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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Feb 13, 2015
February 13, 2015
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This is one of three Friday the 13ths this year (the others being in March and November).
Fear of 13 is triskaidekaphobia, but fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as frigga-triskaidekaphobia. Others might call the fear "stupid."
--Thirteen has always had a tainted history, but some believe Friday the 13th was spun from the Christian story about the last supper attended by 13 people: Christ and his 12 disciples. He was crucified the next day, a Friday --or so the story goes.
--Interestingly, 13 is considered good luck in Italy, home of the Roman Catholic church, which separated from the rest of Christianity due to conflicting political and theological disagreements. Friday also is considered sacred by both Norse traditions and Muslims, both which are considered enemies to Christianity.
--Many hotels and office buildings have no 13th floor and many hospitals have no room 13. And next time you're at the airport, see if you can find Gate 13. Not often.Valentines' cards:
It's a toss-up whether men or women receive the most Valentine's Day cards, but women definitely buy more of them.
A survey by card maker American Greetings finds 85 percent of the Valentine's Day cards purchased every year are purchased by women. By comparison, most men consider buying Valentine's Day cards an "ordeal."
And while women said they preferred sending and receiving the more traditional, hearts-and-flowers verse-type Valentine's Day cards, both men and women said they liked humorous cards.
Editor's note: This makes complete sense when you consider that the average's guy's idea of romance is dinner at a restaurant that doesn't have pictures of the food on the menu.PS: Feb 14 is the second-largest greeting card holiday after Christmas. About 163 million cards are exchanged (not counting those packaged valentines exchanged by schoolkids).
--You want gifts? About a third of us buy jewelry. Most popular gift --six in 10 buy chocolate (see below).
--Let's talk flowers. The two weeks preceeding Valentine's Day account for nearly 13 percent of florists' sales each year. It comes out to nearly $40 million for that three-week period, a spending increase over 300 percent more for flowers than we spent in the entire month of January. Then again, lots of vendors jack up prices by as much as 90 percent since they know people will pay on Valentine's Day. A dozen red roses will cost you anywhere from $50 to $90 in some parts of the country.What's the Buzz:
Fabric softener brand Snuggle will have the Snuggle Bear on the streets of Manhattan today (Fri, Feb 13) in a SnugMobile RV to attempt a Guinness World Record for most hugs by a puppet (five-thousand) in eight hours. Snuggle Bear will make stops in Times Square and Columbus Circle. (Kaye)
What's Poppin':
Tomorrow is the date for the annual Cupid's Undie Run in 38 cities across the US.
The run --which is done, as you might imagine, in your best underwear-- is usually around a mile-long jog to raise money for the The Children's Tumor Foundation. Last year's run raised over $2.8 Million in donations.
There are prizes as well for runners, who can participate as an individual or team. To register or find out which teams might be in your city, check their website.Fashion Emergency:
Warning --note content:
If all the "Fifty Shades of Grey" hype has you --ummm-- inspiredthis Valentine's Day, but you're not quite ready to go all out in the infamous "red room," InStyle says there are ways to add just a "hint of hardcore" to your wardrobe to get you in the mood for love... and other indoor sports.
--Brass handcuff bracelets by designer JENNIFER FISHER look like a regular set of bangles. But they're actually handcuffs with --ahem-- multiple uses.
--For a more subtle hint at your own "Shades of Grey," you can paint on one of O-P-I's six limited-edition nail polishes inspired by the movie.
--Almost any black leather clothing item.
--And of course, stiletto heels. (Bartha) -
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