iTunes is #1

iTunes has just passed Wal-Mart to become the #1 seller of music in the United States.  What started as a niche distribution center to fill up iPods with songs has become a full-fledged superstore that sells music, videos, even video rentals.

To those of you who still buy CD's at Best Buy or Wal-Mart, consider this.  You can buy 1 track on iTunes for 99 cents, and the entire album for $5.99 - $9.99.  This includes a digital booklet (like what you get in the CD) and can also contain music videos and extra specials.  

The CD is on life-support.

Cuba Libre?

Don't order a box of Cohiba's yet, but Cuba is giving its citizens more freedoms on a daily basis.  At this rate, they will be the 51st state long before Puerto Rico, Israel, or anyone else who we give gobs of money to on a daily basis.  

Since Raul Castro took over for his sick brother, he has allowed Cubans to buy cell phones, stay in "foreigner" hotels, and now they will be given private land.  Private ownership of property is the hallmark of a free society and Cuba just took a big step in the right direction.  If this course continues, I would hope that when Obama is elected president, one of the first things he does is lift the sanctions/travel ban.

Other Opening Days

Not everyone else had a good opening day.  And the Nats contributed to that, beating the Phillies 11-6 in front of 45,000 booing Philly fans.

And how 'bout them Royals?

Nationals Opening Day 2008

Tonight was opening day at the new Nationals Park and the National League season opener for 2008.  What a great park!  They even gave unlimited free refills with the $7.50 beer!  The new park is everything that RFK wasn't, namely: a baseball park.  Finally we have good concessions, clean facilities, TV's all over (in some cases they aren't there yet but there's a sign saying they will be there soon).  Unfortunately you can no longer smoke wherever you want and I even got yelled at for doing so (for your reference: the designated smoking area is next to the kids playground; I'm not joking).

On to better news: the Nats defeated the declining Braves 3-2 with a walkoff homer by Zimmerman.

Just for the record: the Nats got the first win in Nationals Park, Cristian Guzman got the first hit, Chipper Jones (boo!) got the first home run, and Nick Johnson got the first RBI.

And the first pitch was thrown by none other than George W. Bush.  And I have to give him credit, he threw it from the mound and threw it well, to manager Manny Acta.  W also called the first home run from the booth (this I learned while watching the replay).

Since I took the metro in I actually missed the last 2 innings but did record it on TV so I watched it when I got home.  Hopefully this first win and stadium will help propel us to the playoffs in 2008!!