Free Republic

How do you deal with extreme heat? I have zeroed in on a strategy that works very well for me. I am retired, on a limited budget, do not own a swimming pool; limited retirement income.I am also lucky to own a 41-year old house, with the originally installed ac/heating unit capable of maintaining a 33-degree differential between outside and inside temperature, apparently indefinitely. Limited only, so far, to the amount I am able to afford for pay for the energy. I do a minimum of work inside the house and keep the thermostat between 78-82, keep the large screen...

The Alaskan Army National Guard troops, who rarely see a day above 90 degrees in their home state, arrived in Iraq in January, when the temperatures were cooler. CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Aug. 19, 2005 — Infantry soldiers from the Alaskan Army National Guard have a defined mission, which is providing force protection in the Baghdad area, but their mission involves much more than patrols and Baghdad community oversight. "Our main mission is force protection … but our guys like working with the local people too." U.S. Army Capt. Wayne Mitchell During their days patrolling the streets or waiting to be...

FOLSOM, Calif. (AP) - As electricity grid managers prepared for another day of high energy demand Thursday, one of two units at a nuclear power plant was shut down so workers could fix a leaky pipe, cutting 1,100-megawatts of electricity from the state power grid. One of the units at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo County was shut down after workers found a crack in a pipe that delivers water to cool a pump, said David Proulx, a senior inspector with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The water was not involved in reactor cooling and there...