Anklets Ahoy!Written by Fadwa Qasem
Anklets ahoy! "Hail to that foot of lusty beloved which hits head of lover, that foot which is adorned with red paste and jingling anklets is banner of love and which is worthy of adoration by inclining one's head." From 5th century drama, Padataditakam (Hit by Foot) The human race can be so immensely creative, so immensely passionate, and this is what makes our lives so immensely rich and at times so immensely difficult, painful. The anklet, a romantic foot fetish of great aesthetic value, is a very important part of women's adornment in Indian culture where ornamentation of a woman's whole body is an essential aspect of daily life, and has great spiritual and social significance. Old Indian paintings, drama and poetry often depict men treasuring touch of their lover's foot. Women lavish great care and attention on their feet, almost with as much as their face. The tender, delicate and well pampered foot becomes a symbol of affection, sensual desire and plays an important role in love-play.
| | The Real Estate Bubble-when Will It Burst?Written by Nicole Soltau
More and more individuals are realizing that real estate is much safer, and a better return on investment than many traditional investment vehicles. Unlike stocks or bonds, real estate investments can usually be liquidated in order for investor to access funds in far less time. Additionally, unlike many other investment vehicles, real estate does not come with stiff penalties associated with early withdrawal. In most cases, investors can liquidate and not have to worry about losing large sums of money. Finally, real estate provides assurance of a higher yield of return than other types of investment.On average, real estate appreciates about 4% per year. That means that a property you purchased five years ago, under normal circumstances with no significant wear and tear, would be worth at least 20% more than amount you paid for it five years ago. Some real estate markets perform significantly better than others at given times and with a mild remodeling or upgrade you could be looking at substantially higher returns on your investment. Given these facts, it’s no wonder so many people are jumping on real estate investment band wagon. It begs question however; when will real estate bubble burst? There has been some speculation that wild investment in real estate market and they hype of outrageous investment returns has no where to go but crashing back down to Earth. After all; how is possible that real estate investments could possibly continue to double as they have in last few years? Some critics even point to fall of real estate market in Japan in late 1980’s. Homes that were worth thousands of dollars are now only worth a fraction of that amount while homeowners still owe almost entire full amount of first mortgage.
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