Sitting here in the office – without air-conditioning – waiting for “catastrophic temperatures’’ to materialise, got me thinking about this generation of humans.
Wherever you look someone is either warning us of impending doom or offering to hold our hand to get us through some calamity.
So it was no surprise that today’s inbox contained a media release from a local council offering us tips on how to protect ourselves from swooping birds during breeding season.
I mean, really, Camden Council, is this necessary, to tell grown up human beings that there are precautions they can take in the event of an aerial attack by a magpie or a butcher bird, pictured above in full flight.
“A swooping bird can give quite a fright, which is why Camden Council is taking the opportunity to remind residents to stay alert as breeding season commences,’’ says the media release, so there you go.
The truth is that such attacks rarely happen, and as far as I know after 40 years of news reporting nobody’s died from one.
Then there’s the so called extreme weather warnings – oh my God, we’re all going to die – especially from the TV networks, led by the ABC because it confirms their religion: climate warming/change/whatever.
I am not sure how they do it in other countries, but here in the land of chilled out cobbers, our authorities seem to have forgotten the wisdom of the old saying: “the boy who cried wolf’’.
Yes, of course they mean well, but it would be good if they could treat us like adults, and not toddlers.
Because if we are in fact all toddlers in disguise, well, what’s the point of expecting us to be any use when a real disaster strikes.
Or, God forbid, war with China.
The truth is most adults are a lot more resilient than we’re given credit for.
Even, dare I say, when a magpie swoops as we take a leisurely walk along beautiful Argyle Street, Camden.
There’s a lot more, but we’re only allowed to list our Top 5 things that annoy the hell out of us in 2025:
Number 1. Definitely the “catastrophic’’ weather forecasts on TV. Please stop it.
Number 2. AI. When it comes to efforts to get anyone on the internet to utilize artificial intelligence, it’s raining cats and dogs.
Number 3. Let me hold your hand: being treated like a toddler on so many levels.
Number 4. A personal “favourite’’, there’s more news about America these days than stuff about our own country.
Number 5. Protests. It’s an epidemic, frankly, and I am sick of seeing them in the news every Saturday and Sunday night. Give us a break.
There is more news about the USA because Trump is actually kicking goals and looking after America for their betterment and ending wars etc. For Australia it’s all the doom that Prime Minister Albo is bringing down on our country. Do I need to mention green energy raising the cost of electricity, environmental protection strangling mining, workplace laws strangling businesses I could go on. The U.S. is moving ahead while we are stuck with useless politicians from ALL sides kowtowing to the UN when not kowtowing to China.