Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Coffee really does taste better when it's 40 degrees or colder. I had my regular Starbucks [tall Pikes, no room] yesterday while it was drizzling and 39 outside and it may have been the best cup of coffee I've had in years. Enjoy your morning Sift...and your lattes.

A- Obalesque discusses guitar men.

Page is the sloppiest, least original guitarist in the bunch. Van Halen is at best a technician. Duane Allman was very, very limited, great at what he did, but he didn’t do that much. Gilmour is a top-tenner, as is Knopfler. Brian May was f*cking [Ed.] brilliant. Neil Young isn’t even a guitarist, especially compared to Chet Atkins.

B- Beached Miami shares their favorite people photos of 2011.

C- The Van Dyke's January music calendar is ready for your review at Soul of Miami.

D- Bark Bark Woof Woof predicts that Mitt Romney will be the Republican presidential nominee in 2012.

Yeah, I know the first caucus hasn't met in Iowa and the first primary hasn't been held in New Hampshire, and Newt Gingrich is still running around the country selling books and his wonderfulness, but it's blatantly obvious that regardless of what the Tea Party and the rest of the clown posse have to say, the GOP establishment will make sure that Mr. Romney gets the nomination in Tampa next summer. Bet on it.

E- Eye on Miami visits the Genting casino in New York.

The New York Resorts World Casino was not classy by any stretch of the imagination. It was like a Target or a Walmart casino. And, most of the people eating were doing so at the buffet or food court. Even in the bar you had to drink out of tacky soft plastic cups.

.