I say this every week, so here I go: the DARC is looking for volunteers to help out at the 2019 Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot! Please don’t forget to sign up—and remember that beginners are welcome.

The Dallas Marathon needs your help, too! They’ve asked that people not link directly to their information site, but if you paste this link into your address bar, it will take you right there: sites.google.com/site/dallasmarathoncomms/

The marathon staff are still short of communicators and are asking area hams to help spread the word.

The contest calendar is busy this weekend, with one big event—the ARRL Sweepstakes SSB weekend—one out-of-this-world event, and one very quirky event, among many others. If you have a vacuum tube transmitter that was designed back in the roaring 20s, the AWA Bruce Kelly Memorial QSO Party is the event for you.

In news from the world of amateur radio:

The ARRL reports that John Robert Stratton, N5AUS, has been elected West Gulf Division director.

The 2019 Field Day results have been posted for all to read. Have a look, and enjoy. Remember that W5FC operated 3A this year.

And sadly, amateurs in Europe are reporting that the latest incarnation of the famous “Russian Woodpecker,” known these days as “Contayner,” is now intruding into all of the amateur radio bands where it’s not allowed.

And in news from the world of science:

A surprising medical discovery reveals that astronauts may experience dangerous blood clots, and even blood flowing backwards in their necks.

A new fossil find has been published. It’s the world’s second most primitive bird, Fukuipteryx prima.

The Leonid meteor shower will be peaking this weekend, but good luck seeing anything thanks to a bright, beautiful moon.

And finally, don’t forget that there’s a special fossil exhibition going on at the Perot Museum in Dallas, featuring Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi.