  The Overlooked Faces of Globalization I was browsing some university web sites this morning and stumbled on this nice piece. This is especially interesting for someone whose country's one mode of survival is exporting labor. You can find the bulk of the short essay urlLink here . A snippet of the article: Global cities are characterised by three groups  well-paid expatriates in professional and managerial positions, talented performing artistes and tourists. These people enjoy privileged positions as they draw investments and add prestige to global cities. What is often ignored, however, is that these favoured groups are sustained by the labour and support of migrant workers who are often low in skills, status and salary. These unskilled and semi-skilled foreigners form the underbelly of global cities, servicing the needs of the privileged in both residential and commercial settings.
To forestall social problems, this group has to be managed well. Assoc Prof Yeoh argues that migrant workers should not be seen as only a transient workforce, but should be incorporated into the social fabric of the global city. A nice, funny email from Lia: If you want someone who will bring you the paper without first tearing it apart to remove the sports section...buy a dog. If you want someone willing to make a fool of himself simply over the joy of seeing you...buy a dog. If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never says it's not quite as good as his mother made it...buy a dog. If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour, for as long and wherever you want...buy a dog. If you want someone to scare away burglars with a lethal weapon, which terrifies you and endangers the lives of your family and all the neighbors...buy a dog. If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn't give a damn about football, and can sit next to you and watch a romantic movie...buy a dog.
If you want someone who is content to get up on your bed just to warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores...buy a dog. If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves you unconditionally, perpetually...buy a dog.
But on the other hand If you want someone who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night, only comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existance is solely to ensure his happiness, then my friend...buy a cat. (Any resemblance to a man is purely coincidental. ) 
