Random jots and pieces

1) On the list of not-surprising developments in popular culture: Green Lantern appears to be widely panned as terrible to mediocre. Check. JJ Abrams makes a movie that I probably won't/wouldn't like but appears to be getting modest to good reviews (Super 8).

Also check. That Cloverfield movie was just a disaster. No substance whatsoever and I was getting a headache and/or dizzy from all the camera work. If you're going to have a movie like that, at least make me CARE about the damn characters rather than root for their demise as swiftly as possible so the movie would be over. Having the entire premise of the film make sense would also be a nice idea. People (other people that is) seemed to like Lost and I'll admit Alias had its moments, particularly earlier in the series, but really? This is supposed to be brilliant work, not to mention "good" writing?

I'm a lot more impressed with Game of Thrones as a model for medieval lord scheming, the mutual disinterest between the powerful and the powerless, and public choice theory expressions (ie that most powerful people do not care much about ideological conflicts, nor do they need to).

2) I don't think MLB's realignment idea or expanding its playoffs by one or two teams are terrible ideas. If they expand the playoffs by more than that, they should shorten the regular season however, maybe back to the old 154. Moving Milwaukee makes the most historical sense as they used to be an American League team, but it sounds like they're trying to create new rivalries of some sort (Houston-Texas or or Tampa-Miami). As far as moving so there are 15 teams in each rather than the 16-14 current, this is fine. I don't see a problem with more inter-league play. Every other sport does this and in baseball it still is novel enough that it attracts fans.

3) I was pleased on some level that Miami did not win the NBA title. This is largely because I said they wouldn't and making accurate predictions tends to please people when they prognosticate (at least, the people who actually care about their predictions, which is not most prognosticators). It was not because I harbored the apparent hostile seething rage of other Ohioans toward LeBron James.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Onion's headline detailing the Cleveland celebratory behavior as usual gets at the problem.

4) Koalas commonly suffer from STDs. Along with penguins. Which is a little more surprising.

5) Agricultural subsidies continue. Thanks US Senate for continuing to waste money that we've known has been a waste for 80 years and for doing so in a bipartisan fashion. Lovely work that.