Latest news with #Prospect
The Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- The Wire
Quality Concerns in Dreamliners That Boeing Sold to Air India Had Given a Manager Nightmares
This report first appeared on The American Prospect and was republished with permission. Read the original here. Sign up for the Prospect's newsletter here. For 15 years now, engineers and quality control specialists have implored regulators, journalists and airlines to take a closer look at the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing's first and only clean-sheet commercial airplane designed from scratch since the company's horrific 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas. The smooth surface of the lightweight composite fibres used to construct the airframe can conceal deadly structural flaws, they warned. The non-union workforce that manufactures the jets in South Carolina is unqualified to stand up to 'good old boy' bosses constantly pressuring them to ignore obvious nonconformities, install malfunctioning parts and cut every corner imaginable to get planes out the door, they asserted. Unsavoury subcontractors have exploited Boeing's lax standards to litter the assembly line with fake parts, they until today, the contrarians could always demand to know: if the Dreamliner is so unsafe, why hasn't it ever crashed?The late John Barnett, who died last March in an apparent suicide two days into a three-day deposition stemming from the insane practices he witnessed and tried vainly to stop as a quality manager at the Dreamliner's final assembly plant in Charleston, South Carolina, had a ready answer for this question: Just wait a bit. Most planes aren't designed to dive nosefirst into the ground like the 737 Max. It generally takes, he'd say with audible sadness, ten or twelve years for assembly-line sloppiness to culminate in a plane crash. (Barnett personally drove everywhere in the orange truck in which he died.)More from Maureen TkacikIt's too early to know exactly what caused the bizarre crash of Air India 171 in Ahmedabad, a western India city of 5.6 million people, just seconds into what was supposed to be a 10-hour flight to London. The pilot reportedly cried 'engine failure' in a mayday call to air traffic controllers seconds before the crash into a guest house for doctors, and footage of the plane, which slowly sank with its nose upturned in takeoff position, suggests a sudden loss of power. The 787 Dreamliner has been plagued by engine problems partially caused by the abundance of so-called 'foreign object debris' Boeing assembly line workers chronically leave on aircraft components in their haste to move to the next far, Boeing has only said they were 'working to gather more information' on the crash. Air India has confirmed that 241 of the 242 passengers aboard have died, with the lone survivor being treated in a nearby was demoted and ostracised after he attempted to force workers to disassemble and clean wire bundles and electrical boxes that had been littered with metal scraps of floorboard fasteners, scraps he knew could cause the electrical systems to short-circuit. Another former quality manager I know was fired after refusing to sign off on improperly-tied wire bundles littered with foreign object debris that had already begun to fray. FOD was implicated in a massive engine fire aboard a 787 test flight in 2010, and another test flight in Charleston in 2016 that Boeing was so keen to sweep under the rug it appealed to the Supreme Court rather than allow employee-witnesses to be deposed. (That case was settled before the Supreme Court made a decision.)A now-defunct Norwegian airline claimed in a 2020 lawsuit blaming Boeing for its demise that it had been forced to divert flights and cancel whole routes due to engine problems, and replace the engines on its Dreamliner fleet hundreds of times. In 2023 one of the airline's former 787s was dismantled for scrap, a literally unheard-of fate for a 10-year-old plane with a nine-figure list there's something else: two people deeply familiar with the Charleston 787 plant told the Prospect they had particularly acute quality concerns over planes that were delivered to Air Kitchens, a former quality manager who worked at the Charleston plant between 2009 and 2016, has a binder full of notes, documents and photos from her frustrating years at Boeing, one page of which lists the numbers of the eleven planes delivered between early 2012 and late 2013 whose quality defects most kept her awake at night. Six of them went to Air India, whose purchases were bolstered by billions of dollars in Export-Import Bank loan guarantees. The plane that crashed was delivered in January 2014 from Boeing's now-defunct assembly line in Everett, Washington, though its mid- and aft- fuselages were produced in it happens, that particular plane was delivered not long after a camera crew from Al-Jazeera showed up in Charleston to investigate the horror stories its reporters had been hearing about the workmanship and corporate culture of the plant. The channel's journalists had started digging into the plane's quality standards a year earlier, when the FAA grounded the planes for a few months after two small battery fires broke out on Japanese planes over the course of three days. Their findings were alarming: the company had outsourced most of the non-conceptual design of the plane to its suppliers, the FAA had fast-tracked the batteries and a host of other novel features aboard the planes without anything approaching the rigorous testing they had required for earlier planes, a major battery supplier's testing lab suffered a massive explosion whose precise cause had never been determined and an engineer had been fired for refusing to 'dumb down' his instructions for repairing flaws in the lightweight composite structures Boeing used to build the plane's most harrowing, however, was the footage filmed by an assembly line worker who wore a hidden camera as went about his day chatting up colleagues, virtually all of whom said they would never allow their family members to fly one of the planes the factory was was on medical leave with cancer when the footage was filmed, but the documentary premiered shortly after she returned, and leadership convened a meeting to encourage managers to snitch on anyone they recognized from the undercover footage.'I raised my hand and said, 'No one who works in this factory wants to fly these planes, I mean, that's just the truth,'' Kitchens said. A woman she didn't know, who was wearing a bomber jacket emblazoned with the FAA logo, shot her a scowl. But it was hardly the first time she'd expressed anxiety over the planes' safety with upper management. Years earlier, she had asked a boss if he would let his children fly on a plane with the litany of flaws and non-conformances he was urging her to 'pencil-whip': 'Cindy, none of these planes are staying in America, they're all going overseas,' he retorted, much to her investigator who worked on the documentary told the Prospect that employees he interviewed were especially anxious about three planes they had worked on that were scheduled to be delivered to Air India during the first months of 2014. The planes all had serious flaws that required them to be flown to the union assembly line in Everett to be re-worked. The Air India Dreamliner that crashed today took off from the Everett airport en route to Delhi for the first time on January 31, Tkacik is investigations editor at the Prospect and a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Report: Bogoljub Marković to work out with Kings before 2025 NBA draft
Report: Bogoljub Marković to work out with Kings before 2025 NBA draft Kings pre-draft workout on Monday: Mark Sears (Alabama) PG, 5'10", 183 Javon Small (West Virginia) PG, 6'1", 190 Kobe Johnson (UCLA) SF, 6'4", 193 Dink Pate ( G League) SF, 6'6", 201 Oumar Ballo (Indiana) C, 6'11", 274 Bogoljub Marković (Mega Bemax) C, 6'11", 213 — Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) June 16, 2025 Serbian forward Bogoljub Marković will reportedly work out with the Sacramento Kings on Monday ahead of the 2025 NBA draft, according to Sean Cunningham of KCRA-TV. Marković was named the ABA League Top Prospect, averaging 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 38.8% shooting from 3-point range in 32 games with Mega Basket. He registered five 20-point games, including a season-high 27 points, five rebounds and four assists on March 9. The visit with the Kings is the first known workout for Marković this draft cycle. He will be joined by Mark Sears (Alabama), Javon Small (West Virginia), Kobe Johnson (UCLA), Dink Pate (Mexico City Capitanes) and Oumar Ballo (Indiana). Marković is projected to be a second-round pick thanks to his offensive versatility, ability to handle the ball and work inside the paint. He also showcased his vision throughout the season by making several timely passes on the break or in pick-and-roll situations. The soon-to-be 20-year-old dazzled at the Nike Hoop Summit with Team World in April, recording 16 points and 10 rebounds in an overtime loss against the United States. He emerged as one of the top players, showcasing his skills in each area of his game on both sides of the ball. The Kings currently have only one draft selection, the 42nd pick in the second round. They have also hosted several other potential targets, including Koby Brea (Kentucky), Vladislav Goldin (Michigan), Caleb Love (Arizona), Tyrese Proctor (Duke) and Alex Toohey (NBL), among others. The 2025 NBA draft will take place on June 25-26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Brady House is on the way as the Nationals seek an offensive boost
In an effort to jump-start the offense and with the team on an eight-game losing streak, the Washington Nationals are calling up top hitting prospect Brady House, multiple people with knowledge of the transaction told The Washington Post on Sunday night. The third baseman, who is less than two weeks past his 22nd birthday and in the midst of his best season as a professional, is set to make his debut at Nationals Park in the four-game series against the Colorado Rockies that opens Monday.
Khaleej Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Branded projects enter Dubai's commercial realty space
Dubai's commercial market space has grown in pace with the emirate's booming residential market, as businesses from around the world rush in to take advantage of the emirate's business-friendly policies. Chestertons Mena's Q1 2025 Market Report shows a 50.4% year-on-year increase in commercial leasing, underscoring the powerful convergence of market demand, investor confidence, and regulatory readiness. Office leasing led the commercial sector, recording over 101,000 transactions — a 62.7% increase compared to Q1 2024 — while retail leasing saw 36,000 transactions, amounting to Dh3.4 billion. Land leasing also posted steady gains. The data points to robust corporate expansion, growing business formation, and sustained appetite for commercial space across key UAE zones. The UAE's commercial real estate sector projected to exceed Dh207 billion by 2030. In a strategic move to address Dubai's growing demand for premium commercial spaces, Prospect, in partnership with Mulk Properties, recently launched The LX – a Dh350 million boutique office and retail development in Arjan. The launch comes at a time when Dubai's commercial market is seeing a paradigm shift — away from generic office towers toward purpose-built, design-led spaces that prioritize community integration, functionality, and long-term investment value. Arjan, as a well-connected and increasingly sought-after destination, ticks all these boxes, making it the ideal location for Prospect's newest venture. Set for handover in Q3 2027, The LX features 71 premium boutique office units and two curated retail spaces, offering modern businesses and discerning investors a rare opportunity to own commercial assets in a location experiencing unprecedented growth. With demand for flexible, high-specification office spaces at an all-time high in Dubai, The LX is positioned to fill a significant gap in Dubai's evolving commercial real estate sector. Mulk Properties, known globally for projects like Zim Cyber City and the Ajman Sports Complex, brings international development expertise and long-term vision to the partnership. 'The LX marks our strategic entry into Dubai's commercial property segment, and we've done so with intention and insight,' said Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman of Mulk International. 'Our focus has always been on high-impact, future-proof developments. With Arjan's explosive growth and limited premium office supply, The LX provides the kind of asset that can define the district. Together with Prospect and OBG, we're setting a new benchmark for what boutique commercial development in Dubai should look like.' 'The LX is a targeted solution to an urgent market demand,' said Rajat Verma, Co-founder of Prospect. 'Our goal has always been to develop where demand is real and rising. As Dubai grows, so does the need for smart, well-located business infrastructure. Arjan is on the cusp of a commercial renaissance, and The LX will be at the forefront of that transformation. This project exemplifies Prospect's vision of delivering high-return assets in high-potential areas.' The LX is already drawing strong interest from investors, SMEs and entrepreneurs. 'We're witnessing a major shift in how commercial real estate is being utilized in Dubai. Businesses want flexibility, quality, and connectivity. Arjan offers all three, and The LX delivers on them at a premium standard. We're proud to represent a development that understands what the market truly needs,' said Umar Bin Farooq, Founder & CEO of One Broker Group. With direct access to major highways, Al Barsha South, Jumeirah Village Circle, and Dubai Science Park, Arjan is one of the few remaining zones offering centrality without congestion. With thousands of new residential units being delivered, the demand for adjacent commercial infrastructure is rising sharply. The LX directly supports this growth by offering a professionally designed, investor-grade asset that balances prestige with practicality.
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Too scared to sleep, she drives back to the suburb she grew up in', tells face of Catherine House
By her own admission, Adelaide's Jaylee Cooper ought to have been shocked when a woman quietly disclosed how she spends her nights terrified, sleeping in her car at suburban Prospect – she wasn't. Sadly, the manager of philanthropy and engagement at women's homelessness and recovery service, Catherine House, knows only too well the grim circumstances facing so many in 2025. 'You know, she told me each night she was absolutely scared and frightened to be sleeping in her car but that she would go back to the suburb she grew up in as she felt a level of safety in a place that was familiar to her,' Ms Cooper said. 'Now, most people that live in (inner, leafy) suburbs such as Prospect probably wouldn't ever think they would see a woman experiencing homelessness in their car in their neighbourhood. 'The reality is there are many, many women who are now experiencing homelessness and sleeping in cars on streets all over Adelaide … and it's likely we will start to see it more as the cost-of-living crisis and lack of affordable housing is hitting hard.' Ms Cooper, speaking ahead of the launch of the annual The Advertiser Foundation Blanket Appeal, says 'more and more' women are reaching out for help. 'The reality is that (our intake service) line just continues to be called all day, every day by women seeking support,' she said, adding it doesn't account for those hesitant to call. 'In the past 12 months we've seen a 36 per cent increase in the number of women contacting us for support which is significant … at any given time we've between 35 and 55 women on our waitlist. 'For many of the women who do reach out, they will have exhausted every avenue before doing so … it's difficult to ask for help … there's such shame that we feel.' Almost 50 per cent of the women who make contact are aged between 35 and 54 with almost all of those escaping family and domestic violence and many more recently separated from their spouse. Almost 40 per cent of women are aged between 18 and 34 with just over 10 per cent aged 55 and older. 'We often refer to it as being like the domino effect, it can be just that one thing that potentially starts (the downward spiral into homelessness) … an illness, a marriage breakdown or a redundancy,' Ms Cooper said. 'It might be they lose their employment and then can't pay their rent so they lose their tenancy … for many women often the next step is to see if they can stay with friends or family and that's where couch-surfing comes into play and then it's often going into cars. 'We hear from women who say, 'my landlord's just been in contact, they need to sell their property' … we know affordable rental availability is a real issue; certainly, our clients are not in the financial position to go out and pay market rent and that is a real challenge. 'It's the cost of groceries, the cost of electricity, gas and petrol … all of those things are contributing to people just not having the money they previously would have had.' The fact women are typically more likely to be part of the casualised workforce – working in casual and part-times across sectors such as retail, early childhood, healthcare and hospitality – can make them more vulnerable to cost-of-living pressures. 'We are certainly seeing more women who are employed… they will leave our crisis accommodation service and go off to work – most of their employers probably wouldn't have any clue,' Ms Cooper said. '(Homelessness) really can happen to anyone and we want women to know there is a place called Catherine House in South Australia that they can come to, should they need our support.'
