FIREFLY IS BACK!
Well, it's never really BEEN back - ruthlessly cancelled by FOX before a full season could be completed back in 1993, producer Joss Whedon promised to put together a movie-version of the show. In the meantime, it's been released on DVD, and the episodes are being re-aired on the Sci-Fi Channel...and now the movie is ready for release. If you've seen the trailer it looks hot! (Check out their website by clicking here.) I had some early comments about the show here.

I'm not exactly a Joss Wheden fan - Buffy never captured my attention with the limited amount of time I have to watch TV (and I'm sure I'll get tons of hate mail just for saying that) - but I like the unique vision he presents in the story.

This is the synopsis that sets up the movie:

Joss Whedon, the Oscar® - and Emmy - nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE, ANGEL and
FIREFLY, now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of
galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial
debut, Serenity. The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a
hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes
out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his
ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he
has left to family –squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

It opens September 30. Check it out.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT...
As bad as it's been in New Orleans - tens of thousands of homes flooded, millions displaced, things are hopeful for the long run.

Satellite pictures of before and after in New Orleans here.

Live blogging from these people in the middle of the action. Hope their food (and diesel fuel!) holds out.

Great summary from Peggy Noonan.

Neal Boortz also said that the military bases slated for closing would be a great place to house refugees. And add me to the list of folks who think that trucking them to Houston's Astrodome is a really dumb idea. Drop them in the middle of another city with no real supporting infrastructure for food and water? Sigh.

Shooting looters? Hard to argue with Instapundit's analysis:

When I was on Grand Cayman last month, several people told me that looting became a problem after Hurricane Ivan, but quickly stopped when the police shot several looters. That's because looters usually value life over property too.

As for me, I'm disappointed in our President's response. A major city has been totally, completely devastated. Troops should be there. The mobilization order should been issues as soon as Katrina targeted New Orleans.

But blaming Bush for the flooding is nothing less than stupid. New Orleans has been a fat target for a crisis for years. The Corps of Engineers should have been on top of this for years. The levees have been sinking all this time, through a lot more presidents than Bush. The pumps around the city seem woefully inadequate for a real emergency. And Louisiana and New Orleans can share in the blame for their shortsightedness.