Apologies for not posting anything about Vokhtah today but here in Australia it’s Friday the 13th already and I just couldn’t pretend that it was an ordinary Friday.
Please understand, I am not superstitious. I don’t throw salt over my should at the mere sight of a black cat – how could I when I live with two of them? And I’m quite happy to walk under ladders. I haven’t broken any mirrors lately but I’m pretty sure that even when I did the result was not 7 years of bad luck.
Nonetheless…
There’s just something about Friday the 13th that makes even cynics such as myself think twice about going ‘outside’. And that is really strange because this superstition is relatively new. According to Wiki, Friday the 13th has only been a bad day since the 1900’s. No-one is even sure why it’s meant to be a bad day.
Fridays have been considered unlucky for centuries and the number 13 also has a history of bad luck, at least according to numerology. Perhaps some bright spark just put the two together and the idea caught on.
But is there any factual truth to it?
The following is a quote, again from Wiki :
‘The Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics (CVS) on June 12, 2008, stated that “fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays, because people are preventatively more careful or just stay home. Statistically speaking, driving is slightly safer on Friday the 13th, at least in the Netherlands; in the last two years, Dutch insurers received reports of an average 7,800 traffic accidents each Friday; but the average figure when the 13th fell on a Friday was just 7,500.”[17][18]’
Well, if the Dutch had 300 fewer road accidents on Friday the 13th then that must mean it’s safe to go shopping. It is raining though so perhaps I’ll keep researching for a while. In the interests of science of course.
Hmm.. Maybe I should have quit while I was ahead. I’ve just found something here that worries me. Have a look at the chart below :
This chart is taken from a real research article that looked at road accidents statistics between 1989 – 2002.
The researchers concluded that women did not have more accidents on Friday the 13th. However take a look at the results for males. Even without my reading glasses I can see a definite spike centred over Friday the 13th.
They say you can prove anything with statistics and it seems that ‘they’ were correct. Still, I am a woman so I should be safe either way… right?
p.s. If you’re a guy and you’re reading this TAKE CARE! Just in case. You know…
August 2nd, 2012 at 4:44 pm
I’m not at all superstitious about Friday the 13th. I got married on a Friday the 13th! 14 years and counting…
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August 2nd, 2012 at 5:18 pm
lmao – go you!
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July 16th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
HAPPY TO TELL YOU- Nominated for ‘One Lovely Blog Award’ at barsetshirediaries.wordpress.com ‘Awards In’. You deserve it.
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July 16th, 2012 at 3:47 pm
-giggles- Thank you! I think :p
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July 14th, 2012 at 11:26 am
I so wanted to stay in today, but I had to go out. Driving around here is always dodgy, especially so on Fridays, and thrice so on paydays.
Instead, while I was out, the neighborhood blew a transformer and the electricity was off for a bit. So, er— Happy Friday the Thirteenth!
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July 14th, 2012 at 7:08 pm
Ouch – perhaps it was just as well you were out! I hope you were somewhere air-conditioned.
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July 15th, 2012 at 9:46 am
Well, the good news is that I now know this house is well-insulated because it stayed pretty darn cool for the two + hours when everything was off. Nice, right?
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July 16th, 2012 at 3:53 pm
Given how hot it’s been over there that’s very nice indeed.
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July 17th, 2012 at 8:31 am
I was pleasantly surprised! How are you today?
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July 17th, 2012 at 9:56 am
We had another visitation by the neighbourhood feral cat at about 5am so I’m a bit sleep deprived but the sun’s shining for a change so I’m feeling quite chirpy 😀
Still no cool change over there?
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July 13th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
haha, at least here we don’t have a holden… but today was the hubby driving, and it was wet…
Even though I never had a problem with Fri 13th I has less reason to now. My eldest was born 5 weeks early on a Fri 13th.
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July 13th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
It must have been scary to have him born prem like that but the fact it all turned out well is a point in Friday 13th’s favour. 😀
Oh and I’m glad the hubby got you home safe and sound too!
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July 15th, 2012 at 9:56 am
Tell me about it – I was not prepared in any way for the birth. But yes, all is well. Sorry I was late replying, got a head cold.
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July 16th, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Hope you’re feeling more human now. 🙂
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July 16th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
thankfully, yes I am. Cheers 🙂
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July 13th, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Friday 13th and what happens? People stay at home to be safe and start blogging instead, the result of which is I wake up to mail of 107.!!!!!! I start to clear it and when I get down to 43 I accidentally press check mail and whoomf…up it shoots to 74 and that’s in less than two hours. It’s not even 7.30 am yet. Let me urge you to be brave, get out there on the streets and show the world that it’s as safe as any other day….at least it’s safer than staying in on the computer will be if I get my hands on you all !
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July 13th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
-giggles- Oh dear, did I jinx you there a bit Daud?
Oddly enough I’ve found my views are up as well! Maybe we should be encouraging this?
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July 13th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
LOL… I was thinking about blogging about the 13th too!
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July 13th, 2012 at 2:43 pm
Are you guys there yet? My time sense is about as good as my sense of direction; real zero.
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July 13th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
I think you should even get take-away delivered for dinner, just to be sure of your safety. Not because of laziness or anything, oh no….
Anything in those stats about Holden driving men being more dangerous than most? 😉
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July 13th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Oddly enough I could find any relevant stats from Australia but my guess would be that a lot would depend on whether they stopped off at the pub on the way home or not. :p
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July 13th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
True, if Jim Beam is driving the Commodore an accident is a sure thing!
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July 13th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
He gets around doesn’t he? Jim I mean 😀
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July 13th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Always seems to turn up where there is trouble!
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July 13th, 2012 at 8:49 pm
Indeed. 😉
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