Friday the 13th

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Is this a new twist on an old superstition, or is this day any different than any other day? Perhaps, because this is the third time we see it this year.

Fear is likely rooted in Christianity. Jesus was crucified on a Friday and ever since the day has been associated with "general ill omen," Michael Bailey, a history professor at Iowa State University who specializes in the origins of superstitions, told USA TODAY Network.

Weddings in the Middle Ages, for instance, were not held on Fridays and it was not a day someone would start a journey, Bailey said.

Thirteen guests are believed to have attended the Last Supper, the night before Jesus was killed, according to Stuart Vyse, a psychology professor at Connecticut College. And Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, is considered to have been the 13th guest, Vyse said.

The superstition's origins are mysterious. It's unclear when Friday and number 13 became linked in the way we think of them today,

No. You're not more likely to make a trip to the hospital, but a friend told me he and his family were having his yearly physical.

European based reserach published in the World Journal of Surgery explored whether there is a link between Friday the 13th and an increase of blood loss and the frequency of emergency room visits on those days. Researchers reviewed 3,281 days at a hospital facility that included 15 Friday the 13ths. They found no correlation.

November 13, 2015 happens to be the third of three Friday the 13ths this year. Other dates this year include February 13 and March 13. In 2014, Friday the 13th came along once on June 13. After Friday, we'll have to wait until May 13, 2016 for the next "unlucky" date.

Why a trilogy of Friday the 13ths in 2015?

2015 has three Friday the 13ths. What are the odds? | Human World | EarthSky: http://earthsky.org/human-world/three-friday-13ths-in-2015-february-13-…

At least one celebrity swears by Friday the 13th: Taylor Swift Explains Why 13 Is Her Lucky Number http://on.mtv.com/1tRKa9F via @MTVNews

Trouble in Academia?

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US students nationwide are increasingly responding bt organizing campus protests and hunger strikes over what they say are racial discrimination activities, college administration’s inadequate and tone-deaf response to their concerns.

Campuses around the country have seen protests from Missouri to California. Ithaca College in New York, Smith College in Massachusetts, and Yale University in Connecticut have also been dealing with similar actions by students over alleged marginalization and racial discrimination.

At Mizzou, Yale and beyond, campus protests stir fresh questions about free speech http://to.pbs.org/1N1szZe via @NewsHour

Racial Discrimination Protests Ignite at Colleges Across the U.S. http://nyti.ms/1MXZSwk

Claremont McKenna dean resigns after students protest campus racial bias http://fw.to/YCtWTlZ

California college dean resigns after students protest bias http://reut.rs/1OHLj02 via @Reuters

Howard University increases security after online threat aimed at students http://to.pbs.org/1SMSToL via @NewsHour

O

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There was a time when "O" represented another well known celebrity, but not since my youngest granddaughter Olivia was born last week.

My baby daughter Sabrina Soto had her first baby daughter, who is now the new celebrity in the family.
https://www.google.com/search?q=sabrina+soto&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ…

HGTV's Sabrina Soto Welcomes a Baby Girl http://eonli.ne/1RVuAUu via @eonline

HGTV Star Sabrina Soto Welcomes Baby Girl — See the Precious Pic! http://bit.ly/1NKgF4S via @latina

In Love Again

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Once upon a time there was just us. Me and my wife Ele, who then gave birth to our healthy, bright and two of the most beautiful baby girls in the whole wide world, Natasha and Sabrina.

As they got older and started their own families, we have been blessed with a few gorgeous gals, who are special angels to boast about. First Elena, then Chloe, Sophia and finally my handsome grandson, Parker.

Veterans Day

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On November 11, 1919, President Wilson proclaimed: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:

Banned: Holding Hands?

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This story has to land in the no hand holding ban section of the weirdest kind, after an institution for higher learning in PRC has issued an outright ban on holding hands.

A university in northeastern China is underhandedly taking heat after they issued a rule banning students from holding hands or romantically feeding each other in the school cafeteria.

Getting Old

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The brains of older people are slow because they know so much. People do not decline mentally with age, it just takes them longer to recall facts because they have more information in their brains, scientists believe .
Much like a computer struggles as the hard drive gets full, so, too, do humans take longer to access information when their brains are full.

Researchers say this slowing down process is not the same as cognitive decline. The human brain works slower in old age, said Dr. Michael Ramscar, but only because we have stored more information over time.

Corrupt USA

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If you thought US Congress was out of control, then think again. A new survey reveals corruption at the state and local level. The Center for Public Integrity has measured hundreds of variables to compile transparency and accountability grades for all 50 states.

The group issued the best grade in the nation to Alaska and it is just a C. Two others earned better than a D+ and 11 states got an F.

These results may be deflating to the two-thirds of Americans who look to the states for policy solutions as gridlock has overtaken the federal government.

HAMILTON

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The Broadway smash musical that was written by a Latino playwright and son of a former Telemundo colleague, contributor and political power broker with great talent and an even larger gift for story telling and writing.

Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1757 and became a Founding Father of the United States, chief staff aide to General George Washington, one of the most influential interpreters and promoters of the U.S. Constitution, Founder of the nation's financial system, Founder of the Federalist Party, the world's first voter-based political party, Father of the United States Coast Guard, and Founder of The New York Post.

The young Lin-Manuel Miranda has written two smash hits and we wonder what he'll do for an encore?

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