In the 1978 remake of the classic SciFi thriller, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, regular people have their bodies overtaken by pods from outer space. The pod people look just like the original humans, but they lack passion and purpose. They just exist, going through the motions.

This morning I had some serious Body Snatcher déjà vu when I read CNBI’s full-page property tax ad in the CDA Press today. Apparently the pod people have taken over CBNI. Here’s your open session for a cold pre-winter day.

It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . last year! Well, at the start of things. I’m wondering whether there will be enough of the white stuff on the ground for me to shovel before it gets dark?

Naaaaaaa!

Here’s a photo I took last week, out the car window, on the way back from Tri Cities.  There is hope in the world, in spite of global woes and local economic tensions. We have a new week, let’s make the best of it.

Any comments, questions or ideas?

Cliff Harris’ weather column in the Press this morning reports that the UK is not so sure about this global warming stuff.  Apparently the British Parliament is arguing over new regulations amidst the earliest snowfall since 1922!   (here’s the link: www.cdapress.com/articles/2008/11/10/columns/columns06.txt

What do you think about global warming?  Feel free to post and other questions or comments as well.

Unleash your vitriol here. Let fly partisan ranting! Fear of Obama. Dread of Bush’s third term. It’s nasty out there. The only thing to lose is your focus; it’s about the country after all.

A businessman told me last week he has a great piece of land right on the river in Portland that was just appraised for about half the value of the DeArmond Mill site.  They are fairly equivalent sizes, he said, but the Portland property is not near a sewage treatment plant.  Maybe that accounts for the increased value!

Any questions, comments or ideas?

Here’s a shot from Tubb’s Hill–the planned burn of slash did not happen yesterday, so it’s still a good time for a walk.  National politics has pretty much grabbed the whole stage lately, but there’s still a lot going on in our city and county.  Don’t forget our local elections and other important issues.

What’s on your mind this mild, Fall weekend?

Some interesting issues in today’s local news:  the school district is having air quality problems at their central office, the NIC Foundation (private) will carry the loan for the purchase of the DeArmond Mill site, and the Italian Festival is tonight at the Fairgrounds–I’ve heard it’s lots of fun.

Any comments on these or ideas on others?

To regulate or not to regulate?…that is the queston.  One side of this economic crisis says there were not enough regulations in place to keep this greed-fed fiasco from blowing up.  The other side says little known regulations, starting as far back as 1977, pushed for more subprime lending.  The CRA (Community Reinvestment Act) actually required a certain level of this dangerous lending.  So their argument is that too many poorly designed regulations caused this mess.

Thoughts on this or other issues?

Our warm weather is waning but it’s been busy week around here in terms of local and national events.  In addition to everything else, LCDC met last week to give $10,000 to study building a sports complex in Riverstone’s 2nd pit. And Tony Berns’ letter in today’s Press said they have no perceived conflicts of interest on their board!

Any comments, ideas or questions to share?