"Surprise! Surprise!" yelled Gomer Pyle
 Appropriate Today for California
Part I by Christopher Menkin, Editor

By now, everyone knows (or should know) that the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has mandated that all CFL licensees, including lenders and brokers licensed to do business in the state, must transition to the National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) on or before December 31, 2021. The incoming commissioner extended the preliminary deadline from November 30 to December 31, 2021, the date she is officially taking office.

There have been three new commissioners since Jerry Brown retired and California Senator Glazer introduced SB 1235 in 2018: Jan Owen, Manny Alvarez (March 2019), now Hewlett (as of December 2). Not counted since Alvarez departed, Chief Deputy Commissioner Christopher S. Shultz has served as Acting Commissioner, perhaps really four heads running the financial end of the state laws with changes seeming to come with each new commissioner.

California Governor Gavin Newson just appointed Clothilde "Cloey" Hewlett as the next Commissioner of the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI). Yes, she starts right after Thanksgiving, a coincidence in the week extension of time for filing.

The press release states, "As current Executive Director and Chief Legal Officer for the Cal Alumni Association, Ms. Hewlett is responsible for overseeing an organization that serves more than 550,000 alumni of the University of California, Berkeley.

"Ms. Hewlett has dedicated her career to protecting California consumers. She served as Undersecretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency (predecessor agency of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency) and Interim Director of the Department of General Services.

Ms. Hewlett has dedicated her career to protecting California consumers. She served as Undersecretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency (predecessor agency of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency) and Interim Director of the Department of General Services."

https://dfpi.ca.gov/2021/11/12/november-2021-monthly-bulletin/

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New DFPI Commissioner Has Full Plate
What Will the Finance and Business Plate hold to Eat?
and Experience of F.I.T. Leasing with NMLS Process
Part II by Christopher Menkin, Editor

 

As Leasing News Legal Editor Ken Greene has written several times, do it now. He has been warning for several months his experience is that a bunch of readers who need to comply have been putting it off and it will add days to the process.

Leasing News reader know (or should know) that the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (“DFPI”) (formerly the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation) has mandated that all CFL licensees, including lenders and brokers licensed to do business in the state, must transition to the National Mortgage Licensing System (“NMLS”) on or before December 31, 2021.

If you have not done this by November 30, 2021, what will happen?

Here is an actual experience from Joe Schmitz, President of F.I.T. Leasing, who sent the following email of his experience:

“Just a note about the CFL transition to NMKS. If you haven’t done so, please don’t procrastinate.  Also, a huge thanks to Ken Greene for all the work he’s done on this matter. 

“It’s due Dec. 31st, but I got an email from the Calif. Dept. of Financial Protection to complete it by Nov. 30th because NMLS is impacted. 

“I was stuck where to start, but the marvelous tips from Ken Greene Leasing News from Monday, Nov. 15th helped. 

“As I went through the online application to establish an account (first step), it required a new copy of my Secretary of State filing (that was easy from Calif Sec. of State website), and documentation of my EIN.  NMLS will only accept two options for the EIN. This is the original filing letter (SS-4) or a replacement letter (147C).  While I have my SS-4 application, I can’t find the letter from 22 years ago. 

“There is a phone number to call the IRS Business line (800) 829-4933 to get the 147C.  I called and went through the prompts, then get an automated message that they are too full and call back later. I called 5 times before I got on the que and waited 45 min for an agent. That agent was able to help me, but the only way that they can send you the 147C is either by mail or by fax – and some of the agent’s terminals won’t allow them to fax (happened in my case).  Mailing takes 10-14 days.  So I had him mail the form, then called back 6 more times and another 45 min. on hold and fortunately got an agent that could fax back the form which he processed while I was on the phone. 

“Figuring out this process took about 4 hours out of my day.  I have now completed the form to establish an account and am waiting the 3-5 days to hear back from MNLS before I actually start the process for the transition. 

“So if you’re planning on doing the transition but haven’t started, now’s the time.”

Sincerely,
Joe Schmitz
President
F.I.T. Leasing
800-299-4348
www.fitleasing.com

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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Michael Baez was hired as Vice President, Professional Services and Strategy, LeasePath, Burlington, Ontario, Canada. He is located in Oak Ridge, New Jersey. Previously, he was Director, Banking and Diversified Financials, Capgemini (January, 2013 - August, 2021); Senior Consultant, SunGuard (March, 2010 - January, 2013); Consultant, GE (2008 - 2009), He began his career at Citigroup in 1984, serving various private banking, promoted 1989, various Credit and Risk Administration, promoted 1996, Vice President, Director London Credit Risk Center, promoted 1997, Vice President, Director Global Markets Credit Delivery, promoted 2000, Vice President, Global Business Requirements Manager, promoted 2002, Vice President, Senior Client Manager, serving 24 years with Citigroup. Volunteer: Merit Badge Counselor, Boy Scouts of America, Northern New Jersey Council (February, 1983 - Present).  Education: Long Island University, MBA, Finance, with Honors (1991).  Long Island University, BA, Economics (1988). Archbishop Molloy High School (1978 - 1982) Activities and Societies: Track & Field Team, Sign Language Club, School Newspaper (The Stanner). https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-baez-0976ba6/

Aaron Crouter was hired as Director of Business Development, Alternative Funding Group, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is located in Miami, Florida.  Previously, he was Financial Services Professional (January, 2018 - November, 2021); Business Development Executive, Libertas Funding, LLC (January, 2019 -January, 2020); Director of ISO Relations, 1080 Premium Funding, LLC (February, 2015 - February, 2016). Bart Jones School of Real Estate, Florida Real Estate (2006).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-crouter-02866ab4/

Andrew Eller, CLFP, was promoted to Senior Vice President, Risk Management, First American Equipment Finance, Victor, New York.  He joined the firm August, 2013, Assistant Vice President, Finance, promote June, 2015, Assistant Vice President and Assistant Controller, promoted April 17, Assistant Vice President, Risk Management, promoted Vice President, promoted April, 2018 Risk Management; Audit, Deloitte (December,2011 - August, 2013); Sales Support Intern, First American Equipment Finance (May, 2011 - December, 2011); Player Personnel Intern, Arena Football League (January, 2008 - September, 208); Player Personnel Intern, Buffalo Bills (June, 2007 - September, 2007); Athletic Department Intern, St. John Fisher College (September, 2006 - January, 2007). Certification:  CLFP, May, 2015, Member Board of Directors (2015 - 2017), Secretary Board of Directors (January, 2017 - January, 2018), Vice President, January, 2018 -- January, 2019), President, January, 2019 - January, 2020), Past President (January, 2020 - January, 2021). Awards: 2020, Certified Leasing and Finance Professional Cindy Spurdle Award of Excellent. Volunteer:  Community Volunteer, Rochester Area Habitat for Humanity, Charity Golf Outing Volunteer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Tour De Cure Rochester Volunteer, American Diabetes Association.  Education: St. John Fisher College, MBA, Masters in Business Administration, Accounting (2010 - 2011). St. John Fisher College, BS, Sports Management (2003 - 2007). https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-eller-clfp-48635b29/

Jennifer Gysel was hired as District Finance Manager, Manitoba/Saskatchewan, Canada. She is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Previously, she was Vice President, Western Operations, Affiliated Financial Services (October, 2016 - October, 2017); Vice President, Marketing Western Operations, Money in Motion, Inc. (June, 2005 - October, 2016); Sales Coordinator, National Leasing (2001 - 2005); Firearm Licensing Coordinator, Federal Firearm Licensing (1999 - 2000); Customer Service Representative, Belgian-Alliance Credit Union (1997 - 1999). Volunteer: Heart and Stroke Foundation. Christmas Cheer Board. Special Olympics, Canada. Education: College Louis Riel. Red River College. Management, Business Administration and Management General. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-gysel-422a8245/

Robert Hauser was promoted to Director, National 3rd Party Intermediaries, Vice President, Signature Finance, LLC, Melville, New York.  He joined the firm March, 2012, Underwriting Officer (March, 2012, promoted December 2013, Account Manager, promoted March, 2017, Vice President, Account Management. Previously, he was Underwriter/Relationship Manager, AVP, Capital One Equipment Leasing and Finance, Capital Corp. (May, 2006 - March, 2012); Credit Analyst, GMAC Commercial Finance (August, 2004 - May, 2006). Education: Hofstra University, Executive MBA, Business Administration and Management (2012 -2014). Activities and Societies: Beta Gamma Sigma. E.L.F.A. Leasing (2011). Hofstra University, B.A., Banking and Finance (1999 - 2004). New York University, Credit Analysis (2010). https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-hauser-0057301b/

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Help Wanted Ads

Sales Makes it Happen
By Steve Chriest

Rule 23

Rule #21
- Everyone in an organization is a salesperson.

Rule #22
- Not everyone believes rule number one.

Rule #23
- Everyone has customers.

The most successful, customer-centric organizations we encounter work hard to create a culture that champions all customers, including the company's employees.

Managers in these organizations recognize that they oversee a volunteer workforce and they realize that their success as managers depends, to a large degree, on their ability to persuade employees to work at fulfilling the company's mission.

We've noticed that these same managers faithfully follow their company's sales process when interacting with subordinates.

We don't think it is an accident that companies that are satisfied with their implementation of highly complex CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems share a common approach to managing their employees.

Instead of simply announcing the arrival of new CRM software, managers solicited input from all affected business units during the project's planning phase, launched modules in stages to promote user adoption, and addressed the cultural shift issues that a major change in software often entails.

In short, they approached their employees as customers of the new software system!

A willingness to accept the three rules that apply to all organizations today, and a commitment to treat everyone in the organization as a "customer," helps create a true customer-focused enterprise.

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

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ELFF Confidence Index Rose to 65.6
An Increase from the October Index of 61.1

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) reported the November 2021 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry was  64.6, an increase from the October index of 61.1

Dave Fate, Chief Executive Officer, Stonebriar Commercial Finance
“While I believe the equipment leasing and finance Industry will always perform well through various cycles, the last few months have shown a number of interesting data points. Strong corporate earnings continue to drive the equity markets. The current rise in inflation rates is alarming and seems like it will be with us for a while. Continued issues with the lack of skilled and non-skilled labor are the number one concern of most of our customers. Supply chain issues are causing real disruption and seem to have no viable plan to alleviate them. The rest of Q4 and into Q1 will be very interesting as we navigate through year-end closing in our industry and the Christmas holiday season.”

Michael Romanowski, President, Farm Credit Leasing
“We continue to see interest in capital expansion for the sectors we serve, especially with middle market customers. Supply chain issues continue to be a headwind to the implementation of capital investment.”

Bruce J. Winter, President, FSG Capital, Inc.
“Business owners are feeling much more confident and are moving forward with capital acquisitions, some that had been delayed because of the pandemic. Pending no flare up of COVID-19 infections in the coming months, we expect smooth sailing for the next several quarters.”

Full Report:
https://www.leasefoundation.org/industry-resources/monthly-confidence-index/

 

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Asian Powerhouses of Battery Production
Chart Top Ten Companies

Besides being a manufacturing powerhouse of vehicle parts, Asia is fast becoming a hotbed for innovation in the battery sector.

No wonder, the top 10 EV battery manufacturers by market share are all headquartered in Asian countries, concentrated in China, Japan, and South Korea.

According to data from SNE Research, the top three battery makers—CATL, LG, and Panasonic —combine for nearly 70% of the EV battery manufacturing market.

Chinese Dominance
Based in China’s coastal city of Ningde, best known for its tea plantations, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) has risen in less than 10 years to become the biggest global battery group.

The Chinese company provides lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries to Tesla, Peugeot, Hyundai, Honda, BMW, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo, and shares in the company gained 160% in 2020, lifting CATL’s market capitalization to almost $186 billion.

CATL counts nine people on the Forbes list of global billionaires. Its founder, Zeng Yuqun, born in a poor village in 1968 during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, is now worth almost as much as Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

China also hosts the fourth biggest battery manufacturer, Warren Buffett-backed BYD.

President Joe Biden’s strategy to make the United States a powerhouse in electric vehicles includes boosting domestic production of batteries. European countries are also looking to reduce decades of growing reliance on China.

As Western countries speed up, new players are expected to rise.

A host of next-generation battery technologies are already being developed by U.S. companies, including Ionic Materials, QuantumScape, Sila Nanotechnologies, Sion Power, and, Sionic Energy.

Any direction the market moves, certainly the forecast is bright for battery producers.

Source: by Bruno Venditti, Visualcapitalist.com 

Biden's Pick for Top FDA Job
Has Prescribed Cannabis-Based Medicine

President Joseph Biden isn’t a big fan of broad, comprehensive cannabis reform. Even though plenty of Democrats and even some Republicans have thrown their weight behind broad legalization, Biden favors decriminalizing cannabis, legalizing medical cannabis, and giving states the freedom to craft their own marijuana policies. This has been a bone of contention for many lawmakers, especially those from the left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that he would advance broad federal legalization with or without the president. A recent move by Biden may be a sign of his preference for medical cannabis.

President Biden announced that he has nominated a new Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) commissioner who, coincidentally, has acknowledged that cannabis has medical potential and has even prescribed a cannabinoid-based drug as a physician. A cardiologist by trade, Robert Califf served as the 22nd FDA commissioner from February 2016 to January 2017 after President Barack Obama nominated him in 2015. Prior to that, he had been serving as the deputy commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration's Office of Medical Products and Tobacco. He was hired by Alphabet Inc. (Google’s parent company) in 2019 as the head of Medical Strategy and Policy.
Califf is a tenured professor of cardiology at the Duke University School of Medicine, and he is the founding director of what is said to be the largest academic research organization on the globe, the Duke Clinical Research Institute. While he hasn’t been very vocal about cannabis, he made his views on the subject known during a 2016 cannabis research summit hosted by the federal government. He acknowledged that the controversial plant has several medical applications and said that the FDA was interested in advancing cannabis research and development.

Source: Cannibiswire

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

IRS Criminal Investigation releases annual report
highlighting 2,500+ investigations, law enforcement partnerships

Enforcement actions focused on tax and COVID-related fraud,
 money laundering, cybercrimes

WASHINGTON – Over 2,500 criminal investigations, the identification of more than $10 billion from tax fraud and financial crimes, and a nearly 90% conviction rate are just a few highlights from the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report. The report, released Thursday, details statistics, important partnerships and significant criminal enforcement actions from IRS-CI, the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, for the past fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2020 and ended Sept. 30, 2021.

“IRS-CI agents are the only federal law enforcement officers with the authority to investigate criminal violations of the U.S. tax code. Their work reinforces the backbone of our voluntary compliance tax system -- a system that funds services and benefits for our nation, including defense, infrastructure and education,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.

In fiscal year 2021, IRS-CI built upon its existing network of U.S. field offices and international attachés to combat financial crimes across the globe. The agency’s alliance with the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5) helped strengthen public-private partnerships with financial institutions and the Fin-Tech industry to deter and identify criminal activity. Additionally, IRS-CI established its first cyber attaché in The Hague, Netherlands, to proactively support cyber investigative needs in coordination with Europol.

IRS-CI Chief Jim Lee, commented, “IRS-CI continues to lead tax and financial investigations here in the U.S. and across the globe. In fiscal year 2021, as we faced the second year of a global pandemic, our team of agents continued to overcome personal and professional challenges to target criminals who exploited the U.S. tax and financial systems for personal gain.”

While IRS-CI agents spent most of their investigative man-hours, about 72%, investigating tax-related crimes like tax evasion and tax fraud during fiscal year 2021, they also made significant contributions to money laundering, narcotics trafficking, public corruption, terrorism and COVID-19 fraud investigations.

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

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Watch at Home:
Fernando's Views

With a career spanning seven decades, Dean Stockwell (1936-2021) went from child star to bold juvenile to eccentric character actor, always adding an offbeat touch to every project. So check out our list for some of his best screen roles:

The Boy with Green Hair (Joseph Losey, 1948): Beginning as a child performer, Stockwell was already known for decidedly unsentimental performances. He’s particularly touching in this anti-war parable, which marked the debut of provocative director Joseph Losey (“The Servant”). Stockwell plays Peter, a boy who, having lost his parents to the war, lives with a former actor known as Gramps (Pat O’Brien). One day he wakes up to find his hair has turned green, making him feel like even more of an outcast in the community. After having a vision of other war orphans, he decides to use his look to bring attention to an important cause. Touching on themes of persecution and tolerance, this is a pointed andsubversivelook at small-time conformity.

Compulsion (Richard Fleischer, 1959): The notorious 1924 Chicago murder case of Leopold and Loeb was the basis for this powerful psychological thriller, which gave Stockwell one of his most striking early adult roles. Judd Steiner (Stockwell) and Artie Strauss (Bradford Dillman) are thrill-seeking, wealthy friends fascinated with the idea of “the perfect crime.” They decide to put their theory to practice by murdering another student, but mistrust soon grows between them as the authorities draw increasingly near. Arrested and put on trial for their crime, they are defended by flamboyant attorney Jonathan Wilk (Orson Welles, who steals the movie in a part based on Clarence Darrow). Previously told in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope,” the story gets a boost from director Richard Fleischer’s stylish approach.

To Live and Die in L.A. (William Friedkin, 1985): Director William Friedkin, who scored Oscars for “The French Connection,” delivers another hair-raising chase with this sleek thriller. William Petersen stars as Richard Chance, a secret service agent assigned to track down a ring of counterfeiters in Los Angeles. When his partner is killed, he becomes obsessed with taking down chief criminal Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe). Chance grows more obsessive in his search, even breaking the law himself as the line separating cop and crook dissolve—much to the chagrin of his straight-arrow new partner, John (John Pankow). Making splendid use of the city’s neon-bright voids, Friedkin orchestrates bravura set-pieces of kinetic action in airports and freeways. Stockwell is a standout in the supporting cast as Bob Grimes, the villain’s wormy attorney.

Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986): A mesmerizing walk on the wild side, David Lynch’s great, hallucinatory classic is as gorgeous and as dangerous as the day it first came out. Set in a deceptively placid small town, its fusion of film noirand horror kicks off when college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) discovers a severed ear in a vacant lot and decides to investigate. Teamed up with his sweetheart Sandy (Laura Dern), he traces the happenings back to a beautiful singer named Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), who performs at a local nightclub. Soon Jeffrey finds himself in over his head as he plunges into the town’s dark underbelly, presided over by the psychotic Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). Stockwell is unforgettable as Ben, a criminal associate who sings Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams.”

Married to the Mob (Jonathan Demme, 1988): Having done his share of heavy dramatic roles, Stockwell shines in this exuberant comedy, for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Angela (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the frustrated wife of Mafia hitman Frank “The Cucumber” de Marco (Alec Baldwin), and she must start a new life when her philandering husband is bumped off. Her fresh start in New York City is complicated by crime boss Tony “The Tiger” Russo (Stockwell), who’s determined to turn Angela into his mistress and won’t take “no” for an answer. Can she find escape with the undercover FBI agent (Matthew Modine) she’s fallen in love with? A spirited gangster spoof from Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs”), the movie is a warm-hearted riot.

Mountain Cur
Deerfield, Illinois  Adopt-a-Dog

Cornflakes

OOTS-A-14066
Male
Age: 5 months
36 lbs.
Location: B West Wing, 34
Adult Only Home Preferred.
Has potential to live with other dogs

Just like the cereal, Cornflakes has the perfect amount of sweetness. He loves to play and has previously been kenneled with other dogs.

Orphans of the Storm Animal Shelter
2200 Riverwoods Road
Riverwoods (Deerfield), IL 60015
847-945-0235
info@orphansofthestorm.org
https://orphansofthestorm.org/

Apply for Adoption Information:
https://www.shelterluv.com/matchme/adopt

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Leasing News Adds New Procedure
to Subscribe to News Editions

Sign up for newsletter

This automatically joins reader to the Constant Contact program that sends out the news edition via email (link from “Add me to mailing list” in masthead).

Previous news editions are available in Archives. The Website version is active on the website until the next edition is posted. Past editions are available where the Search can find subjects and names from previous news editions.

News Briefs---

Are You Ready? Reporting Changes for Leased Equipment
    Will Hit Private Manufacturers’ Balance Sheets
https://www.industryweek.com/leadership/corporate-finance/article/21181548/are-you-ready-reporting-changes-for-leased-equip

Jobless claims have dropped for a 7th straight week
    hitting a pandemic low
https://www.npr.org/2021/11/18/1056809766/jobless-claims-drop-for-seventh-straight-week-to-268000

OSHA suspends Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate
    after court challenge
https://nypost.com/2021/11/18/osha-suspends-bidens-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Monarch Raises $61 Million for Its Fleet
    of Electric Tractors
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-17/monarch-raises-61-million-for-its-fleet-of-electric-tractors

40,000 Kaiser Workers Join Sympathy Strike For Engineers
    engineers earn more than $180,000  total wages & benefits
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/11/18/at-least-40000-kaiser-workers-to-walk-out-in-solidarity-on-thursday-with-striking-engineers-theyre-not-asking-for-the-moon/

John Deere employees head back to work
    after a month on the picket line
https://www.courthousenews.com/john-deere-employees-head-back-to-work-after-a-month-on-the-picket-line/

Virginia check for $2.4 million received
    by Courthouse News
https://www.courthousenews.com/virginia-check-for-2-4-million-received-by-courthouse-news/

Judge approves $620M Flint water settlement;
    Attorneys' cut to be decided later
https://legalnewsline.com/stories/612618832-judge-approves-620m-flint-water-settlement-attorneys-cut-to-be-decided-later

CVS to Close 900 Stores Over Three Years
    book roughly $1 billion restructuring charge
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cvs-to-close-900-stores-over-three-years-11637246894

Hyundai Pulls Wraps Off Concept Electric SUV
    Range: More than 300 miles/10% battery life/80% in 20 minutes
https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/17/hyundais-new-electric-suv-concept-showcases-a-hygienic-lounge-like-interior/

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You May Have Missed---

Niche Businesses That Are Thriving
Four Examples
https://www.balboacapital.com/blog/niche-businesses-thriving/

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Sports Briefs---

Bleacher Report's Expert Week 11 NFL Picks
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2950555-bleacher-reports-expert-week-11-nfl-picks

USA TODAY Sports' Week 11 NFL picks: Dallas Cowboys
or Kansas City Chiefs in battle of first-place teams?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl-picks/2021/11/18/nfl-picks-week-11-2021-cowboys-chiefs/8671006002/

New York Jets QB Joe Flacco says he's not
vaccinated for COVID-19, declines to explain why
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/jets/2021/11/17/joe-flacco-not-vaccinated-covid-19-declines-say-why/8659540002/

Report: Antonio Brown acquired fake COVID-19 vaccine card
https://www.theredzone.org/Blog-Description/EntryId/19154/Report--Antonio-Brown-acquired-fake-COVID-19-vaccine-card

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California Nuts Briefs---

Former Santa Clara University professor indicted
   on arson charges in connection with Dixie Fire
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/11/18/former-santa-clara-university-professor-indicted-on-arson-charges-in-connection-with-dixie-fire/

Downtown San Jose housing tower moves
ahead, lands construction loan
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/11/18/downtown-san-jose-home-tower-construct-loan-develop-real-estate/

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Wine Reviews

 

Francis Ford Coppola “Diamond Collection” Merlot 2017
Kevan R. Wilkinson, Leasing News Wine Reviewer

“I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse: You can buy this delicious merlot for only $12 a bottle!” No, Don Vito Corleone did not say this, but he might if he opened a bottle of the Coppola “Diamond Collection” Merlot 2017. This is a medium-bodied merlot from The Godfather (pun intended) of the Napa Valley wine region. It combines merlot grapes from Napa, Sonoma, and Monterey and serves up a nicely balanced wine with hints of cherries, vanilla, and grandma’s blueberry pie. Light on the oak and a smooth finish. It pairs well with any meal… or any streaming movie or TV show. In years past, my wife and I dined at the Rustic, the restaurant inside the Coppola winery in Geyserville, and the “Diamond Collection” merlot was our go-to wine with dinner. It is a value-priced merlot that never ceases to disappoint, no matter what the vintage. I bought the 2017 merlot at Total Wine, and I have seen it for sale at Target, Costco, and Trader Joe’s.”

The Best Wine Clubs
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-wine-clubs/

Treasury Wine Estates buying Napa Valley’s
Frank Family Vineyards for $315 million
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/industrynews/treasury-wine-estates-buying-napa-valleys-frank-family-vineyards-for-315/

Cain Vineyard Rises from the Ashes
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2021/11/cain-vineyard-rises-from-the-ashes

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau:
Available, But Highly Limited
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=253540

“Gimme that Wine”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJnQoi8DSE8

Free Wine App
https://www.nataliemaclean.com/mobileapp/

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

This Day in History

     1493 – Christopher Columbus went ashore on an island he first saw the day before. He named it San Juan Bautista (later renamed Puerto Rico).  It was his second voyage to the New World and he never set foot on the mainland of what today is the United States. He was a major slave trader of the times, committing genocide, bringing tobacco to addict Europe (a crop unknown before its discovery in the New World.) Contrary to published reports, the world was known to the general population to be round, there was an easy sail at the time of the year to the Bahamas, and he died a rich man from all the commissions he received from the many voyages to plunder the islands he discovered. (See two books by James W. Loewen, “The Truth about Columbus,” and “Lies My Teacher Told Me.”)
    1620 - The Pilgrims reached Cape Cod. Mariner Bartholomew Gosnold (1572-1607) sailed the New England coast in 1602, naming things as he went.  When the Pilgrims first set foot in the New World in November, 1620, it was at the site of Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod. They rested only long enough to draw up rules of governance (the Mayflower Compact) before setting sail westward in search of a more congenial place for their settlement, which they found at Plymouth. Later settlers stayed on the Cape, founding fishing villages along the coasts. The fishing industry drew boat builders and salt makers. Soon there were farmers working the cranberry bogs as well, and whaling ships bringing home rich cargoes of oil and whalebone. 
    1752 - Birthday of George Rogers Clark (d. 1818), American soldier and frontiersman, born at Albermarle County, VA.  Clark was the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the Revolutionary War.  His brother, William, was with Merriweather Lewis on the Lewis & Clark Expedition. 
    1794 - Britain's King George III signed the Jay Treaty, finally resolving issues remaining from the Revolutionary War.
    1831 - Birthday of James Garfield (d. 1881), twentieth president of the US (and the first left-handed president), at Orange, OH. Term of office: Mar 4 - Sept 19, 1881. While walking into the Washington, DC, railway station on the morning of July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot by disappointed office seeker Charles J. Guiteau. He survived, in very weak condition, until Sept 19, 1881, when he succumbed to blood poisoning at Elberon, NJ, where he had been taken for recuperation. Guiteau was tried, convicted and hanged at the jail at Washington, June 30, 1882.
    1847 - Mary Anna Hallock Foote illustrated and wrote of life in mining towns and California.
http://askart.com/Biography.asp
http://members.tripod.com/~ntgen/bw/ha_notable.html#Mary
    1850 - The first life insurance policy for a woman was issued. Carolyn Ingraham, 36 years old, bought the policy in Madison, NJ.
    1861 - Julia Ward Howe wrote the "Battle Hymn of the Republic."
    1862 - Birthday of evangelist Billy Sunday (d. 1935), Story County, IA. A little-known fact:  Sunday was a Major League outfielder in the 1880s before leaving the game to become an evangelist.
    1863 - Seventeen acres of the battlefield at Gettysburg, PA, were dedicated as a national cemetery. Noted orator Edward Everett spoke for two hours.  The Gettysburg Address that Lincoln delivered in less than two minutes was later recognized as one of the most eloquent of the English language. Five manuscript copies in Lincoln’s hand survive, including the rough draft begun in ink at the Executive Mansion at Washington and concluded in pencil at Gettysburg on the morning of the dedication.  It is kept at the Library of Congress.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov19.html
    1868 - Testing the wording of the 14th Amendment that says “no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States,” 172 New Jersey suffragists, including four black women, attempted to vote in the presidential election. Denied, they cast their votes instead into a women’s ballot box overseen by 84-year-old Quaker, Margaret Pryer.
    1874 - William Marcy "Boss" Tweed, of Tammany Hall in NYC, was convicted on 204 counts of defrauding the city of $12M, sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment. Estimates of the total sum Tweed swindled from City Treasury range up to $200 million.
http://7-12educators.about.com/blabosstweed.htm
http://www.cmsu.edu/cj/boss.htm
    1874 - Developed out of the Women’s Temperance Crusade of 1873, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was organized at Cleveland, OH. The Crusade had swept through 23 states with women going into saloons to sing hymns, pray and ask saloonkeepers to stop selling liquor. Today, the temperance group, headquartered at Evanston, IL, includes more than a million members with chapters in 72 countries and continues to be concerned with educating people on the potential dangers of the use of alcohol, narcotics and tobacco.
    1883 - The United States Uniform Time Zone Plan (4 zones of 15 degrees) is put into operation.  "Despite all the good scientific and military arguments for world time, it was the railroad companies and not the government that were the first to institute it. Around 1870, if a traveler from Washington to San Francisco set his watch in every town he passed through, he would set it over two hundred times."  --- Stephen Kern, The Culture of Time Space.
    1885 - Birthday of Haldor Lillenas (d. 1959), Bergen, Norway. American hymn writer. He penned nearly 4,000 Gospel texts and hymn tunes during his lifetime, including "It Is Glory Just to Walk With Him,” "Wonderful Grace of Jesus" and "Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace."
    1889 – Clifton Webb’s birthday, born Webb Parmalee Hollenbeck (d. 1966) in Indianapolis.  Actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as “Laura,” “The Razor’s Edge,” and “Sitting Pretty.” 
    1893 - The first newspaper color supplement was published in the Sunday New York World.    
    1895 - Frederick E. Blaisdell patents the pencil
    1903 – Carrie Nation attempts to address the US Senate on the evils of alcohol.  An American woman who was a radical member of the temperance movement, which opposed alcohol before the advent of Prohibition, she is particularly noteworthy for attacking the property of alcohol-serving establishments (most often taverns) with a hatchet.
    1905 - Birthday of trombone player/band leader Tommy Dorsey (d. 1956) at Shenandoah, PA.  He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing.  His technical skill on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians.  He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey.   After Dorsey broke with his brother in the mid-1930s, he led an extremely popular and highly successful band from the late 1930s into the 1950s. He is best remembered for standards such as "Opus One," "Song of India," "Marie," "On Treasure Island," and his biggest hit single, "I’ll Never Smile Again."   
http://www.redhotjazz.com/tommy.html
http://www.tommydorseyorchestra.org/
    1908 - Birthday of trombone player Frederic Homer “Keg” Johnson (d. 1967), Dallas, TX.  Played with Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway and Ray Charles.
http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,
449858,00.html?artist=Keg+Johnson
    1909 – Peter Drucker’s (d. 2005) birthday in Vienna, Austria.  A management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business corporation, he was also a leader in the development of management education.  He invented the concept known as management by objectives and he has been described as "the founder of modern management." 
    1911 - New York receives the first Marconi wireless transmission from Italy
    1915 – International Workers of the World (IWW) Labor organizer, folk-poet Joe Hill was murdered by firing squad in Utah. The subject of numerous songs, plays, and books, some of his songs have been available continuously in the IWW's "Little Red Song Book," now in its 36th edition. Hill was convicted of killing a grocer and his son, even though the bullets were not from Hill's revolver and no one identified him as the murderer. His last words:
"Don't mourn, organize!"
Poet Alfred Hays wrote a ballad in Hill's memory:
"I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you and me.
Says I, 'But Joe you're ten years dead,'
'I never died,' says he." Hill became a martyr upon his execution. Efforts by President Woodrow Wilson, the government of Sweden, and many prominent Americans to get him a new trial had failed. Utah Phillips has recorded Joe Hill's songs, some downloadable at  http://hillstrom.iww.org/music/Utah_Phillips/
See: Smith, Gibbs M., Labor Martyr: Joe Hill (1972). (Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc., 1995 Encyclopedia) Only hours before facing the firing squad labor organizer Joe Hill composed his "Last Will":
“My will is easy to decide,
For there is nothing to divide.
My kin don't need to fuss & moan
Moss does not cling to a rolling stone.
My body - Oh! - if I could choose,
I would to ashes it reduce,
& let the merry breezes blow
My dust to where some flowers grow.
Perhaps some fading flower then
Would come to life & bloom again.
This is my Last & Final Will.
Good luck to all of you,”
— Joe Hill
http://hillstrom.iww.org/joehill.html
http://www.pbs.org/joehill/story/
http://iww.org/
    1916 – Samuel Goldwyn and Edgar Selwyn established Goldwyn Pictures.
    1919 - The Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles by a vote of 55 in favor to 39 against, short of the two-thirds majority needed for ratification.
    1919 – Utah’s Mukuntuweap National Monument and later incorporated  in Zion National Monument by proclamation, was established as Zion National Park.  Located in southwestern Utah, a prominent feature of the 229-square-mile park is Zion Canyon, which is 15 miles llong and up to 2,640 ft deep. The canyon walls are reddish and tan-colored sandstone eroded by the North Fork of the Virgin River. In 1909, President Taft named the area Mukuntuweap National Monument in order to protect the canyon.  In 1918, the acting director of the newly created National P:ark Service drafted a proposal to enlarge the existing monument and change the park's name to Zion National Monument, Zion being a term used by the Mormons.
    1921 - Birthday of Roy Campanella (d. 1993) at Philadelphia, PA.  One of the first black major leaguers and a star of one of baseball’s greatest teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ “Boys of Summer,” Campy, as he was often called, was named the National League MVP three times in his 10 years of play, in 1951, 1953 and 1955. Campanella had his highest batting average in 1951 (.325) and in 1953, he established three single-season records for a catcher— most putouts (807), most home runs (41) and most runs batted in (142)—as well as having a batting average of .312. His career was cut short on Jan 28, 1958, when an automobile accident left him paralyzed. Campy gained even more fame after his accident as an inspiration and spokesman for the handicapped. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.
    1921 - The Columbia Gorge ice storm finally came to an end. In Oregon, 54 inches of snow, sleet and glaze blocked the Columbia River Highway at The Dalles. Apart from traffic on the river itself, all transportation between Walla Walla, WA and Portland, OR came to a halt. Nine trains were stopped as railroads were blocked for several days.
    1928 – Time magazine presented its cover in color for the first time. The subject was Japanese Emperor Hirohito.
    1932 - Joe Kershalla scores 71 points in a college football game
    1933 – Larry King’s birthday.  Born Lawrence Leibel Harvey Zeiger (d. 2021) in Brooklyn, King was a television and radio host, actor, voice artist, and comedian whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and 10 Cable ACE Awards.  From 1985 to 2010, he hosted the highly-rated, nightly interview television program “Larry King Live” on CNN. He currently hosts “Larry King Now” on Hulu and RT America Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. He also hosts "Politicking with Larry King," a weekly Thursday evening political talk show on RT America.
    1934 - Chick Webb Band records “Blue Lou” and “Don’t Be that Way.”
    1935 - Jack Welch’s (d. 2020) birthday at Peabody, MA.  He was chairman and CEO of GE between 1981 and 2001. During his tenure at GE, the company's value rose 4000%.
    1936 – Dick Cavett was born at Gibbon, NE.  After a brief stint as a comedy writer for the likes of Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and Jerry Lewis, Cavett had his own late-night talk show, “The Dick Cavett Show” for several networks through 1996.  Cavett has been nominated for at least 10 Emmy Awards and has won three.
    1938 – Cable pioneer, media mogul and philanthropist Ted Turner was born in Cincinnati.  Clearly a game-changer, he founded CNN, the first 24-hour cable news channel, and WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television. As a philanthropist, he gave a $1 billion gift to support the UN, which created the United Nations Foundation, a public charity to broaden support for the UN. Turner's media empire began with his father's billboard business, which he took over at 24 after his father's suicide.   The business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, was worth $1 million when Turner took it over in 1963 (roughly $7.7 million in present day terms). The purchase of an Atlanta UHF station in 1970 began the Turner Broadcasting System.  CNN revolutionized news media and spurred rapid growth in cable television properties, breaking the stronghold of the big three broadcasting networks NBC, CBS, and ABC.   His franchises have expanded to MGM, TNT, TCM, and others that led to a merger combining Turner into Time Warner in 1996.  Additionally, TBS purchased the Atlanta Braves baseball team and the NBA Atlanta Hawks, both in 1976.  While the Hawks remains an also-ran, under his watch, the Braves have been turned into one of baseball’s consistently-competitive teams, winning NL East pennants in 14 consecutive years beginning 1991, a Major League record.  The Braves won the 2021 World Series. 
    1939 – The first presidential library…President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for his presidential library at Hyde Park, NY.  While he donated the land, public donations provided funds for the building which was dedicated on June 30, 1941.
    1942 – Fashion designer Calvin Klein was born in The Bronx.
    1942 - FOSS, JOSEPH JACOB, Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Marine Fighting Squadron 121, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Place and date: Over Guadalcanal, 9 October to 19 November 1942, 15 and 23 January 1943. Entered service at: South Dakota. Born: 17 April 1 915, Sioux Falls, S. Dakota. Citation: For outstanding heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty as executive officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 121, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, at Guadalcanal. Engaging in almost daily combat with the enemy from 9 October to 19 November 1942, Capt. Foss personally shot down 23 Japanese planes and damaged others so severely that their destruction was extremely probable. In addition, during this period, he successfully led a large number of escort missions, skillfully covering reconnaissance, bombing, and photographic planes as well as surface craft. On 15 January 1943, he added 3 more enemy planes to his already brilliant successes for a record of aerial combat achievement unsurpassed in this war. Boldly searching out an approaching enemy force on 25 January, Capt. Foss led his 8 F-4F Marine planes and 4 Army P-38's into action and, undaunted by tremendously superior numbers, intercepted and struck with such force that 4 Japanese fighters were shot down and the bombers were turned back without releasing a single bomb. His remarkable flying skill, inspiring leadership, and indomitable fighting spirit were distinctive factors in the defense of strategic American positions on Guadalcanal. 
He was the leading fighter ace of the US Marines Corps in World War II.  Foss was elected as the first commissioner of the American Football League in 1960.  Foss died in Scottsdale, AZ in 2003.
    1943 - CROMWELL, JOHN PHILIP, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Navy. Born: 11 September 1901, Henry, Ill. Appointed from: Illinois. Other Navy award: Legion of Merit. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commander of a Submarine Coordinated Attack Group with Flag in the U.S.S. Sculpin, during the 9th War Patrol of that vessel in enemy-controlled waters off Truk Island, 19 November 1943. Undertaking this patrol prior to the launching of our first large-scale offensive in the Pacific, Capt. Cromwell, alone of the entire Task Group, possessed secret intelligence information of our submarine strategy and tactics, scheduled Fleet movements and specific attack plans. Constantly vigilant and precise in carrying out his secret orders, he moved his undersea flotilla inexorably forward despite savage opposition and established a line of submarines to southeastward of the main Japanese stronghold at Truk. Cool and undaunted as the submarine, rocked and battered by Japanese depth charges, sustained terrific battle damage and sank to an excessive depth, he authorized the Sculpin to surface and engage the enemy in a gunfight, thereby providing an opportunity for the crew to abandon ship. Determined to sacrifice himself rather than risk capture and subsequent danger of revealing plans under Japanese torture or use of drugs, he stoically remained aboard the mortally wounded vessel as she plunged to her death. Preserving the security of his mission, at the cost of his own life, he had served his country as he had served the Navy, with deep integrity and an uncompromising devotion to duty. His great moral courage in the face of certain death adds new luster to the traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
    1943 - Stan Kenton records his theme, “Artistry in Rhythm” (Capital 159)
  http://www.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,113753,00.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004THEJ/inktomi-
musicasin-20/ref%3Dnosim/104-3191958-8595946
    1944 - Looking for ways to fund World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the 6th War Loan Drive on this day. The Loan Drive flooded the market with war bonds intended to meet Roosevelt's goals of "immediately" raising $14 billion for the war.
    1944 - McGRAW, FRANCIS X., Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company H, 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Schevenhutte, Germany, 19 November 1944. Entered service at: Camden, N.J. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. G.O. No.: 92, 25 October 1945. Citation: He manned a heavy machinegun emplaced in a foxhole near Schevenhutte, Germany, on 19 November 1944, when the enemy launched a fierce counterattack. Braving an intense hour-long preparatory barrage, he maintained his stand and poured deadly accurate fire into the advancing foot troops until they faltered and came to a halt. The hostile forces brought up a machinegun in an effort to dislodge him but were frustrated when he lifted his gun to an exposed but advantageous position atop a log, courageously stood up in his foxhole and knocked out the enemy weapon. A rocket blasted his gun from position, but he retrieved it and continued firing. He silenced a second machinegun and then made repeated trips over fire-swept terrain to replenish his ammunition supply. Wounded painfully in this dangerous task, he disregarded his injury and hurried back to his post, where his weapon was showered with mud when another rocket barely missed him. In the midst of the battle, with enemy troops taking advantage of his predicament to press forward, he calmly cleaned his gun, put it back into action and drove off the attackers. He continued to fire until his ammunition was expended, when, with a fierce desire to close with the enemy, he picked up a carbine, killed 1 enemy soldier, wounded another and engaged in a desperate firefight with a third until he was mortally wounded by a burst from a machine pistol. The extraordinary heroism and intrepidity displayed by Pvt. McGraw inspired his comrades to great efforts and was a major factor in repulsing the enemy attack.
    1944 - MILLER, ANDREW, Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company G, 377th Infantry, 95th Infantry Division. Place and date: From Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany, 1629 November 1944. Entered service at: Two Rivers, Wis. Birth: Manitowoc, Wis. G.O. No.: 74, 1 September 1945. Citation: For performing a series of heroic deeds from 1629 November 1944, during his company's relentless drive from Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany. As he led a rifle squad on 16 November at Woippy, a crossfire from enemy machineguns pinned down his unit. Ordering his men to remain under cover, he went forward alone, entered a building housing 1 of the guns and forced S Germans to surrender at bayonet point. He then took the second gun single-handedly by hurling grenades into the enemy position, killing 2, wounding 3 more, and taking 2 additional prisoners. At the outskirts of Metz the next day, when his platoon, confused by heavy explosions and the withdrawal of friendly tanks, retired, he fearlessly remained behind armed with an automatic rifle and exchanged bursts with a German machinegun until he silenced the enemy weapon. His quick action in covering his comrades gave the platoon time to regroup and carry on the fight. On 19 November S/Sgt. Miller led an attack on large enemy barracks. Covered by his squad, he crawled to a barracks window, climbed in and captured 6 riflemen occupying the room. His men, and then the entire company, followed through the window, scoured the building, and took 75 prisoners. S/Sgt. Miller volunteered, with 3 comrades, to capture Gestapo officers who were preventing the surrender of German troops in another building. He ran a gauntlet of machinegun fire and was lifted through a window. Inside, he found himself covered by a machine pistol, but he persuaded the 4 Gestapo agents confronting him to surrender. Early the next morning, when strong hostile forces punished his company with heavy fire, S/Sgt. Miller assumed the task of destroying a well-placed machinegun. He was knocked down by a rifle grenade as he climbed an open stairway in a house, but pressed on with a bazooka to find an advantageous spot from which to launch his rocket. He discovered that he could fire only from the roof, a position where he would draw tremendous enemy fire. Facing the risk, he moved into the open, coolly took aim and scored a direct hit on the hostile emplacement, wreaking such havoc that the enemy troops became completely demoralized and began surrendering by the score. The following day, in Metz, he captured 12 more prisoners and silenced an enemy machinegun after volunteering for a hazardous mission in advance of his company's position. On 29 November, as Company G climbed a hill overlooking Kerprich Hemmersdorf, enemy fire pinned the unit to the ground. S/Sgt. Miller, on his own initiative, pressed ahead with his squad past the company's leading element to meet the surprise resistance. His men stood up and advanced deliberately, firing as they went. Inspired by S/Sgt. Miller's leadership, the platoon followed, and then another platoon arose and grimly closed with the Germans. The enemy action was smothered, but at the cost of S/Sgt. Miller's life. His tenacious devotion to the attack, his gallant choice to expose himself to enemy action rather than endanger his men, his limitless bravery, assured the success of Company G.
    1944 - RIVERS, RUBEN, Medal of Honor.
Citation: For extraordinary heroism in action during the 15-19 November 1944, toward Guebling, France. Though severely wounded in the leg, Sergeant Rivers refused medical treatment and evacuation, took command of another tank, and advanced with his company in Guebling the next day. Repeatedly refusing evacuation, Sergeant Rivers continued to direct his tank's fire at enemy positions through the morning of 19 November 1944. At dawn, Company A's tanks began to advance towards Bougaktroff, but were stopped by enemy fire. Sergeant Rivers, joined by another tank, opened fire on the enemy tanks, covering company A as they withdrew. While doing so, Sergeant River's tank was hit, killing him and wounding the crew. Staff Sergeant Rivers' fighting spirit and daring leadership were an inspiration to his unit and exemplify the highest traditions of military service.
    1947 – A 200” mirror arrives at Mount Palomar Observatory in California.
    1947 – Bob Boone was born in San Diego.  His father, Ray Boone, played 3B for thirteen years in the Majors, including a 1948 World Series championship with the Cleveland Indians and 2 All-Star Games.  Bob was an All-Star catcher with the Phillies’ 1980 World Series Champions and is father to Bret and Aaron, also MLB All-Stars.  They are the first family to have three generations of All-Stars in the Majors.  The Boone family are descendants of pioneer Daniel Boone.  He managed the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds before embarking on an executive career with the Washington Nationals, from which he resigned over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in 2021. 
    1950 - Top Hits
“Harbor Lights” - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Tony Alamo)
“Goodnight Irene” - The Weavers
“Thinking of You” - Don Cherry
“I’m Moving On” - Hank Snow
    1950 - General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes Supreme Commander of NATO-Europe.
    1952 – A North American F-86 Sabre sets the world aircraft speed record at 1124 KPH
    1953 – The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 7-2 vote, rules baseball is a sport not a business, and therefore is not subject to anti-trust laws.
    1954 - At the Union Toll Plaza on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway motorists dropped 25 cents into a wire mesh hopper and a green light would flash. This was the first automatic toll machine. If they didn’t drop the money in, an alarm sounded. A machine that could provide correct change went into operation at the extreme right lane of each direction of traffic. The first modern toll road was the Pennsylvania Turnpike which opened in 1940. On the West Coast, most highways are “free,” thus the word, “freeway.”
    1954 – Sammy Davis Jr. was involved in a car accident in San Bernardino, California. Three days later, he lost the sight in his left eye. It was rumored it was not an accident but because he was dating Kim Novak. He said the accident changed his career. While in the hospital, friend Eddie Cantor tells Davis about the twin struggles of the Jewish and African Americans, leading Davis to convert to Judaism. The accident, paradoxically, increased his popularity. He had released a number of singles which were mostly ignored until he signed with Decca Records in 1955, where he scored hits with “Something’s Gotta Give,” “Love Me or Leave Me” and “That Old Black Magic.”
    1955 – Carl Perkins recorded “Blue Suede Shoes” at Sun Studios in Memphis. It became his biggest Pop hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard chart. Elvis Presley’s version, which gets more air-play these days, only managed to get to #20. 
    1955 – National Review publishes its first issue. The leading conservative journal was founded by 29-year-old William F. Buckley, Jr.
    1957 - Chicago radio station WCFL is picketed by the local chapter of the Elvis Presley fan club when it refuses to play Presley’s records. Despite the protest, the station did not change its policy.
    1957 – Nineteen inches of snow covered the ground at Cresco, IA, a record November snow depth for the state
    1958 - Top Hits
“Tom Dooley” – The Kingston Trio
“Topsy II” – Cozy Cole
“Beep Beep” – The Playmates
“City Lights” – Ray Price
    1959 – The last Edsel rolled off the assembly line. Ford Motor Company stopped production of the big flop after two years and a total of 110,847 cars.
    1959 - ”Rocky and his Friends” premiered on TV.  This popular cartoon featured the adventures of a talking squirrel, Rocky (Rocket J. Squirrel), and his friend Bullwinkle, a flaky moose. The tongue-in-cheek dialogue contrasted with the simple plots in which Rocky and Bullwinkle tangled with Russian bad guys Boris Badenov and Natasha (who worked for Mr. Big). Other popular segments on the show included “Fractured Fairy Tales,” “Bullwinkle’s Corner” and the adventures of Sherman and Mr. Peabody (an intelligent talking dog). In 1961, the show was renamed “The Bullwinkle Show,” but the cast of characters remained the same.
http://timvp.com/bullwink.html
    1961 - A year after Chubby Checker reached the #1 spot with "The Twist", the singer appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" to sing the song again. "The Twist" became the first record to reach #1 a second time around.
    1961 - Cleveland running back Jim Brown rushes for an NFL record 242 yards and four touchdowns as the Browns beat the Philadelphia Eagles 45-24. 
    1961 - Houston Oilers’ QB George Blanda passes for 7 touchdowns vs New York Titans (49-13) at the Polo Grounds in the AFL.    
    1961 – Actress Meg Ryan’s birthday, born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra in Fairfield, CT.  Ryan has had a significant career across many recognizable films, but she will always be remembered for her first comedic role in “When Harry Met Sally,” opposite Billy Crystal. In a now-iconic scene, her character, while lunching with Crystal's character in Katz’s Deli, very theatrically demonstrates for him how easy it is to fake an orgasm.
    1962 – Birthday of Jodie Foster, film actor, director, and producer in LA as Alicia Christian Foster. She is a multi-Academy Award winner for her acting performances in “Silence of the Lambs” and “Accused”. Jodie was the youngest of four children raised by her mother Brandy, an art dealer and publicist. Jodie's father deserted the family before Jodie was born.
http://www.jodiefoster.nu/
http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000149/bio
    1964 - Gary Lewis records "This Diamond Ring," which will climb to number one in the US the following January. Although the single will be credited to Gary Lewis and The Playboys, the music was actually provided by studio musicians and Lewis' voice was heavily mixed with that of singer Ron Hicklin. Co-writer Al Kooper has often said that although it has been his biggest commercial success as a songwriter, he was never happy with the Lewis version.
    1965 - Pop Tarts pastries created by Kellogg’s.
http://www.kelloggs.com/products/poptarts.html
http://www.pmichaud.com/toast/
    1966 - In one of the more famous college football match-ups between teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2, top-ranked Notre Dame tied second-ranked Michigan State, 10-10.
    1966 - Top Hits
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” - The Supremes
“Good Vibrations” - The Beach Boys
“Winchester Cathedral” - The New Vaudeville Band
“I Get the Fever” - Bill Anderson
    1966 - Six weeks before his 31st birthday, LA Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax, plagued by arthritis, announced his retirement from baseball. Koufax compiled a 12-season record of 165 wins, 87 losses and 2,396 strikeouts.
    1966 - The Special Events Committee presented The Righteous Brothers, April Stevens and Nino Tempo in the USF Gymnasium at the University of San Francisco. Same night: Beau Brummels at the Carousel Ballroom, Grateful Dead at the Fillmore Auditorium; Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe & the Fish at the Avalon Ballroom. The city was rockin'!
    1966 - The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On" hits #1
    1967 - *WATTERS, CHARLES, Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Chaplain (Maj.), U.S. Army, Company A, 173d Support Battalion, 173d Airborne Brigade. Place and date: Near Dak To Province, Republic of Vietnam, 19 November 1967. Entered service at: Fort Dix, N.J. Born: 17 January 1927, Jersey City, N.J. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Chaplain Watters distinguished himself during an assault in the vicinity of Dak To. Chaplain Watters was moving with one of the companies when it engaged a heavily armed enemy battalion. As the battle raged and the casualties mounted, Chaplain Watters, with complete disregard for his safety, rushed forward to the line of contact. Unarmed and completely exposed, he moved among, as well as in front of the advancing troops, giving aid to the wounded, assisting in their evacuation, giving words of encouragement, and administering the last rites to the dying. When a wounded paratrooper was standing in shock in front of the assaulting forces, Chaplain Watters ran forward, picked the man up on his shoulders and carried him to safety. As the troopers battled to the first enemy entrenchment, Chaplain Watters ran through the intense enemy fire to the front of the entrenchment to aid a fallen comrade. A short time later, the paratroopers pulled back in preparation for a second assault. Chaplain Watters exposed himself to both friendly and enemy fire between the 2 forces in order to recover 2 wounded soldiers. Later, when the battalion was forced to pull back into a perimeter, Chaplain Watters noticed that several wounded soldiers were Lying outside the newly formed perimeter. Without hesitation and ignoring attempts to restrain him, Chaplain Watters left the perimeter three times in the face of small arms, automatic weapons, and mortar fire to carry and to assist the injured troopers to safety. Satisfied that all of the wounded were inside the perimeter, he began aiding the medics--applying field bandages to open wounds, obtaining and serving food and water, giving spiritual and mental strength and comfort. During his ministering, he moved out to the perimeter from position to position redistributing food and water and tending to the needs of his men. Chaplain Watters was giving aid to the wounded when he himself was mortally wounded. Chaplain Watters' unyielding perseverance and selfless devotion to his comrades was in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.
    1967 – The Beatles released “The Magical Mystery Tour” album in the UK, following with the US release on November 27.
    1968 - Diana Ross, onstage with the Supremes at the Royal Command Variety Performance in London, interrupts the show with a plea for interracial understanding. The audience, which includes members of the royal family, applauds for two minutes. 
    1969 – The first astronauts to retrieve a man-made object from the moon were Commanders Charles Conrad, Jr., mission leader, and Alan La Vern Bean, lunar landing module pilot, who recovered a piece of the unmanned spacecraft “Surveyor 3,” which had landed on the Ocean of Storms of the Moon on April 19, 1967. They were two of the three astronauts on Apollo 12, which was launched by a Saturn 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, FL, at 11:22am on November 14, 1969. While Commander Richard Francis Gorden, Jr. remained in orbits to pilot the command module, Conrad and Bean descended to the moon’s surface in the lunar module “Intrepid” and remained there for one day, the second time that human beings landed on the moon. Splashdown took place November 24, 1969, 400 miles from Samoa, after a flight of 244 hours, 36 minutes, 25 seconds.
    1973 - Senator Thomas J. McIntyre charged the major American oil companies with incompetence and selfishness. McIntyre alleged that they did not prepare for the upcoming energy crisis, and as a result have betrayed the American people.   And if you sat in those long lines waiting hours for a few gallons of gas, you likely agreed with him!!
    1974 - Top Hits
“Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” - John Lennon with The Plastic Ono Nuclear Band
“Do It (’Til You’re Satisfied)” - B.T. Express
“My Melody of Love” - Bobby Vinton
“Country Is” - Tom T. Hall
    1976 - Van Morrison's Moondance album is certified gold
    1976 – Heiress Patty Hearst is freed on $15 million bail
    1978 - Indiana-born, 47-year-old Reverend Jim Jones, leader of the “Peoples Temple,” was reported to have directed the suicides of more than 911 persons at Jonestown, Guyana. US Representative Leo J. Ryan, of California, and four members of his party were killed in ambush at Port Kaituma airstrip on Nov 18, 1978, when they attempted to leave after an investigative visit to the remote jungle location of the religious cult. This day, Jones and his mistress killed themselves after watching the administration of Kool-Aid laced with the deadly poison cyanide to members of the cult. At least 913 persons died in the biggest murder-suicide in history.
    1979 - Pitcher Nolan Ryan became the first baseball free agent to sign a contract for a salary of one million dollars per year, signing a four-year contract for $4.5 million. Ryan moved from the California Angels to the Houston Astros.
    1979 – Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini orders the release of 13 female and black American hostages being held at the US Embassy in Tehran.
    1980 – CBS-TV bans Calvin Klein's jeans ad featuring Brooke Shields
    1981 - An unusually early snowstorm struck the Twin Cities of Minnesota, with as much as a foot of snow reported. The weight of the heavy snow caused the newly inflated fabric dome of the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis to collapse and rip.
    1982 - Top Hits
“Up Where We Belong” - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
“Truly” - Lionel Richie
“Heart Attack” - Olivia Newton-John
“Heartbroke” - Ricky Skaggs
    1984 - 20-year-old Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets became the youngest Major League pitcher to be named Rookie of the Year in the National League. The Mets pitcher led the majors with 276 strikeouts.
    1985 – President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev met for the first time as they began their summit in Geneva.
    1985 - Pennzoil wins a $10.53 billion judgment against Texaco in the largest civil verdict in US history, stemming from Texaco executing a contract to buy Getty Oil after Pennzoil had entered into an unsigned, yet still binding, buyout contract with Getty.
    1986 – Philadelphia Phillies’ Mike Schmidt became only the third player in National League history to win the Most Valuable Player award three times. Roy Campanella of the Dodgers and Stan Musial of the Cardinals were the other three-time National League MVP winners at the time.
    1988 - Strong thunderstorms developed during the mid-morning hours and produced severe weather across eastern Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley into the wee hours of the night. Thunderstorms spawned twenty-one tornadoes, including thirteen in Mississippi. One tornado killed two persons and injured eleven others at Nettleton, MS, and another tornado injured eight persons at Tuscaloosa, AL. Thunderstorms produced baseball size hail in east Texas and northern Louisiana, and Summit, MS was deluged with six inches of rain in four hours.
    1989 - Gale force winds continued to produce squalls in the Lower Great Lakes Region early in the day. Snowfall totals in western New York State reached 24 inches in southern Lewis County, with 21 inches reported at Highmarket. Unseasonably warm weather prevailed across the Northern and Central Plains Region. Eight cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including Denver, CO with a reading of 79 degrees.
    1990 - A summit was held at Paris with the leaders of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). The highlight of the summit was the signing of a treaty to dramatically reduce conventional weapons in Europe, thereby ending the Cold War.
    1990 - Top Hits
“Love Takes Time” - Mariah Carey
“Pray” - M.C. Hammer
“More Than Words Can Say” - Alias
“You Really Had Me Going”- Holly Dunn
    1990 – Pop group Milli Vanilli are stripped of the Grammy Award because the duo did not sing at all on the “Girl You Know It’s True” album. Session musicians had provided all the vocals.
    1993 - Alan Giarettino proposed marriage to Christy Stubblefield while she rode around the ice rink on the Zamboni during the intermission of an East Coast Hockey League game in Huntington, WV. Stubblefield thought she had earned the ride by winning a contest. In truth, Giarettino had arranged the contest so that he could walk onto the ice during the ride, hand her a bouquet and drop to one knee. She said, “yes.”
    1994 - Nirvana’s album, "MTV Unplugged in New York," was number one in the U.S. for the week. The album featured these tracks: "About a Girl," "Come as You Are," "Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam," "The Man Who Sold the World," "Pennyroyal Tea," "Dumb," "Polly," "On a Plain," "Something in the Way," "Plateau," "Oh, Me," "Lake of Fire," "All Apologies" and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night."
    1995 - A 60 track album called "Beatles Anthology I" is released in the US and sets a first-day sales record of 450,000 units. 
    1995 - Frank Sinatra's all-star 80th birthday tribute is held in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, featuring Bob Dylan performing "Restless Farewell" (at the request of Sinatra, Dylan had wanted to perform Frank's own "That's Life") and Paula Abdul singing "Luck Be a Lady." Afterwards, Dylan and fellow performer Bruce Springsteen, along with Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, are invited back to the crooner's home.
    1995 – In the 83rd CFL Grey Cup, the Baltimore Stallions defeated the Calgary Stampeders, 37-20…that’s right, Baltimore won the Canadian Football League championship!
    1997 - The world’s first surviving septuplets were born by Cesarean section to Bobbi McCaughey of Carlisle, Iowa. She claimed her place in the record books by giving birth to septuplets: four boys (Kenneth, Brandon, Nathan and Joel) and three girls (Alexis, Natalie and Kelsey). The seven newcomers joined a family that already included one daughter, Mikayla. The infants ranged in weight from 2 pounds, 5 ounces to 3 pounds, 4 ounces and were born over a period of six minutes. The father was Kenny McCaughey, a billing clerk at a car dealership.
    1998 - Sammy Sosa is selected as the NL MVP creating an historic Latin American sweep of the MVP awards with Ranger Juan Gonzales winning the award in the AL this season.
    1998 - Vincent van Gogh's "Portrait of the Artist Without Beard" sold at auction for more than $71 million.
    1998 - The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee begins impeachment hearings against President Bill Clinton, arising from the revelations regarding intern Monica Lewinsky.
    2000 - Florida counts presidential ballots (more or less) as the process of determining the winner of the 2000 US presidential election continued.  Ultimately, the Supreme Court determined that George W, Bush had defeated former Vice President Al Gore, hanging chads and all.
    2001 - In a landslide vote (30 of 32 first-place votes) by the BBWAA, Giants left fielder Barry Bonds (.328, 137 RBIs, 73 HRs) wins the Most Valuable Player Award for an unprecedented fourth time (1990, ’92, ‘93 as a Pirate). Three-time MVPs include Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial and Mike Schmidt.
    2001 – Only weeks after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush signed the most comprehensive air security bill in history.
    2002 - The U.S. government completed its takeover of security at 424 airports nationwide.
    2002 - Twenty-four-year veteran Jesse Orosco, the all-time leader in games pitched at 1,187, agrees to a one-year contract with the Padres estimated at $800,000.  At age 45, the lefty reliever, who started his Major League career with the Mets in 1979 (traded by the Twins for Jerry Koosman), is the oldest player in the Majors.
http://baseball.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=1840
http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/oroscje01.shtml
    2006 - Nintendo released its newest video game console, the Wii, in North America with an MSRP of $249.99
    2007 - At Caroline Kennedy's 50th birthday party, guest performer Neil Diamond reveals that his 1970 hit "Sweet Caroline" was actually written about her.
    2007 – The Kindle by Amazon was first released to the public.
    2010 - Many nations urge lower fishing rates on the Atlantic bluefin tuna; quota limits on the critically endangered fish are discussed by major fishing nations in Paris.
    2011 - Part of the Prompt Global Strike program, a U.S. hypersonic weapon system undergoes a successful test, proving capable of striking targets 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) away in under 30 minutes.
    2013 – The 150th Anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, considered one of the greatest political speeches, was commemorated in the US on the battlefield and by the Library of Congress.
    2014 – A second round of heavy snow hit the northeastern US with Buffalo accumulating over 5 feet of snow; 7 deaths and 20 stranded travelers were reported.
    2018 – LA Rams beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 54-51, at the Coliseum.  It was the third highest-scoring game in history and the first time both teams scored 50 points.  Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes’ 6 TD passes set a Monday Night Football record.