the 941

— This morning’s Herald-Tribune looks at small retailers’ last-ditch efforts to get some business going this holiday season.

— Read this story and weep: A mutt dog and a cat have now set the record for the longest stay at the Humane Society of Manatee County. They’ve each been sheltered for two-plus years. Don’t you want to take ‘em home?

— Headline of the day, no question: “Highway to health.” Well done, WWSB news team.

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This post comes courtesy David Warner, the editor of Tampa CL.

I’m sorry to report that Creative Loafing Tampa has had to make layoffs in its editorial, advertising, circulation and operations departments. I can speak only for edit decisions, as these were the ones in which I was involved. Staff Writer Alex Pickett, Music Critic Wade Tatangelo and Copy Editor Anthony Salveggi were the editorial employees laid off today, their departures effective at the end of this month.

Creative Loafing Tampa has in recent months seen a steady decline in print advertising revenues — a trend that has affected media organizations across the country. Accordingly, we have been looking at ways to adjust: finding ways to lower print publishing costs while planning for a future that acknowledges the primacy of the Web. Our parent company, as has widely been reported, is also in the throes of restructuring its debt under Chapter 11 — debt that has mounted as a result both of the current financial climate and the company’s purchase last year of Washington City Paper and Chicago Reader.

The options we face are grim: If we don’t streamline and refocus our newsroom operations, we won’t survive.

And unfortunately, that means we have to make equally grim choices.

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We’ve been drowning in retrospective best-of-’08 lists these past couple weeks, and it’s well past time for Pitchfork to throw its two cents in. The music criticism site we all love and hate at the same time dropped its top 50 discs of 2008, and the read is interesting. Here’s their top 10, and it’s a bit more mainstream and less hermetic than in the last two years, when Panda Bear and The Knife took home top honors:

10. DJ/rupture: Uproot

9. Hercules and Love Affair

8. M83: Saturdays=Youth

7. Vampire Weekend

6. TV on the Radio: Dear Science

5. Deerhunter: Microcastle / Weird Era Cont.

4. Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours

3. No Age: Nouns

2. Portishead: Third

1. Fleet Foxes: Sun Giant EP/Fleet Foxes

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— $500,000 to restore wetlands and spoil islands in and around Sarasota Bay: gone.

— Nice feature about 15 AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers doing good works in Manatee County. (Disclaimer: My wife was a VISTA volunteer. In fact, we moved back to Sarasota after college because of the program.)

— Musicians participating in the Itzhak Perlman winter residency arrive on the Suncoast.

— MC Coolidge sums up her love of a good read. Too bad books are passé in contemporary America, even taboo. What in the world would make a kid today want to grow up to be a novelist?

— Red County commends the new Democratic pres of MCC, with caveats, of course. The most revealing thing Mr. Swier takes exception to? The new head honcho spent time in the Florida legislature, and added his signature to a declaration of principles put together by the Democratic Leadership Council. Swier applauds many of the principles, but takes issue with a few, such as: “We believe government must combat discrimination on the basis of race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation; defend civil liberties; and stay out of our private lives.” So, basically, discrimination = all good and civil liberties = not that big a deal, really. Thanks for the lesson in modern “conservatism,” Mr. Swier.

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Let’s face it: When most other major publications look back at the end of the year and try to wrap up all that happened, they settle, and only bring you the Top 10. But one news outlet has the adamantium sack to turn its year-end best-of list all the way up. To 11.

That’s right. Creative Loafing Sarasota, in a fit of Spinal Tap-inspired glory, will begin rolling out its 2008 year-capper today, and the rawk will not stop till 2009 is here. Check back like clockwork for daily updates in our ongoing lists: Events Editor/Staff Writer Tim Sukits tells us the 11 stories he wants to cover for CL in the New Year. Food Editor Brian Ries gives restaurant entrepreneurs 11 golden ideas on what the Suncoast dining scene needs. Ex-Events Editor/Arts Writer Amanda Schurr chimes in with her rundown of the best the arts scene served up in 2008, and Music Critic Wade Tatangelo let’s us know the 11 discs that rocked his socks off this year.

Let’s face it, people: Ten is for wimps and commies.

The pertinent Spinal Tap clip:

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N.A.S.A. Featuring Tom Waits and Kool Keith — \”Spacious Thoughts\”

Rather than go on and on about why DJ duo N.A.S.A.’s upcoming debut disc is so hotly tipped, I can probably sum it up by just running through the guest list that pops up on The Spirit of Apollo. Take a deep breath. Heeere we go.

Apollo features: David Byrne, Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Chuck D, Method Man, E-40, DJ Swamp (Beck’s Odelay-era spinner), RZA, John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), KRS-One, Fatlip, Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Ol’ Dirty Bastard (from beyond the grave), Kanye West (!), Santogold, George Clinton, Spank Rock, M.I.A. (!!), Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Del tha Funkee Homosapien, DJ Qbert (Dr. frickin’ Octagon), Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah (!!!), Scarface and, oh yeah, the two guests featured on today’s mp3 o’ the day, Tom Waits and Kool Keith.

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— Read this first-person account of an anonymous homeless person who didn’t find too much comfort at our local Salvation Army.

— Some Siesta Village businesses are hurting, thanks to some unsightly road construction.

— Manatee County’s state legislative delegation gathers this morning to hear about proposed bills and constituent issues.

— Can someone please explain this website to me?

— The latest from the society pages: Is that Scrooge McDuck in the middle?

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Ed. note: This post comes courtesy Wayne Garcia.

Current Creative Loafing CEO and Chairman Ben Eason won a partial victory in federal bankruptcy court in Tampa today as Judge Caryl E. Delano refused to grant a motion by lender Atalaya to give it ownership of the company.

At a preliminary hearing this afternoon, Delano ruled that Creative Loafing’s reorganization plan should move forward and that it is too early to say that it can’t work. If it were nine months or more into the bankruptcy, Delano said from the bench, such a motion would be worth pursuing. “We’re three months into the case. I think the debtor should be provided a reasonable opportunity…. This case has been on a short string,” Delano told the parties in court. “The debtor has complied with those timetables” in producing a preliminary reorganization plan.

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Ed. note: This post comes courtesy Alex Pickett.

Last week, State Rep. Darryl Rouson filed his first bill for the 2009 session. His focus: drug paraphernalia.

HB 99 would charge a 5 percent tax on any items listed as drug paraphernalia in Florida statutes, regardless of whether the paraphernalia was sold for legal purposes or not. (Hmmm…that sounds a lot like the federal drug stamp tax.)

That last line is a key part — Rouson is going after so-called “headshops.”

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Ed. note: This post comes courtesy Wayne Garcia.

I’ll be down at the federal courthouse today at 2 p.m. as Bankruptcy Judge Caryl E. Delano could decide if lender Atalaya gets to enforce its default on $30 million+ worth of loans and assume control of our newspaper chain from current CEO and chairman Ben Eason.

Here’s Atalaya’s amended motion in which it argues it is better able to run CL than Eason and the current owners.

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