Osama bin Laden turns 50
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Palestinians agree unity government
Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister, has said Mahmoud Abbas, the president, has accepted the coalition government he presented to him in Gaza City on Thursday.
The move clears the way for a parliamentary vote of confidence in the new government on Saturday.
The unity deal between Hamas and Fatah is expected to be approved.
Haniya said: “I have handed over to the president the candidates for the new coalition. He has accepted that.
“We hope that this government will mark the start of a new era and enable us to turn the page.”
-Israel, however, issued a statement on Thursday saying it would not deal with the new government.
Swell of optimism’
The unity government was formed after months of political wrangling that often exploded into deadly street violence that left scores of Palestinians dead.
Representatives of all the major Palestinian factions appeared alongside Haniya at a press conference in Gaza City after he had submitted his government to Abbas.
Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting for Al Jazeera from Gaza, said: “They wanted to send a message to the world that ‘it’s over - we have reached agreement.’”
Ahelbarra said Palestinians welcomed the end of a “dark chapter” in their history.
“There is a swell of optimism on the streets of Gaza … but Palestinians will be monitoring the output of this government.”
Changes ahead
Sameer Abu-Eisheh, the incoming Palestinian planning minister, told Al Jazeera that unity government will mean the implementation of a Palestinian national security council.
“There is agreement to restructure the whole security apparatus,” he said.
The incoming interior minister, Hani al-Qawasmi, said his priority was to end factional fighting.
“We will co-operate with all parties, especially with the brothers in Hamas and Fatah and the rest of the factions to reach an honourable and satisfactory situation,” he said.
Aid embargo
Palestinians hope that the coalition government will enable the lifting of a crippling Western aid embargo in place since April last year.
Haniya said the European Union had a “positive position” towards his government but that the US administration and Israel have a “different attitude”.
“We are going to do everything in our power to strengthen national unity, obtain a lifting of the siege imposed on the Palestinian people and improve our links with the international community.”
A senior Abbas aide, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, said the new coalition opened the way for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
“This is the right moment to move toward the peace process,” he said.
However, David Chater, Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem correspondent, said the consensus of opinion in Israel was that “Hamas still has its hold on the unity government while not giving up any of its radical policies”.
Miri Eisin, an Israeli government spokeswoman, said:”The Israeli position remains the same.
“We will not recognise or deal with this government or with members of this government and we expect the international community to stand firm in their demand to adopt the three principles.”
Western powers have called on the Palestinian government to renounce violence, recognise Israel and abide by previous peace agreements. March 12, 2007FREE Babar Ahmed - The Story Allegations, fact or fictionThe StoryDetails of events from when Babar was first arrested under Anti-Terrorism Laws in December 2003, details of his assault by Anti Terrorist Police in the UK and his re-arrest on 5th August 2004 on an Extradition Warrant by the USA First ArrestIn December 2003 Babar was arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 (click here for details of Terrorism Act 2000) Prior to the following events Babar had never been arrested, cautioned by police or been to Court. On 2nd December 2003, at 5.40 a.m. Babar and his wife were asleep in their house. The front door was broken down and several armed policemen came running up the stairs shouting and hurling abuse. Babar jumped out of bed when he heard the commotion. As soon as he saw the eight armed officers dressed in riot gear, approaching his bedroom, he raised his hands. They pushed him hard against the window, which shattered with the sheer force. They then threw him onto the floor and started to beat him whilst using offensive language. The heavily armed officers beat him continuously despite the fact that he offered no resistance at any point. They kicked and punched his head and body and handcuffed him. All this took place in front of his wife who was screaming at them to stop. A couple of female officers then took Babar’s wife, a teacher, into another room. They handcuffed her too, whilst laughing at her shaken state. The physical abuse continued and Babar was taken downstairs into their carpeted prayer room. The officers walked in with their shoes on and threw things across the room. They smashed a glass candlestick holder of sentimental value. It had been a wedding gift. They exposed him by pulling down his pyjama bottoms and “searched” his private parts. They then began to twist the metal handcuffs behind his back until he screamed in agony. The officers then placed him in the Muslim prayer position of prostration and said, “Where is your God now? You are in prayer,” whilst mocking and laughing. The officers then marched him to the police van outside whilst stamping on his bare feet with their boots. His ordeal continued in the police van on the way to Charing Cross Police Station. Two officers were in the back of the van with him. He was strangled once and then a second time with a much tighter grip. He thought he was going to die and the officer said to him “You are going to remember this day for the rest of your f****** life, do you understand me you f****** bastard?” Once the van arrived at the police station, the officers stopped their abuse and escorted him inside as if nothing had happened. Babar could barely walk. Inside the police station the two officers removed their helmets and Babar took a good look at them. He noted their appearance and memorised their identification numbers. In police custody, his solicitors came with a digital camera and took nineteen photographs of his injuries. The Forensic Medical Examiners called to see him, failed to act in an unbiased way. They denied him proper medical treatment or attention on the grounds that it would be practically difficult. His head was throbbing and his body was in pain. They refused to arrange a skull x-ray or even give him an ice-pack to soothe the swelling. It was only on 3rd December 2003, the next day, that an independent doctor was called in by his solicitors. Dr Adnan Siddiqui, an experienced General Practitioner, examined him in the presence of one of the Forensic Medical Examiners. He identified more than 50 injuries, including two potentially life-threatening ones. Babar had blood in his ear canal, which had not been looked at by the police doctors. This medical sign signifies possible skull fracture and warrants an x-ray. Babar was denied this. He also had blood in his urine (again not checked by the Forensic Medical Examiners), which pointed to damage or bruising of the kidneys. Babar was kept and questioned for six days in police custody. His house was searched intensively for three days. His computers, printer and various documents were taken away for analysis. Samples of his DNA and fingerprints were sent across the globe. Babar was released on 8th December 2003 without charge. After his release in December 2003Babar filed a complaint regarding the police brutality, which was overseen by the Independent Police Complaints’ Commission (IPCC). A few days later he saw an eminent, independent medical expert; Mr Gavalas, a consultant in Accident and Emergency at University College Hospital, London. Mr Gavalas identified and confirmed more than 50 injuries on Babar’s body and the two life- threatening ones. He wrote an extensive report in which he commented, “There is clearly unequivocal evidence that he [Babar] was subjected to a harrowing physical and psychological assault by police officers. He was clearly badly beaten up although in a reasonably controlled manner … aimed at inflicting significant soft tissue trauma with pain, but not to cause any life-threatening injuries.” In summary, the evidence of Babar’s assault includes: (Click here for photos and descriptions of Babar’s injuries) Re-ArrestOn 5th August 2004, Babar was re-arrested on an Extradition Warrant from the USA under the Extradition Act 2003 (click here for details of Extradition Act 2003) On Thursday 5th August 2004 at 4 pm Babar telephoned his wife from his mobile phone whilst leaving work telling her he was leaving for home. She was in Putney at the time so they agreed that she would meet him at Putney Bridge Station in 20 minutes and they would go for a hot chocolate. Babar never turned up. He was arrested outside his work place by officers from Scotland Yard on an Extradition Warrant from the United States of America. He informed the officers that his wife was waiting for him and requested that she be informed. They assured him she would be. At approximately 6pm, Anti-Terrorist Police officers turned up at his sister’s house in South London. She was at home with her father and her two small children, aged 18 months and six weeks. They informed her that Babar had been arrested under the Extradition Act 2003. They also informed her that since Babar used to visit her frequently, they had to search her house. The officers informed her that her parents’ house was also being searched. Mrs Ahmad, Babar’s mother, suffers from high blood pressure and was teaching some children at her home at the time. When his sister requested a phone call to check on her mother the officer stated insensitively that he had just been there and “she was well enough to teach children”. The Police took computers and various documents. To add insult to injury, whilst Babar’s sister was putting her children into the car to go elsewhere, she spotted her neighbours making a video of her to sell to the press. The police had made such a scene outside her home that the neighbours thought she was guilty of something. Meanwhile Babar’s wife was still waiting for him at the station. The officers did not inform her of his arrest. It was only when Babar’s sister phoned her that she heard of the news. Babar’s wife returned home very distressed only to find Anti-Terrorist police waiting to be let into her home to search it for a second time. This time they had the courtesy to not break down their new front door. Once again she had to go through the painful ordeal of her home being searched and her husband being snatched away from her. The family vacated their homes for a few days due to press attention. Babar was named that evening in the media despite the fact that he had not been formally charged. This re-arrest conveniently came 3 days before a conference was due to take place highlighting Babar’s case and the fact that the authorities had failed to take any action on the Police officers that had assaulted him. Perhaps the timing was an attempt by the authorities to divert attention away from his assault case. Babar was taken to Woodhill high security Prison in Milton Keynes, where he is currently an inmate. The ConspiracyWhy did all this happen? Babar Ahmad stood up for the truth. He stood up to the authorities so that his ordeal would never be repeated with someone else. However, the authorities did not want to admit they had made a mistake. Usually, when complaints are made against the Police, the officers in question are suspended pending the formal inquiry. In Babar’s case this was never done. The Extradition Warrant from the United States alleges that he was involved in soliciting funds for Afghansitan and Chechnya for a time period during which he was permanently resident in the UK and in full time employment. Claims have also been made that a floppy disc was found in December 2003 with US naval battleship plans. Dr Adnan Siddiqui for the Stop Political Terror campaign stated in a press release, “Are we to believe that the police massively cocked up in December and released al-Qaida’s naval operations commander on to the streets of Tooting?” Babar’s house had been searched from top to bottom in December. Samples of his DNA were sent across the world. If there had been even a shred of suspicion about his activities this surely would have come to light then. It took 9 months for the UK to create a story with the USA to silence him once and for all. Babar had not even had a chance to recover from the physical and psychological injuries from the attack in December; the result of the inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission was pending with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Whilst in custody, in a letter dated 5th September 2004, the CPS concluded that they were “not satisfied that there was sufficient evidence” to prosecute any of the officers involved in his attack. Insufficient evidence? … Photographs of his injuries taken by his solicitors on the day of arrest Many journalists interviewed him and saw the damage done to his house, including reporters from the BBC, Channel 4 News, Al-Jazeera, The Guardian, the local Wandsworth Guardian and Muslim News. All of this points to what? They believe he inflicted these injuries upon himself. Babar went to work fit and well the day before. Then an educated, polite and respectable man who never suffered from mental or physical problems prior to this, transformed into a self-beating maniac overnight? Conveniently this took place on the night of his arrest, where he managed to inflict brutal injuries on his own back and stamp on his own feet? And neither he nor his wife had the sense to seek medical attention afterwards? Following Babar’s release in December 2003, he and his father, Ashfaq Ahmad, arranged to meet with his MP, Tom Cox. Shortly after the meeting at the House of Commons, Mr Cox said he raised the issue with the Home Secretary David Blunkett, adding that there was “very clear medical and photographic evidence that he had indeed been assaulted.” … Or the Truth? The facts: Babar was assaulted by the police One cannot help but draw parallels with the notorious case of Rodney King, the Black-American man who was beaten by white police officers in March 1991. Despite video camera footage of the assault, the jury initially concluded there was insufficient evidence to indict any of the officers involved in his attack. Babar did not sit at home quietly after his release. As a British citizen living in a democracy, which prides itself on its judicial system, he expected justice. He was wrong. The authorities, frustrated that they could not charge him with any offence whatsoever in the UK, sought help from the US, knowing that the US acts with impunity and can ‘take care of’ the situation. Fabricating a dramatic cover-up story, the authorities decided that they would tell the world he is part of Al-Qaeda. The reputation of Al-Qaeda is such, that this lie is eagerly believed. It should not be hard for us to accept that this accomplishment is possible, for as one of the detainees at Belmarsh Prison stated quite simply: “Someone who can lie to the whole nation about Weapons of Mass Destruction can lie about me.” Babar has since been demonised in the media, which all too often seems to follow the principle of “guilty until proven innocent” when it comes to Terror arrests. ConclusionBabar Ahmad remains in custody at HM Prison Woodhill pending a main Extradition Hearing in mid November 2004. Following this he may be extradited to the US to face a sentence ranging from 50 years to life-imprisonment. However, he still faces no charge under British Law and may be extradited without having the chance to challenge any evidence presented against him under the Extradition Act 2003. (Click here for further information on Extradition Act 2003) The United States are the originators of Abu Ghraib, Bagram and Guantanamo detention centres. This is a nation, which has abused Human Rights at home and abroad. That is aside from the thousands of cases of civil and human rights abuses that occur everyday on their own home soil. (Click here for evidence of US Civil and Human rights abuses) Babar will never be allowed a fair trial in the US. If Babar Ahmad is extradited to the US, it is likely that he will face physical, mental and sexual abuse in much the same way that other Muslims accused of terror activities have been treated. This whole ordeal has been devastating for Babar’s family. His elderly parents feel lost without a dear son, and the life of his wife, without her loving husband, has been turned upside down. As a result she has been unable to return to work as a schoolteacher, as she still suffers from the pain of the whole ordeal she has been subjected to. The family’s heart went out to the family of the unfortunate British Hostage, Mr Kenneth Bigley who was recently killed. Having seen television appeals by his elderly mother and distraught wife, Babar’s family did and still do relate to the pain and suffering of a family whose loved one has been unjustly captured. Babar Ahmad’s continued detention is unjust. If there were sound evidence against him this would have been addressed during his first arrest in December 2003. However, he was released without charge. He is a British Citizen and should be entitled to an open fair trial in the UK. The Extradition Act 2003 seriously erodes the judicial system of the UK and should be reviewed as a matter of urgency. Family of Babar Ahmad October 2004 Well After Reading That all I am just Shame of you British Government Allegations, fact or fiction?A number of allegations have emerged surrounding the case of Babar Ahmad. Some of those allegations, which have been stated in open court, are therefore in the public domain and can be discussed. Allegation 1:It is alleged in the affidavit (arrest warrant from the US) that Babar Ahmad had email contact with a US Naval Serviceman on board the USS Benfold (US Naval ship). The dates stated in the affidavit on which he was alleged to have had email contact are 19 July 2001 and 24 July 2001. The 19 July 2001 was in fact the day of his wedding. The 24 July 2001, in fact coincides with when he was on honeymoon on a remote tropical island, which had not Internet facilities for its guests at the time. Allegation 2:It is alleged in the affidavit that a tourist brochure about the Empire State Building was found in his possession. Various media groups reported this on the day of his hearing on 07 October 2004. (Links to some news reports are: The tourist brochure in fact belongs to Babar’s father, Ashfaq Ahmad, and was obtained by him when he visited the Empire State Building in 1973. His father even has photographs of himself standing on the building and still has the passport with the visa stamp for the US in his possession. Allegation 3:On Babar Ahmad’s first hearing on 07 August 2004, it was alleged by the prosecution that he travelled on a forged passport earlier on in the year. He did in fact travel on his genuine passport and has the relevant entry/exit stamps present in it. At the same hearing it was also alleged that he had sold his house and that he had resigned from his job at Imperial College, London. He had in fact not sold his house, but him and his wife had thought about selling the house due to the bad memories they both had from it. It was in that house that Babar was initially arrested and assaulted by Anti-terrorist Police officers, in the bedroom infront of his wife, on 02 December 2003. Babar was still in employment when he was re-arrested on 05 August 2004, and had in fact taken back his resignation. The reason for the initial resignation was due to the trauma that he continues to suffer from, due to the arrest back in December 2003. The trauma was such that it had affected his work and personal life. March 9, 2007Microsoft’s Gates again tops list of world’s richest peopleNEW YORK — The tally of billionaires around the globe reached a record 946 last year, with their combined wealth growing 35 percent, to $3.5 trillion, according to Forbes magazine’s 2007 rankings of the world’s richest people. The rich cashed in on strong equity markets, real estate and commodity prices worldwide, according to Luisa Kroll, co-editor of the Forbes project. Leading the list are Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, who ranked No. 1 for the 13th straight year, beating out friend and fellow philanthropist Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Gates’ fortune rose $6 billion, to $56 billion, while Buffett added $10 billion, to boost his net worth to $52 billion. Only five Americans ranked in the top 20, though they account for 44 percent of the overall list. The others are Sheldon Adelson, who made his money in casinos and hotels and ranked sixth, with $26.5 billion; Lawrence Ellison, $21.5 billion, who runs Oracle Corp.; and Paul Allen, $18 billion, Microsoft’s other co-founder. Breathing down Buffett’s neck was Mexican telecom giant Carlos Slim Helu, who added $19 billion to his existing fortune, the largest one-year gain over the past decade. He’s now worth $49 billion. Starbucks Corp. Chairman Howard Schultz and former Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner joined the ranks of the world’s richest for the first time, behind new faces Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, co-CEOs of BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd. Bumped from the top 20 were the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. heirs, who saw their company’s stock languish, and Michael Dell, founder of computer-maker Dell Inc. Japan surrendered its title as Asia’s leading billionaire locale to India, which boasts 36 on the list. Japan has 24. The richest person in India is Lakshmi Mittal, who ranked fifth, with $32 billion. The U.S. operations of Mittal’s steel company, the world’s biggest, are run out of Chicago. Russia contributed 53 billionaires and now challenges Germany, which has 55, as home to the most billionaires outside the U.S. The methodology of the rankings remains similar to previous years, Kroll said. The magazine confirmed the worth of an individual’s holdings in public companies by using the Feb. 9 closing stock price, and estimated the value of private companies by evaluating comparable public firms in the industry and by consulting with experts in the field. - - - Illinois home to 18 billionaires Illinoisans grabbed 18 of the spots among the world’s billionaires, as estimated by Forbes magazine. The magazine said the research that went into compiling the rankings began in early 2006 and ended Feb. 9. Rank Name Worth* Industry 158 Samuel Zell $5 Real estate, private equity 177 Lester Crown and family $4.5 Investments 177 Ty Warner $4.5 Beanie Babies 210 Matthew Bucksbaum and family $4.1 Real estate 407 Thomas Pritzker $2.3 Hotels, investments 458 John Calamos and family $2.1 Mutual funds 458 Penny Pritzker $2.1 Hotels, investments 488 James Pritzker $2 Hotels, investments 488 Jay Robert Pritzker $2 Hotels, investments 488 Jean Pritzker $2 Hotels, investments 557 William Wrigley Jr. $1.8 Chewing gum 583 Kenneth Griffin $1.7 Hedge funds 583 Michael Krasny $1.7 CDW Corp. 618 Neil Bluhm $1.6 Real estate 618 Nicholas Pritzker II $1.6 Hotels, investments 664 Oprah Winfrey $1.5 Television 717 Joseph Mansueto $1.4 Morningstar 840 Marvin Herb $1.1 Soft-drink bottling, realestate *In billions Well I say Good Luck to Mr. Bill Gates Again March 4, 2007Second Human Bird Flu Infection Suspected In LaosJust one week after confirming Laos’ first human case of bird flu infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) fears a second case has emerged. The patient is a woman, aged 42, from Vientiane province. She was hospitalized on February 28th with bird flu like symptoms. Doctors say she is in a stable condition. Experts believe it is ‘most likely’ the H5N1 bird flu virus strain - the most virulent one. Two samples have tested positive for H5. Confirmation on whether it is H5N1 is pending. A 15-year-old girl was infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus strain last week. The girl, from Vientiane, is still in hospital. About one month ago there was a confirmed outbreak of bird flu among chickens in that area. Experts say these two human cases are not connected. Scientists fear the H5N1 bird flu virus strain will mutate and become easily human transmissible - this has not happened yet. It is still very difficult for a bird to infect a human, It is much more difficult for a human to infect another human. It is believed that H5N1 could mutate if it infected a human who was ill with the normal human flu virus. The bird flu virus would then have the opportunity to exchange genetic information with the human flu virus and acquire its ability to pass easily from human-to-human. If this were to happen it could be the start of a global flu pandemic. by: Christian Nordqvist Females have tough choice between Clinton, ObamaSome said they joined the Hillary Clinton crowd because the line outside the Brown Chapel AME Church where Barack Obama was to speak looked too daunting. Some were Alabamians who said they were simply coming to witness the observance to the Selma to Montgomery march. Supporters in both crowds talked about wanting clarity on issues such as Iraq, seniors, health care and education, while others seemed to just want a glimpse of a star. Still others were taken by the forces of unity, national politics, and history unfolding in their midst. “I really want to hear them both,â€? said Willette Carter, 49, of Greensboro, who came with her grandchildren ages 5 and 13. “Hillary is a woman. Barack is a black so I am following them both very closely to see what they see as the issues and are proposing.â€? Carter, who is still undecided between the two candidates, stood in line to hear Clinton. Her husband opted to hear Obama. “You get excited when you have someone of your gender running, but you get excited when you have someone of your race running,â€? said Carter, a registered nurse who is black. “I just want to see what they will bring to the table as far as change and making changes for our country.â€? By Julie Goodman March 2, 2007Ten Tips for New Small BusinessesSuggestions to help get your business off to a smooth start and keep it going for the long haul. Save up as much money as possible before starting.All too often, people go into business without any savings, exclusively using loan money from friends, banks, or the SBA. They except to be able to start paying the loans back right away with their profits. What these business owners don’t realize is that it can take months or years to make a profit. And once a lender discovers a business isn’t as profitable as expected, the lender is likely to call in the loan or refuse to renew it for another year. Often new business owners then have to take out home equity loans or use credit cards to pay off their loans (which puts their home and credit rating at risk). For more information, see Business Financing FAQ.  A better plan is to save up as much of the needed investment money as possible, including your living expenses for the first year, or even two. Odds are that your business won’t be profitable for one to two years. Even if you get plenty of business coming your way — and your customers pay you on time, which isn’t always a sure thing — you’ll want to be able to invest most of that money back in the business for space, equipment, advertising, and insurance needs. Start on a shoestring.Think small. Don’t rent premises if you can work somewhere else, and don’t hire employees until you can keep them busy. (You can hire independent contractors or temps in the meantime.) People who start their small business on the cheap, often in a garage, den, or some other scavenged space, and create their first goods or services with more sweat than cash, have the luxury of making their inevitable rookie mistakes on a small scale. And precisely because their early screw-ups don’t bury them in debt, they are usually able to learn and recover from them. Protect your personal assets.When you go into business for yourself, you are usually personally liable for all judgments and debts that the business incurs. This includes business loans, taxes, money owed to suppliers and landlords, and any judgments against the business as a result of a lawsuit. If you don’t protect yourself, a creditor can go after your personal assets, such as your car and your house, to pay for these debts. While you can protect yourself against lawsuits by buying business liability insurance, this won’t help you with business debts. If you will be running up big debts, consider forming a corporation or limited liability company (LLC). Just one person can form either of these types of businesses. Understand how — and if — you will make a profit.You should be able to state in just a few sentences how your business plans to make a substantial profit. For starters, you need to know your costs: how much you’ll spend purchasing inventory, paying the rent, compensating any employees, and covering what is likely to be a surprisingly long list of other costs. Then you can figure out exactly how much you need to sell each month, for how many dollars, to cover those expenses and have an adequate profit besides. These numbers are all you need to create a “break-even analysis.” Make a business plan, no matter how short.Understanding your profit numbers and creating a break-even analysis is the first step in making a business plan. For most small companies, the key portions of a business plan are the break-even analysis, a profit-and-loss forecast, and a cash flow projection. (Projecting your cash flow is key and will make or break your company: Even if your business is getting plenty of work or selling its products, if you’re not getting paid for 90-180 days, you’re not going to survive unless you’ve planned for it.) With a cash flow spreadsheet in place, as well as a profit-and-loss forecast, you can tinker with your business idea and improve it before you start — and continue to use them after you start. Creating a business plan also allows you to determine what your projected start-up costs are (how much money you’ll need to save) and what you marketing strategies are (how you’ll reach customers to make sales). If you can’t make the numbers work on paper, you won’t be able to make them work in real life. Get and keep a competitive edge.Building a competitive edge into the fabric of your business is crucially important to long-term success. Some ways to get this edge are by knowing more than your competitors, making a product that is hard or impossible to imitate, being able to produce or distribute your product more efficiently, having a better location, or offering superior customer service. One way to hold on to your competitive edge is to protect your trade secrets — confidential information that gives you a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Examples of trade secrets include customer lists, survey methods, marketing strategies, and manufacturing techniques. To protect your trade secrets under the law, you need to take steps to keep the information confidential. This includes marking documents “Confidential,” using passwords to protect computer information, using nondisclosure and/or noncompete agreements, and limiting access to employees with a reasonable need to know the trade secrets. Another way to keep your competitive edge is to react quickly to bad news. Once you see that your business faces some kind of adversity, you need to come up with a plan to deal with it immediately. This may involve moving your offices, introducing a new product or service, or developing a better way to reach customers. Put all agreements in writing.The laws of your state require you to put some contracts and agreements in writing:
 Even if not legally required, it’s wise to put almost everything in writing, because oral agreements can be difficult or impossible to prove. This includes leases or rental agreements, storage agreements, contracts for services (such as consulting or electrical work), purchase orders or contracts for goods worth more than a couple hundred dollars, offer letters of employment, and employment policies. Get in the habit of getting and giving receipts for all goods, services, and deposits, regardless of how much. Hire and keep good people.Your goal should be to hire and retain truly excellent employees — not just reasonably competent ones. A highly competent and truly enthusiastic employee is at least two and sometimes even three times as valuable as a person of average skills. To create a stable and happy workforce, it’s essential not only that your employees (and independent contractors) believe they are being fairly treated, but that your business is worthy of respect. Employees and contractors who like their work will represent you well on and off the job. And customers will more likely be loyal to an upbeat business — and are more likely to recommend it to their friends. Pay attention to the legal status of your workers.When you hire workers as independent contractors, make sure they shouldn’t really be taxed as employees. The IRS can impose substantial penalties against you for not withholding taxes and paying taxes for a worker who is really an employee. The IRS and other agencies are likely to think that a worker is an employee rather than an independent contractor under any of these conditions:
One way to help avoid trouble is to have the worker sign a written service contract, or independent contractor agreement. Most employees you hire will be “at-will” employees — subject to being fired at any time and for any reason (except for illegal motives such as discrimination). It’s important to preserve your at-will rights because they protect you from having to prove that you have a valid business-related reason to terminate an employee. Don’t make any promises to prospective or current employees that you are offering a permanent job or that they will lose their job only if they perform poorly, because this will limit your ability to terminate the employee for other reasons, such as personality conflicts or finances. When hiring an at-will employee, have the employee sign an offer letter that makes it clear that the employment relationship is at will. Except for high-level executives, you shouldn’t have employees sign an employment contract — this can limit your ability to alter the terms of employment as your business needs change and subjects you to higher legal standards. Pay your bills early and your taxes on time.In the real world, where a reputation for keeping one’s word is a hugely important asset, a good strategy is either to pay your bills up front or pay them early. You gain trust, build a positive credit profile, and have a built-in safety net if things go badly. These benefits outweigh any interest you might earn by holding onto your money until the last possible minute. Most importantly, pay your payroll taxes on time, especially the portion that you withhold from your employees’ paychecks. The IRS and state tax authorities can hold you personally liable for these taxes, plus stiff penalties, if they’re not paid. This is true even if you operate your business as a corporation or LLC or if your business goes bankrupt — you will still be personally and legally on the hook to pay back payroll taxes. Powered by WordPress | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
