f/k/a . . .

old passport

the tug

of my father’s smile

 

 

 

 

 

back at camp

the mountain peak

still in my legs

 

 

 

 

 

new fridge

the motor’s faint hum

still there

 

 

 

Yu Chang from The Loose Thread: Red Moon Anthology 2001

“back at camp” - The Heron’s Nest 2:12

“new fridge” — from the Haibun “refrigerator” (Am. Haibun and Haiga 2)

 

• 
  
  from dagosan:  

the delivery truck’s late -

hungry birds

chirping all day   

 

[June 3, 2005]

  potluck

HALT faults Mass. Discipline Proposals: The legal consumer group HALT told the

Massachusetts Bar Association that it should reduce delays in the State Bar discipline

system, but should reject other proposals (which we panned here) that “represent critical

setbacks.”  HALT “argued against proposals that would implement a statute of limitations

on complaints, create a more stringent standard of proof in disciplinary hearings, prohibit

telephone inquiries, and allow secret disciplinary proceedings-all of which would undermine

Massachusetts’ commitment to transparency, fairness and accessibility.” (HALT press release,

May 25, 2005; full comments here) 

• 
  
  One issue addressed by HALT that we had overlooked is the
  
  
  proposal by the MBA Task Force Task Force to eliminate any
  
  
  mention of of a disciplinary proceeding from the Bar’s attorney
  
  
  search Web site immediately upon issues of “private discipline.”
  
  
  HALT is correct that such information is important for consumers
  
  
  and belongs as part of the attorney’s record.  It is also right that
  
  
  private discipline should be eliminated as a remedy.

 

Protecting Lawyers:  It is with dismay, but not surprise, that I see the top priorities

of the new president of the New York State Bar Association, Rochester attorney

A. Vincent Buzard, include attempting to limit lawyer advertising “to the fullest extent

permitted, within the limitations of the First Amendment” and focusing on UPL, the

unauthorized practice of law, in New York.   (NYSBA, press release, June 1, 2005;  

Democrat & Chronicle, “Bar leader is advocate for lawyers,” May 30, 2005) (via

John Steele)  Both of these missions tend, in my opinion, to protect lawyers more than

consumers. [See ethicalEsq's UPL Page]

• 
  
  Buzard, who is known for doing brain injury plaintiff’s cases, ran the
  
  
  Personal Injury Law Center, in Rochester, before he merged his
  
  
  practice into BigLaw Harris Beach.  The NYSBA press release
  
  
  states “Buzard believes that most Association members find that
  
  
  “inappropriate” lawyer advertising contributes to the distorted
  
  
  public understanding of the legal profession.”  He told the D&C
  
  
  that he supports a program like the Monroe Country [Rochester]
  
  
  Bar Association’s ad guidelines, which we discussed unfavorably
  
  
  in our prior post.  More on this topic soon.

Paradise Lost: Ernie Svenson keeps reminding me how silly I was to switch 

from Apple to Windows operating systems in 1997.  My first 5 or 6 computers

were Apples — starting with the original classic version with .25 MG of RAM.

I only switched when I did, because I wanted to be compatible with other users

and I needed to be thrifty.  Tempted by a snake that said ”everybody does it” and

“save some money.”

 

  A post at Jeremy Richey’s Weblog, pointing to the interesting weblog

Religion Clause, by Prof. Howard Friedman, suggests that the issue of

prayers at local council meetings is getting attention across the nation.  We

discussed the Schenectady version in a recent post.   Invocations before

public legislative activity seem pointless to me.  Individual council members

can do all the pre-praying they want to, but I wonder if the Deity wants to be

associated with the chicanery, duplicity, grandstanding and unedifying behavior 

that usually follows the public prayers.  I’d love to know what goes on in the

heads of our politicians while the prayers are being said.

 

  Australian law student Sarni , at Infernality, answers Five Questions from Lushlife. 

When asked about The Greatest Injustice, Sarni says “Ohhh… hard one. Perhaps birth is the

hardest injustice of all - the fact that where you are born, to which family, in what social strata,

determines so much of your life.”  This puts her in the company of American “liberals,” as we

noted in a recent post on attitudes toward luck in American politics.