text:
This article is more than 1 year old
BOFH: Risky business
Contingency plan? Shine a light
Episode 7
"All I'm saying," I say, trying not to lose my rag, "is that you don't have to keep all your email messages in their entirety."
"Yes, but I need my email as a record," the PR droid burbles.
"That may be, but you don't need a record of the 50 messages between you and the woman from the office across the road saying 'what do you want for lunch?', 'pizza', 'I don't like pizza', 'what about Indian?', 'we had Indian yesterday', 'ok, what about that sandwich place?', 'you always suggest the sandwich place', 'I like the sandwich place', 'I KNOW you like the sandwich place', 'well you choose then', 'I don't know, I just want to try something different', 'what about Mexican then?', 'I've got a meeting this afternoon', 'but you have Indian before you have meetings,', 'maybe I'll just get something from the cafe downstairs', 'don't be like that', 'don't be like what?', etc, EVERY BLOODY DAY!"
"Have you been reading my email?"
"Who would want to read that sort of email?"
"I don't know," he replies, somewhat defensively.
"Trust me, the email I'd be reading was 'I've got a friend who works for the lottery and they've discovered the balls are weighted in favour of the Fibonacci sequence minus 1 - whatever that means - and they can't fix it until after this week's 25 million draw'. That's an email worth reading."
"I... But I need to keep my email," the PR droid sniffs, deciding on repetition as an approach.
"Look. I don't care if you keep every email you ever send or receive - so long as they're not clogging up the mail store. And trust me, you're clogging up the mail store. You've only been here six months and already you're the second highest mail user with 17 gigabytes of mail"
"Is that a lot?"
"So if I'm the second highest, who's the highest?"
"Administrator - but that doesn't count because no one reads that mail."
"So it's not that much of a problem?"
"It is - and I'm implementing auto archiving."
"Auto archiving? Have you gotten a green light from management for that?" he asks.
"Sent the memo yesterday," I say. "Rang legal this morning and they're OK with it so long as we don't lose your highly valuable lunch appointment conversations."
"But... I need my email."
"And you shall have it - only it'll be stored in an offline file and not in the mail store."
"So I'll still be able to read it?"
"Absolutely! Six months from now you'll be able to open your mail archive file and find out you had a sandwich yesterday. Because she's right - you always choose the sandwich place."
. . .
"That was surprisingly painless," the PFY says, moments later when the PR droid has left. "I thought he'd put up more of a fight."
"Yes, the key with users is to..."
I pause as the PFY looks up in response to the opening of the door.
"Hi, Kathy, Projects Office," she says, extending her hand. "I'm here about the archiving project."
"What archiving project?" I ask.
"The one to archive email messages?"
"That's not a project - in fact it's done. I clicked a couple of boxes, tweaked a few settings and it'll all happen like clockwork Monday morning".
"I didn't see a project plan," she says with just a hint of annoyance.
"No you wouldn't have - because as I said, it wasn't a project."
"It most certainly is! Did you do a risk analysis?"
"A costs benefits analysis?"
"A communications plan?"
"Not one of those, no."
"Contingency plan?"
"Work plan schedule?"
"Uh... no."
"Review process?"
"Afraid not."
"Resource scheduling plan?"
"Well you can't do it then! You can't do a project this risky if you haven't done the planning!"
"We don't know how risky it is - we didn't do the risk analysis, remember?"
"But you can't create a project plan until you've done a risk analysis!"
"That's OK because we didn't create a project plan."
"You can't have a project without a project plan!"
"It's not a project!"
"You're right it's not a project! I'm vetoing the change process until such time as a project plan is submitted!!" she snaps.
"We don't have a change process."
"Then get one - and a project plan!" she says, storming off to the Director's office.
"She was a bit volume 11 wasn't she?" the PFY says.
"Yeah - the projects office is pretty much staffed by those people who couldn't get into the workplace safety industry because they're too petty - so they spend their time trolling office gossip for the hint of some project they can insinuate themselves into and ride to a successful completion - albeit three weeks late because of the tangle of bureaucracy they bring with them."
"So what do we do - do a project plan or tell her to get stuffed?"
"It's a tricky question. On one hand we want to be good corporate citizens and on the other we don't want to show any sign of weakness or we'll end up having to fill out a change request form just to login of a morning. Bear in mind that these are the sorts of people whose sense of achievement is measured in reams of paper and time wasted."
"So what do we do?"
"Ordinarily we would give all the impression of complying with their requirements - printing boxes of documentation, revising specs, researching risks, scheduling resources and such."
"Worry not. I have a project plan I used once or twice in the past that I'm sure I can tailor for this occasion..."
. . .
"It's a little thin isn't it?" Kathy asks, fingering the folder with disdain the next morning.
"Yes well, I look upon good project planning as establishing a broad framework from which to address the key strategic areas underpinning the successful completion of a holistic organisational change," I say, pausing briefly to fight back the nausea.
"Well, let's have a look at it then," she says. "Implementation plan: Click the mouse button on the ON radio button then click OK. Contingency plan: Click the mouse button on the OFF checkbox and Click on OK. You can't be serious?!"
"Of course I am - but read on, we did the analyses!"
"Risk Analysis. Issue 1, Contingency Plan A, Risk 0. Issue 2, Contingency Plan B, Risk 0. Issue 3, Contingency Plan C, Risk 0. Issue 4, Contingency plan D, Risk 0... This is just rubbish!"
"No it's not, I identified four issues and four contingency plans which quantified the risk like you wanted."
"What issues?"
"Yes, but what were the risks?"
"You mean what were the actual things I was worried about?"
"Oh. I forget."
"And the contingency plans?"
"I don't recall the exact details."
"But I have got a copy of them. In my car. I'll pop down to the basement later on this morning and get them for you."
"How about we all pop down right now?" Kathy asks, scenting blood.
"I... suppose we could."
. . . one lift ride later. . .
"So here's the risk profile document," I say, handing over a page with four bullet-pointed paragraphs in six point Times Roman associated text. "And the contingency plans."
"I can't read it in this light, it could be anything!" Kathy snaps.
"Why don't we pop upstairs where the light's better?" I suggest.
"Why don't we stay down here and find a room with some lights," she says with a touch of sarcasm. "In case you grabbed the wrong document 'by accident'."
"I'm sure it's the right document," I say, passing the pages to the PFY to check. "Anyway, there's nowhere down here to read it."
"What about this room?" she asks, indicating a well-lit plant room with an open door.
"If you must," I say.
"Risk 1," the PFY reads from the light of the EXIT sign. "A lifetime of filling out meaningless paperwork to appease some glory-hogging control freak. Contingency Plan: The old 'unreadable text in the Basement Carpark with adjacent plant room' trick. Oh yeah - Risk 0."
>thump< >thump< >thump< >thump<
"Risk 2," the PFY continues. "The sound of thumping on the door..."
. . . ten minutes later in Mission Control. . .
"Risk 4. The Risk of being caught. Contingency Plan: Deny Everything."
"Risk 0," I say, popping the pages into the shredder...


text:
All New Great River Eagle Days
Quincy, IL To celebrate the return of our National bird, the great Bald Eagle, the Standing Bear Council will host the Great River Eagle Days with a variety of activities throughout the day. The event is free and open to the public.
Great River Eagle Days will be held on Saturday, January 26th, from 10am-5pm. The event will be held at America's Best Value Inn located at 300 Gardner Expressway, Quincy, IL. Special rates will be offered for attendees.
Eagles will be present all day for close up viewing, with the event kicking off with a presentation by Dr. Drew Kaiser of the Raptor Rehabilitation Center, followed by the Blessing of the Eagles Ceremony by Standing Bear Council at 11am. Along with this will be a Grand Entry Ceremony into the circle, at which time Veterans will be honored. Attendees will then be entertained by the Black Fox Singers & Native American dancers, with prizes for the dancers. There will also be information on the Native American Mounds and Chief Keokuk history, as well as Native American vendors and food booths. The Chief Keokuk history will be presented by Tanya Jones, the Chief's great, great, great granddaughter. The Indian Mounds presentation will be by Steve Tieken.
Participants are encouraged to take advantage of Eagle-watching at Quincy's Lock & Dam 21 from 9am-4pm. Rangers will be available with complimentary scopes at the site. Lock & Dam 21 is on Lock & Dam Road, off Gardner Expressway. The best viewing spot is from the adjoining boat ramp.
"We are excited to offer a new event for visitors and Quincyans to experience this magnificent bird from Quincy's amazing vantage point along the Mississippi," says Holly Cain, Executive Director, Quincy Area Convention & Visitor's Bureau.
For more information, please call Leslie Haslem at 217.577.1930. Please call America's Best Value Inn at 217.224.7733 for hotel reservations.
For Eagle-watching information along the river, contact Brent Groesch with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Lock and Dam 21 at 217.228.0890.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Life slows on the island of Taha'a in The Islands of Tahiti. This quiet island will sweep you away into the traditional, tranquil life of the Tahitians. The flower-shaped island's simple beauty comes in soft mountains, surrounded by tiny motu with bright, white-sand beaches. Vanilla-scented air wafts on breezes that flow down the hillsides from numerous vanilla farms, and these soft aromas ride the ocean breezes announcing the soul of the island long before you even see it on the horizon.
Time seems to have stopped in Taha'a, a secretive and secluded island. While strolling along paths across the island, travelers will discover unspoiled vegetation.
Discovering the secrets of vanilla in its natural environment will make you fall in love with Taha'a even more. Visitors enjoy sampling vanilla tahitensis, a unique and precious vanilla that tastes like paradise. A certain artistic know-how is required to grow this exquisite spice. It's a skill that's acquired over time and with great experience. Just like patient alchemists, specialists pamper their vanilla for many months before the miracle begins to happen.
Feel like Robinson Crusoe, lying on the fine sand dotted with beautiful palm trees, facing crystal clear water on the motu of Taha'a. The scenery is perfect in and out of the water. Snorkelers will find many coral heads in this rich underwater world.
Diving reveals underwater worlds


text:
SAN FRANCISCO – Aaron Hill had a career-high five hits and Jason Kubel tripled home the tiebreaking run in the 11th inning to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Francisco Giants 8-6 on Tuesday night.
The first-place Giants used 11 pitchers, matching a major league record for extra-inning games. They remained 4½ games ahead of Los Angeles in the NL West because the Dodgers also lost at home in 11 innings, to San Diego.
Hill drove in two runs and was a triple shy of his third cycle this season. John McDonald also had two RBIs for the Diamondbacks, who ended a three-game skid.
Brandon Belt had three hits, including a two-run homer, for San Francisco. Pablo Sandoval knocked in two runs but the Giants had their three-game winning streak stopped.
Josh Collmenter (4-3) pitched two innings for the win.
Hill opened the 11th with a single off George Kontos (1-1) and scored on Kubel's one-out triple to right off Javier Lopez. After an intentional walk to Paul Goldschmidt, Miguel Montero added an RBI single.
Diamondbacks starter Ian Kennedy, who also drove in a run, took a three-hitter into the sixth. He was pulled after Brandon Crawford doubled as the potential tying run.
Kennedy was charged with five runs and seven hits over 5 2-3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong lasted 3 1-3 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits. He walked two and struck out seven.
After pitching at least six innings in his first 21 starts, Vogelsong has failed to get out of the fourth in three of the past five. He has a 10.13 ERA during that span, giving up 24 runs and 37 hits in 21 1-3 innings.
Sandoval followed Marco Scutaro's first-inning triple with a groundout to put the Giants ahead 1-0.
The Diamondbacks tied it on Kennedy's RBI single in the second and took the lead in the third when Goldschmidt doubled home a run and McDonald singled home two more.
The Giants got one back when Scutaro doubled in the third.
Hill's two-run homer in the fourth put Arizona ahead 6-2 and ended Vogelsong's night.
Hunter Pence doubled home a run and scored on Belt's two-run homer in the sixth to cut it to 6-5. Sandoval singled home a run in the seventh to tie it.
NOTES: CF Adam Eaton had two hits in his major league debut with the Diamondbacks after having his contract purchased by the club earlier in the day. C Henry Blanco was transferred to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Eaton on the 40-man roster. ... Giants broadcasters Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper called the game from center field. The game-time temperature was 57 degrees, with the wind blowing out to center. ... Kennedy recorded his first no-decision in 11 starts. ... Pence had two assists from right field. ... The Giants added INF Emmanuel Burriss, RHP Dan Otero and LHP Dan Runzler to the roster. RHP Eric Hacker was designated for assignment to make room for Burriss on the 40-man roster. ... RHP Trevor Cahill (9-11, 3.99 ERA) starts for the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. He is 0-2 against the Giants this year but 3-2 overall. LHP Madison Bumgarner (14-9, 3.07) goes for the Giants. He is 0-2 against Arizona this year and 3-2 overall.


text:
Johns Creek was incorporated in 2006. It is a suburban community of approximately 80,400 people in a 32 square mile area located 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. The City government provides the majority of services, including Police and Fire. It has a City Council/City Manager form of government.
Facts about city services, recreation & parks, permits, code enforcement, public safety, and other pertinent information are listed in City Information. A variety of community resources – cultural, medical, and volunteer opportunities – are available to serve residents, visitors and businesses. A section on alarms and emergencies provides a cross-section of essential emergency and preparedness information. The community enjoys a number of free and nominal cost events in the park facilities, and other locations around the City.
The Chattahoochee River borders the length of Johns Creek, adding to a diversity of leisure activities. With a mild climate, these can be enjoyed pretty much year-round and is a popular reason why people relocate here.
Local organizations help make Johns Creek a thriving community that supports its public safety departments and veterans.


text:
You can match completion items by their abbreviation. This works for both camel case and underscore notation. |
The abbreviation expansion engine also allows you to type parts of the words from the abbreviation, making your search more specific in a convenient way. |
If you have more suggestions or cases which are not handled well, I'm happy to discuss this further. Have fun hacking!
P.S. If anyone can come up with an efficient algorithm for doing what is depicted in the last image, I'd be interested. The current one is quite slow for some corner cases.


text:
"Private Jet" arranges business jet flights from Paphos to Maldives (Male). Over 7.300 jets of different types and configurations are available for rent. Our aviation consultants will help you choose the best option based on your goals and wishes. Our company coordinates turnkey flights (including the arrangement of documents and agreements, meetings at the airport, etc.) We also provide a full range of business aviation and concierge services. For 15 years of successful work, we have managed to establish partnerships with the world's leading air companies and VIP terminals. Therefore, we are ready to offer you the best flight conditions and the highest service level.
The price of flight "Paphos - Maldives – Paphos" on a private jet is formed by many factors: the model of business jet, the number of passengers, departure and arrival airports, type of flight, number of days of jet parking at the destination point, additional services, etc. Therefore, we calculate the price of each flight individually depending on your wishes. However, you can also use an online calculator to get an instant charter quote. To do this, just fill out all of the fields of the form below. Our consultant will contact you within 15 minutes to discuss the details of the flight. After that, we will send you an offer with a detailed calculation of the flight price, as well as the most suitable flight options and jet models. Please indicate your actual contact details to get a charter quote.
With the help of our company, you can charter a jet of any type for a fast, comfortable, and safe flight. The price of the flight depends on many factors. We arrange:
It is only a small part of the services provided by our company. Our main advantages are flexibility and the ability to successfully perform even the most unusual tasks. We are always open to dialogue and happy to help you.
Below are 5 simple steps to book a charter flight from Paphos to the Maldives.
From the beginning of our cooperation, you will be assigned a personal aviation consultant who will always be in touch and help to solve all the situations that arise. We always try to complete all the steps described as quickly as possible. We can also arrange urgent flights from Paphos within 3-5 hours.
The price of flights is formed by many factors such as itinerary, the model of a business jet (equipment and year of production), number of passengers and crew members, number of days of jet parking at the destination point, meals aboard, VIP transfer, etc. Our task as an air broker is to take into consideration the individual wishes of the client and find the most suitable flight option at the best price. Due to large flight volumes and exclusive terms of cooperation with dozens of air companies and jet owners, as well as efficient logistics, we can offer unique flight options to our clients.
Below you can find the approximate cost of flights on the most popular routes (with departure and arrival in the Maldives). This table is for information only. Please contact the managers of the company "Private Jet" for more detailed information. The table is based on the flights from/to Paphos, but you can request an instant quote for private flights from/to any other city.
We also offer you an example of how much it costs per hour to fly a private jet:
For more information and a fixed price private jet flight to Paphos, please use our online flight search tool or contact our team (24/7) for advice or pricing.
You should understand that the price of each flight is calculated individually and depends on the following factors:
This is just a shortlist of services provided by our company. Feel free to call us 24/7 to get additional information. You can pay for the flight in any convenient way: by transfer to our account, by invoice, by cash, etc. We guarantee full confidentiality of your data and provide all the necessary documentation.
You can use an online calculator on our website to calculate the approximate price of a private jet flight from Paphos to the Maldives. To do this, please fill out all of the fields of the form (including the airport of departure, the date of flight, and the number of passengers). Please note that the quote will be sent to your e-mail or WhatsApp/Telegram, so we kindly ask you to indicate only real contact details. We guarantee the complete confidentiality of your data.
Keep in mind that these figures are indicative only. Our manager will contact you as soon as possible to discuss the details of the flight and help you choose the most suitable option. Price calculation and jet search services are free and don't impose any obligations. Experts of our company are always happy to answer all your questions and consult you on business aviation issues.
The current catalog of private jets contains about 7.300 models of different types and configurations. Our clients have access to the jets of different production years (including the latest models). We will try to take into account all your wishes and help you find the best flight option. Below are the most popular business jet models of different classes. Since the Maldives are located very far away from most European countries, most of the flights are operated on Heavy Jets, Business liners, Ultra Long Range and Super Midsize Jets. The following are the best options of business jets that can fly from Paphos to Male without refueling.
Information about types of jets and cost of flights:
TOP 60 most popular business jets:
All the above-mentioned models are suitable for the flight on the route "Paphos - Male – Paphos". However, their main drawback is the high price. Therefore, we are also ready to arrange flights on medium jets. Our aviation consultant will give you more detailed information on the flight (with the calculation of price, flight time, and the number of refueling stops). You can review a full catalog of business jets right on this site.
You can book a business jet directly on our website - online. Just fill out the form below - it does not obligate you to do anything. Our consultant will contact you and specify all flight details and then promptly choose the best options, taking into account client's wishes and contact for price negotiation.
You can pay for the flight in any way convenient for you: by invoice, cash, cryptocurrency, or credit card. Since the head office of the company is located in Europe, the preferred payment method is invoicing (with the conclusion of the service contract). In doing so, we guarantee the safety and confidentiality of your data when booking a flight. If you need an urgent flight, we can offer you more flexible payment options (however, each case is considered individually).
The company "Private Jet" provides a full package of documents (including for accounting). Our assistants are always ready to help you with the preparation and correction of all necessary documents.
The cancellation and refund conditions are detailed in the contract provided before payment. They depend directly on the conditions of the company operating the business jet (or its owner). Thus, different owners may have different flight cancellation conditions. For our part, we will do our very best to minimize the fines and reschedule the flight for the time convenient for you. If the flight to the Maldives was canceled because of our company, we will refund the full price of the flight.
Private jets usually depart from Paphos Barajas Airport (the international airport actively used in business aviation), as it fully complies with the European safety standards. However, departures and arrivals from the following airports are also possible:
These airports can accommodate both small and large jets. We arrange chartering and parking of business jets at the airport itself. If necessary, we can also meet you at the airport and transfer you to your destination.
Most flights from Paphos to the Maldives depart from Barajas airport. The most important information on this airport is provided below:
We will take into account all your wishes when building a flight route and help you choose the most suitable option of the jet.
Jet Sharing is one of the most profitable flight options. In this case, the price of a business jet flight from Paphos to the Maldives is divided between all passengers. At the same time, all clients get access to the full range of business aviation services (including VIP terminals, fast customs clearance, catering on board, etc.) Due to the popularity of this destination, the flights are carried out regularly. The price of one seat on a business jet starts from 8.000 EUR. The final price depends on the route, the number of passengers, the type of seat (mini sofa or armchair), and the model of the jet. In 90% of cases, Jet Sharing flight can accommodate about 10 – 12 passengers, which makes it possible to charter large jets (such as Legacy 600 or Challenger 850). These business jets have a large luggage compartment and a high ceiling (about 1.8 m), which makes the flight more comfortable.
Feel free to contact our aviation consultants to check the schedule of Jet Sharing flights, as well as the price and availability of free seats, or book a seat for a specific date and time of flight. Another option is to create your own Jet Sharing flight. To do this, you should leave a request to our manager indicating the desired airport of departure and destination, as well as the estimated flight dates. We will add this flight to the database or to a special section of our website, where the clients of our company will be able to find and join your flight. If you find at least 2-3 fellow travelers, the final price of the flight will be respectively 2-3 times lower for you and each of them. Jet Sharing is a great opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of business aviation at the lowest prices.
Another type of flight we want to talk about is Empty Legs. Empty Leg flights are return flights for specific dates. As you know, part of the flights is one-way. After the flight, the jet returns to its home base empty. Air companies sell these flights at a significant discount (40-70%). You should know that Empty Leg flights offer the same service as private jet charters. The passengers enjoy a 100% private jet flying experience.
To be fair, we should note that it's not easy to find Empty Legs flights to Male. Due to the heavy competition, such flights are sold out very quickly. Therefore, we have developed a system allowing to increase the chances of getting such a flight. You can leave us a deposit indicating the desired dates and destinations of flight, and our aviation consultants will track the main bases of Empty Legs and negotiate directly with the operators. As soon as they find a suitable flight, they will book it for you. This service is very popular with our regular customers, as it significantly reduces the price of private jet charter. Empty Legs is a perfect option for non-urgent flights.
Our database currently contains over 2.700 Empty Legs flights (including to the Maldives). If you want to find out the flight schedule, please send a request to email@example.com
Unfortunately, not all countries and destinations are currently open to visit the Maldives. However, we are always ready to advise you on all your options. Specify the desired country and what documents you have and our experts will advise you on your options for visiting the Maldives.
Most flights arrive at Velana International Airport (also known as Malé International Airport). It is located on Hulhulé Island, nearby the capital island Malé. This is the main international airport in the Maldives that serves over 3 million passengers per year. 200 m long and 45 m wide concrete runway crosses an artificial island built on coral reefs and pile foundations. It starts and ends right at the surf line.
The airport is perfectly adapted to receive business jets of different types. Due to a high-quality runway, a VIP terminal, and an efficient logistics system, passengers are guaranteed a premium-level service at all stages of interaction with the airport. In addition to business jet flights, we also arrange travels by private helicopters and seaplanes.
Main characteristics and data:
If you want to charter a business jet at this airport, our specialists will arrange parking and help you prepare all necessary documents. In addition, our passengers can book a transfer by premium cars, yachts, seaplanes or helicopters. If you want to use this service, please inform us in advance so that we can prepare the necessary transport in time.
Runway information:
You should take into account this data when choosing a business jet, as they determine the technical characteristics of the jets that can land at this airport. If the jet can't land at the VIP terminal of the Male International Airport due to weather or technical conditions, a landing is possible at the nearest business aviation airports:
You can receive more information on business aviation services at the Male International Airport on our official website or via the helpdesk. Our managers will give you all the necessary contacts.
The list of cities located near the airports:
About 4.700 business jets are currently available for rent at this airport.
The arrival and departure terminals are divided into two buildings connected by the passage. There is also a VIP terminal, where an exclusive service is provided.
There is a tourist shop "Dhovemi" in the arrival terminal. This store sells beach clothes and accessories, sunglasses, skincare products, and electronics. The sale of alcohol is prohibited in this Islamic country (however, alcoholic drinks are available in VIP lounges and in-room minibars). The airport has two exchange offices (Bank of Maldives) and an information booth. There is a Duty-free shop in the departure terminal. Sea ferries (small boats), delivering travelers to Male, depart from the airport pier 24/7. From 06:00 to 00:00, they depart every 10 minutes, and from 00:00 to 06:00 - every 30 minutes.
There is a second runway for receiving and dispatching widebody jets on another land area of 35.000 sq m on the eastern side of Velana International Airport. The work is being completed on the construction of the new terminal for the internal communication with the piers for 85 seaplanes. This year, a new three-story VIP terminal will be commissioned.
Gan International Airport (also known as Gan Island Airport) was opened in 2007 in the southern part of the Maldives. It is located 544 km south of Male (at the geographical equator) on the site of the former Royal Air Force station, built on Gan Island during the Second World War.
The airport was modernized in 2016. Now it has modern navigation equipment and a 2.650 m long concrete runway capable of receiving wide-body jets (such as Boeing 767-200). The airport also has a new terminal with a capacity of 180 passengers per hour.
Gan Airport receives private jets 24/7. The airport has secure parking, as well as maintenance and refueling infrastructure. There is also a special Executive Terminal for VIP passengers. The nearest hotel, "Equator Village Resort", is located approximately one kilometer from Gan Airport and offers luxurious rooms and all-inclusive service. There are a few more airports receiving international flights and private jets in the Maldives, including Dharavandhoo Island (DRV), Fuvahmulak (FVM), Kaadedhdhoo (KDM), and Hanimaadhoo (HAQ).
The main feature of our company is an individual approach to each client. Therefore, we are always ready to perform even the most unusual tasks. 15 years of successful work in business aviation is the best proof of that. Our company guarantees full confidentiality and fast problem resolution. We work with private persons, legal entities, and tour operators, as well as concierge and mice agencies. "Private Jet" is constantly developing and improving its service by opening new destinations. We value the opinion of the company's clients. Therefore, we carefully study all the comments and suggestions left, and then analyze them and introduce them into work. Numbers we are proud of:
If you still have any questions about "Private Jet", we will be happy to answer them. You can always call us by phone or leave a request on the website. Our aviation consultant will contact you as soon as possible to send you an official presentation of the company and answer all your questions.
The team of "Private Jet" consists of experienced business aviation consultants. We guarantee attentiveness, responsibility, professionalism, and the ability to successfully perform even the most unusual tasks. Each customer is assigned a personal aviation consultant who can be contacted 24/7 if you have any questions or problems. We value our reputation in the market. Therefore, we always try to fulfill all wishes of our customers.
Leading experts:
The staff of "Private Jets" speaks many languages, including English, Russian, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Usually, we provide the necessary documents in English. Please note that you can contact our management 24/7. We can successfully perform even the most unusual tasks. After all, the main goal of our company is to make our clients feel safe and comfortable during the flight.
The aviation expert will answer all your questions about business aviation and private flights. We will help you to compare and choose the best business jet for your flight.


text: A smoky fire broke out aboard an empty Japan Airlines 787 Dreamliner in Boston on Monday in the latest glitch for the much-heralded Boeing model. The Japan Airlines plane, which had arrived at Logan Airport from Tokyo at 10 a.m., was being prepared for a noon departure at a gate when a maintenance worker noticed smoke and called emergency crews. "Upon arrival, we observed a heavy smoke condition in the entire cabin," said Bob Donahue, chief of the Massport Fire Rescue Department. "We found a fire condition about midship in the avionics compartment underneath. We advanced an aggressive, offensive fire attack." Batteries used to start the auxiliary power unit, which provides electricity for ground operations, are located in the small area in the belly of the plane. "We did have a flare-up. There was a small explosion – one of the batteries – and we again went in with a secondary attack and were again able to knock it down," Donahue said. Japan Airlines confirmed the cause of the fire in a news release. It said 172 passengers and 11 crew members had been on the plane. Everyone had disembarked when the fire was discovered, the airline said. One firefighter had a skin irritation from the material used to put the fire out, but no one else was injured. Donahue says it's not likely this could have happened during flight when the auxiliary power unit was not in use. "This is an extremely serious situation," Kevin Hiatt, a former pilot and vice president with the Flight Safety Foundation, told CNN. "If there is any problem I think you will see something come out very shortly." Monday's incident is not the first mechanical problem for the 787 series, which was delivered to airlines starting in 2011 after years of manufacturing delays and cost overruns. The JAL plane was delivered in December. In 2010, fire caused a 787 test flight to lose primary electrical power while flying from Yuma, Arizona, to Laredo, Texas. It landed safely using backup systems and the 42 people aboard evacuated using emergency slides. An engine failed during tests on the ground in South Carolina in July 2012 and inspectors found a similar problem on another aircraft in September. In December, another relatively new 787 operated by United Airlines diverted safely to New Orleans after experiencing mechanical problems. "The 787, being a new airplane, does have teething problems," John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, told CNN. Goglia, a former airline mechanic, said it is common for new planes to have "these kinds of problems." While serious, Hiatt did not think these issues are a sign of larger concerns with the 787 program. "There does not appear to be a common thread in the problems the planes have seen," he told CNN. "If they had another situation, a fire, that was in that same locality you'd start to say yes, we've got something else that is going on." Boeing said it was investigating the incident and noted it was too early to draw any parallels. "We need to give our technical teams time to really understand the event," Lori Gunter, spokeswoman for the 787 program, said in a statement. "Anything offered now would be speculation and likely incorrect. It's just too early to make comparisons to other events or to draw conclusions." The NTSB sent a team to investigate the incident. "It's one of our 'most wanted list' issues, fire in transportation," Eric Weiss, a board spokesman, said.


text:
Click on an age group to the left to access the corresponding lesson plan. Plans are designed to last between two to four class sessions and address age-relevant issues in health and medicine.The Handouts require the use of Adobe Acrobat PDF Viewer. Click the link to download Adobe Acrobat PDF Viewer.
There are three lessons in this group. The first two provide students with the opportunity to learn about the circulatory system and conduct an experiment where they take their pulses after different types of activity. During the third lesson, a pediatrician explains how she checks a patient's heart and the ways that a healthy lifestyle (food and exercise) can keep students' hearts healthy.
3 class sessions
heart, artery, vein, capillary, lungs, pulse, circulatory system, cardiologist
(Note: This lesson can be done outside or in the gym. Assistance from the PE teacher or other adult would be very helpful.)
Have students fill out Handout 3. Evaluation (PDF) to describe what they have learned about the circulatory system and Dr. Taussig's work.


text:
Forget about the tranquil sounds and meditation. There's plenty of yoga studios that you can walk into today blaring bass-thumping hip hop beats with sweat-drenched athletes ready to tell you how their yoga workout kicked their ass. Yes, their yoga "workout."
Power yoga is a practice that's been trending in yoga studios for years now and while it helps with flexibility, you're likely to spend a lot more time lifting and supporting your own body weight. The sequences or "flows" will be quicker and there's a lot more muscle burn than zen.
Consider power yoga to be an intense fitness-based vinyasa style of yoga that focuses on building strength. Generally, yoga is an ideal way to give your muscles some TLC in between heavy lifting sessions, but it can also help greaten your sense of self-esteem, improve cardiovascular health, and ease lower back pain.
Plus, it can help you build essential strength, with little to no equipment necessary.
RELATED: A Skinny Guy's Guide To Building Muscle
"A dynamic yoga practice requires that all of your muscles work together in many directions, from side bends to twists and extensions," says Amy Opielowski, Senior Manager of Quality and Innovation for CorePower Yoga.
"Yoga postures are very effective for building muscle strength by challenging the body in different orientations and movement patterns."
Through proper form, the movements you'll mess with on the mat recruit smaller muscle groups that you may not flex often. That means all-over gains and more malleability within the muscles groups that allow the body to work in unison.
When you're not tossing around 200-pound barbells, there's less room for epic injuries. Ready to get a little outside of your comfort zone, perhaps? We connected with the team at CorePower Yoga to compile a short list of muscle-building yoga moves designed to craft one-of-a-kind strength.
The Workout
Instructions: Perform 15 to 20 reps per exercise (or 45 seconds per side). Rest no more than 30 seconds between each exercise. Repeat entire circuit 1 to 2 times. Rest 1 to 2 minute between rounds.
Back Extension
Lie your stomach with your legs outreached behind you hip-distance apart. Draw your fingertips behind your ears and draw your elbows wide.Take a breath in and as you exhale, push your pelvis into your mat and lift your chest off of the floor. Inhale, lower back down to the start position and repeat.
Maintain your head and torso in the same line you lift your chest and legs and hug your outer hips in.Relax your shoulders away from your ears and gently pull your shoulder blades together and down your back. Gaze down to be long on all sides of your neck.
Personalise it: Decrease intensity by performing the back extension with your hands planted by your side ribs and maintain your feet on the ground.
Body benefits: Back extension strengthens the back of your lower legs and pelvis (hamstrings & glutes) and your lower and mid back muscles.
Pelvic Lift Double Leg Lower
Lie down on a mat and place a block between your inner upper thighs. Extend your legs straight up to the ceiling to a 90 degree angle with your arms by your side and rest your head to your mat.
Stack your hips, knees and ankles in one line, pull your toes toward your shins and press your lower back into the ground. Hug your inner thighs in and draw your navel into your spine, lift your pelvis up as if you are stomping your feet onto the ceiling.
Slowly lower the pelvis to the start position. Maintain straight legs as you lower the legs a few inches off the floor, with your torso and head anchored to the mat. Lift your legs back up to a 90 degree angle and repeat.
Personalise it: Lower intensity by decreasing by bending your knees.
Body benefits: This exercise is a great strength builder for handstand and strengthens your belt like abs (specifically, your transversus abdominis), and inner thighs (adductors) and pelvic floor muscles.
Forearm Plank Slow Cross Mountain Climber
From your hands and knees, ground your elbows down under your shoulders and plant your palms face down. Step your feet back hip-distance apart in a plank position. Maintain your hips in line with your heels and your head. Take a breath in to brace your core and as you exhale, drive your right knee towards your left upper arm (tricep); inhale step your right foot back. Alternate to other side, repeat.
Personalise it: Decrease intensity by holding forearm plank.
Body benefits: This exercise targets your front ab wall (rectus and transversus abdominis) and the sides of your core (oblique muscles).
Single Leg Bridge
Lie down on your back and bend your knees, feet hip width distance apart and stack your knees above your ankles. Keep your arms by your sides and your head on the mat, extend your left leg forward until your knees are parallel to one another. Take a breath in to press your grounded heel down and inhale to push through your heel to lift your hips up to the ceiling.
Pulse and hug your outer hips in. Activate the front of your thighs and draw your tailbone forward and your front hip points towards your front ribs.
Personalise it: To decrease intensity keep both feet on the ground hip distance apart.
Body benefits: This exercise strengthens your lower back and the back of your legs and pelvis (hamstrings and glutes).
Side Forearm Plank 3-Pulse Knee to Elbow
Lie down and roll to your right side. Stack your right elbow under your right shoulder and stack your heels, hips, shoulders in one straight line and press your grounded elbow into the ground to lift your hips up. On the inhale, extend your left arm overhead with your bicep aligned with your ear and your top left leg parallel to the floor. On the exhale, draw your top elbow to your top knee and pulse for 3 seconds. On the inhale, extend the arm and leg. On the exhale, draw top elbow to top knee and repeat. After 45 seconds switch sides.
Personalise it: To decrease intensity lower your bottom knee to the ground.
Body benefits: This exercise strengthens your side body muscles (oblique muscles), your outer thigh muscles (abductors) and your front ab wall (rectus and transversus abdominis).
Plank Up-Down Alternate Leg Lift
Begin on your hands and knees and stack your hands under your shoulders and step your feet back hip-distance apart. Hover your right foot off your mat. Lower down onto your right forearm and your left forearm. Keep your elbows under your shoulders. Press back up to high plank leading with your right hand and repeat.
Switch sides after about 15 reps (lift your left foot and lead with your left hand/elbow). Repeat other side, lifting the left leg and leading with the left hand and elbow. Maintain one straight line from your heels, hips and head as you lower down and up.
Personalise it: Lower intensity by keeping both feet on the ground.
Body benefits: This exercise strengthens your chest, shoulders, triceps glutes and the front, back and sides of your core. It challenges balance and coordination as well!
Squat to Single-Leg Mountain Pose to Airplane Pose
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip distance apart and press your palms together at the level of your chest. Hinge at your hips, shift your hips down and back with your weight in your heels until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Ground through your heels to stand out of squat as you lift your right thigh parallel to the ground with your right knee in line with your hip. Draw your right leg back parallel to the floor as you hinge from your hips and draw your chest forward. Keep your outer hips hugging in. Step the right foot forward into a squat and repeat. After 45 seconds switch sides.
Personalise it: To decrease intensity decrease the range of motion.
Body benefits: This exercise strengthens your lower back and the back of your legs and pelvis (hamstrings and glutes).
Lateral Lunge to Single-Leg Mountain Pose Twist
Stand on your left foot with your palms together at the level of your chest and draw your right thigh parallel to the floor. Step your right foot laterally to the right and keep your left leg straight and strong. Load your weight back into your right heel as you move your right hip crease back and down and gently hinge forward to load your glute. Track your right knee in line with your mid-toes. Push your right heel off the ground and pull your right knee back in line with your right hip, twist your torso to the right, keeping a long spine and one line from your standing heel, hip and your head.
Personalise it: To decrease intensity, decrease the range of motion of the lateral lunge and remove the twist to take out the balance challenge.
Body benefits: Lateral Lunge ignites your inner thighs (adductors) and glutes. The torso twists fires up the side body muscles (oblique muscles) and outer thigh muscles.
Dead Bug Handstand Reach
Grab a block in both hands and lie down on back and bend your knees to a 90 degree bend, shins parallel to the ground and toes flexed. Press the block directly over your chest and maintain a micro bend in your elbows. As you inhale lower the block towards the ground behind you – align your by-your-ears as you extend your legs forward. Draw your belly button up towards your rib-cage and brace your midsection abdominal muscles out to form a solid, cylinder of support.
Important note: Keep your head on the mat and maintain the natural curve of your lower back. As you exhale, pull the block back to the starting position keeping your arms straight and bend your knees back to the starting position and repeat.
Personalise it: Lower intensity by just moving the arms and maintain your knees over your hips.
Body benefits: This exercise is a great strength builder for handstand and strengthens your belt like abs (Transversus Abdominis).
Decline Chaturanga Dandasana Push-up
Place the ball mound of your feet on top of a yoga block and walk your hands out to a plank position with your hand under your shoulders. Maintain one straight line from your heels, hips, shoulders and head as you breathe in and bend your elbows to a 90 degree angle to your side ribs. Exhale, push back up to plank, repeat. Make sure to press all 10 fingers into the floor and keep your gaze at the top edge of your mat to maintain a long spine.
Personalise it: Lower intensity by performing the exercise without a block.
Body benefits: This exercise strengthens your chest, shoulders and your triceps.
Low Boat to Torso Twist
From a seated position, hug the back of your knees in. Lift your chest up and slightly lean back as you ground yourself into the mat. Lift your feet off floor and parallel your shins to the floor.
Inhale, extend your feet forward to hover above your mat as you lean your torso back. Exhale and imagine you have a tight belt around your waist as you draw your knees back to the start position as you lift your torso up and twist to the right. Repeat and alternate the twist right and left. Hug your inner thighs and maintain a straight spine as you torso twist.
Personalise it: To decrease intensity keep both feet on the ground hip distance apart.
Body benefits: This exercise strengthens your side body muscles (oblique muscles) and your front ab wall (rectus and transversus abdominis).
Towel Plank Knee In/V-Up
Plant your hands at the very end of your mat under your shoulders and stack your knees under your hips off your mat. Slide one towel under both of your feet. Lift your knees off of the floor and slide your feet back into a plank position. Maintain your hands under your shoulders. Exhale, slide your feet towards your hands as you pike your hips over your shoulders and pull your lower abs in. Inhale, straighten your legs, sliding the towel back into plank position.
Personalise it: To decrease intensity bend your knees and shift your hips over your shoulders.
Body benefits: Lateral Lunge ignites your inner thighs (adductors) and glutes. The torso twists fires up the side body muscles (obliques and outer thigh muscles).


text:
Of Nakbas, fools and fingers
Nakba week is over. The demonstrators have gone home. The Palestinian Authority have delivered their speeches and sounded their sirens. The Arab and 'liberal' western press and media have duly commiserated.
But while Palestinians marked the 66th anniversary of the 'catastrophic' mass flight of Arab refugees from Israel in 1948, the French historian Georges Bensoussan, on a visit to London, was focusing on a different nakba. He was asking a packed audience the rhetorical question: why do people, even when presented with incontrovertible proof, persist in their denial of the mass post-war exodus of Jews?
It was at the height of the second intifada in 2002, when two Jews a day were being beaten up on the streets of France, that Bensoussan decided to write about Jews from Arab countries. The antisemitism sweeping France then, as now, was being blamed on the Arab-Israel conflict. But Bensoussan, who left Morocco with his family as a six-year-old, had a nagging feeling that the problem had deeper root-causes.
Bensoussan spent ten years researching his 900-page book on the 850,000 Jews driven out of Arab lands in a single generation (Juifs en pays arabes: le grand deracinement 1850 – 1975). He chose not to base himself on unreliable memoirs, but on solid archival evidence.
The condition of Jews in Arab lands is not one of harmonious coexistence between Jew and Arab, shattered by the arrival of Zionism. Nor is it purely a lachrymose tale of woe. Yes, Iraqi Jews experienced the Farhud pogrom in 1941 – but next to the Ukraine, Iraq was paradise, Bensoussan contended. For 14 centuries, however, Jewish-Arab coexistence was laced with contempt: Muslims kept their non-Muslim minorities in a state of degradation and humiliation as dhimmis. Dhimmitude was most rigorously applied in those parts of the Muslim world remotest from Ottoman influence – Yemen, Morocco, and Shi'a Iran. With western colonisation, the Arab world lashed out at its minorities. The word ' fear' keeps cropping up in the archives in association with the Jews.
Jews were not uprooted from their 2,500-year existence in Arab countries by a few Zionist emissaries. Nor did their exodus begin after WW2. Jews were already leaving Morocco in the 19th century to found communities in Portugal, Brazil and Venezuela. Jews migrated from Iraq to India and China. (On the other hand, the Jewish population increased in Egypt).
Bensoussan traces the fault-line between Jews and their Arab neighbours to the onset of 19th century modernity and emancipation. The anti-Zionist Alliance Israelite Universelle schools network, paradoxically, 'created a Jewish people and prepared it for Zionism'.
Whereas Ashkenazim chose between Judaism and secular Zionism, Sephardi/ Mizrahi Jews saw a continuity between the two, in spite of the initial weakness of the Zionist movement in Arab countries. But from 1929, Zionism also made Jews in Arab countries vulnerable to the repercussions of the conflict in Palestine. After 1948, Jewish communities were held hostage by Arab states.
Another cause of the mass exodus was the blood-and-soil nationalism which prevented Jews from becoming accepted as citizens of independent Arab states. The Arab world eagerly embraced Fascist youth movements and Black Shirts; the influence of the pro-Nazi sympathies of the Mufti of Jerusalem is well-known. His virulent radio propaganda broadcasts spread anti-Jewish hatred. And the Mufti was not the only pro-Nazi Arab leader.
But the key reason for the Jewish Nakba – not the only one but an essential factor – was a matter not of historical fact but deep-seated cultural mentality.
As dhimmis, Jews were despised as half-persons. They were feminised in the Muslim imagination. Like women, they were not allowed to carry daggers. Like women, they had to ride side-saddle.
"The more I studied the question, the more I understood that there was no solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict," said Georges Bensoussan.
The truth is that the colonised can also be a coloniser, the victim of racism can himself be a racist, and the martyr an executioner.
Like intellectuals blinded to the Soviet regime's crimes, people today cannot see the truth before their very eyes. There's a Chinese proverb that says, "When the sage points at the moon, the fool looks at the finger."


text:
A 58-year-old woman is due to begin the first court action of its kind in the Republic of Ireland, aimed at allowing her to be assisted to die.
Marie Fleming, a former lecturer at University College Dublin, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986. She plans to establish her partner Tom Curran's legal right to help her to die when and if she chooses. Her illness is terminal.
The historic court case will be heard at Dublin's High Court.
In 1993 suicide was decriminalized in Ireland. However, assisting another person to die still carried a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.
Currently Fleming, the mother of two adult children, is cared for by her partner, Curran, at their home in County Wicklow.
Through the court case she wishes to challenge the constitutionality of the Criminal Law Suicide Act 1993. She claims it discriminates between able-bodied and disabled people.
Curran told the BBC: "Her rights have been taken away, the right to take her own life has been taken away because of her disability and should anyone assist her to do so they face up to 14 years in prison."
Speaking in court Fleming made her case. She said, "While I can still use my voice to ask you to assist me in having a peaceful, dignified death."
Read more news on Irish health issues here
She explained that she had thought the matter though, talked about it with her partner and family, and had planned every detail down to her funeral where she wanted a wicker coffin, jazz music and her life to be celebrated.
She said in order to have a peaceful death she would at some point need to call on her partner of 18 years, Curran, to help her to do so.
Fleming said that her family supported her decision after "a lot of tears shed and questions asked". She said they support her in her wish to be permitted to take her own life, with assistance, if and when she chose to do so.
She said, "Tom has promised to help me, only if it's lawful. Otherwise, I will die a horrible death which could take months or even a year…That's not how I want to go, I want to go peacefully in my own home with the people I love around me."
Fleming told the court she was ready to die. She said, "I am at peace with the world, I have put all my wrongs to right, I have sorted all in my head, I have even arranged my funeral."
She added that being kept in palliative care was not an acceptable option for her. She said, "To be kept in a state of not being able to smell the flowers or see my beautiful garden or just see the changes in the seasons, that's not acceptable for me to miss all that. I would be doing myself an injustice."
The three judges presiding over the case will be the President of the High Court, Justice Nicholas Kearns, Justice Paul Carney, and Justice Gerard Hogan.
Read more Irish news from IrishCentral here


text:
Filed pursuant to Rule 497(a)
File No. 333-166363
Rule 482 ad
OFS Capital Corporation Prices Initial Public Offering
Rolling Meadows, IL November 7, 2012 OFS Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: OFS) announced today the pricing of the initial public offering of 6,666,667 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $15.00 per share, raising approximately $100.0 million in gross proceeds. OFS Capital Corporation has granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 1,000,000 shares of its common stock. OFS Capital Corporations common stock is expected to begin trading on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol OFS on November 8, 2012. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, UBS Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc. and RBC Capital Markets, LLC are acting as joint book-running managers. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. and Janney Montgomery Scott LLC are acting as co-lead managers. Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., Wunderlich Securities, Inc. and Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. are acting as co-managers. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and the shares are expected to be delivered on or about November 14, 2012.
OFS Capital Corporation intends to use the net proceeds of the offering, together with cash on hand, to repay certain outstanding indebtedness under its existing credit facility and to use the remaining net proceeds, if any, to invest in portfolio companies in accordance with its investment objective and strategies and for general corporate purposes.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the shares referred to in this press release in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. A registration statement relating to these securities was filed and has been declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This offering is being made solely by means of a written prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement. A copy of the prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, or by emailing email@example.com (telephone number 1-866-718-1649); UBS Securities LLC, 299 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10171 (telephone number 1-888-827-7275); or Barclays Capital Inc., 745 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019, or by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com (telephone number 1-888-603-5847). Investors are advised to carefully consider the investment objectives, risks and charges and expenses of OFS Capital Corporation before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about OFS Capital Corporation and should be read carefully before investing.
About OFS Capital Corporation
OFS Capital Corporation is an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. OFS Capital Corporations investment objective
is to provide its stockholders with both current income and capital appreciation primarily through debt investments and, to a lesser extent, equity investments in middle-market companies in the United States. It is anticipated that its investments will include asset classes in which its external manager has expertise, including senior secured, unitranche, second-lien and mezzanine loans and, to a lesser extent, warrants and other minority equity securities.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements included herein may constitute forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, condition or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. OFS Capital Corporation undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made herein.
OFS Capital Corporation
Mendel Communications LLC
Bill Mendel, 212-397-1030


text:
Latest Gear Live Videos
The history of Mac OS X pricing: How we got to free
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, PC / Laptop, Software,
We had a few readers email in yesterday after it was announced that OS X Mavericks would be free, a first for a major desktop operating system release. It seems a few of you are curious about how Apple got here, and what the history is as it relates to the pricing of OS X. So, here's a quick history lesson.
- 10.0 Cheetah: Released March 24, 2001 for $129
- 10.1 Puma: Released September 25, 2001 for $0
- 10.2 Jaguar: Released August 23, 2002 for $129
- 10.3 Panther: Released October 24, 2003 for $129
- 10.4 Tiger: Released April 29, 2005 for $129
- 10.5 Leopard: Released October 26, 2007 for $129
- 10.6 Snow Leopard: Released August 28, 2009 for $29
- 10.7 Lion: Released July 20, 2011 for $29
- 10.8 Mountain Lion: Released July 25, 2012 for $19
- 10.9 Mavericks: Released October 22, 2013 for $0
So, as you can see, both OS X 10.1 Puma and 10.9 Mavericks were released as free updates, however, Puma was released just six months after 10.0 Cheetah, so that would have been ridiculous if Apple has chosen to charge for it. Other than that anomaly, OS X updates remained at $129 each until Snow Leopard in 2009, which sold for $29. The last $129 version of OS X was Leopard, which saw massive delays due to Apple pulling engineers from it to work on iPhone OS 1.0 (now known as iOS.) Lion was also sold for $29, and was the first version of OS X to be available as a digital download from the Mac App Store. The following year, Mountain Lion debuted at just $19--the best bargain in OS X release history until yesterday, when Mavericks launched for free. The trend has always been that OS X updates would cost the same as the previous year, or less--never more (discounting the Puma issue, which was a huge bugfix patch.) As this point, it appears that OS X has gone the way of iOS, where all updates from here on out will be available for free, on an annual basis.
You can download OS X Mavericks, for free, right now.
iA Writer 1.4 brings responsive design, Retina display optimization
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, PC / Laptop, Software,
iA Writer, our text editor of choice for the Mac, iPad, and iPhone, has been updated today to version 1.4 for Mac. The update brings:
- Responsive design: resize the windows to change the font size
- In-app preview panel
- Optimized for Retina displays
- Formatted QuickLook preview
- Standardized Find and Replace
- Selection-sensitive word count
The responsive design aspect is a nice touch. iA Writer is currently on sale for $4.99 on the Mac, and 99 cents for iPhone/iPad. We highly recommend it.
Power Nap update released for MacBook Pro with Retina display
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software,
Yesterday Apple released an update for the 2011 and 2012 MacBook Air to enable Power Nap, and today an update enabling the Mountain Lion feature has been released for the MacBook Pro with Retina display. Power Nap is one of the 10 essential Mountain Lion features and it allows your Mac to download Mac App Store updates, OS X updates, email, sync with iCloud, back up to Time Machine, and more all while in sleep mode.
This update fixes several sleep/wake issues to improve the stability of MacBook Pro with Retina display (Mid 2012) computers and is recommended for all users running OS X v10.7.4. It also enables Power Nap support for users running OS X v10.8 or later.
To get the update, head to the Mac App Store software update tab. Lion users will also benefit from the update as well, and can find it in Software Update.
Carbon Copy Cloner updated with Mountain Lion, Retina display support
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Software,
With the rumor that Mountain Lion will launch tomorrow, a bunch of developers have been released Mountain Lion compatable software updates recently, and we can now add the excellent Carbon Copy Cloner to the list. Carbon Copy Cloner allows you to automatically make backups of your data using a simple-yet-powerful interface. CCC 3.5 requires Snow Leopard, Lion, or Mountain Lion, while 3.4.x will continue to run on Tiger and Leopard. As a nice bonus, Carbon Copy Cloner 3.5 also includes support for the Retina display. Here's the full changelog:
- This version of CCC requires Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Lion, or Mountain Lion, and is fully qualified on each of those OSes. We will continue to provide user support and bug fixes for Tiger and Leopard users on CCC 3.4.x for a while longer.
- Recovery HD support has been overhauled to better support the concept of "one Recovery HD partition per volume", rather than one per disk. If you have multiple backup volumes with different OSes (e.g. Lion and Mountain Lion), CCC can associate a Recovery HD with each one and apply the appropriate OS to each Recovery HD partition.
- We have leveraged code signing within CCC for nearly five years. For GateKeeper compliance on Mountain Lion, however, CCC is now signed with an Apple Developer Certificate.
- Most of the binaries in the CCC bundle are now 32/64-bit Intel-only binaries.
- Fixed an issue that appeared in 10.7.4, specific to Macs running Lion with a 64-bit kernel, in which the /Volumes folder on the destination volume would be locked rather than hidden. This resulted in external volumes being unmountable when booted from the backup volume.
- Performance of deleting scheduled tasks is much improved.
- CCC previously encountered some performance problems when simultaneously saving very large numbers of scheduled tasks (e.g. > 29). These problems should now be resolved. This is most applicable when updating CCC, or when CCC has been moved and all tasks must be re-saved at the same time.
- Updated graphics for High Resolution support on the new MacBook Pro (Retina).
You can get the new update now.
Read More | Carbon Copy Cloner
Apple's OS X Mountain Lion to be released tomorrow?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Rumors, Software,
Apple will be reporting its third-quarter fiscal year 2012 earnings call later today, and many are speculating that part of that call will be the announcement of the OS X Mountain Lion release date. In fact, last year Lion's release date was announced during the earnings call, and it debuted the following day. Apple has promised that Mountain Lion would be released this month, and we've got a week left. If we had to bet, we'll see Apple's next major operating system launch tomorrow. Mountain Lion will be available on the Mac App Store for $19.99, and the Golden Master was released to developers recently.
TotalFinder 1.3.5 updated with Mountain Lion support
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software,
TotalFinder has become essential Mac software here at Gear Live. If you're unfamiliar, TotalFinder is an add-on for the Apple OS X Finder that provides a tabbed interface. That means that you can have multiple Finder instances open in one window, and you an even have multiple tabbed windows as well. Much easier to work with the Finder when you've got TotalFinder running. Version 1.3.5 brings OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and 10.7.5 Lion compatability, as well as Gatekeeper support. Full changelog available after the break.
Click to continue reading TotalFinder 1.3.5 updated with Mountain Lion support
Read More | TotalFinder
iA Writer update brings full Mountain Lion and iCloud support
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, PC / Laptop, Software,
iA Writer, our text editor of choice for the Mac, iPad, and iPhone, has been updated today to version 1.3 for Mac, and version 1.6 for iOS. The update brings:
- Full OS X Mountain Lion support
- iCloud folder support in Mountain Lion
- iCloud folder access in Lion
- Standard window framework
- Improved Markdown and Versions support
- Optimized printing
- Speed increases
In addition, the iOS version also brings full iCloud folder support, and trash bins in iCloud and local storage. iA Writer is currently on sale for $8.99 on the Mac, and 99 cents for iPhone/iPad. We highly recommend it.
SpamSieve 2.9.3 released with Mountain Lion, Retina display support
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software,
SpamSieve has been updated to version 2.9.3. You are using version 2.9.2. Would you like to download the new version? It includes the following changes:
- Added support for the forthcoming Mac OS X 10.7.5.
- Fixed a bug that could prevent SpamSieve from auto-launching on the forthcoming OS X 10.8.
- SpamSieve is now able to recover from certain unexpected system errors on OS X 10.8.
- Fixed a layout bug in the German-localized Statistics window.
- Improved the Automatically Deleting Old Spam Messages instructions.
- SpamSieve now tells the system that it can use the integrated GPU, which should reduce battery use on newer MacBook Pros.
- SpamSieve's disk image background is now displayed at Retina quality on eligible Macs running Mac OS X 10.7 or 10.8. (On Mac OS X 10.6, due to an OS bug, it will incorrectly display at double size.)
- Fixed a regression where SpamSieve's disk image icon didn't display properly.
SpamSieve is our favorite spam control solution, as it's proven to be an invaluable tool for us over the years. Highly recommended.
Read More | SpamSieve
Ask Andru: How do I prepare my Mac for Mountain Lion?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, PC / Laptop, Software,
Apple is set to release it's next major operating system update, known os OS X Mountain Lion, later this month. In this edition of Ask Andru, Tracy writes in and asks if there is anything she should do to prepare her Mac computers for the Mountain Lion installation. I share some tips on what we can all do to ensure a smooth upgrade experience to Mac OS 10.8.
Question: I hear that Apple will be releasing a new version of OS X shortly. Is there anything I need to do in order to prepare for it to ensure that I can run it? Will it be expensive?
You're correct! Apple announced OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion just five months ago, and it will be available in under two weeks. Mountain Lion will sell exclusively on the Mac App Store for $19.99 (so, not expensive at all!) and will include some nice features, including AirPlay Mirroring from your Mac, tighter iCloud integration, Twitter and Facebook built-in at the system level, Reminders, Notes, Game Center, a new Messages app that will let you send and receive iMessages from the Mac, iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. In total, there are over 200 new features that Apple is introducing in Mountain Lion.
Click to continue reading Ask Andru: How do I prepare my Mac for Mountain Lion?
OS X Mountain Lion ships in July for $19.99
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, PC / Laptop, Software,
Apple just announced final details for OS X Mountain Lion during its WWDC 2012 keynote. First, the ship date. Mountain Lion will be available eclusively from the Mac App Store in July. Second, the price. Mountain Lion will be the cheapest OS X update in history, selling for just $19.99. Users running Lion or Snow Leopard will be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion using the Mac App Store starting next month.
© Gear Live Inc. {year} – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.


text:
Jewish World Review August 7, 2003/ 9 Menachem-Av, 5763
Ann Coulter When good historians go badhttp://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Arnold Beichman recently wrote a column attacking my latest book, "Treason" -- which he at least admits he didn't read -- claiming he has the "names of 'innocent lives' Mr. McCarthy ruined." I was excited to see it. I've been asking for just one innocent person ruined by Joe McCarthy for six weeks, but until now all I had gotten was wild speculation about my personal life. But strangely, while Beichman claims to have the names of McCarthy's innocent victims, he declines to mention them. (It's been almost 50 years and these people still won't name names.) Instead he offers to send me "one of the most important testimonies about McCarthyism" by "one of our leading Sinologists" -- if I provide my address. Since Beichman ain't getting my address, I've looked up the article on my own. It contains the names of precisely two people allegedly destroyed by McCarthy. The author of this "illuminating article on Joe McCarthy" is one Richard Walker. He didn't allot much space for the discussion of McCarthy's victims, inasmuch as the article consisted primarily of Walker's reminiscences about himself. I quote: -- "In 1953 I published my book 'The Multi-State System of Ancient China.' The reaction from the scholarly world was very good." -- "One distinguished scholar -- who shall remain nameless but who will appear in this narrative again in the context of events that happened a few years later -- wrote to me, 'I wish to send my congratulations. I find it excellent and marvel at the mass of literature you went through to reach your conclusions ...'" -- "Other reviewers praised the volume." -- "Two of my graduate students, who subsequently received their doctorates from Yale, attended the meeting and told me what transpired. Following a few toasts and rounds of drinks, professor Derk Bodde (who was one of the first to apply for the post I was vacating at Yale) rose and announced, 'I propose a toast! We finally got Dick Walker!'" Beichman wearily explained he refused to read my book because "life is too short." But life is not so short that it cannot be filled with days reading Dick Walker quoting people lauding Dick Walker. (How can I add my name to the list of people whose lives were ruined by Dick Walker?) But the point is, anyone who advertises his own pathological need for establishmentarian approval is not likely to be found praising Joe McCarthy. Still -- though Beichman finds it absolutely urgent that I read Walker's piece -- the only specific charge against McCarthy in the entire groaning article is this: "McCarthyism destroyed the careers of a number of fine China specialists in the Foreign Service. What happened to Oliver Edmund Clubb and John Paton Davies was a discreditable chapter in the defense of State Department professionals who were rendering honest service to their country." Davies and Clubb were among the WASP three-names who helped relinquish China to communist mass murderers -- John Carter Vincent, John Stewart Service, John Paton Davies and Oliver Edmund Clubb. Leaving aside the intriguing facts about Oliver Edmund Clubb, this was not a case instigated by McCarthy, but rather by one of Beichman's heroes, Whittaker Chambers. Indeed, Chambers says as much in his book "Witness" -- a book Beichman has praised, saying "few autobiographies are as moving and as instructive about the meaning of communism." I've read the article by Richard Walker. Now Beichman ought to actually read "Witness." As for John Paton Davies, as a Foreign Service officer, he issued flagrantly pro-communist propaganda in his reports from China, insisting that the United States abandon our ally Chiang Kai-shek and work with the communists. The future of China, Davies said, is not Chiang's, but theirs. Or, as The Washington Post put it in Davies' obituary, Davies' reports "advised a more nuanced approach to communism in China than was politically palatable." (In the sense that Benedict Arnold took a more "nuanced" approach toward the American Revolution than was politically palatable.) In addition, a Senate committee recommended that Davies be tried for perjury for denying that he had recommended various communists and communist sympathizers to the CIA. He was investigated more than half a dozen times by the State Department. Eventually, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles -- no fan of McCarthy's -- asked Davies to resign. Evidence that Davies' career was "destroyed" by McCarthy consists of rafts of platitudinous, worshipful mentions of his name, hagiographic obituaries, the "John Paton Davies Lecture Series" at Deerfield Academy -- and even his return to the State Department in 1969 to work on disarmament issues. Most important, there is an iron-clad taboo against blaming communist-sympathizing Foreign Service officers like Davies for the loss of China. You can say the neoconservatives single-handedly took the nation to war with Iraq, but you cannot say that a band of pro-Mao Foreign Service agents in China had any effect on Mao's triumph in China. Democrats lose entire continents to totalitarian monsters, lose wars to bloody tyrants, lose countries to Islamic fascists, and then insist that everyone recite the liberal catechism: "No one lost China," "Vietnam was an unwinnable war," "Khomeini's rise to power was inevitable." (Conversely, Ronald Reagan didn't "win" the Cold War; it just ended.) At the time, the State Department even issued an 800-page "White Paper" purporting to prove the communist takeover of China was inevitable. Despite these heroic efforts, a Gallup poll found that a majority of Americans did not buy the "inevitability" excuse. If Foreign Service officers like Davies can't be blamed for the loss of China, why is Joe McCarthy blamed for the loss of Davies' job? Maybe that was "inevitable," too. It is not clear how one goes about delineating with absolute certainty where "inevitability" ends and "traitorous incompetence" begins. I will leave that to metaphysicians like Arnold Beichman. Still, what kind of argument is that? The claim that nobody could have saved China is the most amazing Democratic dodge ever. Perhaps in the chaos of Weimar Republic, Hitler's rise to power was also inevitable. But it is unlikely that we would feel much warmth toward Nazi stooges feverishly working in the State Department to reach out to Hitler on the grounds that his rise was "inevitable." Would our anger be assuaged if we were informed their hard work didn't really help? They tried to help Hitler, but their assistance was superfluous. Let's move on.
Whether or not China could have been saved from communism, it is a fact that the WASP three-names like John Paton Davies weren't trying to save it.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Ann Coulter is the author of, most recently, "Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism." (Sales help fund JWR.)


text:
A Mexican citizen charged with importing methamphetamine across the Canadian border, near Osoyoos, in September 2018 entered a guilty plea today.
Armando Esparza-Ochoa appeared in court on Monday morning, with a translator present, to enter the plea.
Esparza-Ochoa was apprehended by authorities in September 2018 and faced three charges of importing/exporting a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and failing to report in person at a customs office.
READ MORE: Kelowna trial date set for man charged with smuggling drugs over Osoyoos border
READ MORE: Man accused of smuggling drugs across Osoyoos border still waiting for arraignment
Esparza-Ochoa will remain in custody in Vancouver until his sentencing as he's considered a flight risk. His next court appearance will be held on Dec. 16 to set a date for sentencing.
Armando Esparza-Ochoa, a citizen of Mexico, has pleaded guilty to charges accusing him of importing methamphetamine into Canada in September 2018. A hearing has been set for Dec. 16 to set a date for sentencing. @KelownaCapNews #bccourts #ylw #Kelowna
— Michael Rodriguez (@MichaelRdrguez) November 4, 2019


text:
Beginners: please read this post and this post before posting to the forum.
0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.
Sounds like Admin could use a intro to business tut.
What baud rate should I have the SRV-1 Blackfin camera configured. Is it the default 115 kbps, 921 kbps, or 2500 kbps?
hey admin, I was reading the Axon specs and a littl something popped out to me, it says the axon is capable of 29 servos but only is capable of9 PWM, how does that work?
also, I noticed you had replied to this post quoting yourself, but not saying anything else . . . so I deleted that post . . .
Can someone advise me on the following for using the Axon and the Blackfin camera? I am going to be ordering both on Monday.1)Do I need this part The right-angle adapter is a 32-pin header with extra-long pins to securely mount the camera module to the SRV-1 Blackfin processor card to interface the Blackfin with the Axon?2)What baud rate should I have the SRV-1 Blackfin camera configured. Is it the default 115 kbps, 921 kbps, or 2500 kbps? Thanks!
Also, on the left row of header pins, at the opposite end of the battery pins, is that indeed UART0?
Yea, if anyone wants a bunch of SoR cards to give out free at competitions/events, just let me know and I'll mail you a bunch of them free.
//read ADC pin 0, and convert//the value into centimetersdistance=sharp_IR_interpret_GP2D12(a2dConvert8bit(0));
If there is a specific sensor you want included, let me know. Reasonable requests only, please
Daventech compasshttp://www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R117-COMPASS.html
Not a sensor, but I need to interface this: Sabertooth dual 10A motor driverhttp://www.dimensionengineering.com/Sabertooth2X10.htm
And a timing mechanism for reading a ring of range-finding ultrasonic sonar. See my post here:http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=4623.msg36354#msg36354
QuoteDaventech compasshttp://www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R117-COMPASS.htmlIf you look at the source code, you will find code for it already there. I haven't tested it though so its probably broken. I have this compass so when I get time I'll test it out . . . no promises on when I'll get it done . . .QuoteNot a sensor, but I need to interface this: Sabertooth dual 10A motor driverhttp://www.dimensionengineering.com/Sabertooth2X10.htmummmmm just send a servo signal QuoteAnd a timing mechanism for reading a ring of range-finding ultrasonic sonar. See my post here:http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=4623.msg36354#msg36354there are two timers you can use already there in the Axon source code (please read the documentation!) . . . since there is no datasheet available, and this is a rare obsolete sonar sensor, I won't be able to write source for it . . .http://www.societyofrobots.com/axon/axon_function_list.shtml#timers
one second adminhow do i fix my Axon for the ADC if I do not have a hardware programmer
How do you like the CP2102 and would you recommend it?
Also any chance do you have any Axon motor control code for a DC brushed motor with quadrature encoders (maybe with a PID)?
In the "Analog ADC Ports (for Sensors)" section, at the end, you refer to the file adc.h. I think you mean a2d.h. Certainly, the former doesn't exist in either of the two versions of main Axon source code.


text:
This week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast is Nia's Babyset by Sylvie Damey from Chez Plum. This unique crochet set comprises of a cardigan (sized for a 3-6 month baby), a kitty rattle toy, and a baby book cover. This is a perfect gift to make for an expecting friend or baby shower gift. The crochet skills required for this pattern are: chain, slip stitch, single crochet, double crochet, double crochet in front loop. For more info on the pattern, visit the Nia's Babyset page on Chez Plum.
Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
Join Make: Community Today


text:
The PUMA Hoops foundation is pure Clyde, epitomising the iconic player's style and swagger both on an off the court. Vintage looks combine with our rebound, traction and stabilisation technology to give you a shoe that ticks all the boxes in terms of style and performance.
- ProFoam: PUMA's lightweight, high-rebound EVA midsole solution provides instant cushioning and a responsive ride
- Mesh upper for breathability and webbing provide stability and forefoot lockdown
- Sticky rubber outsole for enhanced durability and traction
- Lace closure for a snug fit
- TPU heel clip and TPU sidewall for support and stability
- PUMA Formstrip on lateral sides
- PUMA Cat Logo on back heel
- PUMA Archive No. 1 Label on tongue
Material Information
- Outsole: 100% Rubber
- Upper: 35.20% Textile, 34.60% Leather, 30.20% Synthetic
- Lining: 100% Textile


text:
In order to serve our customers as well as possible, we use cookies on our website. Cookies are used to improve the user experience and to make our website work properly. Depending on your preferences, we may also use cookies to analyze the use of our website or to provide you with targeted advertising. Read more.
Customer Login
Registered Customers
New Customers
Creating an account has many benefits: check out faster, keep more than one address, track orders and more.
Wholesale Customers
Log in to Lankava wholesale online store.


text:
I feel so lucky that I get to roam around the floor of 2013 CES for MAKE! I've been a technology geek since such a young age and I remember reading all about the cool new gadgets that would be announced around this time. It's my first time at the show and it's definitely the largest of its kind that I've ever attended. I have to be honest, among the thousands of exhibitors, it's been tough to find the stories that would fit in here at MAKE. Thankfully, with a little perseverance, I've been able to track a few down.
Not everything at CES happens during show hours either. The folks at MakerBot were kind enough to invite me to their party at the Pinball Hall of Fame, which is a bit off the beaten path (i.e. not near The Strip). Inside, there are tons of classic and new pinball machines and arcade games. I dropped more than my fair share of quarters in the Jurassic Park pinball machine and saw a few unique old arcade machines.
If you're interested in my overall impression of CES and what I've been up to here, check out the video above, which I made for my personal YouTube channel.
Join Make: Community Today


text:
Large Otomi Runner- Multicolor with Flowers and Animals- F
Hand embroidered by the Otomis in central plateau of Mexico, these table runners feature fantastic animals, insects, and flowers. This type of embroidery on cotton is highly coveted by lovers of Mexican art for their exuberant colors and highly imaginative design. Popularly called "Otomi" after their creators, no two embroideries are alike and can take months to finish. These table runners measure approximately 16" x 72". Please keep in mind that each runner is handmade and unique and can vary in size and design.
We Also Recommend


text:
The three month old writers strike dramatically reduced the number of produced programs for the 2007-08 television season and pilot season is now in jeopardy. Movie deals are on hold; term deals have been terminated for force majeure and thousands are either out of work or about to be let go (including several agents I know who are hard pressed to find any other form of meaningful work – go figure!).
Studios and guild reps are under a news blackout while they engage in back channel and informal discussions regarding the strike impasse with the goal of more formal talks in the next few days; the first since negotiations broke down on December 7th.
Guild leaders recently withdrew their animation and reality TV proposals. They also agreed not to picket the Grammys. The Guild's actions could be viewed as good faith concessions to help restart negotiations. On the other hand, they could simply be signs of strike fatigue and capitulation. Whatever the motivation, the AMPTP's perception (and that of the WGA membership) stand to profoundly affect the psychology of pending negotiations and ultimately, the outcome of any deal.
While the Guild's alternatives are limited, their current tactics may weaken the leverage that only a complete shut-down could support. The Guild continues to enter into piecemeal agreements with independent production and distribution companies – most recently, Lions Gate, RKO, Marvel and The Weinstein Company – based on the WGA's initial proposals in an attempt to gain additional leverage. The WGA is betting that these deals will put pressure on the studios and networks to settle. However, the AMPTP dismissed these pacts as meaningless "one-off" agreements since the terms will be superseded by any deal ultimately negotiated by the parties. The Guild also runs the risk that these deals will split the rank in file between those working and getting paid on waiver-projects and those that remain unpaid and on picket lines. The Guild is already contending with an erosion of support in some quarters.
Certain Guild members are already grumbling about the prospect of "going financial core." Rumor has it that a number of writers continue to develop projects during the strike "without paper" (i.e., without a written agreement in place) to pay the bills. It's obvious to anyone watching "The Daily Show" or "The Cobert Report" that staff writers continue to work for these shows despite strike rule prohibitions. Hey, but I could be wrong.
With those reservations, there are several good things going for this latest round of talks for all concerned.
The principals are now talking instead of their reps. To be sure, representatives for both sides are still involved with these discussions but direct communication by the principals can diffuse the current hostility between the parties and allow them to refocus their energies on material deal points instead of petulance and platitudes.
The Directors Guild pact can be used as precedent. Since the AMPTP closed their deal with the DGA, the parties can now use the material terms of that agreement as a template for their own negotiations and adjust their respective expectations to those deal points in which there is a real prospect for consensus.
Weakening resolve on both sides. The studios and networks are quickly running out of content; writers need to work. Both sides realize that given the strike's enormous financial toll on individuals, the local economy and corporate profits, it is in everyone's best interests to work a deal as soon as possible; ideally before the Oscar telecast on February 24th.
Lastly, both parties should offer the other an ego nickel; a deal point or two of minimal value to the giving party that validates the receiving party's demands enough for them to save face with their constituencies. Sooner or later, the parties will be working together again and a few ego-nickels might expedite closure of a deal both parties can live with if not embrace.