The Grand Cafe

Just hooked up the IBLs to my Nait 5. Fast they are. Very nice for lighter music, but certainly not as good for symphonic music as the SBLs.

One of the tweeter connections is unreliable. When the plug is almost fully inserted it works, but pulling it out or entirely in mutes the tweeter.

Not sure yet if it is the cabling on the inside or the connectors itself.

Now would it be possible to get an Anniversary badge for just one post but that having been removed? Now that would be rubbing it in.

There is an excellent software tester deep inside you.

How about a badge for owning Naim electronics?

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How about a badge for listening to Badge by Cream (at least once in a year)

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Sure thereā€™s successā€™s but thereā€™s still away to go.

ā€œThe National Gender Pay Gap

Currently, Australiaā€™s national gender pay gap is 14.0%. At May 2020, womenā€™s average weekly ordinary full-time earnings across all industries and occupations was $1,558.40 compared to menā€™s average weekly ordinary full-time earnings of $1,812.00.ā€

I have no problem with quotas, itā€™s unfortunate we have them but in most cases itā€™s the only way things will change. I see them like trying to correct yourself after crossing to the wrong side of the road (accidentally) the first thing most people do is over compensate. Hopefully time will come where everything is judged on merit.

The problem with quotas is that people then arenā€™t judged on merit. The alleged gap is a bit of an urban myth anyway, as itā€™s not comparing apples with apples, as explained by BC above.

Interestingly, the NZ Professional Engineers ran an article claiming there was a gender pay gap based on average income surveys. But it was all PC nonsense, because female income average is lower because many woman have had career gaps for motherhood and have, on average, less experience than male engineers. For any job where an employee has the same responsibility, capacity and experience, there is no gender pay gap. Which is why it is about equality of opportunity, not outcome. Same applies in reverse in education.

Again, though, pay gap can be misleading. It is not necessarily to do with equal pay for equal work. Women tend to go for a different work/non-work balance than men do - and I make no claims about why they do this, but it is what happens. So one thing that often gets hidden in figures like this is how many hours a week each gender works on average. Also, as I mentioned earlier, women tend to have more time away from work (pregnancy and child rearing) than men do, and as a consequence may not progress up the company hierarchy as quickly (men, by staying in work, get more experience, more contacts etc.).
It is a difficult problem to solve, and I think that setting quotas, both in numbers and in pay, is not a good solution, and will eventually cause more problems.
Suppose, for instance, that you are working in a company where a woman, starting at the same pay grade as yourself, takes several months off to have a baby, comes back to work eventually at the same pay level as yourself, then after a few months takes time off again and eventually returns, and still at your pay grade even though you may have had two pay rises or promotions. Wouldnā€™t you feel a tiny bit resentful? Even if you were a woman?

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Well I guess weā€™re all in agreement then equal pay for equal work with equal opportunities.

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Glad we got that one sorted ā€¦

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Yes, absolutely.
Merit should be rewarded irrespective of gender, race etc. The person most suited to the job, most able to do it, is the one you want in that job.
I must admit, though, that in the two jobs I had where I was responsible for recruiting people to my team, I did mostly hire women (scientists in the first job, computer programmers in the second).

Iā€™m the same I run a US company here for a few years and I hired more women than men, we were the most successful outpost.

ā€¦and they were given the same salary as a male employee?

Yes they were, most due to bonuses earned more. The company I worked for had a equal pay/opportunity policy for years.

PS I forgot to mention on each occasion they were the best candidate.

We had an amazing shooting star (or whatever) last night and Iā€™d raced up to tell my 6 year old granddaughter whoā€™s staying with us. She quickly informed me that itā€™s ā€œa meteor poppy not a shooting starā€.

I just got my 2nd anniversary badge. Iā€™m having a few drinks to celebrate. :rofl::rofl:

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Iā€™ve watched a documentary about the Holland album last night. It was entirely in Dutch with no subtitles therefore not really of value for you.

Apparently the studio was created in a converted barn and this barn does not exist anymore. Just some concrete is left there.

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Erg bedankt

The name of the documentary is ā€˜Beach boys in Hollandā€™ and is also on YouTube. Dutch language tho.

I know some people of a certain age and background and Iā€™ll try to see if they know more about it.

As a kid I did not like popular music but I do remember Prince and The Beach Boys having positive memories. Looking backwards, they (BB) had different - more complex & classical - harmonies which I liked. There is no chord or chord progression which does not exist in classical music. The Stones, Beatles, Kinks, Beegees and all those 60ā€™s groups are different.

The pleasure of music is what you feel in your heart. The genre,artist,album is irrelevant. You know it when you feel it. Holland evokes my emotions. Mahlers 2nd symphony can reduce me to tears as can Goodbye pork pie hat by Charles Mingus.
Frank Zappa has the same effect but for a completely different reason :joy::rofl::joy:

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