End of the week is closing in!

Today, is Thursday the 12th. Hmm. It doesn't mean the same thing as Friday the 13th, but does Friday the 13th really mean anything? A lot of people think so. Frankly I have never really placed any credence in the superstition. Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the medical term for fear of Friday the 13th. This is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a phobia (fear) of the number thirteen. There are many stories about the origin of this fear.

DID YOU KNOW...
* 17 TO 21 MILLION Americans suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia - the fear of Friday the 13th? (4 to 5 million in the UK)
* it has been estimated that 750 MILLION DOLLARS will be LOST in business because people will not shop, travel or take risks of any kind on this Friday the 13th?
* that the U.S. NAVY to this day will NOT LAUNCH a ship on Friday the 13th?
(Note, this information was found on Google, and I do not guarantee the veracity of these statements)

Some people believe that this fear began with the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Jesus was crucified on a Friday ( Good Friday) but there is no evidence that He died on a Friday the 13th. There are others who believe this superstition began on Friday, October 13th 1307 was the day that Philip IV of France arrested and subsequently tortured and killed hundreds of the French Knights Templar to get their money for the French treasury. Yet others argue that the belief traces it's origins back to a Norse myth.

I would be curious to see what anyone who might read this blog think. In the mean time, I need to cross my fingers, find my lucky rabbits foot, and look in the back yard for a four leaf clover!