Bjørn Lomborg: Feel-good Earth Hour not answer to global warming

The main thing that anyone accomplished by turning off the lights at nighttime for an hour was to make it harder to see. The environmental impact was negligible. Indeed, even if everyone in the world had participated the requisite hour, the result would have been the equivalent of turning off China’s carbon emissions for roughly 45 seconds.

[We're saved!  Massive, reliable, cost-effective, already-built power plant to get close early!] | OregonLive.com

Portland General Electric filed Friday to close Oregon's only coal-fired plant early, by 2020, in exchange for installing $470 million less in pollution controls than proposed by state regulators.
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The decision is significant for the utility's ratepayers. After hydropower, Boardman is PGE's biggest, most reliable and least expensive source of power. But PGE said it's cheaper to avoid the costly pollution control upgrades and close the plant early than it is to install the upgrades and operate through at least 2040.
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"We absolutely think this is a huge win for the environment," said Dave Robertson,  PGE's vice president of public policy, adding that the regulatory pathway is clearer for the 2040 option. "We're really taking the higher, more difficult road on this."

Increase in Arctic ice confounds doomsayers | Mail Online

Dr David Whitehouse, of the Global Warming Policy Foundation think-tank, said: 'The recent observations make the 2007 projections that the region would be ice free by 2013 look very unrealistic.'

Weather, success of small businesses often tied | WNCT

Beautiful summer-like days not only boost morale, they have a similar effect on business.

It’s spring in eastern north Carolina, flowers are blooming and business is booming, especially on the patio area of Chico’s in downtown Greenville.
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“It was a pretty cold winter, pretty cold, wet, dark winter this winter so I think everybody’s especially excited,“ agreed Will Zarbock, server. “It may just be me, but like when it’s sunny outside you know endorphins going, everything’s happy. Spend money, let’s have fun. Spend money, let’s go out and stuff.“  [Obviously this guy isn't a climatologist, or he'd know that the warm weather might give him painful kidney stones.]

All that spending means changes for the restaurant. Cold weather froze the Greenville area and also their hiring.