March 2010: Real Estate

It’s a grim scene for condo owners in the city of Charlottesville. Among all the real estate options available to buyers and sellers over the past few years, condominiums have taken the steepest tumble. According to the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors’ 2009 year-end market report, sales of attached homes in Charlottesville are down 28.6 […]

Make winter bearable with this delightfully fortified wine

What’s in all those barrels, found in Andalucia, Spain? It’s sherry, baby. Al Gore might not have seen it coming, but the Farmer’s Almanac predicted this would be the coldest winter in a decade. Weather this frightful calls for something more than that Snuggie you got for Christmas. Thankfully, it still leaves your hands free […]

January 2010: Stuff We Love

Not so wired Whatever the future looks like, it’s not likely to be crisscrossed with wires as our homes often are today. A new technology promises to eliminate all those chargers for your laptop, iPhone, and other mobile devices—plus the cord on your coffee maker. What’s called eCoupled Wireless Power Technology is mostly available now […]

January 2010: Green Scene

Energy guides hitting mailboxes this month The Piedmont Environmental Council is mailing guides to every Charlottesville and Albemarle house this month that will help residents make their homes more energy-efficient. The Energy Smart Solutions campaign will focus on small, affordable fixes—think weatherstripping your old windows, not buying new ones. Check out how-to videos on these […]

January 2010: Kitchen

The backstory on beef The majority of cattle raised in Virginia are destined for an out-of-state feedlot where they will join the ranks of the numbered animals that are processed, shipped, and eaten around the country. As recent films and books have illustrated, commercially raised beef is one of the most troubling elements of our […]