Quote of the moment

Kendall R. Phillips, a professor in the department of communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University, said that early vaudeville sketches like "Superstitious Joe," from 1913, were full of humorous references to the date. Fixating on Friday the 13th is "really our way of pretending we can control or predict a universe that is uncontrollable and unpredictable," Dr. Phillips said. "So if you think about it, all the things we think are omens of bad luck — Friday the 13th, walking under a ladder, a black cat crossing your path — all those just become ways for us to try to make sense of the reality that is — stuff just happens."

--Sopan Deb

NYT