| Rising to the challenge of carbon neutrality
Although it depends on the building type, typically compliance with the Seattle Energy Code can get us close. The requirement in the 2030 Challenge is 50 percent less than CBECS, which is a recording of how much energy actual buildings use right now. It is not 50 percent better than ASHRAE 90.1, which is the benchmark used for the LEED rating system. Both the U.S. Green Building Council and ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) are reported to be working to align their performance targets with CBECS. Terry Townsend, president of ASHRAE, says that by 2010 ASHRAE 90.1 will be 30 percent more stringent than in 2004. He estimates that will signify a 58 percent reduction compared with CBECS. Achieving the two mandatory energy credits for LEED means that your project will be 14 percent better than ASHRAE 90.1.
Graham couple gunned down without warning
TACOMA, Wash. -- Pierce County prosecutors on Tuesday filed aggravated murder charges against the man accused of killing a young couple in their Graham home. Daniel Thomas Tavares Jr. pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry the possibility of the death penalty. He's being held without bail. Prosecutors have 30 days to decide whether to seek the death penalty. According to a statement of probable cause filed in court, Tavares admitted to detectives that he shot Brian and Beverly Mauck last weekend in their home and tried to cover up the crime. The court documents state that Tavares said he went to collect a $50 debt from Brian Mauck on Saturday morning and became upset when Mauck insulted him.Tavares, 41, said he wasn't going to put up with being called a name "after spending 20 years in prison" and shot Brian in the face with a .22-caliber handgun, according to the documents.
Daily Blabber Celebrity Gossip Blog from iVillage Entertainment
Celebrity meltdowns are as common as Paris Hilton has a new boyfriend stories. Obviously Britney Spears has been there, so have Mariah Carey, Russell Crowe, Anne Heche, Dave Chappelle and others. A new edition to the club? Rocker Ryan Adams, who, according to reports, "pitched a fit" for a Minneapolis audience. Though he didn't shave his head during the show or throw a phone at someone in the audience, he was said to be bitching and moaning about the sound monitors and stopped the show at one point to move equipment. Seventy minutes after he started, he announced "last song," played it and didn't return for an encore. "I don't know what the story was," guitarist Neal Casal told the Star Tribune afterward. "I just play guitar." Now, to be accurate, this wasn't Ryan's first fit.
Mass. foreclosures rise 128% in January
Nearly 800 foreclosures were recorded in January, the highest number of Bay State homes lost during a single month since August 2007, the Warren Group said today. The Warren Group of Boston is a provider of local real estate data and the publisher of Banker & Tradesman. There were 799 foreclosure deeds in January, up 128.3 percent from the 350 deeds in January 2007, the firm said, and January 2008 also marks the highest number of deeds during any month since August 2007, when there were 1,018. Auction announcements in January reached their highest number since the Warren Group began tracking them in 2005, the firm said, and there were 1,792 announcements in January 2008, up 77.8 percent from the 1,008 in January 2007. Petitions to foreclose, the first step in the foreclosure process, also increased in December, signaling that Massachusetts problems with foreclosures are far from over, the Warren Group said.
Similarities to other massacres - but this was a very Finnish affair
I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit, disgraces of human race and failures of natural selection. You might ask yourselves, why did I do this. Well, most of you are too arrogant and closed-minded to understand. I am ready to die for a cause I know is right, just and true. This is my war, my ideas and my plans. Don’t blame my parents or my friends. I told nobody about my plans and I always kept them inside my mind only. Don’t blame the movies I see, the music I hear, the games I play or the books I read. No, they had nothing to do with this. This is my war: one man war against humanity, governments and weak-minded masses of the world! HUMANITY IS OVERRATED! It’s time to put SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST back on tracks!"
Pekka-Eric Auvinen on YouTube .
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