Seriously, does this kitty look like bad luck? (Photo by Adhi Rachdian) Today is Friday the 13th, which is supposed to be an unlucky day. Why this is, no one is exactly sure. There are plenty of theories, ranging from the numerological to the religious to the historical, but nothing concrete. For some folks, it's just another day, but for others, it's something to be taken seriously while being reminded of our phobias. With that in mind, we polled some of our fellow Yahoo!s to find out what they were afraid of, and what they do to ward off bad luck. In fact, there turned out to be so many fears and cures that we had to break it all up into three parts. Not surprisingly, some of our colleagues suffer from coulrophobia, or an unnatural fear of clowns: Sarah: I'm afraid of clowns and roller coasters, which is interesting, considering I worked at an amusement park for two years in college. Mike: People with a lot of makeup on make me ill -- literally. Like, I can't eat around clowns and stuff. I'll totally hurl. (Editor's note: That might inspire emetophobia in some other folks.) Mahlon suffers from xyrophobia: Razor blades, especially straight razors or double-sided razors, creep me out! Whenever I see them, I feel especially vulnerable around the throat and inner arms. Eek! And gum chewing -- not a phobia exactly, but I will cross the street or leave the room to avoid seeing or hearing it. Adam has acrophobia: Heights. Even driving over on-ramps or off-ramps that are way off the ground freaks me out. Majorly high bridges, zip lines, and other activities that put your body more than a dozen feet off the ground freak me out, too. Robert: I'm afraid of mirrors in dark rooms and doors that are open to dark hallways. I don’t know what might come through them. Helene: I can't stand alignments, like military parades. ("Don’t put that one in," she says. "People will think I’m crazy.") Personally, I have a fear of things that are too big. Not big objects, but things that are larger than they're supposed to be. The first (and only) time I saw Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" airplane, I nearly had a panic attack, because the thing was just too damn big. Coming up Monday: Media-inspired phobias. Watch out for those black cats this weekend! Suggested Sites... Snopes: Friday the 13th - myths and legends about the date. Wikipedia: Friday the 13th - an historic overview. How Friday the 13th Works - doesn't it just roll around? Wikipedia: Luck - what it is, and how to get it. Skeptic's Dictionary: Paraskevidekatriaphobia - a rational view of the fear.

Directory categories: Friday the 13th, Superstitions, Phobias, Friday the 13th Movie Series

Archived under: Curses, Friday the 13th, Holidays, Numbers, Phobias, Psychology, Society and Culture, Superstition

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Spc. Jesse A. Murphree greets his comrades returning from deployment in Afghanistan (Photo by The U.S. Army) War, with all of its accompanying horrors and destruction, doesn't seem to be on the decline. It is a huge part of our past and future, and is a shaping force in human culture. Regardless of how one feels about war, or politics, or military policy, I would hazard a guess that most people support, in one way or another, the troops who ship off and fight. It follows that we should set aside politics in our commitment to these soldiers after they've completed their service. As much as ever, veterans need community support. They face PTSD, homelessness, high suicide rates, unemployment, and general difficulties transitioning back into civilian life. Fortunately, many communities and national organizations are stepping up. In Michigan, jobless veterans can participate in a new training program designed to prepare them for farm jobs. Across the country, many restaurants will be offering veterans free meals on Veterans Day. At the national level, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki recently announced that he hopes to end veterans' homelessness within five years. The VA has also recently begun a program to address mental and emotional issues early on in a service member's military career. Private organizations are playing a part as well. Puppies Behind Bars, where prison inmates train service dogs, has started training many of their dogs with the special needs of veterans in mind. The recent tragedy at Fort Hood illustrates the desperate need for mental health services in the military. This surely includes indentifying and fixing those parts of the system that are failing service members, but each of us can increase our awareness and sensitivity to the needs of these people in our communities... because if you don’t already know a veteran, you probably will. Suggested Sites... U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Mental Health - resources for veterans and their families, connecting people to the services they need. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans - providing advocacy for homeless veterans and support for service providers. Transition Assistance Online - lists employment opportunities for separating military service members and veterans. Take A Veteran To School Day - a national teach-in on veterans history. U.S. Department of Defense Community Relations - connecting the troops and the community.

Directory categories: Veterans Day, Veterans, Veterans Organizations, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Employment Resources for Veterans

Archived under: American History, Government, Holidays, Mental Health, Military, Society and Culture, Veterans, Veterans Day, War

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Ross in his prime. You wouldn't think a guy with hair like that would be such a cultural icon. In the 1920s, only one American city was the center of art and commerce: New York. And in that city, only one magazine kept track of it all: "The New Yorker." And in that magazine, only one person mattered: founder and editor Harold Ross. Ross was born November 6, 1892, in Aspen, Colorado, and soon developed printer's ink in his blood. By 13, he had dropped out of school to work at the Denver Post, and by 25 he had worked for six other newspapers, from San Francisco to Atlanta. During World War I, Ross' talents got him a job in Paris, editing the Army newspaper, "Stars and Stripes." His fellow staff members included drama critic Alexander Woollcott and New York columnist Franklin P. Adams -- both of whom would go on to play roles in Ross' plans. After the war, he settled in Manhattan, where he worked on those plans -- to create a weekly magazine that would analyze, comment on, and play a role in the cultural life of the city. It would not, Ross insisted, be a magazine for "the old lady in Dubuque." It would be sophisticated and urbane -- but not snobby. It had standards, but if a reader was witty or informed enough, he or she would be a member of the club. In the depths of the winter of 1925, the first issue of "The New Yorker" rolled off the presses. Despite some glitches, such as a joke ("Pop: A man who thinks he can make it in par. Johnny: What's an optimist, Pop?") that ran with the set-up and punchline reversed -- a error reprinted in every anniversary issue for years -- the magazine was an instant hit. In the decades since, it has come to be considered the gold standard of American magazines. That respect is due almost entirely to Ross. He personally edited virtually every word that appeared in every issue until his death in 1951, and, despite his own poor spelling, his meticulousness for precise grammar, clarity, and good writing attracted such notables as Vladimir Nabokov, John Updike, Ernest Hemingway, John Hersey, Ann Beattie, John Cheever, Roald Dahl, Alice Munro, John O'Hara, Philip Roth, J.D. Salinger, Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, Irwin Shaw, Woody Allen, James Thurber, E.B. White (whose own prose style was crucial in setting the magazine’s voice and tone), and even Marlon Brando. But the literary aspect of "The New Yorker" was only part of the package. Each issue was filled with cartoons by artists like Charles Addams, Peter Arno, George Booth, Roz Chast, George Price, Saul Steinberg, William Steig, and Thurber again. So good were (and are) the cartoons, that many readers never get past them and are still satisfied they got their money’s worth. Despite Woollcott describing him as looking like "a dishonest Abe Lincoln," Ross' contributions to the culture of Manhattan and America are impossible to calculate. His sensibilities shaped the ways plays were written, movies received, and books were published, and it's almost impossible to imagine American -- and world -- culture without him. Suggested Sites... Wikipedia: Harold Ross - overview of Ross' life and career. The New Yorker - bringing the world to New York -- and vice versa -- since 1925. The New Yorker Cartoon Bank - pretty near every cartoon ever seen in the magazine, yours for the asking. Harold Wallace Ross - biography of The New Yorker's founder. Harold Ross: The History - the BBC takes a look at Ross and his magazine.

Directory categories: Harold Ross, The New Yorker, E.B. White, Magazines, Manhattan

Archived under: 1920s, Authors, Biographies, Birthdays, Cartoons, Journalism, Literature, Magazines, Media, New York, Society and Culture, The New Yorker

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This might be satisfying, but it wouldn't exactly be polite. Violators beware! (Photo by Mark Wallace) Once upon a time, the term "etiquette" referred to knowing which fork one used at the dinner table (the one on the outside), or which side of the sidewalk a gentleman should walk on when escorting a young lady (the side closest to the curb). Lately, etiquette's become something of a dirty word, though. At best, it evokes a nostalgic sentiment for the "good old days;" at worst, a general disdain for a kind of archaic protocol that seems to have no place in the modern world. And while it's true that, nowadays, few people outside of historical reenactment societies need to know the proper way to leave a calling card, the art of civility and good manners is not yet obsolete. Consider the Internet troll who launches a flame war on your comments page. What's the proper way to tell them to mind their own beeswax without making yourself look like a fool? Then there's the sticky situation of how to politely deny your diabetic relative's request for marijuana. Not to mention the ever-important question of how to convey to the woman you've just walked into your apartment building after a date that you're not a rapist. No, this isn't Amy Vanderbilt's or Emily Post's brand of etiquette (even though Miss Vanderbilt’s “Book of Etiquette” was published on this date in 1952). But even in a post-Lewinsky world, it seems we still have some need for decorum (as so aptly demonstrated by the formal rebuke of Republican Representative Joe Wilson after his "You lie!" remark during President Obama's address to the Congress on health care). So turn off your cell phone when attending the theater, don't text while at the movies (we can still see the glow of the screen even if the ringer’s off), turn your radio down at the drive-thru, and send your thank you cards via e-mail  -- just make sure to claim it's in the name of saving the environment, and not because you're too lazy to buy a card, write a message, find a stamp, lick the envelope, and send it. Suggested Sites... Emily Post’s Etiquette Daily - http://www.etiquettedaily.com/ The Urban Etiquette Handbook - the answers to all your modern conundrums -- like who walks the bride down the aisle when there are two of them. Dear Prudence - Slate's advice column on manners and morals. The Core Rules of Netiquette - how to deal with forwards, flaming, and the dreaded caps lock key. Modern Manners Guy - podcast about modern manners issues.

Directory categories: Etiquette, Netiquette, Cell Phone Etiquette, Emily Post, Wedding Etiquette

Archived under: 1950s, Anniversaries, Authors, Books, Eating, Etiquette, Society and Culture, Telephones, Writers, dating

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.They say this is a monkey, but it looks like a poodle to us. (Photo by rick) In the days before the Internet, if you wanted to learn how to do something, you had to actually go out and seek the tutelage of an expert. If, for example, you wanted to learn how to make balloon animals, there were two options: trial and error (which would likely leave you with a pile of popped poodles) or expert instruction. Good luck getting a clown to give up his trade secrets, though. But nowadays, thanks to online videos, just about anybody can learn how to sculpt a dog or a flower. If you happen to already be versed in the art of balloon modeling, then today is the day for you to make your annual contribution to society. "Balloons Around the World" is a global event where twisters can volunteer their services, either for free or to raise funds for charity. And the rest of us? We can support our local artists at various events. Balloon artists are certainly not relegated to inflating their creations on demand at schools and parties, however. They've touched the world of fashion and set Guinness records. Above all, twisters provide much-needed smiles and laughs to people of all ages around the world. Suggested Sites... Balloons Around the World - official site, with global events calendar. Balloon HQ - professional resources for twisters, plus balloon facts and fun. Twist & Shout Convention - all the best balloon manipulators, all in one place. Basics of Balloon Animals - instructions from About.com, with various techniques and step-by-step guides to making specific sculptures. The Balloon Animals Blog - videos about making balloon figures, including an Oscar statuette.

Directory categories: Inflatable Sculpture, Balloon Artists, Clowning, Volunteerism, Philanthropy

Archived under: Arts, Balloons, Charity, Children, Circus Arts, Clowns, Crafts, DIY, Entertainment, Hobbies, How-To, Philanthropy, Society and Culture

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