Mexico's Institute of Social Security, which oversaw the day-care facility where 44 children died in a fire last week, removed its director in the state where the tragedy occurred, the state-run news agency Notimex reported.
It all started when mortgage rates plummeted a few months ago. I read the papers and said to myself, "You're paying 6.75% on your loan for this apartment. Rates are in the high 4% range now. You should probably refinance." Since I always listen to myself on such matters, I decided to look into it. If I had known what I was in for, I would have slapped myself silly. Instead I let the bank do it.
Car expert Tom Torbjornsen answers a letter from a auto owner:
Question 1. My air conditioner is on its last leg. If I upgrade to a more efficient unit, is there a government rebate or anything else? -- Floyd, Florida
Yorelle Haroush fled a million-dollar South Florida home this week, chased out, she said, by drywall made in China that's emitting vapors that smell like rotten eggs.
The minute a lightbulb burns out in your place of business, Don Howell can tell you about it. By e-mail, that is - the tall Virginian won't show up at your office door. His company, ADMMicro, installs power metering equipment that can tell when an air conditioning filter needs to be changed or whether a freezer door has been left open.
Strontium sulfide, a material that can emit corrosive gases in moist air, was found at trace levels in testing of Chinese-made drywall, the Florida Department of Health said.
A truck stop is an assault on the senses, especially on a hot summer day. There's the smell of diesel, the taste of exhaust fumes and the nerve-jangling, ever-present rumble of truck engines -- even when the drivers are asleep.
When she put her six-year-old Seattle, Washington, home on the market a few months ago, real estate broker Reba Haas knew darn well she needed an edge.
It looks like America may be getting a whole lot more energy-efficient as part of any new stimulus package.
Mexico's Institute of Social Security, which oversaw the day-care facility where 44 children died in a fire last week, removed its director in the state where the tragedy occurred, the state-run news agency Notimex reported.
It all started when mortgage rates plummeted a few months ago. I read the papers and said to myself, "You're paying 6.75% on your loan for this apartment. Rates are in the high 4% range now. You should probably refinance." Since I always listen to myself on such matters, I decided to look into it. If I had known what I was in for, I would have slapped myself silly. Instead I let the bank do it.
Car expert Tom Torbjornsen answers a letter from a auto owner:
Question 1. My air conditioner is on its last leg. If I upgrade to a more efficient unit, is there a government rebate or anything else? -- Floyd, Florida
Yorelle Haroush fled a million-dollar South Florida home this week, chased out, she said, by drywall made in China that's emitting vapors that smell like rotten eggs.
The minute a lightbulb burns out in your place of business, Don Howell can tell you about it. By e-mail, that is - the tall Virginian won't show up at your office door. His company, ADMMicro, installs power metering equipment that can tell when an air conditioning filter needs to be changed or whether a freezer door has been left open.
Strontium sulfide, a material that can emit corrosive gases in moist air, was found at trace levels in testing of Chinese-made drywall, the Florida Department of Health said.
A truck stop is an assault on the senses, especially on a hot summer day. There's the smell of diesel, the taste of exhaust fumes and the nerve-jangling, ever-present rumble of truck engines -- even when the drivers are asleep.
When she put her six-year-old Seattle, Washington, home on the market a few months ago, real estate broker Reba Haas knew darn well she needed an edge.
It looks like America may be getting a whole lot more energy-efficient as part of any new stimulus package.
It looks like America may be getting a whole lot more energy efficient as part of any new stimulus plan.
No one wants melting ice cream. Nor do we want melting polar ice caps. The trouble is, keeping our ice cream cold warms the planet because powerful greenhouse gases are used in most refrigerators and freezers in the U.S.
Paydays are safe -- for now -- but small businesses are hurting
With gasoline prices hitting record levels, it seems everyone has a tip on how to save fuel. Much of the advice is well-intentioned, but in the end, much of it won't lower your gas bill.
Republicans on Saturday blocked the Senate from considering a bill next week that would nearly double federal aid to help the poor pay heating bills
It's that time again, when you turn on the A/C to chill out from the summer heat and all you get is hot air!
Cut your energy bills by squeezing another year or more out of the things you own and postponing the day you have to replace them. Here are top tips on what you need to know.
Bud Offermann's targets are invisible contaminants, like dust mites, mold spores, or volatile organic compounds, that homeowners worry might be damaging their health.
Solving the energy crisis requires sacrifice. For the good of the country, we should be sweating
Little things like switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs and turning the heating down in our homes sounds so easy, but how many of us do make those small changes, and others like them, that together can make a much bigger difference to avoid climate change and protect the environment?
Nothing in your house affects your comfort more than your heating and cooling systems.
With gas prices hitting record levels, the traditional family road trip has become a source of dread. It now costs some serious money to drive a few hundred miles.
Here are some frequently asked automotive questions put to expert Tom Torbjornsen.
Nobody thinks much about air conditioning this time of year. Heck, depending on where you live, your heat may already be on for the season and your flannel pajamas pulled out of storage.
The scenes from the California wildfires are horrifying enough, with windblown walls of flames destroying homes and buildings in their path, but health experts say the smoke can be even more dangerous.
Ready to take advantage of the federal government? You have until December 31. That's when Washington puts the kibosh on consumer tax credits of up to $500 for energy-saving products such as high-efficiency furnaces, water heaters, windows and insulation.
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- Stifling heat, with a high of 104, greeted NASCAR's Nextel Cup and Busch Series drivers Friday at California Speedway.
Good kitchen design starts early, even as early as locating the room within the house. If you're lucky enough to be able to choose which direction your kitchen will face, consider orienting it toward the east or southeast, where morning sun will fill it with light. Unfortunately, in rehab, choosing the southeast orientation is not always possible, although we think it's worth working hard to achieve.
No, it's not your imagination -- it definitely is getting hotter. The eight warmest years on record occurred over the past decade. But staying cool this summer doesn't necessarily mean you have to pay a fortune to keep the air-conditioning running day and night.
Temperatures reaching the 120s left millions holed up indoors Friday and made leaders in the West nervous about the strain on their cities' electric grids.
As the summer swelters on, skyscrapers and apartments around the city will crank up air conditioners and push the city's power grid to the limit -- but some have found a cool alternative
With the hot summer approaching and ever more air conditioners and other consumer electronic devices straining the nation's already burdened power system, utilities are scrambling to get customers to use less.
Sleep like a sailor -- at least for a night or two.
French Polynesia remains the undisputed capital of overwater escapes, where $700 is the typical starting price for a hut poised on stilts in a tranquil, aquamarine lagoon. But resorts exist that are both far more affordable than Bora Bora and still within belly-flopping distance of the water.
Not so long ago the scene inside Room 406 of the U.S. Senate's Dirksen building would have been inconceivable. There, on a mid-February morning, sat top executives of three old-economy behemoths - ...
Brown Abrams had a problem. His company, FiberLok, based in Fort Collins, Colo., manufactures an advanced 3-D textile used as logo material on uniforms, baseball caps and the like. Clients couldn't...
Jason and Kelly Joseph don't drive a hybrid car. They don't shop exclusively in the natural foods aisle. And they don't lose sleep worrying about global warming.
Here's some good news about energy conservation: Americans are a lot more efficient than we used to be.
Businesses across the country are facing a big question this week: Will the heat wave sweeping the nation help or hurt their sales figures?
My grandpa co-signed $60,000 in student loans for a relative. My relative is in default. The collection agency is now calling my grandpa. Can they put a lien on his house or threaten garnishment? He is retired living on Social Security. -- Mike
Temperatures are hitting triple digits. And if you're one of those people sizzling in this heat wave, 5 Tips is going to show you how you can cool your home for less.
It's the first day of summer - are you set to stay comfortable as we enter the dog days? If not, today's Five Tips can help.
Termites. water leaks. fire hazards. They're all out to turn your biggest asset into a money pit. But home upkeep needn't swallow your weekends and lay waste to your savings. "Do the maintenance in small doses and you'll avoid the big problems later," says David MacLellan, author of The National Home Maintenance Manual.
Once the flood waters recede, mold spores take hold. In fact, even just a small amount of moisture could be endangering the heath of your family.
As the temperature rises and sweat trickles down your back, it's nice to think about escaping the blaring rays of sun by slipping into an air-conditioned room.
It is a hot and humid mid-summer's day in Hong Kong, with the temperatures hitting 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 Fahrenheit), but my toes, ankles and legs are freezing and my shawl is barely keeping me warm.
Nothing in your house affects your comfort more than your heating and cooling systems. Yet unless the heater conks out during a blizzard or the air-conditioning goes on the fritz in the middle of a heat wave, most of us pretty much ignore our heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment.
As the price of a barrel of crude hovers around $50, homeowners may be worrying about the impact of soaring oil prices on their heating bills this winter.
Japanese shares closed higher Friday, recovering from five-week closing lows the previous day, on views that recent price declines had partly factored in political instability that could follow this weekend's election in Japan.
Imagine getting home from work to be greeted by the family robot, which recognizes your voice and reminds you that you've forgotten your spouse's birthday before alerting you that the hospital has just called.
Unlike other televisions sold in the United States, the $149, 13-inch Haier Ribbit comes in a frog-shaped console, doubles as a night-light, and forces kids to answer math problems before switching...
It's one of those things you remember from growing up. Driving with my family across southern New England on the Merritt Parkway, we would pass over the Housatonic River on the singing steel bridge...
Zhang Ruimin has a plan for entering American homes. The chairman and chief executive of Chinese appliance maker Haier is intent on capturing 10% of the U.S. market for full-sized refrigerators wit...
When you watch a trial production run at International Truck & Engine Corp.'s revamped truck-building line in Springfield, Ohio, it's hard to believe you haven't stumbled into a plant for making sl...
With more than a month to go before the official start of summer, last year's record-high temperatures may be nothing but a hazy memory. But once the mercury climbs and your only redress is an over...
I'm on my way, I'm making it I've got to make it show, yeah So much larger than life I'm going to watch it growing. --Peter Gabriel
Amid the armies of experts on law, economics, and technology who have been drawn into the battle over Microsoft's future, Bob Dole is a bit like Waldo in the Sunday comics: out of place and easy to...
Courtland L. Logue of Austin, Texas, just can't help himself. It's a compulsion with him: He loves to start new businesses. While most entrepreneurs might start one or two, maybe even three, enterp...
IT'S A FEW MINUTES before the morning shift at a Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. semiconductor plant. Workers are shuffling toward locker rooms to don ''bunny suits'' and other sanitized apparel...
EMMANUEL KAMPOURIS, the Egyptian-born CEO of American Standard, studies the Bible not just for moral lessons, but for management guidance too. His idol is the redoubtable Nehemiah, who in 445 B.C. ...
Back in the early '70s, OPEC's oil shocks made energy conservation all the rage. But now, President Clinton's proposed $22-billion-a-year BTU energy tax -- virtually certain to pass Congress -- has...
-- WATSCO Watsco thrives by taking the misery out of summer in the Sunbelt. The company, in Coconut Grove, Florida, is the country's largest independent distributor of central air-conditioning syst...
While it's far from proven that electromagnetic fields are harmful, a little caution can't hurt. In addition to power lines and wiring, many devices around your home or office produce fields when t...
REMEMBER that pudgy kid in the eighth grade, the one who liked to concoct bombs in his mom's kitchen? Now he's one of America's premier software designers. Or that other brat, the one who got in tr...
Effective air conditioners -- and heaters, for that matter -- turn out to be a serious challenge to automakers trying to produce an electric car the public will buy. Prototypes like the Nissan two-...
AS SOON AS the installation of new carpeting began in 1987, workers in a Washington, D.C., office building started complaining of burning in their lungs and dizziness. Within months 700 people were...
Once again, Japanese companies are taking a technology invented in the U.S. and using it to create groundbreaking consumer products. The new technology is called fuzzy logic because it enables mach...
Shortly after a geothermal energy plant began operating eight years ago within three miles of her two-bedroom home in Leilani Estates, a subdivision on the Big Island of Hawaii, Sheila Darsey began...
FEDDERS CORP. Most manufacturers worry about the economy; Fedders frets about the weather. But rain or shine, the outlook for this Peapack, New Jersey, company is hot. Domestic market share is clim...
DEEP IN THEIR HEARTS, utility men love to build generating plants. Big boilers, broad dams, tall stacks. Power for the nation. And this is the time when utilities would normally be starting a new r...
For all the progress the U.S. has made, some industries still fall far short of the Europeans and Japanese in design. Many American managers simply aren't trained to appreciate it; the subject rare...
OZONE, A VARIANT of the oxygen we breathe, is the Jekyll and Hyde of the atmosphere. At ground level, where it is a pollutant from smokestacks and tailpipes, ozone contributes to smog. But in the s...
Though Americans are living better than ever, the rest of the world is doing pretty well, too. The myopic Thomas Malthus has been proved wrong one more time. Populations do not necessarily starve t...
THE SPECTER of takeovers is haunting a lot of Americans -- and not just because junk bonds might prove junk indeed or because spooked managers might cling harder to short-term concerns. Many also f...
A NEW KIND of semiconductor chip is about to work wonders on a vast assortment of products, including many standard household items. The chip is helping produce air conditioners that run without th...
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