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Is AU President Ben Ladner a good role model? As noted in this Washington Post story, Mr. Ladner has bilked the school for $500,000 in spurious expenses, above and beyond his ridiculous $800,000 annual salary. The spending in dispute includes travel expenses, more than $6,000 in club dues, nearly $54,000 in drivers’ costs, more than…

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The FedEx guy delivered my brand spanking new iPod mini today, shipped straight from the Apple factory in Shanghai where it had “Die of exhaustion rather than boredom” laser-engraved on the back. My arm-band holder for said iPod arrived at the same time, which bodes well for KMFDM-fueled half-marathon training runs in the near future.…

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H.L. Mencken* once said, “A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.” Nemo linked me to a Texas District Court order, 943 F. Supp. 782, regarding a change of venue. The Defendant (Colonial Penn Insurance Company) moved to have the case moved from the Galveston division to the Houston division, citing…

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A damn big beer ad. Speaking of beer, I’m planning on running the annual DC Area Hash Beer Mile this Friday. (Note: we do a full sixer, not this four beer crap.) Any suggestions for brands or strategies for drinking without vomiting? I’m guessing that chugging a sixer at the beginning or the end would…

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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…

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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…

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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.…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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