House Comparison

Interesting House comparison... this was forwarded from a friend... I would be interested to see the sources of the information....


HOUSE # 1:

A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas.
Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house all
heated by gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy
than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average
bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2,400.00 per month.
In natural gas alone (which last time we checked was a fossil fuel),
this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an
American home. This house is not in a northern or Midwestern "snow
belt," either. It's in the South.

HOUSE # 2:

Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national
university, this house incorporates every "green" feature current
home construction can provide. The house contains only 4,000 square
feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American
southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat pumps
drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground. The
water (usually 67 degrees F.) heats the house in winter and cools it
in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural
gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required for a
conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is
collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern.
Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground
purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then
irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers and shrubs native
to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.

HOUSE #1 (20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of
Nashville,Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned
environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore.

HOUSE #2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford,
Texas. Also known as "the Texas White House," it is the private
residence of the President of the United States, George W. Bush.

The Media

This is a test... For posting options :-)

Ann Coulter is my Diva....

I am calling this Reid's Rhetoric still working on what that means. I have been watching the postings and participating on excellent chat board, that is fronted by one of my favorite right wing divas Ann Coulter. If you are unaware of her work, you should check it out. ANN COUTLER'S WEBSITE. Weak minded need not to apply, she is very direct and does not mince words. If you are looking to work on your current events knowledge. Then I suggest that you even check out the chat link, and the message boards. While there is a strong conservative feel, and you have to sort through some of the blather, there are many viewpoint that are represented. There are some excellent civil debates and the moderators do an excellent job of keeping it all organized and "clean"... Even if you do not participate in the boards you will find her articles of current events interesting, and she has a position that is not the same liberal spin that you hear everyday in Main Stream Media. (MSM) ... In fact, I fond her right on the money most of the time!

Sorting Hat I

The sorting hat says that I belong in Gryffindor!

Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those with brave deeds to their name."

Students of Gryffindor are typically brave, daring, and chivalrous.

Famous members include Harry, Ron, Hermione, Albus Dumbledore (head of Hogwarts), and Minerva McGonagall (head of Gryffindor).

Take the most scientific Harry Potter

Quiz ever created.

Get Sorted Now!

Oprah

OMG, I think that I love Oprah...







"I've learned not to worry about what might come next."

— Oprah Winfrey

Christmas Music….

Are you one of those people that cringe the day after Halloween when the red and green mixed with peppermint start rolling in view? When retailers begin their Christmas merchandising and each year I hear people comment, "sheesh, it seems as if it get earlier and earlier every year!"—Does it? Is this too early to begin decking our halls with boughs of holly, and fa la la-ing? Or is it? When those that enjoy the "Christmas Spirit" and are faced with the continued challenge of being as politically correct as possible to make sure that the things we enjoy and celebrate are not offensive to others, mixed in with all the 'Grinches' and 'Scrooges' out there it tends to get quite oppressive. Who decided that it was rude to enjoy a holiday? This leads me to believe that in fact that we are going about this the wrong way. Part of my current mantra has been to quit apologizing for being a nice guy; this is now going to include not apologizing for enjoying the things I do, including my celebration of Christmas—even if it seems like it comes early. I happen to not enjoy football, but I do not get offended when someone asks "do you know the score of the game?" I simply say, sorry I don't watch football. If someone does not celebrate a holiday, I do not understand why a simple "sorry I don't celebrate" can’t be used? I do enjoy the Christmas time so I will tell you Merry Christmas, if you don't celebrate just simply tell me… it really is that simple. What I find even more interesting is that those who do celebrate Christmas are some of the biggest proponents of making sure the holiday cheer is reduced to a sterile and bland salutation of ‘happy holidays’, just in case we miss something that someone could celebrate—and offend. But come on, who is kidding, the whole season is the way we see it and celebrate it here in the US is because of Christmas. Why does “Happy New Year” not have the same scrutiny as Christmas? If you think about it, what about Rosh Hashanah, Chinese New Year – um, HELLO? Could we offend here as well? Personally I am happy that we are in the season, and I love it over the top! It is the season, and yes the carols are cheesy, and I love it cheesy. I love the memories and I love the way people think about each other in good ways the…I don’t think that we should continue to oppress a time when people seek to be nice to each other...Yes, there are other motives present, but who cares, the general sense that I have is that of “the Christmas Spirit” and “goodwill towards men.” I love this quote from Fox News’ Common Sense by Neil Cavuto he sums it up quite nicely…(click on his name to read the rest of his thoughts on this same subject) “ We could do worse than be reminded a little early about a time that seems to bond us. Even if it offends some of us.” …

Merry Christmas!!!!

Fitness

I have recently been working on becoming healthier physically. I have to say that I really enjoy my new energy, stamina, and my clothes are baggy! I will not say that I am "into" the gym as that is too external and it is more than that to me at this point. I have recently, lost 30 lbs and feel GREAT, I have an awesome personal trainer and I love the accountability that using one provides. Looking for motivation? Talk to my trainer Carlos at Define fitness he helps keep me motivated. (They do offer the first training session free)

It would be interesting to discuss the perceptions that we have about fitness and appearance related to obcession and being healthy...