f/k/a archives . . . real opinions & real haiku

After almost two years with no one to cover my weblogging backside on the issue of

the Unauthorized Practice of Law, it is thrilling to see Carolyn Elefant at My Shingle (in

“If We Can’t Beat Them, Let’s Compete With Them,” Feb. 22, 2005) and Monica Bay

at The Common Scold (in “Three Cheers,” Feb. 24, 2005) take on the legal profession’s

guild mentality.  In addition, Lisa Stone of Legal Blog Watch has put the spotlight on her

Law.com colleagues’ efforts (here and here).

 

Carolyn shames Illinois; Monica takes on California; earlier this month, HALT tried to set the

Georgia Bar straight; and we pointed to their efforts in Virginia just last week.  The problem exists

everywhere, across our dear old federalist nation. 

 

   In addition to HALT, the most active advocates for limiting the definition of the “practice of law”

— and thus the scope of UPL — have been the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice.

 

[click here for the rest of this story, with lots of links, and the following concluding remarks:]

Perhaps, bar association websites should conspicuously post this disclaimer: 

Warning:  We are a guild, here to serve the economic interests of our members. 

We’ll fight (’til your last dollar) to protect you from any legal adversary and to

secure your legal rights.  However, when it comes to your financial interests

versus our own, we will put ours first whenever possible.  

 

p.s. (10 AM Feb. 25): from the very-busy Typo Editor:  My apologies to folks who came

here thinking that this is a Labor Law weblog discussing Unfair Labor Practices.  I’ve

attempted to remove all references to ULP from this posting and its headline, but I bet

those darn search-engine spiders beat me to them.

 

calling a big gang
down to join them…
rice field geese

yellow gang, white gang
the butterflies stake
their claims

 

 

Kobayashi Issa – translated by David G. Lanoue 

tug of the current: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2004 (Red Moon Press, 2005), contains 151 poems (haiku & senryu), plus 19 linked forms (haibun, renku, rengay and septenga), and 6 essays on the reading, writing and study of the genre.  [ISBN: 1-893959-48-1]  Like the eight prior volumes in this annual series, it contains “the finest haiku and related forms published from around the world in English” over the last year.

You can order a copy of tug of the current directly from Red Moon Press by writing to:

The Red Moon Press

P.O. Box 2461

Winchester, VA 22604-1661

Include a check for $16.95 per copy, plus $4.00 for shipping.  As shipping is $4, regardless of the number of volumes purchased, you might want to check out the additional haiku publications from Red Moon Press described on this page, and the pages linked to it.  If you have further questions, send an email to Jim Kacian: redmoon-AT-shentel.net .

     Carolyn Hall  

 

The stream of commerce deposited a joyful bundle on my river bank yesterday — 

the ninth and newest volume in the annual haiku series, The Red Moon Anthology

of English-Language Haiku, which (successfully) attempts to assemble each year

“the finest haiku and related forms published around the world in English. ”  RMA 2004

is entitled tug of the current.   The title comes from a line in this poem by “our”

Carolyn Hall:

 

slave cemetery
the tug of the current
on willow fronds

 

        credit: The Heron’s Nest (June 2003)

 

In a very entertaining piece, Josh Levin pointed out at Slate yesterday, the similarities

between rappers and bloggers (via the Mad One).  I can’t vouch for rappers.  However,

since starting f/k/a, and asking haijin to be Guest Poets, I’ve felt a camaraderie similiar to

my entry into the world of weblogs — the enthusiasm of people with a passion for a

subject and desire to spread its joys.

 

   This shared hobby/advocation, and the contacts made creating the f/k/a “family”

means that receiving a new haiku anthology is like a reunion — I want to seek out

“my” folks, see how they’re doing, and tell all my friends about it.  I was very pleased

yesterday to find that so many of f/k/a’s Honored Guests have been honored with

inclusion in RMA 2004.    So, you’ll get to see some of the best published haiku of

2004 right here, as I spotlight tug of the current over the next week.

 

Here are three from the hyper-talented paul m:  

 

 

rain today

a foot tapping

of its own accord

 

 

 

dusk . . .

the awkwardness

of the first guest

 

 

 

Mother’s Day

a bit of shell

in the chowder

 

 

• 
  
  by dagosan:  

pleasantly surprised

again —

full moon at the window

 

                                    [Feb. 24, 2005]

 

 

 Speaking of friends and poets, George M. Wallace has neglected his lawyer weblog

long enough to pen his first double dactyl of the year, plus a haiku celebrating the end

of the deluge in southern California.   He’s bending the rules of course, as a good lawyer

should.

 

“tinyredcheck”  As part of the federal crackdown on business opportunity and work-at-home scams,

the FTC has created a teaser website, to lure internet users seeking such “opportunities.”  If you

click any link to learn more about “Sundae Station” you’ll get tips on how to avoid being scammed. 

  Consumers can visit the FTC?s Web site at www.ftc.gov/bizopps or www.ftc.gov/workathome for information in both English and Spanish to help spot and avoid business opportunity scams. The biggest tip should be obvious:  “Steer clear of promotions that promise big money for little effort. Fraudulent ads use similar bait: Fast cash. Minimal work.  No risk. And the advantage of being your own boss or working from home.”  

  Although “consumers” seeking to get rich quick are not at the top of my list

of victims needing regulatory protection (a position I held 25 years ago as an

FTC lawyer), I am pleased that there has been a significant crackdown on scammers.