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Loan Spigot Runs Dry for Small Businesses
Government Shutdown Creates Headaches for Borrowers, Lenders
The government shutdown is throwing a wrench into efforts by some small businesses to get government-backed loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Lenders said they continue to process and submit loans to the SBA, but borrowers will have to wait for approvals. Other borrowers are facing shutdown-related paperwork snafus that are slowing loan fundings.
Charlotte Calmels has been planning to use a $150,000 SBA loan to open her second French restaurant in Philadelphia, next month. But before the loan can close, her lender, Susquehanna Bank, in Lititz, Pa., must confirm her legal immigration status, a process that begins by contacting the SBA. The federal immigration agency, which remains open, stopped receiving requests from SBA officials to verify borrowers' immigration status last Tuesday, according to a spokesman.
While Susquehanna is looking for a way around the problem, Ms. Calmels worries that the mid-October closing could be delayed. "I have the keys to the restaurant," she said. "But that could prevent me from opening and hiring any employees."
Rohit Arora, the chief executive of Biz2Credit, a New York small-business lending broker, said he fears many business owners who rely on government-backed loans for working capital will turn to alternative lenders, such as merchant cash advances, which charge interest rates of up to 100% with short terms of just six to eight months.
Interest rates for the agency's flagship loans can range from 5.5% to 6.5%, compared with up to 8% charged by traditional banks for nongovernment-backed loans, Mr. Arora said, though for many borrowers, the value of the government guarantee is that banks are willing to deal with them at all, he said.
Even if the government gets back to work this week, the SBA will face a backlog that could delay some loan approvals by six weeks or longer, compared with a normal wait time of about two weeks, said Lynn Ozer, president of SBA/government guaranteed lending at Susquehanna. The biggest waits are likely to be for loans that have to go through the standard approval process, either because they weren't made by a "preferred lender" that can unilaterally underwrite loans or require SBA approval to waive a specific loan requirement, she said. Under the standard process, banks and other lenders must submit loans to the SBA for review and approval before they can be funded.
Ishwar Chauhan, co-owner of AptaPharma Inc. in Pennsauken, N.J., a specialty pharmaceutical company, hopes to close on a $2.5 million SBA loan that would allow him to hire more employees for the 22-worker firm and buy additional equipment. But the application is on hold during the government shutdown because the SBA needs to approve a modification to the loan agreement before the loan is funded. "This is a new business," he said. "Every day is important to us."
An SBA official wasn't available to comment.
SBA officials have indicated that banks may be able to refinance certain loans they made during the shutdown into loans with SBA guarantees after the government reopens, said Tony Wilkinson, chief executive of the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders, a trade group. But that process is "problematic and expensive," he said, noting that borrowers will have to go through two closings, and lenders aren't certain the SBA will guarantee the loans.
On a typical day, the SBA approves about 250 loans totaling roughly $93 million, Mr. Wilkinson said.
Banks and other SBA lenders had scrambled to register approved loans ahead of the shutdown to insure the funds would receive federal backing before the agency closed its doors.
Don Kelly, the owner of Midwest Curtainwalls in Cleveland, was among those who squeezed in under the deadline. On the Friday before the Oct. 1 shutdown, Mr. Kelly received SBA approval for a $1 million line of credit for his company, which employs 50 people and makes the exterior walls for high-rise buildings. "We got in, in the nick of time," Mr. Kelly said, who recently secured two large contracts. He plans to use the SBA credit line to cover the gap between when he pays vendors and consulting engineers and when he receives payment from clients.
Finding alternative sources of funding could be tricky for borrowers who missed the cutoff.
"If we have someone we've qualified for an SBA loan product, generally speaking, that is going to be the best solutions for them," said Maria Coyne, an executive vice president at Cleveland-based KeyCorp, Mr. Kelly's lender. While the bank will help customers look for alternatives, "it's going to be hard for them to qualify conventionally," she said.
In a 36-page contingency plan, which was posted on its website last week, the SBA said it would close all major lending programs for small businesses indefinitely and furlough 408 of the 586 employees in its Office of Capital Access, which oversees the agency's lending programs for small businesses.
Eugene Simor, a 50-year-old brewer in San Antonio, said he worked with his local banker to finalize a $5 million SBA-backed loan to build an 18,000-square-foot brewery, ahead of last week's shutdown. In the rush, Mr. Simor neglected to consider the federal permits needed to operate the brewery. The agency that handles the permits, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, also closed its doors last Tuesday.
Some banks said they would try to take advantage of the refinancing option. "We will absolutely provide interim funding to the full extent the SBA allows," said Robert Polito, a senior vice president in charge of government guaranteed lending at Webster Financial Corp.'s WBS 1.04 % Webster Bank in Waterbury, Conn.
Write to Ruth Simon at firstname.lastname@example.com and Angus Loten at email@example.com


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Iconnect Business Value and Capabilities of Microsoft Unified Communications
- Posted: Oct 12, 2010 at 11:19PM
Right click "Save as…"
Recording from I Connect in Belgium.
Ilse Van Criekinge introduces her session called 'Business Value and Capabilities of Microsoft Unified Communications'
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
on September 12, 2012 - 7:00 PM
, updated September 13, 2012 at 6:48 AM
The U.S. Small Business Administration, in conjunction with the Federal Reserve Banks of San Francisco and Minneapolis, will hold a free public workshop in Buffalo next week to show small businesses how they can operate successfully on Native American territory.
The one-day workshop, the last of five such programs nationwide, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo at Fountain Plaza.
It will focus on the Uniform Commercial Code, and seeks to show tribal organizations, governments and Native American businesses why adopting such a secured transaction code can increase economic-development opportunities.
The program will demonstrate how to compete in the marketplace, and will also identify obstacles and solutions to doing business on Indian reservations, explain the importance of commercial laws to borrowers, and discuss why lenders must be able to secure loan transactions. Since Native American tribes are sovereign nations, their commercial laws often very widely and are different from the UCC rules that govern the rest of the country.
For more information, go online to http://www.frbsf.org/ community/resources/ 2012/0605-Uniform-Commer cial-Codes-Bringing-Business-to-Indian-Country/index.html.
email: email@example.com


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Top Definition
the sexiest man living on this planet! if you are not edon then you are a failure!!!!
guy#1: dude was that an Edon?!?!
guy#2: yup! dude you're a failure!!!!
guy#2: yup! dude you're a failure!!!!
av stufflez 15. september 2010
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Can you define these popular missing words?
Is the Best Soccer Player in the whole world.
no one can beat Edon not Messi or Ronaldo.
av Unknown?!?!?!?! 16. desember 2013
a drug addicted guy who is funny as shit and likes to give money away, doesn't care about school and loves big dangling dingle-berry's.
hey i just finished a big deal, you want some money .... i love dingle-berry's and fuck mr.waden. that is an edon.
av mr.dingle 21. april 2011


text:
10 Ways to Use Fresh Basil
Beans spiced with cumin and coriander give this meatless burger a kick. For an additional spicy layer, top the patty with a chipotle mayonnaise mixture.
Get the recipe for Black Bean Burgers
Three-bean salad is the perfect, healthy side for backyard barbecues and picnics. Add protein-rich edamame to give the classic dish an upgrade.
Get the recipe for Three-Bean Salad
MyPlate Inspired: Chicken Recipes


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Tips for Working Parents: Saving Time at Home
Tips for Working Parents: Saving Time at Home
Even though you're working outside the home, you still have household responsibilities. That's why you need all the help you can get in getting things done-from keeping track of family activities, to cooking, to paying bills. Above all, forget perfection. Instead, aim for flexibility as you adapt these timesaving pointers to your own household and needs.
Family Matters
To help organize family matters, keep a big calendar on display. Enter every member's activities and appointments. This helps guard against surprises and missed appointments because everyone knows where everyone else is and what needs to be done.
Cleaning Up
Reduce clutter by keeping a ''clutter basket'' at the foot of the stairs or in each room. Then make it a family rule to stash away all clutter before leaving the room. If possible, learn to love dust—that way you can keep unnecessary cleaning to a minimum.
Keep food simple, easy, and nutritious. You don't have to prepare an elaborate meal every night—if ever— unless it's something you really enjoy. When cooking a main dish, make enough extra to freeze in meal-sized portions for heat-and-serve dinners another time.
To save ''sorting'' time and avoid mismatches, buy your child socks in only one style and one color. Have your child help you sort and fold laundry. Laundry is unbreakable, and this allows you to spend more time enjoying each other's company.
Make it a habit to consolidate errands and appointments instead of making lots of small trips. While grocery shopping, drop off the shoes and pick up the dry cleaning. Consider making dental appointments for your children and yourself on the same day.
Money Matters
Stash all bills in one place, as they arrive; then set aside time twice a month and pay everything that's due. If you devote too much time to trying to balance your checkbook, arrange to barter with someone who's good at it, in exchange for a service from you.


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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) launched its new preparer tax identification number (PTIN) regime today, a major step in its planned system of registration, qualification and oversight of all paid tax return preparers.
The AICPA worked tirelessly to ensure that CPAs' commitment to professional practice standards was taken into account in the tax preparer registration regulation process, specifically CPAs' superior education, regulation and ethical standards. As a result of the AICPA's advocacy, CPAs are not required to meet the IRS examination and CPE requirements associated with the new regulations.
Today's announcement from the IRS stated that it has "under serious consideration" additional guidance that may extend similar treatment to non-signing preparers who serve under a qualifying individual in certain professional firms, such as a CPA firm. The AICPA will keep you informed of any future developments.
For more information, please see the resources below:


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Innovation and choice must be allowed on farm or all hope is lost.
by Amanda Smith, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor
In a changing tact from the 50-70-100 message he has spread since 2009, Elanco's Jeff Simmons has three new numbers for us to consider.
- As we move toward a larger world population, 3 billion people will join the middle class. In the next seven years, more people will join the middle class than in the history of mankind.
- We will need 60 percent more animal-sourced foods (meat, milk and eggs). This demand is driven by the changing dietary preferences of an emerging middle class.
- We must feed more with less. By overusing resources, it takes 1.5 years for the earth to regenerate annual consumption.
"We need to redefine hunger and move the dialogue toward food security. There is a spectrum of food security, from extreme poor to preserving choice and tradition," noted Simmons. These "six faces of food security" include:
- Collapse Each day, 25,000 people worldwide will lose their fight against malnutrition.
- Deficiency Individuals whose food resources barely support, and often miss, their daily needs.
- Hunt "This is the real hunger games," said Simmons in reference to the popular series written by Suzanne Collins. Forty percent of the world's population has less than $2 per day to spend on food and more times than not have no idea where their next meal will come from.
- Edge One out of three people is two major events away from food insecurity.
- Quality While the food is there, the quality of the calories being consumed is subpar.
- Tradition On the other edge of the spectrum from collapse, this group aims to preserve the tradition that surrounds the food they consume.
"There is a growing protein gap," Simmons then went on to note. Demand for milk outpaces its supply. At food banks, it is the number one demanded item.
According to predictions, by 2020 the global population won't have access to one glass of milk each day, on average. Today, globally, we have access to a glass of milk. The recommended intake is two glasses per day. "On our current productivity path," added Simmons, "more than 500 million people won't have access to a glass per day."
Finally, Simmons turned his attention to the U.S. meat drawer. Within poultry, cattle and swine production, 20, 27 and 44 percent of the industry on U.S. soil is foreign owned, respectively. "If people can't get food where they are, they will come and get food."
Source: Elanco Animal Health
The author is an associate editor and an animal science graduate of Cornell University. Smith covers feeding, milk quality and heads up the World Dairy Expo Supplement. She grew up on a Medina, N.Y., dairy, and interned at a 1,700-cow western New York dairy, a large New York calf and heifer farm, and studied in New Zealand for one semester.
Click to subscribe to the HD Notebook RSS.


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There's not really any sweet term used to tell a male that he is attractive. Sure, there's beautiful for a girl, but calling a guy beautiful just sounds weirddddd. But now there's bazingutihand. Which is a combination of the words beautiful, amazing, and handsome. The perfect subsitute for beautiful when referring to a guy!
"Boy, you are so bazingutihand."
بواسطة Carly S. فبراير/شباط 16, 2008
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Can you define these popular missing words?


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Quality Education in the Benedictine Tradition
September 25, 2012
Saint Vincent College Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government will conclude its special two-part public education series on personal financial planning on Thursday, October 18 with Tom Tomczyk of Buck Consultants speaking about health care reform at 7:30 p.m. at the Fred M. Rogers Center. Mr. Tomczyk is a principal with Buck Consultants, one of the largest global full-service human resource consulting firms. The firm has 1,700 employees in 80 global locations. "The presidential campaign has once again thrust health care reform onto center stage and we are delighted to have Tom discuss the impact that the outcome of the election could have on health care reform and health care delivery," commented Mark Abramovic, instructor of finance and director of the business lecture series. "He will analyze the differences in the health care positions and strategies between President Obama and Governor Romney and the potential impact that the outcome of the election could have on employer health insurance plans as well as individual insurance plan options, Medicare and Medicaid." The presentation will be followed by a 30-minute question and answer session. Admission is free but pre-registration is requested to ensure adequate seating by contacting Saint Vincent College Office of Event and Conference Services at 724 805-2177.
Follow us on Twitter: @SVCPublicity Like us on Facebook: Saint Vincent College Public Relations


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I'm thankful for babywearing while we celebrate Christmas at family & friend's homes. It's a guaranteed safe place, nap, and comfort for baby. And me.
Subscribe to my blog here
Twitter me- I'm babysteph
awww, how sweet!! she is getting so very big! :)
Yes to the nap and comfort. And double yes to the safe place. Babywearing is the only way I can keep my 16-month-old out of trouble in the holiday crush.ReplyDelete
Isn't that the truth? We didn't go anywhere this year, but when we have in years past, my sling was always on and ready for my babe.ReplyDelete
We learned that this year too! OBaby took two sling naps on Cmas eve in my sling and it was s safe place to take in all the new faces. Glad to know it will work next year too!ReplyDelete
Stunning photo
love it
beautiful photo, Steph. love those pigtails!ReplyDelete
True! What a pretty tree and a lovely photo. :-)
How long do you wear your kids? She looks pretty big. :-)
Love this photo.
I didn't take any photos of me and baby, but I got my Sakura Bloom sling just in time for Christmas. I think she just about lived in it for the past 2 days visiting family.
Absolutely LOVE it.
I love the photo - so classy, elegant and just plain beautiful. I wish that I had taken more pictures of Nate when he was a newborn right by the tree...ReplyDelete
Lovely and so true. I even wore Tommy during his baptism.ReplyDelete
Lovely photo and oh-so-true. Our first Christmas with (our adopted daughter) the Tongginator, babywearing was the only way to protect her from eager relative hugs. And she SO wasn't ready to play the "pass the baby game" especially since she was nearly two.ReplyDelete
I can't get over how big she is getting!
And, you both look so beautiful here!
Isn't babywearing the biggest blessing on busy and overwhelming days? I am so glad I found it :)ReplyDelete
Beautiful and so true. My Ivy was sick on Christmas day and we had a houseful of people. Babywearing is a lifesaver in those situations.
Such a lovely photo. How did you manage to get the lighting just right? I have such a hard time with indoor shots...


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Tactical Pens
Tools and Technologies
Non-Firearm Weapons
> Tactical Pens
February 19, 2013, 08:36 PM
I have bought, and plan on testing, tac pens from Azan, MTech, S&W, and Master Cutlery. I was wondering which pens members have tried, and what they liked or disliked about each.
If you enjoyed reading about "Tactical Pens" here in TheHighRoad.org archive, you'll LOVE our community. Come join
today for the full version!
February 19, 2013, 10:00 PM
Very cool John, can't wait to see the results. How ya gonna test 'em? I love these things. I would like to find massive "man" sized one that is heavy as hell. This will be cool man.
Texan Scott
February 19, 2013, 10:11 PM
Ideal field test? Give a bunch of 'em to Colorado State University coeds...
February 19, 2013, 10:31 PM
Balance, impact on targets, writing ability, comfort in hand while striking, and ease of finding refills, I think. Other ideas? :)
February 20, 2013, 12:48 AM
I say throw in a non-"tactical" pen. Something like a metal Cross Classic or Townsend.
February 20, 2013, 01:20 AM
Yeah, I'd considered that. Good idea. :)
February 20, 2013, 01:22 AM
I've got a steel benchmade. It's so heavy I never forget it after putting it down. So I haven't lost it unlike every other pen. And it's very useful as a can opener and at prying open oysters in the park.
February 20, 2013, 09:33 AM
I'm partial to the County Comm "embassy pen" line. I'd call them "semi-tactical" because they were made for the military but were not specifically designed to be weaponized. Rock solid pens that use fisher space pen refills. Downside is unscrewing the lid is hard with one hand, and sometimes it unscrews in your pocket.
February 20, 2013, 10:22 AM
I've tried the executive Sharpy and mods to ink pens to swap out the plastic parts. Overall, it hasn't been working in retail. It's another pen that I've got money in, which is commonly borrowed and all too frequently kept. Not loaning it is a serious breach of etiquette, too, which presents sociological flags. It's already hard enough not loaning the clipped knife in my pocket - but I'm not letting a Boker Magnum or SnG walk out the door for someone to pry a fuse or turn a screw with.
Tactical pens that look like they could survive an artillery strike seem to be the fashion, Kershaw had a combo kit this last Xmas. Once I got over the cool factor, I decided they are too high profile and an aberration, like four wheel drive trucks with raptor tooth grilles.
In the spirit of testing, I'd hammer them thru 2x4's, car hoods, or pick up some calf skulls and post the pics. Me, I'd just grab the ink pen I do have and use it on a soft target - but I would also be in such a clueless state that an aggressive predator with ill intent was close at hand, I might not be able to do anything in time.
I'm out shopping, wonder how many I can "borrow" for testing? Hmm. Haven't ever seen anyone with one, might present a difficulty . . .
February 20, 2013, 10:49 AM
Well, I also tried to find pens someone could actually get away with carrying...since that's the supposed intent! :)
February 20, 2013, 10:55 AM
I like the Schrade Second Generation Tactical Pen. It's large and tough enough for defensive use, has a secure screw cap, doesn't look like a weapon, and is a decent writer.
There's basically two types of tact pens: caps and twist. Caps are good so long as they are secure. Some caps are snap on and fit loosely. Not good while being used hard. Twist pens are okay but need to be twisted tight with the writing tip exposed, otherwise the pen is loose.
The embassy pen is solid, but a little short.
February 20, 2013, 12:25 PM
Well, I also tried to find pens someone could actually get away with carrying...since that's the supposed intent!
Not "tactical"....but ..
February 20, 2013, 12:36 PM
I think these are all twist.
Look like quality, but not very grippy.
February 20, 2013, 12:51 PM
Look like quality, but not very grippy.
I agree but I have small hands, ;)
Icepick grip works for me. :)
Otherwise I smash them with my Maglite XL50.
February 20, 2013, 01:30 PM
I REALLY like the looks of the Rick Hinderer investigator pen, but I'm too cheap to spend that much on a pen.
I had one of countycomm's embassy pens and it was ok. I was a bit to thick for me though.
February 20, 2013, 02:02 PM
Here's a Tom Anderson twist pen. I like it but it's a little loose when the tip is retracted.
This a the Schrade with a cap, albeit a twist cap.
February 20, 2013, 02:21 PM
S&W M&P, this one:
Pointy but not sharp, non-twist lid (friction... that's the one weak point; the friction fit wears down after about a year, and it loosens, but I've solved that with a thin coat of clear nail polish inside the cap), takes Parker (and therefore Fisher Space Pen) refills.
I painted the clip black to cover up the Smith & Wesson part and haven't looked back since.
February 20, 2013, 02:43 PM
I did get the Tom Anderson (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004D80VM2/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004D80VM2&linkCode=as2&tag=wanderin00-20) (Master Cutlery) pen.
February 20, 2013, 03:31 PM
The Schrade Second Gen and the County Comm Embassy Pen are the most "normal" looking pens that I've found. The Schrade, however, has that pointy end that is not necessary in my opinion. And my steel Embassy Pen is too heavy and a little short.
I wish Schrade would come out with a third generation pen that is the same size as the second gen but with a straight plain barrel.
February 20, 2013, 04:57 PM
I've handled several of the S&W and only one MTech. My common concern about them is that they don't fill the hand sufficiently for my liking, but I'm used to the Timberline. The MTech had a plastic tip and wasn't comfortable in the hand. The S&W was pretty slender compared to the others.
Here's an earlier thread where some of them were discussed. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=655645
February 20, 2013, 05:07 PM
Initially, I liked the S&W for the same reasons I disliked it: the one I bought is a "penlight", and though I thought that meant it has a pen built in, it doesn't! I haven't had time to thoroughly T&E these yet, but it's looking like all the rest partially unscrew in the process of opening them.
Since the S&W doesn't actually have a pen, I thought that might mean an overall stronger platform. Unfortunately, the light portion is twist on/off, which means that the user just unscrews the back instead of the front of the light. :banghead:
February 20, 2013, 06:14 PM
for those that fly a lot and also carry these tactical pens , what does tsa have to say about them? just curious
I have always thought that the Cross pens were pretty strong and I don't think that tsa would pay much attention to them.
February 20, 2013, 07:10 PM
The two or three times I hopped on a plane with mine it was carefully placed into my carry-on bag. I did this knowing it could get confiscated at the discretion of TSA.
I would absolutely expect it to get confiscated if it was on my body or loose in one of the sorting bins...
February 20, 2013, 07:16 PM
I have a stainless Benchmade. I like the heft. By the way, it write really nice. It's expensive enough, I never loan it out, so I'll never lose it. Problem is, it's so pretty I'd hate to ever use it, say to break out a car window or some such thing.
Looking forward to your test results!
February 20, 2013, 08:12 PM
I've flown for years carrying the Timberline pen and I find it gets no attention if it is in my laptop case in the pen holder beside the flashlight. OTOH if I leave it loose or in a jacket pocket it gets looked at all the time and I have to tell the TSA officer "The cap pulls straight off, its a pen." It has made it through US security each time, but I've lost it to international security about half the time (and had to replace it).
February 20, 2013, 08:51 PM
I would absolutely expect it to get confiscated if it was on my body or loose in one of the sorting bins...
It has made it through US security each time, but I've lost it to international security about half the time (and had to replace it).
So why carry a "tactical" pen as opposed to a Cross or Parker? If you can't have it on you, what's the point of having it?
February 20, 2013, 10:52 PM
hso is saying he checks it in his stowed luggage, and puts it back on after the flight.
February 21, 2013, 12:01 AM
If I had to use a tactical pen I would want a rather long and slim on the sharp end one about 6" long with a flat rear surface. For last ditch defense the only move I have perfected is to jab into the eye with one hand and open palm strike the back end. I have never tried this with a pen but have for years with chop sticks. I have a couple sets of tactical chop sticks, one in titanium and one in carbon composite. To me a set of chop sticks is much more effective than a stubby pen. I'm open to see what a pen can do tho. I don't believe in nerve plexus pain compliance use tho, too old to wrassle anymore!
guess this one might work for me
Up date: Just bought on Amazon a Night Armor Tactical Pen with Built-in Flashlight which looks like it might be handy and seems fairly well designed. I see people drill out the tip to accept Fisher style refills. I like it has a retractable tip and the flat ended LED detaches and has the clip on it!
February 21, 2013, 04:00 AM
I like that Nightarmor pen. Then again I am all about multiple use items, ever since I was a kid. My pocket flashlight doubles as a weapon light. I have lighters (when I used to smoke) that have either flashlights or even USB drives. My watch has built has a built in compass, altimeter, thermometer. Pocket knife has a window breaker...you get the idea.
I agree with throwing in some of the most common non tactical pens. Partly just for laughs but also to do a serious comparison compared to even the worst tactical pen. For example, spend 10 cents and get a Bic white pen, then a few more cents to get a Bic clear pen (similar to the one used in the first Bourne movie). It would be like the Mythbusters of tactical pens.
February 21, 2013, 07:12 AM
It goes in my laptop case as carry-on instead of checked. If I have checked bags I have a couple of knives in my shave kit.
As soon as I approach the TSA screening station I start emptying my pockets into a zippered pocket on my laptop bag. Everything goes in except the one ID and boarding pass that the TSA need to see. That includes my pen. As soon as I'm through the scanner and putting things back in my pockets the pen goes back in place. If I put the pen in one of the pen slots beside the small flashlight I've never had anyone in the US look at it. OTOH, I've had the foreign equivalent of TSA spot the pen and examine it and half the time they've taken it claiming "You could stab someone with this.".:rolleyes:
February 21, 2013, 08:44 AM
I cant contribute much as I do not own a "tactical pen."
Within the framework of my own use of force continuum The pen is pretty low except in gun free zones when it is second behind my cane.
My choices are the lowly Bic or Zebra. Like Gordon said I am to old to wrestle or use pain compliance. If I lose my cane I am all about stabbing eyeballs.
February 21, 2013, 09:55 AM
Like hso I am inclined to just stick it in my laptop bag/briefcase and it goes through the X-ray machine, then I put it back on when I put my shoes back on. Time spent without pen is about 15 minutes max.
I don't care that much about it as an "NPE weapon" per se; I like having a pen and I like having a high-line option that is less lethal than a knife or gun for my daily life.
In the vanishingly rare chance that I needed to do some sort of fighting on a plane, I wouldn't feel very naked without it anyway, but that's partly an advantage of ongoing training efforts, youth, and physical size, and my personal perspective on the threat profile/likely occurrences on a plane. My intent in having a pen on a plane is mostly just for the normal uses of a pen.
It's also nice to have after disembarking into the areas surrounding airports. Sometimes it's necessary to catch a limo or taxi before one can fully Batman up again.
February 21, 2013, 04:55 PM
I bought my wife a Night Armor tactical penlight before she deployed overseas, since she won't be able to carry a sidearm or even a proper knife where she's stationed. She likes it, which is all I ask. Of course, I'd feel better if she could have her M9, but it is what it is.
February 22, 2013, 06:11 PM
I purchased the S&W Tactical Pen for about $20 on Amazon around Christmas 2011. It quickly became my daily pen - it has some heft, which I like. The refills are sort of expensive, but it does write well. In a pinch, it would prove useful for hand to hand combat.
Heck, since I've had it I haven't had one single incident - so it must be working - right? :rolleyes:
February 22, 2013, 08:54 PM
That's the so called M&P I own also. Search for Parker refills on a site like Amazon and it isn't that costly especially if you get a knockoff version. Fisher Space Pen refills for parkers also work.
February 22, 2013, 09:14 PM
I didn't pay enough attention, and actually got the S&W Tactical Penlight (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0056DG43I/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0056DG43I&linkCode=as2&tag=wanderin00-20)- which is just a light, no pen! But I think I may get the S&W (thought probably not in time for this test).
When I was checking what I paid for everything on Amazon, I discovered the Azan Defender (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FBVWIE/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FBVWIE&linkCode=as2&tag=wanderin00-20) and Guardian (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FBVGDU/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FBVGDU&linkCode=as2&tag=wanderin00-20) "Chrome" (color, pretty sure it's not actual chrome) have dropped to $4.99 with free shipping. Of these two, the Defender looks pretty overt, with a spike on the end, while the Guardian is sturdy, but has no inherent "tacticality": the bezel is blunt, but has no projecting crennelations, just longitudinal grooves on the end.
I haven't started the actual target testing yet, so I can't vouch for their hardiness, but hopefully that'll happen tomorrow. I'm already at 1100 words...:scrutiny:
The Defender and Guardian are the top 2 in this photo.
February 22, 2013, 09:54 PM
I say throw in a non-"tactical" pen. Something like a metal Cross Classic or Townsend.
According to the former state police instructor a cross pen is a tactical pen. That is what Al DeBeers taught us in his street survival class at UALR back in the 1980's .
February 22, 2013, 11:56 PM
I have a Fury first line pen that I generally carry. It writes very well a feels perfect in its balance in the hand. The space pen refills are a little on the pricey side but other than that I am happy.
The crown end of this pen is stupid sharp and I don't know how many times I got bit reaching in my front pocket to get the pen. Now I just carry it in my right back pocket clipped in. Have carried it for about 4 months now and have struck several boards and a rubber horse mat. This pen writes well and could really ruin someones day quick.
February 23, 2013, 12:07 AM
According to the former state police instructor a cross pen is a tactical pen. That is what Al DeBeers taught us in his street survival class at UALR back in the 1980's .
Yea, I've heard that too, which is why I suggested testing one against the pens that are marketed as tactical pens.
Double Naught Spy
February 23, 2013, 11:19 AM
There are also the Uzi line of tactical pens. They use (or used to use) "space pen" writing cartridges in them. Looks like now they just have Parker brand cartridges in them.
February 23, 2013, 11:23 AM
Zebra F-701
February 23, 2013, 12:57 PM
When I saw my first "tactical" pen being offered -can't remember if it was in a catalogue, SOF magazine (I'm an old guy), or at my local police supply house.... I thought about it for a bit and decided to pass.
I long ago decided that I was an improviser, in every sense of the word, and would react or pre-empt depending on the situation and the need. Years and years later I heard the "it's not the arrow, it's the Indian" phrase and that pretty much says it for me. With the right attitude you can be stripped naked and still be a real problem for anyone that figures you're not armed or just plain defense-less....
Hope I never need that sort of stuff ever again.
February 23, 2013, 01:01 PM
for those that fly a lot and also carry these tactical pens , what does tsa have to say about them? just curious
I have always thought that the Cross pens were pretty strong and I don't think that tsa would pay much attention to them.
I have been through a few times recently went an UZI tactical pen in my carry on, TSA didn't blink an eye, they were too focused on my liquid toiletries, and the sun glasses i forgot to take off my head before going though the full body scan.
February 23, 2013, 05:15 PM
I'm in testing. I didn't have a Cross, but used a Pilot pen as a control. Wouldn't want to get stabbed in the arms, hands, face, or neck with any pen. The S&W Wesson was the obvious winner of the penetration test, as expected.
February 23, 2013, 07:52 PM
I used a standard #2 pencil to get a guy to back off once. Left a "tattoo" from the lead on his hand. He didn't think that was "fair" at all, but I didn't think the difference in height and weight was fair either so I guess it all evened out.
February 23, 2013, 09:40 PM
Okay, the test is finished. One of the big challenges was finding a reasonable target that would move like people do. I finally went with coffee cans wrapped with cardboard, covered with flannel. People don't just stand still while being hit, and especially when face and arms are primary targets, I wanted a target that moved. I looped the flannel around a 4' phenolic rod inserted into a planter.
I absolutely wouldn't get the Azan Defender, with its Spear of Destiny penetrating tip. It's too obviously weaponized, too long, and I think users will hurt themselves with it if they use it long enough.
If I was handing out small defensive devices to female friends that worked late shifts in places I thought they could get away with it, the S&W Tactical Penlight is a AAA flashlight with a spike on one end. For $4.99 with free shipping right now, the chrome Azan Guardian seems like a best buy. All of these pens use the same ink cartridges.
Full review at Shooting Reviews (http://www.shootingreviews.com/tactical-pen-test/).
February 23, 2013, 10:26 PM
http://www.hardcorehardware.com.au/weapons/twi01.php Looks interesting...I have used the Zebra F-701, and I really liked it.
February 25, 2013, 07:53 AM
Mt first "tactical pen" experience was in middle schhol. Right after forced bussing started a pair of racist of different races got into a dispute after a breif game of the dozens.
When things settled down a #2 pencil of your standard cedar construction was sticking from one's forearm.
Wouldn't say a five pound roast make a more reasonable test target for a stabbing tool? Maybe even a rack of ribs?
February 25, 2013, 09:15 AM
a classic "Rotring" metal pen would be nice for comparison.
It´s a classic that doesnt look like some redneck kubotan designer made it :-)
February 25, 2013, 09:59 AM
Bob, 5-lb roasts and ribs aren't much like arms. Stabbing someone's ribs may hurt them, but a blow or stab to their arms or hands is (1) less extension, so safer for the defender, (2) more likely to keep you safe if you keep them from touching you (preferred) or lead to their releasing you.
It's easy to think that we are made of meat, so therefore meat is a good simulant of effect on humans. Sure, if I had an animal that had been killed within minutes of the test, there would be some similarity: otherwise, there isn't. Time and temperature changes make little similarity between meat and live human tissue.
February 25, 2013, 10:49 PM
Zebra F-701
I ran a test and the zebra 701 will go in a 1/2 in a roast with dress pants leg over it. I set it up to represent thigh strick.
Texan Scott
April 10, 2013, 11:01 PM
Thanks again to JShirley for this review! It definitely provided me with the points for consideration in making my purchase decision... received mine today:
http:// http://images.knifecenter.com/thumb/1500x1500/knifecenter/smith-and-wesson-knives/images/SWPENBK.jpg
Absolutely enamored with it. Good prices and quick, trouble-free service with this vendor, as well.
ETA: In addition to being a fine writing instrument, I like the fact that the cap screws on securely and that the striking end is not the writing point. This allows instant accessibility for use AND protected, tip-up carry to keep it from ruining my shirts.
April 10, 2013, 11:09 PM
Good deal. Let us know how you feel about it in a few weeks.
I've been carrying a Fred Perrin pen most often, recently, but the ink cartridge needs to be replaced.
April 11, 2013, 11:32 PM
John, I saw this far to late to comment, but I have used the s&w pen for a couple of years now. I have never used it with true serious intent, but I have done two serious restraints with it at work to prove a concept to some non-believers. I have nothing but love for it, plus the price was decent. I leave it at work, but it is in my shirt pocket every second of my workday.
Honestly, if I really needed to defend myself at work, the pen would be my first choice over the knife. There are a lot of reasons for that, but the biggest one is I really don't want to have to cut someone up, along with legal problems related to carrying a knife at work. I get away with it, but strictly speaking I am not supposed to carry anything larger than a little penknife. Also, and perhaps naively, I think my wrestling background, though many years in the past, lends itself more readily to pen as opposed to knife "combatives". 16years of being a mat rat gives me a high comfort level with applying pain compliance techniques, you see.
April 11, 2013, 11:43 PM
Timbo, you're using Etta Koppo techniques. I'd want to use them instead of a knife, in your situation, too.
April 12, 2013, 12:01 AM
i'm interested in this just cause it looks kinda cool, but i'm a newbie to tactical pens... so could someone explain what they are used to do??? other than write of course. what makes them tactical other than that they are heavy?
April 12, 2013, 12:03 AM
Etta Koppo, you say? Google, here I come!
April 12, 2013, 12:06 AM
Jack, follow my link in post 46.
April 12, 2013, 12:26 PM
thanks, that helps. should have went their before asking :o
April 12, 2013, 01:08 PM
If it was a simpler answer, I just would've answered it directly. My favorite small defensive implements are still flashlights.
10mm Mike
April 12, 2013, 02:16 PM
According to the former state police instructor a cross pen is a tactical pen. That is what Al DeBeers taught us in his street survival class at UALR back in the 1980's .
I took Judo with Al Demers in the early 2000's when I was at UALR. He's a great guy. Always had a hilarious story to tell.
I have a S&W tactical pen (the one blue one with the flutes along the body) and its pretty nice. I don't actually carry it or have any plans on using it in a "tactical" fashion - it just sits on my desk at work all day. I just wanted a nicer metal pen with some heft that could be easily refilled. It could probably do some damage if you jabbed someone in the ribs with it, but I'd rather throw proper strikes and grapple if it came to a physical confrontation, rather that trying to poke someone with a pen.
April 12, 2013, 02:18 PM
Well, that's just it. Poking someone in the ribs is the wrong way to use one of these defensively.
April 12, 2013, 05:25 PM
I've recently gotten a nice thick Cross pen. Can anyone recommend how to use it as a self defense item? Every bit of info helps.
April 12, 2013, 11:53 PM
thanks to you guys i just got one. i was out looking for ammo and came across a kershaw tactical pen. i got it, now i just have to remember to keep it on me. i don't usually carry pens around, and when i do, i seem to loose them. we'll see how it goes.
kim breed
April 13, 2013, 10:08 AM
best defense is a better offense. let the situation dictate the area of the strike. A no2 pencil in the eye stops the fight quickly. strike what ever presents itself. I prefer a steel chair or a heavy beer mug.
April 13, 2013, 11:52 AM
strike whatever presents itself
Great concise summation. We tend to get caught up in a false mentality that defenders need to inflict some mortal blow.
Our goal is escaping the situation with honor. A pen through the back of an assailant's hand may accomplish that. Whether our attacker lives or dies is not our concern or goal: we just want to go home to our family with a clear conscience.
April 13, 2013, 12:01 PM
We tend to get caught up in a false mentality that defenders need to inflict some mortal blow.
For whatever it is worth, I have always guarded against this false mentality, almost entirely because the last thing I want to do is to have to beat/stab/slash/pummel someone to death. Having had some experience with that, I can truthfully now say that if I am fighting with anything other than a gun, my only goal is escape, not Willis-Level destruction. Could I inflict a mortal wound on someone with a knife or a pen or with thunder and lightning? I know I could, but deep in my soul I just don't want to. Pain is temporary, death is forever.
That isn't to say that with a gun I consider myself Killy McKillshot, but it is to say that if the situation demands pulling a trigger, the likeliehood of a mortal wound being inflicted is considerably higher. It is also to say that if I am shooting, escape was not an option for whatever reason that may be.
April 13, 2013, 12:21 PM
I've shown my tiny anti-rape knife to friends, and had them complain that they probably couldn't penetrate the rib cage with it. :rolleyes:
The goal is to escape, not annihilate the enemy. That's ego talking, the need to punish anyone who dares touch you.
April 13, 2013, 12:50 PM
But the converse of that is that in some situations you might need to create a greater degree of incapacitation or the situation might otherwise not fit into that envelope of pain as opposed to "death." While most knife stoppages may be "psychological" it's hard to say to what degree you need to cause physical damage to trigger that reaction.
I don't like to do the whole internet legal analysis double-backflip thing but I also would warn people against the false comfort of utilizing a categorical deadly force method (knife) in a situation where you may later find yourself stating that the intent was to effect escape via pain as opposed to stop the threat at all costs due to fear for your life.
Put differently I think (not know) that any dichotomy between a gun and knife existing in the mind of someone who might find himself defending with one or the other should not be seen as one dependent on the severity of the situation and with one option more "legally desirable," but instead both are worst-case options you access when you have no other option, and the circumstances dictate which one insofar as one tool may solve that particular problem better.
The way I train to use a tac-pen puts it uncomfortably close to lethal or maiming so I don't consider it a less-lethal or more legally-desirable option, personally.
Just my 2 cents.
April 13, 2013, 01:05 PM
Okay, you'll notice I never suggested pain as a defense. I have suggested that whether the attacker lives or dies is besides the point- exactly as I've said in several threads assuming defense with a firearm. Lethal strikes with manual weapons usually require greater commitment than strikes to limbs. This commitment is both mental and physical. Closer is generally speaking more hazardous. Putting something through an attacker's hand is obviously more than just pain compliance, and it's safer to a defender than being 3 feet closer so you can attack the neck, temple, or eyes.
April 13, 2013, 04:39 PM
Re pain, I was addressing you and Timbo, probably should have quoted and replied more selectively. Sorry about that.
I agree with what you say about hands vs eyes/temple. A particularly good training class I took encouraged "taking what you can get" which is often the hand, but a solid hit on the hand can certainly open up the face as a viable target.
April 13, 2013, 04:52 PM
a solid hit on the hand can certainly open up the face as a viable target
Sure. I'm just encouraging everyone to remember we're not trying for "total war" here. The goal is to escape. If a strike to the periphery accomplishes that, well and good. If the attacker's doesn't retreat, then it may be time to go "all in".
April 13, 2013, 07:03 PM
Well, I did say that I didn't want to go all in, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't. As mentioned, I have a little experience with this kind of thing, and while escape is my primary goal, if it becomes him or me, any potential misgivings about going further kind of disappear. I didn't mean to imply that I would never do it, but if I can use my considerable size and a certain willingness to inflict pain that exists when I want to escape a situation to hurt someone bad enough that I can run away, thats preferable.
April 13, 2013, 07:07 PM
I prefer a steel chair or a heavy beer mug.
Or a glass beer bottle capped with your thumb? :evil:
I've been carrying the Timberline LCP for a long time. It is of a size to use like a kubotan and that's the reason I like it.
April 13, 2013, 08:02 PM
I agree I just want to go home to my family.Killing someone is not high on my list of things to do but I am prepared and willing to do it. Tac pens are just another tool in the Toolbox.
April 14, 2013, 01:39 PM
The goal is to escape, not annihilate the enemy. That's ego talking, the need to punish anyone who dares touch you.
You know your friends better than we might presume to, but in the use of force continuum some people will not be made to break off or be incapacitated by anything more than great injury. Small tools required proportionally greater skill to help ensure your safety. conw and you and I would be more successful with your small knife or a Bic pen or kubaton because we've trained in how to apply their limited injury potential to the optimum use. If the folks that have commented on Sam's knife have equivalent training then they're either bloodthursty or they're envisioning a worst case PCP/Meth/Prison Sifu opponent that has to be destroyed to gain escape.
April 14, 2013, 02:05 PM
...or they were raped 25 years ago. :( But you'll notice several posts in this thread about penetrating the ribs, when that should be far down the list of best targets.
April 14, 2013, 10:04 PM
Far from a best target in trying to effect an escape. I'm not sure any pen of practical carry size would be of able to serve. Too short to hit vital organs so there's not a lot of point focusing on using a pen for that purpose.
Texan Scott
April 15, 2013, 12:17 AM
My thought (just from my perspective when working at a service counter) is that anyone coming OVER the counter/ THROUGH the service window will necessarily be presenting the backs of their hands and tops of their shoulder sockets as obvious strike targets... and that S&W pen will hurt a lot more than a Swingline stapler.
April 15, 2013, 09:38 AM
I think one advantage of a heavy, fairly sharp "tactical" pen is that if you carry it around your collar area, you can access it in a very compressed position and it's hard for someone to interfere with the "drawstroke."
Think about your typical reaction if someone were to poke toward your eyes with their fingers (a little kid, or something along those lines) - you might blink, turn your head away, or try to smack the fingers out of the way.
Now imagine if you were 12-18" from someone and had limited options for whatever reason (can't access other weapons, don't have them, may not be confident in your H2H skills at that range, etc). If you can access a pen around your collar area, you can deliver some rapid-fire jabs in the direction of their face - I like a reverse grip for this.
The idea is not to maim, disfigure, or kill them; it's to get that 2-second reaction from taking them off guard, just like with pepper-spray. From there you may have opened up other ways of delivering some more damaging blows, or perhaps an avenue of escape.
The use of things like this, IMO, is dependent on a sense of timing and realistic expectations as to the effect. If you think you will drop them with one attempted jab to the face you are probably wrong. There may not even be much of an effect. But you can probably get just enough of a flinch/surprise reaction to follow it up with something more useful, and the pen lets you target and generate a reasonable amount of pinpoint force at very close distances fairly effectively.
April 15, 2013, 07:36 PM
Very succinct Conwic !:cool:
April 16, 2013, 11:16 AM
I keep mine clipped to the placket of my shirt right on the midline just above the nipple line. That way it doesn't matter if I'm wearing a pocketed shirt or not (I almost always am wearing a "polo" shirt or full button up).
April 16, 2013, 09:35 PM
I think one advantage of a heavy, fairly sharp "tactical" pen is that if you carry it around your collar area, you can access it in a very compressed position and it's hard for someone to interfere with the "drawstroke."
Think about your typical reaction if someone were to poke toward your eyes with their fingers (a little kid, or something along those lines) - you might blink, turn your head away, or try to smack the fingers out of the way.
Now imagine if you were 12-18" from someone and had limited options for whatever reason (can't access other weapons, don't have them, may not be confident in your H2H skills at that range, etc). If you can access a pen around your collar area, you can deliver some rapid-fire jabs in the direction of their face - I like a reverse grip for this.
The idea is not to maim, disfigure, or kill them; it's to get that 2-second reaction from taking them off guard, just like with pepper-spray. From there you may have opened up other ways of delivering some more damaging blows, or perhaps an avenue of escape.
The use of things like this, IMO, is dependent on a sense of timing and realistic expectations as to the effect. If you think you will drop them with one attempted jab to the face you are probably wrong. There may not even be much of an effect. But you can probably get just enough of a flinch/surprise reaction to follow it up with something more useful, and the pen lets you target and generate a reasonable amount of pinpoint force at very close distances fairly effectively.
Well said : You have to be willing to inflict pain in order to escape or win the fight. I am teaching my 14 year old daughter this hard fact of life; That there are bad and some crazy people that you might have to hurt or kill so you can return home.
April 16, 2013, 11:58 PM
How about a Zebra F-701?
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text:
Texture Analysis as a Tool for Tissue Characterization in Clinical MRI
Holli, Kirsi Katariina
Publication type: Doctoral dissertation
Issue date: 2011-10-28
Belongs to: Tampereen teknillinen yliopisto. Julkaisu - Tampere University of Technology. Publication;988
University: Tampereen teknillinen yliopisto - Tampere University of Technology
Faculty: Luonnontieteiden ja ympäristötekniikan tiedekunta – Faculty of Science and Environmental Engineering
Department: Biolääketieteen tekniikan laitos – Department of Biomedical Engineering
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a valuable tool for medical diagnosis, as it is a non-invasive technique that allows superior visualisation of soft tissues. Because of the vast growth of the acquired information from medical images the development of new computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems has become increasingly important. The application of texture analysis (TA) in the diagnostic interpretation of MR images has become a rapidly expanding field of research. The goal of this thesis was to test the feasibility of texture analysis methods in diagnostic radiology. In this dissertation, texture analysis was applied to three different clinical materials. This study investigates whether the texture could be used to discriminate breast cancer and visible and non-visible changes in brain MRI of mild traumatic brain injuries and multiple sclerosis patients and, if so, which is the optimal texture analysis method for these applications. This study showed that TA could provide a quantitative method to aid radiologists in the detection and classification of pathological findings. A case-specific selection of the texture parameters from histogram-, co-occurrence-, run-length- and wavelet- based methods would be the optimal solution for the evaluated clinical applications. However, larger study samples are needed to further validate these findings. Another conclusion was that the texture analysis process should be simplified considerably and implemented in other CAD systems to be considered for clinical use in the future.
Copyright: This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.


text: There's something about butterflies that we seem to find captivating. Maybe it's their beauty, paired with their extreme delicacy; it seems amazing that creatures with such vivid colors and elegant, floating flight can be so fragile. Perhaps it's all the myths that have accompanied butterflies for centuries. See full article.


text:
Mark Baker/Associated Press
Mark Baker/Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia � Sloane Stephens wiped away tears as she thought about hanging a poster of herself on a wall in the place of her childhood hero.
The 19-year-old American seemed to be in shock, barely able to compute how she�d produced the upset of the Australian Open by beating 15-time major winner Serena Williams in the quarterfinals Wednesday. It was her first trip that far in seven Grand Slam tournaments.
A poster of Williams had adorned the wall on Stephens� bedroom as a child. Now, in her view, they�re peers.
�This is so crazy,� Stephens said in a postmatch TV interview after rallying from a set and a break down against an injured and angry Williams. �Oh my goodness. I think I�ll put a poster of myself (up) now.�
The 29th-seeded Stephens won 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. She calmed her nerves and started swinging harder and lifting her tempo at 4-3 in the second set.
That�s when Williams jarred her back trying to pull up before the net as she chased down a drop shot. Williams let out a loud scream and hopped away. Stephens had a look back over the net, seemingly in concern.
Williams started taking time between points, limping, and trying to stay in the shade at the back of the court. She later called for the trainer between games, and she had a three-minute medical timeout and came back serving at a pace well below her usual speed.
�Well, at that point you just have to pretend like nothing�s wrong,� Williams said. �You think of worst-case scenarios. You know, I just thought, �OK, just pretend nothing�s wrong, and just try your best.��
Stephens� surprise victory did instant wonders for her celebrity.
Before the match, Stephens said she had about 17,000 followers on Twitter. A few hours after reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal, she had more than 40,000.
And she sounded like an excited schoolgirl as she gushed about receiving a congratulatory tweet from singer John Legend.
�I want John Legend to sing at my wedding!� she said. �I was like, �Oh my God. He tweeted me. What can I do?��
She retweeted the sentiments from Legend: �Just found out her dad is John Stephens from the Pats. (that�s my real name) I had his football card when I was a kid. I was so proud, ha ha.�
Stephens� father, the former New England Patriots player, died in 2009.
Retired basketball star Shaquille O�Neal sent a message that read: �When u defeat a legend you become a legend.�
The Dallas Mavericks� Dirk Nowitzki wrote, �Wow. What a win for Sloane. Some amazing defense. She gets every ball back.�
Stephens checked her phone during her postmatch news conference and said there were 213 text messages waiting for her.
Like many a teenager, her first concern was about how high her phone bill might be.
�I thought it was free to receive text messages, but someone told me otherwise,� she said.
Her mother �is going to be like, �The money you were going to buy yourself something nice with, you�re going to pay your phone bill.��
She�s set for her biggest payday, regardless of the result in today�s semifinal against defending champion Victoria Azarenka, who beat two-time major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-1 in the previous match in Rod Laver Arena.
The semifinal losers earn $525,000, double what the quarterfinal losers receive.
For Williams, there�s a further $1,500 deduction after she was fined for racket abuse.
Stephens had practiced with Williams for the Fed Cup but had played her only once, a straight-sets loss at the Brisbane International earlier this month.
�Brisbane helped me because I got the first time we played out of the way,� she said. �First time is always tough. Definitely I was glad that I got it there ... it helped me raise my level.�
She�ll need to maintain that level within 24 hours to play the top-ranked Azarenka. That will follow the semifinal between No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova and No. 6 Li Na, the 2011 French Open champion.
Stephens� previous best run at a major tournament was at last year�s French Open, where she was the first American teenager to reach the fourth round since Williams in 2001. She was the youngest player in the year-end top 50 despite missing the last six weeks of the season with an abdominal injury.
�I took a lot of time off just kind of being a normal kid, doing whatever,� she said.
That means shopping, social networking and other things teens do.
Stephens was under real pressure early, and it showed. She double-faulted to give Williams triple break point in the eighth game but could save only two. Williams started pumping her fist and yelling, �Come On.�
Williams broke her serve again in the opening game of the second set.
�From then on, I got aggressive, started coming to the net more and just got a lot more comfortable,� Stephens said.
That paid off when she broke back in the fourth game.
Williams injured her ankle in her first-round win, and the back injury compounded her problems in what she said later was her worst major tournament in a long time.
The five-time Australian champion shanked a forehand to fall behind 2-1 in the third, then smashed her racket into the court, twice, flinging it toward the courtside chairs.
She picked up her service speed and was called for a foot fault, further annoying her.
Williams got the first break of the set and seemed to be back on track for victory, but Stephens answered immediately.
Serving to stay in the match, Williams hit an attempted passing shot long and looked up to the sky, muttering to herself. She hit backhands into the net on the next two points, and her winning streak had ended.
Williams walked around the net post to shake Stephens� hand. The quick turnaround between matches makes it difficult for Stephens� family to make it to Australia for her semifinal.
�I�m kind of upset my mom�s not here � and my brother,� she said. �I know definitely everyone�s watching back home and is very proud of me, so (I�ll) just do my best and make them happy.�
Aaron Favila/Associated Press


text:
on May 22, 2013 - 5:38 PM
, updated May 23, 2013 at 12:22 AM
Real estate experts are split over whether the rejection of a school budget affects home sales in the district.
Consumers always look at the amount of taxes they'll pay when considering where to buy a home, but they tend not to pay attention to how much of it is from the school district, several agents said Wednesday, the day after voters rejected six school budgets in the region.
"I don't really find buyers savvy enough to pay attention to the votes, but they do pay attention to the dollar amount for the taxes," said Anja Wright, a broker at Nothnagle Realtors Property Centre in Buffalo.
What does matter is the quality of the schools, especially for young families with children. "I have never seen any evidence that homebuyers pay any attention to the results of school board elections," said Dan Symoniak, vice president and general manager for RealtyUSA.
"However, the perception of the quality of the schools is of enormous importance to parents with school-age children," he said. "In fact, I would say it is the primary criterion for this segment of the market."
That could change, especially with the property tax cap in place.
"I have a feeling that consumers will be paying more attention and you'll start seeing a difference in home sales," said David Weitzel, associate real estate broker at RE/Max North in Williamsville.
In the meantime, though, "lower taxes are always desired, since buyers are concerned with how much their monthly payments will be when the taxes are factored in," Wright said. "For homebuyers, it's a net positive that school tax increases in six districts were rejected."
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Top Definition
This is a term you use when something is the shit!! Like that green is really dank'ums.. Anybody see Diggitty's Lexus that ride is really dank'ums!!
بواسطة Diggitty مارس/آذَار 9, 2011
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Can you define these popular missing words?
A term often used to represent superior quality. It is often used by dirt hippies, African Americans or "Ballers".
بواسطة Bonz142 مارس/آذَار 20, 2008


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Top Definition
A moment in which one makes a silly mistake similar to that of Sarah Palin.
"Meg had a Sarah Palin moment yesterday. She thought that Africa was a country."
מאת Mankle 20 בינואר, 2009
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Can you define these popular missing words?
When you have a pen but no paper and MUST write something down. Your palm becomes your notepad. Particularly pleasing when done by a Democrat.
When this liberal gal wrote my e-mail address on her palm, I thought; even Democrats can have a Sarah Palin Moment.
מאת SmileK 18 באפריל, 2010


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Our Family Recipes Box
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Words & Pictures Bookshop
Words & Pictures offers carefully selected books, photographs and prints, and other vintage collectibles. Located on Whidbey Island, Washington, proprietors John and Joy Williams are life-long readers and collectors and have been booksellers since the late 1990s. All books with dust wrappers are in Mylar protectors. All vintage photographs are matted in acid-free board. Words & Pictures offers only quality vintage material and any and all flaws are carefully noted.


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INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Casey Canino graduated cum laude from California State University, Fullerton on May 19, 2012, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater. She also received an honors diploma for completing the university's honors program. Casey is the daughter of Tom and Tanya Canino and a 2008 Incline High School graduate, who performed in the high school's musicals of Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz and Oliver!
Casey was one of 10 students accepted into the BFA in Musical Theater program, after a series of auditions during her first two years at Cal State Fullerton. While at school, she performed in Godspell, The Wedding Singer, Footloose!, A Grand Night for Singing, The Mikado and Pirates of Penzance. She was a member of a musical variety group, which opened for Heart at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Her first professional job was in May as a cut dancer in 3D Theatrical's production of A Chorus Line. After an acting internship with the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival this summer, Casey is returning to Los Angeles in the fall to work in more shows before eventually moving to New York City next year.
As a thank you to the friends, community members and organizations who have encouraged and supported Casey through her college years, she is offering a free musical theater cabaret at 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, at the Toccata Incline Performing Arts Center in the Village Center. To reserve a seat, please email Casey at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The announcers just said Mia instead of Maia.
I just lol'd.
Wow I take back what I said about U.S Nationals doing a good job avoiding inflation. The scores here for the dancers are equally as inflated as Gilles & Poirier and their scores at Nationals. Who for instance thinks the Shibutanis would have won Europeans with their performances here, or H&D would have almost won the FD at Europeans, lol!
With two couples left to skate:
Place Start No. Name Short Dance Free Dance Total Score Place 1 13 Maia Shibutani / Alex Shibutani 3 69.63 1 104.58 174.21 2 12 Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donohue 4 67.75 2 100.11 167.86 3 11 Lynn Kriengkrairut / Logan Giulietti-Schmitt 5 64.69 3 95.32 160.01
Love Meryl & Charlie's unison, matching body lines, speed, power, drama, feeling of the music. Congratulations on the 5th National title!
197.44 for Davis and White total (118.42 in the FD)
Holy ****. And 23 points above the Shibutanis.
This program is really one of their best. They have a great chance at Gold at worlds. However, Virtue and Moir will put a good fight as their changes at canadian nationals also were amazing. Amazing work from the US ice dancers though.
Well inflation or not I am CRYING. That was unreal. Meryl's face at the beginning of the skate. Their pair's spin at the top. In the camel position it was like Charlie was trying to cradle or protect her.
I don't care what anyone says that was a fabulous connection and maybe the best acting I've ever seen from a skater.
Amazing how D/W just keep getting better.
Regardless of what happens, I hope the Shibs get sent to 4CC. They're already loved in Japan!
It is hard to see Davis & White not winning Worlds, even with it being in Canada.
Madison Chock is seriously pretty.
That was a nice skate for after Davis and White's epicness.
What is with Chock's dress? Get rid of the faux fur collar and cut off the sleeves.


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As Immunotherapy Revolutionizes the Cancer Treatment...
Expanding Use of NGS Has Largely...
LC-MS Gains Favor Due To the...
Wall Street Decline Takes Its Toll...
Molecular biologist Florian Wurm, Ph.D., co-founded ExcellGene in 2001 to improve large-scale mammalian cell manufacturing processes. While working for 10 years at Genentech, Hoechst, and academic institutions, Dr. Wurm, now CSO at ExcellGene, gained insights into how to enhance mammalian cell engineering and bioreactors for scale-up. "Now we drive innovation in the industry to serve our clients."
ExcellGene's technology platform reportedly turns DNA constructs into purified recombinant proteins of interest within days or weeks. "Other competitors take months to do that," Dr. Wurm insists. "Bioreactors are the core of our industry, and I've worked with all of them."
Animal cells grown in suspension cultures face two key problems: suspensions must be stirred gently to avoid damage to the cells from impellers, and oxygen is the key nutrient for animal cell cultures; however, too little or too much can kill cells. The density of cells growing in bioreactors has increased dramatically from 1 to 2 million cells per milliliter to 10 to 15 million cells per milliliter. This raises the demand for oxygen to a new level. To meet the oxygen demand, bioreactors are sparged with pure oxygen at high flow rates, but this also kills cells. Biologists and engineers who work with large-scale bioreactors struggle with these two complex problems.
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ExcellGene teamed up with Kuhner to develop the orbital shake bioreactor system. Available bioreactors range from 50 mL to 2,000 L. They include the 50 mL (10 mL working volume) Cultiflask/TubeSpin® bioreactors; the 200 L (50–150 L working volume) OrbShake bioreactor fitted with disposable Sartorius Stedim Biotech cell culture bags; and the 2,000 L (500–1,500 L working volume) OrbShake bioreactor with disposable cell culture bags. All OrbShake bioreactors are based on a disposable bag technology that avoids the need for elaborate, costly, and tedious sterilization processes.
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So we were especially impressed when Jennifer Aniston, full name Jennifer "America's Sweetheart" Aniston, openly talked to Parade about hers.
"I don't think I had a care in the world at 25," the actress (and bride-to-be), now 44, tells the magazine. "That all started in my 30s, my awkward phase."
That's odd ... We don't recall Aniston sporting neon scrunchies, recklessly sized sweaters or anything resembling a mullet back in her so-called awkward phase, which would have begun in 1999. Let's investigate.
Here's Jen at 32
Here's Jen at 35
And Jen's Still Not Awkward at 35
ZBP / Zuma
Now Here's Jen at 37
Dale Wilcox / WireImage
Wait for It ... Wait for It ...
John Shearer / WireImage
And, no surprise here: Not much has changed.


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The IMF, along with researchers, physicians, patients, and industry leaders, is extremely excited as we prepare for the annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting, this year being held in Atlanta, Georgia on December 10th through 13th. The ASH meeting is the annual high point of the year in blood cancer research, and myeloma research is fast becoming the bellwether for blood-cancer studies and treatment. The IMF, through our groundbreaking program, Bank On A Cure®, is at the forefront of it all. This year, five abstracts from Bank On A Cure research have been accepted at ASH, an impressive accomplishment. The IMF will once again be on site at ASH conducting web interviews with leading myeloma clinicians and researchers, capturing their first impressions and responses to the new data being presented. These reports from ASH, bring you breaking news as it happens.
However, those of you familiar with the work of the IMF should not be surprised by this announcement. Over the years, the IMF has awarded a total of 65 grants by means of the Brian D. Novis Research Grant program, to clinical researchers around the world. These grants are producing amazing results in the area of myeloma treatment as well as our overall understanding of the disease. At the annual ASH meeting, the IMF announces the grant winners for the upcoming year. Please look to future editions of Myeloma Today and to our website www.myeloma.org, for information about our newest awardees.
In all aspects of cancer research, knowledge is power, and the more you know about developments in myeloma research, the better equipped you are to face this devastating disease. To that end, please use all of the tools that the IMF provides. If you do not already subscribe to this publication, please call us at 800-452-CURE (2873) and do so today! If you have internet access, please visit our award-winning website, and subscribe to our weekly e-mail newsletter, the Myeloma Minute. Our thorough catalogue of publications is overseen by our chairman, Dr. Brian G.M. Durie, and our materials have proven to be the most informative and helpful resources available. They can be viewed online or ordered directly through our website or by telephone. Lastly, all of those who have called our toll-free hotline and spoken with Debbie, Nancy, and Paul know that we are available to help you better understand myeloma research and treatment with the most up-to-date information possible. Please tell those who may not know about the IMF that we are available to assist anyone touched by this disease.
We are here to help you in any and all ways possible, and look forward to reporting back to you about our accomplishments and the important updates on the advances in myeloma research and treatment that will be presented at this year's ASH conference.
Best wishes.


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The Vatican on the Orthodox - Printable Version
+- The British Orthodox Church - Fellowship Forum (http://britishorthodox.org/forum)
+-- Forum: News & Events (http://britishorthodox.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=10)
+--- Forum: News and Events (http://britishorthodox.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=9)
+--- Thread: The Vatican on the Orthodox (/showthread.php?tid=129)
The Vatican on the Orthodox - Fr Gregory - 11-07-2007
Considerable publicity has been recently given to a statement from the Vatican on the nature of Orthodox and Protestant communities. The following is the text on the Orthodox Churches with the official commentary. Only the footnotes for these sections have been included.
Fr Gregory
The full text can be found at: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congr ... es_en.html
Fourth Question: Why does the Second Vatican Council use the term "Church" in reference to the oriental Churches separated from full communion with the Catholic Church?
Response: The Council wanted to adopt the traditional use of the term. "Because these Churches, although separated, have true sacraments and above all ? because of the apostolic succession ? the priesthood and the Eucharist, by means of which they remain linked to us by very close bonds"[13], they merit the title of "particular or local Churches"[14], and are called sister Churches of the particular Catholic Churches[15].
"It is through the celebration of the Eucharist of the Lord in each of these Churches that the Church of God is built up and grows in stature"[16]. However, since communion with the Catholic Church, the visible head of which is the Bishop of Rome and the Successor of Peter, is not some external complement to a particular Church but rather one of its internal constitutive principles, these venerable Christian communities lack something in their condition as particular churches[17].
On the other hand, because of the division between Christians, the fullness of universality, which is proper to the Church governed by the Successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him, is not fully realised in history[18].
[13] SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 15.3; cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Letter Communionis notio, 17.2: AAS, 85 [1993-II] 848.
[14] SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 14.1.
[15] Cf. SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 14.1; JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 56 f: AAS 87 [1995-II] 954 ff.
[16] SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 15.1.
[17] Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Letter Communionis notio, 17.3: AAS 85 [1993-II] 849.
[18] Ibid.
Official Commentary
The fourth question asks why the Second Vatican Council used the word ?Churches? to describe the oriental Churches not in full communion with the Catholic Church.
Notwithstanding the explicit affirmation that the Church of Christ ?subsists? in the Catholic Church, the recognition that even outside her visible boundaries ?many elements of sanctification and of truth?[6] are to be found, implies the ecclesial character - albeit diversified ? of the non-Catholic Churches or ecclesial Communities. Neither are these by any means ?deprived of significance and importance? in the sense that ?the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation.?[7]
The document considers above all the reality of the oriental Churches not in full communion with the Catholic Church and, making reference to various conciliar texts, gives them the title ?particular or local Churches? and calls them sister Churches of the particular Catholic Churches because they remain united to the Catholic Church through the apostolic succession and the valid celebration of the Eucharist ?through which the Church of God is built up and grows in stature.?[8] The Declaration Dominus Iesus explicitly calls them ?true particular Churches.?[9]
Despite this unequivocal recognition of their ?being particular Churches? and of their salvific value, the document could not ignore the wound (defectus) which they suffer specifically in their being particular Churches. For it is because of their Eucharistic vision of the Church, which stresses the reality of the particular Church united in the name of Christ through the celebration of the Eucharist and under the guidance of a Bishop, that they consider themselves complete in their particularity.[10] Consequently, given the fundamental equality among all the particular Churches and among the Bishops which preside over them, they each claim a certain internal autonomy. This is obviously not compatible with the doctrine of Primacy which, according to the Catholic faith, is an ?internal constitutive principle? of the very existence of a particular Church.[11] It will, therefore, remain necessary to emphasise that the Primacy of the Successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, is not seen as something extraneous or merely concurrent with that of Bishops of particular Churches. Rather it must be exercised in service to the unity of the faith and of communion within the limits that proceed from divine law and from the divine and inviolable constitution of the Church contained in revelation.[12]
[8] Cf. SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Unitatis Redintegratio, 15.1..
[9] CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITHI, Dominus Iesus, 17: AAS 92 (2000) 758.
[10] Cf. COMITATO MISTO CATTOLICO-ORTODOSSO IN FRANCIA, Il primato romano nella comunione delle Chiese, Conclusioni: in ?Enchiridion oecumenicum? (1991), vol. IV, n. 956.
[11] Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Communionis notio, n.17: AAS 85 (1993) 849.
[12] Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Considerations on the Primacy of the Successor of Peter in the Mystery of the Church, n. 7 and n. 10, in: L?Osservatore Romano, English Edition, 18 November 1998, 5-6.
the vatican on the orthodox - kirk yacoub - 17-07-2007
As a member of the Syriac Orthodox Church who is married to a Roman Catholic, I can say first of all, that the attitude of the RC clergy I have dealings with has been first class, ecumenical, and always positive. We Syriac Orthodox have the possibility of not only receiving the sacraments
of Communion, Penance, and the Anointing of the Sick from a RC priest, but also of course, a Roman Catholic may also receive these sacraments from
a Syriac Orthodox priest. Also, inter-marriage is now permitted. When the
late Pope John Paul II (may his name be blessed) visited Damascus in May, 2001, the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch, His Holiness Ignatios Zakka I
Iwas emphasised that the Common Declaration signed between the two Churches in 1984 "is unique indeed... because it went beyond doctrinal professions of the two Churches to embrace the pastoral care of the faithful in both Churches..."
Another interesting fact of the late Pope's visiit to Damascus is that he deliberately paid homage "to the entire Syriac tradition", including in this St Paul the Apostle, St Ignatios of Antioch, St Simeon Stylites, St John Chrysostom, and the very Eastern Orthodox St John of Damascus.
Having attended RC masses I can see how complicated it would be simply from a practical point of view to concelebrate the Mass. However, it is not really for us weak human beings to think this way of difficulties, it is sufficient that we strive for unity and trust in the work of the Holy Spirit.
Kirk Yacoub
Vatican pronouncement - John Charmley - 19-07-2007
Dear Kirk,
Thank you for this, which points to a richer and deeper reality than the two-dimensional controversy stirred up by the media.
Concelebration at the Eucharist can come when we have achieved the unity which is His command and His will; and that will be quicker if we can stop getting in the way!
In Christ,


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5 Surprising Upsides to Getting Married
#2. A Forcefield of Empathy
Being single can sometimes feel like treading water in a sea of assholes. Pretty much everything in life is always out to get you, and because you're alone, and you can't watch your back every minute of every day, it's only a matter of time before life slips in behind your peripherals and slits your damn throat. When you're single and feeling hurt, or depressed, or worried, you might have friends or family to turn to, but the important part is shut the fuck up.
We're all very impressed that you have a network of caring individuals around you, but some of us burned all of our bridges to see the pretty flames, OK? We don't need you in here flaunting your precious social circles in everybody's faces, dick.
At any rate, even with that village of happy, shiny people at your beck and call, you still have to hope they have time for you, or have gone through something similar enough to understand and relate to your situation. Somebody probably will, but there's no guarantee of that. There's always that gnawing doubt right before you ask, isn't there? Being single means having to turn to people in times of need; being married means never having to turn at all. You're a duality now. Your spouse will always share a core block of experience with you -- they'll vividly remember the time teenagers stole your truck just to drive it a block and ditch it, and how paying to get it out of police impound almost ruined you; they'll know how shitty it feels being robbed with all of your stuff still a state away; they'll understand that cheese makes you poop -- like, a lot -- but goddammit it's delicious, what are you supposed to do?!
Marriage is like having a permanent buffer of empathy around you at all times. Some gullible chump signed a contract that means they have to care about the stupid stuff you're going through, and if they don't like it -- tough. A contract is a contract and if you don't want to sympathize with the cheese-poops then you can talk to my lawyer, Meagan.
#1. Leveling Up into Adulthood
I've often heard it lamented (usually by somebody who's just turned 21) that there's nothing left in adulthood to look forward to after you can legally drink. As far as they're concerned, that's the last big adult milestone left in American culture. But like everything else a 21-year-old says, that statement is a slurry of misconceptions, lies and probably also some recycled memes.
Adulthood is a series of levels, and not every level comes with a new perk, that's true. But the big ones -- driving, voting, drinking -- aren't the only ones you get. Sure, at 21 you get to drink, which is a dramatic and obvious benefit: It's like gaining the ability to shoot fireballs. But sometimes the less flashy perks are, in the long run, much more helpful: Somewhere around 26, for example, you might discover that you don't really give a crap about other people's beliefs anymore (and not in a cruel way). Now you can interact with others that may harbor different religious or political beliefs without turning every party into a tired, ill-informed debate about the nature of life. That's like getting dual wield: It ain't as showy as hurling fiery doom around, but in the long run, you'll end up using it way more often and getting a lot more out of it. That's just an example, mind you: Maybe that happens way earlier than 26 for you, or maybe it never happens at all. Maybe at 24 you learn that some friendships tie you down as much as help you, and that lesson takes a lot of unwanted stress and drama out of your life. Or maybe you realize at 29 that your dad was right and work is its own reward -- and that means you start doing things on your days off instead of just farting into the couch until the dog leaves.
"Turnabout is fair play, my canine friend, though I do not recommend you turn about just now, for I have farted behind you and I assure you: It is terrible."
The perks, lessons, and the ages you that learn them are all variable. But perhaps the biggest one is the realization that you might have enough love in you to share every element of your existence with another human being, and inexplicably not smother them with a pillow in the night because they know all of your secrets. I can't speak to having kids (that's hardcore mode, and I don't think I'm good enough at this game to play that), but marriage is a way bigger milestone than legal drinking. If 21 is shooting fireballs, marriage is an epic mount: If you pick the right one, it opens up whole new areas that were previously inaccessible. And if you ever have to go back to the way it was before, you'll wonder how the hell you got everywhere on foot in the first place.
You can buy Robert's book, Everything is Going to Kill Everybody: The Terrifyingly Real Ways the World Wants You Dead, or follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Or you can skip down to the comments to complain that marriage is a crock because you're 19 and don't know how to be wrong yet.


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Share, view fall photos from your town
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Believe it or not the weather is slowly cooling down and your friends are drinking pumpkin spice coffee in the morning. Signs of fall are everywhere! Why don't you share photos of all the fall things you love with your u local community.
Upload your photos and videos to the CA Landscapes category, then select the Fall foliage sub-category to appear in the slideshow above. Please include a brief description, along with the location of where the photo or video was taken. Your upload may be used on-air!
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4B. Letter from George Neu to the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee against the Voting Rights Act of 1965, March 26, 1965; Judiciary Committee, Legislative Files, House bills, H.R. 6400; 89th Congress, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Record Group 233, National Archives Building, Washington, D.C.
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FOSTORIA - An eclectic blend of Mexican and American food is on the menu at Hank & Jesse's, 224 N. Main St., Fostoria.
The new restaurant, which opened in May and celebrated a grand opening June 20, is co-owned by Jesse Garcia and Hank Elchert. Garcia said the idea for the business originated with the small taco shops that are operated in Texas and other locations.
"I always wanted to open a restaurant in Fostoria," he said, and his Mexican-inspired menu was merged with Elchert's American flair to create Hank & Jesse's.
Garcia said he and Elchert brought their own recipes and menu ideas to the restaurant. Elchert's signature dishes, he said, include pink meatloaf and a potato salad recipe that has been handed down through generations of the Elchert family. Garcia said a specialty item of his creation is a pork dish with special seasoning that is served with pineapple.
To keep an emphasis on high-quality menu items, Garcia said Hank & Jesse's uses mostly steak and chicken in its recipes, and little hamburger meat. All of the meat used by the restaurant is from local sources, he said, and many other ingredients also are bought locally.
Garcia said prices at Hank and Jesses are reasonable, allowing customers to enjoy the restaurant despite a tough economy. Since opening, he said, business has been steady.
Changes, additions and events at Hank & Jesse's, Garcia said, also will depend on the economy, and may include outdoor concerts. Now, the restaurant offers an ice cream soda shop and an "all you can eat" nacho bar Fridays.
Hank & Jesse's is in the middle of downtown Fostoria, which Garcia said is a convenient central location that allows for local and highway access. So far, he said, most of the restaurant's customers have been local residents.
Garcia said a website for Hank & Jesse's is in development, and the restaurant has a Facebook page, where customers can stay current with the restaurant's specials, menu and other news.


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on May 13, 2013 - 5:32 PM
, updated May 14, 2013 at 8:03 AM
How will we remember Buddy Nix's tenure as Buffalo Bills general manager? With the help of beat reporter Mark Gaughan, we look back on his three seasons and four drafts.
Buddy's biggest hits:
1) Success with first-round draft picks. You can argue whether the Bills should have drafted a running back with the ninth overall pick in 2010, but you can't dispute Nix selected a good one in C.J. Spiller. He also drafted opening-day starters Marcell Dareus and Stephon Gilmore.
2) Spending big money. Ralph Wilson trusted Nix to acquire big-ticket free agents, and Nix shocked the football community by nabbing star pass-rusher Mario Williams last year.
3) Trolling the waiver wire. Nix was adept at collecting other teams' castoffs and turning them into starters. The list includes offensive linemen Kraig Urbik, Chad Rinehart and Erik Pears and TE Scott Chandler.
4) Dumping Aaron Maybin. It takes guts to jettison an 11th overall pick two years after he was drafted. And it was the right move.
5) Stability. Nix provided credibility for a front office that had been reeling since Wilson fired Tom Donahoe. The stunt to bring back Marv Levy as GM was a joke, and Russ Brandon's stint as GM was just as silly.
Honorable mention: Success with undrafted rookies such as receivers David Nelson and Donald Jones; signing linebacker Nick Barnett; trading receiver Lee Evans for a fourth-round pick.
Buddy's biggest misses:
1) Hiring Chan Gailey. When Chan Gailey was hired in January 2010, I wrote, "The Buffalo Bills went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, examined the menu and went with the grilled cheese." That wasn't Gailey's fault, but after Nix spent weeks wooing the likes of Mike Shanahan, Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden, the Gailey choice was tough to swallow.
2) Failing to identify long-term QB needs. Prior to last month, Nix drafted only one quarterback: 2010 seventh-rounder Levi Brown. Nix drafted bad cornerback Aaron Williams ahead of playoff quarterback Colin Kaepernick and traded up for receiver T.J. Graham when Russell Wilson was on the board.
3) Ryan Fitzpatrick's 2011 contract extension. The Bills were 4-2 and had legitimate playoff hopes when Fitzpatrick got his new deal. He was on the final year of his contract, and if the Bills had made the playoffs, then they would have risked losing a fan favorite while owning a late first-round pick to draft a quarterback. The deal kept Buffalo from addressing the position moving forward.
4) Letting Gailey hire defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt. Red flags should've been waved over the decision to go from a 4-3 scheme under previous head coach Dick Jauron to a 3-4 under Gailey's first coordinator, George Edwards, and then back to a 4-3 under Wannstedt.
5) Drafting Torell Troup instead of Rob Gronkowski. This entry isn't so much about Troup being a bust as it is about Nix's inability to identify how the evolution of tight ends would impact the NFL.
Honorable mentions: Trading Marshawn Lynch for draft picks that turned out to be Chris Hairston and Tank Carder; re-signing pass-rusher Shawne Merriman when injured and cutting him when healthy; giving defensive end Chris Kelsay an extension; drafting kickoff specialist John Potter and then cutting him in-season; too many returned phone calls to Bucs executive Mark Dominik.
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