With the YES vote carrying, I see the last day to trade on the...

With the YES vote carrying, I see the last day to trade on the ASX will be 17 Nov, so there will be no window to trade PIH to take advantage of discounted cap gain this year either. I don't like the idea of getting slugged for tax 2 years in a row for the want of 3 trading days!

Not having held international shares before I now have a few questions. Is there an International Shares for dummies reference readily available anywhere?

I can see that I can trade BIP if I open an International trading account with Commsec. However in the mean time, if I choose to hold BIP, how would the dividends be paid? Would I receive a check (:-) or would I need to open a US bank account? Is it possible/easy to open a US bank account from Australia?

How are holding records kept? I've heard talk US brokers keep holdings in escrow somehow and the paperwork doesn't necessarily show in the ultimate beneficiaries name?