Summer is almost here (according to the calendar, it doesn't officially begin until next week) and for some, that means a trip to "the lake". Here are some images taken by various Michigan photographers that will transport you there.

The Lake by there is no happy here

Pinhole: Sunset at Ford Lake by The Adventures of a Brit Abroad (Matt Callow). Click on the photo to go to his Flickr photostream.

Relaxation by Michigan in Pictures featuring this photo by Greg Smith. Also check out other photos on Michigan in Pictures with the 'lake' tag

It sounds like a bad horror movie, but it's not. It's nature reacting to pollution, creating green slime on our shores.

Dave Dempsey reports:

Back in the 1960s, foul gobs of algae along Great Lakes shorelines made swimmers and sunbathers miserable before a crackdown on phosphorus pollution repelled the invasion.

Now, the algae are mounting a comeback and controlling it may be tougher this time

Read Dave's Blog's return of the green slime. Also read the Michigan Environmental Council's press release, Algae's Return Threatens Summer Fun on the Lakes. Download Something's Amuck, Algae blooms return to Michigan shores (PDF), that illustrates how invasive species, combined with legal loopholes that encourage phosphorus pollution, have opened the door for algae's comeback.

The Michigan Environmental Council represents 73 environmental and public interest organizations with a combined membership of more than 250,000 Michigan residents.

I know you were asking just the other day for a good Garam Masala recipe. Well, Kitchen Chick not only gives you the recipe, but also insight into the spices and uses for the finished product. She writes:

I was making my favorite lamb keema when I used up the last of our garam masala. This is considered a tragedy in our household that must be remedied at once.

This Pakistani-style garam masala comes from 100 Best Balti Curries, and is very different from the cumin- and corriander-based garam masalas commonly sold in the States.

I love the flavor and scent, especially the star anise and nutmeg and cloves.

The recipe also includes cinnamon sticks, green cardamon, black cumin and black peppercorns.

If you enjoyed this post, you should also read Kitchen Chick's other posts with the 'indian' tag.

Just sit back and watch these two 1967 videos of Otis Redding.

Zack writes:

Both of these cuts come from the 1967 Stax Tour in Europe, and are two of my personal favorites, "Satisfaction" and "Try a Little Tenderness". Enjoy!

Mick Jagger is apparently "in the house" for Otis' rendition of "Satisfaction".

GLRC reports: With above normal rain in much of the country this spring...mosquitoes have been heavier in many areas. The quick warm up after a cool spring has also helped hatch out a lot of the pests. For more "buzz" (sorry) on this year's mosquito hatch, read or listen to GLRC Environment Report's BUMPER CROPS OF MOSQUITOES and be sure to click on the links to learn about the West Nile Virus threat. There's a ton of information ranging from locations with confirmed positive results for human, veterinary, bird, sentinel & mosquito, to symptoms and things you can do to prevent mosquitos from biting you and your family. Also learn how heartworm can be transmitted via mosquito to your pets from Merial, manufacturer of HEARTGARD.

If we love to hate the mosquito, why then do we have The official Mosquito Ringtone^TM ? According to this site, It's the sound of a mosquito that only teenagers "should" be able to hear! In their article Students use high-pitched ring tone that many adults can't hear, WZZM, Grand Rapids reports: The ring tone is a spin-off of technology that was originally meant to repel teens. A security company developed the tone to help stores annoy youths loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected.

According to the State of Michigan website, Michigan's total coastline length is second only to Alaska's. And, Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the nation (124). Is it any wonder that we are fascinated by our lighthouses? Enjoy these five Michigan lighthouse photos from Michigan in Pictures. You might also be interested to read these Ferry, Ship & Lighthouse Facts compiled by MDOT.

We can all do our little bit by buying Michigan's Save Our Lights license plates. Or by helping the organizations affiliated with the Michigan Lighthouse Program.

In his essay yesterday, Jack Lessenberry recounts his experience with what he terms "pill pushers", meaning the doctors and pharmacists he first encountered after breaking his foot.

In his companion inteview Jack speaks with Leonard Weber about his new book, that concludes that the nation's pharmaceutical companies and physicians are complicit in practices that should raise both eyebrows and troubling questions. It is called "Profits Before People, Ethical Standards and the Marketing of Prescription Drugs."

Not only are prescription practices under fire, but USA Today reports Prescription drugs find place in teen culture. They write about a rapidly developing underground culture that surrounds the rising abuse of prescription drugs by teens and young adults.

It's a culture with its own lingo: Bowls and baggies of random pills often are called "trail mix," and on Internet chat sites, collecting pills from the family medicine chest is called "pharming." And, they say it is escalating at an alarming rate.

Personally, I believe that prescription drugs and medical advances have benefited society to a great degree. But as my mother always used to say, we should use "everything in moderation". Honestly she was talking about eating, but I think it also applies to taking medicines and consuming natural resources as well. Drugs are powerful. Medicine is practiced. "Be careful out there!"

Here is a brief journey into to folk and back in a post by A2 Is Overrated. Read Beading a Dead Horse. Don't skip the comments!

Take a look at Jeremy Herliczek's photos of the Ikea store opening in his post Ikea, ukea, we all kea

Pop in on dETROITfUINK for a photographic tour of the Festival of the Arts including an Alice in Wonderland sand sculpture and some empty barber chairs. David Spitzley writes in the commments: Those weird barber chairs were part of a performance art piece. A bunch of performers in weird costumes would pull somebody out of the audience and give them a wild-ass hairdo with sculptural elements and coloring. I can't say I have any idea what the guy lying in the ground was about.

Ryan writes: [quoting Michael] "I live behind old Tiger Stadium."

Read about Michael and view his photo.

Ryan, Creator of The Snowsuit Effort, and 2006 Photobloggies Award Winner, photographs homeless people in an around Detroit, telling their stories by using quotes from his subjects. Homelessness isn't always "in your face", but it is nonetheless, a problem that our society needs to address.

Goodwill Inn Homeless Shelter has global, national and statewide statistics on homelessness. Pretty unsettling!

Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, whose mission is to be the leading advocate for homeless people in Michigan and the agencies that serve them. The Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, in partnership with Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), is helping communities plan and implement the Michigan Statewide Homeless Management Information System (MSHMIS).

HUD Homeless Information: Michigan provides resources for those at risk of losing their home as well as the homeless.

Michigan Food Banks provides listings of area food banks.

The Food Bank Council of Michigan provides statewide leadership to food banks in their efforts to alleviate hunger through the distribution of surplus food to those in need.

National Hunger Awareness Day was held on June 6th, the grassroots movement to raise awareness about the solvable problem of hunger in America.

Y. writes: WHOA. The U-M Credit Union confirmed on Thursday that a data theft last summer that is said to have not been discovered till this past March may have resulted in thousands of Credit Union customers becoming the victims of identity theft.

According to A NetworkWorld Article, Jim Mattson, president and CEO of the Ann Arbor-based credit union, said that documents containing the personal information of about 5,000 of the credit union's 42,000 members were stolen from one of its storage rooms last summer. The documents were supposed to have been digitally imaged and then shredded. Instead, he said, they appear to have been stolen.

One person has been fired by the credit union in connection with the theft, he said. At this point it is not clear how many records were shredded and how many may have been compromised.

Read Identity Theft Information for Michigan Consumers written by Michael Cox, Attorney General. This Identity Theft Update includes important changes in Michigan and federal laws affecting consumers. One of the most significant new laws gives [consumers] the right to order a free credit report each year from each of the major credit reporting agencies. Reviewing your credit reports for phony accounts and bogus debts in your names is one of the best tools consumers have to combat ID theft.

Also read Free Annual Credit Reports-What Consumers Should Know. The Attorney General provides Consumer Alerts to inform the public of unfair, misleading, or deceptive business practices, and to provide information and guidance on other issues of concern.

PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP IN MICHIGAN (PIGRIM)'s Campaign to Prevent Identity Theft outlines "What You Can Do To Avoid Becoming A Victim of Identity Theft" including opting out of pre-approved credit card offers, questioning merchant handling of personal information, monitoring credit reports and billing statements, protecting against mailbox theft, all good pieces of information to have. You can also link to PIGRIM's Campaign to Prevent Identity Theft for what's new, a brief summary of the problem and the big business of information, and resources for victims.