http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com musings, thoughts, and writings of Barbara W. Klaser Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:48:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en If you're wondering what all the fuss is about and want to know more about SOPA and PIPA, what they would do and why they would be bad for the Internet, here's an informative video that I found extremely helpful (about 11 minutes in length): Understanding PIPA / SOPA & Why ... http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/2012/01/19/what-are-sopa-and-pipa/ OPEN LETTER TO US LEGISLATORS I request that you vote against SOPA and PIPA. The Internet does not need any censoring. If people were more educated as regards copyright law there would be a lot fewer violations. I’m a creative writer whose copyrights have been violated, with some of my poetry and ... http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/2012/01/18/stop-sopa-and-pipa-from-censoring-the-internet/ What do you and Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) have in common? I'll bet you both think clean water is important. Everyone deserves clean, healthy water, including Mama Gaia and everything that grows on her. Please start the year fresh by supporting Waterkeeper Alliance. If you're on Twitter, you can help ... http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/2011/12/31/waterkeeper-alliance-needs-you/ I'm blogging again, over at Spirit Blooms. Today's entry: Why I won't tell you my New Year's Resolution. http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/2011/12/29/spirit-blooms-why-i-wont-tell-you-my-new-years-resolution/ We've been busy here raising some rescued kittens born to semi-feral and stray mothers, getting the adults spayed and neutered, and bottle feeding three litters. We've now found homes for all the kittens, including the two we're keeping. We're very happy about this. But I sure wish people would spay/neuter ... http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/2011/06/30/rescued-kittens/ The time has come for me to end my self-publishing adventure once and for all. If you've intended to read my romantic mystery novel, Shadows Fall, but never got around to it, you can still purchase a Mobi-Pocket or Kindle version of it for the remainder of December. Update, as ... http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/2010/12/08/last-chance-to-purchase-shadows-fall/ I don't know why I can still be shocked by anything political or even remotely related to politics, but I'm always shocked by the numbers of nonvoters when I see statistics about them. I've voted in all but one or two local elections and all general elections since I was ... http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/2010/11/08/i-wont-ask-if-you-voted-but/ Perhaps all is not yet lost for the USA. Today I came across an absolute must-read for Americans who care about our future. It's long, but worth the trouble: Bill Moyers speaks on "Welcome to the Plutocracy" in a tribute to the late Howard Zinn. (Full text transcript at Truthout.org.) The following ... http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/2010/11/05/bill-moyers-and-rodger-d-hodge-on-the-plutocracy/ The Conservative Pledge To Encourage Big Companies To Send Jobs Away I think the article says it all. You can follow links here to find out which politicians have signed it. http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/2010/10/19/how-conservatives-hope-to-do-away-with-government-altogether/ It's been such a nice summer here so far, maybe that's why I haven't felt a need to blog. We've had a much cooler summer than elsewhere in the country, so far, cooler than our usual annual roast. We've only needed to use the air conditioner a couple of days. ... http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/2010/08/13/what-ive-been-up-to-this-summer/