Miller 302 air pak for sale

Hello, i am looking for a laptop which is mainly used for streaming, video editing, photoshop and gaming. The country is japan and the price range is about 130.000円 which is an equivalent of about 1000$. The market seems kinda bad and i could pin down three affordable laptops.
Laptop1, costs: 954$ ( apparently recently went on sale from around 1300$ )
ASUS ROG Strix G15 G513IE G513IE-R7R3050TW11
・amd ryzen 7 4800h 2.9ghz 4.2ghz
・ rtx3050 ti laptop gpu 4gb
・16gb ddr4-3200 ram
・512 ssd (PCIe)
win 11
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Laptop2, costs 992$
GALLERIA GCR2070RGF-QC
・i7-9750h
・ rtx2070 max-q 8gb
・ 16GB DDR4 SO-DIMM (PC4-21300/8GBx2/2channel)
・ 1TB NVMe SSD
win10 pro
Laptop3, costs 914$
Legion Slim750i 82BC004JJP
・ Core i7-10750H
・ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
・ 16GB DDR4-2933 SDRAM SODIMM
・ m2 ssd 512gb
win10 home
I know that those specs are not the best, but its the best i could find in this price range. A 3070 is not within the budget, and even 3060 laptops seem rare / sold out.
I was thinking laptop 1 or laptop 2, the rtx3050-ti is a newer card from 2021, but only has 4gb. While the rtx2070 is from 2019 but has 8gb. A macbook air would also be an option in this price range i guess, but gaming wont work and it would just be used for streaming and video editing.
Any suggestions are much appreciated.

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In mid-2013, Amit Sandis sat back in his chair to watch the sunset, wondering what the future would hold in Latvia. Business was starting to look up, and he had a new family to take care of. They had just a few days left in their summer vacation in the Maldives before returning to Latvia to join his two co-owners in making a critical decision. Sandis, together with his two best friends, had, in 2002, followed an entrepreneurial dream to build a five-star hotel in the cultural centre of one of Latvia’s top seaside cities, Liepaja. To achieve that dream, the three co-owners had negotiated and survived many challenges over the past decade.
After several early years of confidence and profit, the co-owners had spent the past five years struggling, due to the massive downturn in the Latvian economy, as a result of the European Union (EU) financial crisis and subsequent slow recovery. Since the crisis began, the business had declined from generating an annual profit to its present situation of making a loss or just breaking even. Now, however, the EU was showing signs of recovery, business confidence was returning, bookings were recovering and income generation was starting to look up. The co-owners’ frustration with the situation in recent years had at times been so bad that on several occasions they had spoken about selling the business while they could still break even. Now the question confronting them was whether they should put all their struggles behind them, retain the ownership of the hotel and look forward to enjoying the potential days of profit that lay ahead. With these questions on his mind, Sandis thought about the meeting he had planned in a week’s time with his two partners in Latvia. Many variables needed to be weighed before they decided on the strategic direction they should take. The co-owners were his two best friends, and they had spent many years working together.
BACKGROUND
In Latvia, the winter temperatures fluctuate between –25 and –2 degrees Celsius; and during the daytime, it is grey and dark after 4 p.m. Because of this climate, observers often say the Latvian people can, at times, seem a little depressed and not so joyous or communicative, compared with those in southern Europe. For those who live in warmer Mediterranean climates with year-round sunshine, life appears comparatively more relaxed and carefree. Because of Latvia’s northern location, in the winter, Latvians go to work in the dark and when they finish work, they return home in the dark. The long cold winter stretches from November to April. In contrast, Latvia’s climate from May to October is delightful.
Sandis spent 25 years working as a high-ranking city official in Latvia during what he described as “the good times under Soviet control,” when Latvia enjoyed high levels of employment, productive manufacturing plants and very little corruption due to the tight security and military and police control. Even though wages were low, most Latvian people led simple lives and were happy.
Not long after 1991, when Latvia gained independence from the Soviet Union, discussions commenced toward it becoming a member of the EU. From then onward, most of the Soviet-backed manufacturing plants began closing down, unemployment increased, uncontrolled corruption grew and the country’s gross domestic product dropped significantly. Many security professionals and soldiers who had worked for the Soviets no longer had a job, which led to a new industry of private protection and security services, although some of those involved had questionable standards of corporate governance.
With independence, Latvians started looking forward to a new-found freedom. The Latvian people felt excitement and confidence in the media and in government officials promoting successful growth. Celebrating their new independence, the Latvian politicians were riding the wave of popularity. However, Sandis had worked in a government facility and had an insider’s view of how these elected representatives really operated. He felt that most of them worked hard only near an election, but after the election was over, their overall priority was to make money. Sandis’s long-term experience led him to conclude that when an election was coming, government leaders would show great care for the public, make unrealistic statements about positive strategies for the future but after they had been re-elected, they often forgot most of the promises they had made.
After more than two decades working as part of the Soviet security establishment in Latvia prior to 2001, Sandis and his colleagues, Johachim Kaspars and Kemat Valdis, had developed strong bonds, friendships and acquaintances with many powerful government and military officials, some of whom were in high office. They had also endured many years working under tough conditions and were now ready to try to do some private business of their own. Their belief and research had heightened their expectation that tourism was likely to grow in Latvia, as the country became a full member of the EU. In addition, all economic indicators suggested the demand for tourism facilities and accommodation was likely to grow. After long hours of discussion and consideration, the three former Soviet servants were confident that collectively they had now accumulated enough money and trusting relationships with bankers to be successful in realizing their dream of building a five-star hotel in the centre of Liepaja, Latvia’s resort and seaport city.
Politically, the relationship between Latvia and the EU was also evolving. Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis felt that the enthusiasm and the West’s growing confidence in the Latvian business environment made it the right time to invest in the hotel industry. With good planning and management, they were confident of success at a time when the Latvian economy was entering a period of expected growth.
The co-owners registered their new business in the Latvian Official Company Register for €200s, and their application was approved after they had established their company bank account containing a minimum deposit of €3000s. Their first taste of what lay ahead was the realization that, at that time,
running a company in Latvia meant an almost constant need to satisfy the demands of the Revenue Service (RS).
In what seemed to be an after-effect from the Soviet era, Latvia company bookkeepers and accountants devoted a large portion of their daily work time to ensuring their company was complying with RS rules. At times, this task proved to be all encompassing and an unwanted difficulty as the RS decision makers were prone to making changes to the countries taxation rules on very short notice. As Kaspars lamented, “Such legalistic changes were liable to happen up to 200 times during any given year.”
Another complication was that when the RS changed a taxation rule or created a new rule, companies were not given any standard period of time to adjust but were expected to immediately correctly implement and abide by the new law or rule. Tax rates and taxable items were constantly changing, which led to complaints among members of the business community. But it made no difference to the RS officials, as they exercised total control and were not afraid to use their power. Unless one had a strong relationship with an RS insider, these government tax officials were rarely prepared to listen to any complaints. Consequently, company bookkeepers were under constant pressure to keep up to date. They needed to constantly be on the lookout for RS Information Releases and continually consulted their RS contacts and communication networks so they could implement any given changes in a timely manner. Complicating the matter further was that the RS sometimes gave only minimal directions and explanations on how new rules and laws should be correctly interpreted and implemented. The lucidity and interpretations of the changes could vary greatly, and the RS would not hesitate to impose a fine on any company found applying the new rules in an incorrect manner.
Although Latvia was now a part of the EU, the senior RS officials had spent all of their working life operating under the Soviet system. They knew no other way and were reluctant to change or respond to training. Their type of communication, thinking, behaviour, management and work environment continued to exhibit characteristics from their Soviet past, when the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) had previously controlled Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Estonia, countries whose people had followed the socialist philosophy of Marx, Engels and Lenin. Most people holding senior positions in the Latvian RS had started working there when Latvia had no private companies, restaurants, shops or hotels, and everything was owned by the state and operated under the Soviet socialist philosophy. In those times, private ownership was banned, and people had to prove they could work hard, be honest and share communal facilities. The general public had little power to make their own decisions regarding how much they were able to spend or what they would spend it on. The buying choices were usually narrow (e.g., only three types of car could be purchased — if anyone could afford one), and the socialist ideology promoted the philosophy that owning any property was bad and that capitalism only exploited working people.
Latvians thus experienced a significantly different style of thinking and government from the norm for people in the EU and Western market economies. After Latvia gained independence, change was initially slow. A significant period of time passed before senior government officials and employees, long entrenched in government positions under Soviet conditions, chose to retire or to adjust their thinking toward the characteristics of the EU market economy. Latvia had supposedly become an open-market economy, and many new emerging entrepreneurs who had worked hard to become successful now enjoyed the fruits of a market economy. These successful businesspeople could afford to own a modern car and a private house, yet they were still being made to feel guilty under the former Soviet ideology. As Sandis explained:
If you were making money, the members of older generations made you feel like you had robbed somebody or you had stolen something and they were usually angry with successful modern business people. Sometimes they would say it to your face that they “are so angry with you being successful and making money, driving a Mercedes and having a nice place to live” even though you may have worked hard to get all of these material things. Some of my friends in Latvia got so tired of this attitude that they decided to sell their business, sell all of their possessions and leave the country. These successful people were paying a lot of tax and the older generations working in the government offices didn’t understand that their salaries come from these taxes. My colleague who had worked in the Revenue Service from the middle of the 1990s started telling me that the biggest taxpayers were the bureaucrats. I had to stop him and say that “I’m sorry my friend, the source of your salary and the bureaucrats is from taxation charged on private businesses.” This was the way the older generation that grew up under the Soviet rule continued to think although small changes are slowly taking place and it is starting to become a little bit easier for successful modern business people in society. Many of my friends, even from outside Latvia, believed it would take two generations for this attitude and type of thinking to be fully eroded and perhaps gone. Now we are trying to explain this new concept to the 40-, 50- and 60- year-old employees that worked in the Revenue Service or Finance Police Department all their lives under the Soviet control.
Latvia became independent in 1991 and immediately after fell into a deep crisis. Jobs, money and opportunities dried up, and by 2000, many skilled people were leaving Latvia to seek a job abroad. They would try to find a job in another EU country, then save some money and later return to Latvia to buy a flat and maybe set up a business to improve their living conditions.
Introducing Latvia into a market economy had led to many problems, and the average workers were the people who suffered in the long term. The Latvian government was not ready for this change and took no action to avoid a significant banking crisis that was incubating due to its vague transition strategy and questionable governance. The banking crisis began not long after Latvia had been granted independence from the Soviet Union and the commencement of its new membership in the EU. Under the new EU policy and conditions, banking officials responsible for granting loans started being paid bonuses on the amount of money they could loan, not on the ability of borrowers to realistically repay the loans. This approach was a complete change in policy from the former Soviet banking environment; as a result, Latvian loan officials soon realized their opportunity and started to take advantage of the situation by approving loans much too easily, without conducting due diligence on prospective borrowers. As a result, borrowing money became much easier, and credibility checks on those applying for loans were often questionable and minimal. Bank officials were taking the opportunity to make more money than ever before and were unconcerned with the ability of borrowers to actually make repayments or repay their loans in full. The bank officials’ main motivator was the commission they would be paid, based on the size of the loan.
When Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis decided to pursue their Hotel Latvia dream, they had been unaware of any of these developing credit problems or the difficulties they could create for their new venture in the future. Feeling confident, they made a request to the bank for a loan of €22 million in 2002, and were surprised as to how easy it was to gain approval.
Sandis explained:
When we gained the €22 million loan to finance building our hotel, our bankers were coming and asking “Why did you take only this amount? Why don’t you take more?” We said, “We don’t need more. What we have been loaned is enough.” We didn’t know the bank officers responsible for providing the credit would get bonuses from the amount of money they loaned to the people. Their checking and due diligence was almost non-existent and they were not even asking for credit records or proof of income. Instead they were asking questions like, “If you need more money or a new car then why don’t you take a bigger loan?”
Prior to purchasing the land on which they would build their hotel, Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis had first built one large apartment building in the central historical area of Riga, the Latvian capital, as a test case to provide them with the opportunity to measure the market, gain some experience in the real estate market, develop a better understanding of the construction industry and begin to generate some income while their larger project was developing. Enjoying success on this first smaller project saw their confidence grow toward the construction of their much larger Hotel Latvia complex. With their larger loan secured, the Hotel Latvia project started in 2002, when Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis identified, researched and purchased land in the centre of Liepaja, Latvia’s resort and seaport city. They wanted to build the hotel in the old part of the city, as it was in a central location, which would be attractive for customers. Because of the location, they expected they could charge slightly higher rates when serving their target markets of businesspeople and tourists who expected quality facilities. In preparing to build, they needed to remove from the existing site the remains of a few old decaying structures that were in serious danger of collapsing. They thought it would be easy to clear and start construction soon after; however, gaining the approvals to demolish these old ruins for their much larger project proved to be significantly more complicated. In a frustrated tone, Kaspars recalled the situation:
You could not imagine the politics involved when you want to build something in the historical part of Liepaja. On the proposed Hotel Latvia site we had purchased, there were several crumbling down and neglected ruins that had no official status or any conditions existing on them saying that “they needed to be restored.” The buildings were totally ruined and we had proceeded to commission three private, official, independent assessments of the proposed site that all concluded they were impossible to restore and that the only safe action to take would be to demolish them. These on-site ruins were in danger of collapse at any moment. However, despite this evidence, the government said there is no possibility that we could demolish them and build something new in the historical part of the city.
To try to change the decision we had to arrange several meetings with several politicians and government officials to get approvals from their respective departments to undertake the construction. It was a big headache to get all of these approvals. Although we could demolish most of the buildings the government departments informed us that each of the front facades of the ruins had to be restored. As a condition of the approval, we had to pay all restoration costs. Another building company we knew who were building in a nearby city also had problems and were not allowed to demolish even one wall of an old decaying building on their site even though it had large cracks in the building and the façade was not even traditional. The one they wanted to demolish was a very ordinary building with no historical value. On one occasion they were officially granted permission from the Architectural Authority to proceed with the demolition at 10 a.m. and then later on the same day at 11.45 a.m. received a second notification from another department saying that “permission to demolish it had been refused.” Today, this building still remains untouched in the centre of the city. Unfortunately, we learned of their experience well after we had begun our building process.
In Latvia’s new market economy, the officials who granted permissions were taking advantage of their newfound power. For businesses to gain any kind of documented approval, they now had to offer the officials something extra to get their signature of approval. Many approvals could not be completed by dealing directly with the officials responsible but had to be done through networks of connections. Valdis was frustrated and threw his arms in the air, stating “You had to use somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody.” Before Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis could even consider beginning construction, much more time was wasted and “under-the-table” fees needed to be paid to a portfolio of connections. Then, after construction had commenced, if the authorities wanted to stop the process to extract some additional favours, they could always find a mechanism whereby someone could complain and put a halt to everything. So, in total, it took the group several years to get all of the approvals to actually go ahead and commence the building construction.
When construction of Hotel Latvia finally commenced, a new problem confronted Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis. The builders and construction employees knew demand on construction services was vastly outstripping the current supply in Latvia, as only a limited number of building companies could build such large structures. As a result, the pressure on at the worksite was always intense, and the co-owners looked at using three builders to carry out the construction. If the builders arrived in the morning to commence the day’s work and if all of the materials or equipment were not there, or if some problem prevented them from starting immediately, then the builders would pack up and head off to work on another site. When this happened, the disruption resulted in the builders having to return later, and the price of construction would increase. This interruption in the schedule also resulted in frustrating delays; sometimes the builders would not return for several days. The hotel was a big project, and in the end, Valdis had to spend every day at the worksite to supervise the building company’s employees and ensure they were working. If no building company supervisor was present on the worksite, then the employees would often not work to capacity, significantly reducing their productivity. The construction companies knew that they were in a strong bargaining position. Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis were in a tough situation, as Latvia had too many buildings under construction, most were only partly completed and Latvia lacked a sufficient number of companies that were competent enough to do all the construction.
Valdis reflected:
We had a separate contract with a German company to do all the installations on the ground floor comprising the hotel’s entry, front desk area, bar and all the other features and facilities. They did a quality job and did it very quickly. The local Latvian builders were working on another part of the hotel at the same time, and the German builders had commented how at times the Latvian builders could not be found, were smoking outside or just sitting around doing nothing. In the end, I had to go to the site every day to supervise their work for the last four months including on the weekends, from the morning to the evening. Sometimes we had to threaten the builders to make sure they were doing their job because they took short cuts, time off or left to work on other building sites.
The German building company had designed the hotel and brought with them all of the materials to complete the entrance hall, and another German company came to install all of the lamps in the hotel. The German lighting employees were professional and efficient, and it took only three employees to complete the job in three days. For the Latvian construction companies, progress was much slower. After having to apply constant pressure on them to keep working effectively, the construction of the hotel was finally completed in one and a half years.
Finding the talented employees to staff the hotel was another issue. A large number of applications were received; however, finding the right standard and quality of employee suitable to staff this five-star operation required intense interviewing and a comprehensive training program.
The Hotel Latvia finally opened in 2006, and business started well. The hotel’s initial marketing campaign was successful: after six months of business, it was performing better than its competitors but was still not generating enough income to meet the co-owners’ strategic target. In the first two years, they generated enough income to service their loan but sometimes needed to contribute their own money to meet the repayments. Some adjustments were necessary, and halfway through their second year of operation, they sold their initial trial investment in Riga and asked the bank to deposit the funds from the sale into an offset account to reduce the interest being paid on the loan.
By the third year, Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis had also renegotiated an increase in the term of their loan from 20 years to 25 years, with the goal of reducing their repayments and, thus, the level of financial pressure. This strategy helped them to adjust to the change in market conditions and encouraged the untried entrepreneurs to become more contingent. Following the 2008 financial crisis, the level of tourism declined sharply in Latvia in 2009 and 2010. By then, due to the significant drop in tourist numbers, the co-owners were generating only 60 per cent of the revenue required to meet their business target.
To try to cope with the downturn in bookings and reduction in income generation, they needed to make some strategic changes. These changes included downsizing the staff by 18 per cent, closing one of the guest floors, eliminating one of the elevators to reduce power costs and opening their five-star restaurants only on weekends.
During the downturn, not only did individual people stop travelling but companies, government and universities stopped holding conferences and/or reduced the number of delegates they were sending to conferences. These changes resulted both in universities, governments and associations reducing their number of conferences and in many existing industry conferences significantly decreasing their budgets.
Said Sandis:
We had many solid and developing contracts for annual conferences and tours but at the beginning of 2009 there were many cancellations and a sharp drop off in group tours and individuals coming to stay at the Hotel.
At about this time a Dutch professor I knew came to Latvia for a short term on foreign exchange to give some lectures and organize some student exchanges. After a time, he told me he believed a high percentage of the Latvian university students will leave Latvia for Germany and other countries after they graduate. Although he was a foreigner, he was worried about the situation in our country. He believed the IMF [International Monetary Fund] had made a mistake to place such heavy austerity measures on Latvia and it had created a very bad situation that would be difficult to recover from. Although it was not openly reported in the Western press, Latvia was in trouble much earlier than Spain, Greece and Italy with their gross domestic product declining by 18 per cent in 2009. Most of the decline was in construction because, during the preceding period of steady growth, the real estate and construction sectors grew out of control and too many buildings were built for the demand at that time. This had resulted in the problem of an oversupply of rooms in the hotel sector.
Eventually, the Latvian economy collapsed, real estate prices declined, companies and many individuals holding loans went bankrupt, salaries decreased by 30 to 40 per cent, and many people lost their jobs with unemployment rising significantly. The government was in financial difficulty and could afford to pay people who had been retrenched only a small percentage of their promised redundancy or unemployment payments. Even worse was that the government’s unemployment financial assistance following redundancy usually lasted only nine months; and when these payments ceased, the unemployed persons had to take care of themselves.
The downturn delivered to Latvia a market economy reality check that very few people who had lived under Soviet control could predict, understand or imagine. Huge excesses had occurred at the beginning of the growth phase in 2002, when bankers and financiers had enjoyed considerable wealth, and they now had to be paid for. Not conducting the required due diligence on those who wanted to borrow the money when times were good and giving out poorly backed or unsupported loans was now having a severe and adverse effect on the Latvian economy.
Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis had worked hard and had built their hotel from the ground up during the peak in construction activity; as a result, their construction costs had been higher than expected. After the slowdown, business did not run according to their expectations and, like many others, they were in a difficult situation regarding loan repayments to the bank. Many people had taken out large bank loans and mortgaged everything, including their homes, to ride the boom. After the downturn, many companies went bankrupt, were taken over by the banks or closed down because they could not afford to make the repayments. Most were overexposed with too much debt and no liquidity to make the repayments. Although this situation was happening throughout Latvia, Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis still had the liquidity to continue making repayments, though their strategic options were severely reduced.
Due to their tight fiscal management, the three Hotel Latvia owners did not have to sell the hotel but began to consider whether they should get out while they were still able to break even. They realized that to go on trying to make money from the hotel would be hard work, and the venture had not delivered their expected outcome. They started wondering about their future risk on the amount of return they could generate. Were the hardest times over, meaning it would now be a mistake to sell? Solving all the approval problems during the years of construction had taken its toll, and with the building problems and increase in costs, it appeared that if they sold now, they could make a zero net gain in value on their decade of hard work and investment. At another time, the outcome would have been very profitable; however, the business environment following Latvia’s entry into the EU had taken its toll on and had disadvantaged Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis, as a result of a tough combination of factors: the Latvian people’s slow adaptation to the evolving market economy, corrupt bankers and government officials, building contractors taking advantage of the excess demand in the construction industry and the sudden economical crash.
Despite their situation, their bank was not currently concerned about their financial situation and was not putting pressure on them to liquidate their property or make any extra repayments on their loan. The bank had many other poorer performing loans and associated issues to worry about and its main concern was the number of its bad loans. Many lenders owed their banks substantial amounts of money, and many companies found themselves overextended and facing bankruptcy.
Valdis expressed his concern:
When we saw some good businesses being taken over by the banks without warning or with very short notice, we became concerned. We anticipated we may have to sell the hotel not long after it was completed because the cost of construction had gone 18 per cent over budget and, as a result, our monthly repayments and period of the loan had both grown significantly. Our business had started so well we thought the future would be profitable. Following the EU crash, it appeared some type of recovery had started and we thought there may be an opportunity to sell it in 2012 as Latvia’s credit and investment ratings proposed by the International Rating Agency, Standard and Poor’s, were improving and looking better.
But another serious problem was looming in the hotel sector. Latvia’s average price per room had dropped sharply because many hoteliers were in deep trouble and had started slashing their prices because they were located in less marketable locations. One example was the Reval Hotel that boasted 240 rooms in suburban Riga. Facing very poor occupancy, the operator in charge had suddenly slashed prices and had begun to sell rooms to large groups of tours at prices that were so low that they decimated the whole market. Once the Reval Hotel owners found out what their managers were doing, they immediately dismissed them and changed their operator but it was too late. For the rest of the market, the damage had already been done through the reductions in their bookings and through agents and customers who were no longer prepared to pay the former prices.
This incident happened at a critical time, when Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis were considering searching for a new partner to purchase 30 per cent of the hotel, in an effort to help reduce their loan pressure. Ideally, they needed a partner who had the cash to buy a portion of the property, and then the co-owners could use the money generated to offset or repay a larger part of the loan and thereby reduce their debt. With a fourth partner joining the group, it would have made it significantly easier to survive but after the Reval Hotel had slashed its prices, that option was no longer possible. The unpredictable situation drove away all potential buyers; they were afraid to invest and had decided to wait until the situation improved. Kaspars’s connections in a different bank informed him that the financial markets did not know what the situation may be for the future in Latvia, and much doubt surrounded the industry and marketplace. Some price targeting had broken out from time to time, and the reduced number of customers who required accommodation in Latvia were enjoying quality deals.
Upon reflection, compared with most of the businesses at that time, Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis were among the lucky ones. Despite their many problems, they still believed that, if necessary, they could still sell their hotel, pay off their debt and get out without losing money. Looking at the market around them, they saw many others lose everything; gone was the confidence that had existed before the crisis. Wisely, they had made sure they had mortgaged only the property on which the hotel was being built; none of their own private dwellings were included as part of their collateral on their original €22 million loan.
The Hotel Latvia was built on a prime piece of land in coastal Liepaja, so it retained most of its value following the crisis and did not decrease by in real estate value as much as other properties further from the centre of the city or in less marketable locations. As time wore on, many competitors disappeared completely. Those that had managed to survive had experienced significant decreases in income. At the beginning of 2012, Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis again commenced negotiations with a large global finance company based in London in an attempt to sell the hotel. They found that from 2008 to 2011, the sale price of the hotel had decreased by approximately 35 per cent. Their agents had tried selling the Hotel Latvia to different investment companies, and their responses had initially been positive. However, when investors saw the predicted future of Latvia and its poor credit and investment ratings, the buyers’ interest had ceased, and it was difficult for the agents to generate any serious interest.
Selling agents would tell us, “We know you guys have a good hotel but the country is no good. The climate for business and investment is poor and the future is not good.”
In the seven years following the boom that had begun in 2002, most of the surge in business activity, income generation and increases in prices had been in the construction industry. As a result, when the decline hit the construction companies, the support industries and related jobs were the worst affected. Only when the credit and investment ratings began to rise a few points in early 2013 did any purchasers begin to show any real interest in buying the hotel. Western investors were becoming interested again but their offers were still much below what the co-owners considered to be an acceptable price.
As Sandis explained:
They all came with the idea that they could buy our hotel for what we describe as “sandwiches.” I mean, for a very cheap price, and we thought they really wanted to buy it for nothing. The poor prices and demand were as a result of the construction bubble throughout Europe. Believe me, the politicians and bureaucrats could see it coming long before the crisis arrived but they did nothing because they were all set to make a lot of money out of it.
By the beginning of 2013, a slight recovery had begun, especially with the number of Russian tourists again beginning to grow. To Russian tourists, Latvia was now being marketed as an EU country and hence an international destination. In addition, rumours had begun that the EU was beginning to emerge from the recession, and that the steep austerity measures currently imposed at the time were soon to be eased.
Sandis, Kaspars and Valdis were at the point where they now had three options. One was to keep the hotel and continue working hard to enjoy the fruits of the supposed upturn that appeared to be commencing. The second option was to now find another partner to purchase a share in the company and to use this money to reduce their debt repayments and risk. Their third option was to sell the hotel completely and walk away with approximately the same amount of funds they had started with in 2002. Were there any other options?
Sandis knew the meeting with Valdis and Kaspars would occur on the evening after his return to Liepaja. He sat in the chair in his bungalow on the Maldives and wondered what they should do.

May holidays experience
perfect option for a 5-day trip during the May holidays
Youth rest
A large number of entertainment for every taste, shopping, bars, restaurants, water parks, parks, buggy desert dubai, etc., a city of opportunities
What to take with you on vacation?

1. Sunscreen
   
2. for those who do not like air conditioners jacket, scarf, stole, whatever - Mandatory
   
3. credit card with a limit
   

Where is the best place to stay?
Dubai has a huge selection of hotels and apartments, there are options both in the middle price segment, and in premium, premium +, luxury, etc. ad infinitum)
there is no need to talk about budget options here, it simply makes no sense to go here for a budget vacation. Of course, you can stay in Deira, but only if the purpose of your visit is shopping (fur coats, appliances), or if it is an intermediate travel point.
We like to stay in the Dubai Marina or Jumeirah Beach area (near the Marina) the best. There are hotels and apartments, as close as possible to the beach, a large selection of shops, cafes, restaurants, and not far from the DMCC metro
What to do at the resort?
Dubai is not a resort city, it is a huge metropolis, which is an attraction in itself.
In the morning and in the late afternoon, it is best to go to the beach. The sea here is very warm, I have never swum here, so that the water was at least somewhat cool.
During the day, I recommend visiting amusement parks, shopping centers, the famous Burj Khalifa tower and singing fountains. Or just relax in the hotel from the heat)
Excursion programs
In all my reports I recommend self-guided tours. Dubai is simply created for independent movement, everything is extremely simple and clear, almost all attractions can be reached by high-speed ground metro (also an attraction, by the way), taxi or bus. Compared to the average price level here, taxis are quite an affordable mode of transport, and no one will try to deceive you in doing so.
So what to visit in the city:

1. Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and singing fountains. Beautiful, crowded, expensive! but it’s still worth climbing the Burj Khalifa, you will find stunning views around, an interesting museum dedicated to the history of construction, inside and a high-speed elevator ride as an attraction. Of course, everyone recommends going up there before sunset to enjoy the sunset. but in this case, I recommend buying a ticket on the Internet well in advance and in no case be late for the appointed time. Singing fountains are more beautiful to look at from above.
   
2. It is inexplicable, but true, it is worth visiting the Madinat hotel. it is very beautiful very big and it is such a small Venice
   
3. Look at the Parus hotel from the side and sunbathe nearby on the beach
   
4. Dubai Miracle Garden is a kingdom of flowers and butterflies, very beautiful
   
5. Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Ferrari Park and Emirates Palace. It's already in Abu Dhabi. you can get there by bus, you can take a taxi, you can take a car
   

shopping
Shopping in Dubai is not cheap, here you will not see European sales and so on.
Here is a good place to buy equipment. earlier still came for furs in Deira.
BUT! If your goal is new collections of popular brands, exclusive designer clothes and shoes - you definitely need to visit Dubai Mall, here you will find absolutely everything.
Nutrition
A good dinner for two will cost at least $70.
Oh, and forget about alcohol.
Cons of staying in Dubai
you should not go here for a budget holiday, just to see the country. there are a million temptations and at least something I want to try.
it is better to come for a good rest and not limit yourself

Shipping details at the bottom of this post. Thanks for looking!

Airsoft Guns

KWA MP7 - $270 ~ 45% Discount from Retail Pricing
https://imgur.com/bM6zV7F
Includes:

• 2x Full Size Magazines (no leaks at this time)
• Blue Force Gear Ten-Speed MP7 Chest Rig
• Moon Dog Fill O-Rings
• Airsoft Innovations Propane Adapter
• KWA Perfect 0.25g BBs

Note: NO FLASH HIDER
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Echo 1 Platinum Edition (VFC) M4 DSG Build - Requires Assembly - $450
~ 57.5% Discount from Retail Pricing
https://imgur.com/X4LF20B
Fielded only a few times.
Internals:

• Black Talon Concepts Chimera Mk. III Computer MOSFET
• Retro ARMS 7075 Series T6 CNC Machined QSC V2 Gearbox Shell
• Siegetek GEN 2 10.78 9-tooth DSG Gear set for V2/V3SHS Bore-Up Complete V2 Cylinder Set
• ZCI High Torque Long Motor
• Lonex V2/V3 Anti-Reversal Latch
• Shock Transfer System
• SHS V2 Tappet Plate
• SHS 8mm Steel Bushings
• SHS 14-tooth High Speed (Swiss Cheese'd) Metal Rack Piston
• SHS M150 SpringLonex M4/AR Safety Latch
• G&G M4 Hop Up UnitMaple Leaf Bucking
• Stock VFC Barrel

Externals:

• Magpul PTS Flip Up Sights
• AIM CQB Red/Green Dot Sight
• Magpul PTS MOE Hand Guard
• Screw-on Mock Suppressor
• Custom Metal Flash Hider
• QD Sling thingy
• Unopened VFC Hi-cap magazine

​

Wolverine Inferno HPA M4 - Barely used/like new engine - $350
60% Discount from Retail Pricing
https://imgur.com/DwEhTaM

• Gen 1 Wolverine Airsoft Inferno Spartan Edition Engine - Light Use/Like New, FCU has a Deans connector for the battery
• Ninja LPR Air Regulator
• Amped Airsoft Air Line
• Tank Valve Regulator47 cu. 3000 psi Tank (out of hydro date)
• Stubby Mock Suppressor
• Misc spare gearbox parts (G&G Combat Machine blowback V2, SHS 13:1 gears I think)

Note: Missing charging handle. I don't have any air to do a testing video.

​

Airsoft Parts, Extras, Electronics, and Gear

1. V2 Gearbox Lot (3 Gearboxes - KA, JG, G&G - (extra parts in the picture are included) $35 https://imgur.com/JpWwfnW
2. Siegetek 8T DSG Gear - light use - https://imgur.com/Xu9riJJ $20
3. Mock/Rubber CQB Knife & Sheath https://imgur.com/6F3Nro5 $8
4. G-CODE Glock G17 Hard Holster & MOLLE Mount https://imgur.com/WD4ueqF $75
5. KWA KMP9 Magazine https://imgur.com/Siry9hX $33 SOLD

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​
Shared Google Spreadsheet Link w/ detailed item lists & photos.

Sold items will be marked in red in the spreadsheet and struck through in this post.
Payments via PayPal only. All sales are final. No returns. Items are used and sold as-is.
Shipping will be via USPS and UPS to CONUS only. Tracking provided.

Shipping is added to the buyer's total. Shipping is $10 minimum for small items.
Additional photos can be taken upon request.
→ Some items can be parted out of the package deals for reasonable offers! ←
Thank you!

Pros and cons of holidays in the Emirates : affordable entertainment, shopping, conditions for families with children, safety. Free consultations with travel agents for choosing a tour in the UAE (Emirates).
Before buying a last-minute tour to the Emirates, you need to study information about the country, find out the pros and cons of such a holiday.
An oriental fairy tale, as the song says, and this is how the country of the UAE can be characterized - after all, these are luxurious palaces, the culture of the East, the atmosphere of famous Arabian fairy tales.
The United Arab Emirates is considered one of the richest countries in the world. Be prepared that luxury will literally haunt you at every turn. If you dream of feeling like a rich khan or an oriental princess - spend a few days in a room decorated with brocade and silk - then you should buy a last-minute tour to the Emirates.

Pros of holidays in the UAE

Why are tourists so eager to visit the United Arab Emirates? Because such a holiday has a lot of advantages, but there are practically no disadvantages.
Vacationers in the UAE can count on:

• quality service, comfortable conditions even in a three-star hotel;
• helpful staff, able to please the client, with the highest demands;
• beautiful views, clean sandy beaches, blue sea, azure ocean - all conditions for a relaxing holiday are created;
• conditions for recreation with children - zoos, water parks, mini-pools, many attractions, animators and many other children's entertainment;
• a variety of entertainment and leisure activities, including buggy desert dubai - the country is ideal for lovers of holidays and entertainment, they are held here regularly;
• a lot of emotions and impressions - the amazing ultra-modern cities of the Emirates will delight any person. These high-tech structures are a must see for everyone;
• comfortable shopping. Affordable prices for well-known brands will delight shopping lovers - many boutiques and shops, discounts and sales - what could be better for shopping fans;
• unique entertainment - swimming with sharks, crab hunting, hot air ballooning and much more for fans of extreme recreation;
• safety and low crime rate, excellent police work. Women, to prevent attention from local men, need to wear a wedding ring.

Cons of rest

But there are also disadvantages, but they are few.

• trips to the UAE are quite expensive and if you want to save money, then you should buy a last-minute tour to the Emirates;
• a sufficiently long flight can adversely affect babies and those suffering from aerophobia;
• dry law in the country prohibits the consumption of alcohol not only on the street and public places, but also in your room.

Hey, so my good old 2013 Macbook Pro Retina has died after ten years, and I need a replacement MacBook sooner than later.
Problem is, I'm kind of in a tight spot economically at the moment, so realistically my only option at the moment is the base Macbook Air M1 with 8GBs of RAM, which is on sale for 899€ (lowest price ever here in the EU).
Now, I would never buy a computer with so little RAM, but the truth is that's all I can afford in this moment. My question is, will 8gbs of RAM be enough for photo editing with Lightroom Classic and light (10 to 15 minutes 1080p/4K videos) video editing with Final Cut Pro X? How long should I expect it to run acceptably? A few years (hopefully)? While it's all I can afford, I still hope it won't be a bad purchase for what I need it to do.
Would love to hear your suggestions, and opinions from those who own the base M1 Air.
Thanks in advance.