Free Republic

Herman Cain has had a tough two weeks. So, will he remain the “flavor of the day?” Or of the month? Or even into January, when the first Republican presidential primaries and caucuses will be held? That is, can the successful Georgia businessman’s popularity surge among likely GOP voters be sustained, in light of accusations by anonymous women, and some not anonymous, that he sexually harassed them— charges he strongly denies—during his tenure as the National Restaurant Association’s chief executive officer? ((snip)) That said, however, a great majority of Cain’s critics go after him, not because he is black necessarily,...

A DECADE ago when I was an undergraduate psychologist, a departmental librarian called Anne was doing something any psychologist would say was impossible. Every year, with near-perfect accuracy, she would predict which third-year undergraduates would be awarded first-class degrees. Anne didn't know how their essays were rated, what A-level grades they had under their belts, or how they scored on IQ tests. (All information many would say was essential to forecasting final results.) All she knew was how often she had seen students in the department library: reading course notes, photocopying journals, borrowing books. And the handful of students who...