Just how many Friday 13ths can a koala bear?

Maud up the Street pointed out to me that today is the second of three Friday 13ths this year.

She tells me that there was only one in 2008 and two in both 2007 and 2006.

Poor Maud thinks it's a conspiracy to upset her delicate superstition balance that three have turned up in the one year.

Next year sees the return to only one Friday 13th, but little does she realise that 2015 and 2026 will also have three of these (un)lucky days.

A few more common superstitions here.

Picture: Google Images

Is this bus travelling to the left or the right?

Can't make up your mind?

Look carefully at the picture again.

Still don't know?

Pre-schoolers all over Australia were shown this picture and asked the same question.

90% of the pre-schooler's gave this answer...


"The bus is travelling to the right."

The pre-schoolers were then asked, "Why do you think the bus is travelling to the right?"

They answered, "Because you can't see the door to get on the bus."


How do you feel now?

Source: Unknown

Are we rolling with the economic punches or just running scared?

While Federal Labor, Liberals and Nationals are all still arguing about what degree of gloominess is appropriate for discussing the Australian economy and the global financial crisis, it appears that average Australians may have made up their minds.

Although the Melbourne Institute announced that "The median expected inflation rate, reported in the Melbourne Institute Survey of Consumer Inflationary Expectations, fell to 2.3 per cent in February from 2.7 per cent in January", it also released news that the "The Westpac–Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment fell by 4.6% in February from 89.9 in January to 85.8 in February".

Seems no matter how much money the Rudd Government throws at the situation or how the Reserve Bank acts on interest rates, we're all determined to expect the worst for this year if not the next.

I suspect that many would feel a lot more cheerful if those with personal or corporate agendas didn't use a megaphone to label the current global financial crisis as the Great Recession, which is a self-fulfilling prophesy if ever I heard one.

Northern Rivers move to tackle climate change co-operatively

This month sixteen Northern Rivers organisations attempt to take the first steps in a regional response to climate change through the Northern Rivers Climate Change Collaboration (NR3C).

The aim of this group is to help create organisational and community leadership, mobilise resources to tackle this big regional issue, as well as accelerate innovation.

Draft Northern Rivers Climate Change Collaboration Agreement here.

One has to applaud an effort which will need real commitment to survive and grow, for it will often fly in the face of local business/land developer short-term interests (and in some cases local government indifference to implementing its goals on the ground).