Word: heating
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...Gilbo, 21, may have the hottest job on Capitol Hill. Each workday he puts on two suits, one over the other, both made of materials that seal out dust but trap heat. Then he wraps his wrists and ankles, pulls a rubber respirator over his head and climbs more than 200 ft. into the narrow space between the Capitol's inner and outer domes. Gilbo, who lives in Georgetown, Mass., is part of a 10-man crew removing poisonous lead paint from cast-iron walls in temperatures that regularly soar above 100[degrees]F. "It's a pretty hostile environment...
Millions of Americans last week knew the feeling; sauna-like conditions have gripped much of the country, from the East Coast to the Rockies. The sweltering heat has left at least 100 people dead since mid-July, mostly in the Midwest. Drought emergencies were declared in scores of counties, from Montana to Maryland. Roads buckled under a blazing sun. Crops shriveled after weeks without rain. And with air conditioners and fans at full tilt, utilities strained to meet electrical demand...
...heat Gilbo and his fellow citizens were experiencing, the legislators working under those sizzling domes seemed remarkably cool--not just about the weather outside but also about what it might portend. While a single heat wave doesn't make a worldwide meltdown (see following story), a great many scientists believe that by continuing to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, humans are forcing drastic climate changes. Yet Congress seems determinedly indifferent. As the lawmakers prepare for their summer adjournment, legislative efforts to slow that warming by reducing greenhouse emissions have all but ground to a halt. Withering too, like...
...current heat wave, the National Weather Service says there won't be much relief until late August. And from Joe Gilbo's perch high in the Capitol, the hot air may be felt for much longer than that...
Across the intersection, however, I saw an oasis. Dotting the sea of metallic car roofs that shimmered in the heat at the traffic light were several white taxi signs. Once again, I stretched out my arm, looking toward the throng of cars and hoping, praying even, that one of those cabbies might catch...