Five Things to Know Today, Oct. 14

Finally Friday. Here are some things to know as you head into the day and the weekend.

The weather: Should be sunny today and all weekend. The high today will be about 77 degrees, with some wind involved. The low tonight will be around 50, according to the National Weather Service.

Gas prices: Definitely rising, no doubt about it. The national average for a gallon of regular is about two cents higher than yesterday at $3.426, according to AAA. In Georgia, the average is $3.310. Prices reported to www.georgiagasprices.com for Lilburn the past 24 hours ranged from $3.25 (at Kroger, 3050 Five Forks Trickum near Oak Road) to $3.39 (at Texaco, 4785 Lawrenceville Hwy at Indian Trail- Lilburn Road). That's a 10-cent jump from yesterday's range of $3.15 - $3.29.

Here's "The Thing:" The prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 movie with the same name - "The Thing," a sci-fi about aliens and scientists trapped together in Antartica - is in theaters today. I can't imagine anyone matching Carpenter's magic touch when it comes to suspense and atmosphere, but we'll see. There are about 19 other new movies in theaters today, including "Trespass" with Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage. Click here for a list of other new releases with ratings and summaries. And don't forget to check back with Lilburn-Mountain Park Patch at noon for Brett Martin's review of "Footloose."

So you think you can dance? There's a Flash Mob dance rehearsal 
Sunday, to prepare for a surprise public dance at an as-yet undisclosed "large public event." The county parks department says bring your friends Sunday afternoons to learn the signals, timing and moves: Oct. 16 and 23, Nov. 6 and 20. It's $10 per person ages 17+, $5/person ages 4-16, call 770.417.2212. Best Friend Park Gym, 6224 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross.

Hot times: The Cuban Missile Crisis started cooking on this day in 1962, bringing the U.S. and the Soviet Union as close to nuclear war as we ever came. It started with Oct. 14 photos by a U.S. reconnaissance plane showing Soviet missile silos being built in Cuba. The two-week standoff ended with the Soviets backing down and not putting nuclear warheads in Cuba. But boy was that tense. There's one thing we don't have to worry about anymore: global thermonuclear destruction.

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