Your Christmas Eve Sift

Only once a year do I get to write this Sift and it's the only one written with Christmas music playing in the background. By the way, did you notice it's snowing at the top of the page?

It was surprisingly busy in the SoFla blogosphere today, so let's get to it...

A- Jeff Eats says Little Hoolie's in Kendall has a little something extra special going for it.

Just so we are straight...if booze-tvs-food were the “game” here, this would be a joint for NEIGHBORHOOD FOLKS ONLY. But… Little Hoolie’s has something going for it, that makes it a “destination” spot for others on Friday and Saturday nights…that “something”...the joint hosts some of the best cover/and originals bands in South Florida.

A recent visit introduced me to a band, “Mr. Nice Guy” www.mngband.com...and I have to tell you, that my party of 4 had an absolute blast, eating/drinking and listening/dancing to these guys. By the way, I checked the websites of past/future booked bands and Little Hoolie’s has talented bands working its stage. There are no cover charges.

B- South Florida Classical Review looks at the Top 10 Performances of 2008.

Inspirational keyboard performances dominated local stages in 2008 with a third of the top ten performances coming from feats of pianistic derring-do. Here is the roll call of the year’s finest classical music performances.

C- Man or Maniac gives me one more reason why not to own a cat.

A young doctor came into to look at the wound. He asked for my history, I gave it. He looked at me and said "You do realize that we will have to admit you to treat this, right?" I confessed that by this time, I was not surprised. "OK, then."

They gave me a robe, they drew some blood. I gave a history again. Dr. Lam came in to look. I gave the history again, she looked very stern. She felt the swollen area. "Can you feel that?" I nodded. "But I can feel the swelling when I move my hand," I replied.

"Hmmm," she pondered me. "We might need a surgical consult."

D- Eye on Miami casts a wary eye at the U.S. economy and makes a couple predictions.

Here is my prediction: the stock markets will not turn upward until hedge funds stop panic selling in response to redemption calls from frightened wealthy investors. The excessive leverage in the US financial system-- tens of trillions of dollars-- has to fully resolve and that is going to take time. In the first half of 2008, half of all hedge funds could disappear. The fiscal stimulus plan by the Obama administration will only help if tax dollars are used to form the nucleus for a new energy economy: if the only purpose is to build roads, bridges, and serving existing infrastructure-- the fiscal stimulus could provoke a deeper Depression; this one unfolding from stagflation.

The good news? We are not likely to have a 1929 style run on the banks-- we were near to it, in October. But I do think unemployment will soar and that the reliance of retirees on dwindling savings is going to be severely tested throughout 2009 and 2010.

Let's be clear, too, about this: the housing sector such as represented by the Latin Builders Association in Miami is spent, as a lever to improve the economy. Its false promises are finished. There is too much inventory to absorb and too much financial turbulence to work through: our focus has to be on rebuilding the atrophied sectors of the US economy, starting with energy.

There will be inflation at the back end of this deflation. The only way we will beat inflation is if we are producing and making products that the world wants to buy. It is back to basics, right now; create value through manufacturing, technology, and a cogent response to the health care emergency.

E- Bark Bark Woof Woof has a nice Christmassy video, if you're in the mood.

F- Am I imagining things or do we hear something like this very friggin' year, from Discourse.

The New Times reports that this could be the Last Year for King Mango Strut? — a victim of red tape and increasing costs imposed by the City of Miami.

G- Random Pixels finds out it's good to be loved.

I knew when I started this I wasn't going to be getting any journalism awards and certainly no one was going to be offering me any six-figure book deals.

But I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I clicked on New Times Riptide 2.0 and learned that New Times writer Kyle Munzenrieder called this blog (along with Carlos Miller's blog) "two of Miami's best blogs."

And that makes everything I've done for the past 10 months worth every minute.

H- Mayor Manny wants everyone to have a green holiday.

I- The Phin Phanatic does a very comprehensive breakdown of the important pro football games that are coming up this weekend.

There are the “playoffs” and then there is the “real playoffs”. For several teams this weekend, week 17, must win games are exactly the same as the “real playoffs”. The only difference is the bonus attached to the real games played in the post-season.

For some teams, it’s a “rest your starters” type of weekend because they can’t go up or down in their seeding. For others it’s win and get some help and others it’s simply do or die. Here is a breakdown of each NFL team AFC and NFC with “Post-Season” aspirations.

J- Great vintage video of Mariel refugees protesting outside the OB in 1980 from Rakontur. I love the police car.

K- When Coconut Grove Grapevine gets threatened, Anonymous comments a lot.

He tracked down my phone number and told me he would find me and beat me up and maybe kill me,
I didn't understand it all, he has a thick accent. It happened at 11 am today.

I had a witness who heard it all on the speaker phone and I have notified the police.

Just thought you should know. Just in case you don't see me around anymore.

L- Miamism recommends some SoFla blogs to read and SFDB makes the cut.

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