Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The story behind the Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas garage-home-office controversy is one familiar to millions---a beef over home remodeling.

For those who have not been following the Los Angeles Times investigation into the garage caper, heres a summary: Last month, reporters Jack Leonard and Paul Pringle reported that the county installed a home security system for the garage, which was being turned into an office. The reporters portrayed the project as a boondoggle, with a wall torn down for the installation of the wiring, which also required a trench dug adjacent to the garage. This work, they implied, might not have been needed. They also maintain the county has only grudgingly and slowly given them information and Ridley-Thomas has refused to talk to them.

Friday, Nancy Sullivan, Times vice president for communications called to say that four garage walls, not one, were involved in the job.

Overcoming these obstacles, the reporters found out that a contractor charged the county $6,239 for the project. Then Ridley-Thomas reimbursed the county $3,759 for an air conditioner, refrigerator and a flat screen television installed at the same time.

Beyond that, the story of the wall, or walls I should say, becomes muddy, like neighbors telling of remodeling their kitchen.

Ridley-Thomas told me that when he notified county officials he intended to move his home office, including his county computer, into the garage, they said they would have to revamp his county-supplied home security system. In addition, they said they, themselves, would have to move his county computer, with its high-speed Internet connection, into the new office. They had to do this, they said, to protect the county computer system from hackers.

Besides linking up with the Internet, the high-speed connection reaches the sheriffs office and other security agencies, Ridley-Thomas said. Each task requires wiring. In addition, the alarm system needs a wire to draw power from the home supply. So there must be wiring for a few purposeshigh-speed Internet connection, law enforcement notification for emergencies and power for the computer and the security alarm system, Ridley-Thomas explained.

County employees and the contractors looked at the garage and said they wouldnt be able to install so much wiring behind the walls without ripping them out. Since the garage was 30 years old, they said they couldnt find replacements for the old wooden walls. Lets hang dry wall over the wiring and paint it, they said. They preferred that solution to hanging the wires on outside of the old wall and covering them with molding. Fine, replied Ridley-Thomas.

Reporters Leonard and Pringle quoted a number of home security experts who said there was no need to rip out the wall to install wiring for the security system. Ripping the walls out? Thats absolutely ridiculous, said Nigel Smithers, Southern California general for Absolute Security Alarms. Ridley-Thomas is angry about the coverage and called me at home, hoping I would look into it. He said it was always clear that he would pay for the air conditioner, television and refrigerator. This was above board, there was no attempt to hide anything, it was completely appropriate and legitimate, he said.

The real dispute is over the amount of wiring needed and whether the wall should have been replaced. Was so much wiring required that the contractors had to rip down the wall? Would a cord from Home Depot sufficed? Was taxpayer money wasted? In that situation, if a contractor told me this about my home office, I might call in a contractor for a second opinion. But Ridley-Thomas, required to use the county for the job, didnt have that option.

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The story behind the Ridley-Thomas garage caper

Published: Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 6:12 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 6:12 p.m.

OCALA -- A construction team renovating an Ocala residence discovered extensive vandalism to the home when workers arrived to work on Thursday, according to an Ocala Police Department report.

The owner of A-Team Restorations told an officer the team had been working on the home, located in the 2800 block of Northeast 19th Avenue, since Dec. 1 and that the residence is owned by a bank.

He said the workers left the home around 4 p.m. Wednesday and discovered the damage upon returning the next day.

Police said some of the damage included vulgarities written on the walls, wood paint/stain spilled on the floor, white paint thrown and spilled in a bathroom, a broken toilet, electrical wiring ripped from walls and tiles ripped from the floor.

The cost to repair the wreckage is estimated at around $20,000, the business owner said.

Anyone with any information about this incident can call the OPD at 369-7000, Crime Line at 369-7061 or Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, or visit http://www.ocalacrimestoppers.com. Tips can also be sent via MyPD App for the agency or by texting 274637 using keyword 368STOP.

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Empty home suffers extensive vandalism

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CAIRO, Egypt Foreign fighters returning home to the U.S., Britain and other countries after honing their skills in Syria's civil war are posing a "nightmare for security services," experts and officials say.

About 11,000 people have crossed into Syria seeking to help topple President Bashar Assad's regime including about 60 who are believed to have traveled from America. However, many have now been left disillusioned by bitter infighting between rival rebel groups and some have given up their weapons and returned to the West.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson earlier this month said that the U.S. government was "very focused" on the issue of militants returning to the country.

"Based on our work and the work of our international partners, we know individuals from the U.S., Canada and Europe are traveling to Syria to fight in the conflict," he added.

Raffaello Pantucci, a senior research fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute think tank, said recent history shows that "battlefields that have Sunni jihadist ideology have produced some sort of a threat."

The bombers who killed dozens of passengers on London's transport network on July 7, 2005 were "British nationals who went out to Pakistan and Afghanistan, before returning home to make the impact," he added.

Bilal Abdullah, one of two terrorists behind a failed 2007 attack on Scotlands Glasgow International Airport, also trained with the group now known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) before returning home to the U.K., according to Pantucci.

Bolstered by an influx of foreign fighters, ISIL has become one of the strongest actors on Syrian battlefields, Pantucci said. They are also active in Iraq where they gained control of Fallujah and Ramadi last month.

Due to their extreme ideology, it was thought that ISIL was linked with al Qaeda but the global terror groups general command denied that earlier this month.

According to The International Center for the Study of Radicalization think tank, an estimated 11,000 foreign militants have entered Syria between late 2011 and December 2013 including about 60 Americans.

Originally posted here:
Syria's American-Born Rebels Pose National Security 'Nightmare'

Blacksumac announces Android app for its Piper DIY security system.

If you haven't read my review of Blacksumac's Piper home security system, here's the gist: it's a cute, compact $239 device complete with a 180-degree fish-eye lens, a 1080p camera sensor, motion-detection capabilities, environmental sensors, optional integration with Z-Wave gadgets, and more. When it first launched, you could only access Piper via the free iOS app. Starting right now, Blacksumac has a new app available for Android users.

Blacksumac's co-founder and CEO, Russell Ure said in the official press release: "The smart, connected home is more accessible to users than ever before. Consumers want to connect with their home in a simple and intuitive way, and future connected home offerings will be guided by technology that anticipates what we need and is controlled naturally. We're thrilled to extend consumers the option to connect with their homes via Piper through any Android device."

Sounds good to me. Download the new Android app for free here. I'll give it a try and update the review accordingly as soon as I can.

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Piper home security system gets an Android app

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Even though not all the snow has melted, the Edwardsville Public Services Committee approved the next big street project at its recent meeting.

The committee OK'd a local approval agency agreement for federal participation for the West Union Street Project in an amount not to exceed $352,262.

According to City Engineer Eric Williams, this local agency agreement with the department of transportation is for the federal highway funds for the resurfacing of West Union Street.

"Currently the project's estimated construction cost is at $766,000, which leaves the balance at $352,265. The good news is the Madison County Board, at their Jan. 4 meeting, agreed to participate in the amount of $159,250 to match our local share through the county local matching tax fund that leaves the city a construction balance of approximately $193,000," Williams said.

Right now, the Public Works Department is working to obtain all of the necessary easements needed before the project can go out for bid.

City Administrator Tim Harr wanted to know how much of the sidewalks in the area does this contract include.

"It's a substantial portion of it. It's not 100 percent. Some of it has been replaced in recent years," Williams said.

Because of the amount of resurfacing that has taken place on the street, some of the curbs there are not as high as they should be and Public Services Chairman Barb Stamer asked if that will be addressed.

Williams answered that most of the curbs will be replaced and returned to the established height.

Right now, the city is in line for bid letting on April 25, with construction beginning approximately 30 days after. If the project is not bid, the next time it could be bid is June 13.

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West Union Street project moves forward

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