TGIF -- June 27, 2014

Active rigs:

	6/27/2014	06/27/2013	06/27/2012	06/27/2011	06/27/2010
Active Rigs	193	187	217	170	124

RBN Energy: drones in the oil patch.

Drones first made a name for themselves in the military, not just for their ability to remotely map and monitor but—when properly equipped—to target and kill. But drones are breaking through to the civilian side, and no commercial sector is more eager to explore their potential than the oil and gas industry. Some already are beginning to do so, especially in Canada, which is years ahead of the US in permitting civilian use of drones. But the US is catching up, with BP now testing drones at its operations in Prudhoe Bay, AK. In this blog, we examine what drones can do, how they already are helping the oil and gas industry, and what lies ahead.

The Wall Street Journal

Top story, front page: Supreme Court unanimous that the president exceeded his authority. Even his appointees agree. NLRB scrambles to revisit hundreds of labor decisions.

Nobel Peace Prize president will send troops to Syria -- just to train.

Consumer spending rose "modestly" in May, and then the boilerplate, "a sign the economy is struggling...." Over at Reuters I'm sure the boilerplate is "... a sign that the economy continues tosurge."

US inflation at highest in more than eighteen months.

Could this be? New York Supreme Court blocks soda law. Story is on page A3 -- the most important page of the front section (something we've talked about before). The ruling was 4-2; apparently the ball is back in the mayor's court.

The Obama administration plans to automatically renew for next year the health plans and premium subsidies that consumers obtained through ObamaCare's federal insurance exchange.

Let the skirmishes begin! US Supreme Court says 35-foot buffer zones between shouting fanatics is unconstitutional. This should provide a lot of good tape for local (and maybe even national) evening news.

The Los Angele Times
Tiger Woods gets off to a slow start. And that was about it, in the LA Times.