Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Rep. Aaron Schock has an explanation for whats been called his Downton Abbey-inspired office: hes never been an old crusty white guy.

The Illinois Republican made headlines this week after a report surfaced revealing his work digs in the Rayburn House Office Building received an extreme makeover from an interior decorator.

The design guru told The Washington Post which was first to report the story that the bright red walls, chandelier, feather arrangements and sconce with black candles, among other accouterments, were inspired by the dining room in the PBS drama.

When I go take a personal vacation I dont sit on the beach, I go do active things, said Schock, who is now 33 and once bared his abs on the coverof Mens Healthmagazine. And so, I'm also not going to live in a cave. So when I post anInstagramphoto with me and my friends, asTaylor Swiftsaid, haters gonna hate.

My office last year, or four years ago was a dark navy. And so obviously it wasn't of interest four years ago, Schock told ABC. So I think the fact that it's red makes people go, Wow, that's different.

Schock contends hes never even seen an episode of the popular British series.Maybe we'll have a Downton Abbey watch party? cracked the lawmaker, before adding, At the end of the day, regardless of what color wall you choose your office, the most important thing in Congress is what you do for your constituents and what you do for your job.

Schock also said, I'm not upset about the red walls.

A government watchdog is calling on ethics officials to investigate the Illinois Republican for allegedly accepting free services from an Illinois interior decorator and paying for new furniture with campaign funds.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, also known as CREW, filed thecomplaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics on Tuesday. Republicans view the group as leaning to the left.

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GOP rep on 'Downton' office: 'Haters gonna hate'

A promotional cast photo for "Downton Abbey" season 5. Nick Briggs/Carnival Films 2014 for MASTERPIECE

WASHINGTON - An Illinois congressman who decorated his office in a style modeled after the TV show "Downton Abbey" may face an ethics investigation.

A watchdog group has asked a congressional review panel to examine whether Republican Rep. Aaron Schock broke House rules by accepting professional interior design work for free.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group, requested an inquiry by the Office of Congressional Ethics, an outside panel that reviews ethics complaints against House members. A spokesman for Schock declined to comment, as did the Office of Congressional Ethics and the House Ethics Committee, although on Wednesday, Schock told ABC News that he would pay for the work on his office.

The Washington Post reported this week that interior decorator Annie Brahler donated her services as she decorated Schock's Washington office with a red carpet and walls accented with antique-looking frames and sconces reminiscent of "Downton Abbey." The popular PBS show depicts the lives of aristocratic family and their servants in 1920s England.

U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., speaks in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner during a campaign rally outside the State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Monday, Nov. 3, 2014.

AP Photo/Seth Perlman

"Perhaps it's not totally surprising that the same congressman who spent campaign money on P90X workout DVDs wanted to create a more picturesque setting in which to be photographed, but the rules clearly require him to pay for those renovations himself," said Anne Weismann, the watchdog group's interim executive director.

House rules broadly prohibit members of Congress from accepting gifts or services valued at more than $50. The rules include numerous exemptions, including one that allows gifts from personal friends. Brahler, who owns an Illinois-based firm called Euro Trash, also decorated Shock's previous Washington office, the Post reported.

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Congressman's "Downton Abbey"-inspired office draws ethics questions

It was all about the Schock value for lawmakers yucking it up at the Washington Press Club Foundations Congressional Dinner.

News of Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) giving his Rayburn House Office Building work digs a Downton Abbey-esque makeover complete with interior decorator-styled red walls, chandeliers and feather arrangements dominated the annual fete Wednesday at Washingtons Mandarin Oriental.

MSNBC host Alex Wagner, the emcee at the fundraising dinner, honed in on the Schock office saga from the get-go: Most of you know the news this week that Aaron Schock decorated his office in the style of Downton Abbey. What I did not realize is that this is apparently a thing on Capitol Hill, she told the crowd.

[Rep.] Darrell Issa, his office takes inspiration from True Detective, Wagner said of the California Republican. [Rep. Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.)] office is inspired by Game of Thrones. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Wager said, is a diehard fan of Sons of Anarchy. Wagner then said the perpetually tan Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) of course has taken inspiration [on] dcor from Orange is the New Black.

But Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) appeared to defend Schocks new office color scheme, saying, It should be clear that the Ethics Committee said that members of Congress can paint their walls any damn color that they want to paint them, and its not violating any kind of rule.

While he has attended the Congressional Dinner in the past, ITK did not eye Schock at Wednesdays soiree. But that didnt keep the crowd from buzzing about the 33-year-old congressman. A female companion was overheard asking Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) if she thought Schock was in attendance at the journalist and lawmaker-filled festivities. I dont know, Gabbard was heard replying, he might be hiding.

Gardner got seemingly high marks from the crowd for his rapid-fire delivery of one-liners at the event, which traditionally features a pair of lawmakers who deliver humorous remarks. I recognize I was not the original speaker for the night, the Senate freshman said with a grin. I wasnt the first pick. But you know how [Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.)] is he can be so picky about the groups he talks to, Gardner quipped to huge laughs from the audience, making light of the House majority Whips speech before a white supremacist group in 2002.

Rangels remarks appeared to be more off-the-cuff, aside from a short bit in which the veteran congressman received a fictional call (on his flip-phone) from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Telling Bibi who is poised to speak before a joint session of Congress next month that he had lunch with President Obama earlier in the day, Rangel cracked, Im afraid your name never came up.

Among those spotted at the dinner: Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Joaqun Castro (D-Texas), Mimi Walters (R-Calif.), Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Dennis Ross (R-Fla.), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a selfie-snapping Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Gwen Graham (D-Fla.), PBS NewsHours Gwen Ifill, journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault (who received the Washington Press Club Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award), NBCs Luke Russert, Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Angus King (I-Maine), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Al Franken (D-Minn.) and CNNs Wolf Blitzer.

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'Schock value' at Congressional Dinner

The wait is set to continue for those that have laid down some cash and cleared a space in their garage for Elio Motors' US$6,800, tandem seat, 84 mpg (2.8 L/100km) American-made three-wheeler. The company has announced the vehicle's launch has been delayed ... again.

When we first reported on Elio Motors' concept car in mid-2013, it was expected to go into production in July 2014. When we checked it out in person at CES 2014, that date had been pushed back to the first quarter of 2015. Shortly after seeing the new and improved prototype last month at CES 2015, Elio has pushed the launch date back yet again, this time into 2016.

That must be a bitter pill to swallow for the nearly 39,000 people that have put down between $100 and $1,000 to reserve their spot in the production line. In a press release that went out a week after CES wrapped last month, the company focused on the multiple financing options it was pursuing, indicating that financing its operation is clearly an issue.

"We are currently working on several financial strategies, and are confident funding will be secured, CEO Paul Elio said in the statement, adding that it was "too premature" to pin down a production date, but that it will be in 2016 and not 2015.

Among those financial strategies is selling millions of dollars worth of surplus equipment on eBay from the former General Motors facility in Louisiana where the company plans to manufacture its vehicles.

Despite delays, Elio continues to press ahead with refinements and additions to the vehicle, which it showed off at CES 2015. The latest prototype that we saw in person has an added hatchback trunk for more storage and a new tablet-based infotainment system that brings music, navigation, connectivity and optional control of a rear view camera.

Further, Elio plans to unveil its custom developed 0.9-liter, 3-cylinder engine prototype at a private event this Friday in Michigan. The company claims to be the "first start-up vehicle manufacturer to develop its own internal combustion engine since Nash Motors in 1951."

The engine was designed by Berlin-based automotive engineering company IAV to be efficient in both highway and city driving environments. Elio says it will take the vehicle to a top speed of 100 mph (161 km/h), with acceleration from zero to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) taking 9.6 seconds.

The company still says the car will go for $6,800 and be offered in a choice of seven colors. For more information and vehicle specs, check out our previous coverage.

Source: Elio Motors

Originally posted here:
Elio Motors' 84 mpg, $6,800 three-wheeler continues to play hard to get

App makers have officially shrugged off the holiday lethargy and are updating apps stores with amazing new additions to make all our lives collectively easier. Or at the very least much prettier.

This week, Microsoft is on a crazed app development bender, building more lock screens for Android, buying one of the best calendar apps out there, and helping make its own Windows Phone platform even better. Let's take a look at what Microsoft and other developers are up to.

Microsoft Garage is an amazingly wonderful programit's like an app developing machine, creating smartphone software across iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Its latest creation for Android reimagines the lock screen and incorporates some Microsoft services into what is probably your Google-filled smartphone existence. The lock screen pulls images from Bing, displays missed calls and texts, current weather and news, and of course, a Bing search bar. [Free]

If you're lucky enough to live in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, or San Francisco, making a reservation just became waaaay easier. Reserve helps you with your dinner reservation from beginning to end. Pick one of Reserve's partnered restaurants in the app, choose the time of your reservation, and let the app do the rest. You can also set the app to automatically pay for your bill when you're done. Here's a toast to convenience. [Free]

The U.S. is the worst place in the world for finding a deal on flights. That's why we need all the help we can get. With features like "Watch a Trip" and "When to Fly," Hopper tracks the trips and destinations you're looking to visit and sends push notifications when it discovers a significant price decrease. We'll most likely still be paying more than all our international friends, but hey, it's a start. [Free]

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Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

When Mike and Meghan Maag of Carthage sold their house on Cherry St. and moved into a home in the Sherwood Oaks subdivision north of town, the timing was both long overdue and perfect.

They had never planned to stay on Cherry St. for an extended period of time, but additions to the family like their Chesapeake Bay retriever, Riley, and their son Alden, who was born last July, helped turn the house into a home. It also made the 1,000 square foot residence feel a bit cramped.

We bought it initially just to have a house instead of renting an apartment or something like that, said Mike. We really only planned to stay there for a year or two, and we ended up staying there seven years.

As the family grew it became obvious the single-bathroom home on Cherry St. wasnt going to fit into their long term plans.

We both get up and leave for work at the same time, so we were fighting for showers, Mike said. Back at the old place it wasnt big enough for one person, let along three people and a dog.

While Meghan was pregnant with Alden she decided to place the old home on the market. She contacted Barb Cole of Sharpe Real Estate, who got the ball rolling on the sale for the Maags.

She was over the next day and had everything set up and had us sign the paperwork, said Mike. Within 24 hours of talking to her it was up on the internet with pictures and she was already having people scheduling viewings.

We just thought it was too hard to do on our own, added Meghan. We called Barb and she had tons of people come through that summer (2014).

The couple who bought the house werent some of the numerous people who came for a walk-through. They saw the house via Skype and decided to make an offer. Meghan had gone to school with one of them and their parents lived just south of the house.

We were fortunate enough that our house was in the right location, said Mike.

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Maags finding attachment with new home

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