Parade is talking about scam phone calls from overseas, which have become an unfortunate, almost accepted irritant associated with modern life – like internet cat videos or people who use the term “stakeholders”.

Parade had two phone calls on the one night this week from what sounded like the same call centre, so wants to warn Bathurstians to be wary.

On both occasions, there was a pause after Parade answered before the person on the other end of the line, who sounded as if he was speaking from an aircraft hangar filled with people on the phone all at the same time, identified himself.

He said he was ringing from a motor vehicle accident insurance claim body and asked if Parade had been in a car accident in the past two years.

Parade didn’t let the conversation get any further than that, but suspects that the eventual aim would be to get the phone answerer to reveal some bank account or credit card details so their insurance “claim” could be processed.

Parade hopes anyone who gets a similar call this week will exercise caution.

The fact these scam calls continue is an indication that some people must still be falling victim.

HAVE we reached peak eating laziness?

That was Parade’s thought this week when he read that new research shows that having vegetables washed for them is “one of the three most important factors for Australian shoppers”.

The press release that Parade read said the research data showed that “41 per cent of consumers consider it important to see on-pack claims that their fresh vegetables are washed and cleaned ready for use”.

Maybe Parade is missing something, but he doesn’t think it’s a particularly onerous task to peel a carrot or run some lettuce leaves under the tap in the kitchen.

What are people doing with the time they are saving on cleaning the vegetables they buy?