Darien Morning Briefing, Oct. 11

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 11, the 284th day of 2011.

HEADLINES

EVENTS & REMINDERS

• Meet author Diana Abu-Jaber: At 7 p.m., Birds of Paradise author Diana Abu-Jaber will make an appearance at the . The event will feature a book signing and refreshments; copies of the book will be available for purchase.
• 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

• Real Steel: 1:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m. (2 hr. 7 min.)
• Dolphin Tale: 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m. (1 hr. 52 min.)

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

• Darien Beautification Commission: 9:00 p.m., room B-3
• Monuments & Ceremonies Commission: 3:30 p.m., room 206
• Board of Education: 7:30 p.m., BOE meeting room [agenda]

FORECAST

• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 68. East wind around 11 mph. 
• Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. East wind around 11 mph. 

TIDES & TIMES

• Low tide: 5:30 a.m. (0.5')
• Sunrise: 7:01 a.m.
• High tide: 11:32 a.m. (7.8')
• Low tide: 5:59 p.m. (0.2')
• Sunset: 6:20 p.m.
• High tide: 11:58 p.m. (7.2')

TODAY IN HISTORY

• 1809: Along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee, explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances at an inn called Grinder's Stand.
• 1910: Former President Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first U.S. president to fly in an airplane. 
• 1962: Second Vatican Council: Pope John XXIII convenes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years.
• 1968: NASA launches Apollo 7, the first successful manned Apollo mission, with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn F. Eisele and Walter Cunningham aboard.
• 1972: A race riot occurs on the United States Navy aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk off the coast of Vietnam during Operation Linebacker.
• 1975: The NBC show Saturday Night Live debuts with George Carlin as the host and Andy Kaufman, Janis Ian, and Billy Preston as guests.
• 1984: Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space walk.
• 2001: The Polaroid Corporation files for federal bankruptcy protection.

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.