Glenn Reynolds recently linked to an article about the history of high heels, which were initially used by Persian warriors for stability aboard a horse, then became a status symbol (those who don't actually have to walk anywhere can afford to wear silly shoes).  Very interesting.

I once was driving through our college town and noticed a young, slim, fashionable woman walking down the street with the absolute confidence of the very beautiful.  As I sat at the next stop light, she jaywalked in front of my car and I about jumped out of my skin when I got a close up look at her face, which was about 1000 years old.  When your face does not match your fashion sense, that is when you should drop the trendiness.  No one should get a shock when they get a close up of you.

My 16 year old just read the Moomintroll series to his 6 year old sister so he could revisit them without appearing uncool. This Finnish series sparked my great love of reading too, as well as CS Lewis and Judy Blume and a fantastic series of biographies of famous women and their lives as girls.I remember reading "Alice in Wonderland" as an older elementary student and being in awe of the language and how funny it was - much better than the movie. Ronald Dahl understood how ridiculous adulthood could seem to kids and portrayed that so well.Recent additions to the literature canon might include "The Penderwicks" - a series of books about 4 modern day sisters reminiscent of "Little Women." Charming and relevant. I loved Harry Potter for the sheer joy of good storytelling over a long series. "The Hobbit" was also fabulous storytelling - we found reading his other works aloud a slog.I would argue that there is a real skill to writing books that are a joy to read aloud. I recently listened to "Pride & Prjudice" read aloud (Audible!) and found that Jane Austen is even better to listen to.

Oh my goodness, thank you for putting that so beautifully.  It took me a couple of weeks to reach that point, I do live around liberals, but I have finally accepted the premise that elections are not a do or die scenario.  We will continue to work hard and teach our children to work hard.  We will remain engaged in the community and always help our friends and neighbors, even if they are Obama voters.   What is the best way to convince liberals that conservatives are good and caring people?  To be a good and caring person and a proud conservative.

I'm married to someone who didn't vote the presidential line in 2008 because he was appalled by both candidates.  He is an independent who drives 45 minutes to work each way and listens to NPR.  'Nuff said.  Still, he has been very open to my careful selection of stories that frame who Obama is and what he has been doing, and intends to vote for Romney despite liking Ron Paul's message of auditing the Fed and taking care of our own house of cards before sending money and troops around the world "fixing" things.

He gets it. 

Diane, I have a hard time reconciling your husband's adamant pro-life position with possible support for Obama.  I simply cannot find a path for him to justify that.

They have melted down about everything!  Good grief - I can't spend any time there anymore.  For some reason, everyone seems convinced that we need a perfect candidate.  I don't know about you all, but I don't know anyone who is perfect, and those who profess to be pretty darn close are delusional.

I admire Romney for sticking to his guns both this week and last week in the face of all this weeping and gnashing of teeth and getting on with it.  I am furious that the national media is not giving us a better sense of what the campaigns are doing on any given day.  Romney and Ryan have been all but ignored when things are going well - lots of people showing up for rallies and responding positively to the message.  Obama having trouble filling venues.  NRO could be doing a much better job of campaign coverage than what we're getting.

Well, since last week's meme didn't work out (Romney jumps the shark on Libyan embassy attacks), we're on to a new campaign "failure" this week. 

Fortunately, the Romney campaign had to endure the same load of manure during the primaries and has obviously learned some lessons.  I don't see Romney waffling or backtracking.  He might be awkward in his explanations, but I'm going to give credit to the American people here and say that it seems like they understand what he is trying to say.  They don't need the polish and the fine words delivered perfectly.  They want a guy who gets it.  Much to my surprise, Romney seems to get it.  After hearing more about his life, I can see why. 

We don't need another Reagan.  We need a guy who gets it and can say with confidence, "I can fix this."  Romney just might be that guy - the right person at the right time. 

Thank you for saying that!  Good grief, I find it downright tiresome to hear conservative pundits eating their own. 

What I've seen is this - according to the MSM, Romney doesn't exist unless they find a gaffe-worthy moment to harp on, then he is all over the news.  I would like to find some site with a decent audience that is compiling local news stories of Romney and Ryan on the campaign trail EVERY DAY.  I do not want to read the usual pundits POV on the state of the race.  Does anyone know of one?  Then it gets linked to by all of us in the alternative media every day, undermining the "narrative."

When Peggy Noonan is on, she is really good.  But she is part of the old guard that respects the establishment - both media and political - and laments thgroundswell of change from the Tea Party contingent.  I doubt Reagan would have much good to say about her current series of essays.  He would see her for what she is - a palace guard to a crumbling empire.

What is completely boggling my mind is that NO ONE in my liberal enclave is talking about it.  No FB posts, no hushed hall conversations.  NOTHING.  I am completely unsettled by this.  Have we become a nation of ostriches?

Thank you for the brief summary!  LOL

Isn't this the book that got her busted as a plagiarist?

Where I live, a college degree common currency, everyone I know has an advanced degree or two in something.  Except me, of course, with my lowly BA from a state university.  The mothers are particularly defensive if they are staying home to raise children.  Once the kids head off to school, which everyone treats like daycare, they all start soul searching to decide what to do with their lives, with significant pressure from their husbands.

I feel very lucky and grateful that my husband and I agreed long ago that our #1 priority was raising kids.  I stay home and economize and we don't take glorious vacations and that's okay. 

It was our choice.

I find it frustrating too that we don't know where Romney and Ryan are going to be.  I want to go if they are anywhere reasonably close.  I see your point though.  I also wonder if they are deliberately keeping things hush hush to stay fluid, like the brilliant visit to Louisiana right after the RNC convention.

Sorry, Pat Caddell is the guy who tried to galvanize voters to write in Hilary Clinton's name as a primary candidate against Obama.  He is operating in a different era.

If he had been listening to Dinesh D'Sousa prior to coming on, and maybe that is the drawback of podcasts - no Green Rooms to watch previous guests, he would have been unable to tie his perspective to the reality of D'Sousa's extremely successful documentary and what it means at the grassroots level.  Knowing that people are seeing that film is extremely heartening to me. 

I do like what Indaba says about taking notes from Harper's campaign and filming Romney talking and, more importantly, listening to people's concerns and frustrations.  But after events  this week, I fail to see how Obama remains up in the polls.  Anyone paying attention to the news in the ME knows that this rest on Obama's shoulders.  He simply cannot blame the Bush administration, then go jetting off a fundraiser.

I've recently listened to several of Jane Austen's novels and the dialog is really brilliant when read by a good actress.  The class portrayed in her novels were at leisure for the most part, so speaking eloquently were part of being "accomplished."  Actually, one of my favorite parts of Pride and Prejudice is when Caroline Bingley and Mr. Darcy are listing their requirements for young ladies they consider truly accomplished and that they know only a handful who fit the bill.   Eliza Bennett rightly responds that she is surprised that they know any at all.

Okay, I admit that I haven't gone through the comments, but you'll get no argument from me that Kate Beckinsale  was a superior Emma.  The age difference between Mr. Knightley and Emma was more evident in that version as well.  I did like Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley in the newest version though.

I do prefer the newer Masterpiece Theater version of Sense and Sensibility.  Emma Thompson was much too old for that role and the sweet bloke who plays Matthew Crowley in Downton Abbey is Edward Ferrars in the new version and he is just about perfect.  The final scene is pitch perfect.