Dear Cara,
I am the wife of a pastor. My husband is a wonderful man but sometimes he makes me want to pull my hair out! He performs about forty weddings a year and he has a habit of giving a small gift to every couple for whom he performs a wedding. My problem is that he always gives the same gift! I say that if he knows the couple well, like if they are long-time congregants at the church, he should go ahead and splurge a little. I feel its a little disrespectful to give them the same gift he gives the couples he’s known only months. He says he’s comfortable giving his usual gift. Cara, who is right?
– A Loving Pastor’s Wife In Loving, Alabama
The problems with The Smartest Guys In The Room, I think, begin in the very origin of the movie. Director Alex Gibney once said himself that he’s fascinated with the “space” in between fact and fiction, and this movie really reflects that. His idea of ‘documentary’ includes fiction precepts – rumor and innuendo – such as mark to marketing fraud, Jeff Skilling’s supposed arrogance, and Dr. Lay’s alleged cluelessness. Even when the facts are easily available, Gibney chooses to ignore them in favor of his more scandalous (and incorrect) interpretation.
Dear Cara,
I am a twenty-four year old man with a three-year old son. My wife left me and its been only the boy and me for a few years now. I met a nice woman at the grocery store where I work and I’d like to ask her out, but I don’t think she knows about my son. Should I tell her about my son before I ask her out or would that be presumptuous?
–Stumped and Still Single In Fargo
You wanna hear about stumped? How about the allegation that Jeff Skilling was anything less than a conscientious executive. Let’s start there. The man spent a decade of his life working for Enron, and years before that working at McKinsey on the Enron account. He knew the company backward and forward, and he loved it. In Conspiracy of Fools, Eichenwald relates the story that Jeff Skilling accepted the Enron position the morning his son was born. If this is true, I think it reinforces what some of us already know about the man: he never stopped working for Enron. Even at the most special time of his life, he was thinking about that company. And this is how shareholders repay him! With allegations! With vitriol! It’s outrageous and I am completely aghast that anyone would besmirch this man’s reputation. Shame on you! SHAME ON YOU!
Dear Cara,
My new boss has sent me an invitation for an informal barbecue. My problem is, I can’t decide what the dress code is for such an occasion. Should I “dress to impress” or go with the flow in a casual sundress? Help!
– Quandry in Quebec
You want to know what to wear, I say you look at Bethany McLean, and do the exact opposite. At Jeff Skilling’s trial she was dressed in ridiculous haute couture costumes, which is completely inappropriate for a reporter at a trial. Also, her hair was really greasy. Frankly the bitch needed a shower. And I find that I need a shower after reading any of her preposterous anti-Enron tirades since she has no clue what she’s talking about. Is Enron Overpriced? No. No it wasn’t. But Bethany McLean is overrated.
