divdyzy

With the nation's thoughts turning to turkey in anticipation of next week's feast, it's time to also start considering... fire safety. You thought I was going to say "stuffing," didn't you?

Hey, don't blame me for being a downer: I'm not the one who invented the deep-fat turkey fryer. Americans of all types - including those of questionable judgment and sobriety - will be firing up gallons of 400-degree peanut oil next Thursday, and you might be sharing porches or walls with some of them. Are you ready?

Underwriters Laboratories (the independent product safety certification organization that awards their coveted "UL" stamp to deserving products) refuses to certify any turkey fryers, citing a doomsday list of potential hazards, including oil spills, explosions and burns. Unfortunately, the UL rating is a private endorsement, and not a federal mandate.

But just because UL doesn't endorse something doesn't mean people aren't going to use it, so if your neighbor sets up on his half of your dry wooden porch with a propane tank and a 4-gallon pot of oil, please share the following with him (partial list reprinted from the UL web site):

* Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable materials.
* Never use turkey fryers in a garage or on a wooden deck.
* Make sure the fryers are used on a flat surface to reduce accidental tipping.
* To avoid oil spillover, do not overfill the fryer.
* Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby.

he scuttlebutt over Ms. Jones' new windows has finally cleared.

As reported, singer Norah Jones found herself in a dispute over adding windows to her brownstone apartment this week.

YourNabe.com of Courier-Life Publications reports that New York City's Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) has decided not to give the Grammy Award-winning recording artist's window proposal another look. They did not back down despite neighbors threatening a lawsuit.

Commission spokesperson Lisi de Bourbon told YourNabe.com that there are no plans to hold a hearing on the Amity Street property between Clinton and Court streets regardless of complaints from the Cobble Hill Association and other concerned parties. Opponents charge that Jones' new windows would be "out of character" in the historic block.

"We have no plans to have a hearing and there is no basis to rescind the existing approval," de Bourbon said about the songstress' request to install "ten new masonry openings" as well as "two-over-two double-hung windows within the openings" on the side of her home.

What do you think?

PRINT | E-MAIL More
Text: A A A
Living in a resort town, we have a lot of houseguests coming through our door. While we love to host our friends, it can start to get expensive trying to add special touches for each of them (we picked the first guests up in a chauffeured car stocked with champagne, so clearly the bar needed to be lowered at least a little bit).

Here are some ideas we've put in place to help our guests know that they made the right choice in staying with us instead of at a hotel:

Towel Animals - possibly cheesy, but they always bring a smile. I've mastered the swan, and am moving onto the elephant next.

Bath Robes - we have a 'his' and a 'hers' hanging in the guest room closet. It's an especially nice gesture if your guests will have to walk down a hall or other communal space to get to the bathroom.

Hand Towels - we bought a dozen cheap, white washcloths and rolled them up in a basket like you'd find in a fancy restaurant or hotel. The bonus is that it's more eco-conscious than setting out paper hand towels -- and more sanitary than the communal cloth towel (yuck).

Pillow Chocolates - another tongue-in-cheek move, but it's a cheap and easy one, and always gets a good laugh. No chocolates on-hand? Sub lunchbox snack cakes, airplane-sized liquor bottles, sticks of gum - it's the thought that counts.

What are some of your favorite welcome gestures for house guests?

Text: A A A
It might have less cache, but not having a traditional doorman could actually mean your apartment building's more secure.

According to The New York Times, a new virtual-doorman service is gaining popularity in luxury New Jersey apartment buildings and might have you second-guessing the need for the old-school uniformed kind. You may miss out on that hearty morning greeting, but it also means no holiday tipping needed and, best of all, no one keeping tabs on your comings and goings. But that's not all. Here's how the system works ...

At first, it sounds ridiculous. Isn't a doorman there primarily to make sure no one enters, to accept deliveries and give renters piece of mind? Yes, but in some buildings a 24-hour surveillance system is replacing the need for a costly doorman.

A new system called The Video Doorman runs about $17,000 a year, which is a steal compared to the $150,000 a year it would cost to hire doormen to cover the door for three shifts every day. But cost savings isn't the only advantage, the systems can can make tenants feel safer, too.

Video cameras are installed outside the building, in the lobby, package room and passageways with live operators monitoring the building remotely. A keypad outside the door allows residents and delivery people to interact with the remote doormen if they would like or need to. Residents let themselves in with a special fob, or they can be buzzed in if they've forgotten theirs. For deliveries, the remote doormen buzz in the delivery person then direct him or her to the package room. If anything goes wrong, the whole transaction is caught on DVD and the doorman can report the problem to the police with tapped evidence.

"This provides higher security than a doorman would in many cases," Marsha LaTessa, a partner in the Vesta Group, the developer of the building, told The New York Times. Although an actual doorman standing in a lobby can be a crime deterrent, doormen are subject to human error - and the call of nature. If your doorman takes a break or steps into the bathroom for a minute, someone could slip by since the door is open. In the virtual doorman buildings the door stays locked so even if your virtual doorman slips away to the bathroom, no one is getting in during that time.

Now if they ever outsource this to India, we may see this video doormen appearing in buildings at all price points.