Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Headlines---
Robert Teichman, CLP---Chairman of the Board
Classified Ads---
Doc. Manager / Finance / Legal
T-Bills Rise
New Year’s Bomb for IFC Credit?
Media Tips
- Learning from the Reporter’s Perspective
Top Stories----December 18-22
Cartoon---Marlin COO George Pelose office
Sales makes it Happen—by Linda P. Kester
“Prospecting is like Football
Jeffrey Taylor: I Resolve To...
IRS Interest Rates to Remain Unchanged
News Briefs---
You May have Missed---
California Nuts Brief---
Sports Briefs---
"Gimme that Wine"
Calendar Events
Snapple Real Facts
This Day in American History
American Football Poem
######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release”
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Robert Teichman, CLP---Chairman of the Board
Bob Teichman, CLP, joined the Leasing News Advisory Board July 7, 2000. He was actually involved in the "perception" of the newsletter before this date, making many contributions before we went “on line.” He still does.
He is also a statesman, as evidenced at his activities as well as his recent report on leasing association conferences. Throughout the years of his service, he would get calls from those in the leasing industry with complaints or observations that evidently they did not want to talk directly to the editor. He doesn’t use the e-mail on these, but calls on the telephone. He has been a very good friend for over thirty years.
Bob was appointed chairman May 8, 2005.
Robert Teichman, CLP
Teichman Financial Training
3030 Bridgeway, Suite 213
Sausalito, CA 94965
Tel: 415 331-6445
Fax: 415 331-6451
e-mail: BoTei@aol.com
Bob Teichman, CLP, was born in New York City. After attending the High School of Music & Art and the New York College of Music, he received his undergraduate degree from Columbia College.
“I studied music for a lot of years. I even played piano professionally while in college (local 802, American Federation of Musicians, James C. Petrillo presiding!), “he added. “I have kept up my interest in music by singing in a local chorus for the past 22 years. There are about 100 of us and we give concerts several times a year, mostly pre-20th century composers like Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. But we do get away from the 18th and 19th centuries. At our most recent concert early this month we performed 15th and 20th century music.”
He pursued his graduate studies in Geneva, Switzerland.
"50 years ago, when I was a graduate student in Geneva, I met my wife Patricia," he wrote. "She was working at the UN and she and I were members of a group of ex-patriots- Americans, British, Russians, Swedes, mid-Easteners- who all hung around the same cafes.
"It was the late 1950's and Switzerland was affordable for students like me. The ski slopes were close and most of the rest of Europe was less than a days drive away.
"But sooner or later reality sets in. We were married in New York and came to California in the early 1960's, driving cross-country in a 1957 Bristol sedan my father had picked up on one of his many trips. The car had right-hand drive, so it was real challenge maneuvering on the two-lane roads (yeah, they were paved; it was the middle of the 20th, not the 19th, century.) Still, it was an adventure when we had car trouble on a couple of occasions.
"Patty is an avid gardener and an excellent watercolorist. The two interests coincide in her botanical paintings. Here is an example of a flower from our garden:
"We spend our vacations at a small and very primitive cabin in the Sierra backcountry. Summers only; the roads aren't plowed in the winter. Nice country in summer, though. Pines, firs, granite outcrops, streams, meadows. Also coyotes, bears and deer. We don't bother them, they don't bother us. A bear did chew on my neighbor's cabin. Probably liked the taste of the wood stain.
"Thanks for your friendship over all these years. After having been in the leasing business for almost 44 years, I really appreciate all the wonderful people I have met, and the lasting friendships I have formed. I still enjoy the business immensely. There is always something new around the corner."
Bob started in automotive leasing in 1963 in sales, then moved into equipment leasing in the late 1960's. For over 20 years he provided funding for leasing companies as an officer of both bank and non-bank lenders. Along the way, he started several successful leasing companies. His company, Teichman Financial Training, located in Sausalito, California, was founded in 1998 and provides lease education and consulting services to lessors, funders, brokers and other members of the financial community.
He is active in the United Association of Equipment Leasing (“UAEL”), having served on its Board of Directors for four years. For three years he was the Chairman of their Education Committee with responsibility for the Certification Program and Educational Programs. He was also a member of other committees including the Standards Committee.
Bob is a frequent speaker at leasing industry events, and has written articles for UAEL's Newsline and other industry publications. He is a co-author of the Certified Leasing Professional's Handbook.
He is vice president of the Certified Leasing Professional Foundation Board, plus serves as Chairman of the Education Committee. He is also a member of the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers.
Recent Editorial from Bob:
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-20-06.htm#lam
Recent ELFA Conference report:
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/October%202006/10-27-06.htm#elfa
Sales makes it Happen article:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Legacy/Middle_market.htm
[headlines]
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Classified Ads---
Documentation Manager / Finance / Legal
New York City*
Documentation Manager / Finance / Legal
Documentation Manager: New York, NY
10+ years in equipment leasing/secured lending. Skilled in management & training, documentation, policy and procedure development & implementation, portfolio reporting. Strong work ethic.
Email: dln1031@nyc.rr.com |
Documentation Manager: Phoenix, AZ
Lease Administrator with exp. in lease administration, doc. & porfolio management for $200M in IT assets. Additional experience financial analysis process improvement/development.
Email: jeg3894@cox.net |
Finance: Austin, TX
20+ years all facets of lease/finance. Collection and credit management. Equipment & rolling stock structuring. $150k credit authority, $100 million portfolio management.
Email: texmartin@juno.com
|
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Finance: Chicago, IL
Experienced in big ticket origination, syndication, valuation and workout.
Twenty five years, MBA, CPA, |
JD, LLM (Tax), structuring specialist. Inbound and outbound transactions.
Email: pal108381@comcast.net
Transaction Summary | The Lechner Group
Website: www.tlgattorneycpa.com |
Finance: Sausalito, CA
Sr. Corp. officer, presently serving as consultant, fin. service background, M&A, fund raising, great workout expertise, references Email: nywb@aol.com |
Finance: Toronto
Long diverse career financial services industry. Executed billions of dollars of leases over 20 years; structuring, executing and pricing US/Canadian transactions. Per Diem or full time.
E-mail: eslavens@eol.ca |
Legal: Los Angeles, CA
Experienced in-house corporate and financial services attorney seeks position as managing or transactional counsel. Willing to relocate.
Email: sandidq@msn.com |
|
These job-wanted ads are free. We also recommend to both those seeking a position and those searching for a new hire to also go to other e-mail posting sites:
http://64.125.68.91/AL/LeasingNews/Classified.htm
In addition, those seeking employment should go to the human resource departments on company web sites for funders, captive lessors, and perhaps “broker-lessors.”
To place a free “job wanted” ad here, please go to:
http://64.125.68.91/AL/LeasingNews/PostingForm.asp
For a full listing of all “job wanted” ads, please go to:
http://64.125.68.91/AL/LeasingNews/JobPostings.htm
* This panoramic photograph of New York was taken by James Blakeway. It features a twilight view of lower Manhattan, an area known as the financial capitol of the United States. The two tallest buildings is the World Trade Center with the Hudson River in the foreground. To the right is Battery Park on the tip of Manhattan from which ferries arrive and depart to various destinations including the Statue of Liberty. New York, is often called The Big Apple.
Unframed Print: $25.00 each
Framed Print: $79.00 each
Additional pricing:
http://www.panoramas.com/PosterFrame.htm
http://www.blakewaystore.com/
[headlines]
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T-Bills Rise
The weekly US Treasury auction was held on Tuesday due to the holiday of Christmas on Monday. Short-term Treasury bills rose to their highest levels in over a month as $17 billion in three-month bills went for the discount rate of 4.875 percent compared to 4.825 last week.
Another $15 billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 4.900 percent, up from 4.885 percent last week.
The three-month rate was the highest since the bills averaged 4.905 percent on November 27. The six-month rate was the highest since 4.935 percent.
The discount rates reflect that the bills sell for less than face value. For a $10,000 bill, the three-month price was $9,876.77 while a six-month bill sold for $9,752.28.
[headlines]
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New Year’s Bomb for IFC Credit?
by Christopher Menkin
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
It appears the Illinois Attorney General served IFC Credit Corporation, Morton Grove, Illinois with an official legal notification regarding the NorVergence “Equipment Rental Agreements.” The bomb
is set to go off early in the New Year, perhaps even next week.
Neither IFC Credit or the Illinois AG’s office would issue a comment, confirmation or denial. Another source said the action was from the Texas Attorney General, but Leasing News was unable to
confirm or get a denial due primarily to the holidays.
Several of the attorneys involved in the defense of the NorVergence
“Equipment Rental Contracts” told Leasing News the notice would in effect require IFC Credit to “forgive, return (reimburse)” NorVergence lessees. Others told Leasing News there was a
“flurry” to wind up current cases to perhaps indicate settlements as a defense to the notification.
While other information was provided to Leasing News, without collaboration we are not prepared to print them. One of the most common elements is the first week ( or beginning of January) a press release will be issued on the notification. There appears to be a legal requirement that needs to be met.
Leasing News contacted the Federal Trade Commission on their investigation. They had no comment “on” or “off the record.” It does appear they are continuing with their inquiry. In the
Microfinancial settlement, fines and forgiveness plus return of money was the result, although it was in a long time coming. The legal notice may also have similar “demands.”
David G. Mayer in his December issue of Business Leasing News
had some very interesting insight on the subject of fraud:
"Does Le-Nature’s Fraud Case Show When No Amount of Diligence Is Enough?"
Does Le-Nature's Fraud Case Show When No Amount of Diligence Is Enough?
If the bad guys want to deceive you, it seems they can, no matter what level of diligence you apply to your lease or loan deals.
As one person observed, in regard to the recently-discovered fraud successfully perpetrated by Le-Nature's, Inc.:
It is just a spectacular case of fraud,' . . . . 'A guy was running two sets of books, and managed to dupe the loan market, the bond market and four sets of auditors including Internal Revenue Service (IRS) auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers and a private equity auditor brought in when Le-Nature's was leaning to sell the company. See Market Predicts Le-Nature's Is All Washed Up , By Gabrielle Stein, Bank Loan Report, REI Research Online (Nov. 13, 2006).
Fraud Unveiled
The case apparently started to unravel when General Press Corp., Lyons Contracting, M.I. Friday and Jackel Development filed a case under Chapter 7 of the federal Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania , alleging that Le-Nature's owed the lenders more than $1.4 million.
In an attempt to salvage the company, the federal Bankruptcy Court converted the case from a Chapter 7 to a Chapter 11, under Case No. 06-25454 (MBM) , and appointed Kroll Zolfo Cooper LCC, a turn-around firm, to investigate and evaluate the potential to save any of Le-Nature's operations for the creditors' benefit. Potential liabilities amount to $728 million in debt, of which $278 million is owed to banks, $150 million sits with junk bond holders and $300 million burdens lessors and other creditors. For more on the case, see Le-Nature Bankruptcy Fraud Case , LeasingNews.org (Oct. 8, 2006).
Some of the preeminent financing firms in the U.S. have become embroiled in this case, including The CIT Group, AIG Commercial Equipment Finance, Merrill Lynch Capital and Orix Financial Services, Inc. A large chunk of their exposure constitutes unsecured debt. Wachovia Bank, which acted as agent on lending facilities, offered more bad news recently as the temporary shutdown of production facilities may become permanent. See Le-Nature's closing may be permanent , By Richard Gazarik, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Nov. 25, 2006).
Mitigate Fraud Risk
Lessors and lenders understand the potential for fraud. The ill-effects have been seared into their consciousness by such cases as Norvergence. Many of them have taken steps to mitigate fraud risks, and to ascertain the potential for fraud more effectively. See Norvergence Bankruptcy Forces Lessors To Mitigate New Risks , Business Leasing News (Feb. 2005). However, the Le-Nature's case demonstrates that accurate evaluations of transactions still fail to work in the face of those determined to commit fraud.
Anyone can apply hindsight to identify a bad deal, but will the circumstances of Le-Nature's fraud provide constructive ideas for improving underwriting in the future? Given the massive and complex nature of the fraud in the Le-Nature's case, lenders and lessors may wonder whether any truly effective risk mitigation methods exist for such extreme cases. Lenders and lessors presumably apply risk mitigation steps as prudent creditors, but a case like Le-Nature's begs the question of whether they do in fact act prudently.
*Tip: Ferreting out fraud before it occurs is difficult, but some structural and business approaches may help. Lenders and lessors could:
• Perform more extensive, written and defensible due diligence on their debtor, including a review of business performance, management and financial statements for consistency and credibility—not simply accepting financials as true on face value alone if the operations and cash flows create any doubt about the truthfulness of the financials or business model;
• Decline questionable deals—do not let volume considerations force you to close deals that create doubts and, in retrospect, may show bad judgment on your part;
• Raise yield requirements to provide a cushion for defaults by questionable credits, as it is probably better to lose a deal to a lower rate bidder than burn positive returns of many good deals in your portfolio to pay for one bad decision;
• Structure transactions to mitigate risk whenever possible by:
• approving secured transactions rather than unsecured deals;
• using true leases (rather than disguised loans) to protect your interests in bankruptcy to recover tangible personal property such as equipment to salvage your investment;
• assure that you protect your interests correctly by making all filings under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) necessary to perfect interests in secured loan and leased assets in the first priority position (or a bargained for subordinate position); and
• document deals with triggers for early defaults, including enhanced financial reporting, so that you can attempt to save a deal before a Le-Nature's disaster scenario develops.
• Consult forensic accountants, bankruptcy counsel and litigators with knowledge of cases like Norvergence and Le-Nature's to look for signs of fraud early and often.
Zero Tolerance
Le-Nature's allegedly created a very sophisticated fraud scheme that may illustrate unavoidable risk embedded in business transactions and companies today. But these days, neither shareholders nor boards of directors show much, if any, tolerance of such outcomes or poorly conceived approvals when fraud strikes. For a bank or finance company, reputational and portfolio risk management may trump the approval of any single deal. In the Le-Nature's case, the question creditors will have to ask themselves is whether they were dealt a bad hand or simply decided to play in the wrong game. |
Go here to view the issue:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/BLN-December_2006.PDF
[headlines]
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Media Tips - Learning from the Reporter’s Perspective
1. Go into an interview with a positive perspective.
2. Most reporters aren’t trying to make you look bad. They just want an interesting story for their audience.
3. Never forget that media people make their money by telling as interesting a story as possible in order to gain the largest audience as possible.
4. Do you like it when possible business partners, clients, or dates don’t return your phone calls?
5. The media will hate you if you don’t return their calls.
http://www.mediatrainingworldwide.com
and 212-764-4955.
[headlines]
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[headlines]
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Top Stories----December 18-22
Here are the top ten stories most "opened" by readers last week.
(1) Sovereign Bank Xmas gift to 800 employees
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-18-06.htm#sbx
(2) Steve Crane, CLP, the Energy Man
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-20-06.htm#board
(3) United States v. Barry Drayer
Criminal Docket Number 02-767 (ADS)
“Steven dunks Barry”
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-18-06.htm#USvBD
(4) Leasing 102-by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
“Sale-Lease-Back Issues”
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-18-06.htm#102
(5) Sales Makes it Happen—Linda P. Kester
“Send three letters”
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-20-06.htm#sales
(6) Shivers resigns from Marlin Leasing
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-22-06.htm#shivers
(This may have been higher in the top ten as the day before a "flash" was sent out on the resignation. It is interesting to note the stock closed at a high of $23.00 on Friday. Tuesday the stock closed at
$ 23.72 in a volume of 20,925.)
Flash:
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-20-06-flash.htm
(7) Huntington merges; face of banking changes
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-22-06.htm#hunt
(8) Vehicle Lessors Alert
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-22-06.htm#alert
(9) Cartoon---Senior Position Sovereign Bank
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-20-06.htm#toon
(10) News from Denver, Colorado
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202006/12-22-06.htm#bsb
[headlines]
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Cartoon---Marlin COO George Pelose office
"George Pelose, who is also the Company's General Counsel, has been an integral part of the senior management team since joining Marlin in 1999 and has played important roles in many aspects of the Company's business. As Marlin's COO, Mr. Pelose will add the leasing Sales and Credit functions to his existing reporting lines, which include Collections, Customer Service, Asset Management, Insurance and Legal.”
12/21/2006 Marlin Business Service Press Release
[headlines]
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Sales Make it Happen
by Linda P. Kester
Prospecting Is Like Football
Linda Kester helps leasing companies increase volume. For more information visit www.lindakester.com . Questions, contact: Linda@lindakester.com
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Day. The Eagles are now in first place in the NFC East Division. This is shocking to Philadelphia fans because four weeks ago, the quarterback, Donovan McNabb was injured and it seemed like the season was over.
I had another shock recently. While working with a sales rep I asked her what her primary objective was for an appointment she had with a vendor later that afternoon. She said she wanted the vendor to commit to using her leasing services exclusively.
While this is a fine goal, it was a shocking primary objective. She had not yet received one application. She set the bar way too high. It's like she wanted to run a kickoff all the way back for a touchdown.
Do you know how often a kickoff is run back for a touchdown in the NFL? About one half of one percent of the time this season. ( So far, 1134 kickoffs, six touchdown returns).
Many leasing reps think in global terms. I suggest you think of prospecting like football.
On your first call you are on the twenty yard line, with four tries to get ten yards.
Your primary objective is to get the first down.
Examples of an equipment leasing first down:
- Obtaining vendor's email address
- Finding out who they use for leasing
- Getting a list of their sales rep's names
- Discovering how decisions about leasing are made
Can't get a first down? No problem. You still try to pick up some yards. This is your secondary objective.
Examples of forward momentum:
- Getting the screener's name
- Leaving the prospect with a good feeling about your company
- Leaving a value-added voice mail message
The rep I was working with had an appointment. So she was 1 st and 10 on the fifty. We set her primary objective to get the vendor to commit to using her on a trial basis on his next five deals.
Change your strategy from going for a touchdown on each play to be like Jeff Garcia. He is now the Eagles starting quarterback. He's methodical and efficient. He keeps the momentum moving forward.
Then even if you lose a big vendor in the middle of the year, you could still come back and finish on top. Believe you can win. The Eagles did.
We beat Dallas on Christmas Day! For an Eagles fan the next best thing after beating Dallas is beating the Giants. Guess what? We did that the week before!
Thanks Santa! You definitely got my letter. |
[headlines]
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Jeffrey Taylor: I Resolve To...
stay brutally optimistic. I promise to see the opportunity in every difficulty and anticipate the most favorable outcome of every situation. Whatever I look for, that's what I'll find.
identify the most powerful benefit I offer the closest people around me and then deliver it. Only by helping others, can I succeed.
pump-up my personal vitality. In the game of life, it's not about who's right, it's about who's left. The real currency of the new century is not cash. It's vitality. It's the ability to keep going every day of every week of every month of the year with vigor and verve.
be habitually generous. Success is not something I pursue. It's something I attract by what I become. The more I give of myself, the more favors I attract from others.
go on a mental diet. Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can scar me for life. I resolve to use the language of conciliation, not the language of confrontation, and avoid the temptation to vent my negativity on others.
be a global citizen, fully open to the cultures and influences of others. There is a direct correlation between personal well-being and openness to other peoples' ideas and cultures. If someone has a different point of view, they're probably right as well.
take control of my destiny. I do not want to be so busy trying to make a living that I forget to make a life. I decide who I want to be and what I want to achieve and then stride boldly toward my vision.
increase my human connectedness. The person with the best connections wins. The wider my network, the more opportunities I generate. I will invest at least 10 percent of my time broadening my sphere of influence. I will connect other people to the opportunities within my network and cross-pollinate their potential.
increase my creativity by letting go of the familiar. I will try to see the world through fresh eyes every day. I will listen to my intuition and follow my instincts.
be me because others are already taken. You and I are at our best when we're being authentic. We're at our best when we're being positively spontaneous, because that's when all our energy is being invested in the task at hand.
Adapted From Ten of the Best New Year Resolutions you can make, without letting yourself down by Mike Lipkin.
Jeffrey Taylor
The Leasing Academy
4844 East Andora Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
email: JeffreyArizona@aol.com
[headlines]
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IRS Interest Rates to Remain Unchanged for First Quarter of 2007
AccountingWEB.com - - The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced there will be no change in interest rates for the calendar quarter beginning January 1, 2007. The interest rates announced in
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rr-06-63.pdf
Revenue Procedure 2006-63 are:
8 percent for overpayments, 7 percent in the case of a corporation
8 percent for underpayments
10 percent for large corporate underpayments
1.5 percent for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000.
The rate of interest is determined on a quarterly basis under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).
For taxpayers other than corporations, the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points. Generally, in the case of a corporation, the underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points and the overpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 2 percentage points.
The rate for large corporate underpayments is the federal short-term rate plus 5 percentage points.
The rate on the portion of a corporate overpayment of tax exceeding $10,000 for taxable period is the federal short-term rate plus 0.5 of a percentage point.
[headlines]
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News Briefs----
Gerald R. Ford, America's only non-elected president, dead at 93
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-061226ford-obit,1,
3500052.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true
Reaction to the Death of President Ford
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Obit-Ford-Reaction.html
President Ford Time Line
http://www.usatoday.com/news/obits/Ford/flash.htm
Capitol Bancorp to open thrifts in states that prohibit nonlocal bank holding companies
http://www.snl.com/interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-5144702-11627
Amazon.com Has 'Best Ever' Sales in 2006
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/12/26/D8M8N18O0.html
Brick & Mortar stores: Rush at End, but Holiday Sales Fall Short
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/26/business/26retail.html?_r=1&ref=
business&oref=slogin
After-Christmas shopping rush kicks off
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2006/12/26/1226bizreturns.html
Immigrants' Jobs Vanish With Housing Slowdown
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/26/
AR2006122601121.html
Minneapolis paper sale taxes struggling industry
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-061226phil,0,3399569.story?
coll=chi-business-hed
CNet to pay outgoing president $750,000
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/16321436.htm
Women-led firms lift stock standing
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/
2006-12-27-women-ceos-usat_x.htm
[headlines]
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You May have Missed---
AMA Releases Resolutions for a Healthy New Year
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=
/www/story/12-26-2006/0004496762&EDATE=
[headlines]
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Sports Briefs----
Pete Carroll dispels the pro rumors
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_4900942
Phil Sheridan | Birds seize reins from Cowboys
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/16317564.htm
Season's beating: Eagles whip Cowboys, 23-7
http://www.cowboysplus.com/topstory/stories/122606cpcowlede.23f1536.html
Owens, Glenn sound off
http://www.cowboysplus.com/topstory/stories/122606cpcowsider1.3709f98.html
Nolan welcomes spoiler role
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/
NEWS/612260339/1010/SPORT01
[headlines]
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California Nuts Briefs---
Governor recovering from leg surgery
http://www.sacbee.com/102/story/98391.html
[headlines]
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“Gimme that Wine”
A Year of Treats for the Palate, by the Sip and the Barrel
---Eric Asimov
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/27/dining/27drin.html?ref=dining
A Taste of Hang Time
http://winesandvines.com/headline_12_21_06_hang.html
Pinot Noir beefs up
Big-bodied Pinots confound sommeliers as they delight fans
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/22/WIG8QN0EQV1.DTL
Silver Oak buys Roshambo Winery
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/22/WIGV2N44GF1.DTL
Roche Winery sold out of bankruptcy
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/22/WIGNTN2H3R1.DTL
No room for your wine? Collectors rent spaces away from home
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20061226-1124-businessoflife.html
Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com
http://www.wine-searcher.com/
US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/
Winery Atlas
http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas/\
Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm
The London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex) is an electronic exchange for fine wine.
http://www.liv-ex.com/
[headlines]
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Calendar Events This Day
Saint John, Apostle-Evangelist: Feast Day
Son of Zebedee, Galilean fishterman, and Salome died about AD 100.
Roman Rite Feast Day is December 27( Observed May 8 by Byzantine Rite.)
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj13.htm
http://www.deaconlaz.org/JohnApostle.html
http://www.universalis.com/USA/20061227/vespers.htm
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Thomas Edison coined the word "hello" and introduced it as a way to answer the phone.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/peopleevents/pande03.html
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This Day in American History
1784-In Baltimore, at its first General Conference held this side of the Atlantic, Francis Asbury, 39, was ordained the first bishop of the Methodist Church in America.
1846- The rag-tag army of volunteers known as Doniphan's Thousand, led by Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan, wins a major victory in the war with Mexico with the occupation of El Paso.Born in Kentucky in 1808, Doniphan moved to Missouri in 1830 to practice law. But the tall redheaded man was not satisfied with fighting only courtroom battles, and he volunteered as a brigadier general in the Missouri militia. When war between Mexico and the U.S. erupted in 1846, the men of the 1st Missouri Mounted Volunteers elected Doniphan their colonel, and marched south to join General Stephen Kearny's army in New Mexico. Since they were not professional military men, Doniphan's troops cared little for the traditional spit-and-polish of the regular troops, and reportedly looked more like tramps than soldiers. Likewise, Doniphan was a casual officer who led more by example than by strict discipline. Nonetheless, Doniphan's Thousand proved to be a surprisingly effective force in the war with Mexico.
In December, Doniphan led 500 of his men and a large wagon train of supplies south to join General John E. Wool in his planned invasion of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Before he had a chance to meet up with Wool's larger force near the city of Chihuahua, Doniphan encountered an army of 1,200 Mexican soldiers about 30 miles north of El Paso, Texas. Although his opponents had twice the number of soldiers, Doniphan led his men to victory, and with the path to El Paso now largely undefended was able to occupy the city two days later. When nearing the Mexican border, Doniphan learned that General Wool's forces had broken off their invasion of Chihuahua because the army's wheeled vehicles had proved unworkable in the desert landscape. But rather than turn back, Doniphan reassembled his army to its full force of about 1,000 men and was allowed to proceed with the invasion unassisted. Once again grossly outnumbered-the Mexican army was four times the size of Doniphan's-the Missouri troops were still able to quickly break through the defensive lines and occupy Chihuahua City. By mid- summer 1847, Doniphan's victorious army reached the Gulf Coast, where they were picked up by ships and taken to New Orleans for discharge. By then, the focus of the battle had shifted to General Winfield Scott's campaign to take Mexico City. In September of that year, Scott's troops ended the war by successfully occupying Mexico City, and for the first time in U.S. history an American flag flew over a foreign capital. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed early in 1848, gave the U.S. the vast western territory stretching from Texas to the Pacific and north to Oregon.
1864-The broken and defeated Confederate Army of Tennessee finishes crossing the Tennessee River as General John Bell Hood's force retreats into Mississippi.
The last half of 1864 was a disaster for the army. In May, Union General William T. Sherman began his drive on Atlanta from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Confederate army was commanded then by Joseph Johnston, who responded to Sherman's flanking maneuvers by retreating slightly each time. From May to July, Johnston slowly backed into Atlanta, exchanging territory for time. When the troops reached Atlanta, Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced Johnston with the offensive minded Hood. Hood immediately attacked Sherman three times in late July, losing each time. His offensive capabilities spent, Hood endured a month long siege of Atlanta. In early September, Hood was finally forced to relinquish the city to Sherman. Hood hung around to try cutting into Sherman's supply lines but then retreated into Alabama. In November, Hood tried to draw Sherman from the deep South by moving towards Nashville, Tennessee. In response, Sherman dispatched part of his army back to Tennessee while taking the rest on his devastating march across Georgia, during which the Yankees destroyed nearly everything in their path. Hood moved north and fought two battles that were disastrous for the Confederates. At Franklin on November 30, Confederate attacks on entrenched Union soldiers resulted in ghastly casualties and the loss of six of the army's finest generals. On December 15 and 16, the Confederates were crushed by the Yankees in front of Nashville. The dwindling numbers of participating soldiers tell the sad story of the Rebel army. In May, some 65,000 Confederates faced Sherman in northern Georgia. On September 20, after Atlanta fell, Hood's force numbered 40,403. After crossing the Tennessee River, Hood reported 18,708 officers and enlisted men, a figure that another Confederate general, Pierre Beauregard, thought was significantly inflated. The Confederate Army of Tennessee was no longer a viable fighting force.
1869-A big post-Christmas storm in New York and Vermont produced record snow totals. 39 inches fell at Montpelier, VT and 30 inches at Burlington, VT. A public emergency was declared in Vermont.
1879-Birthday of trumpet player Geary “Bunk” Johnson
http://www.redhotjazz.com/bunk.html
http://user.tninet.se/~rrr043f/forum19.htm
http://www.weijts.scarlet.nl/bj.htm
http://isbn.nu/0876636857/price/2.html
Second day of Kawanzaa, kujichaguilia or self-determination
http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/
1892-Biddle University (now Johnson C. Smith) defeats Livingstone College, in first intercollegiate football game between historically Black colleges.
1892 - An Atlantic coastal storm produced a record 18.6 inches of snow at Norfolk, VA in 24 hours. The storm also brought snow to northern Florida for the first time in 35 years.
1896 – Birthday of American novelist/essayist, Louis Bromfield, Mansfield, Ohio.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/bromfiel.htm
1899-American Christian temperance leader Carry Nation, 53, raided and wrecked her first saloon in Medicine Lodge, KA. She went on similar rampages in Wichita and Topeka, and in other cities in Iowa and Illinois as well.
(Lower part of http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec27.html )
1906 – Birthday of Andreas Feininger, American photographer & writer on photographic technique, noted for his nature & cityscape photographs.
http://pathfinder.com/photo/gallery/arts/life/cap09.htm
http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/branches/ccp/collection/collection.html )
1907-Birthday of pianist Eddie Wilcox, Method, NC
http://search.eb.com/blackhistory/micro/360/57.html
1913 -- Charles Moyer, president of the Miners Union, is shot in the back and dragged through the streets of Chicago.
1915 -- In Ohio, iron and steel workers go on strike for an eight-hour day and higher wages.
1919-Birthday of Mitchell “Booty” Wood, Weedowee, AL http://www.theiceberg.com/artist/27125/booty_wood/
http://shopping.yahoo.com/shop?d=product&id=1921116848
1926-Birthday of Lee Salk, American child psychologist Lee Salk was born at New York, NY. He became well known for proving the calming effect of a mother’s heartbeat on a newborn infant. Salk’s warning during the 1970’s that women should not abandon full-time childrearing was met with wide opposition, especially from working mothers. He died May 2, 1992, at New York, NY.
1927- "Show Boat," one of the most influential works in the history of the American musical theatre, premiered in New York. "Show Boat" was adapted by Jerome Kern from the Edna Ferber novel of life on a Mississippi show boat in the 19th century. "Show Boat" was a new kind of musical -- one in which the musical elements sprang naturally from the storyline and in which the music aided the dialogue and lyrics in projecting the plot. Among the songs in this classic work are "Ol' Man River," "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" and "Why Do I Love You?"
1932- At the height of the Great Depression, thousands turn out for the opening of Radio City Music Hall, a magnificent Art Deco theater in New York City. Radio City Music Hall was designed as a palace for the people, a place of beauty where ordinary people could see high- quality entertainment. Since its 1932 opening, more than 300 million people have gone to Radio City to enjoy movies, stage shows, concerts, and special events. Radio City Music Hall was the brainchild of the billionaire John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who decided to make the theater the cornerstone of the Rockefeller Complex he was building on a formerly derelict neighborhood in midtown Manhattan. The theater was built in partnership with the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and designed by Donald Deskey. The result was an Art Deco masterpiece of elegance and grace constructed out of a diverse variety of materials, including aluminum, gold foil, marble, permatex, glass, and cork. Geometric ornamentation is found throughout the theater, as is Deskey's central theme of the "Progress of Man." The famous Great Stage, measuring 60 feet wide and 100 feet wide, resembles a setting sun. Its sophisticated system of hydraulic-powered elevators allowed spectacular effects in staging, and many of its original mechanisms are still in use today. In its first four decades, Radio City Music Hall alternated as a first-run movie theater and a site for gala stage shows. More than 700 films have premiered at Radio City Music Hall since 1933. In the late 1970s, the theater changed its format and began staging concerts by popular music artists. The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, which debuted in 1933, draws more than a million people annually. The show features the high-kicking Rockettes, a precision dance troupe that has been a staple at Radio City since the 1930s. Today, Radio City Music Hall remains the largest indoor theater in the world.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec27.html
1939 - On CBS radio, "The Glenn Miller Show", also known as "Music that Satisfies", began. The bi-weekly, 15-minute, show was sponsored by Chesterfield cigarettes. It aired for nearly three years.
1941-African-American Dr. Charles Richard Drew, pioneer of blood plasma research, established the first blood bank in New York City.
1943 The film "The Song of Bernadette" was released by 20th Century Fox. It told the true story of 14_year_old French Catholic peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous, who experienced 18 visions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, France in 1858.
1944-- General George S. Patton's Third Army, spearheaded by the 4th Armored Division, relieves the surrounded city of Bastogne in Belgium.
1945-World bank established, first subscribed by 21 countries, whose subscription amounted to $7,173 million. The first loan was made on May 9,1947, to France---a 30-year loan of $250 million at 3.25% and of $150 at 3 percent.
1946 - For the first time since 1938, the American team won the Davis Cup at a competition held in Melbourne, Australia.
1947-Woody Herman Band records “Four Brothers,” “Early Autumn,” Stan Getz becomes a milestone. Name the four brothers in this set in 1947: Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward on tenor, Serge Chaloff (baritone sax). No, Jimmy Giuffre did the arrangement. Herschal Evans, no., he played with Count Basie in the ‘30’s)
Not Al Cohn this year (1948). Go here, if you don’t know, and listen to the tune: http://www.tuxjunction.net/fourbrothers.htm
1947-Preimier of “Howdy Dowdy” on TV. The first popular children’s show was brought to TV by Bob Smith and was one of the first regular NBC shows to be shown in color. The show was set in the circus town of Doodyville, populated by people and puppets. Children sat in the bleachers “ Peanut Gallery” and participated in activities such as songs and stories. Human characters were Buffalo Bob ( Bob Smith, the silent clown, Clarabell ( Bob Keeshan, Bobby Nicholson and Lew Anderson), storekeeper Corenlius Cobb ( Nicholson), Chief Thunderthud ( Bill LeCornec), Princess Summerfall Winterspring ( Judy Tyler and Linda Marsh ) Bison Bill ( Ted Brown) and wrestler Ugly Sam (Dayton Allen), Puppet costars included Howdy Doody, Phineas T. Bluster, Dilly Dally, Flub-a-Dub, Captain Scuttlebutt, Double Doody and Heidi Doody. The filmed adventures of Gumby were also featured in the final episode, Clarabell broke his long silence to say, “Goodbye, Kids.”
1948—Top Hits
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood)
My Darlin, My Darling - Jo Stafford
1949-In Cincinnati, Ohio, the Evangelical Theological Society was organized. A conservative fellowship of North American theologians and Bible scholars, ETS promotes theological discussion and exploration within the context of a firm belief in the truthfulness of the Bible.
1951- The Crosley car was put into use by the U.S. Postal Service in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the first right-hand-drive car designed specifically for mail delivery. The Crosley put the driver on the mailbox-side of the car, and changed mail delivery forever.
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1229/
http://home.earthlink.net/~mherman/specs.html#1951
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1229/super.html
http://www.ggw.org/~cac/SS-Cobras.html
A Heart Full of Love (For a Handful of Kisses) - Eddy Arnold
1956—Top Hits
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
A Rose and a Baby Ruth - George Hamilton IV
Garden of Eden - Joe Valino
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1962--- Gene Chandler's "Duke of Earl" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The record, released only ten days after Chandler signed with Vee-Jay records in Chicago, remained in the top spot for three weeks.
1964—Top Hits
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
She’s a Woman - The Beatles
Goin’ Out of My Head - Little Anthony & The Imperials
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1967- Pink Floyd recorded their first single, "Arnold Layne." The song, about a man who steals garments from clotheslines, was a hit in Britain but not in North America.
1970- "Hello Dolly" closed on Broadway after a then-record run of 2,844 performances. The musical, starring Carol Channing, had opened at the St. James Theatre on January 16th, 1964. The title song was a million-selling record for Louis Armstrong, and the musical's producer gave the tune exclusively to Lyndon Johnson for use in his 1964 presidential campaign.
1971-The "Sonny & Cher Show" begins a four and a half year run on CBS.
1972---Top Hits
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
You Ought to Be with Me - Al Green
Clair - Gilbert O’Sullivan
Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
1973-- "Time in a Bottle," Jim Croce. The song is released as a single after Croce dies in a plane crash.
1975-The Four Seasons, "December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)" is released.
1975 - For the second time in their career, the Staple Singers hit #1 on the pop music charts with "Let’s Do It Again". The song, the theme from the movie soundtrack of the same title, was the group's last hit. On June 3, 1972, "I’ll Take You There" was The Staple Singers’ first number one hit.
1978-The most auspicious debut in years in made by the Cars. The Boston based band's first LP is the first new wave record to gain acceptance on FM-Album Oriented Rock radio, which is still very fond of bands like Boston and Kansas. "The Cars" turns platinum on this date.
1980---Top Hits
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
That’s All That Matters - Mickey Gilley
1981 -- US: Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist — who has, for several months, been taking substantial doses of Placidyl to relieve intense back pain — checks into George Washington Hospital for treatment of side effects, including speech so severely slurred that he was frequently incoherent in court & according to a hospital spokesman, he is,
"hearing things & seeing things that other people did not hear & see."
http://home.earthlink.net/~dare2b/ru.htm
1982 - the worst rainstorm in Louisiana in 100 years came to an end. More than 18 inches fell at Vinton, LA during the 3 days. Flooding was widespread and property damage was estimated at 100-200 million dollars. President Reagan visited the state and declared ten parishes in northeastern Lousiana disaster areas.
1983 -- President Reagan takes all responsibility for the lack of security in Beirut that allowed a terrorist on a suicide mission to kill 241 Marines.
1983- the recession of the early 1980s took a toll on another one of the nation's landmark companies, U.S. Steel. The long-standing industrial heavyweight announced that it would slash its steel making capacity by roughly 20 percent, as well as take a whopping $1.2 billion pre-tax write-off for the year. The write-off marked the biggest pre-tax charge in the steel industry, as U.S. Steel nudged past Bethlehem Steel, who, earlier that year, had taken a $930 million write-off. Along with this rather ignominious distinction, U.S. Steel's moves also brought a fresh round of lay- offs for 4,600 workers. All told, the plant closings and write-offs impacted 15,400 U.S Steel employees, as 10,800 workers who were previously laid-off had now permanently lost their jobs.
1986-- Van Halen released "Why Can't This Be Love," their first single since Sammy Hagar replaced David Lee Roth as lead singer. It would rise to number three on the Billboard chart.
1987 -- Seattle wide receiver Steve Largent catches six passes in a 41-20 loss at Kansas City to become the NFL's all-time leading receiver with 751 receptions.
1987 - A winter storm produced snow and high winds in Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. Denver CO experienced its worst snowstorm since December 1983 as high winds gusting to 46 mph created near blizzard conditions, whipping the fifteen inch snow into drifts five feet high, and closing Stapleton Airport. Snowfall totals in the foothills southwest of Denver ranged up to 42 inches, at Intercanyon. Blizzard conditions raged across southeastern Wyoming through the day, stranding 300 holiday travelers in the tiny town of Chugwater. Heavier snowfall totals included 19 inches at La Grange WY, and 22 inches at Elsmere NE.
1988---Top Hits
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
When You Say Nothing at All - Keith Whitley
1988 - Severe thunderstorms developing along a cold front in the south central U.S. spawned a dozen tornadoes in Mississippi between early afternoon and sunrise the following day. A tornado at Harperville destroyed five chicken homes killing thousands of chickens. Strong thunderstorm winds gusted to 80 mph at Rolling Fork MS. Half a dozen cities in the northeastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Elkins, WV, with a reading of 13 degrees below zero. Watertown NY was the cold spot in the nation with a morning low of 37 degrees below zero.
1990- San Francisco became the first city to adopt regulations regarding video display terminals in the workplace. A new law required workers to perform fifteen minutes of alternate work for every two hours spent at a video terminal. The measure was adopted in response to the vision problems and repetitive motion injuries sustained by thousands of workers in the 1980s. The measure gave companies with fifteen or more employees two years to provide antiglare screens and ergonomically correct furniture, or face a $500 per day fine.
1992- "The Bodyguard" soundtrack set a single-week record for sales in the U-S with just over one-million copies.
1995--- Canadian singer Celine Dion made British chart history by becoming the first artist in more than 30 years to have both the number-one album and single for five straight weeks. Dion topped the singles chart with "Think Twice" and the album chart with "The Color of My Love." The last time that happened for five consecutive weeks was in 1964 with "I Feel Fine" and "Beatles for Sale."
1995-- Beach Boys Mike Love and Brian Wilson reunited for the first time in 15 years to work on two new songs at Love's home in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The reconciliation came two months after Love and Wilson settled their long-running legal battle over the songwriting credits on 35 of the group's songs.
1996-Elton John was made a Commander of the British Empire in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. He was honored for services to the music industry and charity.
*** (no, Herschal Evans played with Count Basie in the '30's.)
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American Football Poem
7-8 Teams
Last dance
last dance for love
yes, it's my last chance
for romance tonight
I need you, by me,
beside me, to guide me,
to hold me, to scold me,
'cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad
So let's dance, the last dance
let's dance, the last dance
let's dance, this last dance tonight
Last dance, last dance for love
yes, it's my last chance
for romance tonight
Oh, I need you, by me,
beside me, to guide me,
to hold me, to scold me,
'cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad
So let's dance, the last dance
let's dance, the last dance
let's dance, this last dance tonight
Yeah, will you be my Mr. Right?
can you fill my appetite
I can't be sure
that you're the one for me
but all that I ask
is that you dance with me
dance with me, dance with me, yeah
Oh I need you, by me,
beside me, to guide me,
to hold me, to scold me,
'cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad
So let's dance, this last dance
let's dance, this last dance
let's dance, this last dance tonight
Oh I need you, by me,
to beside, to guide me,
to hold me, to scold me,
'cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad
So, come on baby, dance that dance
come on baby, dance that dance
come on baby, let's dance tonight...
Singer and Composer:
Donna Summer
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SuDoku
The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. What could be simpler?
http://leasingnews.org/Soduku/soduko-main.htm
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