Lack of global warming strikes University of Hawaii graduation

People wanting to give fragrant, locally grown lei for tomorrow's graduation at the University of Hawai'i most likely will have to settle for imported orchids that don't smell nearly as nice.

An unusually wet and cold growing season stunted this year's crop of tuberose, pikake, puakenikeni, ginger and other flowers popular for lei — just as demand has spiked for May Day, Mother's Day and high school and college graduations.

The dark and wet conditions also made the crops vulnerable to rot and fungus, and the continued rains often washed away chemical treatments.

"It was very cold for most of February and March and well into April," said Edwin Mersino, a county extension agent who works with growers on O'ahu. "It was unseasonably cold on average — 5 to 10 degrees colder. So the plants were set back and things didn't grow as fast. For many of the growers, they're going to miss graduation."

Lack of global warming strikes Edmonton: Mother Nature gives cold shoulder to May long weekend campers

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fires are so -- umm, banned.

With low temperatures forecast to hover around or slip below zero over the next few days -- with up to 10 centimetres of snow predicted for Tuesday -- Mother Nature is testing the mettle of Edmontonians this May long weekend.

Not only will long weekend campers be forced to bundle up against the unseasonable chill, but dry and windy conditions have resulted in several fire bans across the province, meaning campfire comfort may be out for some.

It's Alive!: Alternative energy subsidies make their biggest comeback since Jimmy Carter. - Reason Magazine

Obama has promised to “invest” $150 billion in new energy research and development during the next 10 years. “To truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change,” the new president declared in his February address to Congress, “we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy.” What he presented as bold new policy has a long and decidedly untransformative track record. The main difference in 2009 is that an unfounded fear of depleting global resources has been replaced with an exaggerated fear of global warming.
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Nearly all of the $3.4 billion in stimulus money for fossil fuel research is expected to be [blown] on carbon capture and sequestration projects, which are intended to demonstrate the feasibility of capturing carbon dioxide produced by power plants and injecting it underground, thus preventing the gas from entering the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.

If climate change were not a concern, humanity could easily power its economic development using abundant coal and natural gas supplies for decades to come.