Serenity Now

IF YOU WANT TO HEAR SOMETHING AMAZING, KEEP READING. Are you still here? Good. I thought you looked smart. So, here it is--- get ready--- tension building--- adrenaline flowing--- PREPARE YOUR MIND TO BE BLOWN---

A new deep space program involves sending 'Firefly-class' spacecraft to mine nearby asteroids. Yeah, FIREFLY-class. Ringing any bells, Joss Whedon fans? Firefly, of course, is the short-lived but much loved TV series that was cancelled after only 14 episodes. And it's named for the Firefly-class starships, one of which (the Serenity) is the show's Millennium Falcon. Also, watch Firefly and the movie adaptation, Serenity. They're awesome.

But now is not the time to tell you about the great filmography of Joss Whedon (who also directed The Avengers, just sayin'). Because today, another school shooting in Georgia left one person dead. My gun death tally counter is at 1,479 so far, counting this one today. And it'll just keep rising.

If you look back, you'll see that my past... eight blog posts have all included the phrase "There was another shooting today." It's become the Osama Bin Laden of news--- the big story that everyone gets sick of in a few minutes but you can't read or watch any news without hearing about it. For instance, I haven't mentioned anything recently about Chuck Hagel's confirmation hearings, or North Korea's most recent direct threat to the United States, or the wildfires that have been raging across Australia for the past month.

 
Australia: The only continent where bird watching is a full-contact sport.

But in all cerealness, there's been a major shooting every day this year so far. Check that link from yesterday, not a SINGLE day has gone by. And the senate probably won't pass any new gun laws for six months, so... expect more of the same.

Let's end on a high note: JJ Abrams has been officially selected as the director of Star Wars: Episode VII: Sith Happens. I'm speculating on the title, but you get the point. We could also call it The Han-Over, or Gungan Style, or The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Sand-People. I'm getting off-message. Abrams, as you probably recall, is the director of the new Star Trek movie and its sequel, coming out this year. So yes, he's a busy guy. My prediction for Episode VII is that all the main characters will crash on a remote island on a remote planet, and have to fight for their lives to escape the evil demon smog-monster alien thing...

But again, I'm just speculating. Bye!