Mystery of a Shrinking Violet Comments http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com musings, reviews, and writings of Barbara W. Klaser en Mon, 11 Oct 2004 16:01:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.2 by: Barbara http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=90#comments Sun, 10 Oct 2004 14:41:18 -0400 77:90@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com I know I said more to come, in my earlier comment. But I’ve decided not to post again on this topic, for now. Maybe after the election, since it’s a heavy issue and we have enough of that going on now in the news every day. I really am hoping to keep my blog more entertaining, light and personal than political. I hope I haven’t run anyone off. I know I said more to come, in my earlier comment. But I’ve decided not to post again on this topic, for now. Maybe after the election, since it’s a heavy issue and we have enough of that going on now in the news every day. I really am hoping to keep my blog more entertaining, light and personal than political. I hope I haven’t run anyone off. :)

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by: cassie-b http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=90#comments Sat, 9 Oct 2004 15:08:33 -0400 76:90@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com I absolutely love Cat Stevens. And I’d be hard pressed to chose my favorite song. O Very Young is great Have a good rest of the weekend. I absolutely love Cat Stevens. And I’d be hard pressed to chose my favorite song. O Very Young is great
Have a good rest of the weekend.

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by: Barbara http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=90#comments Sat, 9 Oct 2004 13:43:49 -0400 75:90@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com Mark and Ken, thanks for your comments. You’re right, Mark, I didn’t make a point. I left it up to readers to draw their own conclusions. Most of the meat of that post was in the links. But I do have some points to make about this and will provide them in another post. I don’t expect minimum wage employees to know who Cat Stevens was or is, or to know who Senator Kennedy is, for that matter. As far as I know, the incidents affecting Senator Kennedy were never left up to a minimum wage employee. In any case, Yusuf Islam isn’t reported to have been kept off a flight because of a no-fly list. He’s reported to have boarded a plane in London, then was diverted from D.C. to land in Bangor, Maine, where he was separated from his family member, detained, interrogated, and eventually deported back to London. No reason was given. He said he was on his way here for legitimate business meetings in Washington D.C., Nashville, and Los Angeles, all having to do with either music or his charitable organization, Simple Kindness. He said he’d visited the U.S. some 19 times between 9/11 and May 2004, also on legitimate business, including an appearance with Hillary Clinton and Peter Gabriel. Ken, you hit on a very good point, that of the difference between treatment of rich and poor travelers. If Islam wasn’t a somewhat public figure, we would never have heard of this. Or if we did, we would assume he was guilty of something. After all he has that Arab-sounding name, right? But being familiar with the music he wrote, I felt compelled to look at this more closely and wonder how someone I’d always seen as peace loving and communicating messages of love, hope and optimism could be involved with terrorism. The pieces didn’t fit together. (More to come.) Mark and Ken, thanks for your comments.

You’re right, Mark, I didn’t make a point. I left it up to readers to draw their own conclusions. Most of the meat of that post was in the links. But I do have some points to make about this and will provide them in another post.

I don’t expect minimum wage employees to know who Cat Stevens was or is, or to know who Senator Kennedy is, for that matter. As far as I know, the incidents affecting Senator Kennedy were never left up to a minimum wage employee.

In any case, Yusuf Islam isn’t reported to have been kept off a flight because of a no-fly list. He’s reported to have boarded a plane in London, then was diverted from D.C. to land in Bangor, Maine, where he was separated from his family member, detained, interrogated, and eventually deported back to London. No reason was given. He said he was on his way here for legitimate business meetings in Washington D.C., Nashville, and Los Angeles, all having to do with either music or his charitable organization, Simple Kindness. He said he’d visited the U.S. some 19 times between 9/11 and May 2004, also on legitimate business, including an appearance with Hillary Clinton and Peter Gabriel.

Ken, you hit on a very good point, that of the difference between treatment of rich and poor travelers. If Islam wasn’t a somewhat public figure, we would never have heard of this. Or if we did, we would assume he was guilty of something. After all he has that Arab-sounding name, right? But being familiar with the music he wrote, I felt compelled to look at this more closely and wonder how someone I’d always seen as peace loving and communicating messages of love, hope and optimism could be involved with terrorism. The pieces didn’t fit together. (More to come.)

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by: Ken http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=90#comments Sat, 9 Oct 2004 09:07:19 -0400 74:90@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com Barbara-how’s the following for a point of focus: It’s impossible to know the unexpected future. Trying to predict who’s a future terrorist, given the aggressiveness of those who lead, will lose the only bastion of honor left for those who are poor and have either found or been trained that aggressiveness is a false path. Those who are rich at least have their money to compensate: In the U.S., money buys relative freedom for those who can prove they’re not ‘terrorists’ or lawbreakers. Enough money apparently even buys laws through the loyalty of grateful legislators. It’s not that bad being poor if you are treated with respect. Being told at every turn to identify oneself, to divulge personal data to armed police under the threat of being labeled terrorist, when one is honest and generally law abiding, while corporate CEOs transform our society to one of relative loss for most, but who seem to be able to protect their own ‘proprietary data’ behind shields of lawyers, is much too expensive in non-economic costs for those who can’t afford to hire a single lawyer. Having to prove you’re not a ‘terrorist’, besides the obvious difficulties in defining that word, at every intersection of one’s life, is too great a burden. Prove it once? No problem. Prove it over and over again and again? No thanks, that’s not respectful, and isn’t a world I choose to live in. Did those doing the seemingly endless questioning of Yusuf Islam have a learning disability? ‘Aggressively’ finding ‘future terrorists’ (defined as pre-mass-murderers) weighs too heavily against everyone’s civil liberties. Even the definition of pre-mass-murderer is problematical. J&J is legally allowed to cause a statistical increase in lymphoma, some of which will likely go uncured and result in death for those who take Remicade. I guess if you’re a pharmaceutical corporation and kill the masses slowly enough, our government grants blessing in your name. The cant of the post 9/11 security, specifically “Credible intelligence", as an explanation for unreasonable actions by them, has been undermined by the same government as a credible rationalization for loss of individual freedom, no matter how temporary the ‘detainment’ might be. Just what is Homeland Security” up to? Protecting us? Or protecting something else? If so, what? How about some disclosure, Tom Ridge. It’s what you’ve prescribed for us little ones. Barbara-how’s the following for a point of focus:

It’s impossible to know the unexpected future. Trying to predict who’s a future terrorist, given the aggressiveness of those who lead, will lose the only bastion of honor left for those who are poor and have either found or been trained that aggressiveness is a false path.

Those who are rich at least have their money to compensate: In the U.S., money buys relative freedom for those who can prove they’re not ‘terrorists’ or lawbreakers. Enough money apparently even buys laws through the loyalty of grateful legislators.

It’s not that bad being poor if you are treated with respect. Being told at every turn to identify oneself, to divulge personal data to armed police under the threat of being labeled terrorist, when one is honest and generally law abiding, while corporate CEOs transform our society to one of relative loss for most, but who seem to be able to protect their own ‘proprietary data’ behind shields of lawyers, is much too expensive in non-economic costs for those who can’t afford to hire a single lawyer. Having to prove you’re not a ‘terrorist’, besides the obvious difficulties in defining that word, at every intersection of one’s life, is too great a burden. Prove it once? No problem. Prove it over and over again and again? No thanks, that’s not respectful, and isn’t a world I choose to live in.

Did those doing the seemingly endless questioning of Yusuf Islam have a learning disability?

‘Aggressively’ finding ‘future terrorists’ (defined as pre-mass-murderers) weighs too heavily against everyone’s civil liberties. Even the definition of pre-mass-murderer is problematical. J&J is legally allowed to cause a statistical increase in lymphoma, some of which will likely go uncured and result in death for those who take Remicade. I guess if you’re a pharmaceutical corporation and kill the masses slowly enough, our government grants blessing in your name.

The cant of the post 9/11 security, specifically “Credible intelligence", as an explanation for unreasonable actions by them, has been undermined by the same government as a credible rationalization for loss of individual freedom, no matter how temporary the ‘detainment’ might be.

Just what is Homeland Security” up to? Protecting us? Or protecting something else? If so, what? How about some disclosure, Tom Ridge. It’s what you’ve prescribed for us little ones.

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by: Mark http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=90#comments Sat, 9 Oct 2004 05:59:05 -0400 73:90@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com I don’t know exactly what you are trying to say or criticizing here. I read it three times. I “guess” you think a wholesale policy of security should allow for minimum wage earners to know the difference between obsolete musicians and my grandfather and terrorists. I wish it were that easy. I don’t know exactly what you are trying to say or criticizing here. I read it three times. I “guess” you think a wholesale policy of security should allow for minimum wage earners to know the difference between obsolete musicians and my grandfather and terrorists. I wish it were that easy. ;)

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by: Barbara http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=88#comments Thu, 7 Oct 2004 13:57:32 -0400 72:88@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com Mark, I think there are certain types of pages that don’t really require much update. Maybe “redecorating” when we feel they no longer reflect who we are. Then there are others, where information becomes stale or outdated, that need more frequent freshening up. It does seem to take an interminable amount of time. Maybe if I were more technically oriented it wouldn’t. Mark, I think there are certain types of pages that don’t really require much update. Maybe “redecorating” when we feel they no longer reflect who we are. Then there are others, where information becomes stale or outdated, that need more frequent freshening up.

It does seem to take an interminable amount of time. :( Maybe if I were more technically oriented it wouldn’t.

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by: Mark http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=88#comments Thu, 7 Oct 2004 03:48:04 -0400 71:88@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com Good reminder to revamp/update home websites. I tend to just update my blog, whilst my first “home” site there sits, a year old and static. It does take time, however. Good reminder to revamp/update home websites. I tend to just update my blog, whilst my first “home” site there sits, a year old and static. It does take time, however.

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by: Barbara http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=86#comments Tue, 5 Oct 2004 14:24:44 -0400 70:86@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com Mark, it’s great for analyzing the pattern a story is taking. A lot of the early critics of Vogler’s ideas called this a formula, but it’s not really. Template makes more sense to me. I’m taking this book slowly, and find I’m absorbing a lot of useful insights. Mark, it’s great for analyzing the pattern a story is taking. A lot of the early critics of Vogler’s ideas called this a formula, but it’s not really. Template makes more sense to me. I’m taking this book slowly, and find I’m absorbing a lot of useful insights.

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by: Barbara http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=86#comments Tue, 5 Oct 2004 14:21:38 -0400 69:86@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com Welcome, Tabitha. Welcome, Tabitha. :)

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by: Barbara http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=87#comments Tue, 5 Oct 2004 14:20:51 -0400 68:87@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com Katherine Hepburn used to be my idol when I was a girl! What a great example of strength and confidence. For me also: Maureen O’Hara and Barbara Stanwyck. Katherine Hepburn used to be my idol when I was a girl! What a great example of strength and confidence.

For me also: Maureen O’Hara and Barbara Stanwyck.

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by: Barbara http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=87#comments Tue, 5 Oct 2004 14:17:13 -0400 67:87@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com Cassie-b, Thanks for visiting. Detective fiction is probably the most rampant source of this. I’ve also seen it on television and some movies. Cassie-b,

Thanks for visiting. :) Detective fiction is probably the most rampant source of this. I’ve also seen it on television and some movies.

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by: Mark http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=87#comments Sat, 2 Oct 2004 04:49:05 -0400 66:87@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com This is a great topic. I agree with your assessment of the overly masculine females in modern film and literature. But I’m going to be harsh. I think it is not a reflection of social perception, etc. I think it is sheer laziness on the part of writers. Our best talent is sapped into the unquenchable gulf of pop fiction and TV. No wonder we end up with Tomb Raider and sharp lawyers played by the ageless Heather Locklear. I admire the Lauren Bacalls, the Katherine Hepburns. Where are they? This is a great topic. I agree with your assessment of the overly masculine females in modern film and literature. But I’m going to be harsh. I think it is not a reflection of social perception, etc. I think it is sheer laziness on the part of writers.

Our best talent is sapped into the unquenchable gulf of pop fiction and TV. No wonder we end up with Tomb Raider and sharp lawyers played by the ageless Heather Locklear.

I admire the Lauren Bacalls, the Katherine Hepburns. Where are they?

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by: cassie-b http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=87#comments Fri, 1 Oct 2004 17:34:28 -0400 65:87@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com That’s a question that deserves some thought. I read lots of detective stories, and you’re right - women are often portrayed in a very unfeminine way. That’s a question that deserves some thought. I read lots of detective stories, and you’re right - women are often portrayed in a very unfeminine way.

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by: Mark http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=86#comments Thu, 30 Sep 2004 14:28:58 -0400 64:86@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com That sounds interesting, the whole idea of a template layout for a given genre, which I know is reductional analysis I instinctively resist. But the proof of 3,000 years of literature is hard to ignore. That sounds interesting, the whole idea of a template layout for a given genre, which I know is reductional analysis I instinctively resist. But the proof of 3,000 years of literature is hard to ignore.

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by: Tabitha http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com/index.php?p=86#comments Wed, 29 Sep 2004 11:24:52 -0400 63:86@http://barbarawklaser.mysterynovelist.com Barbara, thanks for the comment and insight on my blog . Barbara, thanks for the comment and insight on my blog :-).

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