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December 8, 2008
I was just reading “Fifteen Percent” by David Tveite, and I thought he (or at least somebody…) might be interested in looking at Australia’s voting system, which solves the problems discussed fairly well (albeit with a bit of confusion).
We vote for the party of our choice, and then we have the option to select our next preferences for government (and if we don’t, the party we put as number one preference decides for us). That way, all the parties who aren’t in the top two have their votes go to the top two (according to preferences), and so you get a two party preferred vote, the winner of which wins. From this, we currently have a number of fairly successful minor parties (although still the Big Two), and currently hold a number of seats in parliament.
I know America’s voting system isn’t about to change any time soon, but it’s nice to not have to worry about the problem discussed (as long as preferences are used wisely!). It’s also nice to have compulsory voting, but that’s another debate altogether.
Keep writing all your exciting and/or interesting stuff!
James Hosking
September 20, 2008
I enjoyed your post about the riots in Hamburg (“The Rambling American: I Suggest a Riot”). I was in Denver for the protests in August and wanted to stay for the protests in the Twin Cities. Unfortunately, I had to go back to work where all overtime has been cut out, 1/3 of the work force laid off, and I seemed to be the only person to be upset about any of this.
I feel like the only passionate person left in America. But I know that is not true. But what I find to be the case here is that even the protesters seem to understand that anything they do will not make a difference and even the anarchists in the street obey the unwritten rules, even if they try to push their luck by massing in the streets and attempt to break a few windows. But they have no numbers and the police presence is always as great as theirs, the police infiltration is so great that any protests likely to turn violent in America are quickly compromised. That is one reason why the only real violence is in spontaneous riots such as LA in 92.
I am in my 50s and have seen a few protests in my day. The most active have been in San Francisco and New York in my experience. As for riots, I only caught the LA riots in 92 and then only as an observer.
Gary Cethers
September 17, 2008
Hi David,
I really enjoyed reading your article (“The War on Words or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the F-Bomb”). I saw and enjoyed The Dark Knight, but had no idea it slipped through with a PG-13 rating. I am not a fan of censorship, but I wholeheartedly agree that if any ratings system is utilized, the parameters need to be clearly defined and consistently applied — otherwise they are largely meaningless. Seeing your words threw me back into a state which I entered after viewing the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend giving it a look. It thoroughly investigates the answers to the questions asked in your article and I was amazed at all that the film revealed.
Thanks and take care,
Jon Aldinger
July 18, 2008
Dear Mr. Nguyen,
I wanted to comment on “Recommended Readings: Comics,” your words regarding Batman comics in particular. You were correct to suggest The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns, but in light of the new film you left two glaring omissions: Batman: Year One by Frank Miller et al. and The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, which are both direct thematic and stylistic precursors to the new movies. Even apart from this connection, they are two of the most powerful, artistic, and well-respected Batman tales to date; indeed, along with The Dark Knight Returns they are the comics I first recommend to those less well-versed in the genre, Batman or not.
The Long Halloween even supplied the phrases used by the latest film: “I believe in Harvey Dent/Gotham City.” Chronicling, among other things, the downfall of Harvey Dent and his transformation into Two Face, set in a mafia-controlled Art Deco Gotham, The Long Halloween is simply gorgeous: it is the Godfather of comic books.
One more note: I slightly disagree with your characterization of the end of The Killing Joke. Although a little ambiguous, the last few panels of the story are still quite powerful. As the shadows thrown on the puddle draw closer and finally meet, the implied embrace between Batman and the sobbing Joker is both shocking and endearing; it is certainly not without risk on the part of the author.
Sincerely,
William Gribbin