Neural Gourmet

When President Obama made his recent visit to Miami for a campaign stop, he visited a local restaurant called “OMG! Burgers” in South Miami where he chatted with patrons about various issues of concern to them.

Just before 4 p.m., and fresh from being grilled on Spanish-language network Univision, Obama and his Secret Service men walked into OMG! Burgers in South Miami for a quick meal.

Obama dropped into the Sunset Place restaurant and chowed down during a roundtable with UM students Maximo Soler and Emily Young and Barry University student Leslie Redmond.

Interfacing with voters is all well and good, but there are numerous other fine restaurants in Miami the Prez should try next time around. Here’s a couple he missed… Continue Reading »

Got a spare pair of shoes you’re ready to toss? Former President George W. Bush opens the Miami Book Fair International at the Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus at the downtown Miami campus. Enjoy a celebration of all things literary including live visits by Nora Ephron, Dave Barry, Sebastian Junger, Salman Rusdie, John Waters, and many more.

Then it’s on to Shake Shack on the Lincoln Road Mall where they’re lining up for garlic sausage topped with bacon and cheese and a frosty beer to celebrate the summer season. The burgers are still on the menu but bratwurst seems so appropriate just now. After that, who knows, we might even go for a short stroll down Ocean Drive just for grins, since it’s been so long since we’ve spent any there. Continue Reading »

President Obama has used the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach for fundraisers in 2010 and 2011, and we think this is the beginning of a great love affair with the Collins Avenue hotel. Continue Reading »

We’ve had a good run. 102 separate editions, over four years and two months. Edition #103 was supposed to appear yesterday but after reviewing the submissions, or lack thereof, I think it’s time to end Carnival of the Liberals…

“What differentiates skeptics from non-skeptics?” or “What does it mean to be a skeptic” are questions that I think equally well sum up an interesting conversation I had on Twitter today with Daniel Loxton and Jim Lippard, with a valuable interjection by Liz Ditz.

Our conversation arose out of a much broader discussion on Objectivism and Skepticism. Daniel Loxton sees skepticism as a method of inquiry coupled with a specialized body of knowledge. I don’t think he’s wrong, but I think it goes further than this. I believe that what defines skepticism is not the scientific method or critical thinking, nor the subject matter which historically has been concerned with pseudoscience and the paranormal. Rather I think what truly defines the nature of skepticism and the skeptic is a moral position regarding veridical truth.

In short, I think most people are not so concerned with objective reality. That doesn’t mean they’re fabulists or idiots, but rather take a pragmatic approach to the “truth” which may or may not…

Come one, come all! The biggest, most extraordinary show of political punditry ever seen has pitched it’s tent again. So gather underneath the bigtop and thrill to the erudite analysis of wonks extraordinaire, be shocked by right wing inanity, and amazed at stunning feats of logic. The 95th edition of Carnival of the Liberals has something for everyone, so let’s not delay…

A few weeks ago, after it was learned that Barack Obama had chosen mega-church pastor, schlocky self-help guru and homophobic bigot Rick Warren to give the Inaugural Invocation, many of us liberal types were shocked and outraged. Obama had run a campaign based on hope. Hope for change, hope for a better world. Yet he had chosen a man who would deny not only that hope, but the basic civil rights of a large segment of our population.

And while most of us were ranting, and frothing at the mouth, at Obama’s insensitivity, Quaker Dave from The Quaker Agitator had a better idea. Instead of highlighting the hate and bigotry of Rick Warren, he believed we should post our own messages of hope, compassion, tolerance and diversity. And what better day to do it than on Obama’s Inaugural Day. So The Alternative Invocation blog swarm was born…