byalex

Providing superior rental property maintenance is essential if you want to keep the value of your investment up to par and to appreciate with time. Broken fixtures or poor maintenance can devalue property and make your investment a financial sinkhole, but is all too common when landlords overinvest in a property but do not have the means to provide sufficient maintenance and repairs.

Devalued property leads to the necessity of lower cash flow and poorer quality tenants, and that can incite a whole chain of consequences you definitely do not want, including the necessity of absorbing the cost of long vacancy periods. Some landlords find themselves mired to the degree that they can no longer afford the mortgage on the property, and their investment leads to foreclosure.

Many landlords find sufficient recourse by hiring a management company that provides rental property maintenance as part of their contract. This leaves the landlord free from having to worry about such issues herself. Preventive maintenance also reduces costs and keeps property fixtures from breaking down, ensuring longer longevity and value.

Moreover, rental property maintenance and repairs contracted through a management company usually means lower costs due to the fact that such companies can often get significant discounts on volume. Many companies hire their own staff to do a lot of the work – from mowing lawns to handy work, and can use other vendors at discount prices due to volume deals. This often works out to be a vast reduction in costs compared to hiring a repairman or specialist from the yellow pages. Moreover, management companies have the experience to understand maintenance and repair issues readily, when many landlords have to play it more by ear, which is inefficient and can also add to costs.

One of the corollary benefits of hiring a management company that takes care of maintenance and repair issues is that managers often have systems in operation to catch issues when they are small and before they grow into big problems. Through regular inspections and evaluations, you don’t have to worry about the degradation of property value and can attend to other things. In fact, when a manager implements regular preventive maintenance and quick repairs the value of your property will likely increase. This will attract better, happier tenants who will stay for longer periods of time. Such factors contribute significantly to the appreciation of your property over time, which means that your investment will mature appropriately and you will be able to yield the results when the time comes.

TEXAS INCOME PROPERTY(http://www.texasincomeproperty.com/) has been a leader among Austin property management companies in Greater Austin and the surrounding communities since 1979. Realtors in Austin trust the extensive experience of our knowledgeable staff. Texas Income Property offers rental property maintenance in Austin, Texas and the surrounding metro area that is among the very best in the real estate industry. There is no better place to begin your search for Austin rental property services than to lead off with the Austin, Texas property management team at Texas Income Property. 105 W. Riverside Dr., Suite 110, Austin, TX 78704 | 512-495-9400 | info@TexasIncomeProperty.com

By Daniel Sommer

Intelligence education has always been one avenue through which individuals prepared themselves for a career in the U.S. Intelligence Community. The rise in international instability over the past decade as well as the increasingly visible presence of terrorism as it affects the United States, however, has led to a proliferation of security and intelligence studies programs. These programs were created in part to prepare individuals for a career in the intelligence field, whether this includes working for a government agency, or in some other capacity such as federal law enforcement or corporate security. While some programs provide more of a historical or theoretical approach to intelligence studies, others offer specific, tactical training in intelligence gathering and methods. While both types of programs are important, individuals should seek out those programs which also provide some focus on current events in order to obtain a well-rounded intelligence education. This article provides an overview of security and intelligence studies programs and then lays out the importance of incorporating ‘real world’ analysis of current events.

Security and intelligence studies programs

Traditional security and intelligence studies programs focus on the theories and history of intelligence as well as the analytical tools involved in intelligence gathering and/or analysis. Security and intelligence studies include the art and science of how individuals within the intelligence field use operational and analytical tools to achieve their specific objectives – namely to provide intelligence materials by which policymakers make decisions. Intelligence programs include detailed information on a wide variety of topics – collection, counterintelligence, covert action, and analysis, among other areas. The U.S. Intelligence Community as well as local and federal law enforcement agencies and private security firms need individuals who have expertise in either analytic tradecraft or analysis. These experts must have a significant understanding of U.S. national security and how it can be threatened by state and non-state actors. Continued development of solid intelligence education programs is vital for the Intelligence Community to stay ahead of the game.

Importance of incorporating current events analysis

For security and intelligence studies programs to be truly effective, however, they should incorporate a study of current events and some ‘real-world’ analysis into their training programs. Simply studying theories or learning tradecraft and tools in a vacuum would be a disservice to students as they could have a hard time in applying these tools and theories without first understanding their practical application. By combining an education in theories and tools with an application to real world circumstances and relevant material, intelligence education programs will enable students to better envision the purpose of these tools. These students will therefore be better prepared to work as analysts or operatives in the future. Take, for example, the current government protests spanning the Middle East, from Egypt to Tunisia. Students in intelligence programs could utilize the tools they have learned in class to conduct threat assessments and analyses of the political leaders or other actors, such as the militaries of these countries. Such an analysis would be a great exercise with which a student could use to compare to the ‘real world’ as the situation and resulting policy decisions ensue.

Over the past decade security and intelligence studies programs have definitely provided the Intelligence Community with individuals who are prepared for a career in intelligence analysis or gathering. While these programs encompass a wide variety of educational tools and methods, one could argue that incorporating ‘real world’ analysis of current events provides a practical application of these methods and thus better prepares students by helping them make sense of the constantly changing international political scene.

About the Author: Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley-Putnam University, security and intelligence studies, intelligence education, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu

Source: isnare.com

Permanent Link: isnare.com/?aid=733665&ca=Education

The History of the Bathing Suit

by

The Sider Group

The swimsuit is possibly the most enigmatic piece of clothing simply because it conceals and reveals at the same time. Nowadays, you have micro bikinis and micro briefs that challenge the concept of clothing itself. Has it always been like this? Let s take a brief look at the history of the bathing suit.

It s believed that the first bathing suits originated from ancient Greece where beautiful and rich women would indulge in the practice of public bathing. A few centuries later when the Roman Empire flourished, public bathing became a very popular pastime as highlighted by the construction of many Roman baths. In a classical Sicilian villa, images on a mosaic wall clearly showed Roman women dressed in two-piece garments which were compatible with the bikini worn by modern-day women. However, the bikini-style attire was not only used for bathing but it s also worn by the women when they performed a variety of exercises. As the Roman Empire declined, the popularity of public bathing also declined. For a few hundred years, the western world shied away from public bathing, and there was not much of a demand for swimsuits.

It was not until the early 18th century that people began to embrace the practice of public bathing again. Flocking to natural springs, men and women sported toga-style bathing suits, which were obviously borrowed from ancient Roman times. These classical bathing suits were phased out in no time as the women in Europe preferred a more modest style. Going to the beach, they would appear in heavy dresses of wool, and they would also wear hats, stockings, and shoes.

As the practice of public bathing spread to the United States, the evolution of the modern swimsuit would begin. In the early 1900s, a modest, tighter fitting swimsuit would be introduced to replace the woolen swimsuit. Instead of the woolen dress, women would wear leotard-type tops and shorts. Hats were still used but the stockings and shoes would be replaced by bathing socks. This bathing suit exposed the arms and knees, signaling a return to the more the bikini-style bathing suit of the Roman era. In the 1920s, the swimsuit changed radically as the social revolution for women picked up steam. Designers created more revealing and sexier swimsuits to exhibit the liberation of women in the United States. Necklines were plunging, skirts were shortening, and waists were tightening. In the 1930s, swimsuits featured even lower necklines, and the bare-back design was introduced, along with tight-fitting belted shorts.

The Great Depression and WWII put a halt to the evolution of the swimsuit. After the war, Americans rushed to the beaches in droves, ushering in the era of the bikini. In the 1950s, fashion designers continued to push the boundaries by recreating the one-piece bathing suit, culminating in see-through netting designs in the 1960s.

Through the years leading to present times, fashion designers experimented with fabrics, cuts, and styles to create the most captivating swimsuit. Today, the line between concealment and exposure is so thin it may just be a C-String away from becoming invisible.

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