cavac's QRH checklist for "Before dealing with character encodings (Unicode or otherwise)":

1. Make sure Aspirin (or similar headache medicine) is available at your desk.
2. Make sure the nearest wall is sufficiently soft (pad where required).
3. Warn coworkers that loud cursing and profanity will be heard from your desk.
4. Issue OSHA approved safety equipment to coworkers to protect against thrown objects.
5. Put any irreplacable objects out of immediate reach.
6. Get down on knees and pray to any $DEITY that would listen that your project doesn't use C libraries.
7. Give the actual coding work to your intern.