At this year’s Kentucky Derby, the second-place finisher, Eight Belles, had to be euthanized after breaking both front ankles. In 2006, Barbaro, another Derby standout, was put down after suffering a leg injury at the Preakness Stakes. The tragic death of Eight Belles elicited cries from Washington over a lack of regulation. For a June article, Rep. Ed Whitfield, a Republican from Kentucky, told the WSJ that “Greed has trumped the health of the horse, the safety of the jockey and the integrity of the sport.” He criticized the sport’s leadership, citing its failure to ban the use of steroids and inability to implement rule changes and safety measures. WSJ Law Blog October 16, 2008

Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings 2008
The top ten include libraries in Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
http://www.haplr-index.com/HAPLR08_CorrectedVersionOctober8_2008.pdf

EPA: Car Shoppers Can Save Money and Time with 2009 Fuel Economy Guide
News release: "To help consumers make well-informed choices when purchasing new vehicles, EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE) have unveiled the 2009 Fuel Economy Guide ...Each vehicle listing in the Fuel Economy Guide provides an estimated annual fuel cost. The online guide includes an interactive feature that allows consumers to insert their local gasoline prices and typical driving habits to receive a personalized fuel cost estimate. Fuel economy estimates now include the revised test methods implemented in model year 2008. These revised tests better reflect “real world” driving conditions and habits, including higher highway speed limits and use of accessories such as air conditioning."
The Green Vehicle Guide website - locate the cleanest and most fuel efficient vehicles
The 2009 fuel economy leaders within each class as well as the lowest fuel economy models

obambulate (o-BAM-byuh-layt)
verb tr.: To walk about
From Latin ob- (towards, against) + ambulare (to walk) Ultimately from the Indo-European root ambhi- (around) that is also the source of ambulance, alley, preamble, and bivouac. The first print citation of the word is from 1614. A.Word.A.Day

It is being billed as the ultimate book about the world and it is something of a landmark in its own right "Earth" -- the biggest atlas ever to be published -- promises to be a luxurious benchmark in cartography. Created by Millennium House, "Earth" -- complete with a clam shell case -- measures 610 x 469 millimeters and weighs in at over 30 kilos. The price is pretty hefty too. The leather bound, gilt-edged book will set you back around $3500. During production several cartographers' computers crashed and had to be upgraded because of the maps were so large and so detailed. But it all appears to be worth it. "Earth" is a lavish affair with 154 maps and over 800 photographs. The book also includes four monster-sized gatefolds which, unfurled, measure six x four feet (1.82 x 1.21 meters) and reveal pinpoint sharp satellite images including shots of the earth and sky at night. There will be a concise version of the atlas which will be much more affordable and portable. http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/10/16/earth.atlas/index.html

Keepers (books I would read again)
Coming into the Country by John McPhee
It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
Jurgen by James Branch Cabell
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

On October 18, 1896, Anton Chekhov's play The Seagull premiered in St. Petersburg. Most of the audience were confused and thought it was going to star a well-known comic actress. But when they realized she wasn't part of the cast, and that the play wasn't very funny, the audience rioted. The actors had only rehearsed a few times, and they kept forgetting their lines. The performance was a total failure, and Chekhov declared he would never write another play. But before the end of the year, he had begun work on Uncle Vanya (1897).
On October 19, 1781 in Yorktown, Virginia, General Charles Cornwallis and his army of 8,000 troops surrendered to George Washington and Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau, ending the Revolutionary War. Together the Americans and the French had about 17,000 troops.
October 19 is the birthday of novelist Philip Pullman, (books by this author) born in Norwich, England, in 1946. He was a middle school teacher, and he taught his students Greek mythology and wrote plays based on those myths. He wrote a trio of novels that have been best-sellers for both children and adults: The Golden Compass (1995), The Subtle Knife (1997), and The Amber Spyglass (2000). He said, "We don't need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do's and don'ts: we need books, time, and silence. 'Thou shalt not' is soon forgotten, but 'Once upon a time' lasts forever."
The Writer’s Almanac