| Homes blend eco-friendliness, unique design
Theres been quite a buzz around town lately about energy and water conservation practices, and for years so-called green building has been a hit.
However a few homes in Truckee were built eco-friendly, not just to save heat and money, but because theyre just plain interesting.
One with the Earth
Sue and Jeff Cauhape have been living in their Tahoe Donner, earth berm home for 12 years. The couple maintains that, despite being for-the-most-part covered in dirt, their home is very bright and inviting.
Its not dark inside at all; we were surprised by how much light there was, Sue Cauhape said. We tried to sell it for two years, but I dont think a lot of people get the concept. Its odd, but weve been very comfortable here.
Comfort inside the home can be attributed to its thermal mass the walls absorb and retain heat, so the house requires neither heater nor air conditioner.
LOCAL ECONOMY: Staffing may have soft year Housing recovery's pace ...
Economists and employment consultants are predicting a soft year ahead for hiring in Las Vegas and Nevada, as sustained lethargy in the housing market combines with slow growth in the resort sector to cap expansion ambitions among area businesses. Researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Center for Business and Economic Research are forecasting 2.1 percent job growth for Southern Nevada in 2008, while analysts at the state's Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said they expect job formation to clock in at 1.9 percent statewide next year. Those numbers are well below the state's 5 percent and 6 percent job-growth rates of 2005 and 2006, but they're an improvement on the 1 percent pace of recent months. The employment department isn't expecting a dramatic turnaround in job growth because economists there predict new jobs in residential construction will be hard to come by for much of 2008.
Baby found in field after tornado OK; recovery begins across state
The body of the boy's mother was found in the same field, houses were wiped to concrete slabs, and a brick post office was blown to bits. But, except for a few scrapes, Kyson was fine. At a makeshift shelter for storm victims at Hartsville Pike Church of Christ in nearby Gallatin, the Rev. Doyle Farris said the child was a reminder that people "should never give up, even in the midst of the worst storm." "If you look, you can find an inspiration or a bright spot," he said. "The child will always be a reminder in this community of that message." Kyson's story emerged as a tale of hope amid spectacular misery as residents in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas tried to piece their lives back together after the nation's deadliest twister rampage in two decades killed 59 people.
What Should People That Don't Believe in Manmade Global Warming be ...
I chose "skeptic" because liberals cannot fairly lay exclusive claim to the term. This the way they really want it BTW. "Journalists" in particular really consider that term their baby. Nope, the sword cuts both ways. If "skeptic" is good enough for other issues of consensus science, then it's good enough for AGW. -PJ "Trake: Your lofty convictions are another blemish on the rump of congregational sectarianism." -Tumbler 5/15/07 .
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