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May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
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The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
July 26, 2006
/ 1 Menachem-Av, 5766
Crank up the AC & I get cranky
By
Lenore Skenazy
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
So now we know how it feels to be a Hershey bar in a pizza oven. What a relief to get home, crank up the AC and damn the world to ever steamier summers.
That's right, I'm giving you a hard time for blasting your air conditioner, and not just because I'm the one who's always wearing a sweater and complaining about how cold it is in the office.
I realize that life can be pretty miserable without air conditioning. And the subway? Commuter fondue. For the sick and the elderly, AC may even be a lifesaver. But one-sixth of the electricity we use in America more than all the electricity used in India - goes to air conditioning. Generating that power adds to global warming, which means that summers are going to keep getting hotter until the polar ice caps melt, New York is underwater and we're all nice and cool (and wrinkly).
Until then, shouldn't you throw out your window unit provided no one is standing directly underneath?
You bet your sweaty buns. But if you're like most people, you won't ... unless you start thinking about all the ways air conditioning has made us a lonelier, chubbier, less-fulfilled country.
The loneliness factor is obvious - just look at how we spend our season (not) in the sun. Before the advent of air conditioning, summer was one big block party, with neighbors gossiping, hydrants spewing and lots of shrieking the good kind. Now those same revelers stay inside Googling "fun" and wondering why they never have any.
Then they snack.
Which is better for everyone involved: dipping a chip into guac or a toe into ice cold hydrant water? And which one is going to give you a bigger gut? Maybe one reason we're all blimping up (besides the Colonel's Extra Crispy) is that the AC keeps us in the living room instead of heading out to toss a Frisbee.
We used to spend summers outside. Now that seems too hot compared to the climate-controlled stores beckoning us in. So instead of playing, we end up paying. We'd have been better off just hanging out on the porch.
Except the porch is gone! Another victim of AC! Shade, who needs it anymore? Once builders started to depend on AC, they stopped designing homes that cooled off naturally and cheaply. Commercial developers stopped, too. Out went the blueprints for buildings shaped to promote cross-ventilation. Stark towers sprang up, their windows sealed shut. These behemoths trap so much heat that parts of the Sears Tower have to be air-conditioned even when outside it is zero degrees.
Now, weeks like this one, AC sounds pretty good, even in zero degrees. But there are ways you can feel cool without wasting as much energy or money. Don't leave the AC on when you're not at home. Use fans when you can stand it a little warmer. And then: Get out there! To the park or pool or that sizzling stretch of sand called Coney. This is July, not January. You're supposed to be hot.
You're just not supposed to fry the planet.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Lenore Skenazy is a columnist for The New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
Lenore Skenazy Archives
© 2006, NY Daily News
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