q.s. Ever since ethicalEsq wrote “what kind of blogger are you?” in September 2003, the f/k/a Gang has been trying to come up with catchy nomenclature for those brief weblog blurbs that point to an interesting article or posting and add a quick concurring or dissenting comment, or description. We had “potluck” commentary for quite awhile. We tried “one-breath punditry” to go with our one-breath poetry, but soon had to agree with certain kibitzers that our bloated blurbs left us and our readers breathless. What we’ve really needed, of course, was the discipline to make our punditry — when appropriate — as pithy as our poetry.
At SHLEP, I also tried to solve this issue, saying:
A Latin abbreviation that this Editor should consider using more often is q.s. – which stands for quantum satis or quantum sufficit and means “as much as suffices.” Doctors sometimes state the dosage of a medication to be taken by a patient as q.s. Some items that are worth posting herdon’t need a lot of space to be effective. Others deserve a fuller treatment but aren’t likely to get it any time soon — for them, a small dose seems better than a stale one or none at all.
Even though some of my shlep q.s. blurbs got a little wordy, the q.s. concept worked well enough at that weblog, that I’m going to use q.s. here, as my signal to myself to only write as much as suffices. Here are our first batch of q.s. quickies:
the pinwheel stops
grandpa catches
his breath
through the open door . . .
her smile doesn’t forgive
all my sins
…………… by Randy Brooks – School’s Out (Press Here, 1999)
………………………………………………………….. 
We told you yesterday about Mark Obbie’s weblog LawBeat, which “watches journalists who watch the law.” Today, we’d like to remind you to check out Beat the Press, at American Prospect online. It’s Dean Baker‘s informative commentary on economic reporting — telling us what reporters are missing, distorting, confusing when they talk economics. Baker is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC.
M. Sue Talia has recently released the book Unbundling Your Divorce: How to Find a Lawyer to Help You Help Yourself (Nexus Publishing Company, 2006, 122 pp.; ISBN 0-9651075-4-X, $14.95). It is a re-write of her 1997 book A Client’s Guide to Limited Legal Services, and “is designed for litigants who want to limit the involvement of their attorney in their divorce, and do part of the legal work themselves. It tells them how to determine if they are good candidates for self-representation, how to spot the pitfalls and guard against them, how to find a lawyer to coach them, and where to turn for help.” Many Excerpts are available at the Nexus Press website, including: Are You A Good Candidate For Self-Representation? – with a Self Test – and How to Screw Up Your Case in Seven Easy Lessons. [Learn more about the concepts and benefits of unbundled legal services here.]
Mary Whisner has resumed occasional posting at shlep today, reminding us that April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Mary has collected links to resources on Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence prevention and remedies.
thin winter coat
so little protection
against her boyfriend
…… by John Stevenson – Quiet Enough (Red Moon Press, 2004)
In the latest edition of the D.C. Bar’s Washington Lawyer Magazine, bar president James J. Sandman Is Work–Life Balance Possible in Law? (April 2007) ) He notes that “Many professionals face the same challenges, but law sometimes seems to be particularly inhospitable to balance.” Sandman says, “The problem affects men as well as women, and it is a terrible mistake to think of it only as a “women’s issue.” Its impact, however, is manifested disproportionately among women, especially women with families.” Sandman joins the chorus of those who blame billable hours for the excessive time spent at work, forgetting that the same greed that posits hour quotas will simply set other income-producing if alternative billing methods are used without a change in values. [See our “do lawyers choose to be unhappy“] Sandman makes a point often heard here:
“But the job of making work–life balance achievable in our profession falls not just on employers. We as individual lawyers also have to take responsibility for the choices we make, to recognize that no one can have it all, to accept compromise and flexibility on our part as essential to having a life outside the law, and to set and then follow our own priorities. I know from my own experience that this is far, far easier said than done, but it’s never too late to try.”
The f/k/a Gang always has haiku around for balance:
lace curtains
the spin of sunlight
from a bicyle
faded recipe. . .
peeling apples
with grandma
restless cows
head toward the barn —
milky way
…….. by Laryalee Fraser
“faded recipe. . .” & “lace curtains” – The Heron’s Nest (Vol. VIII 2006)
“restless cows” WHC Beginners
Good Friday
the apostate
sees crosses everywhere…… by dagosan
good friday
the scarecrow gets
a new straw hat
………… by ed markowski
p.s. Now available; the printed edition of The Heron’s Nest: Vol. VIII 
containing every haiku published at their online website in 2006.
Congratualtions to Managing Editor Christopher Herold, and to
his co-editors Paul David Mena, Ferris Gilli, Robert Gilliland,
Peggy Willis Lyles and Paul MacNeil . Only $16 (details)