How did the Friday the 13th myth get started?

In the Western world, a significant chunk of the population suspects bad things
will happen whenever the 13th day of a month occurs on the day of the week called
Friday.
Like many human beliefs, the fear of Friday the 13th (known as
paraskevidekatriaphobia) isn't exactly grounded in scientific logic. But the really strange
thing is that most of the people who believe the day is unlucky offer no explanation at
all, logical or illogical. As with most superstitions, people fear Friday the 13th for its
own sake, without any need for background
information.
The fear of Friday the 13th stems from two separate fears -- the fear of the number 13
and the fear of Fridays. Both fears have deep roots in Western culture, most notably in
Christian theology. Thirteen is significant to Christians because it is the number of people
who were present at the Last Supper (Jesus and his 12 apostles). Judas, the apostle who
betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive. Jesus was crucified on a
Friday. Additionally, some theologians hold that Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden
fruit on a Friday, and that the Great Flood began on a Friday. In the past, many Christians
would never begin any new project or trip on a Friday, fearing they would be doomed
from the start.
Sailors were particularly superstitious in this regard, often refusing to ship out on a Friday. According to unverified legend (very likely untrue), the British Navy commissioned a ship in the 1800s called H.M.S. Friday, in order to quell the superstition. The navy selected the crew on a Friday, launched the
ship on a Friday and even selected a man named James Friday as the ship's captain.
Then, one Friday morning, the ship set off on its maiden voyage... and disappeared
forever. A similar, entirely factual story is the harrowing flight of Apollo 13.
Some trace the infamy of the number 13 back to ancient Norse culture. In
Norse mythology, the beloved hero Balder was killed at a banquet by the mischievous
god Loki, who crashed the party of twelve, bringing the group to 13. This story, as well
as the story of the Last Supper, led to one of the most entrenched 13-related beliefs:
You should never sit down to a meal in a group of 13.
Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital
punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings,
and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.
Source: http://people.howstuffworks.com/friday-thirteenth.htm
With the aim of mapping "the relation between health, behaviour, and
superstition surrounding Friday 13th in the United Kingdom," its authors compared the
ratio of traffic volume to the number of automobile accidents on two different days,
Friday the 6th and Friday the 13th, over a period of years.
Incredibly, they found that in the region sampled, while consistently fewer
people chose to drive their cars on Friday the 13th, the number of hospital admissions
due to vehicular accidents was significantly higher than on "normal" Fridays. Their
conclusion:
"Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of
a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent. Staying at home is
recommended."
Paraskevidekatriaphobics — people afflicted with a morbid, irrational fear of
Friday the 13th — should be pricking up their ears about now, buoyed by seeming
evidence that the source of their unholy terror may not be so irrational after all. But it's
unwise to take solace in a single scientific study, especially one so peculiar. I suspect
these statistics have more to teach us about human psychology than the ill-fatedness of
any particular date on the calendar.
The sixth day of the week and the number 13 both have foreboding reputations
said to date from ancient times, and their inevitable conjunction from one to three times
a year (there happen to be three such occurrences in 2009, two of them right in a row)
portends more misfortune than some credulous minds can bear. According to experts it's
the most widespread superstition in the United States today. Some people won't go to
work on Friday the 13th; some won't eat in restaurants; many wouldn't think of setting a
wedding on the date.
Source:  http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th.htm

WORLD AIDS DAY

I dedicate this to my late Sister.
Author 
I personally lost a sister late last year to this epidermic, though my family will not not approve of me saying to the world what actually killed her but I think it is best to come out clean. AIDS does not select but rather picks all that have ignorance and 'eat the sweets without the wrapper'. I know I've been a victim several times but I pray that people start to take this thing seriously..... here are some stories a got from http://www.avert.org on people living with AIDS

1. Girlfriend view
My boyfriend has been having fever for almost a week. At first, the doctors suspected that it could be dengue virus. But there were no rashes.
They suggested doing a HIV test and today it came out positive. I know that my boyfriend regretted what he had done in the past and he now worries about the future.
But I will not leave him to face what lies ahead alone.
We will do it together

2. Daughter
This story is actually about my dad who was diagnosed w aid in 1995. He was only 34 when he found out he was positive w Aids and kept it to himself for about 5yrs. When we did find out It was sadest day ever i love my dad very much and only wanted to see him happy in wht ever he did, unfortunitly the actions he took w his life werent very smart..He started using drugs at a very young age, it started w smking weed and progressed to stronger drugs eventually he started using heroin. the cycle of useing heroin lasted most of my childhood, he was in and out of every prison for as long as i can remember.The drugs really just took over all of him and left me and my bro n sister w/o a dad.. He was soo deeply lost w this drug tht he started sharing needles and having unprotected sex w random females who would either supply the drug or give him $ to buy the drug for both of there pleasures.. It was bad enough to have one parent w aids then to find out a few years dwn the line tht he had given it to my mom she was HIV pos.
SAD :( my dad died in 2003 and my mom followed in 2004.. VERY SAD :( :(
so for everyone out there: Plz protect urself ALWAYS.. ur not the only ones who will suffer from ur mistakes..



3. Sister
My name is A i live in Kenya. I dont have the virus but my older sister has it she is only 28years and dont have a family. I dont know what to do or say to her to make her feel better, the man who gave her the virus is long gone to a different country. She is all alone in a city and far from me and family. Am soooo worried since i am not there to support her.

I now know she is devasted and stressed out since she complains of headaches and rashes which ooozess blood, she complains a lot and that worries me so very much. I usually comfort her over the pone but i feel its not enough. I dont know which stage she is since she is yet to find out.

I have a family who i havent shared with the news since i dont know how they will take it. am sooo stressed out and my work progress is very down especially when i remember my sister.

Please people who live with the disease take heart, God doesnt forsake anyone during there times in need. My only wish is that my sister to be strong since its not the end of the world.

I love her to much and will keep on praying for her each and every day.


4. Husband
Hi, I am 35 and married for 4 years now. I found out that my wife is HIV positive when she was pregnant with our first child.

At first I thought the world was falling on us; never did it EVER cross my mind on switching the blame but i was worried about her and the child. I went to several HIV tests ever since and mine always come negative.

I’m just thankful that our child is now 3 years old and negative. I love my wife and I will never desert her because of her status.

We have a great sex life and although she is a person that hides her feeling; I tried my level best to support her and now she registered for a degree and we going on with our lives.

It’s kinda difficult to live with someone who is HIV positive because you never know whats going on their minds sometimes. The best thing I do is to shower her with love and assure her that everything is gonna be alright.

  5. Mother
I am the mother of a homosexual son that has been diagnosed with HIV positive. I prayed for years for God to heal my son. He met a woman and married her. He's still gay and practicing while he is married. He doesn't care who he is with. He is so bitter at God for allowing this to happen to him. I have become bitter too. Not only is he still gay and married and his marriage is falling apart but he's HIV positive now. I don't understand God any more. I'm hurting so bad I don't want to live. I wake up everyday with this cloud of misery hanging over me. I think of just ended my life. It seems the only way to stop feeling this awful hurt and pain. I thought God loved me. How can he love me and allow this misery and hurt to continue for years and years. I have begun to think there isn't a God. All I hear is God's love for me. What kind of love is this? I think of all the things I could do to end this since God won't. This mess is forever! I've been going through this for 20 years now. Just want it to end one way or the other. If I have to end my own life.




what else do you want to hear before you change your way of living??? You cannot get to someone for doing wrong to you by doing wrong to yourself.....TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE.

Questions

Q.) What doesn't belong in this list: Meat, Eggs, Wife, Blowjob?
A.) Blow job: You can beat your meat, eggs or wife, but you can't beat a blowjob.
Q.) Why does a penis have a hole in the end?
A.) So men can be open minded.
Q.) What's the speed limit of sex?
A.) 68 because at 69 you have to turn around.
Q.) What's the difference between your paycheck and your dick?
A.) You don't have to beg your wife to blow your paycheck!
Q.) Three words to ruin a man's ego...
A.) "Is it in?"
Q.) What do you get when you cross Raggedy Ann and the Pillsbury Dough Boy?
A.) A red headed bitch with a yeast infection.
Q.) How can you tell when an auto mechanic just had sex?
A.) One of his fingers is clean. Q.) What do you do with 365 used rubbers? A.) Melt them down make a tire, and call it a Goodyear.
Q.) What does bungee jumping and hookers have in common?
A.) They both cost a hundred bucks and if the rubber breaks, you're screwed.

Bright boy and the 'Lover'

A housewife takes a lover during the day, while her
husband is at work. Unbeknownst to her, her 9 year
old son was hiding in the closet. Her husband came
home unexpectedly, so she hid her lover in the
closet.
The boy now has company.
Boy: "Dark in here."
Man: "Yes it is."
Boy: "I have a baseball."
Man: "That's nice."
Boy: "Want to buy it?"
Man: "No, thanks."
Boy: "My dad's outside."
Man: "OK, how much?"
Boy: "$250."
In the next few weeks, it happens again that the boy and the
mom's lover are in the closet together.
Boy: "Dark in here."
Man: "Yes, it is."
Boy: "I have a baseball glove."
Man: "How much?"
Boy: "$750."
Man: "Fine."
A few days later, the father says to the boy, "Grab your glove.
Let's go outside and toss the baseball."
The boy says, "I can't. I sold them."
The father asks, "How much did you sell them for?"
The son says, "$1,000."
The father says, "That's terrible to overcharge your friends like
that. That is way more than those two things cost. I'm
going to take you to church and make you confess."
They go to church and the father alerts the priest, and makes the
little boy sit in the confession booth and closes the door.
The boy says, "Dark in here."
The priest says, "Don't start that shit again"