Byline: By danny hakim section: Section B; Column 0; Metropolitan Desk; Pg. 1 Length

URL: http://www.nytimes.com
SUBJECT: DRINKING PLACES (90%); MUSIC (77%); GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES (71%); OLYMPICS (66%); STUDENTS & STUDENT LIFE (65%); ENTREPRENEURSHIP (64%)
COMPANY: CNINSURE INC (62%)
TICKER: CISG (NASDAQ) (62%)
GEOGRAPHIC: BEIJING, CHINA (92%); BERLIN, GERMANY (79%) NORTH CENTRAL CHINA (94%) CHINA (94%); GERMANY (79%)
LOAD-DATE: June 15, 2008
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
GRAPHIC: PHOTOS: CAPTIVATED

In a world of their own at Block 8, a luxury club in Beijing.(PHOTOGRAPH BY SHIHO FUKADA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)

LET THE MUSIC PLAY: At GT Banana, above, a multilevel nightclub, patrons crowd to a dance floor designed to bounce underfoot, while bartenders, below, juggle Champagne bottles and display fireworks. Left, dancing it up at the World of Suzie Wong. (PHOTOGRAPHS BY SHI YAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)

(PHOTOGRAPH BY SHIHO FUKADA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)(pg. ST7)

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676 of 1231 DOCUMENTS

The New York Times
June 15, 2008 Sunday

Late Edition - Final

Paid Notice: Deaths SPENCER, SASH
SECTION: Section ; Column 0; Classified; Pg.
LENGTH: 415 words
SPENCER--Sash. You were a one - of - a - kind person. Whatever you did in your lifetime, you did with the greatest of passion, skill and humor, whether it be involved in business transactions, art, sailing, mountain climbing, hiking or just engaging in dinner conversation with Mary and friends.

Sash, we will never forgot and always miss you. We extend heartfelt condolences and love to Mary. Broser Family SPENCER--S.A. (Sash), 76 Sash A. Spencer, a resident of Key Biscayne, Florida passed away on June 10, 2008 in New York following a brief illness. Mr. Spencer was the founder and chairman of Holding Capital Group, a private investment firm specializing in leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, and money management. Born in Zagreb, Yugoslavia on June 22, 1931. He traveled with his parents in Europe during his early years before moving to the Philippines where he lived and was imprisoned during the Japanese occupation. Mr. Spencer graduated from American School in Manila, Philippines in 1948. He received an AA and BS Degree in Commerce, Malayan Colleges in 1946 and 1954 respectively. During this period he also operated his own company, Operated Mercantile, Inc, in the Philippines, which was in the import/export/services industry. Mr. Spencer was an officer in the US Army, OCS Artillery, 101st Airborne Division from 1955-1958. Following his discharge from the army he went on to earn his MBA with distinction from the Wharton School in Accounting at the University of Pennsylvania in 1959. After earning his MBA he was a Principal with McKinsey & Co., Inc., Management Consultants, in Washington, DC and New York from 1959-1966. In 1966 Mr. Spencer became President and CEO at the Briggs Manufacturing Company in Detroit, Michigan. He left in 1970 and was Managing Director of A.P. Moeller (Maersk Line), Copenhagen, Denmark until 1975 when he founded Holding Capital Group. Mr. Spencer was an avid art collector, racer of sailboats and a hiking enthusiast. Surviving are Mary M. Spencer, his beloved wife of 47 years and his sister, Linda Fales of Sunrise, Florida. Mr. Spencer was preceded in death by both of his parents and his brother Henry. A memorial service will be announced at a future date. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made payable to: Columbia University Dr. Schneller Cardiac Research. Checks should be sent to Dr. Schneller's office at: S.J. Schneller, M.D., 161 Fort Washington Avenue, Suite 546, New York, NY 10032.

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SUBJECT: DEATHS & OBITUARIES (94%); ARMIES (88%); ENTREPRENEURSHIP (77%); DISEASES & DISORDERS (75%); CONSULTING SERVICES (74%); INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT (74%); MOUNTAINS (72%); CARDIOLOGY (69%); MANAGEMENT BUYOUTS (69%); LEVERAGED BUYOUTS (54%); BUSINESS EDUCATION (77%); EXTREME SPORTS (72%)
COMPANY: MCKINSEY & CO (66%); MAERSK LINE (53%)
ORGANIZATION: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (54%)
GEOGRAPHIC: DETROIT, MI, USA (79%); NEW YORK, NY, USA (79%); MANILA, PHILIPPINES (70%); COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (52%) NEW YORK, USA (93%); FLORIDA, USA (90%); MICHIGAN, USA (79%); PENNSYLVANIA, USA (79%); DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, USA (79%) UNITED STATES (93%); PHILIPPINES (92%); CROATIA (79%); DENMARK (56%); EUROPE (56%)
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
DOCUMENT-TYPE: Paid Death Notice
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677 of 1231 DOCUMENTS

The New York Times
June 15, 2008 Sunday

Late Edition - Final

Paid Notice: Deaths SPENCER, SASH
SECTION: Section A; Column 0; Classified; Pg. 31
LENGTH: 415 words
SPENCER--Sash. You were a one - of - a - kind person. Whatever you did in your lifetime, you did with the greatest of passion, skill and humor, whether it be involved in business transactions, art, sailing, mountain climbing, hiking or just engaging in dinner conversation with Mary and friends.

Sash, we will never forgot and always miss you. We extend heartfelt condolences and love to Mary. Broser Family SPENCER--S.A. (Sash), 76 Sash A. Spencer, a resident of Key Biscayne, Florida passed away on June 10, 2008 in New York following a brief illness. Mr. Spencer was the founder and chairman of Holding Capital Group, a private investment firm specializing in leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, and money management. Born in Zagreb, Yugoslavia on June 22, 1931. He traveled with his parents in Europe during his early years before moving to the Philippines where he lived and was imprisoned during the Japanese occupation. Mr. Spencer graduated from American School in Manila, Philippines in 1948. He received an AA and BS Degree in Commerce, Malayan Colleges in 1946 and 1954 respectively. During this period he also operated his own company, Operated Mercantile, Inc, in the Philippines, which was in the import/export/services industry. Mr. Spencer was an officer in the US Army, OCS Artillery, 101st Airborne Division from 1955-1958. Following his discharge from the army he went on to earn his MBA with distinction from the Wharton School in Accounting at the University of Pennsylvania in 1959. After earning his MBA he was a Principal with McKinsey & Co., Inc., Management Consultants, in Washington, DC and New York from 1959-1966. In 1966 Mr. Spencer became President and CEO at the Briggs Manufacturing Company in Detroit, Michigan. He left in 1970 and was Managing Director of A.P. Moeller (Maersk Line), Copenhagen, Denmark until 1975 when he founded Holding Capital Group. Mr. Spencer was an avid art collector, racer of sailboats and a hiking enthusiast. Surviving are Mary M. Spencer, his beloved wife of 47 years and his sister, Linda Fales of Sunrise, Florida. Mr. Spencer was preceded in death by both of his parents and his brother Henry. A memorial service will be announced at a future date. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made payable to: Columbia University Dr. Schneller Cardiac Research. Checks should be sent to Dr. Schneller's office at: S.J. Schneller, M.D., 161 Fort Washington Avenue, Suite 546, New York, NY 10032.

URL: http://www.nytimes.com
SUBJECT: DEATHS & OBITUARIES (94%); ARMIES (88%); ENTREPRENEURSHIP (77%); DISEASES & DISORDERS (75%); INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT (74%); CONSULTING SERVICES (74%); MOUNTAINS (72%); CARDIOLOGY (69%); MANAGEMENT BUYOUTS (69%); LEVERAGED BUYOUTS (54%); BUSINESS EDUCATION (77%); EXTREME SPORTS (72%)
COMPANY: MCKINSEY & CO (66%); MAERSK LINE (53%)
ORGANIZATION: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (54%)
GEOGRAPHIC: DETROIT, MI, USA (79%); NEW YORK, NY, USA (79%); MANILA, PHILIPPINES (70%); COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (52%) NEW YORK, USA (93%); FLORIDA, USA (90%); MICHIGAN, USA (79%); PENNSYLVANIA, USA (79%); DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, USA (79%) UNITED STATES (93%); PHILIPPINES (92%); CROATIA (79%); DENMARK (56%); EUROPE (56%)
LOAD-DATE: June 18, 2008
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The New York Times
June 15, 2008 Sunday

Late Edition - Final

A League of Their Own
BYLINE: By KEVIN BAKER.

Kevin Baker is the author of the historical novel ''Strivers Row.'' He is currently working on a history of baseball in New York City.

SECTION: Section BR; Column 0; Book Review Desk; CHILDREN'S BOOKS; Pg. 14
LENGTH: 1074 words
WE ARE THE SHIP

The Story of Negro League Baseball.

Written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

88 pp. Jump at the Sun/Hyperion. $18.99. (Ages 8 and up)

SATCHEL PAIGE

Striking Out Jim Crow.

By James Sturm.

Illustrated by Rich Tommaso.

89 pp. The Center for Cartoon Studies/Jump at the Sun/Hyperion. Cloth, $16.99; paper, $9.99. (Ages 10 and up)

No more tragic or romantic institution emerged from the Jim Crow era of American life than the Negro League. African-Americans were banished from the majors in 1884, and a few seasons later from the minors as well, under a ''gentleman's agreement'' between white owners and players. None would return until Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers some 60 years later.

Black baseball players scrambled to make a living any way they could. In 1920, Rube Foster, star pitcher, manager and owner of the Chicago American Giants, banded eight leading black teams from around the Midwest into the Negro National League, and a legend was born. Over the next 40 years, and through three more segregated major leagues -- a second Negro National League, the Eastern Colored League and the Negro American League -- African-Americans invented a whole new brand of baseball on the outskirts of town, one that was usually faster, tougher, more merciless than the game played in the white leagues. When black players, led by the likes of Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, Willie Mays, Roy Campanella, Frank Robinson, Bob Gibson and Roberto Clemente, were finally allowed into the white game, the intelligence and ferocity of their play frequently overwhelmed the opposition.

''We are the ship; all else the sea'' was how Rube Foster described his new league, and Kadir Nelson takes the phrase for the title of his riveting picture-book introduction to the Negro Leagues. It was a ship always on the verge of foundering. Players made little money and barnstormed constantly between league contests, sometimes logging as many as three or four games in a day. They traveled everywhere jammed into well-worn buses or private cars, often arriving in a town after many hours on the road only to find that there was no place, in the segregated America of their time, to get a room, have a meal, use the bathroom. They slept in their uniforms, bought their bats at a store and played in fields that were little more than roped-off cow pastures. Owners operated on a shoestring. A harried Foster was committed to a mental asylum, where he died in 1930; his league collapsed a year later. Players were left with the bitter realization that they would never compete on a bigger stage.

And yet, as was the case with many Jim Crow improvisations, African-Americans transformed a white institution into something of their own -- something better. Many Negro League teams were owned by blacks; one owner, a hard-edged numbers king by the name of Gus Greenlee, even built his Pittsburgh Crawfords team its own park, in the middle of the Depression. Black managers and players came up with daring new plays and pitches, they performed at dizzying speed, and they regularly beat white teams -- perhaps as much as 60 percent of the time -- in the postseason exhibitions they put on.

The painter Kadir Nelson has illustrated several award-winning children's books, including some on black history. This is the first book he has both illustrated and written, and it's absolutely gorgeous. He uses the conversational, first-person voice of a fictional, anonymous player. It's a device that generally works well and allows him to include many of the great old tales of the Negro Leagues; he conveys the humor, showmanship and joy that were an integral part of the game, without soft-soaping how hard it all was.

Nelson bolsters his text with an index and endnotes, for the readers who will be drawn by his work to learn more. There is the occasional gaffe. White ballplayers in the 1940s did not make $7,000 a month -- more like $7,000 a season -- and he goes too easy on the black owners of the Negro League teams who were also running numbers rackets on the side. True, such men had limited opportunities in apartheid America, but they were still gangsters, vultures who preyed upon the desperate hopes of their own communities.

Nelson's visual narrative is nothing short of magnificent. His paintings include numerous portraits and action scenes, as well as facsimiles of baseball cards, a ticket to the ''First Colored World Series'' and a beautifully drawn, melancholy sign for a ''colored'' inn. Particularly enthralling are his full-page portrayals of a white ''House of David'' ballplayer (from a religious colony in Michigan) with his trademark beard and long hair; an outfielder in an old park during the last days of the black leagues; a double-page spread of Foster's American Giants stepping down from a Pullman car; and, especially, an early Negro League game played at night.

James Sturm and Rich Tommaso's ''Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow'' offers a different approach to the subject, but it's every bit as engrossing. Both veteran writers and illustrators, Sturm and Tommaso tell the first-person story of a (fictional) black ballplayer who has a heady game against the Birmingham Black Barons in his first weeks of Negro League ball -- he doubles off the legendary pitcher Satchel Paige -- but then must return to the suffocating, racist world of Tuckwilla, Ala., a small cotton town dominated by an arrogant, white planter family.

It's a haunting story in which Sturm's text poignantly conveys the quiet bitterness of his hero, and Tommaso's spare, two-tone drawings brilliantly contrast the physical beauty of the old, rural South with the savagery of its social institutions. An abiding air of menace hangs over the story like a gathering storm cloud. The authors refuse to look away from anything, not even lynching, although the material remains suitable -- even vital -- for most children.

Paige himself is as elusive here as he was in real life, but Sturm and Tommaso, along with an excellent introduction by Gerald Early, provide a telling glimpse of this consummate showman, entrepreneur and competitor, who pitched into his mid-60s and against all odds managed to rise above both the black game and the white one. ''Don't look back; something might be gaining on you,'' Satch liked to say, but both of these books offer an invaluable look into the treasured and sorrowful past.
URL: http://www.nytimes.com
SUBJECT: BASEBALL (93%); BOOK REVIEWS (91%); AFRICAN AMERICANS (90%); SPORTS TEAM OWNERSHIP (74%)
ORGANIZATION: LOS ANGELES DODGERS (56%); SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (56%)
GEOGRAPHIC: NEW YORK, NY, USA (56%) MIDWEST USA (79%); NEW YORK, USA (56%) UNITED STATES (96%)
TITLE: We Are the Ship (Book)>; Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow (Book)>
LOAD-DATE: June 19, 2008
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
GRAPHIC: DRAWINGS (DRAWINGS FROM ''WE ARE THE SHIP'' (TOP) AND ''SATCHEL PAIGE'')
DOCUMENT-TYPE: Review
PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

679 of 1231 DOCUMENTS

The New York Times
June 12, 2008 Thursday

Late Edition - Final

Intense Bid to Court Clinton Fund-Raisers
BYLINE: By MICHAEL LUO
SECTION: Section A; Column 0; National Desk; Pg. 27
LENGTH: 791 words
With Senator Barack Obama's campaign manager scheduled to meet Thursday with top fund-raisers for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in New York, there is resistance from at least some in her once-vaunted network to supporting Mr. Obama.

David Plouffe, the Obama campaign manager, is planning to meet on Thursday in New York and Friday in New Jersey with a large group of Clinton fund-raisers.

Seeking to unite the Democratic Party and the candidates' donor bases, campaign officials are also in the midst of arranging a joint meeting with the candidates to introduce Mr. Obama to Mrs. Clinton's biggest money collectors sometime over the next two weeks.

The Clinton campaign's senior fund-raising officials have been holding conference calls with fund-raisers by region over the last few days -- some two dozen in all are planned -- to urge them to plunge in on behalf of Mr. Obama for his general election showdown with Senator John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee. But several people involved in the calls said it was obvious from the tenor of them that emotions remained raw for many.

While it appears that many Clinton backers are poised to begin immediately raising money for Mr. Obama, the presumed Democratic nominee, several categorically ruled that out in interviews. Others said they drew the line at collecting cash for the Democratic National Committee, whose chairman, Howard Dean, angered many Clinton donors over how he handled the dispute over whether to seat convention delegates from Florida and Michigan.

''The Obama campaign has a lot to show me before I will consider being there for them,'' said Susie Tompkins Buell, co-founder of the clothing company Esprit and a longtime friend of Mrs. Clinton.

Ms. Buell said she wanted to see how Mrs. Clinton was treated over the next few weeks, a sentiment that she said was shared by many of the women, especially, in her donor network.

''Hillary has asked us to do all we can for Barack,'' she said. ''I listen to that and respect that, but personally I need to evaluate.''

Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a top Clinton fund-raiser, telecommunications entrepreneur and member of the Democratic national convention's platform committee, said she had questions about Mr. Obama's trustworthiness. If he does not answer them, Ms. de Rothschild said she would at least consider voting for Mr. McCain or even working for him.

''I love my country more than I love my party,'' said Ms. de Rothschild, who said she had been receiving entreaties from both Mr. Obama's and Mr. McCain's backers. ''I can't just fall in line.''

Hoping to allay some of the continuing ill will, Mr. Plouffe is scheduled to meet with members of Mrs. Clinton's New York finance operation on Thursday afternoon at a Midtown Manhattan law office.

Two meetings are scheduled, an initial smaller gathering to which some of the Clinton fund-raising heavyweights have been invited, including Hassan Nemazee, Alan Patricof and Maureen White, and then a larger forum that will include others on Mrs. Clinton's New York finance committee.

Jonathan Mantz, the Clinton campaign's finance director, also began this week to hash out in greater detail with Julianna Smoot, Mr. Obama's finance director, how their respective operations should be integrated.

Many Clinton fund-raisers, however, say they want to wait until a meeting is scheduled between the two candidates and Mrs. Clinton's ''Hillraisers,'' those who have raised $100,000 or more for her. For some, it is a matter of ensuring that Mrs. Clinton gets the proper credit, while others are waiting for the chance to question Mr. Obama.

Lanny Davis, a former special counsel to President Bill Clinton and a Hillraiser, made clear that he was willing to do whatever he could to raise money for Mr. Obama, but he said he wanted the opportunity to ask Mr. Obama about what Mr. Davis described as ''personal characterizations he made about Senator Clinton.''

''It's something called closure,'' Mr. Davis said.

A priority at this point for Democrats, however, is replenishing the coffers of the Democratic National Committee, which has suffered from the extended primary campaign. Traditionally in election years, most of the party's cash, which can be used on behalf of the presidential candidate, comes in after a nominee is chosen. As of the end of May, the Republican National Committee had nearly $54 million in the bank compared with the $4 million the Democrats had on hand.

But several Clinton fund-raisers said they harbored too much ire for Mr. Dean to raise money for the party, even if they said they were willing to support Mr. Obama.

''Howard Dean and the D.N.C. will not get one penny from me or any of my friends,'' Mr. Davis said.
URL: http://www.nytimes.com
SUBJECT: US PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES 2008 (92%); TALKS & MEETINGS (90%); US DEMOCRATIC PARTY (90%); FUNDRAISING (90%); LEGISLATIVE BODIES (90%); POLITICAL CANDIDATES (90%); US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS (90%); CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS (90%); POLITICAL PARTIES (90%); POLITICAL PARTY CONVENTIONS (89%); CONFERENCES & CONVENTIONS (89%); PLATFORMS & ISSUES (78%); ELECTIONS (78%); US REPUBLICAN PARTY (78%); INTERVIEWS (78%); ENTREPRENEURSHIP (77%); US DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTIONS (76%); TELECOMMUNICATIONS (72%)
ORGANIZATION: DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE (54%)
PERSON: HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (96%); BARACK OBAMA (96%); JOHN MCCAIN (69%)
GEOGRAPHIC: NEW YORK, USA (94%); NEW JERSEY, USA (92%) UNITED STATES (94%)
LOAD-DATE: June 12, 2008
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
GRAPHIC: PHOTO: Susie Tompkins Buell was a Clinton campaign fund-raiser. (PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER DASILVA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)
PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

680 of 1231 DOCUMENTS

The New York Times
June 12, 2008 Thursday

Late Edition - Final

Six Months Later, Start-Ups Find Their Goals Are Elusive
BYLINE: By BRENT BOWERS
SECTION: Section C; Column 0; Business/Financial Desk; IN THE HUNT; Pg. 10
LENGTH: 1265 words
IT has not been an easy six months.

This column profiled three new small businesses at the end of last year and the start of this year -- Sweet Bites Bakery and Cafe in West Acton, Mass., started by Caitlin Adler; Tina Ericson's Mamaisms Gear, in Wilmington, N.C.; and Jeff Takle's RentingYourHome.com in Somerville, Mass. -- with the promise to report on their progress after six months and again after one year.

None met all their goals, but Ms. Adler came the closest. She has built her cafe to $8,000 in revenue a week, up from $7,000 six months ago. But that is still $3,000 shy of her projections. She also expects to begin making a profit this summer, an impressive achievement for a new restaurant.

Ms. Ericson, by contrast, has scaled back her ambitions to create a Web clothing store that doubles as a portal to an Internet center for women. She instead has spent most of her time making cold calls to boutique shops to sell her ''Mama says'' T-shirts.

And Mr. Takle, just back from a trip to India to recruit low-cost legal talent for his property management software company, says that while he remains hopeful, his venture is foundering. ''It's getting dangerously close to needing investors just to survive, which is a bad place to be,'' he said.

Ms. Adler has made improvements, like installing a commercial dishwasher, which saves on labor costs. She expects by August to be able to start paying herself a salary and her parents interest on tens of thousands of dollars in loans. She also said that she might make her father, a senior manager at the Boston Consulting Group who spent Mother's Day washing dishes in her kitchen, an equal partner in the venture.

But she has not toned down her ambitions. In July, she plans to reintroduce a line of wholesale gourmet brownies (like her trademarked Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Orgasmatron) that she suspended last year because they were slow sellers at trade fairs. She is negotiating with a distributor to market them throughout the Northeast.

While she is just getting her Web site, sweet-bites.com, up and running this week, she views it as a vehicle to sell her brownies and T-shirts and, sometime in the future, other items like coffee mugs with the Sweet Bites logo. She says she is still optimistic that she can increase sales to $11,000 a week by December.

So far, she does limited catering, potentially a big moneymaker, because Sweet Bites does not yet have a walk-in refrigerator. ''It's crazy, I know,'' she said.

The long hours -- she has taken only one day off this year -- and the stress have taken an emotional toll. ''It's been a crash course for me on running a business,'' she said.

Ms. Ericson, whose venture sells T-shirts stamped with ''Mama says'' slogans like ''quit whining'' (which she speculates that grateful mothers just point to when their children get on their nerves), says that things are going ''very, very well.''

But not necessarily as expected. When she started Mamaisms Gear (mamaismsgear.com) in December, she said she would be selling her T-shirts, other clothing like Hot Mama pajamas and a line of reusable containers on her Web site while creating an Internet community for women.

Instead, she has given up everything but the T-shirts. And after discovering the difficulties of selling them on the Internet, she is marketing them to stores. So far, they are in 10 locations.

Ms. Ericson also dropped a separate plan to start a consulting firm for the financial sector because of bad chemistry among some of the potential partners.

''This has been very much a learning process,'' she said. ''The lessons are: Keep it simple, and don't overreach.'' She says she has also learned to keep her political and business interests separate, after realizing that links to left-wing blogs on her site might alienate potential customers.

Still, she is undaunted. Sales in the first half of this year are approaching $30,000, and she thinks she can make her $100,000 target for 2008 and become profitable by December. Meantime, she has accepted a full-time job with a six-figure salary, working out of her home as vice president for business development of a publishing company in Florida.

Like Ms. Ericson, Mr. Takle is trying to look on the bright side of his company's state, while not understating the challenges he faces. Reached in India by e-mail, he gave a frank assessment of RentingYourHome.com, which sells software that helps landlords manage their properties.

''I'd say things have gotten much more difficult in the last six months,'' he wrote. ''While there are a lot of positive developments, some of the fundamentals are in serious jeopardy. I chose to try double duty and run the company while at the same time go back for an M.B.A. to learn more about fund-raising, financials and how to take the company to the next level.''

He continued: ''Unfortunately, cash waits for no one. Sales have lagged behind projections, and retention of current customers, while improving over last year, isn't where it could be to make the company 'bankable.'''

Still, he said he had reasons for hope. The company recorded a 17 percent growth in revenue in the first half of this year, enough to cover operational expenses. It expanded its reach to 42 states from 35, it negotiated a partnership with a Web design and marketing company, and it found a source of inexpensive, high-quality legal research in India.

''We're still on track for building a self-sustaining, profitable company,'' Mr. Takle said.

But his setbacks have stung. His slowness in raising investment capital scared away a seasoned executive whom he was trying to recruit. Worse, his co-founder left the business.

So what do the experts think? John Foley, the restaurant adviser for AllBusiness.com, gave Ms. Adler the same passing grade he did six months ago -- and sounded the same warning notes. Her plan to sell brownies and open an online store is like starting a second business, with all its attendant headaches, he said. On the other hand, if she threw all her energies into her new wholesale business and used the cafe primarily as a promotional tool for it, ''that might work.''

Whatever happens, Mr. Foley added, ''she'll have gained a better business education than she could at the Culinary Institute of America and the Harvard Business School combined.''

Neal Thornberry, an author and associate professor of business management at Babson College in Massachusetts, was dubious about the prospects for Ms. Ericson's T-shirt enterprise. ''She's a typical start-up entrepreneur -- her enthusiasm clouds her judgment,'' he said. ''She's gone from a business to customer product company to a business-to-business distribution company, a huge shift.''

He predicted that she would come to a ''crisis point'' before the end of the year, forcing her to decide whether to continue.

Finally, Janet Portman, a lawyer and an expert in landlord-tenant law at Nolo, a provider of legal information for consumers and small businesses, said her doubts about the viability of Mr. Takle's business model remain.

''His jaunt to India to look for legal assistance is further evidence of his failure to understand the complexities of the legal world he was wading into,'' Ms. Portman said.