Rome, Italy (AHN) – To protest against the Berlusconi administration’s education reform plans, which will see a cut of $12 billion and loss of 130,000 education-related jobs, Italian students on Thursday protested on the top of two major tourist attractions, forcing authorities to evacuate tourists from the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum.

Some protesters hung a banner reading “No Cuts, No Profit!” from the medieval tower’s top tier, while hundreds of students jumped over turnstiles to protest inside the ancient amphitheater.

Nearly 2,000 students formed a human chain in Pisa around the tower and prevented tourists from entering it.

They also marched across the city. The Italian Parliament is scheduled to vote on the reforms next Tuesday.

Before leaving the sites, the students also lit red smoke flares and shouted anti-reform slogans.

There were also reports of student protests in other Italian cities and reports of student-police clashes in Florence and Milan.

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Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Families of 9/11 victims asked the Justice Department on Thursday to continue its original plan of prosecuting suspects of the terror attacks in civilian courts. The appeal was in response to comments by Attorney General Eric Holder that a decision on the trial would be made soon.

In an open letter, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows urged the attorney general to try the suspects “in federal courts that rely on the U.S. Constitution and the tenets of America’s 200 year-old system of justice.”

“The location is not of consequence, although New York, Virginia, or another venue in the East where most of the families reside, would be optimum,” the group said. “The overarching consideration is that these self-confessed, accused detainees must be tried under well-tested and fair laws recognized by the world.”

Holder said the previous day the government was “close to a decision” on the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, believed to be the mastermind of the attacks, and four other suspects. He gave his comments a year after he announced the goverment would seek prosecution through U.S. federal courts instead of military commissions.

The proceedings were set to be held in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. However, the administration encountered criticisms from conservatives who said suspected terrorists should not be accorded the same constitutional rights as Americans in federal courts.

Community and business leaders in Manhattan had also raised concerns about costs of securing the city during the trial, which is expected to take several years. The cost was reported at $200 million annually.

Holder and other administration officials had argued that the Bush administration had used federal courts to try at least 190 terrorists, including Richard Reid, the 2001 shoe bomber, and Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person convicted for 9/11.

Only three defendants have been convicted by military commissions while more than 300 defendants have been convicted and sentenced in federal criminal courts for terrorism-related offenses, according to the Obama administration.

New York had hosted the trial of Omar Abdel-Rahman, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The arguments failed to persuade opponents, who later included New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Top Republican senators also joined with three Democrats to introduce a bill prohibiting the Justice Department from using funds to try the suspects in federal court.

The highly-charged national debate prompted the administration early this year re-examine its plan, a move that was met with criticisms from liberals comparing Obama to former President George Bush.

Holder had testified before Congress, “We must choose the weapon that will be most effective…. It should be clear to everyone by now that there are many legal, national security and practical factors to be considered here. As a consequence, there are many perspectives on what the most appropriate and effective forum is.”

The issue has been complicated by efforts of the administration to close Guantanamo Bay, where Mohammed and his co-accused, Walid Muhammed Salih Mubarak Bin Attash, Ramzi Bin Al Shibh, Ali Abdul-Aziz Ali, Mustafa Ahmed Al Hawsawi, are detained.

The Bush administration had also tried to shutter Guantanamo amid criticisms about its use of harsh interrogation methods on prisoners. Then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had asked for assistance from countries with nationals detained in the prison to guarantee that detainees would not “be a danger to society again” once released.

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Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – The United States Congress acted on Friday to open the gates of retaliation against China for their failure to appreciate their currency, the yuan (or renminbi). The action, taken after repeated diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing currency dispute, is intended to send a stern warning to Beijing.

The House Ways and Means Committee, empowered to write tax laws, voted to expand the power of the Commerce Department from its present ability to impose tariffs on foreign goods only if the originating country is directly subsidizing its exports. In the future, the department will have the authority to impose tariffs when another nation is found to be manipulating its currency’s value.

“China’s persistent manipulation is a major distortion in the international marketplace,” said Sander Levin, chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, adding, “(The Chinese currency yuan) has a major impact on American workers and therefore American jobs. That’s what this is really all about.”

On the eve of the House Ways and Means committee meeting, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that cautioned, “It is time for Congress to pass legislation that will give the administration leverage in its bilateral and multilateral negotiations with the Chinese government — so that U.S. businesses and workers have a more level playing field in world trade.”

In the coming week, the House is set to vote on these drastic measures, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

“While a multilateral approach to addressing this issue is preferable, we cannot wait any longer to level the playing field for U.S. businesses and protect American manufacturing jobs,” Hoyer said in a statement.

President Barack Obama, last Monday during a hectic schedule in New York, described the yuan exchange rate a “real issue” and called for Beijing to let the yuan to rise.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the following day at a dinner event hosted by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the U.S.-China Business Council told his audience, “If the renminbi appreciates by 20 percent to 40 percent according to the requests of the U.S. government, we do not know how many Chinese companies will go bankrupt and how many Chinese workers will be laid off and how many rural workers will go back to homes and there will be major turbulence in the Chinese society.”

On Wednesday, the contentious issue continued as Obama spent most of a two-hour meeting with the Chinese premier in New York pressing for a stronger yuan, according to White House officials privy to the meeting.

Wen, who is responsible for managing the Chinese economy, the world’s second-largest behind the United States, later told journalists that “common interests far outweigh our differences” and that despite “disagreements of one kind or another between our two countries, the differences can be resolved.”

In the global economy, the West has criticized China for months for keeping the yuan at an exceptionally low value, claiming Beijing enjoys an advantageous position due its manipulated lower yuan value, as it makes Chinese exports cheaper.

China abandoned a fixed exchange rate to the dollar in June, but the present exchange rate is controlled by the People’s Bank of China, which sets a daily rate.

The dispute is now that Beijing has allowed the yuan to appreciate only 1.9 percent since abandoning the peg.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner recently told Congress that the White House was looking at which tools the administration could use to influence China’s stance, as the currency is significantly undervalued.

The Obama administration, however, is following a softer diplomatic route, as Geithner has previously refused to designate China a “currency manipulator”–a formal designation that would open the way to trade sanctions.

With the White House choosing quiet diplomatic channels, the international trade community doubts the United States will impose tariffs, as even if the legislative process is completed, retaliation would be at the discretion of the Obama administration.

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photo credit: Valdo Raps

Its no secret most entrepreneurs have limited resources as it pertains to how and where to secure capital infusion. It is these limitations, which precludes small businesses from moving past level one in business and on to a more lucrative future.

There are numerous loan programs and lending institutions servicing small business owner’s nationwide. The problem is not getting the money, it’s how and where to find it. If more business owners knew how and where to secure capital, there would be a larger number of businesses growing and succeeding than those that are dissolving-today.

When our government enacted laws and policies to protect and support our economic system, which is the mainstream source for derived goods and services supplied by the business community, it included providing capital infusion to businesses for the continuity of our economy’s stability and growth. Today there are various resource centers, which provide an array of business development services such as the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), Women Business Centers (WBC), and Veteran Business Opportunity Centers (VBOC). Take advantage of them, they can be viable to the success of your business.

First things first- you must do your research. You should know: the different types of lenders; what loan programs they offer; how much they will lend you and what is their criteria; what other financing options are available to you and what are their lending policies.

To get you started. There are four types of lenders (1) Traditional Lenders- larger chain banks; strict criteria; larger loans; preferred SBA lender, (2) Third-Party Lenders- community sub-lenders which offer smaller loans and partner with traditional lenders to process loans ranging from $100,000 to Millions, (3) Private Lenders- provides in house financing, offer smaller loans; lower interest rates; flexible criteria and accommodates start-ups, and (4) Investors- require a higher interest rate on their return; part ownership of the business; some will provide management support and have access to viable resources.
It’s very important to know whom you are asking money from. It’s like the term we use “know your competitors inside and out”, well the same principle applies here. Why? to compare financial products that best accommodates your needs. You want to secure the best deal at the best rate. I always recommend my clients prepare a Where’s The Money Strategy. Having this kind of strategy helps you identify your financial need, compare loan products, determine which lender best suits your need and which lender offers the best deal.

Now you might be saying, “there’s no money available, lenders are not issuing credit to anyone right now”, yes there are still some cash flowing lenders out there. Traditional lenders might have tightened their reigns, however private lenders, local community banks and some third-party lenders are still in the business of lending money. Although we are currently in an economic downturn, they have not been inflected in such away as the traditional banking institutions, which allow these lenders to remain strong and more vital to the business community.

Did you know the Small Business Administration has loan programs designed to meet the financial needs of all aspects of the business industry ranging from $5,000 to Millions? There are six programs used widely to address these needs. The Community Express Loan, Patriots Express Loan, SBA Express Loan, and CAP Lines which is an umbrella of five additional programs (1. Seasonal Line of Credit, 2. Contract Loan Program, 3. Builders Line Program, 4. Small Asset Based Line (SABL), and 5. Standard Asset Based Line. Then there are the two most common loans 7a and 504.

I recommend contacting your local VDEC center and visiting the Jewish Free Loan Associations website www.jfla.org and Accion at www.accion.com, if you are in need of a small capital infusion- $15,000-$25,000 today.

As a business strategist for many years, working with small businesses and lenders, I’ve discovered faults and weaknesses of the lending industry, which has made the borrowing process for minorities and women challenging. In my new book “Where’s The Money? Accessing Capital”, outlines specifics about how and where to secure capital infusion for start-ups and existing businesses.

Visit my website to learn more about the Wade Institute http://www.wadeinstitute.org and my ebookstore for newly released books http://store.wadeinstitute.org

photo credit: David Boyle in DC

We’ve all seen the hype: “We’ll put your plan in front of thousands of investors!” “We’ll write you an award-winning online business plan!” “Only $3,000 for thousands of investors to learn about your company!”

I cringe every time I see one of these ads. Vultures are preying on honest business people who want to fund their businesses. Here are some ways to spot them:

1. “Only qualified investors see your business plan.” Yeah, sure. And who “qualifies” them? Have a friend try to sign up as an investor (that part is usually free). How is she “qualified”? Is there a background check? Does she submit a financial statement? Odds are that she will be asked to do nothing more than sign a statement that she has a certain net worth. That’s no “qualification” in my book. So who are these “investors”? Who knows. One could be your strongest competitor.

2. “You approve anyone who sees your business plan.” Okay. So what are you going to do to qualify the potential investor? Are you going to run a background check? ask for ID? ask for tax returns? or just be so happy that anyone wants to see your business plan that you jump on the idea? (That’s how these scams get away with charging thousands of dollars — too many entrepreneurs are desperate for funding.)

3. “It’s only $500 (or $300 or $100) to register.” What does it matter if it’s free? If it is diverting your time and energy and resources away from finding a viable investor, it’s not worth it.

4. “Your idea is great, but we need to put it into our format. This will only cost $800.” Don’t walk — run from these guys.

5. “Your idea is so great that we want to invest $2,000 in it.” (That’s after you spend $5,000 to put it into “their” system.) Do I really need to comment on this?

6. “Talk with a satisfied customer, or 2 or 3.” Here’s this entrepreneur who just got $2 million in funding, and he has nothing better to do than sell the web scam to you? Trust me, entrepreneurs who just get funded barely have time to eat, let alone talk.

7. “Look at all these written testimonials.” This is harder to disprove because the testimonials look so real — even the companies might be real. But unless the testimonials, and the companies, can be verified independently, I wouldn’t trust them. And I’ll lay odds that they cannot be verified independently.

There is one huge exception to this: ACE-Net (http://activecapital.org). This is more properly the Access to Capital Electronic Network run by venture capitalists, institutional investors and individual accredited investors. It was developed by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy to encourage the creation of a national marketplace for investors to find and invest in equity offers by small companies.

ACE-Net isn’t for all companies. Those seeking under $1 million will probably find the paperwork daunting. Those seeking over $5 million won’t qualify. There are special qualifications, and of course lots of forms to fill out — but nothing like the forms required for a formal initial public offering.

But for those who do qualify, it’s an amazing tool in raising financing. Spend some time with the website and the forms, and see if your local SBA office can put you in touch with another company that went through the process.

As with any investor tool, don’t rely exclusively on ACE-Net. Use it in conjunction with your personally developed targeted funding search. This, combined with an exceptional business plan, doesn’t guarantee success but it places your company head and shoulders above all the rest.

MaryAnn Shank

http://www.businessplanmaster.com/investors.html; http://businessplanmaster.blogspot.com

Ms. Shank is a seasoned business financing specialist.