Role Model?

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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I have joined the Pod people

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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Don’t Mess With Texas

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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That’s a big ad

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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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…

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An 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…

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The 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.…

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Preemah 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…

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Banana 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,…

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My 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…

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