[Couldabeen]

Not to burst too many peoples bubbles, but if you have a room with 100 men in it, 50 of them will be below the average, and 50 will be above the average and it is probable that not one of them is the actual “average”.
Now a days, I’m probably below average, but that is partly age, partly the additional fat around my midriff and pelvic area, and lack of demand for supply.
An assessment that I saw that is probably accurate was one done by a condom manufacturer as they have “skin in the game” for customer satisfaction. Australia was right in the middle across the men of the planet. Who does the measuring also plays a significant part in accuracy.
My John Thomas was the perfect size in the opinions of my partners and excellent in one respect in that when we wanted a conception, the goods were placed where needed and the recipient was well pleased in all respects.
If the organ is found to be lacking who’s call is it? But sometimes a cathedral takes some filling and it may really be the music that is expected of it. A good musician can produce the sweetest tunes when they know what the audience wants.
The best judge always rests with the partner and what do they expect and what do they receive? If they are happy, you are probably the perfect size.

[Couldabeen]

John, as I understand the article, the technology recognises the human but then dismisses that image as not relevant and records nothing of the who or what they are. The software is only interested in how many products there are on the shelf and whether a restock is appropriate.
Will it reconcile against what is going through the check-outs? Comparing which products go through the self serve versus the cashier operated check-out?
At the end of the day, I’m sure that Woolworths will be evaluating in real time as to whether the number of stock that has been replenished reconciles with how many went through the check-out.
Your friend need have no concerns about invasion of privacy. In at least one reasonable sized business in a large inland city in Queensland, the policy is that if the person walking out the door without paying for an item worth less than $500, do not challenge them beyond a single call out. It’s not worth the tension and potential aggravation if the person responds aggressively.
Over 40 years ago a supermarket in that city installed a CCTV monitoring system in their stock control room. An areas only accessed by staff. In the first year after installation and monitoring, stock “shrinkage” decreased by around $50,000 worth.
With Woolworths, I can see this as a step to reducing actual staff levels within the store as fewer are needed to walk the aisles to ensure product is present and presented well.

[Couldabeen]

The Australian media is essentially anti-Trump and have been from when he first raised his hand to stand for President of the United States. They will continue their bile against the man even if all of the charges are dismissed and he is found not guilty. Which is highly likely.
Apartment from the entertainment value as the reporters work themselves into a lather of sweat in their bid to denigrate the man, it is best to simply press the mute button on the remote and go on with your own life.
He did a lot of good for the US while President with highest rates of employment for African Americans with wage increases across the board as industries returned to the US and energy prices decreased. The apparent division of society and social unrest were 100% driven by his political opponents and much continues today.

[Couldabeen]

Yes, Jan, you do speak for many Australians with your sentiment regarding Australia being Constitutionally aligned to the British monarchy. However, there is a greater many who do not agree with you and thanks to our Constitution, we are all free to hold differing views and be able to express them in public without fear of censure.
Whilst King Charles can not personally intercede in the running of our Parliaments, there is an agent appointed to act on the behalf of the Monarch. Their powers are limited under the Constitution but they can intercede in some specific instances (including as has happened within the past 50 years, to dismiss a Government if their Bill of Supply fails to pass the Senate three times. This was a fortunate (and automatic) intervention that rid the country of an incompetent and corrupt Government at the time) and refuse the Royal Seal of Approval on Legislation if it would appear that that Legislation was not in the best interests of Australians as a whole.
A stable and secure community needs a common point or value under which all are equal. Under or Constitutional Monarchy, we have that in our Monarch. Our Monarch must at all times remain apolitical and over arch all the differences that are present in a diverse cosmopolitan nation.
King Charles III is a man of many talents and has lived an interesting life and brings knowledge beyond what many of us possess and has been coached by his mother in the ways of diplomacy that from what we have seen to date, he is bringing forth.
Will he be a strong cohesive figure for the future of Australia or bring about division across our nation? There are certain political forces which will encourage the latter, but let’s see how the public react when he visits with his Queen beside him.

[Couldabeen]

Jan, to reassure you, you are in no danger from your benchtops while they sit there as complete and intact benchtops. It is the dust generated when they are being cut, machined or polished that makes them potentially dangerous. And only when that dust is inhaled.
As you mentioned it, asbestos was a very useful material and of no danger when left alone. Greater dangers arose with the hysterical response to remove it from fixtures. It was those who were mining and handling the raw fibres that had the health issues and the handling of their work clothes. Having asbestos paneling in our homes posed no risk to the occupants unless they started to drill or saw it.
The same applies to this engineered stone.

[Couldabeen]

As parents we can be appalled at what our littleies find funny and send them into fits of giggles. Completely forgetting that we were once like that and liked what amount to being crude jokes about basic body functions.
And there are many who are completely naive at the double ententes that are littered through much of the story telling.
Overthinking these stories often brings inappropriate attention to what amounts to being fluff in the world of the children.
Authors wrote for a time and place in society and found a niche that was comfortable for their audience. If you’re not part of the audience that it was intended for, get out and leave it alone. Or write your own stories from scratch and see if that gains acceptance and appreciation among the target group.

[Couldabeen]

These are scientists seeking relevance for their research. I have seen the headlines where a declining birth rate is portrayed as indicating a decline in fertility. This ignores the fact that now both partners have greater control on exactly how many children they will have and when in their life stage.
There are reputedly many millions of sperm in every ejaculation and yet it appears that less than a hundred actually get involved in the fertilization of the egg. Any more than this could be regarded as wasted energy from the male.
It won’t necessarily be the number of the sperm involved as much as their quality and motility that completes the task, whether it is accelerated by or impeded by the male consuming caffeine may have little to no significance in the outcome.

[Couldabeen]

What was the intent of this MP using a carriage service to share photos of the female MP? Was it to admire her physical beauty or to cast an outdated puritanical shaming judgement on her?
Was it done with her prior knowledge?
The NSW Government is in election mode and enemies of the respective Parties will stoop to the lowest and most hypocritical levels to denigrate the character of all on the other side.
There will be personal as well as political scores trying to be settled in this fight.
By and large almost everyone has something in their “closet” that they would prefer out of view to all except particular close friends. That anyone would attempt to use reports of such behaviour to cast doubts on the character of that person over 30 years later speaks more ill of that person than the “victim”.
Who ever dug up this event of distribution deserves censure as much as the MP. What were they seeking to gain by doing so?
Also the fact that the media have turned it into a talking point and given it exposure is shameful.
Again as in too many elections, the best man or woman may not be the winner.

[Couldabeen]

Anybody who takes any serious notice of this letter cannot be the brightest bulb in the chandelier.
Poor grammar and spelling that is more in keeping with someone who hasn’t completed Primary School or for whom English is not their first language.
Certainly not at a standard that we would normally expect from any commercial company or Government organisation.
Certainly if one received this very amateurish attempt at a scam, forwarding it directly to Scamwatch would be your first reaction.

[Couldabeen]

As ronloby says, No. Everyone who has come to Australia to live has come because it offers more than their previous country of residence. They must be prepared to take Australia, regardless of which State they have chosen to live in, as it is at it’s core. What it is at it’s core is what has made Australia a country desirous of moving to. It is up to them to adapt to the prevailing social construct than try to change to what they have left behind. Privately they may do what they like (within our existing Laws, that give equality to all), but it is inappropriate to attempt to have a minority enforce a change on the majority.
As it is, many businesses suffer economically having to pay staff for multiple non-productive days. In essence paying for two extra weeks of annual leave above the award four weeks.
Life’s easy when you don’t have to pay the bills.

[Couldabeen]

However, in real terms, Elon Musk has not lost a cent. He has not sold any of his shares. It is very probable that the shares will recover their market price within a year or two.
When the market value of your shares varies, it makes no difference to your value unless you sell the shares.
Musk remains very wealthy on our average metric. He will feel no pain.

[Couldabeen]

However as the actual global population has not decreased the falling sperm counts would not be a problem. In the western countries with falling birth rates, this has been thanks to discretionary control over the female fertility.
With a nominal count of several million sperm per ejaculation, a drop to only a few million won’t be noticed my many people. Least of all the egg meeting a few and only accepting the offer from one of them.

[Couldabeen]

The headline says “affair”, an “affair” doesn’t always mean that anyone is “cheating” on anyone else. More that someone is engaged in a relationship that may not be seen as with their regular partner or as potentially long term.
The esteem aspect would depend on who initiated it. Who seduced who. At some point in everyones life, they can get quite a boost in their self esteem if they find that some one sees them as attractive and desirable enough to want to spend time with them. Whether they accept this seduction or not is up to them. Of course if the seductee declines the seduction in an undiplomatic manner, it can be devastating to the esteem of the seducer. If done well, the decline can add to both peoples self esteem.
If a person just wants no strings attached sex, there are options beyond the rigmarole of traditional seduction. And this can be done by both genders looking for sexual satisfaction whereas the “affair”, as I see it, often goes beyond just the physical.
Above all though, if a person chooses to go behind their recognised partner’s back and engage in intimate engagement with some one else that they know that their partner would not approve of, yes, there is a probability that some one will end up with guilt concerns.

[Couldabeen]

The Queensland State Government has been boasting about how many $millions worth of Fines have been issued since they went live with the combined Speed, Seat Belt and Mobile Phone detection cameras.
What has been missing from this excitement is how many of the Fines have actually been paid.
What is also missing from this “safety” initiative is an actual decline in the number of serious crashes causing deaths.
The latest card that they’ve pulled out of the bushes is the “Point to Point” cameras.
Driver behaviour hasn’t changed all that much. When approaching any of the known fixed cameras, the majority of drivers slow, sometimes to as much as 10kmh below the limit, thus creating a dangerous situation, and then resume normal life once past the camera.
The fact that many well known fixed Speed/Red light cameras are still flashing day and night after more than 2 years of operation suggests that many people just do not care and will never pay the Fines and never abide by any License suspension from the accumulation of Demerit Points.
The crash in south western Sydney that killed 5 teenagers where the driver was a multiple offender driving on a suspended License demonstrates that really only the already “safe” drivers will behave and observe the published Road Rules.
A large amount of cynicism has grown around the Speed Camera detected Fines and really it appears that the only method of improving safe driving behaviour is the actual presence of the Police on the roads.

[Couldabeen]

The Gratten Institute appears to be a far left organisation by the tone of their recommendations and this is one.
I can agree that it would be nice to only have contemporary generation vehicles servicing the inner cities but as time goes, there are less and less of them anyway.
In real terms, the intercity long distance trucks pose no danger to the health of the community or the country as much of their travel can be kilometres away from habitation. All operators of these trucks like the idea of efficient clean vehicles as it indicates lower running costs.
At this point there are no zero emissions heavy duty prime movers available on the market and where these will be available even by 2040 cannot be certain.
The claims of deaths caused by these vehicles specifically are nebulous guesses made using lots of guesses on the effects of air pollution. Guesses and estimates are not science.
I’d be looking at where the funding for the Gratten Institute comes from. Sounds agenda driven to me.

[Couldabeen]

Yes indeed. As November rolled along it was time for cracker night (Well, the official title was Guy Fawkes Night) and every country town had a bonfire with sky rockets and crackers of all sizes.
There very few pyrotechnicians to give the flash co-ordinated displays that the big cities got so a few fathers were delegated to light the blue tapers and step back.
Of course many families also had their own cracker nights as well as the town one.

[Couldabeen]

As Karen says, Ms Manivel is guilty of theft. She will be required to pay the entire amount back along with legal costs. Plus a quite significant Fine in due course. The fact that she may be unable to do so will be something for her to think about while in prison.
Shed no tears for her as she has been very stupid and would’ve been aware of her mistake the moment she started to disburse the stolen currency.

[Couldabeen]

Every day teams of workers dash from supermarket to supermarket to rearrange the stock on the shelves.  They have been given their orders for the day.  It costs money to have items shelved at just below the level of our eyes so that they naturally come into our zone of view.  The rights to this placement is keenly fought over and sold off every day.

Your favourite breakfast brand is suddenly at either ankle height or out of reach and another brand is right in front of you?  Yes, the competitor has outbid your brand for a preferred shelf location.  It happens to many products up and down the aisles.  A friend of mine does this work as a casual.  She may have to visit four or five different supermarkets in a day and in total shift several hundred items.  Hair care products are a good example.  A new shampoo will be “displacing” a previous product, so she has to clear the shelf of all of the old brand, place the new one there and either shuffle two or three others until all are placed back in their designated spot.

All brands have to pay the supermarket for pride of place in the shelves.  In the breakfast cereals, compare how much “frontage” the various brands have.  Lots of front from brand K is thanks to them paying more than brand S (or others).  Chilled dairy products such as yoghurts and milk also play this game.  They are paying for width as well as height.  If there is no spare space in that product type, a competitors products may not be placed in that store.  Or pay even more.

There is a name for this that I can never remember as it sounds made up but both a friend of mine and the wife of a friend of mine have been employed in this process over the past decade or so.  So when you see a lady in Coles wearing a “Visitor” tag and surrounded by products on her trolley, that’s what she is doing.  No, she cannot tell you where to find your missing target as quite often she will be a stranger in that store more than you.

[Author]

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