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Morning Docket 4.22.09

small jungle.jpg* The trustees of the estate of Leona Helmsley, the famous hotelier and heiress who left her Bijon $12 million and much of the rest of her estate to the care of dogs, will not be carrying out her wishes. They reduced the Bijon’s trust fund to $2,000,000 (that is a lot of Purina) and will only donate $1 million to animal-related charities. Was it so wrong for Leona to think that animals are more worthy than people? [The New York Times]

* 16 of 62 Congressmen who left government last year are now working for lobbying firms. Will they have to wear the scarlet L around Washington now? [USA Today]

* A federal judge rejected Blagojevich’s request that he be allowed to travel to Costa Rica to tape the reality T.V. show “I’m a Celebrity…Get me Out of Here!” Blago said he needed the money he’d get from fighting Heidi Montag in the jungle. The judge said the former governor does not seem to understand “the position he finds himself in.” [The New York Times]

* There seems to be surprisingly little protest against the expansion of gay marriage across the country. They’re all at tea parties—at least the recession is good for something. [ABC.com]

* Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling predicts the UK’s worst recession since World War II. The only comparison more depressing than the Depression. [Bloomberg]

* It is no news to loyal readers that law student’s job prospects are grim, but here is another story about it just in case. [Law.com]

Comments

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1 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 8:56 AM

I am firsty for more!

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2 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 8:56 AM

I like animals more than people.

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 8:56 AM

I.......

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4 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 8:57 AM

BANG!

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 8:57 AM

first

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6 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 8:57 AM

I've never corrected your errors before but I have to say; Leona left money to a Bichon, not Bijan.

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7 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:05 AM

Why no link to David Post analyzing Section 90 of the Restatement at Volokh Conspiracy, in the context of deferrals and layoffs?

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8 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:06 AM

Law students' job prospects are grim, not law student's.

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9 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:07 AM

Glad to see Blago back in the news. Did you know his female twin is in biglaw? http://www.pepperlaw.com/LegalStaff_Preview.aspx?LegalStaffKey=360

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10 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:12 AM

Eliza,

You are a glib idiot, as usual. TEA protests have broad bipartisan support (read a poll), substantially beyond the shrill group of baptists who fight gay marriage. To equate economic conservatives with social reactionaries is thoroughly dishonest, lazy punditry. You fucking suck.

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11 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:13 AM

Is it 4/20 yet?

[Takes puff of joint...]

-Michael Phelps

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12 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:16 AM

You're doing this on purpose, right? You can't possibly be in journalism school and still not know how to use an apostrophe.

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13 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:19 AM

According to the NYT article, South Brooklyn Legal Services got some of Helmsley's dog's money

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14 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:20 AM

6 is right -- "Bichon," not "Bijan." More to the point, however, Helmsley's dog was a Maltese, as the linked article says, not a Bichon.

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15 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:22 AM

In that Law.com article, the jackass from NALP says that historically 2/3 of law grads have jobs when they get their diplomas...what efffin data is he looking at? That certainly has not been even close to true for the graduating classes since 2001.

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16 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:30 AM

10: tea parties do not have broad partisan support.
however, they have full support from retards (most of whom vote republican)

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17 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:32 AM

Latham's first year billing rates being challenged by insurance company:

http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2009/04/latham.html

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18 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:32 AM

@6, who cares. You're still a fag.

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19 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:35 AM

Exchequer Alistair Darling

Best
Name
Ever

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20 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:38 AM

16,

"According to a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey published Monday, 51 percent of respondents held a favorable view of last week’s Tax Day Tea Parties while only 33 percent held an unfavorable view."

Not sure what %age of Americans are Republican, but it's considerably less than 51%.

Kindly go and fuck yourself.

- Not 10

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21 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:43 AM

6,

55% of Americans oppose gay marriage.

President Obama and Vice-President Biden oppose gay marriage. Either they are liars or their views line up with that of Miss California. Which is it?

To characterize those who oppose gay marriage as simply a "shrill group of baptists" is dishonest. But, then again, this is how the homosexual lobby has decided to go about their business -- "EVERYONE EXCEPT YOU IS IN FAVOR OF GAY MARRIAGE. WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" In fact, the majority of Americans, African-Americans, Latino-Americans, and many other types of Americans are against it.

Keep up the demonizing.

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22 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:50 AM

17, clearly misleading. Latham has no more first years, as has been widely reported on this site.

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23 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:51 AM

20 - right on. and considering the percentage of people who don't pay federal tax or little federal tax, i say 51% is pretty high. i suspect if they only survey people who DO pay tax, the percentage will be higher.

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24 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:52 AM

14-- Since you are correcting people: "was" or "is"?

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25 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:52 AM

so is that latham protest happening?
i'll bring the giant rat!

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26 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:52 AM

21, who gives a shit? If 55% of Americans were in support of shooting random strangers on the street, would that make it OK? Percentages don't mean a g-d thing, especially when it comes to issues like this. Besides, 77% of Americans are too stupid to spend within their means, or tie their own shoes, or wipe their own asses. Proves nothing, thx.

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27 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:53 AM

Kaye Scholer LLP Partner Madlyn Primoff arrested for ordering young children out of the car, then driving off - abandoning them by the side of the road. Check out the Mugshot !

From Yahoo News:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090422/ap_on_re_us/us_fed_up_mom

Her professional website:
http://www.kayescholer.com/professionals/primoff_madlyn

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28 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:59 AM

21...liberals are only tolerant when you agree with them. I really don't see there is anything wrong in carrie's answer. I don't know why some people go nuts. like you said, president and vice president hold the same view, as many other americans.

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29 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:59 AM

16- keep listening to the douchebags at msnbc and cnn and believing all that they tell you. for the rest of us that dont have our head up our ass, the ass of the main stream media, or the ass of obama, we know it has bipartisan support.

one of the worst things i did in my life was to vote for obama (because I hate what the republican party had become and think they are a bunch of liars). I dont think he has kept a single one of his campaign pledges, and now, he is using my children as credit cards.

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30 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:59 AM

26,

Are you suggesting Americans don't have a right to self-determination? Does democracy not work? What are the "issues like this" to which you allude but (of course) don't describe? Issues involving the right of a society to defend its most foundational institution against a fundamental redefinition? (And, please, don't cite Loving. Just don't do it. If you can't see the difference between not sanctioning interracial marriage and not sanctioning same-sex marriage, there's no use even having this debate.)

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31 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:59 AM

8 - both are accurate

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32 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:02 AM

17 -- the best line from the petition:

"For the most part, the team of 15 [Lartham] attorneys and 11 staff spent their time reviewing the same things and then billing to confer among themselves about what they had reviewed."

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33 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:05 AM

Liberals love all points of view...as long as it is their own.

If you ever debate a liberal, be prepared not to defend your position but yourself. Liberals always have weak positions and argument and instead go into personal attacks.

Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains. - Winston Churchill

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34 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:06 AM

Oh Latham...

"Additionally, Century asserts that Latham did work that was unreasonable and unnecessary. "For the most part, the team of 15 attorneys and 11 staff spent their time reviewing the same things and then billing to confer among themselves about what they had reviewed," the petition says. Over $330,000 was allegedly billed for internal communications and memoranda."

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35 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:06 AM

14, "was." The Maltese no longer is Helmsley's dog.

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36 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:07 AM

LOL, looks like Latham treats its clients the same way it treats its NYC associates.

"Among Century's other claims: in January 2006 a "bar pending" law graduate billed 137.1 hours at $450 an hour for a total of $61,695; Latham billed out a "banking, finance and real estate" associate who worked on the case at the same rate as associates with toxic tort litigation experience; and multiple "timekeepers" met with a single expert over a two-day period for a cost of $104,402."

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37 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:08 AM

That Helmsley distribution irritates me. I thought it was clear T&E law that you satisfy the purpose, and if the purpose was frustrated, you do the next best thing. "And other charities the trustees may see fit" doesn't mean they can screw over the animal charities.

It was HER money and she could decide how to spend it. If she felt like dogs were a more worthy use of her fortunes, they must support that. I've been to New York - I could agree.

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38 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:08 AM

26--Slavery and indentured servitude used to be considered fundamental "institutions." They really were. When some people started thinking that it was kind of weird, people like you where like "Hey man, you can't change that! We have always discriminated! It's fundamental!"

Bottom line is that defining who someone else is and what they can or cannot do shouldn't be your fundamental guiding principle in life.

Face it pal, you are a backwards thinker. Someone who gets off on making sure other people don't have the same rights as you. Someone who walks down the streets and judges others constantly.

There will always be people like you, I just hope that your population is always shrinking, not growing.

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39 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:08 AM

Do you all see that apparent suicide of Freddie Mac CFO? It turns out TARP means Take A Rope Please.

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40 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:08 AM

okay, there should be an f-ing rule. no posting of links to butt ugly women partners before noon.

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41 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:08 AM

Frankly my dear, I just don't give a damn.

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42 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:10 AM

ELIZA IS A SMELLY PIRATE HOOKER.

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43 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:10 AM

21, 99% of educated, intelligent people are for extending marriage rights to same sex couple.

don't forget that your 55% number includes mouthbreathers and the dregs of society from places like South Dakota and Alabama. No one cares what some flyover state yokel thinks.

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44 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:11 AM

25, if I see a rat there, I am definitely joining in. I will be there wearing a mustage to hide my identity.

EVERYBODY, LATHAM OR NOT, JOIN OUR PROTEST ON MAY 1ST IN FRONT OF LIPSTICK BUILDING ON 3RD BETWEEN 53RD AND 54TH. BRING A RAT IF YOU HAVE ONE.

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45 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:11 AM

ELIZA IS GERMAN FOR A WHALE"S VAGINA

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46 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:12 AM

38- your post makes no fucking sense.

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47 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:13 AM

43=obvious troll

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48 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:14 AM

Has anyone ever wondered why doctors don't have a blog like this?

Is it because lawyers are idiots?

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49 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:14 AM

44, I will be there.

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50 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:14 AM

Who said "there are some ideas so wrong that only a very intelligent person could believe in them."

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51 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:15 AM

37, these are tough times. All large trusts should be used for government bailouts until things turn around.

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52 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:15 AM

Affirmative, 49.

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53 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:15 AM

Good morning everybody,

Latham will be conducting stealth layoffs in the middle of May. Please speed up your pro bono work.

-Latham's daily bulletin

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54 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:17 AM

Sorry, by 26 I meant 30!

--38

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55 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:19 AM

Trolls live under bridges.

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56 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:20 AM

38,

BEING BLACK IS DIFFERENT THAN BEING "GAY." The pro-gay-marriage lobby thrives on wishing this was not the case. The comparison, quite frankly, is offensive.

43,

I see, only dumb people want marriage to continue to be defined as between a man and a woman. Very slick. Way to think it through.

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57 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:20 AM

I have nipples Greg, can you milk me?

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58 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:24 AM

56, being black is exactly the same thing as being gay. Get off it.

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59 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:26 AM

Gay is the new black.

Mr. Rove

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60 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:32 AM

49 - It's because doctors are too busy getting sued by lawyers. Read WSJ's Health Blog once in a while for some refreshing doctors-hate-lawyers tripe.

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61 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:34 AM

Yo, anxious former Lathamities. Please take advantage of the psychiatric health plan offered to you free of charge by Latham. You have till August 31st. Stop telling the truth here and don't come May 1st. There are more of us left and we will kick your ass.

Superior (thus remaining) Latham associates

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62 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:35 AM

my dog is a better friend than most of my friends.

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63 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:51 AM

"BEING BLACK IS DIFFERENT THAN BEING 'GAY.'"

well, you're right, but not for the reason you think. being black is also different from being left-handed, but they're still both inherent traits, not choices.

i think being "gay" is an inherent trait, like being black or left-handed. i believe this b/c i can't choose to be right-handed, or black, or gay. i am what i am: white, left-handed, and straight.

i can be convinced otherwise, however; please choose to BE (i.e., not act) gay, and report back to us on your progress.

also: Helmsley's money should have been directed toward the purposes she intended, and not stolen b/c others disagree with her wishes.

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64 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:55 AM

Ditto 62. There is my wife, my two best friends, and my dog. Everyone else comes after.

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65 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:56 AM

56--You are bereft of reason. The point is that proponents of discrimination always use the same irrational argument: "This is how it has always been. You can't change it! We have always discriminated!"

Yes, dumb people and bigots want to keep gay people in love from enjoying the same rights that they have. You are either dumb or a bigot.

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66 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:56 AM

"Mount Sinai Medical Center received ... $10 million for a Helmsley Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center."


Did no one else find that funny? What a legacy.

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67 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 11:19 AM

64's wife is a dog and probably 3500 sq ft.

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68 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 11:41 AM

Sucks for Helmsley. Would hate to think my dying wishes to will everything to sick children could result in my name being forever tied to a hemroid research center.

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69 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 12:06 PM

Ahh, I love the smell of napalm in the morning!

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70 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 12:53 PM

56: you're offended because you're gay and hate black people or you're black and hate gay people?
or you're neither and hate both?

either way, you haven't really grasped what it means for a subset of people to have to fight tooth and nail for the rights that all of us are supposed to have

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71 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 2:14 PM

70,

In CA, what rights do "gay" people not have, even post-Prop 8?

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72 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 3:18 PM

It also an inherent trait to be able to love more than one person at the same time, and only dumb people and bigots want to keep bisexual polygamists in love from enjoying the same rights that they have. Everyone who disagrees is either dumb or a bigot.

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73 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 3:30 PM

that's the best you have, 72? oy.

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74 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 3:33 PM

72, loving "more than one person at a time" is not a right; it's a talent, as well as an experience you'll remember for the rest of your life.

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75 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 3:51 PM

72, loving "more than one person at a time" is not a right; it's a talent, as well as an experience you'll remember for the rest of your life.

76 Posted by Jay Sherman | Permalink Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:29 PM

I actually like PE. He's more witty than most commenters. And, real or not, he has some pretty good insight. Although, I have to say, he's a bit of a knock off of the Anonymous Lawyer.

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