romney can win

Political Mayhem Thursday: Herman Cain!

Can I just say-- Herman Cain would be the worst President ever, but this ad totally wowed me. There is something wonderfully transgressive about the smoking at the end... and I am tired of timidity. Sure, I have no idea what the point is there-- maybe it's about freedom? That would be good.

Nearly anything worthwhile transgresses society's norms in some way. Transgression is a step on the way to reform of stale and outgrown parts of our culture; it can be the razor that splits habit from tradition.

Meanwhile, Herman Cain is otherwise a complete train wreck. His 9-9-9 plan would raise taxes for many or even most people (aren't Republicans supposed to be against raising taxes?). He mishandled and appeared to fudge answers related to old charges that he sexually harassed his employees. He accidentally said that the choice of abortion is up to the woman involved, before hearing the objections of horrified conservatives. He seems to be stumbling from one disaster to the next, dragging various conservative figures along like a drunk sorority girl leading a pack of besotted boys out of a bar. This week, it was all about race, with figures like Ann Coulter claiming that "our blacks are more impressive than their blacks," among other things.

What happens next to Herman Cain?

Help me and my beloved Miata...

So... I'm looking for a place to park my beloved and long-suffering Miata for the winter. Any ideas? Feel free to email me at oslerguy@yahoo.com if you have a genuine idea. Sarcastic remarks can go in the comment section below.

Randy Potts explains...

Over the past few weeks I have gotten to know Randy Potts and admire his work. He wrote to me when he was coming to Minnesota last week, and we met for an afternoon to discuss our various projects. He speaks with real grace about the family that has largely rejected him, and that is a very difficult thing to do. If you don't know his story, it is explained here:

Wearing Black Responsibly

Black is getting a lot of flack, I've noticed. It is a shade associated with obnoxious matchmakers and "typically" dressed females. 

I possess very few all-black outfits. Two suits, tops. OK, I'll confess to three black dresses. 

Coco Chanel, inventor of the LBD

While I do object to daily all-blackness, it is still, no matter how one slices it, is an excellent choice for weddings as it is usually appropriate for evening wear, shoes are a breeze, it slenderizes the figure, and black stockings are an option. (Although I do have wedding wear that is distinctly not black, which I don season permitting).

But for ensembles, mix it up. 

I find that matching two shades of black is difficult; one black looks bluer or grayer by comparison. Therefore, I rarely wear a black skirt and black top together. 

For instance, I have a great black sweater. The skirt I wear with it is red. Sometimes white. Maybe camel. Pretty much anything but black. Black tops really makes the face pop - black is a very flattering hue to the face. 

Carolina Herrera

Moschino

As for the black skirt, I have red jackets, winter white jackets, orange jackets, and so forth.

Ralph Lauren

Moschino

As for dresses, there are black frocks available with little punches of color. 

Carolina Herrera

Letting go of black completely is being rather unreasonable. Black is and should be a staple in women's wardrobes, but a balance should be found to snazz it up. Like colorful shoes or brooches. 

Wisdom not my own

Wisdom is a tough topic. True wisdom is rooted in humility and sacrifice, but discussing it tends to make us sound arrogant and selfish if we start from the premise that we have it and others don't.

I think, though, that looking for wisdom in professors is the wrong (and often a fruitless) task-- instead, we should be teaching our students to be wise in choosing and pursuing their vocation.

I'm convinced that the secret to teaching towards wisdom is to allow students to work with principles (in addition to learning legal rules), because wisdom comes from the application of principles to the tough questions we all face. I try to do this in my own classes, through simulations and exercises, and in my new commutation clinic.

This goal is the topic of the paper I presented last week at Baylor. If you would like (and I hope you do), you can download the whole thing here (just click "one-click download" at the top of that screen).

I would love to hear your thoughts, as I look to revise this paper for publication.

Respectful Makeup

As I mentioned beforehand, I am a recent convert to daily makeup. When I began to apply paint every morning, I could detect a change in people's attitudes. Their voices became more courteous, they gave me a wider berth on the sidewalk, I get called "ma'am" - simply put, I get more respect.

As always, it turns out it's not in my head. 

Catherine St. Louis writes of studies that show that women who wear makeup - not much, even just a light dusting - are considered more competent in the workplace.

For those who protest that such a thing shouldn't be, of course not. But like many unfair quirks of our culture, that's how it is. Have you ever seen photos of celebrities sans cosmetics? It's not pretty. 

Today Show went bare, and the children cried in fear.

And if I had known, I would have put on makeup for my years in college. The professors would have treated me better. She never would have dared to give me that B. 

Much better.