Posts by Nicholas Sarwark
Knapp on the state of empire
Tom Knapp has written something that you ought to read: Since going back to an all-volunteer force after Vietnam, the military has depended on incentives to get young men and women to enlist. One of those incentives — unstated but definitely at play — is that while the kid is building a college fund and…
Read MoreAn Invitation
I received this in my email last night: Mr. X,Congratulations, it is with great pleasure that I invite you to join the American University Law Review. I sincerely hope that you will choose to become a member of our staff. Law Review offers many challenging and rewarding experiences, and I look forward to your joining…
Read MoreThe Best Defense
During my Wills, Trusts, & Estates class tonight, we covered the sad case of Azcunce v. Estate of Azcunce, 586 So. 2d 1216 (Fla. App. 3rd Dist. 1991). The father executed a will naming his three children at the time: Lisette, Natalie, and Gabriel. He then had a fourth child about a year later, Patricia.…
Read MoreA Million Ways to Be Cruel
OK Go has a brilliant dance number set to their song, A Million Ways to be Cruel. Hat tip: Johnny Law. Yours truly,Mr. X …off for the weekend… UPDATE: NPR’s All Things Considered did an interview with the lead singer of the band and his choreographer sister.
Read MorePreemah Fakiay or: Be Careful, Young Pedantic Lawyer
Michael Gilleland points out a quite funny example of what happens when pedants try to impose historical usage on people who have been using a language quite nicely, thank you: The same may be said of all the professions in which the ‘dead’ languages are not merely the toys of pedagogues but the constant tools…
Read MoreBanana Man and Vegas
Small mid-week distraction. The sweet, surreal, tropical stylings of Banana Man. I’m back from Las Vegas (actually I got back on Sunday) with more money than I left with. Didn’t play any poker, despite staying at the Rio, where the 2005 World Series of Poker was being held. I did see “Jesus” in the hallway,…
Read MoreWe Have Met The Enemy And He Is Us
When working on making progress it is important to guard against ourselves. When life throws you a curve or someone chews you out, the first inclination of a human being is to look outward for the cause. Epictetus (Handbook 48) counsels that this is the path of the uneducated person; a philosopher will do the…
Read MoreMy Soul Brother
I’ve added this upstanding law student to my blogroll. I think he has captured the essential key to success in the legal acadamy: drunkenness. Yours truly, Mr. X …a kindred spirit…
Read MoreExpeditors International: Coolest. Company. Ever.
Expeditors International, a non-asset-based freight forwarding concern, is also the coolest company ever. They have a dedication to their customers, employees, and shareholders. They also have a dedication to honesty and straightforwardness that would make Mencken proud. Now call me a geek, but I really enjoy reading their SEC 8-K filings. SEC filings are normally…
Read MoreDebt forgiveness and positive change
Tom Knapp posts some very good criticisms of the current foreign aid regime, in light of recent announcements of $40 billion in debt forgiveness for African nations. The fundamental point about foreign aid going to oligarchs in the borrowing countries is an important one: First of all, the idea that the money was lent to…
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