end of the holiday
a square of pale grass
beneath the tent
old mill stream
a bramble stalk
in perpetual motion
in English-Language Haiku (Jim Kacian, Dee Evetts, eds. Red Moon Press, 2001)
credit “end of the holiday” — Acorn 3
before that first cup:
sleepy-head fills the filter
with Metamucil
[Aug. 31, 2004]
“coffee Cup neg”
one-breath pundit
Can a lawyer serve the client diligently, and be an “officer of the court,” while being “on the Judeo-Christian side of every issue.” See article on Rev. Falwell’s Liberty University Law School — National Law Journal, “Law and Religion“.
night in the hut
searching on the shelf…
katydid
Tisk, tisk! No, I haven’t been cured of my Referer Madness, and I won’t go into detox. Instead, I’m turning the obsession — backtracking from the f/k/a Referer List to search-engine queries that bring hits to this website — into a new, frequently-updated Feature, called TISK [the inadvertant searchee and the katydid].
You’ll discover why [as with "stocking"] using “hogtied” at a dignified website might not be a good idea, and see how powerful weblog search-engine placement can be.
using his nose
the dog searches
the violets
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by Alice Frampton
sultry afternoon–
biting into
the bargain cheddar
in English-Language Haiku (Eds: Jim Kacian & Dee Evetts,
Red Moon Press, 2003) credit: The Heron’s Nest III:4
fire-side poetry -
I turn to warm the left side
of my brain
“MRI negative” –
the same
jolt of pain
[Aug. 30, 2004]
one-breath pundit
VeriSign v ICANN antitrust suit rejected — the judge got it right (advice is not control)
as you know, “haiku” is both a singular and plural noun (Mad’s “Haiku Zoo”?)
The Albany, NY, Police Chief doesn’t understand the concept of “criminal intent.” (May It Please the Court takes him to task with its usual thoroughness.)
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breathless pundit
-
-
Romolo Versaci , an elderly Schenectady (NY) lawyer, has filed a $100,000 defamation suit
against Diane C. Richie, an unemployed social worker and widow with two children.
Versaci claims — and Richie admits — that she called him a “so-called attorney” on a
SchenectadyNY.info message board. [read the rest of this story here]
what would Kobayashi Issa think of all this?
on the day of departure, too
she leads…
the widow goose
accusing the pine
of foolishness…
evening mist
translated by David G. Lanoue
Update (Aug. 30, 2004): At Notes from the (Legal) Underground, straight-shooter Evan Schaffer has weighed in, with a rather telling headline: “But Make No Mistake: The So-Called Attorney Is a Real-Life, Lawsuit-Wielding, Good-for-Nothing Bully (IMHO),” and a raft of Comments.
Update (Aug. 31, 2004): Overlawyer.com‘s overlord, Walter Olson posts on His So-Called Reputation. And,
- On Sunday, Federalist #84, of the Crime & Federalism weblog, entered the fray, with a post entitled, Why Don’t You Sue Me, Tough Guy . In addition to agreeing to accept process at his L.A. law office, Fed. 84 says, “Way to carry the torch, Versaci. Way to highlight for all the United States that lawyers are good people, not sharks.”
- Albany, NY, appellate lawyer, Matthew Lerner covers this tale at his weblog, New York Civil Law. Thanks back at ya, Matthew.
-
And Kevin Heller mentions it, and our understandilbly indescribable website, at The Blawg Channel.
summer’s end
waves disappear
beneath the pier
mountain shadow
river water runs
through my fingers
credits: “summer’s end” - Crinkled Sunshine, HSA Members’ Anthology (2000)
“mountain shadow” – Acorn No. 5 (Fall, 2000), in a slightly different version
extra-long shower –
haiku moments
down the drain
[Aug. 29, 2004]
one-breath pundit
- Julia Child as a “temperamental conservative.” See StevenTeles. Why do ideologues reject the notion that basic human virtues reside within both “conservatives” and “liberals”? (via Bainbridge)
- A Commission has been appointed to study all aspects of how Massachusetts provides legal services to the poor, including the pay of assigned counsel. It will report findings by Feb. 1. (article, Springfield Republican, Aug, 28, 2004)
- Professors Painter and Brickman have completed their Point of Law dialogue on contingency fee reform. It’s well worth a look.
- Jim Moore writes well today on the Democrats’ Addiction to the Center. Can Kerry win by choosing tactics over ideas and authenticity? Have his tactical choices already doomed his campaign?
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The quality of a translation from one language to another is often very important. It can mean the difference between keeping an accused in jail and releasing him (see “US Judge Sets Bail for Terror Suspects After Translation Slip-Up“ – where a Kurdish word was belatedly found to mean ”brother” not “commander”, as the indictment asserted). It can also turn classic Japanese haiku into awkward or antiquated poetry — or, make it as alive and effective as any modern haiku.
favorite of mine for years, because it’s priced at $2.00, and because it contains haiku from Japan’s greatest masters, translated by top-flight scholars in the field, with footnotes giving cultural and personal context to many offerings. A special feature is the inclusion of more than one translation for many of the poems. Grouping translations of the same poem together demonstrates how the attitude, era, and personality of the translator can greatly effect the final product and the reader’s experience.
Below, you’ll find several translations of two haiku by Kobayashi Issa. (David G. Lanoue’s name will be familiar to our visitors, as his translations appear here regularly, especially in the SideBar’s “Tea Party with Issa”. Lanoue’s translations are from his Issa website; the other translations in this posting are from The Classic Tradition of Haiku.)
tsuyu no yo wa tsuyu no yo nagara sari nagara
this world
is a dewdrop world
yes… but…
Life is but the morning dew, bards day;
‘Tis true, indeed, but well-a-day!
The world of dew is, yes, a world of dew, but even so.
The world of dew
Is a world of dew, and yet
And yet . . .
ware to kite asobe ya oya no nai suzume 
come and play
with me…
orphan sparrow
Oh, won’t some orphan sparrow come and play with me.
Come with me,
Let’s play together, swallow
Without a mother
soap stings my eyes —
an eight-year-old face
flashes in the mirror
[Aug. 28, 2004]
one-breath pundit
Speaking of translations, I wonder what the original versions of the books of the Bible actually said. [see God's Secretaries] Whether it originated in Texas or Canada, or is merely a myth, I’ve always loved the sublime ignorance in the quote “If English is good enough for Jesus, then it’s good enough for me!“
Here’s my first sighting of the Massachsetts press calling the widespread refusals to take cases by “bar advocates” a “boycott” (rather than a strike or some strange coincidence) – Lawyer boycott sets wanted man free, Fitchburg Sentinel, by Matt O’Brien, Aug. 28, 2004.
- National Law Journal has published a Letter to the Editor on the boycott, written by your Editor. [Aug. 30, 2004, subscrp. req'd, but here's my draft]
My town Schenectady is back in the news: Andre Gainey, who was arrested for displaying a porno video from his Mercedes, was sentenced to three weekends in jail. Gainey, who was found to have a suspended license, also signed the wrong name on the fingerprint card. A light sentence for the “Chocolate Foam” man
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The quality of a translation from one language to another is often very important. It can mean the difference between keeping an accused in jail and releasing him (see “US Judge Sets Bail for Terror Suspects After Translation Slip-Up“ – where a Kurdish word was belatedly found to mean ”brother” not “commander”, as the indictment asserted). It can also turn classic Japanese haiku into awkward or antiquated poetry — or, make it as alive and effective as any modern haiku.
favorite of mine for years, because it’s priced at $2.00, and because it contains haiku from Japan’s greatest masters, translated by top-flight scholars in the field, with footnotes giving cultural and personal context to many offerings. A special feature is the inclusion of more than one translation for many of the poems. Grouping translations of the same poem together demonstrates how the attitude, era, and personality of the translator can greatly effect the final product and the reader’s experience.
Below, you’ll find several translations of two haiku by Kobayashi Issa. (David G. Lanoue’s name will be familiar to our visitors, as his translations appear here regularly, especially in the SideBar’s “Tea Party with Issa”. Lanoue’s translations are from his Issa website; the other translations in this posting are from The Classic Tradition of Haiku.)
tsuyu no yo wa tsuyu no yo nagara sari nagara
this world
is a dewdrop world
yes… but…
Life is but the morning dew, bards day;
‘Tis true, indeed, but well-a-day!
The world of dew is, yes, a world of dew, but even so.
The world of dew
Is a world of dew, and yet
And yet . . .
ware to kite asobe ya oya no nai suzume
come and play
with me…
orphan sparrow
Oh, won’t some orphan sparrow come and play with me.
Come with me,
Let’s play together, swallow
Without a mother
soap stings my eyes —
an eight-year-old face
flashes in the mirror
[Aug. 28, 2004]
one-breath pundit
Speaking of translations, I wonder what the original versions of the books of the Bible actually said. [see God's Secretaries] Whether it originated in Texas or Canada, or is merely a myth, I’ve always loved the sublime ignorance in the quote “If English is good enough for Jesus, then it’s good enough for me!“
Here’s my first sighting of the Massachsetts press calling the widespread refusals to take cases by “bar advocates” a “boycott” (rather than a strike or some strange coincidence) – Lawyer boycott sets wanted man free, Fitchburg Sentinel, by Matt O’Brien, Aug. 28, 2004.
- National Law Journal has published a Letter to the Editor on the boycott, written by your Editor. [Aug. 30, 2004, subscrp. req'd, but here's my draft]
My town Schenectady is back in the news: Andre Gainey, who was arrested for displaying a porno video from his Mercedes, was sentenced to three weekends in jail. Gainey, who was found to have a suspended license, also signed the wrong name on the fingerprint card. A light sentence for the “Chocolate Foam” man
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Key West heat–
the kitchen staff’s
chained bicycles
after the storm
he is rich in umbrellas–
the homeless man
“after the storm” – wha; Point Judith Light (Fall 1998)
just below
the “riverview apartment”
ten ripe garbage cans
[Aug. 27, 2004]
one-breath pundit
Only weblogs could have produced the whirlwind of argumentative and illuminating give-and-take, and camaraderie, that I’ve experienced the past two days, in a trialogue involving George Wallace of Declarations & Exclusions, Martin Grace of a tort et a travers (yes, it sounds like a dessert at Saratoga Racetrack), and myself. We even had email input from Overlawyered‘s overseer, Walter Olson, whose WLJ op/ed had inadvertantly fanned the fires.
[see the rest of this posting here]
tired of feeding
on the horse
the horsefly naps
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drought
graveyard grass
still green
sweltering twilight
a waft of cool air
from the graveyard
(Brooks Books, 2000)
the old dog
leads the way…
visiting graves
from the grave
and from the flowerpot…
skylarks!
with dagosan
the groom’s family poses
at the bride’s
family plot
[Aug. 26, 2004]
one-breath pundit
What you can do about Dafur: Get tips and addresses for writing world and national leaders, or
letters to the editor. The U. N. meets on Dafur next week.
Yesterday,
Scheherazade asked “Are You a Religious Person?” — an interesting discussion that gave me the chance to leave a quote from
Doubt: a History that I find very helpful (you can also read it
here)
the New Generations” (Law Practice Today, Aug. 2004)
Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live,
it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.
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download this poster
What is happening in Darfur? Let us not say we did not know.
We know and we must do something. Let us speak up and speak out against
the atrocities in Darfur. Those dying are God’s children.
They are our sisters and brothers. Let us act now before it is too late.
– Archbishop Desmond Tutu, June 7, 2004
[Copyright 2004 Passion of the Present]
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I’ve been greatly enjoying William Martin‘s novel Harvard Yard, which asks whether William Shakespeare brought
John Harvard’s parents together and bequeathed to them a secret play. The novel also features the feisty character
Lydia Wedge, who was insisting at the start of the 19th Century that Harvard admit women. Lydia would have loved
the news in the September-October 2004 edition of Harvard Magazine (soon available at the site):
Gender Milestone: For the first time, slightly more women than men will
enroll in the cohort of students entering Harvard College, making the class
of 2008 an historic group even before they begin their studies.
Mrs. Wedge, who is told in the novel that women are already being trained for teaching, the role to which their
intellects are best suited, might have smiled at the article “Blackboard Brain Drain.” The findings of economics Professor
Carolyn Hoxby are summarized: “high-aptitude women” have turned away from teaching, both because other fields are
now open to them and because the flat wage schedules preferred by unions do not reward excellence.
In the early 1800′s, like the fictional Lydia Wedge,
Great Japan!
a woman, also
digs with the plow
in the spring breeze
they’re out to watch the women…
women!
women also
are Twelfth Month singers…
our Great Age!
flitting firefly–
don’t get tangled
in women’s hair!
p.s. Sorry, Rufus, if the above title lured you here under false pretenses. As Evan
might say, if you came here looking for T&A, “keep moving.” Or, as
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far from home
an empty swing
half my size
hands stained
with tiger ilies
all day this heat
credits: “hands stained”: South by Southeast 5:1
(Red Moon Press, 2001), and Frogpond XIX:3 (1996)
their babies
never cry
never stop crying
[Aug. 25, 2004]
State Dept. Report: Pattern of Atrocities in Sudan. (NYT, Aug. 25, 2005)
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. . . politics aside, this is brilliant fun. thank you John Aravosis at AmericaBlog.
(thanks to Fool in the Forest for a great Munch post & Futurballa‘s Rick Coencas for the pointer)
broken plum branch–
“They’ve stolen another one!”
he yells
from Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue
p.s. First it was Referer Madness, now it FaganFinder’s URL Info. Thanks a lot, Dennis. 
one-breath pundit
Prof. Martin Grace seems too smart to be so wrong about antitrust law and the McCarran-Ferguson Act. Is this a studied ignorance? No objective antitrust expert believes antitrust would prevent insurers from sharing loss data. (See my extensive Comments here.)
Update (Aug. 25, 2004): Prof. Grace has a graceful reply, agreeing with my antitrust analysis, at his weblog today, headlined Studied Ignorance, and dubbing f/k/a his “first critic!” This raises a bigger question: How can someone so [er] “eminent” avoid criticism for so long (besides turning off Comments)? Maybe the Strawmen have a theory. See additional explanatory comments on data collection and antitrust by me here and there.
Update II (Aug. 26, 2004): This tri-alogue (Wallace, Grace and Giacalone — with a dash of Olson and Copland) continued today, with Wallace and Grace shifting their arguments a bit, but still being outflanked by Giacalone (really). Check out the new Comments here and here. Giacalone accuses Grace of FAFOFA — Falsely Accusing Foes Of False Accusations.
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Gupta’s “
. . . . . .