Thursday the 13th, what does that mean?

Absolutely nothing! The number 13. Why the superstitions about a number... My least favorite resource, Wikipedia says, Unlucky 13 Main article: Triskaidekaphobia The number 13 is associated with bad luck in some countries, and even has a specifically recognized phobia, Triskaidekaphobia, a word which was coined in 1911. Friday the 13th has been considered an unlucky day since the 1800s, as a combination between an unlucky day, Friday, and the number 13. Lucky 13 In Sikhism, the number 13 is considered a special number since 13 is tera in Punjabi, which also means "yours" (as in, "I am yours, O Lord"). The legend goes that when Guru Nanak Dev was taking stock of items as part of his employment with a village merchant, he counted from 1 to 13 (in Punjabi) as one does normally; and thereafter he would just repeat "tera", since all items were God's creation. The merchant confronted Guru Nanak about this, but found everything to be in order after the inventory was checked. April 13 also usually turns out to be Vaisakhi every year, which is the Sikh New Year and the major Sikh Holiday. Several successful sports figures have worn the number 13. Ozzie Guillén, manager of the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, has worn the number throughout his baseball career. Alex Rodriguez began wearing it upon joining the New York Yankees (three, the number he had previously worn, is retired by the Bronx Bombers to honor Babe Ruth). Dan Marino, an American football player known for passing the 2nd most yards in NFL history, wore the number 13, although pundits in the sport have often cited him as the greatest quarterback never to win an NFL championship. Basketball great Wilt Chamberlain wore the number 13 on his jersey throughout his NBA career. Also, FIBA rules require a player to wear the number in international competitions (only numbers from 4 to 15 could be worn, and as there are 12 players, one must wear 13); Chris Mullin, who wore #20 in college and #17 in the NBA, wore #13 for both (1984 and 1992) of his Olympic appearances. Shaquille O'Neal wore #13 in 1996, Tim Duncan wore #13 in 2004, Steve Nash is currently wearing it for the Phoenix Suns, Yao Ming wore it in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and Mats Sundin and Bill Guerin wear 13 in the NHL. One of Iceland's all time best handball players, Sigurður Sveinsson, wore the number 13 when he played for the national team. In association football, both Gerd Müller and Michael Ballack have favoured the number 13, among others. In Italy, 13 is also considered to be a lucky number, although in Campania the expression 'tredici' (meaning 13) is said when one considers their luck to have turned for the worse. Colgate University also considers 13 to be a lucky number. They were founded in 1819 by 13 men with 13 dollars, 13 prayers, and 13 articles. (To this day, members of the Colgate community consider the number 13 a good omen.) In fact, the campus address is 13 Oak Drive in Hamilton, NY and the all men a cappella group is called the Colgate 13.

And if you like to read about mystery and folklore, you might enjoy this book,

BOOK of the week

The 13th Floor: A Ghost Story by Sid Fleischman ages 8 and older

Have you ever noticed that buildings, even really tall buildings, usually don't have a 13th floor? That's because so many people think 13 is an unlucky number. Put Buddy Stebbins, the main character in this slightly scary, very fun ghost story, in that group. When Buddy gets off on the 13th floor of a rickety old building, he finds himself on a leaky pirate ship off the coast of New England in the late 17th century. He meets up with one of his ancestors, an adventurous girl named Abigail. While Buddy and Abigail encounter witches, ghosts, pirates and treasure, Buddy must also figure out how to get back to the 13th floor and back to his home.

Although Wikipedia is not an acceptable resource for most instructors, it is a starting point for basic information. Always check the information you find there for accuracy, as anyone can edit, add to, or delete information. Now that I have given the site some free word of mouth advertising, how funny is that? Any how, it was a little background on the number 13.

I hope your Thursday has been a fun day and that you have made plans for a restful weekend!

Until next time ... Smile, God love you! Me, too!