Finally, both houses of Michigan's legislature pass a road bill

When the Michigan Senate passed a road funding bill, I wrote "Looks like it will be a long summer before this issue is resolved."  That was back in July.  A bill didn't finally pass both houses until after Election Day.  WXYZ has the story in State legislature approves road funding fix.


WXYZ followed up with the bureaucracy's reaction in MDOT responds to road funding plan.

Officials at the Michigan Department of Transportation are responding to Lansing's plan to fund road fixes.

That looks like good news, although it will come at a price. I'm not concerned about the direct costs of the bill, including the higher fuel taxes and registration fees.  I'm not even upset about the surcharge for electric and hybrid vehicles like mine; I've been expecting that for years.  Instead, I'm worried about the transfer of money from the general fund, which will impact other state services, like education.  That's why I wrote in June I was right to vote for Proposal 1, even if I was on the losing side of the largest defeat of a state ballot measure in Michigan history.  I'd rather have had that deal, as unwieldy as it was.  Oh, well, at least the roads will be better.

Monthly Meta for June 2015

June 2015 was the fourth consecutive month with more than 13,000 page views.  Before this streak began, the blog had reached 13,000+ page views in a month only three times.  It was also the most page views during June in the history of the blog.  I'm impressed with those statistics, but they weren't my readership goals for last month; these were.

June 2014 saw 11,998 page views, so the minimum goal is for 400 page views per day for a total of 12,000.  The medium goal is 12,400 to finish a day ahead and 12,600 for a five percent increase, each of which will require 413.33 and 420 page views per day respectively.  I'm trying to do that while posting no more than 43 entries during the month.  So far, I'm meeting all these goals.  Wish me luck on doing so for the rest of the month.

I succeeded in meeting all these goals.  The blog earned 13,114 page views, an increase of 9.3% over June 2014, well over my high goal for the month.  It did so from only 38 entries, five below the maximum I set for last month.  These numbers translate into rates of 437.1 page views per day and 345.1 page views per post.  The first is slightly higher than May's 443.61 page views per day, while the second is slightly lower than the same month's 352.62 page views per entry.  I'll take that, as I'm more interested in page views per day, which tell me that readership is still higher than last year.

While I don't make goals for comments, as any efforts I make to prompt more are less effective and predictable than what I can do to increase page views, last month was another good one for people responding to my posts at my blog.  Readers left 36 comments last month, the highest since February 2014 with 42 comments.  This is also the most per month so far this year.  I'd be pleasantly surprised if I could do that again this month, but I have no expectations.  Just the same, I'll celebrate this occasion  by awarding an honorable mention for most commented on entry to "Monthly meta for May 2015," which had 4 comments, enough to tie for second place.  However, it only got 85 page views.  In terms of comments per page view, it would have come in first!

The rest of the most commented on posts also made it into one or both of the ten most read lists for June, so I'll pass out those awards later.  Right now, I'm recognizing the most liked entry of the past month.  "'The Last Ship' returns and other summer TV fare" earned 22 pluses on Google Plus--all this with only 82 page views.  The post earned its "likes" though my sharing it in "The Last Ship" community on Google Plus, where the community members voted it up again and again.  That's one enthusiastic group of fans!  It's possible this may be the most "liked" entry on Google Plus in the history of the blog.

Follow over the jump for the top fourteen, which consists of the top ten for the month as of 11:59 PM EDT on June 30th plus three that had been on the list and the tenth most read entry actually posted during June, as well as my goals for July.

Leap second today

I made the following program note in the middle of A drink for Father's Day on the Summer Solstice.

Normally, today is called "the longest day of the year."  That isn't strictly true.

While we say longest “day” in regards to Sunday, the 24-hour period known as a day won’t be any longer.

The longest actual “day” or 24-hour period of the year will actually be June 30th, during the leap second.  A full second has to be added to clocks to keep everything (atomic clocks, etc.) in synch with earth’s slowing rotation.  That’s truly the longest “day” for a while.

I'll see if I remember that factoid for the final entry of June.

I remembered!  Now follow over the jump for videos from TomoNews US and HBO's Last Week Tonight about tonight's leap second.

Driving update for June: Dez, plus bonus gas prices

Dez turned over 47,000 miles on Saturday, which means it's time for another driving update.  The previous update was on April 11, 77 days earlier, so my wife and I drove Dez an average of 12.99 miles per day and 396.10 miles per standard month of 30.5 days.  That's much less than the 16.39 miles per day and exactly 500 miles per standard month of 30.5 days we drove the car last time, but more than the 11.63 miles/day or 354.7 miles/month between Dez turning over 45,000 miles and 46,000.  Some of the return trip from Mount Pleasant contributed, but the higher baseline since we moved to a more car-dependent neighborhood remains.  Speaking of which, Ruby should turn over 92,000 miles next month.  Stay tuned for an update on her.

While my wife and I drove Dez less than during the previous update, the higher baseline shows that we're still contributing to the increased driving by Americans that has occurred since gas prices fell.  Bill McBride at Calculated Risk shared the latest statistics last Thursday in DOT: Vehicle Miles Driven increased 3.9% year-over-year in April, Rolling 12 Months at All Time High.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) reported:

Travel on all roads and streets changed by 3.9% (10.2 billion vehicle miles) for April 2015 as compared with April 2014.

Travel for the month is estimated to be 267.9 billion vehicle miles.

The seasonally adjusted vehicle miles traveled for April 2015 is 262.4 billion miles, a 3.7% (9.5 billion vehicle miles) increase over April 2014.

The following graph shows the rolling 12 month total vehicle miles driven to remove the seasonal factors.

Both McBride and I attribute the increased driving to lower gas prices.

In April 2015, gasoline averaged of $2.56 per gallon according to the EIA.  That was down significantly from April 2014 when prices averaged $3.74 per gallon.

The increased miles driven will probably cause more traffic deaths, which will prevent the prediction in The Atlantic that 2015 will be the first year since statistics have been kept that gun deaths will exceed automobile deaths in the U.S.  That's a topic for another entry.  Follow over the jump for the latest on gas prices.

'Falling Skies' vs. 'Defiance' for the final season premiere of 'Falling Skies'

I telegraphed the subject of today's post in the conclusion of 'The Last Ship' returns and other summer TV fare.

I'll do the same for "Falling Skies" and "Defiance" next week, when I'll elaborate on what I wrote in the footnote to Detroit fireworks show continues for yet another year.

The first season of "Defiance" reminded me of "Babylon 5," except on Earth.  The second season so far confirms that impression.  "Falling Skies" looks like "The Walking Dead" with aliens instead of zombies and other people as the antagonists and allies.  Given that I've mentioned "Babylon 5" only once until now, and that in passing, while I've mentioned "The Walking Dead" in at least nine entries so far, it should come as no surprise that I like "Falling Skies" more.

Stay tuned.

Despite the different inspirations for the two alien invasion series, the two shows followed common paths last season.  Both "Falling Skies" and "Defiance" introduced two tropes about controlling conquered populations, secular totalitarianism and religion in the form of a false Messiah.  In a further similarity, both shows had the daughter of the male lead as the false Messiah.  Furthermore, the fathers concluded the seasons by redeeming their daughters.  I think these are the kinds of coincidences that strike me as the result of something in the culture that both are responding to.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the essay along with a preview of the final season of "Falling Skies."

Good news from the Supreme Court this week

Yesterday's ruling to overturn bans on same-sex marriage was the culmination of a legal battle that began with A song for marriage equality in Michigan and continued through Another victory for marriage equality, Another good day for marriage equality in Michigan, and U.S. Supreme Court to hear Michigan marriage equality case.  It made one of the two predictions I made in Meanwhile, at the bottom of the ballot come true.

Two years ago, I told one of my students that there would be two changes in his lifetime propelled by his generation--marijuana legalization and marriage equality.

One down, one to go.

The other major decision this week was the final defeat of King vs. Burwell, which preserved the Affordable Care Act.  That's also good news, the likes of which hasn't been seen since I posted Reaction to the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act three years ago.




For those of my readers who like the decisions, I offer Professor Farnsworth saying Good News Everyone, which I first featured in Farnsworth video meme.


For those who don't, here's a Free E-Card.


More good news happened this week outside the Supreme Court, which Infidel753 summarized with pictures in It's been a good week.  I agree.

Trump combs in second in New Hampshire poll; hilarity ensues

It's been an interesting week since I wrote Trump is Penguin for President.   I linked to the entry over at We Hunted the Mammoth, where I compared trump to the equivalent candidate in 2012.

@Pandapool: Trump is running for president.
I am unsure if that is hilarious or frightening yet.

I'm on the side of hilarious.  For starters, my wife observed that Trump's announcement reminded her of Penguin running for Mayor of Gotham city.  I agree.  Both Trump and Penguin are cartoons of a poor person's idea of what a rich person is like.  It's just that Trump actually exists in real life.

As for future comic potential, I'm optimistic that Trump will provide as much material as Herman Cain and his Plan 999 from Outer Space did in 2011 and 2012.

So far, he has. Check out Trump in CNN's Trump's New Hampshire surprise.

John King, Nia-Malika Henderson and Robert Costa discuss the latest N.H. poll that puts Donald Trump as the runner-up for the Republican primary.

I doubt what Trump said about Jeb! is true, but it is funny.

For a more serious take, here's an analysis of the poll results from MSNBC: Donald Trump Ranks 2nd In NH Poll. Why?

Donald Trump is just behind Jeb Bush in New Hampshire, according to a new Suffolk University poll. The Morning Joe panel discusses.

The conventional wisdom is that Trump isn't winning the nomination, although he is having an effect, especially on Walker and Rubio.  Follow over the jump for more on Trump.

Pope Francis and Congressional Climate Message Day

The big news from last week that I held off on commenting until today was Pope Francis urges people to combat climate change.  WOOD-TV reports.

Carl Apple of the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids talks about Pope Francis' recent stance on climate change.

I'm not surprised, as one of the answers to Where the Catholic Church stands on science and the environment, was that Francis's first act as Pope was to say that Catholics should protect the environment, the weak, and the poor.  I liked that message.  If you do, too, then today is your opportunity to do something about the environment, as it's Congressional Climate Message Day.  Here is a letter to the editor of the Fresno Bee describing today's action.

Are you concerned about climate change but don’t know what you can do about it?

On June 23, Citizens’ Climate Lobby will send almost 900 volunteers to Capitol Hill to lobby for legislation to put a price on carbon pollution. You can support them by letting your members of Congress know that you want them to take action on climate change.

On June 22, the day before CCL lobbies on the Hill, there will be a Congressional Climate Message Day (online link: citizensclimatelobby.org/ccmd/). Constituents will contact their members of Congress by phone and social media to register their support for legislation that will put a price on carbon. For information about this proposed legislation, go to citizensclimatelobby.org. A Regional Economic Models Inc. (online link: www.remi.com) study shows that pricing carbon would reduce carbon emissions, save lives, create jobs and increase the GDP.

Please mark your calendars for June 22 to take this action. To find your representatives and their contact information, go to congress.gov/members. The few minutes it takes to call, tweet or text your representatives will have a huge impact in our efforts to fight climate change.

Do it, even if the message will get the same response that Pope Francis received.  As the Associated Press reported, Republicans Shrug Off Pope's Climate Message.

Congressional Republicans are shrugging off Pope Francis' call for urgent action on climate change and dismissing his attempt to frame global warming as a moral issue.

I remember when the liberals in the church were the ones being called "Cafeteria Catholics."  The conservatives are now just as guilty, if not more so.

'The Last Ship' returns and other summer TV fare

If my readers have been counting, I promised three times that I would blog about the season premiere of "The Last Ship" tonight.  I'm making good on that promise, which I first made in the footnote to Razzies and Robocop this past February.

My wife and I are watching "The Last Ship." When I heard it was a Michael Bay show, I knew to expect a lot of action and things being blown up. I have not [been] disappointed.

Some Sunday this summer, I'm going to have to write about "The Last Ship," which is an OK post-apocalyptic drama that probably will seem more relevant and urgent after last year's Ebola epidemic.  For example, in a case of life imitating art, one of the Ebola treatments looked very similar to a treatment for the disease in the TV show.  That's not something I expect out of a Michael Bay production.

In the TV show, the ship's doctor transfuses blood from an immune person picked up during the voyage to the ship's crew who were infected in hopes of transferring her immunity to them.  That's what Scientific American described last summer in Blood Transfusions from Survivors Best Way to Fight Ebola.

Treating Ebola patients with blood transfusions from survivors of the disease should be the immediate priority among all the experimental therapies under consideration for this outbreak, World Health Organization (WHO) experts said Friday after reviewing the status of all the potential experimental therapies and vaccines. “We agreed that whole-blood therapies and convalescent serum may be used to treat Ebola virus disease and that all efforts must be invested into helping affected countries use them safely,” Marie-Paule Kieny, assistant director general for health systems and innovation at WHO told reporters. “This is something that would be ready near term.” None of the considered Ebola regimes have yet been adequately tested in humans.

Because survivors of an Ebola infection would typically have produced effective antibodies against the virus (otherwise they wouldn't have survived), transfusions of their blood into a newly infected individual may help that person survive the often fatal disease. Such blood preparations, drawn from volunteers, could be ready before the end of 2014, according to preliminary WHO estimates put out earlier this week. “We have to change the sense that there is no hope in this situation to a realistic hope,” Kieny said during a press conference Friday. She has called for other countries to help affected west African nations to build their capacity to safely do the blood drawing and preparation for what needs to be reinfused into the patients.

A Google search found that this treatment had been proposed back in 1999.  In that case, it looks less like a case of life imitating art, which it would seem to the uninformed, and more an example of a scriptwriter doing his or her homework.  Given how many examples TV Tropes lists of the show's various kinds of artistic license, I'm pleasantly surprised.  Here's to the show providing more victories of sense over sensation, although given that Michael Bay prefers sensation, I'm only guardedly optimistic.  Given the two trailers below, that's probably the right expectation to have.

When a global pandemic wipes out eighty percent of the planet's population, the crew of a lone naval destroyer must find a way to pull humanity from the brink of extinction.

Follow over the jump for more on this show and the rest of this summer's post-apocalyptic TV offerings, including the surprising addition of "Wayward Pines" to the genre.

A drink for Father's Day on the Summer Solstice

Today is both Father's Day and the Summer Solstice.  CBS in San Francisco reports on the coincidence of the two events in Summer Solstice, Father’s Day 2015 Align To Give Dads Sunniest Day Of Year.

The sunniest day of the year happens to fall on Father’s Day 2015, as the summer solstice occurs Sunday, June 21st, marking the astronomical and meteorological beginning of summer.
...
Various cultures from Swedish, Norse, Finnish, French, Spanish, Pagan, ancient British, and to even Catholics celebrating  St. John the Baptist’s day all mark the solstice in various ways, but key to many is appreciating the sun as its final direct rays blink out at the horizon around 8:30 p.m.

It will be more like 10 P.M. here in Michigan, but I digress.

Normally, today is called "the longest day of the year."  That isn't strictly true.

While we say longest “day” in regards to Sunday, the 24-hour period known as a day won’t be any longer.

The longest actual “day” or 24-hour period of the year will actually be June 30th, during the leap second.  A full second has to be added to clocks to keep everything (atomic clocks, etc.) in synch with earth’s slowing rotation.  That’s truly the longest “day” for a while.

I'll see if I remember that factoid for the final entry of June.

Enough science.  Follow over the jump as Dad gets a drink.

An 'Out of This World' drum corps show

The competitive junior drum corps season begins tonight in Indianapolis.  To mark the occasion, I'm sharing the show from last year with the strongest science-fiction theme, Carolina Crown, who performed "Out of this World."  If the group looks familiar, it's because they were the stars of Carolina Crown wins with Einstein on the Beach, which I posted after they won the DCI Championship in 2013.

First, here's a full show from a rehearsal early in the season, Carolina Crown 2014 - Out of This World - Full Show.

This video is a full run-through of Carolina Crown's 2014 show, Out of This World. This was recorded June 26, 2014 in Muncie, Indiana at Scheumann Stadium at Ball State University.

Next, the official promo clip from Drum Corps International, 2014 Carolina Crown - Out of This World.


This show reminds me that the end of spaceflight is a sign of the end of progress, but at least we're still dreaming about it in our art.

Enough looking back.  Follow over the jump for this year's music.

Trump is Penguin for President

My wife watched Donald Trump's announcement that he was running for the Republican nomination for President yesterday and remarked that he reminded her of The Penguin running for Mayor of Gotham City.  Don't just take my word for it.  See for yourself.  First, watch Batman vs. The Penguin: The Debate.



Obviously, the Penguin is a Republican.
Now, Donald Trump's best lines during his 2016 speech from CNN.

Donald Trump announced he is running for president; here are some of the best lines from his speech.

I agree with my wife.  Trump is indeed a cartoonish figure.  One of the guests on "Hardball" called him a working stiff's idea of how a rich man should look and act.  That's right up there with Ezra Klein and Paul Krugman calling Newt Gingrich "a stupid person's idea of what a smart person sounds like."

And, yes, The Penguin is a Republican.

Drinks to celebrate 'Jurassic World's box office records

I promised an update in passing in 'Jurassic World' devours competition at the box office.

Deadline Hollywood shared this bit of gossip: "Some B.O. pundits say that by the time Sunday is called, JW could actually rip Avengers‘ leotards off and become the reigning all-time U.S. opening champ."  I'll check back in a couple of days to see if that comes true.

I didn't even have to wait that long, as Reuters reported yesterday 'Jurassic World' scores biggest box office opening in history.

Dinosaurs stomped to a box office record over the weekend as "Jurassic World" notched the biggest movie debut in history, with a global total of $524.1 million, Universal Pictures said on Monday.

"Jurassic World," which reboots the dormant "Jurassic Park" franchise nearly 15 years after the first trilogy ended, grossed $208.8 million at the North American box office, topping the $207.4 million record set by "Avengers" in 2012.

At the international box office, "Jurassic World" opened to $315.3 million, exceeding the previous $314 million record set by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" in 2011.

Time to combine this update with my promise to post "drink recipes for two of the weekend's top five at the box office."  Follow over the jump for "Jurassic World" drink recipes from Tipsy Bartender and elsewhere.

Road funding bill passes Michigan House

I told my readers to expect "updates on this story as they develop" at the end of Road funding bill passes Michigan House committee.  It's time for an update from WXYZ, which reported State House approves package of bills to increase road funding.

The Michigan House of Representatives approved a package of bills that aims to put more than $1 billion toward repairing the roads. The package consists of House Bills 4505-4616.

MLive has more in Michigan House approves $1.1B roads plan, votes to eliminate Earned Income Tax Credit.

Michigan roads would see an influx of cash, but low-income workers would lose a popular tax credit, under a plan approved Wednesday in the Republican-led state House.

The 12-bill package, advanced to the Senate in a series of mostly-narrow votes, is projected to pump $1.1 billion a year into roads by 2019 without a major hike in sales or gas taxes.

The plan is largely reliant on existing state revenue, eventually dedicating $792 million a year in general fund money to roads while diverting $134 million in funding for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

All of that made it into the WXYZ report, but I seem to have missed this next part.

The plan would also generate some new revenue, in part, by eliminating the Michigan version of the Earned Income Tax Credit for low and middle-income workers, saving the state upwards of $115 million a year.

Democrats blasted several parts of the plan, saving their harshest criticism for the EITC elimination bill, which was narrowly approved in a 57-52 vote, with a handful of Republicans joining them in opposition.

Avoiding this is one of the reasons why I voted for Proposal 1 last month.  That it happened in the wake of its failure shows that I was still right to do so, even if I was on the losing side of the largest defeat of a state ballot measure in Michigan history.

Bird flu in Michigan

I'm going to continue the coverage of epidemics that started with yesterday's MERS outbreak in South Korea by examining another outbreak in the news, bird flu.  That arrived in Michigan this week as Wotchit News reported in U.S. Bird Flu Outbreak Reaches Michigan.

Michigan on Monday said Canadian geese in the state tested positive for a lethal strain of bird flu, bringing the worst outbreak of the disease in U.S. history to a 21st state. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, three young geese collected in Sterling Heights, Michigan, about 20 miles north of Detroit, were infected with the highly pathogenic H5N2 flu strain. Director Keith Creagh said the state is now focusing on preventing the spread of the disease to poultry. According to the department, Michigan is the 21st state to confirm a case of bird flu since late 2014 and the sixth to detect it only in wild or free-ranging birds.

Another Wotchit News clip on the same story included these chilling details.

Nationwide, more than 46 million chickens and turkeys have been killed by the disease or culled to prevent its spread. Most are in Iowa, the top U.S. egg-producing state, and Minnesota, the nation's top turkey-producing state.

Follow over the jump for the responses to this discovery.

MERS outbreak in South Korea

As I have done every summer for the past four years, I'm teaching Biology II (Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ecology).  I began the biodiversity part last week with the origin of life and then launched into viruses yesterday.  Since I know my audience (the class is full of people who want to work in the medical field as doctors, dentists, and veterinarians), I emphasized disease-causing viruses, especially those in the news.  At the end of the lecture, I offered my students a choice between watching a video about either Ebola or MERS as examples of emerging diseases.  They voted for MERS and got this video from DNews added last week: Should You Be Worried About MERS?

There is currently a MERS outbreak in South Korea that has quarantined thousands. What is MERS?

That video was posted on Saturday.  Since then, the number of deaths has doubled.  TomoNewsUS has the story in MERS outbreak in South Korea: 6 dead, 87 infected, 2,300 under quarantine- TomoNews.

SEOUL — Some 2,300 people have been quarantined in South Korea to prevent the further spread of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, which has already killed six people and infected at least 87.

My students were suitably impressed.  Just the same, Ebola, this isn't.  Instead, MERS acts like a really nasty flu.  That's enough to warrant coverage here, as I followed the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 flu seasons pretty closely.  Here's to South Korea getting the outbreak under control before it spreads out of the country.

Critics' Choice TV Awards winners for speculative fiction

For this Sunday entertainment entry, I'm ignoring both the box office receipts for the weekend and the top entertainment story of the day, the Tony Awards,* to look at the winners of 2015 Critics' Choice Awards for speculative fiction.

Of the speculative fiction shows that I mentioned, the only one that won was the one I totally dissed.

Last and probably least, the reality competition shows.

BEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES
• The Amazing Race (CBS)
• America’s Got Talent (NBC)
• Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
• Face Off (Syfy)
• Master Chef Junior (FOX)
• The Voice (NBC)

The defending winner, Shark Tank, didn't get renominated.  The Amazing Race and The Voice are returning nominees, but I wouldn't be surprised if Dancing With the Stars wins.  As for Face Off, it should just be happy it was nominated.

Much to the surprise of myself and a lot of others, Face Off won.

Executive producer Dwight Smith accepts the award for Best Reality Competition Series for "Face Off," presented by Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer, at the 5th Annual Critics' Choice TV Awards, May 2015.

Was I ever wrong.  That's OK, I'm glad to have missed this prediction.

It turns out there were two categories that I didn't list because they weren't listed in the press release I quoted, Most Bingeworthy and Most Exciting New Series.  Follow over the jump for the nominees and winners in each; speculative fiction did well in both.

Gas up in some neighborhoods as OPEC decides to keep pumping

The big energy news today is that OPEC agrees to keep pumping as oil glut fears persist.  I'll get to that news over the jump.  In the meantime, indulge me as I bury the lede to concentrate on the local price at the pump.

Near the end of Gas prices up after Memorial Day weekend, I wrote "for my near-term predictions, I'm not forecasting any major price increases based on the retail price environment and the commodity futures."  The answer to that was both yes and no.  It was yes for the stations in my old neighborhood.  Last week, "the old corner station was selling regular for $2.73, while the two open stations down the street were undercutting it at $2.69."  Yesterday, the corner station was at $2.77, while the two open stations down the street were still at $2.69.  It was no for the most convenient station on the way into work, which was advertising regular at $2.78 last week.  Earlier this week, the same grade of gasoline was $2.88.  Meanwhile, stations that are on my way home because of construction are selling regular at $2.75.  I'll be sure to buy my gas at one of them from now on if I'm not in my old neighborhood.

Gas Buddy shows that the Detroit average has risen from $2.70 to $2.76 over the past week, so the stations in my old neighborhood are now priced correctly according to their historical patterns, something that happened because they stayed put.  They have three more cents of rise in the Detroit average until they become underpriced.  As for the commodity prices, Oil-Price.Net lists yesterday's closing prices for WTI at $59.13, Brent at $63.31, and RBOB at $2.03.  All are up from last week, when WTI sold for $57.68, Brent closed at $62.58, and RBOB was at $1.99.  Still, all three are cheaper than three weeks ago, when the comparable prices were $60.75 for WTI, $66.86 for Brent, and $2.04 for RBOB.  That last comparison suggests that the fundamentals are not supporting any more than the usual seasonal rise in prices, and the news supports that.  Follow over the jump for stories from Reuters.

Eating bugs in Wales

It's been almost a year and a half since I last blogged about eating bugs, so when I saw ODN post a video on the topic, I thought "Why not?  It's time."  With that, I present Hungry? A pop-up resturant sells bugs and insects for lunch.

A pop-up restaurant in Cardiff sells bugs and insects for lunch.  Report by Asana Greenstreet.

I'll be sure to add this to my list of stories to gross out edify my students about the future of food.

NABLOPOMO for June: READY, SET, GO!

After skipping a Nablopomo entry last month (the monthly meta didn't count), Nablopomo as the first post of the month returns.  To celebrate, here's the blurb from the email for the first time since January.

The moment between having a great idea and executing the first steps is maybe even more exciting than completing the project.

Take, for instance, a book idea. That moment when the idea comes to me, and I can't write fast enough to get it all down to when I actually sit down and write the first page is the best feeling. I'm walking around with a secret world or situation inside my head, and I love it.

And then I have to actually write the book. And that takes work. A lot of work. And then I have to sell the book and edit the book and... well... there are about 3000 steps before I get to hold my book in my hands. And while that part rocks, too, that moment when I'm readying my mind for the journey is what keeps me going so I can get to that finish line. I mean, how else do you keep sitting down at the computer to write unless you can channel into how excited you were back before you started?

That getting started period? That's what we're focusing on with this month's NaBloPoMo.

You can read more about the new NaBloPoMo theme on our opening post.

Follow over the jump for the relevant parts of that post.