Well, it's that time again- time to wrap up random news stories with significant mentions of 17s and try to discern any meaningful patterns within. Pretty quiet week overall, but then again my attention's been focused elsewhere.BTW, that magazine cover reminds us that in July 1946 the first bikinis went on sale at the same time nuclear tests were being done on Bikini Atoll. Zany.
ITEM: In airborne news, there's this heartwarming tale:
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – A baby boy who made a surprise arrival on board an AirAsia flight this week will be given free flights for life with the budget carrier, as will his mother, the airline said Friday. "The baby was safely delivered when flight AK 6506 was approaching Kuala Lumpur for landing at 2,000 feet," the airline said in a statement...
6+5+0+6=17
ITEM: Then there's this wacky aeroplane story as well:
Northwest Flight 188 from San Diego had overshot Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by 150 miles, winding up in Wisconsin before turning around to land safely at MSP. Federal officials say the pilots apparently became distracted. Military jets had been on standby to track down the jet after it dropped out of radio communication for about 75 minutes.
1+8+8=17
ITEM: Strangey points us to this story, in which according to NAZCA NASA, the Atlantis is due to launch November 17 (ish):
If the Atlas V fails to launch on the first attempt (November 14), Atlantis may be reduced to a two day window – depending on the amount of time it would take to reconfigure the range – with Atlantis then holding the range for the 17th and 18th.ITEM: I can't think "NASA" without automatically thinking "Egypt", which reminds me there was a more tragic transportation story this past week, involving a deadly train crash on Egypt's Giza plateau that has claimed 18 lives.
Then there was this, which reader Alan points us to:
...a British nuclear expert fell to his death from the 17th floor of the United Nations offices in Vienna yesterday. Police and UN spokesmen said there were no suspicious circumstances in the death of the man, who has not been named, or any other person involved.
ITEM: Speaking of religion, there's also this gruesome story coming out of Nova Caesarea:
ITEM: This past week found The Vatican working up its final merger/takeover plan of the Anglican Church, which recently hit a snag when the 'Global South' bishops nixed the plan. Plenty of Anglican action stateside, too:CHATHAM, N.J. – An arrest in the brutal slaying of a Roman Catholic priest has brought little solace to this bucolic, upscale community, which widely views the suspected role of the longtime church janitor as a second tragedy. More than 150 people at St. Patrick's Church for Sunday's early Mass prayed for the Rev. Ed Hinds, whose body was discovered in the church rectory Friday, and for Jose Feliciano, who is charged with stabbing the priest 32 times with a kitchen knife.Feliciano had worked at the church 17 years and his family is part of the parish.
Guess what US highway Mount Pleasant is on?MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – The Diocese of South Carolina voted Saturday to distance itself but not completely split from the national Episcopal Church because of church positions on same-sex unions and ordination of gays.
Eighty-seven clergy members voted to pass the resolution after a nearly hour-long debate during a special convention in Mount Pleasant, Canon Kendall Harmon said, with 17 voting no.
ITEM: Here's some happy news to end this mini-17 marathon- Halloween, like other entertainment and fantasy activities like comic conventions, is experiencing a major resurgence as recession-battered Americans look for ways to take their minds over the systematic dismantling of their economy:
Despite the recession, Halloween is hotter than ever. According to IBISWorld, a market-research firm, Halloween sales will reach a record-breaking $6 billion in 2009, up 4.2% from last year. Retailers from Biloxi, Miss., to Brooklyn, N.Y., are reporting strong Halloween revenue. Over the past four years alone, the Halloween industry — which includes costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards — has grown a remarkable 48.5%.
4+8+5=17
UPDATE: The Guardian obtains a copy of a spotter card used at political demonstrations. Note the division name Oracle 17. Fascinating.
UPDATE: Cardinals beat Giants 24-17 at Giants Stadium, located at intersection of routes 3 and 17
UPDATE: New York amnesiac Jane Doe identified as Kacie Peterson, originally of Colville, Washington, which is located on US 395 (=17)
UPDATE: Soapie pointed this out recently- the "All Powerful" Alienware M17X!
UPDATE: Some bad news- Poverty. The U.S. poverty rate, about 17 percent, is third worst among the advanced nations tracked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In that sample, only Turkey and Mexico are worse.
