Bobbleheads at a baseball game makes sense, but when the bobblehead is Barack Obama, there is an absurdity to it. That was the beauty of Baracklyn night at the Brooklyn Cyclones game last night. The New York Mets A baseball team wound up victorious in a game that had sideline festivities that included the already mentioned bobblehead, which you received upon entering the stadium and a Barack impersonator who threw out one of the "1st pitches". I heard that Obama girl threw another "1st pitch", but I wasn't paying attention. The team donned red, white and blue uniforms and the PA system played an interesting lineup of songs including Born In The USA and I Fought The Law. Minor league teams always have interesting promotions, this one is at the top of the list.

Inaugural Dancing

Much has been said/printed about Michelle Obama's dress. Not so much has been said about the dancing. Barack and Michelle didn't exactly cut a rug at any of the balls I saw. They could have been tired after an exciting and hectic day. With the adrenaline going, I think it's more a product of my/our generation. We don't know how to dance with a partner. If Heaven 17's Let Me Go is spun by a DJ, I'll be the first one on the dance floor. If it's In The Mood, I can fake something, but I'm just posing. My husband and I took dance lessons about 8 years ago, after realizing we didn't know a Foxtrot from a Waltz. We were determined to learn how to dance together. Turned out there were a lot of singles in the class and they made us dance with different partners, thus mission not accomplished. Michelle leaned on Barack to Etta James' At Last. (We heard the recording and Beyonce's version. Why didn't we see Etta singing it live?) At one point, it might have been during Stevie Wonder's sing-a-long of Sign Sealed Delivered, it looked like Barack was doing the White Man's Overbite. The latter which was so wonderfully demonstrated by Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally. We are the end of the Boomer generation and maybe the end of partner dancing.

Has Anyone Learned From the Downfall of the Recorded Music Indsutry?

While watching Barack Obama talk about the US auto industry crisis on Meet The Press yesterday, it hit home once again that the recorded music industry led the way to the downward spiral and other businesses didn't pay attention and learn from them. About 10 years ago, the music business denied new technology instead of embracing it (Napster). The major label business was based on a model that was over 50 years old, yet no label overhauled the way they did business. The people at the top made a fortune, middle managers were eliminated, leaving highly paid executives and underpaid assistants to do the job. The record labels put out inferior product. They sold an album off one good song. Consumers had to buy the whole album in order to get the song. The song had nothing to do with the rest of the music on the album. Consumers fought back and decided they didn't need the album anymore, they'll just download the song for free.

The US auto industry seems to have done the same things. They continued making cars bigger instead of environmentally efficient. Foreign cars were proving more reliable than domestic. The auto industry is also based on an antiquated model and their CEOs are over compensated whether the company is turning a profit or not.

The sad thing about all of this is the people who are most effected by these downturns:
The songwriter is the one losing out on royalties from free downloads.
The people who supply parts to the car companies will no longer have a business.
Those on the peripheral who depend on these businesses such as writers, restaurants, freelance tech support, video directors and production companies, recording studios, messengers, cleaning services, copier salespeople, the list goes on. It's not just about those CEOs testifying in Washington last week.

The bottom line: give the consumer good quality products, listen to the consumer, make sure you're up on the latest technology and you'll be productive.

The Rising

After President-elect Barack Obama left the stage at Grant Park, Bruce Springsteen's the Rising filled the air. It's been said many times over, but for me this election has truly been a unique experience. I watched more news on TV than I have in years. My sources of news come from the WSJ, The New Yorker and Howard Stern. Close to 11pm last night, Brian Williams said we'll have some important news when we come back from commercial break. When they did come back, there was a photo of Barack covering the TV screen with the words: The 44th President of the United States Barack Obama. Instantly cheers could be heard from York Avenue. I got chills. I don't remember ever seeing crowds gathered in Times Square for an election. This is a new era for our country. Barack is probably facing more hard issues than any other president in my lifetime. A Rising is what this country needs now.

How Long Has This Campaign Been Going On?

Doesn't it seems like Gilmore Girls ended 4 years ago or is that how long this campaign has been going on? I was listening to Carole King's Tapestry and heard "Where You Lead" which made me think of Gilmore Girls

. On the final episode of the show, Rory is leaving to go on the road as a political blogger following Barak Obama's campaign.

Concerts of Note

PHISH: After a 4 year retirement, Phish is reuniting for 3 shows at the Hampton Coliseum March 6, March 7 and March 8, 2009.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: will perform Monday at an Eastern Michigan University rally for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Springsteen will play a free acoustic set and headline the rally at Oestrike Stadium on Eastern Michigan's campus.

Springsteen is also scheduled to perform Saturday at a Philadelphia rally and on Sunday at Ohio State University. Springsteen will team up with Billy Joel in a joint concert at an Obama campaign fundraiser in New York City on Oct. 16 at the Hammerstien Ballroom. It looks like ticket prices range from $500 to $10,000 if there are any to be had.

.