on Addison going east and follow the signs to Wrigley Field.

If you are on Lake Shore Drive, you can exit on Irving Park Road, which is 4000 north, or you can exit on Belmont Ave., which is 3200 north.

If you're going to ride the "L" (elevated rail) get on the red line.

If coming from the Loop: take the State Street Subway (red line) north towards Howard and get off at Addison.

If coming from the North: take the Yellow Line (Skokie Swift) or the Purple Line (Wilmette-Evanston), south to Howard, from there, take the Red Line south (95 th -Dan Ryan) to Addison stop (the train stop is located directly behind the rooftop).

Our address: 3639 North Sheffield Avenue

Entrance is at the rear of the 3639 Sheffield building. Take the rear exterior stairwell to the rooftop.

For more information log on to:
www.3639wrigleyrooftop.com

------------------------------------------------------------

July 28, 29 & 30, 2005

For more info click here.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday August 2 nd , Phoenix Arizona
Arizona Equipment Leasing Association
Meeting and Networking:
Pizzeria Uno 4:30 P.M.

· Arizona Center
· 455 N 3 rd St .
· Phoenix AZ 85004
Followed by:
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. the Houston Astros
BOB 6:40 P.M.

for more information and registration, click here:

-------------------------------------------------------------

August 3rd, 7:05pm, UAEL So. Calif.

United Association of Equipment Leasing Southern California Region
Presents

Our 4th Annual Angel Game Night
Take me out to the Ball Game!
Date: Wednesday August 3rd, 2005
Time: 7:05 PM (Anaheim Angels vs. Baltimore Orioles)
Place: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California

Ticket Includes: Field Box Seating
$15.00 per / Ticket

Company Employees are invited to attend. Family and Friends are welcome!
Non-members welcome, too.

Reserve your tickets today by emailing Kim at the UAEL Office: kim@uael.org. Or please contact Kim at 760-564-2227. Please RSVP by July 23rd, 2005.

[headlines]

---------------------------------------------------------------

Letters---We get Email

from Ken Goodman, CLP:

“I thought you'd like to know that I have resigned my engagement to represent Mesa Leasing, effective immediately. I need to devote more time to my growing consulting and expert witness practices and Mesa deserves more attention than I can now provide. I have enjoyed my relationship with Jeff Macdonald and Norm Malkowski at Mesa and have nothing but good things to say about them.

“While I would not rule out the possibility of a more formal relationship with another leasing company in the future, for now I plan to concentrate on helping small and midsize leasing companies grow with better marketing and sales development tools; activities which I find extremely satisfying.”

Regards,

Ken
Kenneth D. Goodman, CLP
Goodman & Associates
"The Equipment Leasing Experts"
Marketing - Consulting - Litigation Support
24137 Grayston Drive - Lake Forest, CA 92630
888/852-7560 - fax 949/583-7275

www.leasegood.com - ken@leasegood.com

----

From Charlie Lester, OLD

“Hi there—just slipped out for a few days to have a little operation. Starting the Sunday before Easter, I found it was almost impossible to sit up much less walk. Since it was a holiday weekend, the doctor was not available for the CT Scan until Tuesday. When the doctor read the CT Scan on Wednesday, it was straight to the hospital for the operation on Thursday since a piece of bone had broken off #4 vertebrae and was pressing on the spinal cord causing a lack of feeling in some areas and sheer pain in others. I can verify for a fact that the areas of pain were far greater than the areas where there was no feeling. Anyway, the operation took 4 ½ hours for him clean out the bone chip and other junk and then cut the soft issue off of the hip so it could be used to help fuse vertebras 4-5 & 1 together. The 7” incision looks like someone got mad and cinched up a football up extremely tight.

“Anyway, the operation was very successful and the recovery is going great. Recovery room tip---during the night, do not put your water jug and your urine bottle on the same tray since they look the same. Another tip—before entering the hospital, learn to speak at least 6 languages so you can say hello to you nurse.

“By the way, I did read the RW Professional trial postponement story and it was certainly expected. I think Barry (Drayer) will go for one more postponement before cutting a deal with the FBI for time served. I know you disagree, but he will never spend time in jail and his assets are gone so why should they pursue him? He is old news with the companies he screwed gone and the people that could testify against him gone to other companies with no desire to dig up old skeletons. He simply has to stall for a little more time and he will be free to spend the money he has stashed off-shore. Barry fought the system and won.”

Take care, Charlie

(I bet Charlie a good bottle of wine that Drayer does some time if he lives long enough for the actual trial. The U.S. Attorney's office and FBI have put too much time into this to let Drayer walk, plus Bank of New York lost $24mm, American Express has a $20mm suit on hold, and a group of more than a dozen community banks have lost $10mm, they claim. Too much money this time, Barry, to let you off with a slap on the hand---and too many people claim you hurt them financially. editor)

--

from Johnnie Johnson, the CLP

“Just wanted to drop you a note and say “Thank you!” for the new format. It is really helpful to have the date and newsletter match. Accolades again for doing a good job. “

Johnnie

W. R. Johnnie Johnson, CLP
Senior Advisor - Strategic Projects
The International Leasing & Investment Co.
P.O. Box 3716, Safat, 13038, Kuwait
Phone: +965 244 0368 (Direct)
Office: +965 246 9000
Mobile: +965 942-6529
E-Mail: johnson@ilic.net
Website: www.ilic.net

(The ideas we implemented originally came from Johnnie. It took us awhile to figure out that instead of using links to a main page to make them to the archive page...and this simple technical idea changed the format entirely, and procedure.

Thank you. Kit )

--

from Ron Bannerman:

“I take strong exception to your defense of prospective changes in the law to make it easier for businesses to send, from the recipient\'s perspective, junk faxes. My home office fax machine receives at least 6 junk faxes a day - mostly in the middle of the night. The line is shared with 2 phones -in my daughter\'s room and the guest room. Not only is this practice a nuisance, it is costing me toner and paper. I never \"opted in\" for any \"business relationship\". I never \"opt out\" since that is used to validate my fax number for the fax list users. The faxes never identify the sending fax and 100% of the time when I call to complain, the sender refuses to identify their company. (I have called the opt out numbers on 2 occasions and conveniently the system said there was a problem and my request could not be completed). While an inconvenience for legitimate small businesses, validating an existing relationship (and I would add, identifying the legal entity sending the fax) are not unreasonable requirements, in fact, good customer relations.

“I did not mean to come down on you personally. Quite the contrary. I recognize the multitude of obstacles/expenses in the way of small businesses. It is the junk fax senders/list providers that ruin it. I've sent my concerns to Boxer and Feinstein as well as submitted complaints to the FTC when the source could be identified. I've even sent emails to the companies that use "MarketAlert" junk fax senders to hype their penny stocks.”

Ron Bannerman

San Francisco

rmbannerman@start-up-services.com

(I hate junk faxes, too. We use WinFax where all the faxes come in via our computer and WinFax has a “spam fax” feature that works most of the time. Editor )

---

from a NorVergence Insider:

“First allow me to explain that I own a telecom/IP network designj company in NNJ. I have a POP in Newark. I know exactly where Norv was. I know the Salzano's from their past in Bloomfield, NJ. AND I have a friend who was a 'sales rep" for Norv for a few months. I also have another friend who signed an agreement with Norv AFTER I told him not to.

“THAT is my point. My friend who signed the lease did so with FULL KNOWLEDGE that Norv was a scam ! I TOLD HIM SO. I showed him the prior bankruptcy of BOTH Salzanos. I told of the reseller scam, which I knew full well because I was with one of the carries they stiffed then. But he signed anyway. When his "matrix" arrived he called me to take a look. I made an hour drive, looked at the box and told him, without blinking an eye that is was an Adtran Access 750 channel bank which had some FXO cards in it.

“My friend who was the "sales rep" was there for three months I guess. He is an old guy like me and when he told me about the canned speeches I told him to get out. That we was in a scam. He stuck it out for a while and made some money, BUT when he saw the crash coming he called each and every one of the companies he had sold to and TOLD them, as far as I know, which is what he told me.

“ANYONE who did their due diligence and by anyone I mean, the leasing company ( who should at least investigate the principles of any company they do business with, just for their own credit worthiness even if there is no personal guarantee ), the banks ( same reason ), the carriers ( same reason ) and the people who are going to sign the bottom line. EVBERYHTHING NECESSARY to determine this was a scam was and is public knowledge BEFORE the fact. All the bankruptcies are on file with the State of NJ. The FCC has the records of the re-sale scam and so on. AND IT IS ALL AVAILABLE FREE !

“Ignorance is NOT an affirmative defense. Even a gut feeling that "this is too good to be true" should be looked into before you sign something.

“It is like the current Vonage thing. $ 29.95 a month for unlimited

USA and Canada and PR. "You will save money". Except that to get a DSL line you need a POTS line with a number - That is $ 29.99 a month also. Then you have the DSL service which is another 59.99 a month. BTW its the same thing for VoIP over Cable services. And what happens when your power is off ? Of the Internet has problems ? Do you have dial tone ? Nope. You can get the same service of unlimited calling from a number of carriers, such as Verizon for 39.99 a month. So why spend $29.99 PLUS 29.99 PLUS the DSL access fees ( or the cable IP fees ) ? Where is the savings ? But the stupid TV ads will tell you different and my understanding is two thousand people a week are falling for it.

“My point is to all of this there is negligence all around. And it all stems from GREED and it all the lawsuits come from all the people who signed do not have the sense of personal responsibility to live with the fact they made a huge mistake and to make their name good by paying the debit THEY SIGNED FOR AND NO ONE FORCED THEM TO SIGN FOR.

“So there it is.”

(Permission given to print email without name given)

----

from Bob Homans:

Independence Square in Kiev, on Inauguration Day

“I have had a number of notes from friends, who read Bob's (Bob

Teichman) excellent article in "Leasing News" about the project he and I have been working on, in Ukraine. In responding to their questions and comments, I thought it might be interesting for your readers to have a bit more background on how the project got started, and how Bob and I got involved.

“As Bob mentioned in the article the ACTI Project we are working on in Ukraine is being funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pragma under a contract with USAID. It may be of interest to your readers to hear my perspective on USAID's changed role in projects such as these, between the time I first came in contact with USAID, in 1973, and today. USAID is part of the State Department, and is responsible for handling all our bi-lateral foreign aid, which is to say government-to-government.

“Long before I got involved in the leasing business, from 1973 - 1975 I spent 2 years in the Philippines, with the United Nations Development Programme ("UNDP"). During my time in the Philippines I was a consultant to the Philippine Dept. of Public Works. I was primarily working on a project whose goal was to construct a network of farm-to-market roads in the southern part of the Island of Luzon.

“USAID was funding the project in the Philippines, as they are the project in Ukraine. However, the Project in the Philippines was implemented directly by USAID, through a Program Officer. All the consultants who worked on that project were hired directly by USAID. In addition the project was directed at the Philippine Public Sector.

“Today, it seems to me from my observations in Ukraine, that USAID has turned over much of its implementation responsibilities to consulting firms such as Pragma. Many of the Program Officers who used to work for USAID now work for forms such as Pragma, including the Program Officer I knew, when I worked on the road project in the Philippines. Instead of being retained directly by USAID, consultants such as Bob and me are now retained by firms such as Pragma who do much of their business with USAID.

“In addition it appears to me, from my experience in Ukraine, that USAID has shifted much of its focus away from Public Sector Projects toward two areas: Projects in the Private Sector which foster values which we take for granted here, such as Free Enterprise and the Rule of Law; projects directed at opening up societies which, heretofore, might have been, or are, less free than ours. The Pragma/ACTI Project, that Bob described in his article, is an example of the former. Some of USAID's assistance to local groups fostering free elections in Ukraine, prior, during and after Pres. Yuschenko's election last year, are examples of the latter. My guess is that because of their nature, that USAID keeps a much more direct control over these kinds of undertakings, than they do with a project like Pragma/ACTI, but I am not sure.

“Bob Teichman's and my involvement in the ACTI Project in Ukraine partly resulted from my ability to stay in touch with my friends at USAID, who I first met in the Philippines over 30 years ago. A few of these people, former Program Officers, are now working for consulting firms implementing projects similar to ACTI.

“Over the last few years I have made it known, to some of my old friends who I first met in the Philippines, that if the right opportunity came up I might be interested in getting involved again. When I was working on the project in the Philippines it became obvious to me that my body of knowledge was woefully lacking. Partly for that reason I ended up going to Stanford Business School after returning from the Philippines.

“This time I wanted to make sure that whatever project I got involved in that I had skills that would be useful to the locals, in this case Ukrainians, and I wanted to be able to continue my business here. I also wanted to make sure that whatever project I got involved in had a practical, "firm-based" approach, well described by Bob in his article. I found that many of the consultants that USAID brought over to the Philippines were very academic, and their advice was usually far too theoretical to be of any practical use to Filipinos.

“In late 2003 I got a call from Pragma, asking me if I was interested in going to Ukraine. They said they were bidding on a project, the project that eventually became the ACTI, and that it had a big equipment leasing component. Pragma has long standing experience working on similar projects in the former Soviet Union. They found me through one of my friends.I told them I would be interested in going on a part time basis. also agreed to help Pragma write part of their proposal.

“After having sold Pragma on a training program and on a possible professional designation similar to the CLP here, I contacted Bob Teichman to see if he would be interested.He was skeptical, but said that he would be interested. He said he was so skeptical that he wasn't even going to mention the possibility to his wife. He also suggested that Barry Tushin get involved, which he did.

“I heard nothing for a year, until October, 2004 the day after I "Feng Sui'd" my office (true story). Pragma called me and said they won the contract. They asked me if I wanted to go over full time, to run the leasing component.I said that I would go over part time, because I was not willing to leave my business here. Bob Teichman, having expressed an interest no doubt thinking that it would never happen, now had to inform his wife that he was really serious about that trip to Ukraine.

“However, soon afterwards, we found out that that in the year it took USAID to award the contract, an agency of the World Bank had launched a similar leasing project in Ukraine. In response to that news, consideration was given to scrapping the leasing component altogether. I asked the Head of the ACTI Program to send me what he could on the World Bank Project, which he did.

“In late November, 2004, with Bob Teichman's and Barry Tushin's invaluable help, I prepared a memo describing ways in which USAID/Pragma and the World Bank could divide the project. What our memo recommended was the practical approach so well described by Bob in his article. Pragma and USAID, to their credit, agreed, and asked me how soon I could come. This was late November, 2004, and it was right in the middle of the election crisis in Ukraine which, I am sure, most of your readers are very familiar with.

“It is worth bearing in mind that this contract is a large contract. If it had been decided to leave the leasing component to the World Bank, it might likely have cost Pragma over $3 million in consulting fees.

“I was originally scheduled to go to Kiev in early December. The trip kept getting pushed back because, during the election crisis, the US Embassy in Kiev had implemented a travel hold on all outside contractors. They didn't want to have people running around Kiev, in case they might have to evacuate them in the event of trouble surrounding the election crisis. Eventually, I was scheduled to leave on December 17. The night before I was supposed to leave I called the Head of the Project to say I was reluctant to leave because of press of business here and because I was concerned about trouble during, and after, the re-run of the Presidential election which was scheduled for December 26th. He agreed to the delay and I ended up going on January 15th. I will be forever grateful to him, for his flexibility.

“I ended up being in Kiev for Pres. Yuschenko's inauguration on January 23rd, which was one of the most extraordinary experiences I ever had. I am attaching a photo taken of Independence Square in Kiev, on Inauguration Day, in case you want to publish it. Orange is the color of Yuschenko's political party and what happened in Ukraine is known as the "Orange Revolution."

“During my January trip it was decided to move forward with the training, that Bob Teichman headed up during his trip this past May. I also have photos of Bob doing the training, if you ever want to publish them.

“I have probably gone on too long. I have enjoyed working with Bob on this project, and look forward to future adventures with him in Kiev.”

-- Bob Homans

Bob Homans

Norden Capital
8217 Beverly Bl., No. 8
Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
Ph. +1-323-852-7070/Fax +1-323-852-7172
US Toll Free 800-775-2624
rhomans@nordencapital.com

www.nordencapital.com

---

from Cindy Spurdle

“Thank you for including this wonderful reminder to all of us of what Memorial Day is really about. We all should be grateful for those who have served our country in prior wars/conflicts and continue to pray for those who are serving today. “

Cindy

http://leasingnews.org/images/Mem_Day/Funeral.htm

[headlines]

----------------------------------------------------------------

Classified Ads---Help Wanted

[headlines]

----------------------------------------------------------------

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

NEW ALTA GROUP RESEARCH INDICATES EQUIPMENT
LEASING INDUSTRY RIFE WITH CHALLENGES

LAKE TAHOE, Nevada To lead or follow? Greater scrutiny of business practices. A dearth of training opportunities. Nurturing of customer relationships. The industry's long-term viability? Research on the equipment leasing market conducted by The Alta Group earlier this year, combined with the firm's client engagements, indicates these issues are top-of-mind among many of the industry's leaders.

“We've worked with and surveyed a number of people in the business and, when asked about what challenges the equipment leasing industry faces now and into foreseeable future, a number of relevant issues emerged,” said John Deane, managing principal, The Alta Group. “Some of the concerns have been well-documented during the past couple of years, while others seem fairly new. The leaders of our industry are stepping forward to address these issues that may decide the future of our industry.”

Following Suit

Many companies in the equipment leasing industry follow the same lead. That is, when one organization does something that seems to work, many others follow suit. In today's tough market, some lessors think they need to model themselves after GE Capital to survive. Successful smaller, niche players in the industry, however, are wary of such an approach, wondering if it is in their best interest.

Companies in the airline business, for example, have tried to pattern themselves after Southwest Airlines and its no frills, cheap seats business model. Some airlines have struggled to realize the success of Southwest, due to the much different structures of their organizations. Niche lessors recognize the risk of falling into the same trap, forgetting what made them unique.

“Based on our observations working with a number of successful equipment leasing and finance companies, it is clear they leverage what makes them special,” Deane said. “While copying someone else's success may be a sincere form of flattery, it is very difficult to execute someone else's uniqueness. “

Greater Scrutiny of Business Practices

With profit pressures unrelenting, companies in the equipment leasing and asset finance industry have placed great emphasis on developing new income streams. This could lead to greater regulatory scrutiny of the industry's business practices. For more than 50 years, the industry has self-policed itself to assure these practices were ethical and proper. New, more stringent corporate disclosure laws in some states, however, are putting the equipment leasing industry under the microscope. Many lessors seem unfazed. Others recognize the evolving regulatory landscape and its impact on disclosure rules may force them to raise their self-policing efforts to another level.

“We all know it's a new world out there in regard to general business regulatory considerations – think SOX,” Deane said. “In the equipment leasing and financing industry, our client work and some well publicized industry developments – such as NorVergence – are clearly signaling that times have changed in our business. Leasing and equipment finance companies must become more aware of the regulatory and legal exposure issues that they may be confronted with in the future.”

Training and Professional Development

Many equipment leasing and asset finance companies tout their interest in training, but everyone agrees that much more can be done. The long-term success of the industry rests with qualified, talented people. With economic conditions in recent years prompting training budgets to be cut, new strategies for educating professionals must be developed as soon as possible. A big focus now is on e-learning and using the Internet as an educational tool.

“E-learning will revolutionize training in our industry in the very near future,” said Alta Principal Lynda Jackson. “It is efficient and effective and will soon become the predominant means of human resources development. Instead of taking people to the training location, e-learning takes training to the work place. Participants complete tasks, solve problems, improve processes and share best practices online via a learning-management system that administers, tracks, tests and measures knowledge.”

Customer Relationships

Wall Street analysts wonder why equipment manufacturers operate captive finance organizations when there are third-party providers capable of doing this job more efficiently from a cost standpoint. Bending to such pressures, some companies have outsourced this function. Others wonder if this is a smart move, however, when it comes to managing customer relationships – so critical to effective lifecycle management of the equipment asset and securing repeat business. Moreover, there are times when the cultural fit between manufacturer and finance provider is not there, with resulting problems.

“Ownership of the customer has always been a focal point of vendor-lessor relationships, but its importance has crystallized during the last few years,” said Alta Principal Jonathan Fales. “It's often hard enough to get vendors to market a basic leasing product to their customers, let alone sell other financial products or value-added services from their lessor partners. If a vendor cannot come to an understanding with a lessor on customer ownership before a program begins, both parties may be better off if the lessor chooses a different financial partner or program structure.”

Industry Viability

Will equipment leasing as an industry survive as we know it, or has it lost some of its cachet? Will lease financing simply become another product offered by banks and finance companies? Industry executives are asking themselves these questions. Some think their companies must offer a range of products to meet customer demands, positioning lease financing as one of many options for acquiring equipment. Others argue that those who do this will never experience the penetration that leasing can achieve as a stand-alone offering. What is the answer?

“The industry is quite viable but it is redefining itself away from a single product,” said Equipment Leasing Association President Mike Fleming. “Companies are changing their marketing to focus more on ‘why do business with me' from ‘we are a leasing company'. The equipment lease will continue to deliver cachet even if it no longer has the same level of cachet it once did.”

The Alta Group, established in 1992, provides a broad array of strategic consulting, advisory and M&A services, dispute resolution, education and training programs for companies in the global equipment leasing and asset finance industries. Its clients include manufacturers, banks, and independent lessors of various sizes . The Alta team is made up of more than 25 seasoned international professionals committed to the asset finance industry, including former CEOs, company founders and industry thought leaders. They collaborate and share their in-depth knowledge and insights with today's business leaders who face a range of challenges, both old and new. The firm has built a reputation on creative thinking, trust and professionalism. The Alta Group supports clients in North America; Latin America; Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Australia and China. For more information, visit www.thealtagroup.com.

[headlines]

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

Businesses to Face Higher Prices, Fewer Choices if SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI Merger Requests Approved; Former FCC Chief Economist Argues Mergers are 'Bad for Business'

WASHINGTON--( The proposed SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI mergers would produce a dramatic loss of competitive choices, fueling major price increases and stifling innovative services for business customers, according to new economic analysis by former FCC chief economist Simon J. Wilkie.

Wilkie presented his findings on the business market impact of the proposed mergers at a press briefing today with members of the Alliance for Competition in Telecommunications (ACTel) and joined by CompTel/ALTS President Earl Comstock.

Wilkie's analysis reveals that if AT&T and MCI are removed from the telecom landscape, SBC and Verizon will dominate the business market, controlling service in well over 9 out of 10 commercial buildings in their territories. The resulting virtually complete domination by each in its own region will fuel at least a 15 percent increase in wholesale prices for local access, in turn driving up retail prices to businesses by a similar amount. The elimination of primary competitors - and the continued collusion of SBC and Verizon not to compete on one another's market turf - ensures that conditions for the business customer will worsen, not improve, if the mergers are approved.

Details from the Wilkie study expose the full negative impact of the mergers on the commercial world:

-- Market Concentration. In a post-merger environment, SBC and Verizon will control at least a combined 95 percent market share of commercial buildings in their own in-region major metropolitan markets of Chicago (SBC) and Los Angeles (SBC and Verizon).

-- Reduced Choice. Market concentration will have an immediate impact on competitive choices available to business customers. Three SBC markets provide typical examples. In Cleveland, the number of commercial buildings providing competitive choice to business customers will drop 53.6 percent. In Milwaukee and Los Angeles, businesses will see a 64 percent and 71 percent drop-off, respectively, in the number of buildings offering competitive choice.

-- Rising Prices. The evaporation of choice will in turn spike business costs. As an example, AT&T and MCI are commonly the low price bidders on special access, undercutting SBC and Verizon by at least 50 percent. The elimination of AT&T and MCI will extinguish this downward pressure on special access prices, with an inevitable surge of higher costs for business customers.

"The proposed mergers are bad for business," Wilkie said. "AT&T and MCI are the industry's largest local competitive providers to business customers - both retail and wholesale. If they are taken out, SBC and Verizon will have a stranglehold on their respective territories, with little incentive to compete against one another. If these proposed mergers are approved, we'll have effectively turned the telecom clock back more than 20 years."

Wilkie added, "In particular, MFS started business in 1985 with a simple plan - provide competitive wholesale local access to carriers enabling them to bypass the Bell bottleneck. To allow Verizon through its merger with MCI to take over MFS, and facilities that took 20 years to build, is not just bad economics but unconscionable. Yet that is exactly what will occur if this merger is consummated. The same holds true for the proposed SBC and AT&T deal, since AT&T purchased MFS's competitor, Teleport."

"Given Mr. Wilkie's credentials and experience, his opposition to the proposed mergers is significant," said Heather Gold, Senior Vice President of Government Relations at XO Communications, a member of ACTel. "On the other hand, you don't have to be a world class economist to realize that small, medium and large businesses will suffer from higher prices and fewer choices if the mergers are approved. The numbers are crystal clear."

Earl Comstock, President of Comptel/ALTS, said, "The reality is that AT&T and MCI drive down prices by offering alternative facilities and through their ability to get significant discounts on SBC and Verizon special access lines, which are the physical connections all competitors need to offer their services to businesses large and small. If AT&T and MCI are bought by the Bells, it will significantly increase the price competitors have to pay to access business customers, with the result that these customers will see less competition and pay higher prices. The Department of Justice and the FCC should reject these mergers."

According to Wilkie's analysis, the mergers' impact on business customers may be readily projected from SBC's and Verizon's current pricing and business practices, which would be exacerbated if the mergers are approved as proposed.

As an example, competitive providers rely heavily on leased facilities to serve business customers. AT&T and MCI bid most often, at prices 50 - 60 percent below the special access rates of SBC and Verizon. With AT&T and MCI eliminated from the market, leasing prices would rise to at least the next lowest bid, and likely higher. Due to the fact that there will be fewer bidders in the market, there will be a significant reduction in downward pricing pressure, resulting in a winning bid that is much closer to the Bell's posted special access rates.

Eschelon Telecom's Federal Counsel, Russ Merbeth, said, "It is a very simple matter of supply and demand. As the supply of non-ILEC wholesale services decreases, the price for those services from the remaining suppliers, chiefly the RBOCs, will certainly rise, ultimately leading to higher prices for end user business customers of companies like Eschelon and the other ACTel members."

Wilkie also found that SBC and Verizon would have every motivation to continue engaging in tacit collusion not to compete in one another's territories. Such collusion limits their head-to-head interaction and drives prices higher - by 7 to 12 percent in other industries with similar circumstances.

In Los Angeles, SBC and Verizon operate side-by-side. Competitive providers are present in over 20,000 business locations - 13,111 in SBC territory and 7369 in Verizon territory. Yet despite this opportunity to compete with one another, Verizon has achieved a meager 1.1 percent penetration in SBC territory, and SBC an equally paltry 1.5 percent penetration in Verizon territory.

About ACTel

The Alliance for Competition in Telecommunications (ACTel) represents leading providers of competitive communications services and IT solution providers that have joined together to challenge the mergers of SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI, which if consummated as proposed will create significant harms to the public interest - reducing choice, elevating costs to customers, and slowing innovation. Information on ACTel is available at www.allianceforcompetition.com.

Crawford PR, for ACTel Jim Crawford, 703-753-4480 Mobile: 703-568-7101 jcrawford@crawfordpr.com or XO Communications Chad Couser, 703-547-2746 Mobile: 202-744-5815 chad.couser@xo.com

[headlines]

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

Synovus To Name Anthony CEO, Blanchard Chairman

Richard E. Anthony

James H. Blanchard

COLUMBUS, Ga.--( Synovus (NYSE:SNV) announced that, at the July 20, 2005 meeting of the Board of Directors, Richard E. Anthony will be elected Chief Executive Officer and President, advancing into the role currently held by James H. Blanchard who will be elected Chairman of the Board. The company also announced that Blanchard will retire as an executive employee of the company in October 2006, at which time Anthony will assume the position of both Chairman and CEO. James D. Yancey, who has served as Synovus' Board Chairman in a non-executive capacity since retiring from the company late last year, will continue as a member of the Board of Directors. These leadership changes are the next steps in the implementation of a carefully developed, long-range succession planning process that began in the spring of 1999.

In making the announcement, Blanchard stated, "As we have prepared over the past several years for a smooth transition in our company's top leadership, I have focused much of my time observing the skill and leadership abilities of key executives within Synovus. Richard has proven throughout his 34-year career in financial services, and most recently as President and COO, that he has the vision and expertise to leverage the unique growth opportunities available to Synovus and to ensure our success. Richard has also demonstrated his belief that the strength of Synovus lies in the hands of team members who feel valued for the work they do and know how to build lasting relationships with our customers."

Blanchard continued, "It's been a wonderful 35 years for me. I am truly honored to have been given the opportunity to serve for so many years. Synovus will always be a special part of me as I now move to Chairman of the Board and then beyond. I'll continue to give my best to see Synovus and TSYS grow, improve and prosper. One of my greatest pleasures is seeing Richard elevated to the CEO role, and I am extremely confident about our future with him at the lead of our great team."

As CEO and President, Anthony will direct the development and implementation of key business strategies that support Synovus' vision of becoming the finest financial services company in the world as well as lead the day-to-day activities of the company. He will also ensure the company remains focused on its key strategic areas including people, sales and service, and performance. Prior to assuming this new role, Anthony has served as President and COO for two years.

Anthony's banking career began at AmSouth Bank, N.A. in Birmingham, Alabama in 1971. He served in various roles at AmSouth until leaving his Executive Vice President position to become President of First Commercial Bancshares, Inc. and Chairman of the Board and CEO of First Commercial Bank in Birmingham in 1985. Anthony joined Synovus in 1992 when the company merged with First Commercial Bancshares. He served as President of Synovus Financial Corp. of Alabama from 1993 to 1995, when he was elected Vice Chairman of the holding company and was responsible for the management of all the company's banks and its mortgage operation. Anthony was elected as President and COO in 2003 and also serves as a Synovus board member and a director of TSYS. For more information on Richard Anthony, please refer to the attached biography.

As Chairman of the Board, Blanchard will maintain a critical and vital presence in the future of Synovus by managing the company's relationship with its Board of Directors and by devoting his time to developing and nurturing key customer relationships. He will also serve in a mentoring and teaching role within the Synovus family of companies as well as continue to provide industry leadership and maintain community involvement. Blanchard has served as CEO since 1971 and also served in the dual roles of Chairman of the Board and CEO from 1986 until October 2003 when Yancey was elected Chairman. Blanchard will continue as Chairman of TSYS' Executive Committee and a member of its board.

Blanchard began his career with Synovus in June 1970 when he was selected to lead Columbus Bank and Trust, a position previously held by his father, James W. Blanchard. His tenure as CEO has spanned the periods of greatest growth and prosperity in the company's history, which dates back to 1888. In 1972, under Blanchard's direction, CB&T Bancshares, now Synovus, was formed and in 1977 became the first company in Georgia to act on the state Legislature's multi-bank holding company law. Total assets for CB&T Bancshares were initially $147 million with a market capitalization of approximately $47 million. Today, Synovus has more than $26 billion in total assets with a market cap of more than $9 billion. The company's workforce has grown from approximately 200 team members to more than 12,000 team members in five U.S. states and in three continents around the world. For more information on Jim Blanchard, please refer to the attached biography.

Analysts are invited to join Anthony and Blanchard for a conference call from 11-11:30 a.m. EDT. Shareholders and other interested persons may listen to the conference call via web cast at www.synovus.com. Media representatives are invited to join Anthony and Blanchard on a conference call from 2 - 2:30 p.m. EDT.

About Synovus

Synovus (NYSE:"SNV") is a diversified financial services holding company with over $26 billion in assets based in Columbus, Georgia. Synovus provides integrated financial services including banking, financial management, insurance, mortgage and leasing services through 41 banks and other Synovus offices in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee; and electronic payment processing through an 81-percent stake in TSYS (NYSE:"TSS"), one of the world's largest companies for outsourced payment services. Synovus has been named one of "The 100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine, and has been recognized in its Hall of Fame for consecutive appearances on the list since its inception in 1998. In 2005, Synovus was also named as one of "America's Most Admired Companies". See Synovus on the Web at www.synovus.com.

Richard E. Anthony

Chief Executive Officer-elect and President

Synovus

Experience:

Richard joined Synovus in 1992 when Synovus merged with First Commercial Bancshares of Birmingham, Alabama. He served as President of Synovus Financial Corp. of Alabama from 1993 until 1995, when he was elected Vice Chairman of the holding company and was responsible for the management of all of the company's affiliate banks and its mortgage company. Richard was elected President and Chief Operating Officer in 2003 and served in that role until being named Chief Executive Officer-elect and President effective July 2005.

Date of Birth: May 6, 1946

Education:

B.S., Finance, University of Alabama, 1968

Masters of Business Administration, University of Virginia, 1971

Current Affiliations:

-- Director, Synovus

-- Advisory Director, TSYS

-- Director, The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama

-- Director, Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce

-- Member, The Financial Services Roundtable

-- Member, The University of Alabama President's Cabinet

-- Member, The University of Alabama School of Commerce and Business Administration Board of Visitors

-- Director, Business Council of Alabama

Recent Honors:

-- Anthony named on "Who's Who" list in Banking and Financial Services in Metro Atlanta by Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2005

Summary:

Richard Anthony is Chief Executive Officer-elect, Chief Operating Officer and President of Synovus, which provides diverse financial services including banking, financial management, insurance, mortgage and leasing services through affiliate banks and other Synovus offices in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. In addition, Synovus offers electronic payment processing through an 81-percent stake in TSYS, one of the world's largest companies for outsourced payment services. Today, as President and COO, Richard has responsibility for the daily operations of Synovus and its affiliated companies.

After graduating from the University of Alabama in 1968 and earning his M.B.A. at the University of Virginia in 1971, Richard began his career in the financial services industry with AmSouth Bank, N.A. in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1985, he left his Executive Vice President position with AmSouth Bank to become President of First Commercial Bancshares, Inc. and Chairman of the Board and CEO of First Commercial Bank in Birmingham. First Commercial Bancshares became a member of the Synovus family of companies in 1992.

Richard has participated in many community activities through leadership roles which include the following: President, Birmingham Kiwanis Club 1996-1997; Captain, Monday Morning Quarterback Club, 1993; President, Country Club of Birmingham, 1991; President, Alabama Golf Association, 1985; Alumnus, Leadership Birmingham, 1992; Alumnus, Leadership Alabama, 1998; Chairman, Lakeshore Hospital, 1982; Co-Chairman, Capital Campaign, University of Alabama, 1992-1997; Past Chairman, North Central Region American Lung Association, 1995; Past Chairman, Capital Campaign, Boys & Girls Club of Central Alabama, 1996-1998.

James H. Blanchard

Chairman of the Board-elect

Synovus

Experience:

Jim began his service with Synovus in June, 1970 when he was selected as the top executive at Columbus Bank and Trust Company, a position previously held by his father, James. W. Blanchard. He has served as CEO of Synovus from 1971 until being named Chairman of the Board effective July 2005. His tenure has spanned the periods of greatest growth in the company's history. He rallied support for the passing by the Georgia Legislature of the multi-bank holding company bill in 1976, and under his leadership, CB&T Bancshares became the first bank holding company in Georgia to acquire other banks under the new law. He also played an instrumental role in establishing TSYS in 1983, which now provides payments processing for more than 358 million cardholder accounts worldwide and is more than 80 percent owned by Synovus.

Date of Birth:

July 22, 1941

Education:

B.B.A., The University of Georgia 1963

LL.B., The University of Georgia, 1965

Current Affiliations:

-- Chairman of the Executive Committee and Director, TSYS

-- Director, Columbus Bank and Trust Company

-- Director, BellSouth Corporation

-- Director, W.C. Bradley Co.

-- Director, Sea Island Company

-- Director, American Bankers Association

-- Director, Financial Services Roundtable

-- Director and Past Chairman, BITS (formerly Bankers Information Technology Secretariat)

-- Director and Past Chairman, Board of the Georgia Department of Economic Development

-- Director and Past Chairman, Board of the Georgia Research Alliance

-- Director, Georgia Chamber of Commerce

-- Trustee, Columbus State University Foundation

-- Trustee, Emory Committee for the Robert T. Jones, Jr. Scholarship

-- Member, The Trust for Public Land Chattahoochee River Land rotection Campaign Committee

-- Member, The Carter Center Board of Councilors

-- Member, Morehouse School of Medicine Board of Visitors

-- Member, Advisory Committee, The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education

-- Member, Georgia Historical Society Board of Curators

Recent Honors:

-- Beta Gamma Sigma International Honoree award, 2005

-- US Banker magazine "25 Most Influential People in Financial Services", 2005

-- Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta, Community Leadership Award, 2004

-- Columbus State University, Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, 2004

-- Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation dedicates Blanchard Hall complex, 2003

-- Georgia State University Hall of Fame Inductee, 2003

-- Georgia Trend magazine "Georgian of the Year", 2003

-- Ernst & Young Southeast Area Master Entrepreneur of the Year, 2002

-- LaGrange College Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree, 1998

-- Georgia Trend magazine "Most Respected CEO" in the state, 1997

-- University of South Carolina Honorary Doctor of Business Administration Degree, 1996

Summary:

Jim Blanchard currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Synovus, a more than $26 billion, multi-financial services company that provides a diverse set of products and services that touch people around the world. He has been named Chairman of the Board effective July 2005. His tenure has spanned the periods of greatest growth and prosperity in the company's history, which dates back to 1888.

Jim earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from The University of Georgia in 1963, and earned his law degree from The University of Georgia in 1965. He served two years as 1st Lieutenant and Finance Officer in the U.S. Army, and then returned to Columbus to join a law firm. In June 1970, at the age of 28, he was selected as the top executive at Columbus Bank and Trust Company, a position previously held by his father, James W. Blanchard.

Jim rallied support for the passing by the Georgia Legislature of the multi-bank holding company bill in 1976, and under his leadership, CB&T Bancshares, later to be named Synovus Financial Corp., became the first bank holding company in Georgia to acquire other banks under the new law. Since that time, Synovus has operated under a decentralized, autonomous management approach for community banking, which has been strongly encouraged by Jim. He also played an instrumental role in establishing TSYS, in 1983, which now provides payments processing for more than 358 million cardholder accounts worldwide and is more than 80 percent owned by Synovus.

Jim has long been an outspoken advocate of servant leadership, and he has fostered a culture at Synovus that places special emphasis on balancing work with the rest of life. Synovus has been named one of "The 100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine, and has been recognized in its Hall of Fame for consecutive appearances on the list since its inception in 1998. In 2005, Synovus was also named as one of "America's Most Admired Companies". Synovus and its family of companies have earned reputations for outstanding customer service, leading-edge technological innovation and generous returns to shareholders. The success of Synovus demonstrates companies can achieve superior financial performance and "treat folks right."

Jim places tremendous emphasis on leadership education at Synovus, which focuses on servant leadership principles. Jim has said, "Servant leadership is a worthy goal unto itself. We run our company this way simply because it's right, because every person who labors here has great worth and deserves to be treated so. Our company is built on these values. They define who we are."

Jim serves as a board member of Columbus Bank and Trust Company and Chairman of the Executive Committee and board member of TSYS. He also serves on several other corporate boards in Georgia, and has been active in state and local government, education, conservation, economic development and the United Way. For his contributions, Jim was the first executive outside the greater Atlanta area chosen as Georgia Trend magazine's "Most Respected CEO" in the state for 1997. Georgia Trend magazine also honored him as "Georgian of the Year" for 2003 and U.S. Banker magazine named him one of the "25 Most Influential People in Financial Services" for 2005.

[headlines]

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

--------------------------------------------------------------

News Briefs----

Wholesale Prices Dip, Retail Sales Tumble
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/shared-gen/ap/Finance_
Government/Economy.html

Indian Tribes Shared $900M From Casinos
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Indian-Gambling.html ?

Quake in ocean near top of Northern California a Scare Only
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-06-14-california-quake_x.htm

Study puts business bankruptcy rates higher
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/2005-06-15-bankrupt-usat_x.htm

[headlines]

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sports Brief---

Detroit stalls Spurs 96-79 in Game 3 of Finals
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/games/
2005-06-15-pistons-spurs-game3_x.htm

[headlines]

----------------------------------------------------------------

California Nuts Brief---

Schwarzenegger relentlessly jeered at speech at alma mater
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/
20050614-2126-ca-schwarzenegger-commencement.html

[headlines]

----------------------------------------------------------------

“Gimme that Wine”

James Beard president sentenced for swiping $1 million from charity
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/06/14/
MNG9PD84BJ1.DTL&hw=wine&sn=009&sc=173

We invite alumni, wine enthusiasts and friends to join us to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the viticulture and enology program on June 28th, 2005. Although the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology was officially founded in 1935 following the repeal of Prohibition, the University of California program dates back to 1880.
http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/125/index.php

[headlines]

----------------------------------------------------------------

Today's Top Three Events in History

While this did not occur in the United States, perhaps there would be no United Colonies without it:
    1215-King John officially “sealed the Magna Carta “in the meadow called Ronimed between Staines. This document is the first charter of English liberties and one of the most important documents in the history of human freedom. Four original copies of the 1215 charter survive.
    1775- The Second Continental Congress chose George Washington commander in chief of the Continental Army. He declined to accept pay for his services, but in 1783, after eight years of war, submitted records of his expenses totaling 24,700 pounds, roughly over $125,000, $15,625 to feed, clothe, and provide food and transportation for his army of men.
    1952 - Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, was published on this date in the United States. It contained the memoirs of Dutch-Jewish teenager Anne Frank and her time spent with her family and others in hiding during World War II. She later died in a Nazi concentration camp, and many years later, her father, the only surviving member of her family, found her diary.

[headlines]

----------------------------------------------------------------

This Day in American History

    1215-King John officially “sealed the Magna Carta “in the meadow called Ronimed between Staines. This document is the first charter of English liberties and one of the most important documents in the history of human freedom. Four original copies of the 1215 charter survive.
    1686 -In Boston, the King's Chapel was organized. It was the first Anglican church established in colonial New England.
http://www.kings-chapel.org/
http://www.ci.boston.ma.us/freedomtrail/kingschapel.asp
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-1245504-king_s_chapel_boston-i
http://www.centaurgalleries.com/Main/Item.cfm?ItemNo=03946
    1752 - Benjamin Franklin affixed an iron wire to a kite and proceeded to fly it from a long piece of twine tied to a silk ribbon. Where the twine met the silk, Franklin attached a metal key. His thesis was any overhead electricity would be attracted to the wire at the top of the kite. As it began to lightning, he placed his hand near the key and sparks shot out; proving his experiment a success. Franklin used this discovery to start a new business selling and making lightning rods. The rods were attached to the tops of buildings. A wire ran down the side of the structure to the ground. When lightning struck the top of the rod, it ran down the wire and safely to ground without doing damage to the building. His letter to Peter Collison dated October 19,1752, describing his experiments was read before the Royal Society of London in December, 1752.
    1775- The Second Continental Congress chose George Washington commander in chief of the Continental Army. He declined to accept pay for his services, but in 1783, after eight years of war, submitted records of his expenses totaling 24,700 pounds, roughly over $125,000, $15,625 to feed, clothe, and provide food and transportation for his army of men.
    1789- Josiah Henson, abolitionist, author born in Charles County, Maryland. His autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson (1849) was read by Harriet Beecher Stowe and inspired her best-selling novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin .
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAShenson.htm
http://authors.aalbc.com/josiah.htm
http://www.msdmv.k12.in.us/mvjhs/staff/Teacher's%20Web%
20Sites/Orisky/third.html
    1804- the 12th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. It changed the method of electing the president and vice president after a tie in the Electoral College during the election of 1800. Rather than each elector voting for two candidates with the candidate receiving the most votes elected president and the second-place candidate elected vice president, each elector was now required to designate his choice for president and vice president, respectively.
    1835-Adah Isaacs Menken - U.S. poet and one of the most notorious actresses on the international stage. The part that made her (in) famous was when she was bound, nearly naked, to the back of a horse that galloped about the stage. She fascinated a number of famous men including Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. “Life in the mining towns of the far West was boisterous and extravagant in 1867. The height of fun and games was achieved in Virginia City, Nevada, site of the fabulous Comstock Lode, in the period from 1860 to 1880. The town had more than 100 saloons, five legitimate theaters, six variety houses, and other establishments such as dance halls. The single most popular performer was Adah Isaacs Menken, known for performing while clad only in a flimsy gown.” The actress and equestrienne Adah Menken was a brilliant self-publicist, and though her fame didn't last, she was very well known in her day. She shocked the public in the 1860s with her short hair, short skirts and decadence. She once gave a press conference lying in a short skirt on a tiger-skin, sipping champagne and smoking a cigarette (smoking was still considered rather daring for a woman). Adah Menken was quick to see the promotional potential of photographs in her campaign to make herself famous. She distributed a prolific number of publicity portraits such as this one. She was particularly keen to get herself photographed with famous men of the day, and managed to persuade the novelist Alexander Dumas and the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne to pose with her. The picture of herself and Swinburne, taken at an informal meeting, was then rushed off to a photographic studio so that it could be reproduced and sold in the street. Swinburne was reportedly furious.
http://www.judaicacollection.com/images/menken.jpg
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/AMenken.html
http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/painting/baker2.htm
http://www.cadytech.com/dumas/related/la_belle_menk http://www.peopleplayuk.org/collections/object.php?search_result=true&
object_id=318&back=%2Fcollections%2Fdefault.php%3Fsearch_name%3
Dobject_category_search%26amp%3Brun_search%3Dtrue%26amp%3
Bcobject_type%3D33%26amp%3Bctab%3D17 en_by_stoddard.php
http://www.gabrielleray.150m.com/ArchivePressText/20021207.html
    1836- Arkansas became the 25th state this day in 1836. The Land of Opportunity as Arkansas is called, was founded in the late 17th century by Frenchman Henri de Tonti. His interpretation of Quapaw, the Indian tribe that lived in the area, was Arkansas. Little Rock, the state's largest city is also its capital. The state bird and the state flower are the mockingbird and apple blossom, respectively.
    1844 - Inventor Charles Goodyear received a patent for vulcanizing rubber. Prior to this no one knew how to keep natural rubber from melting in the summer and hardening in the winter. Reputedly Goodyear discovered the process by accident, after years of experimentation, when he dropped some rubber mixed with sulfur on a hot stove. The resulting substance resembled charred leather, but was still resilient and elastic. Goodyear called the process "vulcanization," after the Roman God of Fire, Vulcan. He had received a previous patent on June 17, 1837, for a method of destroying the adhesive properties of rubber by applying bismuth, nitric acid with copper or other materials.
    1846-The Oregon Treaty with Great Britain was signed. It established the 49 th parallel as the boundary between the U.S. and the British Northwest territory. Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and part of Montana became undisputed U.S. territory. This was a compromise from the campaign slogan of Polk in 1844: “Fifty-four Forty or Fight.” Canada was granted navigation rights to part of the Columbia River, south of the 49 th parallel.
    1880-Birthday of blind singer/violinist Alfred Reed, Floyd City, VA
http://ubl.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,483645,00.html?
artist=Blind+Alfred+Reed
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/explo.html http://www.camsco.com/artists/reed.html
http://www.earfloss.com/page12_2459_a.html
    1885-Birthday of Malvina Cornell Hoffman - U.S.sculptor. Internationally admired, MCH received the largest sculptural commission ever given to man (or woman). It consisted of 110 life-sized bronze statues for the Hall of Man, Field Museum, Chicago. She studied with Rodin in Paris (after being turned away five times) and made a series of sculptures interpreting dance. Her forte was portraiture busts. Her mother was a talented amateur pianist.
http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/
finding_aids/hoffman_m4.html
http://www.nationalacademy.org/perm/hoffman2.html
http://www.sandycline.com/sculpture/malvhoff4.html
    1887-Henry O Flippea became the first Black graduate of West Point.
    1896 - The temperature at Fort Mojave, CA, soared to 127 degrees, the hottest reading of record for June for the U.S. The low that day was 97 degrees. Morning lows of 100 degrees were reported on the 12th, 14th and 16th of the month
    1901—Birthday of co-founder of Decca records Jack Kapp, one of the first to record Black music, including Jazz artists. Died March 25,1949.
http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/pennvalley/biology/lewis/crosby/jackapp.htm
    1909- Benjamin F. Shibe of Bala, PA, obtained a patent for a baseball with a cork center. It was first manufactured by A.G. Spalding and Brothers, Chicago, IL, and was used in occasional league games in 1909 and in regular play in 1910. The ball was first used in a World Series game on October, 20, 1910, in Chicago, IL. Sorry, don't know who was playing whom. If you find out, please let me know with a footnote to authenticate your source. 1934-Great Smoky Mountains National Park established. Area along southern section of Tennessee—North Carolina boundary was authorized May 22,1926, established for administration and protection only Feb. 6,1930, and finally established for full development as a national park in 1934.
    1917—The first army training camp for African-American officers was established at Fort Des Moines, Des Moines, IA, and was known as the 17 th Provisional Training Regiment. On October 15, 1917, the first commissions were granted, with 106 African-Americans commissioned as second lieutenants.
    1920- Canadian record retailer Sam Sniderman was born in Toronto. Sniderman began selling records in his family's radio store in 1937. He opened a second Toronto outlet in a furniture store in 1959. Two years later, Sniderman opened the now-famous Sam the Record Man store on Yonge Street. The store once claimed the largest selection of retail records in the world. A Sam the Record Man franchise chain was established in 1969, and the stores now are a familiar sight across Canada.
    1921—Errol Garner born, Pittsburgh, Pa. I believe I have every album he recorded, and two copies of several as I play them at my office and home all the time. He, Oscar Peterson, Fats Waller, and James Johnson as well as classical piano and clavichord music are played often in my office. “Concert by the Sea” is his best selling album. Died Jan. 2, 1977.
http://www.erroll-garner-archives.com/
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1774
    1921- Bessie Coleman becomes the first Black woman to earn a aviation pilot's license in the world - and the first woman to earn an international aviation license from the from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. A native of Texas, she went to France to get her pilot's license because of the bigotry of those in U.S. aviation who opposed her training because she was a woman and because she was black. No black U.S. aviator would train her either. A native of Texas, BC learned to speak French and saved enough money to go to France. It was not simple but BC got through it and fulfilled her dream of flying. On her return to the U.S. she taught other black women to fly as well as doing the usual (for the time) barnstorming in air circuses to keep flying. "Queen Bessie," as she was known was a highly popular draw for the next 15 years. However, on 04-30-1936, while practicing for a show in Orlando, Fla., a loose wrench fell into the engine and she did not have a parachute or seat belts and actually fell out of the plane to her death.
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/CC/fcobq.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flygirls/peopleevents/pandeAMEX02.html
http://www.ninety-nines.org/coleman.html
    1924- Ford Motor Company manufactures its 10 millionth automobile. It would eventually build and sell 15 million models of this vehicle.
http://www.ford.com/en/heritage/history/default.htm
http://www.modelt.org/
    1937-Jimmie Lunceford records his them “For Dancers Only,” Decca 1340.
    1937— Waylon Jennings, a leader of the outlaw country movement of the 1970's, was born in Littlefield, Texas. Jennings, along with Willie Nelson, spearheaded the movement away from heavy orchestral backing, opting for a leaner, harder sound which edged close to rock. Jennings met Buddy Holly in 1958, and ended up touring as Holly's bass player. When Holly's plane crashed in February 1959, killing Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, it was Jennings who had given up his seat to the Bopper. Jennings signed with RCA in 1965, but by 1970 he was becoming disenchanted with not being able choose his own material, musicians and production. On the 1972 album, "Ladies Love Outlaws," he was at last able to use his own band, the Waylons, and to record current material, such as the Three Dog Night hit, "Never Been to Spain." The following year, the album "Honky Tonk Heroes" solidified his reputation as a country outlaw. In 1976, the album "Wanted - the Outlaws," featuring Jennings, his wife, Jessi Colter, Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser became the first country LP to be certified platinum - one million copies sold.
    1942- Congress of racial Equality (CORE), founded as the Committee of Racial Equality by an interracial group of students in Chicago. Many of these students were members of the Chicago branch of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), a pacifist organization seeking to change racist attitudes. The founders of CORE were deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's teachings of nonviolent resistance. CORE started as a nonhierarchical, decentralized organization funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of its members. The organization was initially co-led by white University of Chicago student George Houser and black student James Farmer. In 1942, CORE began protests against segregation in public accommodations by organizing sit-ins. It was also in 1942 that CORE expanded nationally. James Farmer traveled the country with Bayard Rustin, a field secretary with FOR, and recruited activists at FOR meetings. CORE's early growth consisted almost entirely of white middle-class college students from the Midwest. CORE pioneered the strategy of nonviolent direct action, especially the tactics of sit-ins, jail-ins, and freedom rides.
http://www.core-online.org/features/what%20is%20core%20frame.htm
http://www.interchange.org/jfarmer.html
http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc3.asp?docid=1P1:22137547
James Farmer's father
http://www.cets.sfasu.edu/Harrison/Farmer/ETHA.htm
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAhouser.htm
http://www.afsc.org/about/gunnarjahnspeech.htm
    1941- Singer and songwriter Harry Nilsson was born in Brooklyn, New York. His breakthrough came in 1968 with the album "Aerial Ballet," which contained the hit single, "Everybody's Talkin'." It stayed in the top ten for much of 1969 and was the theme from the film "Midnight Cowboy." Nilsson's 1970 LP, "Nilsson Schmilsson," sold a million copies. From it came the chart-topping single, "Without You." Harry Nilsson held the distinction of never performing in public. And he only rarely appeared on TV. Nilsson died at his Los Angeles-area home on January 15th, 1994, 11 months after suffering a serious heart attack.
    1944- In a continued effort to penetrate the Japanese inner defenses, US amphibious forces invaded the Mariana Islands. A huge fleet, as documented in "Victory at Sea", of 800 ships from Guadalcanal and Hawaii carried the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions, consisting of 162,000 men. By the end of the day, 20,000 of these men had established a 5 ½ mile-long beachhead on the island of Saipan. Though the American forces suffered heavy losses during an overnight counterattack, on the morning of June 16 the Marines still held the area they had taken the day before. A huge victory for the U.S. Marines.
    1944—Birthday of guitarist, pianist, songwriter Eddie Hinton Died July 28, 1995.
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hinton?cdbaby=b5516bd0b7d346
eb4d2acb6f324352de
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WHRS/
026-7205197-9822825
    1948—Football Coach Mike Holmgren birthday, born San Francisco, CA.
    1949—Baseball coach, manger and form player Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker, Jr. born Riverside, Ca.
    1950---Top Hits
My Foolish Heart - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
Bewitched - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Mary Lou Williams)
The Third Man Theme - Alton Karas
Why Don't You Love Me - Hank Williams
    1952 - Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, was published on this date in the United States. It contained the memoirs of Dutch-Jewish teenager Anne Frank and her time spent with her family and others in hiding during World War II. She later died in a Nazi concentration camp, and many years later, her father, the only surviving member of her family, found her diary.
    1952—“My Little Margie” premieres on TV. A very popular show in its day, "My Little Margie" was a half-hour sitcom about a "womanizing widower and his meddlesome daughter." Margie was played by Gale Storm and Charles Farrell played her father, Vern Albright.
    1954-Courtney Cox Arquette birthday, ("Family Ties," "Friends"), born Birmingham, AL.
    1954- Blind country singer Terri Gibbs birthday born Miami, Florida.
http://augusta.com/leaders/slideshow_national/slide22.html
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/gibbs_terri/bio.jhtml
http://biologybooks.net/search_Terri_Gibbs/searchBy_Author.html
    1958---Top Hits
The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley
Do You Want to Dance - Bobby Freeman
Yakety Yak - The Coasters
All I Have to Do is Dream - The Everly Brothers
    1957 - East Saint Louis was deluged with 16.54 inches of rain in 24 hours, a record for the state of Illinois.
    1958-The Platters sing "Twilight Time" on Ed Sullivan.
    1963—Actress Helen Hunt's birthday, ("Mad About You," Peggy Sue Got Married, Twister), born Los Angeles, CA.
    1963 – Seattle, Washington first civil rights march:
More than 700 people attended a "freedom march" protesting racial discrimination in Seattle. The marchers, many of whom were white, walked in silence but carried signs. The Rev. Mance Jackson announced that the Bon Marché promised 30 new jobs for African Americans in its downtown & Northgate stores.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/59696_blackhistory26.shtml
    1963----Jan & Dean's "Surf City" is released.
    1963 - Singer Kyu (pronounced "cue") Sakamoto from Kawasaki, Japan, rocketed to the Number 1 spot on the United States pop music charts with "Sukiyaki" on this day. The song gained many American fans and lasted 3 weeks at the top of Billboard's pop chart. In Japan, where Sakamoto was enormously popular, "Sukiyaki" was known as "Ue O Muite Aruko" or "I Look Up When I Walk." Unfortunately, the entertainer met an untimely death in 1985 when he was one of 520 people that perished in the crash of a Japan Air Lines flight near Tokyo. Kyu was only 43 years old.
    1965- Bob Dylan recorded "Like a Rolling Stone," the first of his recordings to feature electric instruments. Dylan's emerging rock 'n' roll leanings proved popular - "Like A Rolling Stone" reached number two on the Billboard chart.
    1966---Top Hits
Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones
Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind? - The Lovin' Spoonful
I Am a Rock - Simon & Garfunkel
Distant Drums - Jim Reeves
    1966-- The Beatles album, "Yesterday & Today" is released by Capitol in the controversial "butcher" sleeve, with the Beatles smiling amongst a group of decapitated baby dolls. The original photo quickly became a problem for Capitol, so it was pulled and replaced by a more conventional cover. Could not find it for sale on eBay.
June 15-18- 1967, the first rock musical festival was held in Monterey, CA. I was there. It was a mad house. Promoter Alan Pariser and booking agent Ben Shapiro assembled the largest roster of rock and soul acts up to that time, including the Who, the Grateful Dead, Otis Redding, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin, and the Jimi Henrix Experience. More than 50,000 fans attended the non-profit event, which inaugurated a decade of ever-larger rock festivals.
    1969—“Hee Haw” TV premiere. The show has been described as a country-western version of "Laugh-In," composed of fast-paced sketches, silly jokes and songs. Though critics didn't like it, it had popular appeal and did well as a syndicated show. It was co hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark, alternating with guest hosts. Regular performers included Louis M. "Grandpa" Jones, Junior Samples, Jeannine Riley, Lulu Roman, David "Stringbean" Akeman, Sherry Miles, Lisa Todd, Minnie Pearl and Gordie Tapp.
    1970- Jimi Hendrix records his first session at his Electric Ladyland Studio in New York City. It was the guitarist's state of the art "dream" studio.
    1974---Top Hits
Billy, Don't Be a Hero - Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods
You Make Me Feel Brand New - The Stylistics
Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot
I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore - Charlie Rich
    1976-“Rain in” at the Astrodome. A 10-inche rainstorm caused the postponement of a regular season baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros at the Astrodome, a domed stadium. The rain caused flash floods that prevented everyone except members of both teams form getting to the ballpark.
    1980---Jack Nicklaus won his fourth US Open, shooting a record score of 272 at Baltusrol Golf Club. The previous record score for the Open was 275, held by Nickalus (1967) and Lee Tevino(1968.)
    1982---Top Hits
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder
Don't Talk to Strangers - Rick Springfield
Don't You Want Me - The Human League
For All the Wrong Reasons - The Bellamy Brothers
    1988 - Severe thunderstorms in the Central High Plains Region spawned five tornadoes around Denver, CO, in just one hour. A strong (F-3) tornado in southern Denver injured seven persons and caused ten million dollars damage. Twenty-six cities in the eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. The high of 97 degrees at Portland ME was a record for June.
    1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather over the Southern and Middle Atlantic Coast States. The thunderstorms spawned eight tornadoes, including strong (F-3) tornadoes which injured three persons at Mountville PA and four persons at Columbia, PA. There were 111 reports of large hail and damaging winds, including wind gusts to 80 mph at Norfolk, VA, and Hogback Mountain, SC.
    1990---Top Hits
Hold On - Wilson Phillips
Poison - Bell Biv DeVoe
It Must Have Been Love - Roxette
Love Without End, Amen - George Strait
    1992-The second largest two-day tornado outbreak in U.S. history commenced as a developing cumulus cloud broke through the cap in north central Kansas and exploded into a huge supercell thunderstorm. Between 4:15 and 8:35 pm cdt, this supercell produced 39 tornadoes in north central Kansas, including 12 in Mitchell County and 9 in Osborne County. A farmer living south of Cawker City reported going to the basement in his farm home 5 different times and each time he came out of the basement, his farm had additional damage. He also reported that at one time, he counted 3 tornadoes on the ground and 4 funnels in the air. Damage to property in Mitchell County exceeded $12 million.
    1999- Oriole Will Clark gets his 2,000th career hit in the 10-inning victory over the Royals, 6-5.
    2001---The Los Angeles Lakers take their second in a row NBA Championship beating the Philadelphia 76ers in game 5.
http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2001/2001/0615/1214516.html
    2003---The Los Angeles Lakers take their third in a row NBA Championship.
http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/finals_index.html
    2004—Detroit Pistons play as a team and dominated the Los Angeles Lakers, who's players are charged as being “old and slow” by the sports press.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/pistons/0406/15/index.htm

Stanley Cup Champions This Day

    1998 Detroit Red Wings

NBA Champions This Day

    2001---Los Angeles Lakers

games MVP

2002---Los Angeles Lakers

2003-- Detroit Pistons/Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 Chauncey Billups, Detroit

[headlines]

----------------------------------------------------------------

Baseball Poem

Baseball Cards

Our sons shake their heads
They don't understand
How we could have lost
Those Mantle rookies
Early Aarons
And sophomore Stargells
Not just a single star
But whole galaxies
Swallowed up in black holes
Long gone

Of course if our generation
Had hung on
Those cardboard rectangles
Would not be worth all that much today
To our collecting sons
Would they?
Can't have it both ways

Worth
Is in the eye of the kid
Beholding a likeness he sees
In his favorite team's colors
At the ballpark or on TV—
Paper companion to

An autographed plastic & foam seat cushion
Or a newspaper clipping from that day
He became the batting champ
Of one lad's heart

Even as we stuck the cards in bike wheels
Or flipped and pitched them
Snapping them fiercely against concrete
Even then some were special

Would we sell them today?
What would it profit us
To gain transitory bucks
But lose reminders
Of the way we were?

That much?
Well, that's different

Yet no one can purchase memories
Connections with first heroes
Access to the seasons of our
Infatuation

Written by Gene Carney
“Romancing the Horsehide,”
Baseball Poems on Players and
the game. Published by McFarland
and Company.

[headlines]