National News Archives - Page 8 of 8 - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy

Couple Sues Google for “Street View” Invasion of Privacy

April 4, 2008 By Jay Thompson

I mentioned back in October that Google’s “Street View” was rolling out in Phoenix. Street View allows web users to “navigate” Google Maps and view 360–degree panoramic images.

In that post I briefly touched on the privacy concerns some folks have with Street View. Now The Smoking Gun reports a Pittsburgh couple has filed a lawsuit against Google alleging Street View of an “intentional and/or grossly reckless invasion” of their seclusion and privacy since they live on a street that is “clearly marked with a ‘Private Road’ sign.”

Huh. Somehow I think the Boring’s (the plaintiffs) have just done far more toward disturbing their privacy than Google’s fuzzy photos would ever accomplish.

They are seeking a judgment “in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars for compensatory, incidental and consequential damages, punitive damages, costs, all allowable attorneys’ fees and all other damages deemed to be just”.

Who knows what will come out of this one…

Hat tip to WebProNews.

Home Buyer Suing Agent: Ummel v. Little Update

March 31, 2008 By Jay Thompson

Back in January I wrote, On Buyers Suing Agents — an article about California home buyers Marty and Vernon Ummel suing their real state agent Michael Little and his RE/Max brokerage. The Ummels claim Little “defrauded them when he failed to inform them that similar houses on the same block were selling for more than $100,000 less than what the Ummels had paid”.

Today the San Diego Union Tribune reports that jury selection in the trial begins tomorrow – which coincidentally happens to be April Fool’s Day…

While it appears that most “legal experts” don’t think this case has much merit, it will be interesting to follow. We’ll bring you whatever we can dig up.

More info:

The original New York Times coverage.

Here are the Ummels in a Today show segment:

Bear Stearns Collapse: $159/share to $2 in 365 Days

March 17, 2008 By Jay Thompson

There is a ton of buzz out there today about the collapse of Bear Stearns.

Some may be asking, “What is a Bear Stearns?”

From their web page:

The Bear Stearns Companies Inc. (NYSE: BSC) is the parent company of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., a leading global investment banking, securities trading and brokerage firm.

From MSN Money:

Bear Stearns “is an investment banking, securities and derivatives trading, clearance and brokerage firm serving corporations, governments, institutional and individual investors globally. The segments of the Company are capital markets, global clearing services and wealth management.”

What happened? This article explores it well. (Hat tip to Shailesh)

I’m a visual learning sort of guy. Here in all its gore is a copy of their stock chart from the last 12 months:

It’s sort of hard to see that plunge at the end, so here is a 5 day chart:

Yak.

High last Tuesday = $68.08/share.

Today’s price? Opened at $3.17/share and is currently at $4.12.

52 week high? $159.36….

Wow.

27,056 news articles from a news search for “Bear Stearns”.

Techonrati Blog Search for Bear Stearns (31,560 results. 100 in last 39 minutes..).

Google Blog Search for “Bear Stearns” (661,908 results)

Bottom line is this… We’re not stock brokers, we are real estate agents. Please give s a call if we can be of any help. 480-524-0100

Going to Mexico? New Border Crossing Rules Jan 31, 2008

January 28, 2008 By Jay Thompson

Lots of folks in Arizona travel to Mexico. Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) is within easy driving distance from Phoenix and Tucson and an absolutely lovely vacation destination. (Our last trip to Rocky Point.)

And as we’ve seen recently, lots of folks from Canada travel to Phoenix!

To get into Mexico, all you need is any official US ID. Passports are not required. (Source: Mexican Foreign Ministry)

But it is really kind of important to make sure that once you get into Mexico, you can get back into the United States!

The rules for entry into the US change this Thursday, Jan 31 2008. Note: this includes driving into/out of Mexico, not just plane flights!

In the past, an ID and oral declaration of US citizenship was all that was required.

Effective Jan 31, 2008 you have to provide proof of identity and proof of US citizenship to enter the US.

From the U.S. Customs and Border Protection web site:

Effective January 31, 2008, U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 19 and older should no longer expect that they will be able to prove identity and citizenship by relying on an oral declaration alone.

These regulations apply to both US and Canadian citizens for entry into the United States.

There are two options for documentation:

Single Document Option – one of the following meets the requirements to prove both identity and citizenship:

U.S. or Canadian Passport
U.S. Passport Card (Available spring 2008)
Trusted Traveler Cards (NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST)
State or Provincial Issued Enhanced Driver’s License (when available – this secure driver’s license will denote identity and citizenship.)
Enhanced Tribal Cards (when available)
U.S. Military Identification with Military Travel Orders
U.S. Merchant Mariner Document
Native American Tribal Photo Identification Card
Form I-872 American Indian Card
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Card

Two Document Option – If you don’t have one of the above documents, you must present BOTH an identification and citizenship document:

Identification Documents (must have a photo, name and date of birth)

Driver’s license or identification card issued by a federal, state, provincial, county, territory, or municipal authority
U.S. or Canadian military identification card

Citizenship Documents

U.S. or Canadian birth certificate issued by a federal, state, provincial, county, territory or municipal authority
U.S. Consular report of birth abroad
U.S. Certificate of Naturalization
U.S. Certificate of Citizenship
U.S. Citizen Identification Card
Canadian Citizenship Card
Canadian certificate of citizenship without photo

Procedures for Children – U.S. and Canadian citizen children ages 18 and under will be expected to present a birth certificate issued by a federal, state, provincial, county or municipal authority.

Experts are saying these requirements will likely increase border crossing wait times (and trust me, they are already lengthy) — at least until people get used to the new requirements.

For a printable version of these requirements (and additional info if you are a citizen of a country other than the United States or Canada) please click here.

[tags]Mexico, Puerto Penasco, Rocky Point, border crossing requirements[/tags]

Couple Sues Google for “Street View” Invasion of Privacy

Home Buyer Suing Agent: Ummel v. Little Update

Bear Stearns Collapse: $159/share to $2 in 365 Days

Going to Mexico? New Border Crossing Rules Jan 31, 2008

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