diff --git a/pyopencl/array.py b/pyopencl/array.py
index 69a9f81b0ca5a3bde18b9c7f95fd247e66ba16c4..9d1b66b91ed59be814292237380a00f4b6261b32 100644
--- a/pyopencl/array.py
+++ b/pyopencl/array.py
@@ -425,13 +425,13 @@ class Array(object):
 
         # invariant here: allocator, queue set
 
-        # {{{ determine shape and strides
+        # {{{ determine shape, size, and strides
         dtype = np.dtype(dtype)
 
         try:
-            s = 1
+            size = 1
             for dim in shape:
-                s *= dim
+                size *= dim
         except TypeError:
             import sys
             if sys.version_info >= (3,):
@@ -442,12 +442,11 @@ class Array(object):
             if not isinstance(shape, admissible_types):
                 raise TypeError("shape must either be iterable or "
                         "castable to an integer")
-            s = shape
+            size = shape
             shape = (shape,)
 
-        if isinstance(s, np.integer):
-            # bombs if s is a Python integer
-            s = np.asscalar(s)
+        if isinstance(size, np.integer):
+            size = size.item()
 
         if strides is None:
             strides = _make_strides(dtype.itemsize, shape, order)
@@ -475,7 +474,7 @@ class Array(object):
         else:
             self.events = events
 
-        self.size = s
+        self.size = size
         alloc_nbytes = self.nbytes = self.dtype.itemsize * self.size
 
         self.allocator = allocator
diff --git a/pyopencl/cache.py b/pyopencl/cache.py
index 48b6270edcdc107b1aa006b4202feb3e6a29b36f..3e4bc65d13dc62267c5d12e3346842e4617327c8 100644
--- a/pyopencl/cache.py
+++ b/pyopencl/cache.py
@@ -480,7 +480,6 @@ def create_built_program_from_source_cached(ctx, src, options_bytes, devices=Non
             already_built = False
 
     except Exception as e:
-        raise
         from pyopencl import Error
         if (isinstance(e, Error)
                 and e.code == _cl.status_code.BUILD_PROGRAM_FAILURE):