2015 Critics' Choice Awards, Speculative Fiction, Politics, Crime, and History

For this Sunday's entertainment entry, I'm taking a break from looking at the box office receipts for the big screen, as I did for the past three weeks to examine the best of the little screen in the genres and topics I find most interesting, speculative fiction (encompassing science fiction, fantasy, and horror), politics,  crime, and history.  The occasion is the 5TH Annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards, which are taking place tonight.

The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) announced nominations for the 5th annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards, which will be broadcast live on A&E from the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, May 31, 2015 (8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT), with a one-hour Red Carpet Special preceding the awards show.

HBO leads the networks in nominations with 27, followed by FX which garnered 16. Topping the list of nominated series are Justified (FX) and Olive Kitteridge (HBO), both with five nominations. The Americans (FX), Bessie (HBO), The Good Wife (CBS), Transparent (Amazon) and Wolf Hall (PBS) followed close behind with four nominations each. Other top series with multiple nominations include American Crime (ABC), American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX), The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Broad City (Comedy Central), The Honorable Woman (Sundance), Jane the Virgin (The CW), Silicon Valley (HBO), Stockholm, Pennsylvania (Lifetime) and Veep (HBO), all with three nominations. Walton Goggins is nominated for his performance in two different shows: Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Justified (FX) and Best Guest Performer in a Drama for Sons of Anarchy (FX).

These awards should be a good preview of the Emmy Awards.  Those nominations will be announced in July and the winners awarded in August.

Follow over the jump for my comments on tonight's nominees.

A conversation about the TPP on BlogTalkRadio

Last month, I was n BlogTalkRadio for Earth Day,  where I talked with the host about the California drought and the unsustainability of California's water infrastructure to support the state's population, agriculture, and industry.  This month, I was on BlogTalkRadio again, where I participated in "Free Trade, Jobs and the TPP" a "Living Room Conversation" Coffee Party Radio.

Living Room Conversation on TPP

Here at the Coffee Party USA, we think it's time to have a civil and reasoned conversation on the Free Trade, Jobs and the TPP!

Join us on Thursday, May 28, at 8:30pm eastern time for a special Coffee Party radio show as we use the concepts of “Living Room Conversations” to have a respectful discussion around this controversial topic with special guests.

The Coffee Party Website has more in Living Room Conversations.

Living Room Conversations is a process that allows individuals to get to know one another in a more meaningful way - while also exploring a contested issue. Guided by a simple and sociable format, participants practice being open and curious about all perspectives, with a focus on learning from one another, rather than trying to debate the topic at hand.

Come learn about both the TPP and the Living Room Conversation process and discover a practical way to bring civility and reason back to our political discourse.

To listen to the program and hear me and other people from the Coffee Party talk about the TPP, click on either of the links, the second BlogTalkRadio link or the Coffee Party USA link.  My readers will get an earful for about an hour and 15 minutes.  I'd embed the audio here except that I can't seem to be able to find the embed code.

Two things came out of the conversation, one that made it into the program and one that didn't.  The one that did was a resolution to blog about the TPP here, something I hadn't done until now.  Consider this entry a down payment on that promise.  The one that didn't was a reason to support the TPP that I agree with--improving our position with regard to China.  The US and its allies need that, but I think this agreement isn't it.

Gas prices up after Memorial Day weekend

When I posted Gas in stasis for now as oil rises off bottom, I was able to buy regular for $2.39 in my old neighborhood, which I did as I expected gas prices to rise.  I drove through my old neighborhood yesterday and saw that, sure enough, gas prices had risen.  The old corner station was selling regular for $2.73, while the two open stations down the street were undercutting it at $2.69.*  Just the same, that's a 30 cent increase in two weeks.

WXYZ had anticipated this price rise last week when the station posted Holiday weekend gas prices to its Youtube channel.


People aren't happy about the increased prices, but they are still a dollar lower than they were last year at this time.  Also, the year-over-year lower prices are continuing to encourage more driving, as I pointed out when I posted the driving update for Ruby.

As for my near-term predictions, I'm not forecasting any major price increases based on the retail price environment and the commodity futures.  Gas Buddy shows that the Detroit average is still at $2.70, just as it was in last week's WXYZ clip, and in fact is down a penny from yesterday. That means that the stations in my old neighborhood are, if anything, still slightly overpriced compared to their historical patterns.  Also, Oil-Price.Net lists yesterday's closing prices for WTI at $57.68, Brent at $62.58 and RBOB at $1.99.  All are down from two weeks ago, when WTI sold for $60.75, Brent closed at $66.86, and RBOB was at $2.04.  If anything, prices might decrease slightly over the next couple of weeks before rising again in time for schools to let out and summer driving season to begin in earnest.

*Both are still cheaper than the gas station I pass by on my way to work, which is advertising regular at $2.78.  That station made a brief cameo in the WXYZ video.  Did you catch it?

Examiner.com article on Detroit Zoo snails

The Detroit Zoo sent more than 100 Partula snails like this one at the London Zoo back to Tahiti.
Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images.

Detroit Zoo ships snails to Tahiti to repopulate endangered species

In a statement released Tuesday, May 26, the Detroit Zoo announced that it had sent one-hundred land snails to Tahiti to repopulate their native habitat.  The snails belong to a species,  Partula nodosa, that had been extinct in the wild for more than twenty years. 

The announcement was more than twenty-five years in the making.  In 1989, the Detroit Zoo received specimens of P. nodosa as part of a collaborative effort with other zoos to save the species from extinction.  By the time the snail was declared extinct in the wild in 1994, all the P. nodosa on the planet resided at the Detroit Zoo.

“Our efforts and successful breeding of the snails resulted in the rescue and recovery of the species,” said Scott Carter, Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) chief life sciences officer in a statement.  “Currently there are six thousand individuals living in North American zoos, all descendants from the Detroit Zoo’s original small group.”

There's more at the link, including a video.  Unfortunately, it's not this one from WXYZ: Detroit Zoo saves Tahitian Land snails.

Detroit Zoo saves Tahitian Land snails from extinction.

Just the same, I'm happy to have found both a video and a photograph from the Examiner.com library to illustrate the article.  I was worried I wouldn't find either, so I looked for them first.  As the article itself, it's a science story involving snails and Detroit.  Therefore, I had to write it.

WXYZ follows up on public transit

One of the issues covered in Michigan transportation news from WXYZ was mass transit.  Last week, WXYZ followed up on that issue with two clips posted to its YouTube channel.  The first, which set the stage for the next, was Rant Van: Discussing mass transit.

Metro Detroit residents sounded off in the Channel 7 Rant Van about mass transit in metro Detroit.

The good news is that buses seem to be running more on time.  The bad news is that there are still a lot of issues, some of which were addressed in Southeast Michigan public transit.

Michael Ford, CEO of the Regional Transit Authority joins The Now Detroit to discuss public transit with us.

I'm going to be a good environmentalist and recycle my opinion.

Given what I've written about mass transit on this blog, most recently in More suburbs should ride the SMART bus, it should come as no surprise that I think this is a good development.  The area has inadequate public transportation and I think it desperately needs to be improved.

Good luck, Mr. Ford, and I mean that sincerely.

Deer culling and oil drilling--a follow-up

The stories in Environmental controversies from WXYZ: Deer culling and oil drilling continue to develop.  First, one story appears to be over, as WXYZ reported last week Drilling to cease in Shelby Township, no oil found at well.


That's good news for the residents and people who visit Stony Creek Metro Park, including my students.

Next, MLive describes an alternative to hiring a sharpshooter to cull Ann Arbor's deer herd in Humane Society to assess potential for deer fertility control in Ann Arbor.

The possibility of a city-funded deer cull in Ann Arbor has citizens on both sides of the issue adamantly arguing for and against shooting deer in the city.

As a potential alternative to going the lethal route, the Humane Society of the United States is now being invited to travel to Ann Arbor to assess the feasibility for conducting a deer fertility control research project here.

If it's determined to be feasible, the Humane Society has indicated a willingness to work with the city to prepare and submit a proposal to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, seeking approval for a fertility control program.

The Humane Society is working with communities around the country to implement immunocontraception and surgical sterilization methods as an alternative to killing deer.
...
"Fertility control may be a viable option that could be used to stabilize and reduce deer populations over time in urban communities, especially in areas where culls may not be effective, logistically feasible or socially acceptable," [Stephanie Boyles Griffin, the Humane Society's senior director of wildlife response, innovations and services] wrote in a letter shared with city officials. "There are already ongoing projects in Hastings-On-Hudson, Cayuga Heights and East Hampton, New York, as well as in San Jose, California, Fairfax City, Virginia, and Baltimore County and Montgomery County, Maryland, to name a few."

I have nothing against hunting, but if the residents and government officials of Ann Arbor can control their deer herd without it, I'm OK with that, too.  I wish everyone in the town where I lived for a decade the wisdom to make the correct decision for them.  When that happens, I promise to report it.

Grilling over lava for Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!  I know there is a serious purpose to today, but this weekend is also the kickoff for summer and outdoor cooking.  How could I top safe grilling advice and the science of beer and hot dogs to mark the holiday?  Grilling steaks over molten lava!  CNN reported on this last August when the channel asked Would you eat a steak grilled ... on lava?

The first steak ever grilled, on lava! Jeanne Moos reports this gastronomic eruption tasted like "the best steak ever."

The story may be nearly a year old, but it's gotten legs lately, as Syracuse.com reported last week: Cooking steaks over molten lava? Syracuse University praised for 'badass' grill.

The stunt and video are both 10 months old, but praise has been heating up this past week from Popular Mechanics, Boing Boing, Business Insider and Mental Floss. A writer at BuzzFeed even called it "badass" and said "this is how real men grill."

I saw it on my YouTube feed last week and one of my students submitted an article about it for extra credit.  Between the two, I knew what I'd post to celebrate Memorial Day.

Here is the complete video of the original run from Media Studio TV (ETA: the original video has been taken down, so I've substituted one from Rollin 20's: 082114 Lava Steak (Lava-cooked steaks in upstate New York) COOKING Meat with LAVA! Steak, Fish, Hotdogs.

The Syracuse University cooked up a culinary treat by grilling steaks over a stream of red hot lava as part of an experimental lava project that brings together sculptors and geologists.…

Keep calm and grill on!

'Tomorrowland'--optimism isn't selling as well as dystopia at the box office

I telegraphed my intentions for today's post in yesterday's entry about roundabouts when I wrote that it would feature "Tomorrowland," which Vulture called the anti-Hunger Games, an optimistic movie about rescuing a better future that is at risk of being lost.

It emerges that Bird, in Tomorrowland, is mounting nothing less than a full-throated assault on the nihilism, dystopianism, and what might be called the fetishization of apocalypse in today’s movies, TV shows, and books — especially YA books that worm their way into the fantasies of impressionable kids. This is not, you understand, the movie’s subtext. It’s the Über-Über-text. It’s the message that’s articulated in multiple ways, as boldly as that Einstein sign, by characters bad and good, and it’s implicit in the riddle posed by Casey’s NASA dad that becomes the cornerstone of his daughter’s worldview: You have two wolves, one representing darkness and despair, the other light and hope. Which one lives? Says Casey: “The one you feed.”

My response to Bird’s anti-dystopianism is “Cool.” Because, really, how many more plague–flood–road warrior–kids-killing-kids movies do we need? It is time to feed that other wolf, if only for the sake of variety. And maybe we’ve learned too well since the days of Dr. Strangelove — which came out the same year as the New York World’s Fair — to “stop worrying and love the bomb.”

The trouble comes when Bird gets carried away with his critique of all things critical. In Tomorrowland, he suggests that it’s the people sounding the alarm — the ones constantly reminding us about climate change or the dangers of nuclear power — who are accelerating our demise, their pessimism wreaking havoc on imaginations that would otherwise be busy inventing solutions. I suspect that’s Bird’s Ayn Rand side showing its warty head, spinning another tale of extraordinary individuals kept from manifesting their creativity by repressive liberal groupthink. If Bird really believes we should shift the blame from a fossil-fuel industry bankrolling anti-science propaganda embraced by greedheads and fundamentalist wackjobs to the 98 percent of the world’s scientists saying, “If we don’t act now, and we mean now, we’re royally screwed,” he’s living in his own private Disneyland.

I hadn't known that Bird was an Objectivist.  Too bad, it makes me think less of him.  [ETA: Bird denies this, as The Dissolve points out.  Still, there is definitely a Randian flavor to his films' themes, one that the critics pick up.]  As for his film, follow over the jump for how it fared at the box office, especially compared to the films that it's critricizing.

Roundabouts--instructions and music

Roundabouts have become more common during the past decade in Michigan as they have been installed at major intersections.  One of them is being built only two miles away from where I sit right now as I type.  Traffic in the area is a mess, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it flows once the roundabout is finished.  I don't mind driving through roundabouts, but a lot of other people I know dislike them.  For them, I present WOOD-TV's How to navigate a roundabout.

Experts say roundabouts are safer, but the thought of navigating them makes many people anxious.

I learned some useful information from this clip.  Before I watched it, I didn't know about the savings in electricity (very on-topic for this blog and useful for my classes), the actual numbers for reduction of fatal and injury accidents, or the law about how many times one can go around a roundabout.  Now I do.

Enough seriousness.  It's a holiday weekend and I'm worn out from writing Popular entries from the back catalog for the fourth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, so I'll leave my readers with some topical music, Roundabout by Yes in HD.  Enjoy the sound and scenery!


Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment entry, which I expect will feature "Tomorrowland."

Popular entries from the back catalog for the fourth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News

It's time to finish this series.

I concluded Reactionary movements for the fourth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News with the promise of one more post.

That completes this look back at the 20 most read entries of the past blogging year.  Stay tuned for the final installment about posts from the back catalog that made big moves on the leaderboard last year after a celebration of Earth Day.

That echoes how I concluded the retrospective series of the previous year's entries in Social media for the second and third year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

That's all for the entries from the the third year of the blog for this year.  Maybe next year I'll describe how one or more broke out of the pack to get into the top ten list, but that's next year's problem.

Let's see if I can tackle both in this entry.

The most read entry for the history of the blog according to the default counter as of March 21, 2015 and still the current number one is Eye spy the gas price rollercoaster about to coast down like a parachute, posted on September 2, 2012 with 1988 page views, which it still has now.  The post currently has 2916 according to the raw counter.  This entry was not among the top 20 for the second year of the blog on March 20, 2013, and not among the default top ten as of March 20, 2014.  It began its rise during the second half of 2014, when gas prices began their long, deep slide from $3.50 to just under $2.00 and a lot of web searches retrieved it as one of the results.  The entry was in the monthly top ten for six months running during that time period, enough to move it from not on the list to the top of the leader board.  Amazing how a change in economic conditions can revive the fortunes of an old post.

Follow over the jump for more revenge of the back catalog.