The so-called Westboro Baptist Church is again in the news.  All I can think of is that Sauron would be smiling.  This family, and that is about all the Westboro Baptist Church is composed of, is anything but God fearing or holy.  They insult the truly religious.  –  I have a further question.  Who is paying for them to do this?  They are all over the US bleating out their message of hate & bigotry.  Are they rich and can afford all the travelling they seem to do?  Maybe someone is behind these simple minded puppets of hate and bigotry.  It would be interesting to follow the money, as the expression goes.  –  A good primer on dealing with terrorists, [And I consider the so-called Westboro Baptist Churc as such.] such as this group, is found in a very interesting SF novel by Dean Ing: “Soft Targets.” It came out at the end of the 70’s. Well worth looking for.

Looking forward to a fun weekend.  I’m heading off to Rochester, NY, for ASTRONOMICON, their local SF con.  All the ones I’ve attended have been fun.

Recently read/viewed “JRR TOLKIEN – Artist & Illustrator” by Hammond & Scull.  It is a fascinating look at Tolkien’s ideas visualized.  While I thoroughly enjoyed the book and Tolkien art as well as the commentary by Hammond & Scull, I’m not quite as overwhelmed by Tolkien’s art as they are.  Tolkien’s art is quite good.  However, he was not an artistic master.  It is very interesting to see how different works grew in the drawing as it were.  It was interesting to learn how Tolkien recycled some of his art work for publication.  All in all it is a book well worth adding to one’s collection of books by Tolkien.  I’m glad I did and recommend it to you.

I wonder if this film will be released in the US.  It looks interesting.

I think, more folk might do well to read this article.

If it’s on the shelves, it’s off the streets byPeter Moskos. [Peter Moskos is an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the author of "Cop in the Hood: My Year Policing Baltimore's Eastern District."]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102303457.html

A while back there was a TV movie, “Murder in 3 Acts” shown on ABC in Oz.  It concerned the murders committed by Snowy Rowles around 1930.  The disposal of the bodies was accomplished by the method discussed by Arthur Upfield & mates over coffee.  Upfield has just sold his first BONY novel and was looking for a plot device for his 2nd.  The main thing was to dispose of the body completely and, hence, pose a nasty problem for BONY.

Rowles was there with them.  However, he was careless and was caught & hanged.  Upfield’s book came out & was serialixed during the trial.

If you can obtain the film, it is a good view.

Illegality drives up the cost of the illegal substance.  –  What would the actual cost, with a 6% markup to provide a  suitableprofit, of the more common “illegal” substance such as MJ, cocaine, & heroine?  — Please note, I’m NOT saying they should be legal, just what would the comparative prices be?

Now how would this effect the crime lords?  If an addict, one would have to register, of course, could buy his or her drug of choice from a legal source at realistic prices, what would happen to the economies of drug producing countries.  [Of course, California would now run a surplus as the value of MJ grown in the state is in the billions of dollars.

It would be interesting to see an economic evaluation of this.  maybe money is being allocated in the wrong areas.

I just finished reading the latest Kathy Reichs’ novel: 206 Bones.   I recommend it to mystery fans.

Her approach to forensic mysteries is so much better than Cornwell’s.   I’ve come to hope, the bad guys kill off the Cornwell’s protagonists.  They don’t work any more.

“Limits on exec pay cause worries of brain drain!  Will top bosses at bailed-out companies leave as their compensation is cut?”  –  MSNBC.com

Maybe the answer should be: Good, get rid of them.  All they did was take money and run the companies into the ground.  Maybe some new blood will get the companies moving again.

IMHO too many “executives” are vastly overpaid for the work they do.  I really don’t believe, they are worth the pay.  I remember reading a rumor that JP Morgan, that pillar of support for the common man, feeling that the ratio of 20 to 1 between the top salary and the lowest full time employee’s salary, should be enough.  Today, 200 to 1 or higher is more like it.

However, one must realize, these executives are of such a better class of people than ordinary persons that they should be rewarded for just being better than everyone else.  Just ask them.

Film director Roman Polanski, who fled sentencing in California on child sex charges in 1977, after being convicted, should be extradited to the US from Switzerland and do his hard time for drugging and having unlawful sex with a girl aged 13.  –  So he is a brilliant director.  This does not allow him to break the law and get away with it.  –  He is a sicko!