Darien Morning Briefing, Oct. 18

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 18, the 291st day of 2011.

HEADLINES

EVENTS & REMINDERS

• Flu Shot Clinic: From 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., the  is set to offer at the 
• Wine Killer: At 7 p.m., at the to discuss his new book, Wine Killer. The event is free for members and $10 for non-members. 
• In the Garden of Beasts: At 7 p.m., the 's fall book discussion series continues with Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts. The library has copies of each book in the series available for patrons to borrow, but prior reading is not required to attend.
• Short Stories for Short Days: Carroll Stenson leads a weekly discussion on short stories at the library from 3 to 4 p.m. Copies of the stories are available for pickup at the Welcome Desk during the week prior to each meeting.
• Linda George paintings: From now until Nov. 9,  by Linda George will be on display in the library's Art Gallery.
• Children of the Desert: From now until Oct. 29, the  hosts "Bana Ba Motlhaba: Children of the Desert," featuring photographs by Dave Hamman and Botswanan crafts. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

DARIEN PLAYHOUSE SHOWTIMES

• The Big Year: 7:00 p.m. (1 hr. 40 min.)
• Real Steel: 7:00 p.m. (2 hr. 7 min.)

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

• Board of Finance: 7:30 p.m., room 206 [agenda]
  
• Planning and Zoning Commission: 8:00 p.m., room 119 [agenda]
• Architectural Review Board: 8:00 p.m., room 213 [agenda]

FORECAST

• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 68. Southwest wind around 9 mph. 
• Tuesday night: Rain likely, mainly after 5 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 56. South wind 6 to 8 mph becoming east. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. 

TIDES & TIMES

• High tide: 4:02 a.m. (6.5')
• Sunrise: 7:08 a.m.
• Low tide: 10:09 a.m. (1.4')
• High tide: 4:10 p.m. (7.0')
• Sunset: 6:09 p.m.
• Low tide: 10:52 p.m. (0.8')

TODAY IN HISTORY

• 1009: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacks the Church's foundations down to bedrock.
• 1648: Boston shoemakers form first U.S. labor organization.
• 1775: The Burning of Falmouth (now Portland, Maine) prompts the Continental Congress to establish the Continental Navy.
• 1898: The United States takes possession of Puerto Rico.
• 1968: The U.S. Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving a "black power" salute during a victory ceremony at the Mexico City games.

Forecast obtained from the National Weather Service; tide information obtained from saltwatertides.com (calibrated to Long Neck Point); 'Today in History' items compiled from Wikipedia and other sources.