SBA September loan volume highest since August 2007.

Changes under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to U.S. Small Business Administration loan programs led to a rebound in SBA-backed loans for small businesses and greater access to much-needed capital.

Since the Recovery Act was signed on Feb. 17, SBA has supported more than $11.3 billion in lending to small businesses through its two largest loan programs and seen its average weekly dollar volume increase by more than 60 percent in comparison to the weeks before the Recovery Act. Additionally, the average number of loans approved per week has increased by more than 50 percent. The dollar volume for September 2009 ($1.9 billion) was the highest single-month total since August 2007.

"These numbers, along with our conversations with lenders and small business owners around the country, show that the Recovery Act hit the mark," SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. "The Recovery Act was critical to unlocking the market and as a result we’ve helped put billions of dollars of much needed capital in the hands of small business owners during this tough economic time".

We had a small woodworkin’ shop in the high school I attended. Learned a little ‘bout tellin’ one wood from another and how to clean a finishin’ brush.

We didn’t have any group projects, each individual worked on somethin’ over the semester. Time was a pretty relative thing in our shop class. As long as your weren’t disturbin’ anyone, a project could be as simple or complex as ya wanted.

‘Course operatin’ power tools was always part of the day. I personally learned how to move a sawed off end piece while the blade of the table saw was still runnin’ so as to remove a window pane. Happened quick with a bang and tinkle of glass and pretty much got ever’one’s attention. I remember that lesson ever time I turn on a saw, but I ‘ve never repeated the trick.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Washing the Washer

Q: My roommate and I got a used washing machine for our apartment through an Internet trade. It’s more than 10 years old, but works fine and doesn’t leak. However, the first time I washed clothes in it, they came out covered with lint and flecks of unidentifiable gunk. I thought I wiped down the inside thoroughly. Where did this stuff come from, and how do I get rid of it? -- Kirstie in Rhode Island

A: Getting a used appliance can be a real money-saver, but if the machine is damaged, rusty or has built-up mineral deposits inside, much of your savings could be used up in re-washing items or buying replacement parts.

In this case, the washing machine is working just fine, so you’re dealing with a built-up gunk problem. This gunk is all the little things that have been washed off of dirty clothes for years, like lint and dirt and grease, along with old soap residue and mineral deposits from the water used to wash them.

Put the washing machine through its own set of wash cycles. First, run the machine empty, letting it fill completely with hot water and adding two cups of white vinegar or lemon juice. The agitation and draining should loosen a lot of crud. Let the cycle finish, then run a second cycle of plain hot water to rinse. You can also run an optional third cycle of plain water with a couple of old, large towels thrown in to scrub the sides of the wash barrel, just to make sure most of the gunk is gone.

In older machines, a little rust is sometimes visible around the edges of the barrel’s drain holes. Products are available at home-improvement and appliance stores to specifically deal with this small amount of rust.

Clean the bleach dispenser with a spray cleaner, old cloth and Q-tips. Remove and soak the fabric softener dispenser. Scrub the top rim of the wash barrel in front and behind, where a lot of dirt can hide.