Watch Space Shuttle Atlantis' final journey to the Kennedy Space Center visitor building (video)

It's always bittersweet when we see great vehicles on their way to becoming museum pieces, after all, they represent something pretty special. Space Shuttle Atlantis landed in Florida back in July, where it's been locked inside the vehicle assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center, which is where we got a chance to look inside. Now it's making its final journey, a 10-mile cruise along the road to the visitor center, where it'll hopefully inspire generations for many years to come. If you'd like to watch the operation as it takes place, then head on past the break to watch the livestream.

Continue reading Watch Space Shuttle Atlantis' final journey to the Kennedy Space Center visitor building (video)

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Watch Space Shuttle Atlantis' final journey to the Kennedy Space Center visitor building (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 06:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/02/atlantis-final-journey/

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Stocks sink as investors assess Sandy's damage

Stocks are ending sharply lower on Wall Street as investors assess the potential costs of Superstorm Sandy.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 139 points to end at 13,093 points Friday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 13 points to 1,414. The Nasdaq composite lost 38 points to end at 2,982.

Insurers plunged on expectations that losses from the catastrophe will eat into their fourth-quarter earnings.

AIG fell 7 percent, Genworth Financial 3 percent and Hartford Financial Services Group lost 3 percent.

Stocks rose in the morning after the government reported a pickup in hiring last month, but the rally evaporated quickly.

Two stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was higher than usual at 3.6 billion shares.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-sink-investors-assess-sandys-damage-201343362--finance.html

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Comedian Starr arrested in Savile abuse case - TV

LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested comedian Freddie Starr on Thursday as part of an investigation triggered by allegations that the late BBC presenter Jimmy Savile sexually abused hundreds of children, media reported.

Police said in a statement they had arrested a man in his 60s on suspicion of sex offences. The man was identified by Sky News and ITV News as Starr, who earlier had offered to talk to police.

The allegations have shaken Britain's state-funded broadcaster with hundreds of people now coming forward to report abuse dating back over several decades by Savile, a household name in Britain.

Lawyers representing some of the victims have said their clients indicated an organised paedophile ring involving celebrities existed at the BBC during the height of Savile's fame in the 1970s and 1980s.

On Sunday, police arrested glam rock singer and convicted sex offender Gary Glitter, born Paul Gadd, as part of the Savile investigation. He was released on bail.

BBC Director General George Entwistle and his predecessor Mark Thompson, incoming Chief Executive Officer of the New York Times Co, have come under heavy criticism for their handling of suspicions about Savile.

At a recent parliamentary hearing Entwistle rejected claims that BBC bosses tried to hide allegations against Savile or suppressed an inquiry by one of their own news programmes.

Thompson, who was still director general in late 2011 when BBC's Newsnight shelved a report investigating the allegations against Savile, has said he did not know about the programme's investigation and had no involvement in the decision to axe the report.

The scandal has attracted attention in the United States, where Thompson's appointment at the New York Times has been questioned by senior journalists at the newspaper, who have accused him of involvement in a cover-up to protect his former employer's reputation.

Thompson has said he had approached his new employers to explain his role at the BBC and why he had not dealt with such an issue, despite being the director general and editor-in-chief of the world-renowned organisation.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said the sex abuse allegations leave the BBC and other institutions with serious questions to answer.

The revelations have shocked fans of the once highly popular Savile, who died last year at the age of 84, as one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders.

ESTATE FROZEN

In a sign of preparation for claims, his 4.3 million pound estate has been frozen in response to the allegations.

Police working on the investigation are following three broad lines of inquiry: alleged offences by Savile, by others, and by Savile and others acting together.

Starr, 69, has publicly denied one allegation linked to a show Savile presented in the 1970s.

"The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed 'Savile and others'," the police said.

"I'm being persecuted by the press saying that I have been with underage girls and I haven't - never will I go with underage girls," Starr told the BBC last month.

"I'm totally innocent. Totally innocent. I would never go with a girl like that ... I hope they question me, I want to clear my name. I've got nothing to hide."

The comedian, singer and impressionist was the subject of one of Britain's best-known tabloid newspaper headlines - "Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster".

The fictitious story in the top-selling Sun newspaper involved Starr eating a woman's pet hamster after she refused to make him a sandwich.

(Reporting by Matt Falloon and Stephen Mangan; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/comedian-starr-arrested-savile-abuse-case-tv-202849060--finance.html

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How Amazon Exploits Small Online Retailers - Deondesigns.ca

Small business owner Teri Noboa sold with Amazon for a short time in order to bring exposure to her shop, Childhood Way Boutique, a clothing store for kids with holiday fashions and gifts for baby showers. But that decision came with an unexpected price tag.

Two years after moving her shop to its own website, an empty Amazon storefront still cuts into her sales. Since Amazon has better search engine optimization (SEO) than the tiny Childhood Way Boutique, Noboa has some hefty competition ? with her own products.

Noboa, who has spoken out against Amazon on her blog, explains the problem?

Childhood Way Boutique sells a baby product called the Fabien Red Snake Diaper Bag. If you?re looking to buy this bag, you might Google ?Fabien Red Snake Diaper Bag.? Since Amazon has better SEO, its version of her bag shows up as the first result. While the Amazon version of the bag lists Childhood Way Boutique as the seller, that?s not actually true. If you buy the bag there, it comes from one of Noboa?s competitors, losing her another sale.

?Our store has been closed with them for two years now and if you google the name of my boutique Amazon links appear,? she said. ?We have sold on Sears, eBay, and others, and if we ask them to close the merchant account, the links disappear from Google. So why not Amazon??

She has a compelling theory: ?They use your name to lure people into buying from them.?

For more than a decade, Amazon has carved out a niche for itself as the online shopping network for every niche: The arrow in the logo is supposed to imply that you can buy anything at Amazon from A to Z. Since making everything available would be an impossible task even for the retail giant, Amazon has a Pro Merchant program for small businesses.

In return for padding the enormous marketplace with even more wares, sellers get to ride the coattails of Amazon?s SEO. While the relationship seems symbiotic, the trouble occurs when sellers attempt to leave Amazon. When that happens, for whatever reason, Pro Merchants? empty storefronts remain open.

So while their products are no longer available, they continue to be searchable. Amazon lists such items as ?currently unavailable,? as if they could be back in stock any minute.

A search on Amazon for ?We don?t know when or if this item will be back in stock.? shows hundreds of thousands of products.

This is what happened to Richard Sexton, president and founder of online furniture store Carolina Rustica. Sexton told Internet Retailer he stopped selling on Amazon because he couldn?t control the way his products appeared on the site.

Now, however, Sexton has to compete with the ghost of his own Amazon storefront. Due to the online retailer?s SEO dominance, a Google search for any Carolina Rustica product, like this Iron Artistica Scroll Rack, leads with Amazon as the first two results.

Shoppers who click on one of the first two links likely assume the rack isn?t in stock at Carolina Rustica ? inspiring potential patrons to potentially browse or purchase a product from one of Sexton?s competitors on Amazon.

Noboa and Sexton aren?t the only small business owners struggling with this issue.

Dani, a jewelry seller who runs 47stcloseouts.com and asked that we not use his last name, stopped selling on Amazon about two years ago due to ?disputes about product shipping.? Not only is his empty storefront still active, but all of his products, like this blue diamond ring, still appear in Amazon?s search, despite being listed as ?unavailable.?

The painful irony, of course, is that the ring is readily available ? just not from Amazon. Yet, Amazon?s ?unavailable? listing is the first result in a Google search for the product (Dani is number three), leading potential customers to believe its out of stock and to take their business elsewhere. Dani said he was shocked to learn Amazon had never taken it down.

?I?ve heard about many others, not just jewelers, where Amazon bans them from selling on the site and still keeps their products up as ?not available,?? he told the Daily Dot. ?They?re getting customers with our products, not linking to the available products on our sites, and then selling them Amazon products.?

According to one former seller, Amazon may be physically unable to remove pulled items. A seller who spoke to the Daily Dot anonymously told us that her former presence on Amazon hurt her current business significantly. She shared emails with us between herself and Amazon customer support, one in which an employee agreed to remove her images and another in which a second employee said Amazon?s Content Management System wasn?t able to do so.

?I had almost a thousand products on Amazon,? she said.

?They?re still there, images and all. It?s right there in black and white. Amazon will not remove the products. They have no code for it? You don?t need code to remove anything. You simply delete. What happened when the pedophile on Amazon was selling his how-to book? Amazon removed it fast.?

Amazon did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Jeremy Bencken, an SEO expert, told us that former Amazon sellers do have tools at their disposal ? if they were smart enough not to forfeit copyright on their images and descriptions. Even if Amazon will not take the pages down from their CMS, affected sellers could make a case to Google to remove the items from searches.

?[W]ithout that content, all you have are pages with keywords and no content,? he said. ?At that point, you might be able to report the pages to Google as being misleading since the product isn?t actually available and there?s no content.?

What Bencken didn?t know, however, is that Amazon sellers forfeit that copyright as soon as they sign up. According to Amazon?s Participation Agreement ? a binding, 15,000-word contract ? sellers give Amazon the ability to exploit their images and descriptions in any manner the company likes:

?You grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use, reproduce, perform, display, distribute, adapt, modify, re-format, create derivative works of, and otherwise commercially or non-commercially exploit in any manner, any and all of Your Materials, and to sublicense the foregoing rights to our affiliates and operators of Amazon Associated Properties.?

The agreement does add, however, that Amazon will ?will comply with your removal requests as to specific uses of Your Trademarks,? though not with removal requests that do not include a trademark, like product shots that don?t have watermarks.

You could argue sellers ought to read Amazon?s agreement more clearly, but that?s just adding insult to injury. Even when sellers like Dani and Noboa show up just a few spaces below Amazon in a Google search, they face harsh consequences. Bencken explains:

?There have been several studies that try to quantify the difference between a #3 and #2 ranking,? Benchken explained. ?If Amazon ranks #1 for my name, and I rank #2, then Amazon is getting 3X more traffic than more. Of course, this might not be true for branded searches, but as a broad average, it?s a good guide.?

Bencken recommends sellers combat Amazon?s search engine optimization by doing some optimization of their own. He suggests that sellers link back and forth with other sellers online to strengthen their reputations, shorten their URLs, and most importantly, register their own domains.

?I?d pretty much guarantee that if Childhood Way made the following changes, they would outrank Amazon,? Bencken said.

Amazon may have the advantage, but it won?t be impossible for sellers like Noboa to return to their pre-Amazon sales counts. The question that remains, though, is why they should have to work so hard to get back to that point at all.

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/11/02/amazon-exploits-small-retailers/

Source: http://www.deondesigns.ca/blog/how-amazon-exploits-small-online-retailers/

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Ask the Edmonds Vet: More plants that can be harmful to pets | My ...

Home ? Blog ? News ? Ask the Edmonds Vet: More plants that can be harmful to pets

Ask the Edmonds Vet: More plants that can be harmful to pets

This column is the third in a series about plants toxic to dogs, cats and horses. A reminder that on Saturday, Nov. 3, Dr. Gross? will be signing copies of his latest book, ?Manhunt,? about a true crime family, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Edmonds Bookshop.

By Dr. David Gross

The story continues, with a focus on plants containing toxic alkaloids. Just a reminder, the toxicity of any substance is dependent upon the dose, the greater exposure the greater the toxicity. If you suspect your pet has ingested any of these plants get him or her to your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Plants belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae, the Kaffir Lily (Clivia Lily, Clivies, Caffre Lily, Cape Clivia, Kilvia), Daffodils (Narcissus, Jonquil, Paper White) the Barbados Lily (Amaryllis, Fire Lily, Lily of the Palace, Ridderstjerne) and the Hyacinth (Garden Hyacinth) all contain lycorine and other alkaloids. Ingestion of these plants results in gastric distress with hyper salivation (drooling), vomiting and diarrhea. Ingestion of large quantities of the plant, particularly of the bulbs, can cause convulsions, low blood pressure (hypotension) tremors and cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats).

The Autumn Crocus (Meadow Saffron) contains colchicines and other alkaloids. Ingestion of this plant can result in irritation of the oral mucous membranes (everything in the mouth and throat) bloody vomiting, diarrhea, shock, multi-organ damage and bone marrow suppression. This one is nasty!

The Yarrow plant (Milfoil) contains glycoalkaloids, monoterpenes and sesquiterpene lactones, all alkaloids and all toxic. Ingestion can result in vomiting, diarrhea, depression, loss of appetite (anorexia) and drooling. The Morning Glory contains at least four different indole alkaloids. After eating this plant your pet can show signs of GI upset, agitation, tremors, disorientation, ataxia (trouble with balance while moving) anorexia. The seeds of Yarrow can cause hallucinations.

The Burning Bush (Wahoo, Spindle Tree) contains both alkaloids and cardenolides. Ingestion can result in GI distress, abdominal pain and weakness. Large doses can result in cardiac (heart) arrhythmias. Bittersweet (Limbing Bittersweet, Waxwork, Shrubby Bittersweet, False Bittersweet, Climbing Bittersweet and American Bittersweet) contains euonymin and sesquiterpene alkaloids. Ingestion of Bittersweet can result in weakness, convulsions and severe gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines).

Over 80 species of Larkspur can be found in North America, most west of the Mississippi River, but are cultivated as an ornamental almost everywhere. In nature the dwarf or low Larkspurs live on lowland slopes and grasslands and are generally less than three feet tall. Tall Larkspurs can grow to four to six feet and are usually found on upper slopes of mountain locations. These plants contain diterpene alkaloids and are more toxic to horses than other species. However horses will no usually consume these plants unless drought conditions exist and there is little else to eat. Dogs and cats have been poisoned from these plants but it is a rare occurrence. As the plant matures it is usually less toxic. Ingestion can result in neuromuscular paralysis along with gastroenteritis, muscle tremors, stiffness, weakness, and convulsions. Animals can die from either cardiac or respiratory arrest.

Ragwort (Golden Ragwort) contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. It is not palatable but again can be a problem for animals that graze during drought conditions. Dogs and cats will usually not bother this plant, but there are some strange pets out there and poisonings have been reported. Ingestion causes liver failure, and many neurological problems associated with liver failure.
Periwinkle (Running Myrtle, Vinca) contain vinca alkaloids. Ingestion of this plant results in gastroenteritis and depression with moderate intake, tremors, seizures, coma and death if large quantities are consumed. The Lobelia (Cardinal Flower, Indian Pink) contains the alkaloid lobeline. Animals that ingest this plant can develop gastroenteritis, depression and abdominal pain. Large quantities can result in cardiac arrhythmias.

Ambrosia Mexicana (Jerusalem Oak, Feather Geranium) and Bittersweet (American Bittersweet, Waxwork, Shrubby Bittersweet, False Bittersweet, Climbing Bittersweet) may contain euonymin and sesquiterpene alkaloids. Animals ingesting these plants can show signs of gastroenteritis, depression, weakness and convulsions.

Dr. David Gross of Edmonds graduated from Colorado State University?s veterinary school in 1960 and was in private practice for 10 years. He retired in 2006 as Professor and Head of Veterinary Biosciences, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Gross is the author of ?Animals Don?t Blush,? which describes the unique patients and even more unique clients of a veterinary practice in Sidney, Montana in the early 1960s.

Source: http://myedmondsnews.com/2012/11/ask-the-edmonds-vet-more-plants-that-can-be-harmful-to-pets/

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Obaidullah Baig paid glowing tributes late TV celebrity, intellectual ...

Karachi

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Touching and affectionate tributes were heaped on the late TV celebrity, intellectual, documentary film producer, and journalist Obaidullah Baig who passed away last month at a literary reference for him organized at the Karachi Arts Council Thursday evening.

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Noted journalist and columnist Ghazi Salahuddin recalled his days with Baig as a student and their friendship over the decades involving common intellectual interests. In his eulogy, Ghazi said, ?There was not a place where Baig was not known. It was not the fame of just any celebrity but he was looked upon with respect on account of his qualities of head and heart?, Ghazi said. He heaped praises on Baig?s intellect and scholarship and in that context, lamented the present ?de-intellectualisation? of society, as he put it. Talking highly of Baig?s TV programme, Kasauti, which shot him to him, Ghazi said that while Kasauti was a highly praiseworthy venture, he should have been even better known for his novels but nobody seemed to know anything about them. ?So much for the state of society?s intellectual development?, Ghazi exclaimed in a tone of futility.

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Recalling their childhood and teens, Baig?s cousin, Mazhar Ali Khan, said, ?We were nowhere in sports but were keen hunters and avid readers? and recalled how both savoured the bird meat and venison. Later, he said, Baig turned an avowed protector of wildlife and vowed never to eat the meat of hunted species again.

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?Baig was the epitome of a self-made person?, Mazhar Ali Khan said, and added that his life incontrovertibly proved that if there was a will, fame and success were sure to follow.

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Former Managing Director, Pakistan Television (PTV) paid glowing tributes to the departed and said that among his very many attributes, one that stood out was that he never foisted his opinions or intellect on others, in a tribute to his tolerance and magnanimity. He said that the vacuum created by Baig?s departure would be difficult to fill in.

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Urdu language scholar Prof Sehr Ansari narrated how Baig gave up eating meat and became an avid environmentalist. He spoke very highly of the intellectual attainment of the departed.

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Baig?s daughter Fatima spoke of her father with touching affection and recalled what an affectionate, caring, and considerate father he was. However, overcome with sentiment and emotion, she broke down and couldn?t continue her speech.

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Journalist Babar Ayyaz, also Fatima?s father-in-law, referred to Baig as a ?living Google? as a reference to his vast general knowledge.

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Mehmood Ahmed Khan, Vice-President, Arts Council, informed the gathering that Baig had produced 135 documentaries on environmental conservation and also talked about the Pride of Performance Award conferred on him in 2008.

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M Zaheer Khan narrated how the then Managing Director, PTV Aslam Azhar picked Baig up for the programme, Kasauti. ?I learnt so much from him?, Khan said. Speaking of Baig?s tender heart, he said that even though Baig?s financial condition was never very stable, he?d go out of his way to help those in financial distress.

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Asif Ansari outlined Baig?s professional career and said that he had produced over 300 documentaries on Sindh, its historical landmarks, and wildlife.

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Ahmed Shah, President Arts Council, concluding the proceedings, heaped eulogies on the departed and lamented that people like him, with that intellectual acumen and a zest for selfless pursuit of knowledge and an unflinching determination to change society for the better were so hard to come by.

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Prior to the speeches, a documentary tracing the career of Obaidullah Baig and his meteoric rise to fame was screened, starting with shots of Kasauti. Iqbal Latif compered the programme.

Source: http://pakedu.net/exhibitions-events/obaidullah-baig-paid-glowing-tributes-late-tv-celebrity-intellectual-documentary-film-producer-and-journalist-obaidullah-baig/

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China's real estate bubble overflowing into targeted US cities ...

The amount of money flowing in from global markets is incredibly strong.? To be more specific buyers from China are big players in many prime areas especially in California.? Access to high quality universities and prime neighborhoods is simply another factor that will keep prices inflated more than people may think.? Canadians have firsthand experience in this global real estate market push.? If you think our real estate bubble was amazing you simply have no idea what is going on in China at the current moment.? This past weekend, the Hong Kong government put on a 15 percent tax on property purchases made by foreigners.? There is no question that the market is overheating and the government is readily admitting it and even going to these extremes.? Put this into perspective with US real estate in 2007 when the Fed was still reticent to admit that we were experiencing a heated real estate market.? At this point it is too late and places where this hot money is flowing like a few Canadian cities will feel a pull back once the current trend stalls or even reverses.

China and Japan real estate markets

Not all markets in Asia are following a similar pattern.? I was talking with someone very familiar with Asian real estate and it is clear that the press throws all Asian markets into one pot.? That is clearly not the case.? Take a look at housing values over the last year:

Housing prices in Hong Kong are up more than 15 percent in the last year.? Price in Singapore are also on a fast pace upwards.? You?ll notice in the chart that the financial crisis merely set in a temporary lull and prices are now way above record levels.? But look at Japan and the trend hitting their property markets.? Keep in mind that China and Japan are the second and third largest economies in the world behind the United States.? This does and will have a significant impact on what is going to occur moving forward.

In California it is very common to see foreign buyers from China purchasing in prime locations.? This has picked up recently and tying that in with what is going on overseas, our prices might look affordable in the grand scheme of things.? A mania to us might be a hedge for hot money abroad.? It is interesting for California since in the late 1980s the boom in Japan pushed up real estate prices primarily in the commercial side of things.? We can include this foreign money flows for two of the last three bubbles:

The first bubble in the late 1980s came with the rise of the Japanese real estate boom.? In the 1990s certain areas in the Bay Area saw prices soar courtesy of the technology boom.? Today, we are seeing strong foreign buying from China.? This is another reason why you have places like the Inland Empire looking attractive to local Californians in terms of price while other areas never even corrected.? Compared to prime big cities and locations in China, many of the cities in California but also Canada look like excellent options to diversify a global portfolio.? There is also a demand for more tangible assets:

?(BusinessWeek) Last year the average price of a foreign-purchased U.S. home was more than $400,000, which is double the national average?so the search for good value might only extend so far. That high figure becomes even more impressive when one considers that buyers from abroad often lack credit scores and access to mortgages, and frequently opt to pay the whole price upfront. ?[S]ales transactions can often be completed quickly as many Chinese purchasers prefer all-cash deals,? Pamela Liebman, president and chief executive officer of the Corcoran Group, a New York real estate firm, writes in an e-mail. Liebman also says that her company has serviced more Chinese clients this year than at any time in the past, and that their interest is not just in residential real estate but in commercial property as well. Sixty-two percent of purchases by foreign buyers last year were in cash, according to the NAR. Zhao says many of the deals are for very large homes, capable of supporting several generations under one roof, which is a preference for affluent families.?

62 percent of foreign purchases were for all cash and the average price was $400,000.? Given that the median price of a US home is about $170,000 and a high number of buyers finance their purchase, foreign money is being very specific as to where they want to land and when it does land it goes in with all cash.? Fed or no Fed, low rates or high rates, if the boom continues abroad expect pocket areas to be held high as long as this trend continues.? The education component is very important.? Take a look at international figures from a top college in SoCal, USC:

13 percent of the students at USC are international students.? They represent 70 countries.? This is a trend that is hitting many top institutions across the country.? As higher education pushes many domestic students into debt, many top institutions seem to increase their tuition year over year.? Housing and education go hand and hand and the global demand is very clear in many markets, especially in prime SoCal areas.

What are your thoughts on this ongoing trend?

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Did You Enjoy The Post? Subscribe to Dr. Housing Bubble?s Blog to get updated housing commentary, analysis, and information.

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Source: http://www.doctorhousingbubble.com/china-real-estate-bubble-china-buyers-california-real-estate-property-transaction-tax/

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