We have a town close by. The building inspector lives there. He said the horseshoe shaped streets create a real mess. You can quickly see it on Google maps.

It is an interesting thought Mama-goose. I could not imagine what I was going to see.

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: Horse shoe town

The ugly head of corporations squeezing the life out of resource-rich third world countries, will perhaps allow some of this to come to fuition. But not if it means the masses of people expect to control what happens in the areas of human rights and health reform and a chance to work at jobs in the oil fields, and a decent living wage, the right to control their lives using due process of law. Oh no. They will not allow that to happen.

Look at what is going on here in the Gulf region, which the major oil company of BP, which has American Oil/Amoco as a part of it, look what they are doing to the region envionmentally speaking. Total disregard for human life and the law. In fact, the law is in their pocket. They've already had the Supreme Court rule that they are individuals with super rights above the law, that our government will be liable for any infringements on their profits and right to rape the land of its resources.

Look at the past. Exxon not paid for the Valdez problems. Texaco/Chevron not paid for the Ecuador spills. BP not wanting to pay for the Gulf spill, or even wind up the kill of this ill conceived deep water drilling effort.

And there are other incidents too. All point to the way the oil companies and other huge corporations are above the law. And the people are immaterial. That is why they want smaller government, which means a government that cannot contain their greed, or stand up for human rights. It will be an era of total slavery if we do not reign in these corporations.

You know what really made me gag? On the news one evening, as we were driving somewhere, the reporter on CNN (commie news network) said that the government says the oil spill is starting to evaporate, and would soon not be an issue.

OIL? EVAPORATE?!!!!! Since When?!

Unfortunately, there are so many stupid people in this nation that they would actually believe that. Because, after all, it was on the news. And our government said so. They wouldn't lie, right?

What an absolutely stupid and low I.Q. reporter. This is what we are turning out from our schools.

It's sickening.

shades, thanks for the link. Columbus, OH, was designed in the shape of a Maltese Cross, which seems pretty efficient. That was before 'urban sprawl' and the construction of the Outer Belt, but you can still see the basic shape on the map.

ML, thanks for reminding us of the disaster in the Gulf. Since it's not so much in the news these days, I tend to get busy with life, and forget how devastating it really is. I take for granted the oil and other petrochemical products that I use to make my life more convenient--don't stop to consider the toll that producing them can take on the earth, and on human, animal and plant life.

Hey, sandy808, is that reporter, by any chance, related to your architect?! ;) Sorry, I know you're having a rough time with house plans, but I couldn't resist. I've been doing the same thing with graph paper--just trying to fit everything I want into a small kitchen. Hope things look better tomorrow.

....in Vermont, no less, with no furnace. Maybe the link works below, I hope so.
There is an article about it today in the NYT, and then this video. They had trouble finding insurance because they were told with no furnace the pipes would freeze. This is a fascinating article and so is the video.

Here is a link that might be useful: Passive Vermont house video

Thank you, moccasin, for the video link. I really like that Ted Benson--I saw another video about a Habitat for Humanity house that his firm had designed.

The video mentioned that one thing that made a Passive house efficient, is that it is extremely well-sealed. We have lots of shale in So.OH, so not sure about the radon issue.

I WOULD LOVE to find a way to harness and store the heat that builds up in our southern-facing sunroom in the summer--that would be appreciated in the cold, dark winter!

Ah yes....a thermal battery. Now wouldn't that be an interesting invention. If it comes to pass, it most certainly won't be invented by a bloated government agency funded by "stimulus money", it's doubtful the inventor would be a lone individual working out of their basement. So that just leaves a corporation. They are the only ones with the resources and infrastructure to persevere through the endless failures then bring it to market. And of course, some portion of it will be toxic or will require mining some element that will leave that particular spot on the earth in worse shape than before the discovery.

The best we can do is try to learn from our mistakes and try not to repeat them. That's just the way it should be, no matter if you live in a large home or a smaller home.

Scott