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Day in American History

Friday, March 4, 2005

Headlines---

Classified Ads----Asset Management
    Archives, March 2, 2001—Manifest Changes Name
        Picture of Sal Maglietta
Leasing Associations Conferences--Spring
    Looking for Bill Hanson
        Reporter Looking for Leasing Expertise
Classified Ads---Help Wanted
    Susquehanna Patriot Enters Middle Market Leasing
        Joyce White To Lead Bank of America Business Capital
Relational Names Jeffrey H. Ehlers CEO
    Edmunds.com Reports True Cost of Incentives
        Internet Car Buying Approaches 30% of Market
News Briefs---
    California Nuts Briefs--
        "Gimme that Wine"
This Day in American History
    Winter Poem

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

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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

For all “job wanted” ads, please go here:
http://64.125.68.90/LeasingNews/JobPostings.htm

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Archives, March 2,2001—Manifest Changes Name

Manifest Group Changes Name, Announces Staffing Tool Kit

In September of 2000 U.S. Bancorp acquired The Manifest Group and other Lyon Financial subsidiaries from Schwan's Sales Enterprises. The company's name was officially changed in January to U.S. Bancorp - Manifest Funding Services. Troy Molitor, general manager of Manifest Funding Services states, "While a small change, we feel this name is more descriptive of our role in the marketplace. Since the acquisition we believe we have demonstrated that we haven't changed the way in which we conduct business.

We will continue to work towards building relationships, and will continue to focus on the success of the independent broker/lessor."

Manifest Funding Services is a division of U.S. Bancorp's Business Equipment Finance Group.

In a related news release, Manifest Funding Services announced the introduction of Staffing Tool Kit. Staffing Tool Kit is designed to help brokers and lessors hire and retain employees. It includes an exclusive online program that allows brokers and lessors to match job applicants to established benchmarks for top sales performers specific to the small ticket lease industry

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Picture of Sal Maglietta

We had asked for a photograph of Sal Maglietta to use along with the press release announcing he was the new president and CEO of U.S. Bancorp Equipment Finance.

The above was sent to us by a reader, but we think it is not Maglietta.

We don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Since we have not met Mr. Maglietta, if anyone can confirm or deny this is a picture of Mr.
Maglietta, please let us know.

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Leasing Association Conferences—Spring

April 6-7,2005

National Funding Exhibition Fairmont Hotel
Chicago, IL

(note: ELA will allow a one time conference attendance to a non-member. However, the ability to attend not only the conferences but information from their website is well-worth the membership fee)
http://www.elaonline.org/events/calendar/ataglance.cfm#now

[headlines]

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March 30 Lunch Meeting
Eastern Equipment and Leasing Association
"Meet and Greet"
      hosted by: Carl Anderson and Carlo LePardo of M&T Bank                       George Parker of Leasing Technologies International

Longfellows Wayside Inn
Sudbury, Massachusetts

    For additional information and registration, please contact the EAEL office at 212-809-1602

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April 5  Lunch Meeting
Eastern Equipment and Leasing Association
"Meet and Greet"
        hosted by Carl Anderson and Mike Neville of M&T Bank

Charley's Crab Cleveland, Ohio

For additional information and registration, please contact the EAEL office at 212-809-1602

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April 14-17,2005
Mills House
Charleston, South Carolina

“The famous Mills House in beautiful, historic Charleston, South Carolina will be the setting for this super conference. Bill Cowden of Springs Leasing, chairman of this event, promises a conference to remember. If you have any workshop ideas or want to volunteer as a panelist, call Alison at 212-809- 1602.”
        EAEL.org web site

To view the Mills house, please go here:
http://www.millshouse.com/virtual-tour.htm

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April 21-24, 2005

Spring Leadership Conference
Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort
Scottsdale, Arizona
Chairman: Steve Reid - Pacific Capital Bank

Content:
- Great Educational Sessions and Roundtables
- Strong Speakers
- Spouse Function
- Golf
- Texas Hold-em Tournament
- Arizona Diamondbacks Game

For brochure, click here:
http://www.uael.org/events/conferences/slc/register.asp

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May 4-6,2005

Loews Miami Beach Hotel
South Beach, Miami, Florida

for more information, please go here:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/25AM05_springpgm.pdf

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May 12-15,2005

Hyatt Regency Union Station
St. Louis, Missouri

Claude Elmore—Conference Chairman
Netbank Business Finance

Conference information:
http://www.naelb.org/associations/2004/files/
NAELB05%20Reg%20Brochure%20FINAL.pdf

General Conference Information:
http://www.naelb.org/displayconvention.cfm

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Looking for Bill Hanson

In the follow-up to the head of Conrad & Associations, former
vice—president of Commercial Money Center

http://leasingnews.org/PDF/Conrad&Associates.pdf

we have a lead we are following up:

“Bill Hanson is living with Dr. Fisher and his wife, Nancy in
Delmar Beach (California.)

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Reporter Looking for Leasing Expertise

A reporter working on a story in Fort Worth, Texas, is
looking for someone local they can talk with for background
and other experience regarding equipment leasing. I was
told Dallas was not too far, but any recommendation for
someone who is in Fort Worth or close to the area,
that could meet face to face, is the request.
Please contact kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

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Classified Ads---Help Wanted

Collection Attorney

National Account Manager

Platform Business Manager / Asset Manager

Sales Professionals

Small Ticket Sales Representative

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

Susquehanna Patriot Commercial Leasing Enters Middle Market Leasing

Susquehanna Patriot Commercial Leasing Company has created a middle market leasing group. Although the company will remain in the small ticket segment, it also needed to create a middle market leasing product in order to service its bank customers, advises Ken Collins, president & CEO of SPCLC.

Since its inception in 1997, SPCLC has had much success in our many bank private label programs. SPCLC will now couple that success in private label bank programs with a middle market leasing product, as well as small ticket leasing. In addition to hiring new members with middle market expertise, SPCLC has gained bank program experience over the years and understand how to manage a successful private label banking program.

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

Joyce White To Lead Bank of America Business Capital

BOSTON, -- Bank of America announced a change in leadership in Bank of America Business Capital, the asset-based lending arm of its Asset-Based Lending & Leasing division.

Richard Higginbotham, president of Asset-Based Lending & Leasing, has named Joyce White as president of Bank of America Business Capital, effective immediately. White, who has served as the president of the Pacific/Southwest division of Bank of America Business Capital, will report to Higginbotham.

White will be responsible for leading this important business segment, which is a market leader in providing structured financing and related banking services to leveraged, asset-rich companies principally in North America and European markets. The company provides asset-based loans to manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and service companies supporting a wide range of financial needs, including growth, working capital, acquisitions, turnarounds and restructurings, as well as, recapitalizations.

"Today's asset-based lending market requires professionals who understand business and banking, while also demonstrating to our clients and communities that they can expect excellence when they do business with Bank of America," said Higginbotham. "Joyce White is an outstanding business leader and an experienced banker who will enhance our already strong market presence and provide a clear strategic direction to Bank of America Business Capital in her new role."

White joined the former Security Pacific Business Credit in 1987 as a Senior Account Executive. She was promoted to Vice President/Managing Account Executive in 1988 and to Business Analysis Department Manager later that same year. She was promoted to Senior Vice President/Director of Business Development in 1990 and then to Group Executive Officer in 1992 She has been in her current position since October 1997.

In addition to her business duties, White maintains memberships in the local Turnaround Management Association, the Association for Corporate Growth and the Commercial Finance Conference of California along with various church and community activities.

White holds a B.S. in Business Administration, Finance and Management from St. John's University in New York.

Bank of America Business Capital is one of the world's largest asset-based lenders, with 18 offices serving the United States, Canada and Europe. It provides companies with senior secured loans from $10 million to more than $2 billion for working capital, acquisitions, expansions, turnarounds and debt restructurings. Visit http://www.bofa.com/businesscapitalnews for more information.

Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving 33 million consumer relationships with more than 5,800 retail banking offices, more than 16,700 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than twelve million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 150 countries and has relationships with 98 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 85 percent of the Global Fortune 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (ticker: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

http://www.bankofamerica.com

SOURCE Bank of America

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North America's premier independent IT portfolio management and leasing company names Jeffrey H. Ehlers as new Chief Executive Officer

ROLLING MEADOWS, ILLINOIS — Relational, LLC, the premier independent IT portfolio management and leasing company in North America, has named Jeffrey H. Ehlers as Chief Executive Officer.

Ehlers, 43 has served on the Board of Managers for Relational, LLC, for most of the prior three years. During the past 15 years, he has served in multiple executive positions at various businesses affiliated with Relational's parent company, including several posts as President and several as Chief Financial Officer. Ehlers began his career at the international accounting and consulting firm of Ernst & Whinney in Phoenix, Arizona.

Founded in 1990, Relational is a premier independent IT portfolio management and leasing company serving customers throughout North America, with a team of more than 320 business, technology and finance professionals. Its portfolio managers, product managers and product traders review, price and provide counsel on more than $2 billion in technology transactions each year. Through its integrated supply, finance and disposition capabilities, Relational helps organizations in nearly every business sector grow and prosper by reducing the cost and risk of acquiring, owning and disposing of technology assets.

“ With its strong financial foundation and solid team of portfolio management professionals, Relational is a leader in its industry,” said Ehlers. “I am honored and excited to take the helm at time when optimizing IT assets is becoming an ever greater priority for corporations.”

Ehlers' replaces John Morand and Dan Flagstad, who had served as Co-Chief Executive Officers of the Company.

Relational's Board of Managers expressed its enthusiasm for Ehlers' appointment and the company's prospects in a joint statement: “We are thrilled to have a person of Jeff's dedication and experience in this role. Through his leadership we look for continued growth and great things in the future.”

About Relational LLC

Rolling Meadows, Illinois-based Relational LLC is one of the nation's largest independent IT portfolio management company. The company helps clients manage the full lifecycle of IT hardware from financing and procurement through asset management and disposition of used equipment. As an independent, Relational provides unbiased third-party advice that reduces the cost and risk of acquiring technology assets in areas such as telecommunications, computing, Internet, intranet, networking, data storage, and eBusiness. Founded in 1990, the company now manages more than 15,000 individual lease schedules covering $1.5 billion in equipment. Clients served by the company's more than 320 business, technology and finance professionals include General Electric, Johnson Controls Inc., and Ford Motor Company.

For more information, contact Relational at: 3701 Algonquin Road, Suite 600, Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008; Phone 847-818-1700; Fax 847-818-1711; info@relationalllc.com; www.relationalllc.com .

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

Edmunds.com Reports True Cost of Incentives: European Automakers Increase Incentives Yet Lose Market Share

SANTA MONICA, Calif., -- Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, reported today that the average manufacturer automotive incentive in the United States was $2,369 per vehicle sold in February 2005, down $90, or 3.7%, from February 2004, and down $39, or 1.6%, from January 2005.

Edmunds.com's monthly True Cost of Incentives(SM) (TCI(SM)) report takes into account all of the automakers' various United States incentives programs, including subvented interest rates and lease programs as well as cash rebates to consumers and dealers. To ensure the greatest possible accuracy, Edmunds.com bases its calculations on sales volume, including the mix of vehicle makes and models for each month, as well as on the proportion of vehicles for which each type of incentive was used.

Overall, combined incentives spending for domestic Chrysler, Ford and General Motors nameplates averaged $3,161 per vehicle sold in February, down $125 from January 2005, and gained market share, increasing from 57.0% to 57.6% of the total U.S. market. Chrysler increased incentives spending by $122 to $3,307 per vehicle sold in February and gained 0.9% market share, capturing 14.9% of the U.S. market, the highest since February 2001. In February Ford decreased incentives by $158 to $2,675 per vehicle sold -- the fifth consecutive monthly decrease -- and grew its market share by 1.5% to 18.8%. General Motors decreased incentives spending by $228 to $3,420 per vehicle sold in February, while its market share dropped by 1.7% to 24.0%, a record low.

In February, Korean automakers increased incentives spending by $50 to an average of $1,617 per vehicle sold, and gained 0.3% market share, reaching 4.4% of the U.S. market. European automakers increased incentives spending by $173 to average $1,989 per vehicle sold, and lost 0.4% market share, falling to 6.0% of the U.S. market, the lowest total since February 2001. Japanese automakers decreased incentives spending by $30 to average $1,049 per vehicle sold in February, and lost 0.4% market share, dropping to 31.9% of the U.S. market.

Comparing all brands, in February Mini spent the least on incentives, $21, while Porsche spent only $78 and Scion spent $116 per vehicle sold. At the other end of the spectrum, Lincoln was the biggest spender at $5,513 in February, followed by Jaguar at $4,657 and Cadillac at $4,599 per vehicle sold. Looking at incentives expenditures as a percentage of MSRP for each brand, Pontiac spent the most, 14.6%, while Porsche and Mini each spent the least, 0.1%.

Among vehicle segments, large SUVs had the highest average incentives, $4,120 per vehicle sold, while sports cars had the lowest average incentives per vehicle, $920. Looking at incentives expenditures as a percentage of MSRP for each segment, midsize cars were the highest at 10.2%, while sports cars were the lowest at 3.2%. Midsize SUVs have lost the most market share since February 2004, decreasing from 12.6% to 11.7%. Large cars have gained the most market share during that period, up from 5.0% to 6.3% of the new vehicle market.

About Edmunds.com True Cost of Incentives(SM) (TCI(SM))

Edmunds.com's TCI(SM) is a comprehensive monthly report that measures automobile automakers' cost of incentives on vehicles sold in the United States. These costs are reported on a per vehicle basis for the industry as a whole, for each manufacturer, for each make sold by each manufacturer and for each model of each make. TCI covers all aspects of automakers' various incentives programs (except volume and similar bonus programs), including dealer cash, manufacturer rebates and consumer savings from subvented APR and lease programs (including subvented lease residual values used in manufacturer leasing programs). Data for the industry, the automakers and the makes are derived using weighted averages and are based on actual monthly sales and financing activity.

About Edmunds.com, Inc.

Edmunds.com is the premier online resource for automotive information. Its comprehensive set of data, tools and services, including Edmunds.com True Market Value(R) pricing, is generated by Edmunds.com Information Solutions and is licensed to third parties. For example, the company supplies content for the auto sections of NYTimes.com, AOL, About.com, iVillage.com and IGN.com, provides weekly data to Automotive News and delivers monthly data reports to Wall Street analysts. Edmunds.com also publishes a high-speed, on-screen car magazine called Inside Line available free at www.insideline.com. Edmunds.com was named "best car research" site by Forbes ASAP, has been selected by consumers as the "most useful Web site" according to every J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study(SM) and was ranked first in the Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif. and maintains a satellite office outside Detroit.

SOURCE Edmunds.com, Inc.

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

Internet Car Buying Approaches 30 Percent of Market; Edmunds.com's 'Strategies for Smart Car Buyers' Helps Shoppers Save Time and Money

SANTA MONICA, Calif., -- Soon nearly 30 percent of new cars will be purchased through car dealerships' Internet departments, and that number is expected to continue to grow as consumers become more savvy about the convenience and savings available. "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers," second edition, explains how to locate and price cars online and maximize savings by working with the Internet department at a dealership. Written by the editors at Edmunds.com (www.edmunds.com), the premier online resource for automotive information, the book teaches consumers that using the Internet wisely can save hours at a dealership and makes car buying faster, easier and less stressful than ever before.

"The only reasons most people need to go to a car dealership are to test-drive the car and sign the contract," said Philip Reed, "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers" co-author and Edmunds.com Senior Consumer Advice Editor. "Consumers should use the Internet, telephone and fax machine to research vehicle options and prices, to receive price quotes and to secure financing before ever setting foot in a car dealership."

Over the past five years, perhaps the biggest change at car dealerships is that most have created an Internet department, where commissions are based on sales volumes rather than transaction prices. This motivates Internet department salespeople to quickly offer each customer an agreeable price. Internet department salespeople also approach the selling process differently because they are accustomed to customers who have done a lot of research and are prepared to buy.

How can consumers best take advantage of this new way to buy cars? Among other things, "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers" recommends going to the Edmunds.com website and selecting the "Free Price Quote" option. This allows any consumer to choose a car and then use "Dealer Locator" to quickly send e-mails to multiple dealerships to check availability and receive price quotes from Internet department salespeople.

To illustrate the difference between online car buying and traditional methods, the Edmunds.com editors attempted a number of different approaches and ultimately saved about $1,000 by buying a $20,000 car through the dealer's Internet department. Describing these test cases in detail, "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers" teaches consumers what to expect and how to reap the benefits. For example, the book explains that some Internet departments prefer to call and give a price by phone. In that event, consumers should also ask to have the quote faxed to get written confirmation of the price. And consumers should make sure the fax describes the exact vehicle including all optional equipment, and confirm whether it includes related costs such as taxes, title, license and registration.

Since first published in 2003, "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers" has been thoroughly updated and expanded with 25 percent new content. In addition to the new strategies presented for online car buyers, the second edition offers the following new sections: Primer for Young Car Buyers, Dissecting a Lease Deal and Tips for Haggling.

Primer for Young Car Buyers

Mike Hudson, co-author of "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers" and Edmunds.com's 20-something Consumer Advice Editor, went undercover to find out how young car buyers are treated in the car buying process. He explains the simple ways young car buyers can overcome the common stereotypes attached to them.

Dissecting a Lease Deal

A car commercial that offers a new sedan for an amazingly low monthly lease payment is obviously designed to draw consumers into the dealership. But, in a real-world example described in the book, fine print in the ad lists the down payment, fees due at signing, mileage limits and sales tax, which added the equivalent of nearly $200 to the monthly payment and quickly made the lease far less appealing. This chapter gives consumers the knowledge they need to recognize a good deal.

Tips for Haggling

The Tips for Haggling section gives consumers the confidence to negotiate the best price for their vehicle, whether the negotiations are taking place in person, on the phone or by e-mail.

Along with the new content, the second edition of "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers" also contains all the great advice found in the previous edition: buying a new or used car, leasing a car, buying insurance and selling your old car. Car buyers tight on time can jump right to the 10 recommended steps found at the end of each section.

Also included is the popular investigative series "Confessions of a Car Salesman." For this assignment, Reed was sent to work undercover at two different dealerships to give readers an insider's perspective on the training, attitudes and behind-the-scenes tricks that dealers use to gain the upper hand. A Washington Post personal finance columnist declared that "Confessions of a Car Salesman" should be mandatory reading for all consumers before stepping on a car lot.

"Strategies for Smart Car Buyers" retails for $14.99 at most bookstores, or consumers can click on the direct link at www.edmunds.com/books to purchase it from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. Additional car-buying advice is available through the Strategies for Smart Car Buyers column at http://www.edmunds.com/advice/strategies/articles/index.html.

About the Co-Authors

Philip Reed is the senior consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com. A former newspaper reporter, Phil has also written a number of fiction and non-fiction books. He was initially hired by Edmunds.com to work as an undercover car salesman to better understand the automotive retailing business. The result was "Confessions of a Car Salesman" which is included in the "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers" book. After working as a car salesman, Phil took a more traditional role at Edmunds.com and found himself on the other side of the transaction -- buying cars for the company's long-term vehicle test fleet. He believes that this dual role has given him unique insight into the relationship between the car salesperson and the American consumer.

Mike Hudson is a consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com. He spent four years covering economics and the automotive industry as a reporter at Detroit News and Detroit Free Press. Mike has won numerous writing awards, including being named the Michigan Press Association's "Young Writer of the Year" for 2003. His past work has appeared in newspapers across the country including USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald and Boston Globe. He continues to write a monthly column for Detroit News focusing on youth and cultural trends in the auto industry. For the second edition of "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers," Mike, who is in his twenties, went undercover to find out how "Generation Y" car buyers are treated during the car buying process.

About Edmunds.com, Inc.

Edmunds.com is the premier online resource for automotive information. Its comprehensive set of data, tools and services, including Edmunds.com True Market Value(R) pricing, is generated by Edmunds.com Information Solutions and is licensed to third parties. For example, the company supplies content for the auto sections of NYTimes.com, AOL, About.com, iVillage,com and IGN.com, provides weekly data to Automotive News and delivers monthly data reports to Wall Street analysts. Edmunds.com also publishes a high-speed, on-screen car magazine called Inside Line available free at www.insideline.com. Edmunds.com was named "best car research" site by Forbes ASAP, has been selected by consumers as the "most useful Web site" according to every J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study(SM) and was ranked first in the Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif. and maintains a satellite office outside Detroit.

SOURCE Edmunds.com

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

News Briefs---

30-year mortgage rates at 5.79%, highest this year
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/housing/
2005-03-03-mortgage_x.htm

Oil Prices Briefly Climb Above $55 Mark-Closes at $53
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/shared-gen/ap/Finance_General/Oil_Prices.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5961-2005Mar4.html
http://markets.usatoday.com/custom/usatoday-com/html-story.
asp?markets=Commodities&guid=%7B1B09227D-4E2A-41FE-8C
F5-33EF0C9F61C0%7D

Time to Change Tax Code Again, Greenspan Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3689-2005Mar3.html

Greenspan touts consumption tax, simplification to spur savings, investment
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/
20050303-1457-taxoverhaul.html

Surprising Vigor for Retail Sales in February
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/04/business/04sales.html

As bankruptcy bill moves along, Senate refuses to limit consumer interest rates
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/
20050303-1507-bankruptcy.html

Tax Credits For Cutting 'E-Waste'
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3487436

Martha Stewart Leaves Federal Prison
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050304/D88JVHRO0.html

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California Nuts Briefs---

Judge rules governor illegally blocked new nursing staff ratios
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/
2005/03/03/financial/f155242S55.DTL

Governor's political muscle tested Stand on steroids drawing scrutiny
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/
2005/03/03/MNG3LBJL4E1.DTL

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“Gimme that Wine”

Di-vine Divas Boston group delivers a sophisticated wake- up call to the wine industry about its real customers
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/
2005/03/03/WIG98BIFHE1.DTL

French vintners lament falling sales
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05062/465707.stm

Premiere Napa Valley fund-raiser
http://www.sthelenastar.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id
=AD97F504-7810-447E-9A31-CC11A3588CAB

Oregon: Fine days, but fierce for wine
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/
1109768914320790.xml

Napa firm gives new life to wine barrels
http://www.napanews.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id
=773BF83D-8D59-4B47-80A1-ACE539B13B25

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This Day in American History

    1636—The oldest extant house of the English-speaking colonies, the Adam Thoroughgood House, was built near Norfolk, VA. Its design typified that of the small southern colonial brick farmhouse of the seventeenth century.. http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/virginia/norfolk/
thoroughgood/house.html
    1636-The oldest frame house still standing in the U.S., the Fairbanks House, was built at Dedham, Mass.
http://www.fairbankshouse.org/
    1681-Pennyslvania goes to William Penn: to satisfy a debt of £16,000, King Charles II of England granted a royal charter, deed and governorship of Pennsylvania to William Penn. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/PENN/pnhome.html
    1747-American revolutionary hero Casmir Pulaski born at Winjary, Mazovia, Poland, the son of a count; he is also known as the father of the American Calvary. Reportedly he did not speak English. He was a patriot and military leader in Poland's fight against Russia of 1770-71 and went into exile at the partition of Poland in 1772. He came to American in 1777 to join the Revolution, fighting with General Washington at Brandywine and also serving at Germantown and Valley Forge. Congress acknowledged Pulaski's leadership and bravery and decided to commission him as Brigadier General and gave him command of four light Calvary regiments. He organized the Pulaski Legion to wage guerrilla warfare against the British. Mortally wounded by cannon fire in a heroic charge at the siege of Savannah, GA., he died aboard the warship Wasp Oct 11,1779. Pulaski Day is celebrated on the first Monday of March in Illinois.
http://webinstituteforteachers.org/2001/teams/holidays/pulpage.html
http://www.chipublib.org/003cpl/pulaski.html
http://www.iyp.org/polish/history/pulaski.html
http://webinstituteforteachers.org/2001/teams/holidays/pulpage.html
    1776- Considered the US Marines first military engagement: Captain Samuel Nicholas and approximately 200 marines captured Fort Nassau in the Bahamas. Nicholas was assisted by 50 sailors under Lieutenant Thomas Weaver of the Cabot. This area was a major trading area and seaway to the America's and a vital first battle, sending a message to European countries the revolution was serious to their commerce. The assault was a surprise attack and the fort surrendered without conflict The Americans captured large military stores, including about 100 cannon, 15 mortars, 5,400 shells, and 11,000 rounds of ammunition, and brought them back to New London, CT, on April 8. This naval expedition, which left the Delaware Capes on February 17,1776, was under the command of Esek Hopkins of the “Alfred.”
    1781—Birthday of Rebecca Gratz , U.S. philanthropist and educator. RG devoted most of her life to improving the conditions of abused and poor women and children by organizing assistance programs that became models for reform throughout the new country. Born into a socially prominent Colonial/American Jewish family in Philadelphia, she organized the Female Association of the Relief of Women and Children in Reduced Circumstances (1801), an orphan asylum (1815), and a female Hebrew benevolent society and a Hebrew Sunday school society. She served as the model for Rebecca in Sir Walter Scott's “Ivanhoe.”
http://www.philsch.k12.pa.us/schools/moffet/pa_women/
rebecca_%20gratz.htm
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Gratz.html
    1789- the first Congress met at New York, NY. A quorum was obtained in the House Apr 1 and in the Senate April 5, and the first Congress was formally organized Apr 6. Electoral votes were counted, and George Washington was declared president (69 votes) and John Adams vice president (34 votes). Although the Continental Congress had set the first Wednesday of March 1789 as the date for the new government to convene, a quorum was not present to count ( highways were non-existent and travel between states was horrible ),the electoral votes April 6. He did not take the oath of office until Apr 30, 1789. All subsequent presidential terms (except successions following the death of an incumbent), until Franklin D. Roosevelt's second term, began Mar 4. The 20th Amendment in 1933 changed the date until noon on the 20 th day of January
    1791- Vermont became the 14th state. Know as the Green Mountain State, that is also what the French phrase ‘vert mont' means. Montpelier is Vermont's capital city. "Hail Vermont" is the state song which goes right along with the state motto: Vermont, Freedom and Unity. The hermit thrush stands alone as the state bird; and the red clover is the colorful state flower which attracts the state insect, the honeybee. The Morgan horse is the state animal. The state tree, the sugar maple, which makes all that famous Vermont maple syrup.
    1791- Israel Jacobs was elected by Pennsylvania to the House of Congress, the first Jewish congressman.
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=J000036
    1793 - George Washington was inaugurated in Philadelphia for a second term as president of the United States.
    1797- John Adams inaugurated as 2nd President of US
    1801 - Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated as the third president of the United States; he was the first to be inaugurated in the new capital of Washington.     1811-The first Bank of the United States was forced to liquidate its assets and shutter its doors after suffering the slings of local bankers and state-centric politicians. Founded in 1791, the creation of the bank had been one of the first acts of the newly formed U.S. Congress. But, the bank was an almost instant source of controversy: though backed by Federal funds, the bank was essentially a private company, complete with investors, which engendered a loud and powerful chorus of critics. Some feared that the bank would become an all too potent central institution, too powerful and would be federally based rather that state based. Many merchants hoping to open their own state-based financial institutions carped over the competition from the bank's network of branch offices. The call for dissolution grew louder when it was revealed that the bank's coffers leaned heavily on foreign investments, most notably from British interests. So, even though the bank was profitable and paid out relatively handsome dividends to investors, the critics won out and forced its demise. 1809 Madison becomes 1st President inaugurated in American-made clothes
    1815- Educator Myrtilla Miner born. Against considerable opposition, MM bravely founded and operated the Colored Girls School in Washington, D.C., in the face of a hostile society. It was supported by the Quakers and donations from abolitionists. Although it changed locations and names - the latest being the District of Columbia Teachers College - it maintained Miner's original intent: to teach teachers who would teach others. Harriet Beecher Stowe gave $1000 of her Uncle Tom's Cabin royalties to the school.
http://www.famousamericans.net/myrtillaminer/
    1825 -John Quincy Adams inaugurated as 6th President
    1837 -City of Chicago incorporates.
http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/inc.html
    1837- Martin Van Buren inaugurated as 8th President
    1841 -- President William Henry Harrison caught a fatal cold while standing hatless without a coat in the drizzle at his own Presidential inauguration. He also had the longest inauguration speech (8,443 words) in history. A month later, he is the first U.S. president to die in office.
    1845 -James K Polk inaugurated as 11th President
    1847-Pioneer obstetrician and medical educator Anna Elizabeth Broomall The low mortality rate under Dr. Broomall was, less than one-tenth of a percent among more than 2,000 mothers. A Quaker, Broomall wore black gowns and had a brisk, quiet nature that was formidable when angry. She was not admitted to the all-male Philadelphia Obstetrical Society until 1892 although her writings were presented to members.
    1829 - President Andrew Jackson introduced the ‘spoils system' when he rewarded Simon Cameron with a political appointment for political assistance.
    1830- John Quincy Adams returned to the House of Representatives to represent the district of Plymouth, MA. He was the first former president to do so and served for eight consecutive terms.
    1849- The US had originally did not have a President as Polk's term ends on a Sunday and Taylor did not want to be sworn in on the Sabbath. Senator David Atchison was the pres pro tem when Polk's term was to end on March 3 rd. While some relatives may argue that Atchison was president for one day, however history records the term of President James K. Polk ended on Sunday March 4 1849, and President- Elect Zachary Taylor refused to take the oath of office on a Sunday, so Senator Atchison is said to have been President of The United States for one day. In reality President Polk's term was extended for one day, and David Atchison spent the entire day he was supposed to have been President in bed ill.
http://www.galleryofhistory.com/archive/10_2000/master/
david_rice_atchison.htm
http://www.atchison.net/genealogy/drice.htm
http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/3966/mcms.html
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4972
    1857- considered by historians as the most famous court case in the long slavery controversy, the Supreme Court ruled that, Dred Scott, a slave in Saint Louis, Missouri, was not a citizen and could not sue in the federal courts, ruling that Congress had no power to restrict slavery in the territories. The most famous court case in the long slavery controversy.
    1861- Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as the 16 th president of the United States. In a stirring inaugural address, delivered under the watchful guard of riflemen, Lincoln appealed for the preservation of the Union, threatened by the recent secession of seven Southern states opposed to the new leader's policy against the expansion of slavery. Attempting to retain his support in the North without further alienating the South, Lincoln called for compromise, promising he would not initiate force to maintain the Union or interfere with slavery in the states in which it existed. He did, however, vow to retain federal property. One month later, his refusal to surrender or evacuate Fort Sumter in South Carolina, prompted the Confederates to launch the first attack of the Civil War.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar04.html
    1865 President Lincoln inaugurated for his 2nd term as President.
    1867-Birthday of the first black woman in the U.S. to hold a D.D.S. degree, Ida Gray. Born Clarksville, Tenn.
http://www.toptags.com/aama/bio/women/drgray.htm
    1869- Ulysses Grant inaugurated as 18th President
    1880 - For the first time halftone engraving was used in New York City's "Daily Graphic".
    1881 - James A Garfield inaugurated as 20th President. Eliza Ballou Garfield became the first mother of a United States President to live in the White House, when she moved in with her son James, who was the then President.
    1885- Grover Cleveland inaugurated as 1st Democratic President since Civil War
    1889 -Benjamin Harrison inaugurated as 23rd President.
    1893- Grover Cleveland was inaugurated for a second but nonconsecutive term as president. In 1885 he had become 22nd President of the US and in 1893 the 24th. Originally a source of some controversy, the Congressional Directory for some time listed him only as the 22nd president. The Directory now lists him as both the 22nd and 24th presidents though some historians continue to argue that one person cannot be both. Benjamin Harrison served during the intervening term, defeating Cleveland in electoral votes, though not in the popular vote.
    1897 -William McKinley inaugurated as 25th President of US.
    1897- Frank “Lefty” ) O'Doul, baseball player, manager, restaurant owner, bon vivant and close friend of Joe DiMaggio, born at San Francisco. O'Doul switched from pitching to the outfield and became one of the greatest players not in the Hall of Fame. His career batting average,.349, including hitting .398 in 1929 and .9383 in 1930. after retiring he helped to organize the major leagues in Japan. Died at San Francisco, Dec 7, 1969.
    1888- Knute Rockne, football coach born at Voss, Norway. Rockne played end at the University of Notre Dame and then in 1918 was appointed head coach at his alma mater. Over 13 seasons, Rockne became a living legend, and Notre Dame football rose to a position of unprecedented prominence. His teams won 105 games ( and three national championships) against only 12 losses and 5 ties. Rockne died in a plane crash at Bazaar, KS, March 31, 1931.
    1891- Arthur “Dazzy” Vance, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher born at Orient, IA. Vance “dazzled” opposing t3eams with his pitching prowess. He won 197 games over 16 years, mostly with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Inducted into the hall of fame in 1955. Died at Homosassa Springs, FL, Feb 16, 1961.
1901 President William McKinley inaugurated for 2nd term as President.
    1909-billionaire Harry Helmsley, best known for his late marriage to Leona Helmsly, birthday.” The best advice I ever got was from my mother," he once noted. "It was simply, 'Buy real estate.' And like a dutiful son, I bought and bought and continue to buy throughout the country." At one point he owned twenty- seven hotels, 50,000 apartments, and the Empire State Building to boot. Owning real estate proved to be quite lucrative for Helmsley, whose net worth was estimated at $1.7 billion by Forbes magazine in 1996. These far-flung achievements belied Helmsley's rather humble origins: the son of a dry goods salesman, Helmsley opted to skip college to enter the real estate business. However, whatever Helmsley's achievements in the business world, it's likely that he will always be remembered as the husband of the notorious Leona Helmsley. Dubbed the "Queen of Mean," for her domineering rule over the duo's hotel chain, Leona bore the brunt of the scorn and punishment for her and Harry's well-publicized trial for tax evasion in the late 1980s. Leona was slapped with a stiff fine and served eighteen months in prison for her tax crimes, while Harry, who had since decayed into senility, was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. Harry Helmsley died on January 4, 1997. Leona, now out of jail, lives in her New York penthouse, along, as if she had her own nursing home where few visit.
    1909 - Though fair weather was forecast, President Taft was inaugurated amidst a furious storm. About ten inches of wet snow disrupted travel and communications. The storm drew much criticism against the U.S. Weather Bureau
    1913 - Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated as the 28th United States president, only the second Democrat since the American Civil War.
    1917- the first female congressional representative was Jeanette Rankin, who was elected as a Republican form Montana and served from March 4, 1917 to March 4, 1919, and from January 3, 1941 to January 3, 1942. She was the first representative to vote twice against entry into war, on April 6, 1917, and December 8, 1941.
    1922 -- F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful & Damned is published.
http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/index.html
    1924-Guitarist Nat Reese born Salem, VA
http://www.wvculture.org/goldenseal/Vandalia2k/natreese.html
http://www.fiddletunes.com/pages/natr.htm
    1925 - In the first radio broadcast of a presidential inauguration, Calvin Coolidge took the oath of office in Washington DC.
    1927—Trumpet player Cy Touff birthday
http://music.manumba.com/C/Cy_Touff.html
http://www.jazzinstituteofchicago.org/index.asp?target=/jazzgram/
bronzeville/cytouff.asp
    1930 - ‘The Redhead', Red Barber, began his radio career broadcasting on WRUF at the University of Florida in Gainsville. He would soon become one of the best known sports voices in the United States.
    1930 - In competition sanctioned by the Women's International Bowling Congress in Buffalo, New York, Emma Fahning became the first woman bowler to make a perfect score.
    1931- Alice Mitchell Rivlin - U.S. economist. AMR was a member of the Federal Reserve Board and director of the Congressional Budget Office which she created to put an end to the piecemeal budgetary enactment by Congress. She also set up long term fiscal planning for Congress. She was the first woman appointed vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board (1996) and was staff member of the influential Brookings Institute. Her other positions included deputy director, U.S. Office Management and Budge 1993-94. She is a self-describe liberal Democrat.
    1931- Robert “Bob” Johnson, hockey player, coach and executive born at Minneapolis, MN, Johnson played college hockey at the University of Minnesota and began coaching high school hockey in 1956. He moved to Colorado College in 1963 and to the University of Wisconsin in 1967. Johnson's Badgers won three NCAA titles. He coached four US National teams and the1976 Olympic team. Johnson became head coach of the Calgary Flames in 1982 and led them to five straight Stanley Cup layoff appearances. He became executive director of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States in 1987 and coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990. They won the Stanley Cup a year later. Johnson was named coach of the US team for the 1991 Canada Cup, but surgery for a brain tumor prevented his participation. He was known throughout the hockey world for his favorite saying, “ It's a good day for hockey.” Died at Colorado Springs, CO, Nov 26,1991.
    1932- Vocalist Miriam Makeba, Johannesburg, Africa. She is one of the world's most prominent black African performers of the 20 th and 21st centuries. Her best known number in the U.S. was "The Click Song."
    1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as 32nd United States president and the first to be elected for a third and fourth term.
    1933- Frances Perkins became the first woman appointed to the president's cabinet when she was appointed Secretary of Labor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
http://www.undelete.org/woa/woa03-04.html
    1934-Singer/Actress/Television personality Barbara McNair born Racine, WI.
http://www.barbaramcnair.com/
http://members.tripod.com/SoulfulKindaMusic/bmcnair.htm
    1937 - Actor/producer/writer/composer/comedian and this night's host, George Jessel, welcomed the glamorous crowd to the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, the setting for the 9th Annual Academy Awards show. Which film was which, you ask? The envelope, if you please... For the films of 1936: Outstanding Production/Best Picture: "The Great Ziegfeld" (from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer); Best Director: Frank Capra for "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town"; Actor: Paul Muni ("The Story Of Louis Pasteur"); Actor in a Supporting Role: Walter Brennan ("Come and Get It"); Best Actress: Luise Rainer ("The Great Ziegfeld"); Actress in a Supporting Role: Gale Sondergaard ("Anthony Adverse"); Best Song: Dorothy Fields & Jerome Kern for "The Way You Look Tonight" from the movie, "Swing Time".
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0148036.html
    1937-saxophonist Barney Wilen born Nice,France, Died 1996
http://www.loustal.nl/barney_wilen%20cd-audio.htm
http://www.sunnysidezone.com/Artists/wilen.html
    1939- vocalist Barbara McNair born Racine, WS
http://www.showbizmall.com/b_mcnair/mc_p1.htm
    1939- Golfer JoAnne Gunderson (Carner) born. Known as “the Great Gundy,” she has won more than 40 tournaments. She won the U.S. women's Amateur championship five times before turning pro. She won the U.S Open in 1971 and 1976. She was named LPGA Player of the Year in 1974, 1981, and 1982.
    1940-Bob Chester Band records “Octave Jum'” (Bluebired 10649)
    1941-trumpet player Bobby Shew born Albuquerque NM
    1942 - On Okeh Records in Chicago, Illinois, Dick Jurgen's orchestra recorded "One Dozen Roses".
    1942-pianist/arranger David Matthews born, Sonora, KY
http://community-2.webtv.net/falconbird/RECENTRELEASESIVE/page3.html
http://www.walterwhite.com/davem.JPG
http://www.dmband.com/index.asp
    1942 - Shirley Temple starred in "Junior Miss" on CBS radio. The show, which was today heard for the first time, cost $12,000 a week to produce and stayed on the air until 1954.
    1942 - On West 44th Street in New York, the Stage Door Canteen opened, becoming widely known as a club for men in the armed forces and a place to spend lonely hours. The USO, the United Service Organization, would grow out of the ‘canteen' operation, providing entertainment for American troops around the world.
    1943 - Actress Greer Garson's acceptance speech for the Best Actress Academy award for her role in Mrs. Miniver lasted 5½ minutes, an industry record. As the press poked fun at her talkativeness, the story became more and more exaggerated, and Garson's speech was "remembered" as being a tedious hour-long ordeal. It became an embarrassing Hollywood legend for the talented and elegant Irish actress. Following the incident, time deadlines for acceptance speeches were established by the Academy - which, more often than not - weren't observed by award winners. The 15th Academy Awards presentation drew Hollywood luminaries to the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles to celebrate the great work done during the year 1942. Everybody seemed to like "Mrs. Miniver" (from Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer) better than any other movie that year. That movie was so good that it won William Wyler the Best Director Oscar; Greer Garson the Best Actress statuette; Teresa Wright the Best Actress in a Supporting Role prize; Joseph Ruttenberg the Cinematography/black-and-white Oscar; and George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West and Arthur Wimperis the Writing/Screenplay award. Ah, but there was more to celebrate on that March night in 1943: James Cagney was presented the Best Actor Oscar for "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and Van Heflin was voted Best Actor in a Supporting Role for "Johnny Eager". And one other award is worth mentioning: a guy named Irving Berlin picked up the Best Song Oscar for a little ditty he had written for the film, "Holiday Inn": "White Christmas".
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0148205.html
    1944-The U.S. Eighth Air Force launches the first American bombing raid against the German capital. The RAF flew 35 major raids between November 1943 and March 1944 and lost 1,047 aircraft, with an even greater number damaged. Fourteen U.S. bomber wings took off for Germany from England on the evening of March 4; only one plane reached Berlin (the rest dropped their loads elsewhere; few planes were lost to German defenses). In retrospect, the initial American attack was considered "none too successful" (as recorded in the official history of U.S. Army Air Force). Subsequent attacks in March were more effective.
    1944-Singer Mary Wilson born Detroit, Mi.
http://www.missnancywilson.com/
    1947 - The Two Mrs. Carrolls, a murder drama starring Humphrey Bogart as a psychopathic artist who paints his wives as Angels of Death then kills them, opened in theaters. The film also starred Barbara Stanwyck, Alexis Smith, and Nigel Bruce.
    1948 - The Naked City, an innovative film noir crime drama set in New York City and starring Barry Fitzgerald as the detective in charge, opened in United States theaters. The film's style has been copied countless times over the years, and later served as the basis of a popular television series.
    1950 - When Walt Disney released "Cinderella". It was Disney's first full-length, animated, feature film in eight years. It is still one of the top selling movies in both DVD and VHS format.
    1951---Top Hits
If - Perry Como
My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
There's Been a Change in Me - Eddy Arnold
    1952- It is Ronald and Nancy Reagan's wedding anniversary . Little Brown Church in the San Fernando Valley, CA. Ronald Reagan was 41 and Nancy Davis (born Anne Frances Robbins) was 30. They were both actors; William Holden served as best man. This was Reagan's second marriage. His first marriage to actress Jane Wyman in 1940 produced daughter Maureen Elizabeth Reagan in 1941, adopted son Michael Edward Reagan (born 1942) in 1945 and daughter Christina Reagan in 1947, who was born prematurely and died within a few days. Nancy and Ronald have two children: Patricia Ann Reagan (Patti Davis), born in 1952, and Ronald Prescott Reagan, in 1958.
Another trivia answer: he is the first US president who had been divorced. “Love You, Ronnie “by Nancy Reagan, Ronald Reagan No matter what else was going on in his life or where he was--traveling to make movies for G.E., in the California governor's office, at the White House, or on Air Force One, and sometimes even from across the room--Ronald Reagan wrote letters to Nancy Reagan, to express his love, thoughts, and feelings, and to stay in touch. Whether you remember him with fondess or not, the books is quite revealing about a man who loved his wife no matter how busy he was or where he was, he always thought about his Nancy.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/
103-3975609-1805410
    1952-Ernest Hemingway writes his published that he has finished his short novel “The Old Man and the Sea.” He told him it was the best writing he had ever done. The critics agreed: The book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and became one of his best-selling works. It was first published in “Life” magazine.
    1953- percussionist Emilio Estefan born Havana, Cuba
http://www.gloriaheaven.com/emilio7.htm
http://www.gloriaheaven.com/emilio_family.htm
    1954-sax player Ricky Ford born, Boston MA
http://www.ejn.it/mus/ford.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000044U32/
inktomi-musicasin-20/102-1682336-8966565
    1953 - Snow was reported on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
    1954-African-American scientist and attorney J Ernest Wilkins is named Undersecretary of Labor by President Eisenhower. He was born in Farmington, Missouri. He became a government official and lawyer. He was the son of a Baptist minister. He became an assistant secretary of labor in charge of international affairs. He was the first African American to hold this position and the second Black official to hold a sub-cabinet post. He was the ranking Black in the nation's capitol during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration. He became internationally known for his position. President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Wilkins, a Republican, as vice-chair of the newly established President's Committee on Government Contracts. Vice-president Richard M. Nixon chaired the panel that had been set up by executive order to enforce federal policy prohibiting discrimination due to race, creed, or national origin in employment or promotion of individuals who worked in establishments involved in government business. Wilkins died of a heart attack, January 19, 1959. He laid in state at Foundry Methodist Church in downtown Washington, D.C., the first time a Black had been so honored. From Notable Black American Men
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/
Mathematicians/Wilkins_Ernest.html
    1959---Top Hits
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price
Donna - Ritchie Valens
Charlie Brown - The Coasters
Don't Take Your Guns to Town - Johnny Cash
    1960 -- It is revealed, in connection with the current congressional investigation into payola, that Federal Communications Chairman John Doerfer took a six-day trip to Florida courtesy of Storer Broadcasting.
    1961-This is the official Commemoration of the founding of the Peace Corps on Marcy 1, 1961 by President John. F. Kennedy. It is observed on the first Tuesday in March.
http://peacecorps.gov/indexf.cfm
    1966 - A severe blizzard raged across Minnesota and North Dakota. The blizzard lasted four days producing up to 35 inches of snow, and wind gusting to 100 mph produced snow drifts 30 to 40 feet high. Bismarck ND reported zero visibility for 11 hours. Traffic was paralyzed for three days.
    1967---Top Hits
Ruby Tuesday - The Rolling Stones
Love is Here and Now You're Gone - The Supremes
Baby I Need Your Lovin' - Johnny Rivers
The Fugitive - Merle Haggard
    1968 Martin Luther King Jr announces plans for Poor People's Campaign
http://www.daveyd.com/mlkdaypolitic.html
    1968 -“The Dick Cavett Show” premiered on television. He began his television career on ABC with a daytime talk show that subsequently became a late-night program competing with Johnny Carson. Cavett, with his Yale background, had a reputation as an "intellectual" host and was particularly adept at the one-man interview. He has since appeared on the CBS, PBS and USA networks hosting a variety of shows.
    1974 - Time-Life, now Time-Warner, issued a new magazine called, "People"; which had an initial run of one million copies. It became the most successful celebrity weekly ever published, and its weekly circulation hit 3,424,858 by 1994. Mia Farrow was on the front cover.
http://people.aol.com/people/aboutus/magfacts.html
http://people.aol.com/people/index.html
    1975---Top Hits
Best of My Love - The Eagles
Have You Never Been Mellow - Olivia Newton-John
Black Water - The Doobie Brothers
It's Time to Pay the Fiddler - Cal Smith
    1978- Chicago Daily News, founded in 1875, publishes last issue http://www.bbbirthday.50megs.com/History/1stpic.gif
    1978 - Andy Gibb hit the top of the music charts with "(Love is) Thicker Than Water", which had a 2 week stay at #1. The Bee Gees also set a record with their single, "How Deep Is Your Love", from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack which stayed in the top 10 for an unprecedented 17 weeks. At the age of 30, Gibb died on March 10, 1988, of an inflammatory heart virus in Oxford, England.
http://www.hotshotdigital.com/tribute/AndyGibb.html
    1978---"Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" by Johnny Mathis and Denice Williams, enters the soul chart where it hits Number One next month and stays there for four weeks.
    1980- "Coal Miner's Daughter," the film biography of country singer Loretta Lynn, premiered in Nashville. Lynn was played on screen by Sissy Spacek, who also did all the singing in the movie.
http://www.imdb.com/Title?0080549
    1981- forward Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens scored the 1,000 th point of his career, a goal in a 9-02 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Lafleur finished with 1,353 points an entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.
    1983- Montana became the first state to ban sex discriminatory rates in all insurance. Under the prevailing discriminatory rate structure women were paying up to 30% more for the *same* insurance coverage as men whether it was auto, health, disability, or old age income insurance even though actuary tables indicated women were less accident prone and lived longer.
    1983---Top Hits
Baby, Come to Me - Patti Austin with James Ingram
Shame on the Moon - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
Why Baby Why - Charley Pride
    1984- The Television Academy of Arts and Sciences announced the formation of the Television Academy Hall of Fame at Burbank, CA. The first inductees were Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, Paddy Chayefsky, Norman Lear, Edward R. Murrow, William S. Paley and David Sarnoff.
    1985 -- Supreme Court upholds right of Oneida nation of New York to sue for lands illegally taken in 1795.
    1985 - "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care" was published with Dr. Michael Rothenberg sharing authorship with Dr. Benjamin Spock, ‘The Baby Doc'. It was the fifth edition of the book to be published. 30,000,000 copies had been printed -- second only to the Bible in the best seller category.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671537628/
inktomi-bkasin-20/102-1682336-8966565
    1987 - Rain and high winds prevailed in the northwestern U.S. A wind gust to 69 mph at Klamath Falls OR was their highest in 25 years, and winds at the Ashland Ranger Station in the Siskiyou Mountains of northern California reached 85 mph.
    1988- Hot Tuna was the headline act as the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco reopened. Joining group members Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukonen and Paul Kantner for the special occasion were Grace Slick and Papa John Creech. All at one time or another had been members of Jefferson Airplane and-or Jefferson Starship. The Fillmore was one of the leading venues for San Francisco's psychedelic bands in the 1960s.
http://www.hottuna.com/
    1988 - Snow and freezing rain made travel hazardous in Ohio and Indiana. A six car pile-up resulted near Columbus OH, with seven injuries reported. Up to two inches of ice glazed central Indiana. Up to ten inches of snow blanketed northern Ohio.
    1990 - A Pacific cold front working its way across the western U.S. produced heavy snow over parts of Idaho, Nevada and Utah. Up to eleven inches of snow blanketed the valleys of northwest Utah, while 12 to 25 inches fell across the mountains of northern Utah. Up to six inches of snow blanketed the valleys of east central Nevada, while more than a foot of snow was reported in the high elevations. In Idaho, 6 to 8 inches of snow was reported around Aberdeen and American Falls.
    1991---Top Hits
All the Man that I Need - Whitney Houston
Someday - Mariah Carey
One More Try - Timmy -T-
Walk on Faith - Mike Reid
    1992- AT&T announced it would close thirty-one offices around the country and replace nearly one-third of its operators with computerized information systems. Some 18,000 operators would be replaced with voice-recognition software, which could provide phone numbers and other information
    1994 - Four Muslim fundamentalists were found guilty of bombing the landmark World Trade Center in New York.
    1994- Space shuttle STS-62 (Columbia 16), launches into orbit
    1999-Cher has her first number one Billboard single in 25 years with "Believe." It is the first time she has topped the charts since 1974's "Dark Lady."

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

Winter Poem

        To Look Forward to Spring

by Salle Safford

The rains will come
The snow will fall,
A chill in the air
Bitter cold.

The trees will be bare
For the months ahead,
And the world will
Seem drab and old.

But soon the trees
Will bud again,
And the birds will
Begin to sing.

As they pronounce
To the world,
There is hope ahead
And an open door to spring