09/09/09: What does it mean?  From NBC's Domenico Montanaro We
all know 7-7-7 is "lucky" in American gambling folklore. We
learned last year that 8 is lucky in China (on 08/08/08). Well,
for those wondering about today's date -- 09-09-09 -- there's a
lighthearted piece in the L.A. Times on the numerology of
today's date -- and even what it means for President Obama's
speech tonight.  It's all pretty out there, but fun anyway.
"Historically, the number 9 was the good luck charm of the
Emperor of China, whose robes had nine dragons. The reason: the
number 9 sounds like the word long-lasting."  Because of that,
there were thousands of marriages in China and Southeast Asia
today. Even Vegas capitalized:  "[T]he Stratosphere was offering
quickie weddings, hoping to marry off 99 couples at 9:09 p.m.
for a fee of $99.09 each."  But for Obama:  Jerome Carter, an
international numerologist and spiritual adviser who says he has
predicted 18 of the last 19 World Series winners, argues that
despite the magic of the date