A Book on Werewolves by Patricia Briggs-Fair Game

Patricia Briggs is a famous American author. She is a writer of fantasy novels and has been writing since 1993. She has created a fantasy series of novels known as the Mercy Thompson fantasy series. These novels are set in an urban back ground in the United States. Briggs is 48 years old having been born in 1965. She published her first novel ‘Masques’ in 1993 and has followed up with many more.

Most of Briggs characters are sheer fantasy, sometimes bordering on the absurd. A reader is hard put to visualize the tales written by her as having any realism. Briggs makes an attempt to get reader attention by presenting a bizarre and unrealistic scenario. Her novel ‘Fair Game’ can be classified as a fantasy and presents werewolves in human garb. These werewolves have now revealed themselves and are a part and parcel of everyday life in the United States. One can appreciate a fantasy, but to write about a subject where werewolves are accepted by human beings and organizations like the FBI will tax the imagination of the reader. As per the writer the werewolves have now as a clan revealed themselves to humans. In ‘Fair Game’, The FBI approaches two werewolves to help solve some mysterious killings in Boston. The two werewolves are Anna Latham and Charles Cornick. These two werewolves are in love. Charles is the dominant werewolf, while Anna has a quality of being able to calm other werewolves. The FBI is unable to solve the mysterious killings and these two werewolves help out. As they investigate they find that the persons killed are werewolves and it dawns on the duo that somebody is targeting persons who are werewolves. This lends urgency to their efforts to track the killer. The killer now targets the two werewolves Charles and Anna, who themselves are in great danger. This is supposed to be a thrilling tale, but many readers will find the entire theme of the novel implausible and reading it would mean entering into a fantasy world which just cannot exist. One reads fantasies, but to read a fantasy as a real time action novel is bound to tax the imagination of any reader. Patricia Briggs does try and present a thriller. The plot is racy and the book is eminently readable. If a reader can forget about the absurdity of the plot, he or she may well be able to enjoy the book. All one has to think is that it is a fantasy. Briggs has latched on to the American fascination for werewolves and created an entire series of books on the subject. Generally such fantasies have a momentary moment of glory and then fade away. Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana, USA. She has during her life time lived in many cities in the North West of the USA. Presently she resides in Washington State. Her first novel ’Masques’ was not a success, but it has been re-issued again. Some of her books notably Blood Bound and Iron Kissed have been on the New York Times best seller lists.

Tamil Girls and Fairness

A look at the Tamil screen shows that the heroines are fair skinned. I have yet to see a dark skinned heroine on the south Indian screen. Even Jayalalita when she was a star is milky white in complexion. These milky white complexioned stars contribute to a beauty culture in South India where skin-whitening creams outsell Coca-Cola. Yet the fact is that most Tamil and south Indian girls are dark complexioned. I wonder why a dark complexioned girl cannot strike out in the Tamil film industry. One aspect that is overlooked is that the ancient scriptures, epics, or folk tales in Tamil or for that matter in any Indian language, the good character is always portrayed as being fair in complexion. A beautiful princess is always without fail described as being fair and white as snow. This is a dangerous portrayal as it is suggesting that the fair are fair dealing and the dark complexioned has evil intentions. This view has been expressed by Shyamala Bhatia, an associate professor in history at the Bharati College, University of Delhi. If you add that the white race ruled India and their women were white than it becomes clear why the concept of fairness being superior is embedded deep within the Indian psyche. But even after the white rulers went away, India‘s concepts of beauty has not changed. Thus milky-complexioned Tamil stars to a massive market for skin lightening creams, the notion that white means beautiful is all pervading in South India. The word for fairness in Hindi is “GORI” and in Tamil it is நேர்மை Nērmai. I am afraid it will not go from the South Indian psyche. I will close with a small anecdote. I had been called to give a guest lecture to students on the Law in Madras University. After the lecture I expected to be asked questions about the legal aspects of the lecture. Unfortunately all the girls surrounded me asked me what I did to keep my skin fair. I was non plussed,as I don’t do anything and I am as I am.

France on the Back Foot on Submarine Deal of US and UK with Australia

Why did France recall its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia? This is a manifestation of big power politics and also the bruised ego of France. Let us understand that France had signed a submarine deal with Australia. These were conventional submarines but the deal appears to have been considerably delayed. In any case France was going to earn close to $60 billion.

Once the United States and the UK decided to confront China they needed a frontline partner in the Pacific Ocean and hence chose Australia because it is still having strings to the United Kingdom and recognizes the queen as its head. In other words it's part of the Anglo-Saxon crowd. Obviously the French suffered badly because the deal which the Americans and the British gave to Australia was for nuclear submarines a technology which the Americans have not shared only with one other country in the world during the last 60 years and that is the UK. This is the second country they will be sharing nuclear technology; thus France was taken out of the loop of big power politics and made to look like a small bird on the global stage. At the same time the realization dawned on the French that they are not part of the global power scenario therefore France decided to show its displeasure by recalling it's Ambassador from Australia and USA but it is not going to help anyway.

America is Facing Push and Pull Theory of Migration

Why have thousands of migrants gathered at the US-Mexico border?

Migration is something that has been going on since the dawn of history. One of the most famous theories of migration is the ‘push and pull’ theory. This means that migrants normally go to places which are economically better off looking for a better life. Now let us understand that life in the United states is much better then those living on the borders of the USA or nearby countries, so it is natural that people will gravitate to enter the USA. That is the reason that thousands of migrants have gathered at US- Mexico border wanting to enter America for a better life. This is part of history and I do not think Americans will be able to stop it totally. Why? because America is a nation of migrants and it's a huge country almost six times the size of India with a population which is 1/4 of India and thus is fertile ground for migration.

Why can't India manufacture bullet trains?

I have flown Supersonics and I can tell you that India cannot manufacture a 5th generation fighter jet. Similarly India does not have the technology nor the money to back R and D to manufacture bullet train. The basic components are the avionics and the power plant which has to be tested in wind tunnel.India just has no expertise in this field and even if India starts now it will be at least two decades behind China and Japan and the technology which we will produce will be obsolete. The problem with India is that in 1948 India had a more advanced basic industry then China where not even a bicycle was made but China by building infrastructure and basic ingredient of science has taken a lead and the bullet train and the fifth generation Fighter the Chengdu is Chinese achievement. India will have to thank Pandit Nehru for being the leggard in the world.

Repercussions of the American Retreat:Nations on China's Rim Worried

What about security against Chinese misadventures? Can the countries on China'a rim trust the USA? We must look at this problem from a proper perceptive. The fact is by retreating from from Afghanistan, the credibility of the USA is now zero and most of the countries on the rim of China are not sure that Americans can stand with them and that is a fact. I had some reports by some people which have gone to the extent of saying that Biden has done all this at the behest of China because we should not forget that the United States maintains 30,000 troops in Korea and another 50,000 in Germany. I have yet to understand what purposes they are serving but he was not ready to keep even 3000 troops in Afghanistan which would have stopped a Taliban victory. This is food for thought, as one thing is very clear that China will not be confronted by the USA. There is also a possibility that someone in the American hierarchy was hand in glove with the Taliban in China because the retreat has been so chaotic that one cannot understand how the Americans left all their weapons behind and just ran away like rats running away from a sinking ship

How powerful would you consider the USA under Biden's administration?

This is a loaded question and I will give it an answer which is not run-of-the-mill. The first thing we must remember is that when Biden took over as president, the virus had abated and hence he had the luck with him and things began to improve. However overall he has let America down by trying to mollycoddle Iran and also try and placate China mainly because some of the biggest American corporations have invested billions of dollars in China. In world history rarely, the leader of a nation been taking pecuniary benefits from the enemy and we all know that Hunter Biden and Biden himself are beholden to China. This is a sure shot recipe for disaster and perhaps Biden will preside over the demise of the American empire. He has also put the nail in the American prestige and influence bya chaotic retreat from Afghanistan. Rarely have we sen sucha disorderly retreat in world history. Napoleon also retreated from Moscow but it was aorder ly retreat. In the American case they just ran away leaving weapons worth almost $800 billion for use by the Taliban. There escape from Bagram air base in the dead of the night will always be something no American can stomach and face the world. Joe BIden is thus the man to preside over the demise of America as a global force.