Wow, this is trailer for Gravity is pretty intense:

I was thinking, though, if this were a disaster involving a plane, I’d just call the movie a thriller. But since it involves space, I want to call it a science fiction film. Except, I see a space shuttle in the trailer, which would mean this would have to take place in the past and would be historical fiction.

And that’s the sad state of things right now. Space travel used to be the big thing of the future, but currently it’s a thing of the past.

So, have you learned anything from the collapse of Greece or Detroit or from the success of Texas? If you did, well then that’s why you’re not a Nobel-prize winning economist, because Paul Krugman says there is nothing to learn from any of those. Who knew that economics doesn’t use data?

And also on the learning nothing front, Obama gave a speech on economics yesterday which, if you weren’t live in attendance, you could have sworn was a rerun. All these years watching the economy, flounder, and apparently he’s learned absolutely nothing. Krugman must be nodding his bearded chin in approval.

I’m starting to worry about the whole country collapsing in a pile of debt and unemployment, but I guess I shouldn’t get too worried about. It’s not like there will be a test afterwards… since there will be nothing to learn from it.

I’ve met Jimmy Carter. Couple of times, actually. He’s a nice enough fellow, I guess, though I didn’t spend any extended period of time with him. Little meet, shake hands, exchange a word or two, and that was it. So, while I’ve met him, I certainly don’t know him.

Would Jimmy Carter tell a lie? Well, he’s a Democrat politician, so I really don’t need to answer that question for you, right? But, the former president tells Larry J. Sabato that he’s had death threats.

“I have had two or three threats to my life after I came home from the White House,” Carter said in the highly-anticipated book due out October 22.

Yeah, I’m kinda thinking this whole thing is to sell a book.

I don’t want to downplay threats against former presidents, but who would want to harm Jimmy Carter? Sure, I’d like to see him shut the hell up, but that’s not the same thing. I certainly don’t want any harm to come to the man. Not even anything like the harm he did America during his presidency.

And, sure, there are crazy people in this world that will do harm to people for reasons unknown. So, you can’t dismiss any viable threat. But just what are those threats?

Consider this: Jimmy Carter was once attacked by a rabbit back in 1979. Is Mother Nature behind those threats to the former Chief Executive?

Humans are crazy, but often forgiving. And, as deadly as humans can be, we don’t always try to kill our former presidents. I don’t know of anyone who would wish physical harm on Jimmy Carter.

But Mother Nature? She’s mean. She doesn’t care. She’ll kill babies at a rate almost as fast an abortion doctor or other Democrat heroes. Maybe she has put out contracts on Jimmy Carter.

I hope he stays safe. Some rabbits have a vicious streak a mile wide and possess nasty big pointy teeth.

I kinda feel sorry for the Secret Service. Keeping Jimmy Carter, or anyone, safe from Mother Nature isn’t as easy as 1, 2, 5. Maybe if he went to another planet. Maybe Obama’s home planet would be safe for Carter. And maybe Obama would escort him there. I hear the golfing there’s good.

[High Praise! to Les of Nuking Politics for the inspiration on this]

One of these disgusting parasites is named after President Obama. You’ll have to follow the links to find out which:

The New World Screwworm is an obligate parasite of animals and is a unique brand of pest in Central and South America where it infects the wounds and mucous membranes of cattle, sheep and horses. Female adult flies lay their eggs and in 8 to 15 hours the 2-centimeter length larva hatch forth causing excruciating pain and itchiness. The larva’s body shape is encircled by bristly ridges along the length of its body, resembling a fat, white screw used to burrow into living flesh.

Nematomorphs, sometimes called hairworms, are parasites that live inside arthropods as larvae, but then exist as free-living aquatic adults. They often induce suicide in their insect hosts, by causing them to jump into water, where the worms then escape (see this previous post for another example). The adults typically seek out the opposite sex and can form “Gordian knots” of mating worms. Today’s species, however, is found in larger and faster-moving waters – and in these big, complicated habitats, finding a suitable mate can be really tricky. So, today’s parasite has solved this problem through the evolution of parthenogenesis. This particular species of nematomorph has completely given up on males. When brought into the lab, it only released female worms and nowhere inside these stringy parasites could male reproductive organs be found.