Add me to mailing list    |           |      Search

Advertising | All Lists | Archives | Classified Ads | This Day In American History
   

 

   
Financial Analyst – Irvine, CA

CalFirst Leasing Corporation is looking for experienced individual with a commercial credit analysis background. This opportunity affords a competitive salary plus great medical and 401k benefits. If you have a minimum of 2 years commercial credit analysis background, please send us your resume to learn more about this exciting opportunity. Send resumes to bbumblis@cfnbc.com.
   

Friday, March 17, 2006

Headlines---

Classified Ads—Collector/Controller/Contract Admin
    Dominion Leasing: “Software” List up-date
        Alexa Ranks Leasing Media Web Sites
"All Sales Are Complex" --by Steve Chriest
    Classified Ads---Help Wanted
        Leasing still a Relationship Business
H&R Block Bank Going to Kansas City
    Reasons to lease, Section 179
        Leasing Decisions of Small Firms
            Fed "Beige Report"
Interpool to Sell Majority of Container Leases
    News Briefs---
        You May have Missed---
Sports Briefs---
    California Nuts Briefs---
        "Gimme that Wine"
Restaurant Review-Katz Delicatessen-NYC
    Calendar Events this Date
        Today's Top Event in History
            This Day in American History
                Irish Joke

St. Patrick's Day Celebration in New York

if you are going to be in Manhattan today, don't forget O'Romoff's St. Patrick's Day Celebration invitation:

IRA Z. O'ROMOFF

“Please make a note to come visit us on Saint Patrick's Day, Friday March 17th from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm for a good view of the Parade and lunch.

”It will be an open house. Bring everyone from the boss to your credit and operations staff; we'd love to see all of you. Family and kids too are invited. Our office has a good view of the festivities and would be a great place to sit down after standing on Fifth Avenue to watch for a while.

“Please RSVP to us by e-mail or phone. Wear green.”

For info: www.ny.com/holiday/stpatricks/

IRA Z. O'ROMOFF

DIRECTOR OF LEASING
ICB LEASING CORP.
551 FIFTH AVENUE
4TH FLOOR
NYC, N.Y. 10176
212 209-9177
212 209-9179 (FAX)
201 776 7040 (CELL)

IRomoff@ICBNY.com

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

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

Classified Ads—Collector/Controller/Contract Administrator

New York's St. Patrick's Day parade is the longest running civilian parade in the world. This year nearly three million spectators are expected to watch the spectacle and some 150,000 participants plan to march.

• Colonial New York City hosted the first official St. Patrick's Day parade in 1762, when Irish immigrants in the British colonial army marched down city streets. In subsequent years Irish fraternal organizations also held processions to St. Patrick's Cathedral. The various groups merged sometime around 1850 to form a single, grand parade.

Collector

Boston, MA.
Challenging position where my skills, professional experience, organization, leadership, strategic thinking, creativity, energy, passion, competitive nature will enable me to define opportunities and personal development.
Email: bernd.janet@verizon.net

Jacksonville, East Brunswick, FL.
13 years experience with collection, recovery,re-marketing and legal on commercial loans and leases. Expertise with distressed portfolios, Six Sigma trained. Willing to relocate.
Email: RichardB12364@aol.com

Wellington, FL .
4+ years experience in credit/collections, 7 of which were with a large equipment leasing company as a manager. Also 3rd party collection experience.
Email: michaelgalan@adelphia.net

Controller

Seattle , WA.
CPA w/ Sarbanes Oxley/ 15 years management exp. as CFO/ Controller/5 yrs w/ PWC Extensive exp providing accounting/ tax guidance for the equipment lease industry. Willing to relocate.
Email: bltushin@hotmail.com
RESUME

Southeastern, MI.
Controller & Management experience w/ equip lessors &broker. MBA, CPA w/ extensive accounting, management, securitization experience with public and private companies. Willing to relocate.
Email: Leasebusiness@aol.com

Uniondale, NY.
I have a strong multifaceted background in all areas of lease accounting combining my years as a Controller of leasing companies and as Vice-President of Leasing for a NY Bank.
Email: awinitt@hotmail.com

Contract Administrator

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

Portland, OR.
6+ years small ticket leasing/financing. Documentation/funding
Policy development &implementation, management &training, process mapping, customer service, broker, vendor, portfolio experience.
Email: susanc777@hotmail.com

For a full listing of all “job wanted” ads, please go to:

http://64.125.68.91/AL/LeasingNews/JobPostings.htm

To place a free “job wanted” ad, please go to:

http://64.125.68.91/AL/LeasingNews/PostingForm.asp

[headlines]

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

Dominion Leasing Software: “Leasing Software” List up-date

Leasing Software Companies

Top eLeasing software companies, as ranked by employees.

Rank

Company Name
Year Founded
Website

Employees
CEO
Additional Services
Offered
Yearly
Volume
Major Clients
14
Dominion Leasing Software (d)
Lease Complete©

P.O. Box 550, Powhatan, VA 23139
804 403 3710
Founded 2003
www.dominionls.com

11

David F. Hill VP Sales & Marketing
X715

Please read Note d, below for information about LeaseComlete.
Privately held
Diverse client group including commercial banks, credit unions, and independent leasing companies.

(d) LeaseComplete© is a comprehensive lease accounting and asset management solution that is widely recognized as the premier custom solution for both equipment and vehicle lease portfolios. Our value-added approach to system design provides features that allow you to add services for your customers that both garner repeat business and provide additional revenue sources for your company.  For more information, please visit our website where you can take a virtual tour of the System and schedule your own private web-based demonstration. http://www.dominionls.com/ .

Thank you.
David Hill
Dominion Leasing Software, LLC
david.hill@dominionls.com

 

[headlines]

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

Alexa Ranks Leasing Media Web Sites

Rank
3/16/2006
2/16/2006
 
WEBSITE NAME
1.
74,656
86,774
  www.aba.com American Bankers Association
2.
210,437
224,592
  www.leasingnews.org  Leasing News
3.
305,844
246,769
  www.monitordaily.com Monitor Daily
4.
325,778
343,015
  www.elaonline.com Equipment Leasing Association
5.
578,426
584,950
  www.ibaa.org Ind Community Bankers of America
6.
623,364
583,116
  www.cfa.com  Commercial Finance Association
7.
864,818
465,909
  www.iicl.org  Institute of International Container Lessors
8.
1,011,822
1,007,471
  www.uael.org  United Association of Equipment Leasing
9.
1,326,061
1,555,286
  www.naelb.org* National Assoc. of Equip Leasing Brokers
10.
1,415,624
1,364,041
  www.us-banker.com  U.S.Banker
11.
2,142,995
1,748,150
  www.efj.com Equipment Financial Journal
12.
3,018,937
2,318,639
  www.leasefoundation.org Equip. Leasing & Fin Fndn
13.
4,167,316
5,256,278
  www.leasingnotes.com Leasing Notes
14.
4,930,086
No Data
  www.clpfoundation.org   CLP Foundation
15.
5,081,046
4,963,965
  www.executivecaliber.ws  Exec Caliber-Jeffrey Taylor
16.
5,568,609
5,408,471
  www.aglf.org  Assoc of Government Leasing  Financing
17.
5,610,025
5,604,530
  www.eael.org*Eastern Association of Equipment Leasing
18.
No Data
4,759,214
  www.leaseassistant.org Lease Assistant
19.
No Data
2,213,019
  www.lessors.com  eLessors Networking Association
20.
No Data
No Data
  www.nationalfunding.org The National Funding Assoc
21.
No Data
No Data
  www.leasecollect.org Lean -Lease Enforcement Att Net
22.
No Data
No Data
  www.Leasingpress.com Leasing Press
David G. Mayer's Business Leasing News is not included in the Alexa report list as it does not have its own individual site and Alexa finds Patton Boggs, LLP Attorneys at Law.  The rating is not valid as it includes all those who visit and communicate with the law firm.  When Business Leasing News has its own individual web site, it will be included in the Alexa survey.

*It should also be noted that two web sites have their "list serve" posted via their site, meaning their e-mails are counted as a visit to the site, whereas they are "list serve" communication.  These are technically visits to the web site, but primarily to use "list serve."

These comparisons are compiled by Leasing News using Alexa and should be viewed as a "sampling," rather than an actual count from the website itself.  Other than as noted above, we believe the ratings are reflective as most have stayed in the same position, basically, for over a year.

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

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

( Note: the lower the number, the higher you are on the list. It is based on all web sites. Leasing is only a very small part of the various sites such as Yahoo, MSN, Google, etc. )

 

[headlines]

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

All Sales Are Complex

by Steve Chriest

More than a few leasing salespeople and their managers think of the leasing sale as transactional. I want to suggest that the leasing sale, at all levels, is a complex sale. As is true in any complex selling situation, it's what and who you don't know that usually spells disaster for your selling efforts.

The complex sale characteristics of vendor sales are easy to see. Selling to vendors usually involves more than one buying influencer on the vendor side. Not only must the senior managers in a vendor organization approve doing business with you, but the vendor's salespeople and support staff must also stand behind doing business with you and your company. Reluctance on the part of any of these influencers and players can spell big trouble for your sale. In addition, the decision-making process, especially for large vendor accounts, can be involved and can take a good deal of time.

What about a leasing sale to an individual lessee who runs a small business? You're dealing directly with the decision-maker. He or she can make a quick decision and does not need to consult with anyone regarding the decision, right? This sale is simple and transactional, right? Wrong!

What most salespeople and managers miss about these transactional sales is the fact that in many cases, in fact in almost all cases, unseen decision influencers lurk in the background. A sole proprietor who operates a one-man machine shop, for example, may have a spouse who works in the business, but behind the scenes, exerting strong influence over capital expenditures. That same entrepreneur may belong to local trade group that offers free advice on financing alternatives for its members. This small business owner may have a CPA, and perhaps an attorney with whom he consults on all major business decisions.

So, what appears to be a simple, transactional sale is actually a complex sale that may involve multiple decision influencers. The fact that the machine shop owner may also engage outside experts to evaluate financing options also adds to the complexity of the decision-making process. It is best to find out if he will discuss it with his bookkeeper or his certified public accountant, or even his son-in-law, who is an attorney.

Don't be fooled into thinking any sale is as simple as it appears. If you don't know everything there is to know about your customer's buying decision process, or you haven't identified, or aren't aware of all the key decision influencers, both seen and unseen, you may lose your sale without ever knowing why.

Copyright © 2006 Selling Up TM . All Rights Reserved.

About the author: Steve Chriest is the founder of Selling Up TM (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 Up , The Proven System for Reaching and Selling Senior Executives. You can reach Steve at schriest@selling-up.com .

[headlines]

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

Classified Ads—Help Wanted

Account Executive

At Dell Financial Services, we fuel your potential with the kind of challenging opportunities and hands-on support you need to grow. We're the exclusive provider of leasing and finance services for Dell technology systems worldwide. If you're ready for your chance to take the field, join our team as a:

Account Executive

Responsible for working remote out of a home office in the states of MI, GA, WA, CO, CA and MN. We're looking for seasoned candidates with 8+ years of Equipment Leasing Sales experience with a successful track record of increasing market/account penetration by assigned segment and/or geographic region, improving customer satisfaction and growing the business for long term results. You will be working in a relationship sales environment directly with CFOs, CIOs, CEOs and other high-level executives. If this type of opportunity sounds appealing, please send a copy of your resume to US_DFS_STAFFING@dell.com
     

 

   
Account Executive

Seeking an assertive, goal-oriented, profit-motivated Account Executive with sales experience in the equipment finance industry for Irvine , California headquarters. Unlimited earning potential - competitive salary with bonus and commission. Send resumes to llewis@calfirstlease.com or log on to www.calfirstjobs.com/apply_now.htm to apply for position.
   

Financial Analyst

   
Financial Analyst – Irvine, CA

CalFirst Leasing Corporation is looking for experienced individual with a commercial credit analysis background. This opportunity affords a competitive salary plus great medical and 401k benefits. If you have a minimum of 2 years commercial credit analysis background, please send us your resume to learn more about this exciting opportunity. Send resumes to bbumblis@cfnbc.com.
   

Lease Representatives

  
Seeking Lease Representatives
in Baltimore, Atlanta,
Charlotte or Raleigh.

In these positions, you will develop and maintain relationships with lease brokers, leasing companies, equipment vendors and direct lessees throughout the Region. Must be knowledgeable in indirect/third party transactions ranging from $15K and up and have the necessary in-market experience. Please apply on-line at www.mandtbank.com.

At M&T Bank, we provide an exciting and challenging work environment where performance and innovative thinking are encouraged and rewarded at every level. With over 700 branches, your career can travel as far as you want to take it!  
  

Portfolio Collection & Customer Service Specialist

  
Portfolio Collection & Customer Service Specialist, Irvine, CA

Small ticket lessor seeks candidates with related work experience in the equipment leasing industry. Candidates must possess strong verbal/written communication and negotiating skills. Competitive comp package and outstanding work environment! Please e-mail resumes: recruiter@gen-cap.com.
  

Sales Manager

 
Sales Manager – Irvine, CA

We're looking for a detail oriented, profit driven Sales Manager with 10 years experience in sales and/or management in the middle ticket equipment finance/leasing industry. Great opportunity for huge earnings potential as we offer a competitive salary with bonus and commission. Send resumes to llewis@calfirstlease.com .
   

[headlines]

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

Leasing still a Relationship Business

by Christopher Menkin

My first partner in 1974, Walter Muir, president of Medallion Mortgage and Dividend Development, opened a recourse line at Crocker National Bank. As soon as we signed the papers where he was full recourse, he told me to get another bank line. He said always have more than one source, in case something happens to the first source or the terms and conditions change. Eventually we had three bank lines, plus the 1973 first non-recourse bank line at Wells Fargo Bank, through their auto division in San Jose, California ( at the time, they had many auto finance division, primarily for auto dealers, not equipment.)

Our partnership lasted over ten years, until a point I not only didn't need his personal guarantee, but we ended another leasing partnership that was going in a different direction than I wanted to go (it is another story.)

Through this time we also established “discount” and “broker” lines for customers out of our “one hour driving distance” and those that did not fit other criteria, including when we got to $50,000 in recourse with one customer (it was a lot of money to us in 1974.)

During this time the bank lines and lease lines were set up in person, as Shawn Halladay so well puts it in www.leasingnotes.com that equipment leasing is a “relationship business.”

The development of the four main equipment leasing associations saw the need not only to continue relationships, but develop new ones. The growth of the top two, now both close to 780 members each, demonstrate the diversity. The two up-coming leasing conferences are prime examples of how their membership has grown.

The main difference in the two leasing conferences is the relationships sought, and offered and why their members meet, one in Minneapolis, and the other in Chicago.

Only three of the “funders” listed at the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers (NAELB) Conference will be at the Equipment Leasing Association (ELA) Funding Conference: ACC Capital, Bank of the West, Main Street National Bank.

Two of the funders on the ELA list are not on the Leasing News list of funders (a bank and mortgage company who's web site show no leasing department, but may be new in this sector.)

21 of the NAELB list (excluding two well-known “SuperBrokers” otherwise it would be 23, three service companies on the list were not counted) are not on the Leasing News “funder list” (Note: this does not include ACC Capital which is not listed on any Leasing News list: 24)

These observations should not be viewed as criticism, but to point out the differences between the two conferences and thus the two leasing associations. As ELA appears to becoming more a legislative advocate, NAELB this year will certainly become the largest association in number with additional significant benefits for its individual members.

To further illustrate the difference, Marlin Leasing with over 300 employees today and actively expanding across the United States, including into an industrial bank in Utah, was not listed in the ELA Funding Conference presenters.

Marlin's marketplace, according to its SEC filing: "the average original lease transaction was $9,032, with an average remaining balance of $6,401. ( Our average lease transaction was approximately $9,000 at December 31, 2005.Of our 296 total employees as of December 31, 2005, we employed 103 sales account executives, each of whom receives a base salary and earns commissions based on their lease originations. We also employed six employees dedicated to marketing as of December 31, 2005.) The company wishes to expand it "broker" business although it states: "The small-ticket equipment leasing market is highly fragmented. We estimate that there are up to 75,000 independent equipment dealers who sell the types of equipment we finance. We focus primarily on the segment of the market comprised of the small and mid-size independent equipment dealers."

The difference in the marketplace of the funders can also be seen in the ELA literature:

“If you're an equipment lessor, you're in demand. Your originations are strong, your credit quality is good, your profitability is steady, and 2006 promises more of the same. That's why funding sources want you! They need solid investments, and few could be better than leasing right now. It's elementary: You have business that needs funding. Funding sources have capital that needs to be put to work. So...Let's Make a Deal!”

This appeal to larger lessors with warehouse lines who fund deals and then sell in a group or individually most often to a “non-recourse” lender. The original lessor assigns the lease and maintains the rights of the personal property, unless there is a default. Reserves and “hold backs” are not uncommon. While there are independent and smaller firms, they generally handle large ticket dollar amounts or bank/securitization lines for major corporations.

ELA List of Funders at Press Time:

ACC Capital
AIG Commercial
Alliance Leasing, Inc.
All Points Capital Corp.
American Industrial Leasing
Bank of the West
Boston Financial & Equity Corp.
Caterpillar Financial Services
CIT
Comerica Leasing
Commonwealth Capital Corp.
De Lage Landen
Emigrant Business Credit
Equilease Financial Services, Inc.
Fifth Third Leasing
First Bank of Highland Park
First Financial Services, Inc.
GE Commercial Finance
Huntington National Bank
ICB Leasing Corp.
IFC Credit Corp
IBM Global Financing
Lakeland Bank Leasing
LaSalle National Leasing
Main Street Bank
MarCap
MB Financial
National City Commercial
New World Equipment Finance, LLC
ORIX USA Corporation
Park National Bank
People's Capital & Leasing
Popular Leasing USA
Popular Leasing Small Ticket, Muni Acquisitions & Syndications Unit
RBS Asset Finance
Rockwell Financial Group
Sentry Financial Corp.
Siemens Financial Services, Inc.
Sovereign Bank
Suntrust Leasing
Timepayment Corporation
Tokyo Leasing (USA)
US Bancorp Equipment Finance
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance
Wells Fargo Foothill
Service Provider Exhibitors
American Lease Insurance
ECS Financial Services, Inc.
LeaseTeam, Inc.
The Monitor
Premier Lease & Loan Services
Wells Fargo Bank Northwest - Corporate Trust Services

go to www.elaonline.com to register.

NAELB List of Funders at Press Time

ACC Capital Corporation
AdvanceMe, Inc.
Allegiant Partners Incorporated
American Lease Insurance
Amerisource Funding, Inc.
Bank of the West
Baystone Financial Group
Belvedere Equipment Finance
Bibby Financial Services
Blackstone Equipment Financing, L.P.
BSB Leasing, Inc.
Butler Capital Corporation
CFC Investment Company
CLP Foundation
Creative Capital Leasing Group
Credit Union Services, Inc.
Credit.net
Dakota Financial, LLC
ECS Financial Services, Inc.
Enterprise Funding Group
Equipment Lessors Protection Association
Evans National Leasing, Inc.
Financial Pacific Leasing, LLC
First National Equipment Financing
Fortran Group International, Inc.
Forum Leasing
Government Leasing Company
LeaseTeam, Inc.
Main Street National Bank
Marlin Leasing Corp.
NetBank Business Finance
Padco Lease Corp.
Pawnee Leasing Corporation
Performance Capital Corporation
Pinnacle Business Finance, Inc
Pioneer Capital Corp.
Precision Leasing, Inc.
Preferred Business Solutions
Quail Capital
Resources Unlimited
Southwest Credit
Standard Professional Services, LLC
Summit Leasing, Inc.
SunBridge Capital, Inc.
TEAM Equipment Leasing, Inc
Terra Vista Software, Inc.
Tetra Financial Group, LLC
TimePayment Corporation
U.S. Bancorp Manifest Funding Services
USA Financial Services LLC

Don't delay - Register now at www.naelb.org !

Both conferences are not far from each other in major cities: Chicago, Illinois, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hotel rooms in Chicago appear higher than Minneapolis, and perhaps airfare is higher to and from Minneapolis than Chicago due to the city being an “airline hub port.”

While there are other events, other activities, including a NAELB golf brunch and outing ($100), four paid professional speakers, marketing programs, the main thrust in this Leasing News comparison regards broker/lessors together with funders. This is more than a “funding conference.”

ELA will have its “Annual Conference in the fall. This is one of a series for specific segments of the industry. The ELA approach to allows attendees to make appointments on line before the conference. It also should be pointed out that the majority of “brokers/Lessors” who attend ELA are looking at sources for daily business of $1 million to $20 million, as indicated on the Leasing News “Broker/Lessor” list of ELA members. (This evidently does not exclude, but certainly is not aimed at “Captive Vendors” and “Captive Lessors” where ELA has a separate conference for this group exclusively:

April 9-11, Florida: http://www.elaonline.com/events/2006/CVF/

Cost to Attend today, March 17:

ELA Members: $495
Non-members: $775
NAELB Members: $550
NAELB Non-Member: $675
Additional Broker(member) $500
Additional Broker (non-member) $625
Funder/Associate (member) $700
Funder/Associate (non-member) $825
Additional Funder/Associate (member) $650
Additional Funder/Associate (non-member) $775
Spouse/Guest (member) $275
Spouse/Guest (non-member) $350

(Broker members before March 15th $100 less, in addition, NAELB gives all members $50 credit toward any one event they attend in the year of membership)

Leasing News "Funder" list:

http://www.leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm

[headlines]

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

H&R Block Bank Going to Kansas City

While New York Attorney General Elliot Spitnzer is taking H&R Block,Inc. to court for $250 million in fines over fees for its Individual Retirement Accounts to 30,000 New York investors, Federal regulators have approved H&R Block Inc.'s application to open its own bank.

There is talk in Washington, D.C., the Federal Reserve wants to step into the states creating banks, such as Wal-Mart wants to do in Utah as its main competitor Target has. Other entities such as Merrill-Lynch and LCA Bank Corporation have, with the latest Marlin Leasing wanting to get into the act.

H&R Block Bank, a savings bank to be based near H&R Block's Kansas City headquarters, will allegedly provide a full range of banking services, starting out with $160 million in assets, to be expanded to $185 million by the end of the year.

Company officials believe the bank will begin operating by the end of April.

"Offering banking services extends and strengthens the H&R Block brand and can benefit our clients who have limited access to basic banking and savings services," Mark Ernst, H&R Block's chairman and chief executive officer, stated in a company press release.

The company has pursued a bank charter for several years, twice withdrawing its application for fine-tuning. Ernst has told analysts that the bank would give the company greater flexibility in providing financial services, such as checking, savings accounts and IRAs. It also would eliminate fees H&R Block now pays to a network of banks for holding accounts belonging to its clients.

In the Office of Thrift Supervision's approval letter, it said the agency has approved the bank's plan to buy about $850 million in mortgages originated by H&R Block's mortgage lending subsidiaries within the first three months of operation, saying it felt the startup strategy was reasonable.

Consumer advocates had opposed the bank charter, warning that the company could use the bank to expand its refund anticipation loans _ cash advances for tax clients not wanting to wait for their tax refund _ or push subprime loans in poor neighborhoods.

Regulators said H&R Block doesn't plan to sell the refund anticipation loans through the bank and that the bank must follow federal regulations prohibiting predatory lending practices.

The agency also said H&R Block will select at least three communities outside Kansas City to provide savings and lending services within the first nine months.

In addition to the new charges by New York Attorney General

Elliot Spitzer, just a few weeks ago, the Kansas City, Mo.-based company, revealed mistakes in reporting its own state income-tax liability that led to a restatement of past financial results.

In January, the company mailed out free copies of its tax-return software that included the recipients' Social Security numbers on the mailing label.

And in December, it agreed to pay $62.5 million to settle four suits over its so-called refund-anticipation loans, as part of a class-action lawsuit.

[headlines]

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

Know More: Leasing, Reasons to lease, Section 179

Shawn Halladay, www.leasingnotes.com

Under Section 179 of the IRC, you can elect to recover all or part of the cost of certain qualifying property, up to a limit, by deducting it in the year you place the property in service. This is called the Section 179 deduction. You can elect the section 179 deduction instead of recovering the cost by deducting the MACRS. To qualify for the section 179 deduction, the property must be tangible personal property. single purpose agricultural (livestock) or horticultural, structures, storage facilities (except buildings and their structural components) used in connection with distributing petroleum, and off-the-shelf computer software.

For those of you who use Section 179 of the IRC as part of your sales pitch, make certain that you are using the right dollar amounts. The maximum Section 179 deduction for 2006 is $108,000.

This amount increases to $143,000 for qualified enterprise zone property. If you are placing qualified Section 179 Gulf Opportunity Zone property into service, the limit on the section 179 deduction is increased by the smaller of100,000, or the cost of qualified GO Zone property placed in service during the year. All these amounts are limited by the amount of total property placed in service during the year. There are limits also on the Section 179 deductions for heavy sport utility vehicles.

Also keep your eye open for tax credit opportunities as you talk with your customers, as certain types of equipment have tax credits associated with them. Although the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) has not been available since 1986, there has been a steady stream of tax credits enacted for different types of property and activities over the years. Some of the types of equipment that have tax credits and extra deductions of which you can take advantage include:

* Interior lighting systems, heating, cooling, ventilation, and hot water systems that are part of energy efficient commercial buildings

* Advanced lean burn technology vehicles, qualified alternative fuel vehicles, qualified fuel cell vehicles, or qualified hybrid vehicles

* Alternative fuel vehicle refueling property such as property used to store or dispense clean burning fuel or recharge motor vehicles propelled by electricity

* Energy property used in business such as qualified fuel cells, stationary microturbine power plants, and equipment that uses solar energy for illumination

* Advanced coal and gasification projects

These are select opportunities, but they do shelter taxes very efficiently, so good hunting!

To subscribe, either “bookmark” the web page, or follow the directions on line at www.leasingnews.com

[headlines]

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

Leasing Decisions of Small Firms (2006)

This study provides evidence about the small firm lease/purchase decision, using survey data collected by the National Federation of Independent Business. The study describes the characteristics of small firms that prefer to lease equipment, identifies the primary reasons these firms lease equipment, and lists reasons why other small firms typically purchase equipment. The study results offer a profile of small firms most likely to lease equipment and also identifies two challenges facing the leasing industry in the small business sector.

Leasing Decisions of Small Firms study was conducted by Morris G. Danielson, Ph.D., St. Joseph's University and Jonathan A. Scott, Ph.D., Temple University

$75

Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation

http://www.leasefoundation.org/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=379

[headlines]

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

“Beige Report”

Fed reports US economy strengthened into March

Overall economic activity continued to expand into early March even as the housing market is cooling down as mortgage rates increase along with the median prices of homes.

Employment is modestly up with wage gains, even if minor.

Inflation is still with us, but could be worse due to the high energy costs.

The survey is based on information supplied by the 12 regional Federal Reserve banks. The information for the survey was collected before March 6. It will figure into discussions at the Federal Reserve's next meeting to examine interest rates March 27-28, the first for new chairman Ben Bernanke. It is expected the Fed will again raise the top rate a quarter of a point.

Boston
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/1.htm

New York
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/2.htm

Philadelphia
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/3.htm

Cleveland
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/4.htm

Richmond
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/5.htm

Atlanta
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/6.htm

Chicago
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/7.htm

St. Louis
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/8.htm

Minneapolis
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/9.htm

Kansas City
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/10.htm

Dallas
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/11.htm

San Francisco
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/12.htm

Full Report:
www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/FullReport.htm

[headlines]

### Press Release ###########################
--------------------------------------------------------------

Interpool to Sell Majority of Container Operating Lease Assets to Investor Group

Interpool Will Manage the Portfolio and Continue Active Container Leasing Business; Company to Obtain 15-Day Extension for Filing 2005 Form 10-K Report

PRINCETON, N.J.----Interpool, Inc. (NYSE: IPX) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Interpool Containers Limited ("ICL"), has entered into an agreement to sell a substantial majority of its operating lease portfolio of standard dry marine cargo containers to a newly formed subsidiary of an investor group based in Switzerland.

Following the sale, Interpool and its 50%-owned subsidiary, Container Applications International, Inc. ("CAI"), will perform management services on behalf of the purchaser for the containers being sold, and Interpool will continue its active businesses of leasing cargo containers and container chassis to shipping lines and other customers.

Interpool's container sale involves a total of approximately 273,000 standard dry marine cargo containers owned by ICL, as well as an assignment of all of ICL's rights under existing leases for this equipment. The purchase price is approximately $515 million, which is expected to result in an after-tax gain for Interpool of approximately $58-62 million during the first quarter of 2006, subject to closing adjustments and final accounting review. Interpool and CAI have entered into a management agreement with the purchaser whereby they will continue to interface with their customers and will provide long term management services, including billing, collecting, lease renewal, operations and disposition activities for the sale portfolio, for a management fee.

The container sale is expected to close on March 31, 2006. ICL intends to use the proceeds of the sale to reduce indebtedness and for general corporate purposes, including the acquisition of additional containers for finance and operating leases. The sale agreement does not restrict any future activities that may be engaged in by Interpool or ICL, and Interpool stated that it intends to continue its active container leasing business through ICL.

The obligations of the purchaser under the sale agreement are subject to the completion of necessary financing arrangements. Interpool said that the purchaser has received a commitment letter from a financial institution, subject to customary closing conditions. Both Interpool and the purchaser have agreed to place the amount of $10 million on deposit with an escrow agent to secure their obligations under the sale agreement.

Martin Tuchman, Interpool's Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer said, "This transaction represents a significant step in our plan to position our company to further enhance shareholder value. It provides an additional source of capital and an opportunity to reduce debt, improve our capital structure and reduce the cost of future financings. Following this transaction and the cash distribution made by our foreign subsidiary to the parent company in December, we will be extremely well positioned to take advantage of strategic opportunities at the parent company level and to increase our investment in chassis for the expanding maritime, rail and domestic trucking markets. And, with our excellent relationships with customers in the container leasing markets, we intend to continue to invest in the container finance and operating lease sectors as we have in the past."

Interpool is one of the world's leading suppliers of equipment and services to the transportation industry. The company is the world's largest lessor of intermodal container chassis and a world-leading lessor of cargo containers used in international trade.

[headlines]

### Press Release ###########################
--------------------------------------------------------------

News Briefs----

2005 Loss For GM To Jump $2 Billion
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/16/AR2006031601752.html

Congress Raises Ceiling for Borrowing—debt to Japan/China
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/16/AR2006031600225.html

Home loan delinquency rate shows increase
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/housing/2006-03-16-mortgage-delinquent_x.htm

Q4 Deliquency Rate by State
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2006-03-16-delinquentchart.htm

Median Silicon Valley home price hits record $722,000 in February
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/14116386.htm

Neverland Nevermore for Jacko—Fined for not paying employees
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,188181,00.html

[headlines]

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

You May have Missed---

Would you pay $15 extra for an airplane aisle seat?

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14116506.htm

[headlines]

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

Sports Briefs----

Bode Miller, Daron Rahlves Peak at Season Finale
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/03/16/sports/
s130839S39.DTL

NCAA Basketball Scoreboard
http://stats.washingtonpost.com/cbk/scoreboards.asp?conf=000&day=20060316

United States Runs Out of Chances in Baseball Classic
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/17/sports/sportsspecial/17usa.html?hp&ex=
1142658000&en=dd71addf9554d732&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Super Bowl brought $274M to Detroit
http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-03-16-sb-detroit_x.htm

[headlines]

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

California News Briefs---

GOP frustrates governor by rejecting bonds

The result leaves Schwarzenegger with little to show for the first three months of this re-election year, when he has spoken of little else than his ambitious proposal to borrow billions to relieve traffic, repair levees and build new schools.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/17/GUV.TMP

[headlines]

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

“Gimme that Wine”

For St. Patrick's Day, wine with Irish spirit
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11838031/

The next big thing for Oregon wines? Could be Riesling
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/exclude/
1141950332193140.xml&coll=7

Coppola in Sonoma: There goes the neighborhood
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/16/WIG1PHO5KQ1.DTL&
hw=wine&sn=003&sc=703

Massachusetts: Would you like a doggie bag -- for your wine?
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/foodDining/view.bg?articleid=124555

2006 Washington Wine Restaurant Award Winners Announced; Salty's on Alki Wins Restaurant of the Year, Sommelier of the Year
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&
newsId=20060314006277&newsLang=en

For many vineyard estates, prices are withering

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/14/business/revine.php

www.winezap.com

http://www.wine-searcher.com/

If you want to know if you got a value for your wine, or what the wine price is today, go to www.winezap.com Type in the vintage (year) and name of the producer with wine type or geographic area, such as 1995 Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac. Even 1995 Lynch Bages will work, or 1999 Viader

[headlines]

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

Restaurant Review

Katz's Delicatessen
205 E. Houston St.,
New York, NY 10002
at Ludlow St.
212-254-2246

Hours

Sun-Tue: 8am-10pm
Wed-Thu: 8am-11pm
Fri-Sat: 8am-3am
Delivery: 8am-2pm

http://www.katzdeli.com/

(flash required to view site )

Best corned beef in New York City. Even the New York Times gave this place the highest marks in all the boroughs.

This is not a fancy place and fairly set in their ways.

When you enter, you are given a ticket. When you buy something, the ticket is marked, so when you exit, you pay.

If you stick to the left, you can take a sit by the tables by the wall of photographs. Usually there is always a seat available. Waiters will take your order and serve you. You give them a tip.

If you want food to go, or to eat at one of the tables in the middle ( where supposedly "Harry met Sally," you get in one of the lines at the deli. Any line, Try to take the shortest, and order your food from the man behind the counter (mine has always worn a large Christian cross which cracked me up here-I think he was Italian.) Then you go down the line for more choices. More than you will ever eat.

And a plate full of great Kosher pickles, crisp, the Jewish way, and delicious. I understand you can get mail orders here.

Here is a tip, have your guest look and wait for a table, while you get the food; otherwise you may wait a while to sit ( anytime of the day, is my experience, they are really busy.)

The pastrami is the best, and the other courses very good. Now if you want the tourist Jewish place (where you also can see a lot of colorful New Yorkers) try:

Second Ave. Delicatessen

Second Ave. Delicatessen  ( now closed and may not reopen, check to see if open in the near future)

East Village 156 2nd Ave. at 10th St. (212) 677-0606

Sun-Thur. 8a.m.-midnight F-Sat. 8a.m.-3a.m.

Strictly kosher deli. You get an array of pickles when you sit down. The chopped liver, babka, kasha varnishkas, chicken soup, and apple strudel are wonderful. This restaurant was once in the heart of the Yiddish theater district; thus, the Hollywood style plaques that are embedded in the sidewalk outside.

Carnegie Deli

(near Central Park) 854 7th Ave. between 54th and 55th St. (212) 757-2245

Entrees run about $10.00. Humongous corned beef sandwiches. Great pickles. The sandwiches are big enough for two people. I like the old Jewish-style soda's. You always get more than you can eat.

The overweight waitresses are not very friendly, in fact, terrible, as if it is a big pain to serve you. They dressed and acted just like they came from Hollywood castings. (if you go here, you will know what I am talking about) Don't delay on placing your order, or you will not get to order at all. I liked it for the overall glitz and the “New York tourist experience,” but Katz was definitely the best for Pastrami or Corned Beef.

(for other reviews: please go here:

http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/rstrnt.htm

[headlines]

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

Calendar Events This Day

Doctor-Patient Day

To rekindle the once-revered sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship

Evacuation Day

A public holiday at Boston and Suffolk County, MA, celebrates the anniversary of the evacuation from Boston of British Troops.

Nauvoo Day:

Twenty Mormon women formally initiated this organization at Nauvoo, Ill., which is now known as the Relief Society and has grown to almost four million members.

St. Patrick's Day

(see Today's Top Event in History)

Submarine Day

Your One stop solution for training and reference material for the Leasing Professional


Visit our website by clickng on the logo above

122-A Foothill Blvd., Arcadia, CA. 91006
Voice 626-305-1053 . Fax 626-305-0019 .
ted@cclease.com

[headlines]

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

Today's Top Event in History

Patrick's Day: commemorates the patron saint of Ireland, Bishop Patrick (AD389—461) who, about AD 432, left his home in the Severn Valley, England, and introduced Christianity into Ireland. Feast Cay in the Roman Catholic Church. A national holiday in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Here in the United States there are major parades in major cities, such as New York, held since 1762, the parade is a two mile march starting at 11:30am, lasting six hours, with over a million in attendance. Other parades include the “Downtown Hornell NY” 14 th annual “come as you are”, “wearin' of the green,” in New Orleans, and in Florida they also celebrate, “Save the Panther Day.” Also Chicago, where the river runs green today, (Savannah, Ga., does the same believe it or not).  Boston, which was actually the site of the first St. Paddy's in 1737. If you drink, don't drive or get a designated driver.

A public holiday at Boston and Suffolk County, Massachusetts to celebrate the 225 th anniversary of the evacuation from Boston of British troops. They evacuated Boston after American forces seized and fortified Dorchester Heights on March 4. General Howe sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia, to await reinforcements. Considered the first major defeat of the British by the Americans, who were losing most battles with ill trained officers, soldiers, and lack of supplies.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar17.html

[headlines]

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

This Day in American History

    1734-Forty-two families of German Protestant refugees landed in the American colonies. Sponsored by the British Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK), the 78 religious pilgrims soon founded the town of Ebenezer, 30 miles from Savannah, Georgia.
http://historicaltextarchive.com/salzburger/ebenezer.html
http://www.sip.armstrong.edu/Transportation/FullView/Trans_Img6.html
http://www.loc.gov/rr/european/imde/ebenezer.html
http://www.gasalzburgers.org/
http://www.holtzendorff.com/gavacation/ebenezer/ebenezer.html
    1755- Transylvania Land Co buys Kentucky for $50,000 from a Cherokee chief
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/H/HendersoR1.asp
http://www.bartelby.com/65/tr/TransylCo.html
http://wolves.dsc.k12.ar.us/cyberace/sbgone/gen/fam1/history/ky/transylvania.htm
    1776 - Having seized Dorchester Heights, George Washington forced the British under William Howe to evacuate Boston. One a tour of the Boston area, I saw where the cannon were poised around the British. It was amazing that they were able to be put into place over such rough land, poor weather, and under strength crew. What the British did not know, they had little dry powder to fire the cannon, and many lacked the cannon ball, but Washington surrounded them and bluffed them into leaving Boston. I would highly recommend a visit to Boston and the surrounding area for the history, great restaurants, and people. Best is to hire a personal tour by one of the professional history storytellers who will take you to the sites, including the famous cemetery with a fabulous view of the city. I would recommend Robert of Exciting Tours of Boston, 69 Prescott Avenue, Boston, MA. 02150, Phone 617-699-6140 Fax: 617-889-3011 e-mail: exciting.tours@verizon.net Four Hour Maximum is a lot. Plan it so he can drop you off to one of his favorite Italian restaurants. You will not be disappointed.
http://patriotresource.com/events/bostonevac.html
http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/Our_Country_vol_2/britishev_he.html
http://www.mountalverniahs.org/mahs/hist-lit10/Dorchester/Battle.htm
http://www.artunframed.com/images/artmis63/stuart42.jpg
    1777-Roger B. Taney birthday, 1777, he became the first presidential nominee to be rejected by the Senate and later became Supreme Court Justice who ruled on the Dred Scott decision. Taney served as Attorney General under President Andrew Jackson. Nominated as Secretary of the Treasury, his rejection by the Senate centered on his strong stance against the Bank of the United States as a central bank and his role in urging President Jackson to veto the congressional bill extending its charter. The states want to control banking, and not allow the federal government to do so. In reality, the first federal bank failed during a terrible recession and bad decisions by its then president, which ended the contest between federal and state control. A year after being rejected later as Secretary of the Treasury, he was nominated to the Supreme Court as an associate justice by Jackson, but his nomination was stalled until the death of Chief Justice John Marshall July 6, 1835 Taney was nominated to fill Marshall's place on the bench and after much resistance he was sworn in as Chief Justice in March 1836. His tenure on the Supreme Court is most remembered for the Dred Scott decision, that decided a Black man would not be recognized as a “free man” in U.S. territories.
    1804-Frontiersman Jim Bridger born, American fur trader and scout, born at Richmond VA, and died July 17,1881, near Kansas City, MO. Believed to be the first white man to visit (in 1824) the Great Salt Lake, he also established Fort Bridger in southwestern Wyoming as a fur-trading post and a way station for pioneers heading west on the Oregon Trail. Bridger National Forest in western Wyoming is named for him. The son of a surveyor and an innkeeper, Bridger moved with his family to St. Louis in 1818. There, Bridger apprenticed to a blacksmith, learned to handle boats, and became a good shot and skilled woodsman. When the Ashley-Henry fur trading company advertised for "enterprising young men" to travel the Missouri River to trade with the Indians, Bridger was among the first to respond, and he was hired in 1822.Though he lacked much formal education, Bridger demonstrated a brilliant ability for finding his way and surviving in the wilderness. As part of the Ashley-Henry team, he helped construct the first fur trading post on the Yellowstone River. At the age of 21, Bridger became the first Anglo definitely known to have seen the Great Salt Lake, though he mistakenly thought it was the Pacific Ocean at the time. He was adept at learning Indian dialects and culture, and he had a tremendous memory for geographical detail. For several years Bridger worked as an independent trapper and in 1830 he joined with three partners to gain control of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Bridger never really enjoyed the life of the businessman, though, and he sold out in 1834. That same year, he married Cora, the daughter of a Flathead Indian chief, and she accompanied him on his fur trapping expeditions. Yet by 1840, Bridger had grown tired of the nomadic trapper life. He was convinced that the emigrant traffic through the West had become heavy enough to support a trading post. He founded Fort Bridger along the Green River section of the Oregon Trail, in present-day southern Wyoming. Fort Bridger quickly became a regular stopping place for overland emigrants, and Bridger happily settled down with Cora, with whom he had three children. Bridger's idyllic life did not last, though. Cora died, Indians killed one of his daughters, and a second wife died in childbirth. Bridger retreated to the mountains to trap and hunt after each of these tragedies, often living for a time with Indians. In 1850, he married the daughter of a Shoshoni chief, and thereafter he and his bride-whom he called Mary- divided their time between summers at Fort Bridger and winters with the Shoshoni. In 1853, Mormons, resenting the competition from Bridger's fort, tried to arrest him as an outlaw. He escaped into the mountains with Mary and his children, but a band of Mormons burnt and gutted the fort, destroying all his supplies. Concerned for his family's safety, Bridger bought a farm near Westport, Missouri, where he left Mary and the children during all of his subsequent western journeys. He sold Fort Bridger in 1858, and spent the next decade working as a guide and an army scout in the early Indian wars. By 1868, Bridger's eyesight was failing, and he increasingly suffered from rheumatism. He retired to his Westport farm, where he cared for his apple trees and no doubt fondly recalled the rugged western mountains he had known so well. He died at the age of 76 on July 17, 1881.
    1811-The first Ohio River steamboat leaves Pittsburgh for New Orleans; it arrived three months later.
http://www.dobyns.com/dobyns.genealogy/nrpreble.htm
http://www.perrycountyindiana.org/attract/fultonhill.html
http://www.cincinnati.com/tallstacks/history_2centuries.html
    1841- Birth of James R. Murray, American sacred music editor. A veteran of the American Civil War, Murray is better remembered today as composer of the hymn tune MUELLER, to which we sing the Christmas carol, "Away in a Manger."
    1842-Female Relief: Society of Nauvoo Organized. Twenty Mormon women formally initiated this organization at Nauvoo, IL, which is now known as the Relief Society and has grown to almost four million members. Information furnished by Church of Latter-Day Saints, Public Affairs Department.
http://www.nauvoohistorical.org/about.htm
    1862- Martha Platt Falconer born, one the greatest of all pioneers in changing holding area of delinquent or homeless girls from virtual jails to homes for rehabilitation, education, and social adjustments. She pioneered her work at Sleighton Farm in Pennsylvania and the idea was gradually accepted throughout the nation.
http://search.eb.com/women/articles/Falconer_Martha_Platt.html
    1863- Battle of Kelly's Ford, Virginia. Union cavalry attack Confederate cavalry at Kelly's Ford, Virginia. Although the Yankees were pushed back and failed to take any ground, the engagement proved that the Federal troopers could hold their own against their Rebel counterparts. In the war's first two years, Union cavalry fared poorly in combat. This was especially true in the eastern theater, where Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart boasted an outstanding force comprised of excellent horsemen. On several occasions, Stuart embarrassed the Union cavalry with his daring exploits. During the Peninsular Campaign of 1862, Stuart rode around the entire 100,000-man Union army in four days. Later that year, he made a daring raid to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and returned unmolested to Virginia after inflicting significant damage and capturing tons of supplies. In February 1863, a raid by General Fitzhugh Lee (son of Confederate commander Robert E. Lee) left the Federals running in circles in search of the enemy force. Now, General Joseph Hooker assumed command of the Federal Army of the Potomac. He sought to bring an end to the Confederate raids by stopping Stuart's cavalry. Hooker assigned General William Averell to attack the Rebel cavalry near Culpeper Court House. Averall assembled 3,000 men for the mission, but he left 900 behind to protect against a rumored Confederate presence near Catlett's Station. Averell led the rest of his men towards Kelly's Ford, a crossing of the Rappahannock River east of Culpeper Court House. Fitzhugh Lee learned of the advance and positioned his cavalry brigade, which was part of Stuart's corps, to block the ford and dig rifle pits above the river. On the morning of March 17, Averell's men reached Kelly's Ford and were welcomed by fire from 60 Confederate sharpshooters. It took four attacks for Averell's men to capture the rifle pits and by noon the entire force was across the Rappahannock. Now, Fitzhugh Lee arrived with 800 troopers and two pieces of artillery. As the Confederates approached, the cautious Averell ordered his men to form a defensive line, thus giving the initiative to the Confederates. Lee arrived and ordered his men to attack, but Yankee fire drove them back. He attacked again and was again repulsed. Averell had a chance to score a major rout with a counterattack, but he instead withdrew across the Rappahannock River. He later said that the arrival of Stuart on the battlefield signaled the possible approach of additional Confederate cavalry. Averell lost 78 men killed, wounded, and captured during the day's fighting. The Confederates lost a total of 133 men. Among the Rebel dead was Major John Pelham, perhaps the best artillery officer in the Confederate army. He happened to be visiting Stuart when the battle began, and he rode forward to see the action. Pelham was mortally wounded by a shell splinter as he observed the Confederate attacks in the afternoon. Although Kelly's Ford was a Union defeat, it signaled a new phase of the cavalry war in the east. The Yankees were closing the gap with the Confederate horsemen. In the next four months, the Union cavalry fought their Confederate counterparts to a standstill at Brandy Station, and then scored a major victory at the Battle of Gettysburg.
    1870- Massachusetts legislature authorizes incorporation of Wellesley Female Seminary
http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Media/facts.html
    1876 --The Battle of Powder River--In the first of a series of battles over the Black Hills, Colonel Joseph Reynolds leads troops in an attack on a peaceful camp of Northern Cheyenne and Oglala Sioux near the Powder River. From positions on ledges and behind rocks, the Indians hold the soldiers at bay until women and children can escape across the river. Then the soldiers burn the tepees and everything inside, including the winter food supply, and drive away all the Indians' ponies. After dark, however, the Indians raid the Army encampment and recover their stolen horses. This lead to a court martial of Colonel Reynolds. The fighting near the Powder River culminates at the Little Big Horn and the ultimate destruction of freedom for the northern plains Indians.—
1892 - A winter storm in southwestern and central Tennessee produced 26 inches of snow at Riddleton, and 18.5 inches at Memphis. It was the deepest snow of record for those areas.
    1894- Novelist and playwright Paul Green is born. He won the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for his play “In Abraham's Bosom.” Although Green was white, his work examined the problems of blacks in the South, based on his observations of his native state, North Carolina. Born in 1894, Green studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He began writing plays for the theater group Carolina Playmakers in 1919, drawing on Southern folklore for his themes. During the Depression, his work took on a tone of social protest and included plays like Hymn to the Rising Sun (1936), about a chain gang. In 1941, he worked with novelist Richard Wright to dramatize Wright's book Native Son. Interested in the interplay of words and music, he wrote a series of symphonic dramas, including The Stephen Foster Story (1959) and The Lone Star (1977). He died in Chapel Hill in 1981.
http://www.ncwriters.org/pgreen.htm
http://www.qbsaul.demon.co.uk/
    1886-First Issue of “The Sporting News”, published in St. Louis at a price of two cents per copy. The Sporting News, long known as “The Bible of Baseball” and a multi-sport magazine since 1942,is the oldest continuously published sports publication in the country.
http://www.sportingnews.com/
    1897 - For the first time, motion pictures were shot of a championship prize fight, as ‘Sunny' Bob Fitzsimmons knocked out ‘Gentleman' Jim Corbett to win the world heavyweight title. Many of these films are available on line from the Library of Congress for free. With fast connections today, they are fascinating to view.
    1897 -Emilie Grace Briggs became the first woman in America to graduate from a Presbyterian theological school, when she received her Bachelor of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, in New York City.
http://www.uts.columbia.edu/projects/AWTS/exhibit/briggs1.html
http://www.uts.columbia.edu/projects/AWTS/exhibit/briggs5.html
    1902-Golfer Bobby Jones birthday ( Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., first golfer to win the grand slam ( the four major British and American tournaments in one years), Born at Atlanta, GA, he died there December 18,1971.
http://www.bobbyjones.com/
    1903- Radie Britain, composer, writer, teacher born near Amarillo, TX, won more than 50 national and international awards for her more than 150 classical compositions, trained at the American Conservatory in piano, organ, and composition, with advanced work and master classes in Germany. She taught at the Chicago Conservatory. Her daughter Lerae taught anthropology in Hawaii.
http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2001/June01/Radie.htm
http://www.music.indiana.edu/collections/britain/symph.html
http://orion-1.library.ucla.edu/web2/tramp2.exe/do_ccl_search/guest?SETTING_KEY=
Englishandservers=1uclaandquery=07-ARE-3971andindex=dbcn

http://findaid.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/ft5d5nb0k4
    1906 - In a speech given to the Gridiron Club in Washington, DC, President Theodore Roosevelt coined the word ‘muckrake'.
http://staff.killingly.k12.ct.us/~cmarcotte/CP%20US%20documents/progressive%20era/
progressivism_and_the_republican.htm

    1906-the temperature at Snake River, Wyoming dipped to 50 degrees below zero -- a record for the US for the month of March.
    1910 - Luther and Charlotte Gulick founded the Camp Fire Girls organization at Lake Sebago, Maine. The group's catch phrase is “Wohelo”, an acronym of the words: WOrk, Health and LOve. It continues today, though the name has been changed to Camp Fire Boys and Girls, when boys began being accepted into the organization.
http://www.campfire.org/start.asp
    1917 - In St. Louis, Missouri, America's first bowling tournament for women began with almost 100 women participating in the event.
    1919-pianist Leroy Lovett piano born Philadelphia PA
    1919-- Nat “King” Cole birthday
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, & be loved in return."
— from the song "Nature Boy"
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/3168/nkcbio.html
http://www.nat-king-cole.org/
http://www.tip.net.au/~bnoble/natkcole/nat_cole.htm
    1926 - In New York City, the musical "The Girl Friend" for a run of 409 performances.
http://home.istar.ca/~townsend/early_years/blue_room.htm
    1930-Composer/flutist Paul Horn born, New York, New York.
http://www.harmonies.com/biographies/horn.htm
http://www.canyonrecords.com/arthorn.htm
    1930- Trombone player Grover Mitchell born Whatley AL, now directs the Count Basie Band, who play all the old charts with enthusiasm.
http://www.trombone.org/articles/library/grovermitchell-int.asp
http://members.tripod.com/~isaziz/mitch.htm
http://www.mamajazz.org/pages/biobasie.html
    1938-guitarist Eddie Giles born Shreveport, LA
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/stax.site/egiles.htm
    1939- Dean Mathis of the 1960's rock group the Newbeats, was born in Hahira, Georgia. Dean and his brother, Mark, along with Larry Henley, formed the trio in 1964. The Newbeats first record, "Bread and Butter," went to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964 and was the biggest of their half dozen hits.
http://www.bartsnel.nl/music/newbeats.htm
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/n1/newbeats_this_distinctive_pop_tr.htm
http://donnymason.tripod.com/hayridesunshineshow/
    1940- Vito Picone, lead singer with the Elegants, was born in Staten Island, New York. The Elegants took their recording of "Little Star" to number one on the Billboard chart in 1958.
http://www.doowop.de/reviews/review.asp?id=77
http://www.the-accelerators.co.uk/elegants.html
http://www.northendboston.com/dellacavafeast.html
http://www.bxtimes.com/News/2002/0411/Boroughwide_News/040.html
    1941 - In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art was officially opened by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
http://www.nga.gov/
    1941 - Paul Kantner born San Francisco, CA.(musician: guitar: groups: Jefferson Airplane: Somebody to Love, White Rabbit, LP: Crown, Wooden Ships; Starship: LPs: Dragonfly, Red Octopus, Spitfire, Earth; KBC Band; solo LP: Blows Against the Empire, Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra)
http://www.warr.org/jefferson.html
http://www.airplane.freeserve.co.uk/paul.htm
http://www.geocities.com/dan_paolino/JSTpaul.html
http://www.chesapeake.net/~paolino/trionic/chaos.html
March 17
    1942- Birthday of Paul Kantner, guitarist and vocalist with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.
http://www.airplane.freeserve.co.uk/paul.htm
    1944- Singer and songwriter John Sebastien, founder of the Lovin' Spoonful, was born in New York. Sebastien formed the Spoonful in 1964, and they had seven successive top-ten singles in 1965 and '66. The Lovin' Spoonful hit number one with "Summer in the City." After the group broke up at the end of the '60s, Sebastien began a moderately successful solo career in 1970 with an appearance at Woodstock. In 1976, he had a number-one record with "Welcome Back," the theme from the TV show "Welcome Back, Kotter."
http://www.johnbsebastian.com/bio.html
http://johnbsebastian.com/
    1948---Top Hits
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - The Art Moonie Orchestra
Beg Your Pardon - Francis Craig
I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
    1948 -- Science Fiction author William Gibson born, Conway, South Carolina. He is credited with having coined the term 'Cyberspace', & with having envisioned both the Internet & virtual reality before most people had even heard of them. An early notable book by Gibson is Count Zero, whose characters are a mixture of eccentric low-lifes and nonconformists who find themselves confronting representatives of vast egomaniacal individuals whose wealth & power result directly from their ability to control information.
    1956-"St. Patrick's big snow" fell at Boston, Massachusetts. Nearby Blue Hill observatory recorded 12.6 inches.
    1956---Top Hits
Lisbon Antigua - Nelson Riddle
Why Do Fools Fall in Love - Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers
Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom) - Perry Como
Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley
    1962-The Shirelles' "Soldier Boy" is released on Sceptor Records. The tune become the girl group's biggest hit, climbing to Number One, selling over a million copies and earning a gold record
    1963 - The Boston Celtics' Bob Cousey, played his last regular season basketball game after spending 13 years in the National Basketball Association.
http://www.webcom.com/collectr/bk/couseyb.html
    1964---Top Hits
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
She Loves You - The Beatles
Please Please Me - The Beatles
Saginaw, Michigan - Lefty Frizzell
    1965 -- 1,600 demonstrate at Montgomery, Alabama courthouse.
    1966 -- César Chávez and the National Farm Workers Association march from Delano to Sacramento, California, from March 17 to April 11, arriving on Easter Sunday.
    1967 - "Peanuts" comic strip characters, Snoopy and Charlie Brown, were on the cover of "LIFE" magazine.
http://www.life.com/Life/covers/1967/cv031767.html
    1967-Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumkins is born.
    1968-The Bee Gees make their U.S. television debut on the "Ed Sullivan Show." They perform "To Love Somebody" and "Words."
    1969- Cardinal first baseman Orlando Cepeda is traded to the Braves for catcher/first baseman Joe Torre.
    1970 - Eddie Holman was awarded a gold record for the single, "Hey There Lonely Girl", which was originally a hit for Ruby and the Romantics titled, "Hey There Lonely Boy" in the 1960s. While singing this song, dedicated to his daughter, Holman died on stage at a New Jersey performance in the mid-1970s.
http://discomuseum.com/EddieHolman.html
http://www.allbutforgottenoldies.net/eddie-holman.html
    1972---Top Hits
Without You - Nilsson
Heart of Gold - Neil Young
The Lion Sleeps Tonight - Robert John
My Hang-Up is You - Freddie Hart
    1978 - American Hot Wax, a film based on the story of Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, who introduced rock'n'roll to teenage American radio audiences in the 1950's, opened in United States theaters. The film featured a young Fran Drescher as Sheryl and Jay Leno as Mookie in one of their early film roles.
    1980---Top Hits
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
Longer - Dan Fogelberg
Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - Willie Nelson
    1985 -a strong (F3) tornado tore through Venice, Florida during the early morning hours. 55 homes were destroyed and 220 were damaged. 2 people were killed and 45 were injured.
    1988---Top Hits
Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley
I Get Weak - Belinda Carlisle
Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson
Too Gone Too Long - Randy Travis
    1989 - Strong northerly winds ushered snow and arctic cold into the north central U.S. Winds gusted to 58 mph at Sydney NE and Scottsbluff NE, Cadillac MI received 12 inches of snow, and International Falls MN reported a record low of 22 degrees below zero.
    1990 - Showers and thunderstorms associated with a slow moving cold front produced torrential rains across parts of the southeastern U.S. over a two day period. Flooding claimed the lives of at least 22 persons, including thirteen in Alabama. Up to 16 inches of rain deluged southern Alabama, with 10.63 inches reported at Mobile AL in 24 hours. The town of Elba AL was flooded with 6 to 12 feet of water causing more than 25 million dollars damage, and total flood damage across Alabama exceeded 100 million dollars. Twenty-six counties in the state were declared disaster areas.
    1990- Carly Simon, Whitney Houston, Air Supply, Dionne Warwick and Milli Vanilli were among those who turned out in New York for a benefit billed as the single largest fund-raising event for AIDS. About two million dollars was raised. The concert was sponsored by Arista Records, which was celebrating its 15th anniversary.
    1995-Chicken Pox vaccine was approved for public use. Marketed by Merck and Company, Whitehouse Station, JN, under the trade name Variva, the vaccine was believed to be 70 to 90 percent effective.
    1995-Madonna holds the "world's biggest pajama party" as 1500 guests gather with pj's and teddy bears. This was all for the premiere of her new "Bedtime Stories" video.
    1997-The US Supreme Court declined to hear the San Francisco's argument that the cross on Mt. Davidson is a cultural landmark. The cross would now have to be torn down or sold to a private owner.
    1997- the Recording Industry Association of America announced that the Eagles "Greatest Hits" album had tied Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the all-time best-selling album in the US. Each had sold more than 24 million copies. "Thriller" was still the top-seller worldwide, with estimated sales of 46 million copies.
http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=96
    1998- USA Women's Hockey Team beats Canada for 1st Olympics Gold medal
http://www.jwen.com/hock/whock/whock.html
    1998-Van Halen releases their latest album, "Van Halen 3," which is their first album with new lead singer Gary Cherone. That night they hold a record signing for fans at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square.

[headlines]

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

St. Patrick's Day Joke

A man stumbles up to the only other patron in a bar and asks if he could buy him a drink.

"Why of course," comes the reply.

The first man then asks: "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Ireland," replies the second man.

The first man responds: "You don't say, I'm from Ireland too! Let's have another round to Ireland."
"Of Course," replies the second man.

Curious, the first man then asks: "Where in Ireland are you from?"
"Dublin," comes the reply.
"I can't believe it," says the first man.
"I'm from Dublin too! Let's have another drink to Dublin."
"Of course," replies the second man.

Curiosity again strikes and the first man asks:
"What school did you go to?"
"Saint Mary's," replies the second man.
"I graduated in '62."

"This is unbelievable!" the first man says.
"I went to Saint Mary's and I graduated in '62, too!"

About that time in comes one of the regulars and sits down at the bar.
"What's been going on?" he asks the bartender.
"Nothing much," replies the bartender. "The O'Malley twins are drunk again."

(Now before I get any criticism, my relatives on my mother's side were Irish, two who fought on the American side in the Revolutionary War---therefore it is legal for an “Irish” joke. Editor )

[headlines]