October 10. Day 284. You'd have to be quackers

Feeling a bit deflated this morning? You are not the only one. The giant duck on the Brisbane River between Toowong and West End to promote Sunday's Great Brisbane Duck Race looked like it was just a bit down in the mouth today.
To me the duck race, which raises funds for cancer research, is another example of how you now need to be just a bit quackers to compete for the charity dollar.
There was a time when charities raffled houses, cars, chooks or meat trays to raise funds.
More and more now you need a gimmick to get the charity buck and the most successful ones rely on people doing a lot more than putting their hands in their wallets.
Dry July, Ocsober, Choptover or Movemeber. Wear pink for breast cancer research. Wear a red nose for SIDS charities. Wear purple for epilepsy, wear a white shirt to raise funds for ovarian cancer research.
The most successful campagins work a bit like a modern Tupperware party - it's harder to say no when you are asked to do it to support a friend.
Social media has made it so much easier to hit up your friends and ask them to donate to support you in your fundraising endeavours. charity doesn't begin at home, it begins on your Facebook page.
And the charities reap the benefits for you going off the grog or growing a moustache or sideburns or wearing an unflattering colour.
Easy right? Well it looks smooth on top but like a duck there's a lot of frantic paddling beneath the surface.