Just this past September, a tornado hit Park Slope, Central Brooklyn and parts of Queens, doing substantial damage in a few short minutes. It left people in other parts of the city wondering, “Could it happen here?” But the tornado—and …
There are some eight million people living in the five boroughs of New York. A sample size that big is bound to yield some bad apples. Most every New Yorker knows how to avoid the garden-variety, shady-looking miscreant on the street—th…
If they have a mind to, an unscrupulous person in possession of someone's personal information can cause a lot of damage. Their mischief can range from opening charge cards and other lines of credit, running up huge charges in the vict…
For pretty much every business sector you can think of, 2009 was a roller coaster of a year—and real estate was particularly hard-hit. Some industry professionals have weathered the storm, while others have packed up and moved on from t…
The Federation of New York Housing Cooperatives & Condominiums recently held a roundtable seminar for board presidents and board members at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. The October 24th event attracted around 50 people and pa…
Our homes are our sanctuaries—the places we go to feel safe. Sometimes, though, problems arise that can threaten that sense of security. We worry about fire, or intruders or other common fears, but rarely do we consider environmental co…
Microchip technology and innovations like biometrics and voice recognition devices have revolutionized the residential security industry. Once purely in the realm of science fiction, computers can now perform retinal scans and hand pri…
Not so long ago, if you wanted to know who was on your stoop, you stuck your head out the window and asked who was there. But these days, the demand for greater security and the evolution of technology has led to the availability of sy…
For New York residents, every neighborhood and every borough and every county could well be another state entirely. Whether it’s a few blocks or a few miles, every area has its own personality, its own perks and its own downside. When i…
In terms of building security, boards today are in a tricky position. They are obliged to protect the residents, their property and offer the same quality of life just as they did prior to the great economic belly flop of the 21st Cent…