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Re the last call in comment re 8844 being inauspicious, with due respect to the context (the passing of her father), on the street in Beijing, at least back in the 80's and 90's when I lived there, "Fa Si" (homophone of "Ba Si, 84) meant to get filthy rich - literally to "get rich to death". Adding "si", death, to the end of an adjective kicks it up several levels, e.g. lei-si, tired-to-death. Furthermore, doubling-up on component words is also a way to add emphasis ("gao gao xing xing de" ... very happily). So 8844 could be interpreted lucky in the extreme. So hopefully the caller make take some solice that the cell number did not influence her father's passing in a negative way..

Brett (#16), according to Wikipedia there are currently 8 planets, now that Pluto has been recategorized... I now look forward to doing something special at 8 am and 8 pm tomorrow 8/8/08!

my sister had twin that weighed 7.7 each on 4/4/88. I still haven't figured out what to make of all of that!!

The number seven holds significance for many reasons in Western culture, most significantly in Jewish and Christian religious contexts. See the ubiquitous (and, in this instance, accurate) Wikipedia for a fairly complete listing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_(number)#In_religion

Seven represents the days of the week, the planets in our solar system.

Romance and politics are two separate things. They can't be mixed. Love is romantic. Politics deals with opression, human rights activity, you have to take the good with the bad. I like the Chinese culture and take the good with the bad.

last year on 7/7/07 I bought 7 "Lucky 7" scratch off lottery tickets and won exactly $7, which I found incredibly entertaining. I'll be buying 8 "Crazy 8's" (or whatever) tomorrow, and don't want to win a dollar more or less than $8.

O you're heralding those "old tyme" conservative values, the Chinese don't allow gay marriage, is their political oppression still that rosy for you?

There are 7 levels of Heaven in Judaism, that is why the bride circles the groom 7 times in the wedding ceremony.

It's weird though that they would be making a big deal about such a combination of 8's according to a foreign calendar system.

As most all New Yorkers already know, this "superstition" explains how Sunset Park's Chinatown came to be centered on 8th Avenue

I'm Chinese-American, but pretty traditional. If I purchase something in a store that ends in 44, then I'll add an item. I live in an Apt. 8A -- sounds like 88.

88 E. Broadway is where the Chinatown buses pick up and drop off passengers!

If only my boyfriend would read this and listen and get a clue about romance!

Anyone getting married tomorrow for the 08/08/08 good luck?

don't forget that 8/8 is also father's day: "ba ba" is like papa or father

Don't forget to wear red, candlelight and romantic classical music.

I always wanted to ask Jennifer 8. Lee this question:

Why do you put a period after the 8 in your byline? Shouldn't it be an integer, without a decimal? It's not an abbreviation for anything.

Why don't you leave the decimal out, like Harry S Truman?

The number 8 (pronounced ba) rhymes with prosperity (pronounced fa) so the number 8 is associated with prosperity. Therefore, I am going to eat dumplings (little packages, assumed $$) and noodles (longevity) so I can prosper with little packages into eternity!! Dinner at 8:00 sounds about right!!

I think Chinese culture is awesome. It is beautiful and romantic that brides wear red to symbolize love when they get married. They believe that times is timeless, enduring and sacred...

I heard many Chinese couples are getting married at 8pm to be 08/08/08 at 8pm. That is romantic.