Wittgenstein’s Odd Classmate

Ludwig Wittgenstein, the author of Philosophical Investigations and the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, a don at Cambridge, and one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century, was a Catholic Austrian Jew who fought as an officer for the Imperial Austro-Hungarian Army in WWI and was decorated for bravery. When Germany took Austria in the Anschluss, the wealthy Wittgenstein family became subject to Germany’s Nuremberg Laws. With three Jewish grandparents, Wittgenstein was to lose Austrian citizenship and become a Jewish non-citizen under those discriminatory laws.

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When Clients Don't Pay

Annals of Attorney Billing, Episode #432 Most firms only count collected hours, not mere billed hours. A certain percentage of your clients will try to stiff you.. This happens at all levels: it’s not just new clients, not just small clients. For example, I did eighty hours of work for an accounting firm whose initials use the letters “E” and “Y.” They didn’t pay–I listened to a very eloquent explanation–more than once–about how they had expected their client to pay and since he didn’t, i was out of luck.

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Paying Attorneys Fees with Story Rights

D.C. Bar Rule 1.8© says, ” © Prior to the conclusion of representation of a client, a lawyer shall not make or negotiate an agreement giving the lawyer literary or media rights to a portrayal or account based in substantial part on information relating to the representation.” Florida doesn’t have a similar rule, but there is case law. The most notorious case involved a 17 year-old, Tina Mancini, who was working as a stripper in Ft.

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The Joan Anderson Letter: Copyright Conundrum

UPDATED—October 31, 2025 An article in The American Scholar recounts the genesis of Jack Kerouac’s novel, On the Road. theamericanscholar.org/scrolling… Tsk, tsk: the author fails to mention the long-lost—but recently found—Joan Anderson letter, written by Neal Casady. Kerouac himself attributed Casady’s style in the letter to helping him find a style appropriate to Road. The Associated Press reported in late 2014 that a letter written by Neal Casady to Jack Kerouac in the 1950’s had been found after having been lost for sixty years.

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Revisiting Half and Half

Returning to Bahrain. The street they call the American Alley, near the US Naval Base, a place of interest to the Islamic Republic of Iran, just a short way across the Persian Gulf. Spies from a hundred countries try to capture overheard conversations. Guards at the Base monitor the tall buildings nearby for snipers. Sailors on leave patrol the Alley at night, looking for diversions or a touch of home. The Alley doesn’t disappoint; there is a McDonald’s, though the Burger King is gone, as is the Chili’s, Starbucks–the iHop didn’t make it either—and a KFC.

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Smollet: Yes; Santos: No

I just watched a documentary about Jusse Smollet, the gay black actor who claimed to be a victim of a hate crime, a simulated lynching at 0200 in downtown Chicago several years ago. Smollet became a joke, a rehearsal for George Santos who was such an accomplished liar that he was elected to Congress. Smollet’s lie–if that’s what it was–only led to him being charged with filing a false police report.

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How Trump gets a Third Term

Bannon says “run anyway”: the Supremes will interpret the 22nd Amendment to add the word “consecutive” and you’re golden. Lawyers say, “run as V-P with a deal with Vance to resign.” You get a third term automatically since you won’t have been elected three times. Trump says “no” because it would be “too cute” and Americans wouldn’t go for it. Also, the second cause of the 22nd would only let him serve two more years.

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How Trump Gets a Third Term


More Job Hunting Tips

Have an actor dress up as a police officer or detective (if male, a fedora is required) and visit the HR department of your target employer. Don’t know who’s in charge? The “officers” can merely ask the receptionist. A toy “crime fighter” badge flashed quickly is usually enough to get the names out. The “detectives” can then ask to be escorted to the relevant office–no security required! If a pesky, nosy receptionist asks your “policemen” to identify their agency, their response should be, “some people say DRY ICE” followed up with an immediate chuckle.

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Lawyer Superhero