Sunday, May 27, 2012

Los Cabos

Los Cabos is a municipality that encompasses the following cities & towns:

San José del Cabo 69,788
Cabo San Lucas 68,463
Colonia del Sol 48,032
Las Palmas 11,562
Las Veredas 10,478
San José Viejo 7,222
La Ribera 2,050
San Bernabé 1,794
La Playa 1,417
Miraflores 1,384

Total of 238,487 people, according to the 2010 census.

Los Cabos is located at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, in the state of Baja California Sur. It encompasses the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo (the municipal seat), as well as the Resort Corridor that lies between the two. The area's economy, like many resort areas in Mexico, was based on fishing but is now geared towards tourism, though sport fishing and golf are the area's main attractions. Also the tourist can enjoy watching whales who come to visit this area to spend the winter in the warm waters.

The municipality has an area of 3,451.51 square kilometres (1,332.64 sq mi).

El Arco, commonly called "the Arch," is a real reference point in Los Cabos and is only reachable by boat, UNESCO recently declared the Arch a World Heritage Site.

Just south of the Arch is Land's End, a rock that juts over the water. This is the last instance of land in Cabo marking the end of Baja California and the beginning of continuous open waters southward.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Safety Tips

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :
The elbow is the strongest point
on your body.
If you are close enough to use it, do! 

2.. Learned this from a tourist guide.
If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,
DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM.
Toss it away from you....
Chances are that he is more interested
in your wallet and/or purse than you,
and he will go for the wallet/purse.
RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car,
kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole
and start waving like crazy..
The driver won't see you, but everybody else will.
This has saved lives..

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars
after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit
(doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.
DON'T DO THIS!)
The predator will be watching you, and this
is the perfect opportunity for him to get in
on the passenger side, put a gun to your head,
and tell you where to go.
AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR ,
LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.. 

If someone is in the car
with a gun to your head
DO NOT DRIVE OFF,
Repeat:
DO NOT DRIVE OFF!
Instead gun the engine and
speed into anything, wrecking the car.
Your Air Bag will save you.
If the person is in the back seat
they will get the worst of it.
As soon as the car crashes
bail out and run.
It is better than having them find your body
in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting
into your car in a parking lot,
or parking garage:
A.) Be aware:
look around you,
look into your car,
at the passenger side floor ,
and in the back seat.
B..) If you are parked next to a big van,
enter your car from the passenger door.
Most serial killers attack their victims
by pulling them into their vans while the women
are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car
parked on the driver's side of your vehicle,
and the passenger side.. If a male is sitting alone
in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back
into the mall, or work, and get a
guard/policeman to walk you back out.
IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator
instead of the stairs.
Stairwells are horrible places to be alone
and the perfect crime spot.
This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun
and you are not under his control,
ALWAYS RUN!
The predator will only hit you (a running target)
4 in 100 times; and even then,
it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ.
RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying
to be sympathetic:
STOP
It may get you raped, or killed.
Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking,
well educated man, who ALWAYS played
on the sympathies of unsuspecting women.
He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often
asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle,
which is when he abducted 
his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point:
Someone just told me that her friend heard
a crying baby on her porch the night before last,
and she called the police because it was late
and she thought it was weird.. The police told her
'Whatever you do, DO NOT
open the door..'
The lady then said that it sounded like the baby
had crawled near a window, and she was worried
that it would crawl to the street and get run over.
The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way,
whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'
He told her that they think a serial killer
has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax
women out of their homes thinking that someone
dropped off a baby.. He said they have not verified it,
but have had several calls by women saying that
they hear baby's cries outside their doors
when they're home alone at night.
 
10. Water scam!
If you wake up in the middle
of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a
burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your
outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and
then attack.

Friday, May 4, 2012

What Non-Members Need to Know About SAG-AFTRA

What Non-Members Need to Know About SAG-AFTRA
By Jonathan Handel
APRIL 25, 2012


It's new! It's bigger! It's hyphenated! It's SAG-AFTRA, and it's not quite the same as SAG or AFTRA. When the two unions merged last month after decades of discussion, they created a 160,000-member organization that combines bits and pieces of its predecessors. Look closely and you'll find the old and the new, mixed together, sometimes confusingly.
So what does this behemoth mean for you, the non-member? Most important -- how do you get in?

Getting Taft-Hartleyed. One way a person is eligible, according to the SAG-AFTRA constitution, is if he or she "(h)as worked, is working or is about to work in a position covered by a SAG-AFTRA (or AFTRA or SAG) collective bargaining agreement." In other words, once you book your first union gig, you're SAG-AFTRA eligible.

That's right: You don't have to be a member of the union to get that first union job. You do have to be a good actor, though, hardworking and lucky -- but you knew that already. Getting in this way is sometimes referred to as being "Taft-Hartleyed," which refers to part of the federal labor law.

Background Vouchers. The rule is different if you're working background. To get in that way, you "must have completed three (3) days of work as a background actor under a SAG-AFTRA (or AFTRA or SAG) collective bargaining agreement." Some background positions on union shows are considered union positions, and others are not. You'll get a voucher if you work a union background job, and your goal is to collect three vouchers.

Upgrade to Principal. If you're working a background job (or as an extra in a commercial), it's sometimes possible to be upgraded to principal -- for instance, if you're directed to a line of dialogue. This is rare, but if it happens, not only do you get paid more, but it also makes you SAG-AFTRA eligible.

Reciprocity. Another way to get in is reciprocity. If you've been a member of Actors' Equity or one of three smaller performers unions (AGMA, AGVA, or GIAA) for one year and have performed as a principal in a production under one of those unions' contracts, you may be eligible to join SAG-AFTRA.

New Media. If you're really entrepreneurial, you can become a producer, finance a union production, and hire yourself. This is feasible if the production is for new media, and if your goal is to be a multitalented entertainment entrepreneur, it might be the right step for you. But if you don't have a head for business or a good partner, don't even consider it.

Special Cases. Finally, if the National Board determines that you're "engaged in work that advances the (union's) active organizing efforts or general goals," it can decide to admit you. Don't count on this one; the language is meant primarily to cover situations involving radio and TV broadcasters. (They, and recording artists, are covered by SAG-AFTRA in addition to actors.)

No Open Admissions. Notice what's gone: AFTRA's old "open admissions" policy. Unlike SAG, the TV-centric AFTRA was an open union. Anyone could join just by paying a fee, and when the unions merged, everyone in SAG or AFTRA, no matter how he or she had gotten in, automatically became a member of SAG-AFTRA.

But before you despair that you missed an easy backdoor into the new union, consider this: Not everyone who can join should. For some -- maybe for you -- it might be too early.
That's because you're not just snagging a card -- you're signing on to a set of rules. Among them are Global Rule One (formerly a SAG rule) and the "No Contract/No Work" rule (derived from AFTRA). The two are a bit different, but the bottom line is this: Once you're a member, you can't work nonunion gigs anymore.

That means nonunion movies, TV shows, commercials, Internet projects, student films, and even industrials are off-limits starting the moment you join. And it's called Global Rule One for a reason: Even if a show is shooting in Canada or overseas, you generally aren't allowed to accept the gig if it's nonunion.

That's OK, you might think, because if I join SAG-AFTRA today, I'll land an agent by tomorrow and be booking jobs the day after.

Sadly, it doesn't work that way. It's tough to get an agent and even harder to get booked on union jobs. If you don't have the chops and some good credits, the agent and the union jobs will be hard to come by -- even with that coveted card. And no, the union won't help you find representation or get work. It's just not one of the things it does.

So, to build up those credits, you may need to keep working nonunion jobs -- which you can't do once you've joined. Even SAG-AFTRA advises: "The time to join is when it makes sense for you. (Everyone's) situation is different."

Translation: Ask your acting teachers, friends, mentors, and coaches for advice. Then consider your options carefully.

In some situations, though, you may have to join the union. If you work a union job and become SAG-AFTRA eligible, 30 days later you automatically become SAG-AFTRA Must-Pay. That means that before you work a second union job, you'll have to join. Producers are required to verify your status by checking with the union -- a process that SAG rather quaintly called Station 12. Must-Pay applies in California, New York, and many other states but not in "right to work states" such as North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and other, mostly Republican states.

Once you're in, you'll be part of a new union that is almost 80 years old and fights for wages, working conditions, residuals, and pension-and-health benefits for its members. Be proud of that SAG-AFTRA card -- you worked for it!


For more information, visit SAGAFTRA.org and the legacy aftra.com and sag.org websites.



Thursday, May 3, 2012

Films as Startups: How Indie Producers Build Buzz

Films as Startups: How Indie Producers Build Buzz
Wednesday, 05/02/2012
by Christine Erickson


The film industry is not what it used to be. Gone are the days when writers shopped a script around Hollywood, hoping to catch the eye of major production studios.

Instead, that model has been turned upside down. Films are aiming to captivate an audience first, without the assistance of studios. Technology and social media have made it feasible.

Writer Bill Balas entered his feature-length script into a contest for Fresh Voices, a social network for screenwriters, which captured the attention of producers Peter Katz and Don Le.

Rather than following the traditional path of production, the team used Balas's script to create Already Gone, a short film about a crook who only robs from other criminals. The three-minute video is directed by Ross Ching, and stars Shawn Ashmore of X-men fame and Harry Shum Jr. from Glee.

This bite-sized teaser gets the premise of the film in front of an audience, and if the film is bought, will lead to a feature-length film at some point. Consider the video a less expensive pilot that will reveal hard numbers to potential financiers up front.


How Social Media Incubates the Pilot

Studios spend a tremendous amount of money in marketing a film, but independent filmmakers are now capable of distributing their content on the smallest of budgets. Sites like Kickstarter, Twitter and Facebook have changed how films are made.

"The advantage we have is that there are people behind this project," says Katz. "Before, we didn't have anything to show. There are a lot of challenges just using scripts, especially when you're dealing with dense material. It doesn't always convey the director's vision."

Katz's non-traditional production strategy is similar to the tech startup incubator model, which helps develop entrepreneurs' visions into businesses that they can present to investors.

"Imagine if genre legends like Sam Raimi's and Robert Rodriguez's production companies financed and oversaw the creation of select filmmakers' short films — then released them on the web to see which concepts would reach the largest audiences and attract the most passionate fanbase," says Katz.

"Studios would use this information to decide which projects to finance and how to market them, instead of the traditional route where scripts can get caught in development and never see the light of day."


High-Quality Tech on a Low Budget

While social continues to support the business and marketing side of production, the technology available for filmmakers has become more affordable — even as the quality continues to get better.

RED introduced digital cinema cameras in 2005, which led to a number of competitors coming out with their own products. Today, independent films like Already Gone are being shot with cameras like the RED because the high-quality gear is smaller and cheaper than ever before.

"Because the camera is so flexible in terms of its cost, without losing that quality, you have a tremendous amount of indie filmmakers who are using the RED One, and the Epic and the Scarlet to shoot their movies," says Ted Schilowitz, co-Founder of RED cameras. "The same camera that the Peter Jacksons, and the David Finchers of the world use to make their movies, all the young independent filmmakers with much smaller budgets are using the same exact tools."

What do you think about the "teaser first, full film later" concept? Do you think technology and social media will continue to change the future of filmmaking? Let us know in the comments.