Learn How to Buy the Best Condo in San Diego

San Diego is a great place to buy a condo because of its perfect weather and wonderful easy lifestyle. Anything you could ever hope for is at your fingertips. People who live in San Diego are always smiling, drinking surfing and having a good time. Who would not want to own a vacation condominium in San Diego, or even just live in a condo on the beach? Sunny San Diego is a coastal Southern California city located in the southwestern corner of the continental United States. As of 2006, the city has a population of 1,311,162 people.

It is the second largest city in California and the eighth largest in the United States. The larger metropolitan area is the 21st-largest in the Americas, with a population over 4.8 million. It lies just north of the Mexican border (shares border with Tijuana, Mexico), and is a home for United States Navy, United States Coast Guard and United States Marine Corps bases, many miles of beaches, and a mild Mediterranean climate. The average temperature is 72°F, with an average rainfall of 9 in (228.6 mm).

San Diego’s economy centers on the military, tourism, trade, agriculture, ship-repair and construction, defense-related companies, biotechnology, computer science, electronics, real estate speculation. It is also home to some of the wealthiest enclaves in the country, including the suburbs of Cardiff by the Sea, Del Mar, Fairbanks Ranch, Rancho Santa Fe and Bonita.

Downtown San Diego is located on San Diego Bay. Balboa Park lies on a mesa to the northeast. It is surrounded by several dense urban communities and abruptly ends with Mission Valley to the north. Coronado and Point Loma separate San Diego Bay from the ocean. Ocean Beach is on the west side of Point Loma. Mission Beach and Pacific Beach lie between the ocean and Mission Bay, a man-made aquatic park. La Jolla, an affluent community, lies north of Pacific Beach. Mount Soledad in La Jolla offers views from northern San Diego County to Mexico.

Mountains rise to the east of the city, and beyond the mountains are desert areas. Cleveland National Forest is a half-hour drive from downtown San Diego. Numerous farms are found in the valleys northeast of the city. The city of San Diego itself has deep canyons separating its mesas, creating small pockets of natural parkland scattered throughout the city. San Diego County also has more endangered plant and animal species (as determined by US Environmental Protection Agency) than any other county in the United States.

Military bases in or near San Diego include U.S. Navy ports, Marine Corps bases, and Coast Guard stations. San Diego is the site of the largest naval fleet in the world, and with the reductions at the Norfolk, Virginia basing facilities and the retrenchment in the Russian naval base at Vladivostok, San Diego has the largest concentration of Naval facilities in the world. It has two of the US Navy’s Nimitz class supercarriers, (the USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan), five amphibious assault ships, several Los Angeles-class “fast attack” submarines, carrier and submarine tenders.

For more resource about San Diego Condos or even about condos and espcially about condominiums please click these links.

Google Street View Continues to Raise Privacy Concerns

Google Street View, a Google Maps feature that lets users see images of streets and the surrounding areas, continues to generate controversy. Since its launch in May 2007, the feature has prompted questions about whether it constitutes an invasion of privacy, complaints about inappropriate images, and even a lawsuit.

Aaron and Christine Boring vs. Google

The lawsuit came from a Pittsburgh couple in April 2008. The couple lives on a private road. However, Google’s Street View team travelled down the road and continued taking images all the way up to the couple’s home. The images were then posted to Google Maps and included close-ups of the couple’s home, swimming pool, and outbuildings.

Google’s response? “Complete privacy does not exist in this world except in a desert, and anyone who is not a hermit must expect and endure the ordinary incidents of the community life of which he (or she) is a part (1).”

While Google’s assertion that its Street View imaging team is an “ordinary incident of community life” is far-fetched, Google does make some good points in its response. Namely, that the plaintiffs could have simply requested that Google remove the offending images from Street View via a form available on Google Maps. Instead, the couple filed suit and in doing so have made the matter public record and ensured that the images will be viewed by even more people.

Since the lawsuit, Google has removed the images in question, but the suit remains open.

The Borings’ Neighbors

On Goldenbrook Lane, a nearby street, some of the Borings’ neighbors also had an incident with the Street View team. In this incident, the Street View team drove up Goldenbrook Lane and into the driveway of the McKee residence. They continued to drive, snapping Street View images the whole way, up to the garages of the McKees (2). While it appears that the McKees didn’t resort to a lawsuit, Google has removed the images of the home that were taken from private property from Street View.

Street View in California

In California, the antics of the Street View drivers continued. Drivers reportedly went on over 100 private roads in Sonoma County according to an analysis done by PressDemocrat.com. In another instance, Street View drivers went past two no trespassing signs as they photographed the 1,200 foot private road leading up to Betty Webb’s house in Humboldt County. In another incident reported by PressDemocrat.com, Street View drivers ignored a no trespassing sign, passed through a gate, and drove through someone’s yard on a dirt road near Freestone.

Street View and U.S. Military Bases

In March 2008, the Pentagon requested that Google remove some images of military bases taken from public streets due to the potential threat those images posed to national security. “It actually shows where all the guards are. It shows how the barriers go up and down. It shows how to get in and out of buildings,” said General Gene Renuart, commander of U.S. Northern Command (3). According to Google spokesman Larry Yu, Google has honored the Pentagon’s requests (4). However, the Pentagon was still reviewing the many images of military facilities that were included in Street View (5).

Street View Goes Global

After the complaints in the U.S., other countries warned Google that Street View would have to be modified to comply with their stricter privacy laws. To this end, Google has improved facial recognition technology so that it can find faces in images and blur them so that they are unrecognizable. This technology has also been applied to license plates. The blurring feature has since been applied to U.S. Street View imagery in addition to images in other countries where Street View is now available.

Accountability

While Google has removed some of the aforementioned locations from Street View, the burden to monitor Google’s actions, be it Street View or other Google services, continues to fall on people like you and me. With regard to Street View, Google argues that “many people–visitors pulling in the driveway, neighbors turning around at the end of the road, deliverymen delivering packages–can all plainly see the exterior of the (Borings) home (6).” While these examples are likely accurate for the Borings and the population in general, they involve people that we know or strangers that we requested to come to our homes. Private residents didn’t request that Google visit these neighborhoods nor would residents reasonably expect that someone would be driving down their streets taking photographs of everything. In fact, I suspect that if you or I were to do the same thing, someone would call the police and we’d have some difficult questions to answer down at the station.

Potential Consequences

So, what could the consequences of Street View be? Well, while the feature has been used to aid police in a kidnapping investigation (7), I think the feature could be far more useful to criminals. For example, a criminal could use Street View to case a neighborhood–checking Street View for cars that are parked in garages or driveways so they could know when someone isn’t at home, scan the yards and windows for any signs indicating that homes have security systems, check the proximity of neighboring houses using Street View and Google’s satellite imagery, look for signs of pets that could pose problems for a thief, see if the homes have newspapers delivered (which might help the thief determine if the residents were on vacation) and, assuming the criminal found a good candidate, select a few potential access points (like open windows) for breaking into the home. If the Street View car happened to pass through your neighborhood on garbage day, the camera might even capture the box of that new HDTV you got. Scary, huh?

Protecting Your Privacy

So how can you protect yourself? First, check your address using Street View. To report a concern with Street View imagery, enter the address you desire and click “Search Maps.” Then, click “Street View” in the thought bubble that appears on the map. Once the “Street View” image appears, click “Report a Concern” in the bottom left corner of the Street View image and enter the details of your complaint.

Second, be mindful of how your information is used and act when you feel your privacy is being threatened. Google’s Street View can be a helpful tool, but it is meant to help Google sell ads and make money, not protect your privacy. You can write your local, state and federal representatives and even the local paper to voice your opinion.

Oh, and if you believe as Google does that “complete privacy does not exist,” then you should check out the house where Google CEO Eric Schmidt reportedly lives using satellite imagery from Google Maps. It looks like he has had some construction done in the past few years. A simple Google search of the address (366 Walsh Road, Atherton, CA) will tell you that Schmidt merged two adjacent lots in 2001 (8) to create the new lot and then added a new fence, retaining wall, and drainage in 2004 (9). Eric, that creepiness that you’re feeling is probably approaching the level of the people who had Street View vehicles in their driveways. So, while it is Google’s mission to “organize the world’s information and make it accessible and useful,” the company should thoroughly consider how that information can adversely impact the same people it is meant to help.

Sources

1. Preliminary Statement.” Boring vs. Google, Allegheny County, PA
2. TheSmokingGun.com “Google is in Your Driveway!”
3. Reuters. “Google pulls some map images at Pentagon’s request.” Mar. 6, 2008.
4. Ibid
5. Ibid
6. Preliminary Statement.” Boring vs. Google, Allegheny County, PA
7. Telegraph.co.uk. “US police use Google Street View to find missing child.” Jan. 9, 2009
8. Town of Atherton City Council Minutes, May 16, 2001.
9. Palo Alto Online, September 24, 2001.

(C) Medium Blue 2009

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I have a theory, but I’m not sure that it’s true.
There was no other way that I could find to respond to your answer, so I’ll do it hear. I understand your answer, but I was asking specifically about humboldt county. Wouldn’t the arctic air mass that comes down here be colder than the water it passes over, or the land that it passes over?

need to change my time to go to seminar to 1;00pm

I’m sitting in my info tech class and were doing movie maker. This time we are doing a project about what our favorite vacation place will be, i already chose the pictures and now i need music.

The Bay Area Of San Francisco

The city and county of San Francisco is the fourth most populaous city and California and the thirteenth most populous city in United States. It is the financial,cultural and the transportation center of the larger San Francisco Bya area, a region of more than 7 million people. It is a popular tourist destination, renowned for its’sttep rolling hills, modern architecture and cultural diversity.

San Francisco is a major city in United States,and is a popular vacation destination in US.Known for its’ amazing setting, San Francisco is located at the northern tip of the peninsula at the entrance to San Francisco Bay.Alcatraz, Angel, Farallon, Treasure, and Yerba Buena islands are part of the city.

The region north of the Golden Gate Bridge is also known as the North Bay. With a few exceptions, this region is quite affluent. The North Bay is comparatively rural to the remainder of the Bay areas and consists of many areas of underdeveloped open space, farmlands and vineyards.

The Eastern side of the Bay consisting of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties is locally known as the East Bay. The East Bay is broken into two regions- the inner East Bay and the Outer East Bay. The inner East Bay is more urbanized, more obtusely populated, has a much older building stock (built before World War II) and a more ethnical population. The outer East Bay is particularly urban in Livermore, while being part suburban in Pleasanton-Dublin and its base was mostly built up after World War II.

The residential areas along the Southern edge of the Bay are known as South Bay, Santa Clara Valley and Silicon Valley. This area has long been industrialized and enlarged and is often marked as a stereotype of the exemplary California suburban city. Today, the growth continues, primarily fueled by technology and cheap immigrant workers.

So, here is some information about San Francisco Bay, which is a very attractive and pleasing area to visit.

My husband and I are planning a vacation during the end of November. We thought maybe Alaska, but I found out that there isn’t much daylight during that time. We are now looking at the Yellowstone area. We don’t ski. Would like to try snowmobiling. We want to stay in an area that isn’t really crowded. A cabin with a fireplace but is easily accessible if it snows. Also how’s northern California or Washington State?

Terrific Holiday and Retreat Homes In San Felipe Realty

Just 125 miles south of the multinational border between Calexico, California and Mexicali, Baja California lies San Felipe. This makes it a favorite with vacationers and retirees from Western US states’ and Northern Mexico. This is because of the fact that numerous tourer favorable attractions like night clubs, beaches, bars as well as scrambler courses are in the nearby desert. Baja247.com offers a huge range of San Felipe real estate and vacation homes for sale. If you are interested in Baja real estate, then this is the place to be. Some of the good packages in Baja real estate are extended below.

San Felipe real estate picks also has many remarkable packages such as the El Dorado Ranch which persists as a preferred San Felipe real estate option due to its good comforts. It has stunning comforts like a beach club, pool, 24 hour security functions, restaurants and a USGA-rated 18-hole golf range. There are numerous solar alternatives in the San Felipe real estate area and El Dorado is a solar region with access to 24 hour security services and other comforts.

San Felipe construction options also have the great offer of Pete’s Camp which is a master planned residential district, established 30 years ago right at the stunning scene of the waters of the Sea of Cortez. You can enjoy this remarkable San Felipe real estate comforts and the beach, barely a couple of minutes walk away, at lowest ever costs of 0000 to 5000. So don’t allow this proposal pass by, telephone us today to savour these great venues.

Owning a San Felipe real estate offer at a rock bottom price of 000 is simple with this brilliant unused trailer. It has the added advantage of being set up in a clean beach, has a really informal residential district and also its individual market and vendors. This San Felipe real estate community is just a few minutes-walk from the nearby beach and has extra amenities like 24 hour security services and friendly maintenance staff. There is also enough room for parking and adequate space if you have extra invitees over the weekend.

Getting into a ‘trust’ with a Mexican bank is one of the three ways for a Non Mexican to possess San Felipe realty and be possessors of San Felipe land and property. You can guide the bank that is technically possessing the title of the San Felipe construction on all decisions about your realty and property. Ejido Land is property which has been kept aside to be used by farming communities by the Mexican government. It is essential to purchase Ejido land only through the Ejido office. Chartered Land is quite low-cost as it does not require a trust and also cannot be repossessed by a Bank. Make sure that you go through your dealing with a trusted community member. So for a San Felipe realty deal, call us now or visit baja247.com to have a look at our collection of splendid homes available for sale.

Barreled Over by the Many Wines of France

Perfect Pairings

April 12, 2007 – as published in the Beacon News and Naperville Sun

By Bill Garlough

Last spring I was invited on a wine-lovers dream vacation – a tour of several major wine regions to barrel sample the latest vintage. The French believe the 2005 vintage could be the best in 40 years. As this is occurring now for the 2006 vintage (and is an annual event), I thought this experience is worth sharing.

Our first visit was to the Rhone Valley. Northern Rhone is mountainous and has steep vineyards. The primary red grape is Syrah, with bold, spicy and peppery notes. We visited Domaine Vernay and were treated to outstanding 2003 – 2005 vintages of Syrah. We had in-depth conversations concerning proper root stock height, techniques to force the roots to grow deep down into the soil, leaf purging, trellising the new shoots and the use of organic fertilizers. Grape growing, after all, is farming.

Next we traveled to the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region in Southern Rhone. We visited Chateau Domaine Berthert-Nayme, where the vineyards are literally covered with round, baseball-sized limestone from the nearby Rhone River. The friendly Chateau owners generously treated us to a sumptuous dinner. To reciprocate their hospitality, last October, the same Chateau owners were in the United States for an extensive wine tour and we were pleased to entertain them at our home. That evening, we enjoyed American fare and a selection of local and California wines.

Heading west toward Bordeaux, we traveled to the Cahors region and visited the Clos Triguedina winery, whose wines have been used by President Chirac for state dinners. They make a wonderful red with 100 percent malbec grapes called Prince Probus, an elegant white dessert wine and a specialty wine using ancient wine-making method which dries the grapes in an oven before the fermentation process. This darkens the color, concentrates the flavors and is aptly named Black Wine.

For our second week, we traveled to Bordeaux, divided by the Gironde River into two major wine regions. The left bank includes the Medoc and Graves regions featuring cabernet sauvignon. The right bank is primarily the St. Emilion region which focuses on merlot.

We started our Bordeaux tour in St. Emilion at Chateau Cantenac. Other local wineries toured included Chateaus Ausone, Cheval Blanc and Angelus. Of these, I was struck by the sheer elegance and silky texture of Cheval Blanc and the layers of black fruit in Chateau Angelus’ wine. These were two of my favorites.

To give us an overview of the 2005 Bordeaux vintage, we visited several leading wine wholesalers. As some tasting rooms had samples from literally hundreds of Chateaus (wineries), I asked the staff to please show me the top 20 in the room to narrow the field. You had to constantly use spit buckets to survive. In general, the 2005 vintage is big, tannic and has layers of fruit. It should prove to be a great vintage.

We started our left bank tour in the Northern Medoc region and worked our way south. The appellations we covered included St. Estephe, Pauillac, St. Julien, Margaux, Graves, Pessac-Leognan and Sauternes. We visited from four to eight wineries per day. Probably our most impressive single day included Chateaus Latour, Lafite-Rothschild, Haut-Brion and Chateau d’Yquem. Without question, these are some of the best wines I have ever tasted.

The Chateaus themselves were magnificent and some were virtual works of art. I can better appreciate the sense of pride the French feel towards their wine industry, with its rich history and tradition. I was truly barreled over in France by their architecture, culture, cuisine, warm hospitality and the 2005 vintage. Magnificent!

As this trip covered wines ranging from Rhone’s, dessert wines and Bordeauxs, their diversity does not allow for specific food pairings nor specific recommendations this month.

Please visit your local wine merchant and ask for their recommendations. The 2005 vintage is probably not yet available, but the 2000 and 2003 vintages were excellent. The only current vintage that is average/below average is the 2002 vintage.

For more from Bill Garlough’s Perfect Pairings visit My Chef.

Travel And Leisure Books Your Guide Way To The World Of Fun And Leisure

Have you ever considered a trip as an option in your list of presents that you plan to give your loved one? Most people often overlook the possibility of considering a trip because of the great expenses. However, with emergence of travel and leisure books you are rest assured of a lifetime experience that is worth remembering. In the recent past, very many people have come up with their written works be it in magazines, journals, newspapers and off course travel and leisure books. Similarly, there has also been a steadfast increase in the number of websites offering free guidance on the best areas in the world to spend your vacation.

Among the most popular travel and leisure books is the New York Times great and bestseller by Patricia Schultz. It gives a clear guideline on the one thousand places that you ought to see before your life on this world ends. This is surely more than a travelers list, but it is ideal even for students. Other than the various short descriptions and authors opinions, this book contains clear pictures that show each and every place that is described. Some of the very wonderful places that are shown in this book include; the Ice hotel of Sweden, Californias wine country, Na Pali Cliffs of Hawaii, The La Sagrada Familia found in Spain, and Africas great Ngorongoro Crater. This book is just one of a kind among all travel and leisure books. It goes further to look at some other sites in Asia, New Zealand, Australia, South and Northern America, Europe and Africa, among others.

The Travel and Leisure magazine is another publication of the travel and leisure books. Once you subscribe to this magazine, you get to know a lot of things thanks to the various columnists who write about vacation guides, hotel reviews, travel articles, vacation hotels and resorts.

Once you get your help from travel and leisure books, you have to proceed with your plans. The next thing that you cannot afford to forget is to visit a discount store or a craft and source the best travel pamper basket. Inside the basket, do not forget to include a jasmine or lavender pillow spray which will keep the bed of your loved one smelling good all night long. Secondly, buy her some bubble bath to soak herself after the very long day of adventure and site seeing. The third asset especially if your friend happens to be girl is peppermint foot lotion to keep the tired feet cool. Similarly, although many hotels and vacation resorts do provide enough shampoo, they do not offer adequate conditioners. Therefore, buy her some good hair conditioner that will maintain her hair all time long.

Other things that travel and leisure books propose include; a neck pillow, toothpaste and toothbrush, a sleep mask, and obviously her favorite candy. Do not ignore any advice that you get from travel and leisure books especially if it concerns the size and quality of the things to buy.

Travel and leisure books also offer similar advice when it comes to a guy. The most important thing is that you do not overload the suitcase of your guy just because men are known to be strong. For a guy, you should swap the bubble bath and pillow spray with aftershave.

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