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so what's the gist of it, iPads a no-go? or were the IT mafia just hatin on apple? It'd be a shame, though. iPads are really good for just kickin' back. edit: new page, Natural Ice: congratulations on passing! vvv- disclose it, but just be honest. there should be a note section, but if not, simply tell the investigator it was a messy breakup, lessons learned, and it is in your best opinion that they might not get an honest or favorable opinion from her but you'll answer any questions about her or the situation. If for whatever reason lying was involved in your breakup, you may want to add that so they'd know to fact check with you if they interview her. I think SWATJester went through a similar "vindictive" process but it wasn't an ex Skandiaavity fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Apr 27, 2011 |
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Apr 27, 2011 21:13
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Serious question here: How much damage can an extremely vindictive ex do to an FSO candidacy? I think I have to reveal her, since she's a foreign national and we cohabitated.
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Apr 27, 2011 21:19
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Skandiaavity posted:so what's the gist of it, iPads a no-go? or were the IT mafia just hatin on apple? I'm typing this on an IPad right now. There's no hate from this side. Responding to this thread is as much work related stuff I do with it however.
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Apr 27, 2011 22:19
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Dameius posted:Congrats, man! Would you be willing to share what your score was on the registry? Good luck with everything and hope you can transition smoothly over to State. Last I checked I was 16/205 on the Consular register around April 15. I passed the OA with a 5.3 last March and got .4 added for passing my Mandarin language test this last February. I'm stressing a little about having to retest in it once I start A-100 because I haven't been keeping up with it as much these last two months and I have a hard time keeping up with my speaking skills if I'm not constantly using it. Hopefully a few refresher courses with my tutor will be enough to make sure I don't make a fool out of myself during the extended testing. Also, thanks for all the well wishes, if anyone is in the DC area next month, we should have a meetup over drinks. 
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Apr 28, 2011 00:30
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That's a good idea. Diplomaticus, any chance for a potential/current FS meetup? and - there are weekly D.C. Area Chinese Language Meetup groups/gatherings, with mixed guys/girls from the mainland and the islands. You should be able to meet a few folks.
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Apr 28, 2011 01:13
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TCD posted:It's pretty awesome. Absolutely newbie, but my post wasn't related to anything about the relative benefits/drawbacks about iPads or how they'd be used overseas. Mine was the one (I think near the top-ish) replying to someone mentioning that iPads wouldn't be able to FOB in without major software overhauls because of incompatibilities. I pointed out that technically that's not true because you could theoretically (although it's almost certainly against policy) use a VNC program to connect to your desktop and then fob in on your desktop. That being said though, I skimmed through a lot of the posts and saw a lot of people downvoted for no apparent reason, and not by just 1 or 2 either, 10 or 15 negatives at a time. Natural Ice posted:So apparently they have reopened the May 2011 A-100 and I got an invite! I'll be starting A-100 in DC on May 23 under the Consular track. After years of going through this process and multiple attempts at the FSOT and 2 at the OA, it's sort of a weird feeling to finally be at this stage, but I'm excited for whats to come. Congrats! You're going to have a blast. Dameius posted:Congrats, man! Would you be willing to share what your score was on the registry? Good luck with everything and hope you can transition smoothly over to State. Not to speak for him, but I haven't really heard of anyone in any track under a 5.7 getting May invites. Macunaima posted:Serious question here: How much damage can an extremely vindictive ex do to an FSO candidacy? I think I have to reveal her, since she's a foreign national and we cohabitated. You need to bring her up in your SF-86 for your clearance. As long as there are numerous people familiar with you that can vouch for you, especially if they are aware that your ex is vindictive and can verify that, you should be fine. The agents that do these checks are very good at cutting through people's bullshit. Skandiaavity posted:That's a good idea. Diplomaticus, any chance for a potential/current FS meetup? Absolutely. As long as I'm in town, I'll find a way to make time for interested goons -- I learned a hell of a lot from that meeting with BoF you and I had. Obviously the amount of information I have to contribute is fairly minimal, but hey.
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Apr 28, 2011 03:12
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Tyro posted:Wait, do the IT mafia dislike ipads? I was going to take my ipad to my summer internship rather than my laptop. iPads violate FISMA. You will never be permitted to place government data on it. They do not have any sort of NIST approved encryption, and they are an untested piece of network hardware that requires a piece of software that will never be seen on OpenNet due to its numerous security issues (iTunes). USAID is using them in direct violation of the law.
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Apr 28, 2011 03:25
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Yeah, that was a good meeting. BoF was a cool guy  It would be nice to network with people across cones/positions, since who knows where folks will end up.Also, according to the yahoo groups, as an update currently ~15 people on the FSS register (they did not clarify if this was OMS or IMS), the poster mentioned State was looking to hire 12 people in ~June or July, and ~10 in August. However folks on that board also play it close and don't give out their OA #'s for some reason so no idea on what would make a good score. Also, just wondering: what's the time etiquette for contacting in regards to Medical/Suitability/Registers? I know "it depends", but I'm sure myself, and many other posters, don't want to be one of those people. Is it best to just call once every two or three weeks & check in? Or just wait? Just for future knowledge. " State - It Depends. " (and as far as I know, the intelligence crew (DOD, FBI, Homeland) was looking into a way to encrypt iOS to make it FISMA and NIST compliant. Apple (was?) willing to work on it as well, but they're tight about such things.)
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Apr 28, 2011 03:42
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ATI Jesus posted:iPads violate FISMA. You will never be permitted to place government data on it. They do not have any sort of NIST approved encryption, and they are an untested piece of network hardware that requires a piece of software that will never be seen on OpenNet due to its numerous security issues (iTunes). Sounds reasonable. Just so we're clear, I specified in my next post that I didn't intend to use it for work things, but for personal stuff. I would also be interested in a DC-area FS-goon-meet.
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Apr 28, 2011 03:50
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Macunaima posted:Serious question here: How much damage can an extremely vindictive ex do to an FSO candidacy? I think I have to reveal her, since she's a foreign national and we cohabitated. They'll find her just fine by themselves so your best off mentioning her. No idea if she could hurt you or not, most decisions they make are pretty reasonable though.
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Apr 28, 2011 15:15
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Ugh don't post on the sounding board. It is a horrible place that only exists for our entertainment.
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Apr 28, 2011 20:45
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ATI Jesus posted:iPads violate FISMA. You will never be permitted to place government data on it. They do not have any sort of NIST approved encryption, and they are an untested piece of network hardware that requires a piece of software that will never be seen on OpenNet due to its numerous security issues (iTunes). Well, ATI Jesus went into a little more reasoning, but as I said, responding to this thread is as close as I get to work with my iPad.
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Apr 28, 2011 20:50
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SWATJester: nice post on the yahoo boards. Reading some of the replies is just  do people honestly have that sort of sense of entitlement? it's like they have a it's everything BUT them mentality..
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Apr 29, 2011 00:42
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Just psoting to say that while I never made it past QEP last fall, my SO did, and she got an offer to the May 2011 class last week. I get to move to DC as an EFM instead of someone with an offer -- awesome!
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Apr 29, 2011 00:55
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Skandiaavity posted:SWATJester: nice post on the yahoo boards. Reading some of the replies is just I had to go down to HR for something the other day. It struck me as I was walking out that not only do they have to deal with people constantly asking them where they stand on the register, AND all the other HR stuff, but also certain people at FSI who need to drop off paperwork and such.
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Apr 29, 2011 04:17
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Yeah, that happens all over. Sometimes I wonder if people actually know the poo poo H.R. has to sludge through. It's almost painfully obvious that "no wonder the process takes so long, you're interrupting them every day or every week so they can't actually you know, work."
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Apr 29, 2011 14:35
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 It was a high bid, but a surprising one nonetheless. -e- Fittingly, we went out for Ethiopian last night. Leif. fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Apr 30, 2011 |
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Apr 30, 2011 00:07
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Awesome.
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Apr 30, 2011 00:11
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Congratulations, man.
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Apr 30, 2011 00:13
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Addis ain't bad.
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Apr 30, 2011 00:43
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Vilerat posted:Addis ain't bad. The airport loving sucks... but that's mostly because I have an offline story. I should be in DC first week of July for a while, and I'll see if anybody is still in town when I fly in.
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Apr 30, 2011 00:58
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Ethopia's fun! Get used to eating without your hands, you can visit the Ark of the Covenant*, Somalia*, places like that. Congrats, man! TCD will feverishly be awaiting for your stories.
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Apr 30, 2011 01:32
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TCD posted:The airport loving sucks... but that's mostly because I have an offline story. I should be in DC first week of July for a while, and I'll see if anybody is still in town when I fly in. Bole? Or the other one (don't know the name)? I'll probably be gone by the time you get here though. I'm happy to have gotten Addis though. Leif. fucked around with this message at 02:00 on Apr 30, 2011 |
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Apr 30, 2011 01:53
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For those of you that are now in the A-100 stage or beyond, how long did you prepare for the FSOT? Was this a full-time job in and of itself? Did you work in the meantime, or were you able to support yourself through some other means? Also, is a strong academic background a requirement (implicit or explicit)? I've been powering through some of the early pages of this thread, so please forgive me if I glossed over a previous answer.
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Apr 30, 2011 02:14
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The FSOT doesn't require a whole lot of study, not like the OA. I got the cliff's notes book (OK I guess, but not really great.) and printed out the sample questions (much better). Maybe spent a couple hours one day and a couple hours another day before I got bored with them. Most lawyers/MPPs/PoliSci/US History types should be pretty good to go. If you were a hard sciences major who didn't take a lot of history or political science courses, you might have to study for the FSOT. The problem with studying for either one of these tests is that they're both under NDA as far as the materials go. You can study a bit off the limited amount of actual/simulated materials that are released as free study guides, and of course through DIR prep sessions for the OA (and the FSOT has some questionably useful and largely outdated commercial study guides). That's about it though. There's no real way to study directly for the test in any great depth.
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Apr 30, 2011 03:50
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Congrats Diplomaticus! I talked to my CDO today & think I've got my post narrowed down to 2 spots. Guess I just have to wait 10 more days to find out. :-)
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Apr 30, 2011 04:37
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Diplomaticus posted:The FSOT doesn't require a whole lot of study, not like the OA. I got the cliff's notes book (OK I guess, but not really great.) and printed out the sample questions (much better). Maybe spent a couple hours one day and a couple hours another day before I got bored with them. To give you some anecdotal evidence to back this up, I took this test in February after graduating major/minor PoliSci/History. I had planned on studying maybe 10 hours a week for the month or so before the test. I ended up not studying at all and I passed comfortably. However I will say I spent a lot of time just for leisure reading a lot on current events and the theory that goes behind the driving forces of current events which I think really helped my score a lot. If you count the "fun" reading I did as studying then it would probably average out to like 15 hours a week of studying. I'd say an easy gauge is that if you feel comfortable having an informed discussion on any given current event topic and can explain the parts of the federal government then you are about 80% of the way there with out trying too hard.
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Apr 30, 2011 06:02
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Diplomaticus posted:Ethiopia. Great news! Congratulations!
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Apr 30, 2011 08:10
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Diplomaticus posted:Bole? Or the other one (don't know the name)? I'll probably be gone by the time you get here though. I'm happy to have gotten Addis though. Shame, anyways, the AF bureau does a great job supporting people in the field and I've heard good things about Addis. I also love their food. Good luck on your assignment!
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Apr 30, 2011 08:29
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Yeah I've heard AF is a pretty collegial place. I met several of the desk officers and they were nice.
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Apr 30, 2011 13:21
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Diplomaticus posted:Yeah I've heard AF is a pretty collegial place. I met several of the desk officers and they were nice. Places tend to suck but the people tend to have more of a community which owns.
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Apr 30, 2011 15:43
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Vilerat posted:Places tend to suck but the people tend to have more of a community which owns. On Thursday night we had a movie night at the Marine house and they opened the bar up early. Naturally you could find almost the entire managment section there along with the RSO shop. We went to a FSO house party last night that had close to 50 people. Had some drinks, smoked some cigars. We then had a brunch get together for our bestfriend's birthday this morning at an expat's house. Tomorrow is a hail and farewell party. Monday night is quiz night at a local pizza joint so I might hit that up for some beer and fun. It's like senior year college! Edit: The downside as we were talking at the party last night... We never knew it was possible to both be constipated and have diarrhea at the same time. Similar to some PC experiences, when serving in AF, party conversation often turns to talks of parasites, the shits, food poisoning, etc. I think I've had the shits for well over 3/4 of my tour here. A good friend of ours has had the entire family (three boys under the age of 5), have multiple cases of giardia. TCD fucked around with this message at 17:11 on Apr 30, 2011 |
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Apr 30, 2011 16:40
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I passed on the iPad waiting for the iPad 2 with the camera. But, now that I'm ready to get one I'm wondering if I'd be better off just getting the original since devices with cameras aren't allowed in certain places anyway. Thoughts?
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May 1, 2011 01:04
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1of7 posted:I passed on the iPad waiting for the iPad 2 with the camera. But, now that I'm ready to get one I'm wondering if I'd be better off just getting the original since devices with cameras aren't allowed in certain places anyway. Thoughts? 1of7, it doesn't matter. Buy what you want and leave it at home, because that's what you'll have to do anyways (camera or no camera). This also goes for other FSOs who work in various parts of the building. Not all cones, but... TCD fucked around with this message at 09:58 on May 1, 2011 |
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May 1, 2011 09:51
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1of7 posted:Diplomaticus, that is my class. I don't have PM or your email. If you added me on AIM my email is that user ID @ gmail. Bid list? I thought IMS get their first two assignments picked for them. At least that is what I understood from the vacancy announcement. I was hoping I was wrong!
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May 2, 2011 01:03
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If it's like generalists, then that just means that you submit your preferences and bid on the posts, but the final decision is your CDO's (as opposed to negotiating directly with the post).
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May 2, 2011 01:46
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Yeah, in our case we rank the available posts as "high", "medium", & "low" & they take that into consideration when making the assignments. Of course, you can still be assigned to a post you ranked "low" but I think they try to avoid it.
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May 2, 2011 03:05
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I'd like the world to please consider only having major events during normal business hours. Love, IMS worldwide.
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May 2, 2011 15:55
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Okay, a couple more questions here. I'm signing up for the written exam again (this will be my fourth time - passed the written exam every time, been to OA twice) at the beginning of June. I've had full-time work as an attorney for the past three years, but before that my work history was extremely casual. By that, I mean lots of freelance work and short-term restaurant and bar work. I'd like to err on the side of full disclosure (and have done that the last two times I registered), but will run out of space to describe my work history. This time, I've signed up for the Consular cone, after attempting Economic in the past. Will it be a good idea to play up my work as an immigration attorney for QEP? I'm quite familiar with parts of the FAM from consular practice. Finally, further down the road how much will they consider a candidate's past alcohol use? I have a DWI from 2009. The conviction was actually from two weeks before my last OA. No other convictions for anything. TheImmigrant fucked around with this message at 17:44 on May 2, 2011 |
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May 2, 2011 17:38
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Vilerat posted:I'd like the world to please consider only having major events during normal business hours. It is normal business hours somewhere!  Think globally man!
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May 2, 2011 18:04
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