201 Street

Aside from the responsibilities a property management company has to the owners of the buildings they manage, they have responsibilities to the tenants who rent those buildings. One of the basic elements of customer service is to not only meet the needs of customers and clients, but to anticipate them when that is possible, and to exceed those needs most certainly. People put their lives in the hands of the property managers when they rent. In some cases it is their home life and in other cases it is their business in which they gain their livelihood. In either case they trust the company with their “stuff”, in keeping their possessions safe and in keeping them safe and cared for when things break down.

In terms of property management companies , there are various websites that are dedicated to the anticipation of what people may need. They not only advertise the properties they have available for rent, but they do a bit extra. One of the websites is for properties located throughout the cities in Canada. This is a site where college students can go to find apartments that are in their budget. But that is not all that is on this site. The options that are also available on the site, inform young college students on developing study habits , how to go about finding jobs, and the best way to look for a roommate.

In years past, not only did college students have to look through the paper and the rental magazines to find a place to live, they had to ride around on their bikes simply looking for “For Rent” signs. And, on top of that, they many times found it necessary to simply run adds to find roommates, and search the adds looking for those who needed them. This is just one of the ways a property management company can go above and beyond in their field and in the practice of great customer service . It is why those companies who do, continue to stand out and continue to be the most trusted companies in the industry.

My wife and I had been visiting a marriage counselor for the past six months. I’m no longer afraid to admit that though I have to admit that I used be a little embarrassed by this fact. Truthfully, I used to think that therapy was kind of ridiculous and I know that attitude might offend some people but I’m actually telling you the honest truth so that you can also understand my change of heart through the entire process of my attitude transition. Well, and there’s also the fact that one of the most beneficial therapeutic moments happened when I went with Joann on a business trip she took to Florida.

Okay, so it’s also true that she had only been asking me to go with her on some of these trips for the last five years, which also happens to be the length of our marriage, and I flat out refused every single time. And who could blame me? Who would want to go on a business trip if they didn’t have to? Well, it turns out they can actually be very fun. We upgraded the business class accommodations that her company provided and spent our time in a luxurious suite, which of course is romantic in its own right.
And one of my previous concerns was that I would be stuck in a hotel room by myself while she was working all day. It turns out that this wasn’t true at all though I could easily have hung out in the hotel Jacuzzi and they also had pool tables in the lounge, where I also could have spent a few hours.

However, while my wife was working I was down at the beach enjoying a beautiful day in the sun and sand. I enjoyed great views and delicious pizza while she worked hard throughout the day. Oh, I definitely got back to the room and was showered and ready to take her out for a nice evening every night, which I think was one of the keys to my continued daily outings. As it turns out I had a great time both day and night. I was able to dance with my beautiful wife well into the evening and relax in the sun during the slow afternoons. And guess what all of those great times cost me? Nothing at all, except the anger and resentment of my wife. She was so grateful that I had come along and was demonstrating some effort in spending quality time together in the evening, she didn’t even realize that it was all win win for me. The best cure for marriage problems is definitely to go with your wife on business trips. The end.

Marijuana is a big debate. Some people say it is totally harmless and less harmful then alcohol, which is legal. Others say that marijuana is a gateway drug that leads someone to do harder street drugs such as cocaine and heroin.  Many say legalized marijuana would lead to more people in addiction treatment and resources stretched even further.

There has been a recent debate in the state of California, because the state is basically broke, that if marijuana was legalized it would help alleviate the state’s budget woes. Research has showed that is as difficult to quit smoking marijuana daily as it is nicotine cigarettes. And nicotine cigarettes are also legal in the United States for those over the age of 18. And if marijuana use does lead to the use of harder drugs or because of mental problems, rehab centers that use dual diagnosis treatment would be needed.

No matter what side of the debate you are on, it is interesting to take a look at what the Dutch did. They have coffee shops that sell the drug in the Netherlands to those who were at least 16 and the rates of young people using the drug went up. But, once the number of coffee shops dwindled and the legal age was changed to 18, the statistics for use went down. There is also a thought if criminal penalties for marijuana use should be lessened for those who have small amounts in their possession.

No matter what you think, it needs to be taken into consideration that marijuana is potentially harmful, but no more so really than alcohol and cigarettes and those are both legal at certain ages. Kids already get a hold of marijuana and it’s all about parenting to keep them away from things until they are old enough to make their own informed decisions.

When I came out of clinic for my chronic pain issues, I didn’t feel any better. I used up most of my life savings to go to this particular pain clinic with which their brochure boosted a 99% success rate with reducing pain or removing pain all together. They said they’ll take on what ever pain ails you and heal you within 30 days with their patent pending breakthrough intense treatments of psycho-analysis, physical therapies, natural remedies like meditation and yoga and if necessary, surgery using State-of-the-Art procedures and equipment. With that kind of claim, I took an emergency sabbatical from teaching at the University, got my passport, booked a room in one of the Top Singapore Hotels and headed off to Malaysia.

I’ve suffered with chronic pain not too long after my mother died. I woke up on morning not being able to move with out excruciating pain. Pain all over. I was taken to the emergency room via ambulance screaming all the way. I can’t even tell you exactly where the pain is cause it’s everywhere. After tons of testing, poking and prodding, the doctors could not find a reason for my pain. All they could do for me is give me some prescription for pain pills. I’ve been on the pain pills for years. Every now and then, I would stop taking the pills to see if the pain has gone away, stupid of me really, it would take me hours bent over with severe pain waiting for the pain medication to take effect again.

I knew I couldn’t live this way the rest of my life, so I’ve been all over the country consulting with pain specialist that promised results, and none came. Surgeons who said to get psychiatric help because there was nothing physically wrong with me. Allergy specialist, any specialist. No one could help me. I finally broke down and went to a psycho-therapist and was still in pain after six month of now knowing my love hate relationship with my mother.

Walking down the streets of Singapore in a daze, disappointed and absolutely broke, I found myself standing in front of a Buddhist Temple. Monks were chanting inside the temple halls seeming all blissful and peaceful. I wanted that. Peace. I wanted to know peace again; a non drug prescribe peace.

Fishing for the bottom feeders along the banks of the city’s water way canals his only thoughts effected by an empty stomach are about catching the funky tasting fish that can only be deep fried and loaded with fish sauce. Thoughts about how this plentiful free food of the waters will fill his belly and his Korean wife’s belly and keep the pangs of hunger away for another day. Coming from Malaysia, Daviz was hoping to ride on the wave of living the good life with which the United States promised. With which his friends, who were already living here, wrote to him to come, any which way he could, and leave the desperate life of rural Singapore.

Daviz, wasn’t really desperate in Singapore, having employment with two Singapore Luxury Hotels. Actually, he was better off than most of his friends living in Singapore and his friends living in the United States. So, sitting there with a makeshift fishing pole in his hand and looking at a Styrofoam ice-chest empty of fish, he can’t help wonder and question his decision to pack up and move to a foreign country. A wealthy country, a country that no article on the Internet or written in books about living in the States could possibly convey or even attempt to make clear just how massively the people of this country are all consuming of non-essential materials, all fearfully preoccupied and all weary of foreigners.

Daviz and his wife have been living here, legally, in the United States for over nine months now. But they are living in out of a van given to them by the kindness of a Korean Christian Church with which his wife attends. Daviz’s years of experience at working in Luxury Hotels as not gotten him employment and his wife’s refusal to learn English isn’t helping just how hard it truly is to make it in the United States, harder than he imagined. But, sitting there, by the banks of a man-made river, Daviz’s thoughts turn back to the fishing for what is free and what is good.

In recent years there has been a rapid growth of employable jobs in the export manufacturing industries of Mauritius.  Despite the highest level of male unemployment, women have acquired the majority of the jobs. A study the country presents an example of sex segregation and it is debatable whether women are or not taken advantage of by this very segregation. Using female labor in the export industries  seems to be all encompassing and is wide spread in the developing countries and is often a part of the international search for cheap labor by intensive industries. Not to exclude the Mauritius Luxury Hotel business in this, but the study rarely sites this business. 
 
Out of 500,00 persons in employment in Mauritius, over 200,00 are women. They are mostly employed in low skilled and low paying jobs. Only 5 percent of the senior positions are held by women. Limited economic opportunities for women affect the type of employment they can find. Industrial employers in Mauritius prefer female laborers because because they are restricted to occupations with low wages and little opportunity for advancement, plus the employers find that women make better employees than males. The reason for women accepting these lower wages is the status of women in Mauritius is low. Another survey of top employers was taken to determine the degree of awareness and the level of supportiveness of women’s issues. Findings revealed the supportiveness is relatively high, but actions, policies and practices are strikingly insensitive to women’s issues. Defying the current developing status of the country’s economy. Even though the country distinguishes itself from the negativity of several Third World states that have developed advanced action plans in the area of gender discrimination.
 
The question arise in the case of women factory workers in Mauritius: will employer’s preference for female workers, reasons stated above, lead to, in the long run, to a greater equality and an improvement in their status or will they forever be exploited as the weaker socioeconomic  group? It’s too early to tell or make any conclusions. But the evolution of the female plight in Mauritius suggest improvement.