I left Twitter in 2023. That was an easy decision—it had become a Nazi bar under the auspices of a billionaire man-child. After a couple of false starts, last month I found an agreeable Twitter alternative—Bluesky. Although Jack Dorsey, then Twitter CEO, was involved in the early days of Bluesky (in 2019), an appealing aspect of Bluesky is that becoming … Read More
I cast my lot with Delta Airlines in 2007. I much preferred their livery to that of American Airlines—we sometimes make for the slightest of reasons what turn out to be nontrivial decisions. A couple of years ago I became a Delta Million Miler. And in 2020 I’ll add another year to my streak of being a Diamond Medallion member—the … Read More
Normally I don’t comment publicly on any kind of writing other than that contained in contracts. I have my hands full as it is. But I was on the receiving end of a cry of despair on Twitter: An example or really lame legalese. Who writes these things @KonciseD ? https://t.co/ukofrUMgiY — Winstonian Smith (@W1nstonian) September 3, 2016 Here’s what … Read More
My wife Joanne recently became executive director of the Belmont Child Care Association. BCCA operates a preschool program for children of workers in New York’s thoroughbred racing industry. It’s a great organization that gets a lot of backing from the industry. I expect that with Joanne at the helm, BCCA has great things in store. On August 20, BCCA will hold its annual “Racing … Read More
(This is the first post in a new category, “Off-Topic.” Any post in that category will have nothing to do with contract drafting. Don’t worry, this won’t gradually become an off-topic blog.) I recently received the following from a reader: A recent change in IRS regulations has caused my firm, like many others, to drop the Circular 230 disclaimer that … Read More
My industrious assistant Max the Pekingese died today. Why write about it on this blog? Well, I dedicated the second edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting in part to him; I hope that’s enough of an excuse. Max joined us nine years ago, after he was found wandering the not-so-mean streets of our town, Garden City. I’d never … Read More
