Wed Reading Meme...well sort of
Apr. 13th, 2016 09:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. What I just finished reading?
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs which was more entertaining than the three books I read, so there's that. But in the urban fantasy genre, it's not quite as well written as Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, and Kim Harrison's novels, but it's entertaining. Actually, I think Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series may have ruined me for the urban fantasy genre. No one can touch her.
What I'm reading now?
* Hamilton by Ron Chernow -- which has become a tad controversial due to the fellow historian jealousy factor. They're all jealous that his book got adapted into a hip and revolutionary musical and as a result is getting an insane amount of attention. So they keep poking holes at it.
It's good. Definitely gripping. Considering I'm reading it in much the same fashion I read Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin...it may take me six years to finish it. Blind Assassin was only 500 pages and took three years and was not as huge a book. Hamilton has tiny print, is huge, and over 700 pages.
* Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs - unfortunately not much improvement over the previous novel. Lots of summarizing, and expository dialogue. Also, the male characters aren't that distinguishable, and there's hardly any female characters, except in the background or supporting. Women hate Mercy apparently. I think Mercy needs a female friend to talk to. While the book has humor, there's not enough of it. It's making me miss the Kate Daniels series.
This round the mystery is about a sorcerer turned vampire. In Brigg's universe, a sorcerer is basically a wizard who conjures up demons or makes deals with demons, leading to all sorts of mayhem. A vampire sorcerer is well definitely a bad idea. Mercy and company are tasked with helping the vampires find this sorcerer before he turns their town upside down. It's also a bit dicy, because not all the vampires believe the nasty sorcerer exists and think it is just a couple of their own.
Also there's vampire politics involved. And the vampire at the center of the whole thing, an old Italian vampire, named Stefan, has a thing for Mercy.
Apparently every guy in the book has a thing for Mercy. This is a tired trope in urban fantasy.
Only two writers don't do it or so I've found-- Ilona Andrews and Jim Butcher.
I've read that the third book is the best, so will stick it out until at least that book and maybe the fourth or fifth. Don't know yet.
Urban Fantasy is a bit fun, it's basically action/mystery/paranormal with romance. Also most of the writers, with the exception of the male writers, tend to subvert the paranormal and fantasy genres, doing gender flips, and pouncing on the rampant sexism and misogyny and racism that exist in the fantasy and gothic genres. Actually that's the central theme of these books - racism and sexism.
Brigg's books have a bit of Christian focal point. Which makes me miss Ilona Andrews which was decidedly not Christian, a rarity. Almost all the urban fantasy novels are annoyingly Christian mythology, which has been overdone. But, Brigg's does understate it, which is nice.
I'm basically reading them because the writing style is crisp, clear, and often witty. The lead character is relatable and likable, as are the other characters. And the plots are interesting me at the moment.
What I'm reading next?
Most likely another Mercy Thompson book. Because it fits my mood right now. Also I like the characters, particularly Mercy, who is a tough auto mechanic.
2.) Bernie Sanders apparently has promised to turn the US into a country like Denmark, where everyone is happy, lives with less, and pays 60% in income taxes. Considering Denmark is a relatively small country about the size of maybe Rhode Island or half the size of Massachusetts, and has a small population that keeps declining: 5.2M at last count (to put this in context, NYC alone has somewhere between 8.6M - 12M, which is double the number of people that Denmark has), mostly elderly and...is a homogenous population with few immigrants or minorities...good luck with that, Bernie.
Well, that and the fact that the last time I studied Income Tax Law, we had so many loop-holes, and variations...and that was in 1990s. Also, every State has its own tax system, the Federal government can't tell the States how to manage their taxable income. We also have sales taxes in some States and not others. I remember interviewing for a job out of a law school with an attorney who wanted to do away with our Federal tax system. A lot of people don't understand why we need federal taxes. In some States, when you retire, income taxes are no longer required.
Then, there's the fact that we have three branches of government not one. Our government is different than Denmark's...not just our economy. Denmark, unlike the United States, is a constitutional monarchy, the US is Constitutional Republic.
VS
In other words, we don't have a powerful central leader who makes all the decisions, we have a balance of powers. And our legislature has a lot more power than Denmark's. In addition, unlike Canada, Britain, and other countries...the controlling party in the legislature doesn't control the executive or who becomes the executive. In other words, it is possible in the US for the legislative branch to be ruled by Republicans, and the Executive to be Democrat or vice versa. So often the legislature and the executive branch will be at odds. The Supreme Court is appointed and voted in by both the Executive Branch and the Legislature. And as you can see right now, the legislature can block it. Blame Thomas Jefferson and John Adams for this - they fought hard for a strong legislative branch. They didn't want a King or Queen like Europe had, and accused Hamilton of being a Royalist for pushing for a strong executive branch. We can thank Hamilton for ensuring the President has as much power as he does.
Even if Bernie became President, every idea he has would have to get passed through two houses of Congress, and not be overturned by the Supreme Court as Unconstitutional. And Congress is currently controlled by the opposing party.
Add to this, the fact that the US has a federal government that shares sovereignty with individual state governments. No one else has this system. I think Canada and Australia might come closest with their Territories. So, we have two governments, both which tax us. Not just one. Denmark has one government that taxes, not two. Denmark does have a state, federal and city tax. Not sure if does sales tax too.
And finally our culture is different -- our products and exports are different.
Seriously, I wish people would do a bit more in-depth economic and political analysis before deciding to copy another country's economic system, particularly since it is unlikely to fit as precisely as one would like.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs which was more entertaining than the three books I read, so there's that. But in the urban fantasy genre, it's not quite as well written as Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, and Kim Harrison's novels, but it's entertaining. Actually, I think Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series may have ruined me for the urban fantasy genre. No one can touch her.
What I'm reading now?
* Hamilton by Ron Chernow -- which has become a tad controversial due to the fellow historian jealousy factor. They're all jealous that his book got adapted into a hip and revolutionary musical and as a result is getting an insane amount of attention. So they keep poking holes at it.
It's good. Definitely gripping. Considering I'm reading it in much the same fashion I read Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin...it may take me six years to finish it. Blind Assassin was only 500 pages and took three years and was not as huge a book. Hamilton has tiny print, is huge, and over 700 pages.
* Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs - unfortunately not much improvement over the previous novel. Lots of summarizing, and expository dialogue. Also, the male characters aren't that distinguishable, and there's hardly any female characters, except in the background or supporting. Women hate Mercy apparently. I think Mercy needs a female friend to talk to. While the book has humor, there's not enough of it. It's making me miss the Kate Daniels series.
This round the mystery is about a sorcerer turned vampire. In Brigg's universe, a sorcerer is basically a wizard who conjures up demons or makes deals with demons, leading to all sorts of mayhem. A vampire sorcerer is well definitely a bad idea. Mercy and company are tasked with helping the vampires find this sorcerer before he turns their town upside down. It's also a bit dicy, because not all the vampires believe the nasty sorcerer exists and think it is just a couple of their own.
Also there's vampire politics involved. And the vampire at the center of the whole thing, an old Italian vampire, named Stefan, has a thing for Mercy.
Apparently every guy in the book has a thing for Mercy. This is a tired trope in urban fantasy.
Only two writers don't do it or so I've found-- Ilona Andrews and Jim Butcher.
I've read that the third book is the best, so will stick it out until at least that book and maybe the fourth or fifth. Don't know yet.
Urban Fantasy is a bit fun, it's basically action/mystery/paranormal with romance. Also most of the writers, with the exception of the male writers, tend to subvert the paranormal and fantasy genres, doing gender flips, and pouncing on the rampant sexism and misogyny and racism that exist in the fantasy and gothic genres. Actually that's the central theme of these books - racism and sexism.
Brigg's books have a bit of Christian focal point. Which makes me miss Ilona Andrews which was decidedly not Christian, a rarity. Almost all the urban fantasy novels are annoyingly Christian mythology, which has been overdone. But, Brigg's does understate it, which is nice.
I'm basically reading them because the writing style is crisp, clear, and often witty. The lead character is relatable and likable, as are the other characters. And the plots are interesting me at the moment.
What I'm reading next?
Most likely another Mercy Thompson book. Because it fits my mood right now. Also I like the characters, particularly Mercy, who is a tough auto mechanic.
2.) Bernie Sanders apparently has promised to turn the US into a country like Denmark, where everyone is happy, lives with less, and pays 60% in income taxes. Considering Denmark is a relatively small country about the size of maybe Rhode Island or half the size of Massachusetts, and has a small population that keeps declining: 5.2M at last count (to put this in context, NYC alone has somewhere between 8.6M - 12M, which is double the number of people that Denmark has), mostly elderly and...is a homogenous population with few immigrants or minorities...good luck with that, Bernie.
Well, that and the fact that the last time I studied Income Tax Law, we had so many loop-holes, and variations...and that was in 1990s. Also, every State has its own tax system, the Federal government can't tell the States how to manage their taxable income. We also have sales taxes in some States and not others. I remember interviewing for a job out of a law school with an attorney who wanted to do away with our Federal tax system. A lot of people don't understand why we need federal taxes. In some States, when you retire, income taxes are no longer required.
Then, there's the fact that we have three branches of government not one. Our government is different than Denmark's...not just our economy. Denmark, unlike the United States, is a constitutional monarchy, the US is Constitutional Republic.
The politics of Denmark function within a framework of a parliamentary, representative democracy. The Kingdom of Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch, currently Queen Margrethe II, is head of state. Executive power is exercised by the Cabinet government (regeringen), presided over by the Prime Minister (statsminister) who is first among equals. Legislative power is vested in both the executive and the national parliament (Folketinget). The Judiciary is independent, officially appointed by the monarch and employed until retirement.
Denmark has a multi-party system, with two strong parties, and four or five other significant parties. No single party has held an absolute majority in the Folketing since the beginning of the 20th century.[1] Since only four post-war coalition governments have enjoyed a majority, government bills rarely become law without negotiations and compromise with both supporting and opposition parties. Hence the Folketing tends to be more powerful than legislatures in other EU countries. The Constitution does not grant the judiciary power of judicial review of legislation, however the courts have asserted this power with the consent of the other branches of government. Since there are no constitutional or administrative courts, the Supreme Court deals with a constitutional dimension.
VS
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States (the head of state and head of government), Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.
The executive branch is headed by the President and is formally independent of both the legislature and the judiciary. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judicial branch (or judiciary), composed of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, exercises judicial power (or judiciary). The judiciary's function is to interpret the United States Constitution and federal laws and regulations. This includes resolving disputes between the executive and legislative branches. The federal government's layout is explained in the Constitution. Two political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, have dominated American politics since the American Civil War, although there are also smaller parties like the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and the Constitution Party.
There are major differences between the political system of the United States and that of most other developed democracies. These include greater power in the upper house of the legislature, a wider scope of power held by the Supreme Court, the separation of powers between the legislature and the executive, and the dominance of only two main parties. Third parties have less political influence in the United States than in other developed country democracies; this is because of a combination of stringent historic controls. These controls take shape in the form of state and federal laws, informal media prohibitions, and winner-take-all elections, and include ballot access issues and exclusive debate rules.
The federal entity created by the U.S. Constitution is the dominant feature of the American governmental system. However, most people are also subject to a state government, and all are subject to various units of local government. The latter include counties, municipalities, and special districts.
In other words, we don't have a powerful central leader who makes all the decisions, we have a balance of powers. And our legislature has a lot more power than Denmark's. In addition, unlike Canada, Britain, and other countries...the controlling party in the legislature doesn't control the executive or who becomes the executive. In other words, it is possible in the US for the legislative branch to be ruled by Republicans, and the Executive to be Democrat or vice versa. So often the legislature and the executive branch will be at odds. The Supreme Court is appointed and voted in by both the Executive Branch and the Legislature. And as you can see right now, the legislature can block it. Blame Thomas Jefferson and John Adams for this - they fought hard for a strong legislative branch. They didn't want a King or Queen like Europe had, and accused Hamilton of being a Royalist for pushing for a strong executive branch. We can thank Hamilton for ensuring the President has as much power as he does.
Even if Bernie became President, every idea he has would have to get passed through two houses of Congress, and not be overturned by the Supreme Court as Unconstitutional. And Congress is currently controlled by the opposing party.
Add to this, the fact that the US has a federal government that shares sovereignty with individual state governments. No one else has this system. I think Canada and Australia might come closest with their Territories. So, we have two governments, both which tax us. Not just one. Denmark has one government that taxes, not two. Denmark does have a state, federal and city tax. Not sure if does sales tax too.
And finally our culture is different -- our products and exports are different.
Seriously, I wish people would do a bit more in-depth economic and political analysis before deciding to copy another country's economic system, particularly since it is unlikely to fit as precisely as one would like.