What Caught My Eye Today - Friday the 13th Edition

Fred's Note: Did you know that there will be not one, not two, but three Fridays the 13th in 2009? In honor of the occasion, I've included some trivia on everything 13 at the end of today's posting.

Economy - Handing the new administration a big win, the House passed President Barack Obama's $787 billion plan to resuscitate the economy. I'm not sure I'd classify this as that big of a win. The bill was passed 246-183 with no Republican help. Not exactly what one would consider to be bipartisan support. All but seven Democrats voted for the bill — a 1,071 page, 8-inch-thick measure that combines $281 billion in tax cuts for individuals and businesses with more than a half-trillion dollars in government spending. The money would go for infrastructure, health care and help for cash-starved state governments, among scores of programs. Seniors would get a $250 bonus Social Security check. Republicans said the package won't work because it has too little in tax cuts and spreads too much money around to everyday projects like computer upgrades for federal agencies. Shocking to hear that the Republicans are critical of what the stimulus package lacks. Equally surprising, is how quickly Democrats are patting themselves on the back. Democrats lavished praise on the measure, which combines tax cuts for workers and businesses with more than a half-trillion dollars in government spending aimed at boosting economic demand. Reactions like these are why a significant number of the population has no confidence in Congress. They care more about grandstanding and pushing their own agendas rather than working together to fix the problems that we face everyday.

India - This one cracks me up. The High Court in New Delhi is so behind in its work that it could take up to 466 years to clear the enormous backlog, the court's chief justice said in a damning report that illustrates the decrepitude of India's judicial system. Mind you, that the backlog isn't due to the High Court dragging its feet. The Delhi High Court races through each case in an average of four minutes and 55 seconds but still has tens of thousands of cases pending, including upward of 600 that are more than 20 years old. That is some seriously efficient disbursement of justice. What I want to know is how the court manages to keep the lawyers from droning on and on like they do in America. The United Nations Development Program says some 20 million legal cases are pending in India. One reason for the delays is that there aren't enough sitting judges. India — a country of 1.1 billion people — has approximately 11 judges for every million people compared with roughly 110 per million in the United States. The numbers just blow your mind, don't they?

Valentine's Day - Is it just me or does it appear that the Catholic Church is working overtime to make it into the news? Britain's Roman Catholic Church is advising lovelorn singles to direct their February 14 requests for love to St Raphael, rather than St Valentine. Over the years St Valentine has come incorrectly to be associated with finding love, the Church says. He is the patron saint for those who have already found their soulmate. St Raphael is the patron saint for happy encounters and it is to him those searching for love should properly direct their prayers. What if you are already married but in search of a happy encounter? Who do you pray to then? A spokeswoman for the Catholic Enquiry Office, the official body providing information on Catholic life, said those hoping for divine intervention to help their love lives may well appreciate the correction in target for their prayers. Oh yeah, praying to the wrong saint is the reason so many of us haven't found Mister or Miss Right. Sure.

Friday the 13th - These fascinated facts come from some dude at the University of Delaware, who clearly needs to find more productive ways to spend his time.

• Three Fridays the 13th in a single year occur only every 11 years.
• The British Navy built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th, and was never heard from again.
• The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on Apr. 11, 1970. The sum of the date's digits (4-11-70) is 13 (as in 4+1+1+7+0 = 13).
• Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor.
• Fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.
• Quarterback Dan Marino wore No. 13 throughout his career with the Miami Dolphins. Despite being a superb quarterback (some call him one of the best ever), he got to the Super Bowl just once, in 1985, and lost.
• Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.
• Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal.
• Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.
• Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12."
• The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number - 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.
• The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle's head, 13 war arrows in the eagle's claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch. So far there's been no evidence tying these long-ago design decisions to the present economic situation.