I ate a packet of Shapes for the first time since I was in high school! (I buy them for my child and decided to crack some open for myself).

What in the shrinkflation/skimflation is this!?

I distinctly remember there being big crystal-like chunks of delicious flavour on these… they’d sit on your tongue and pack a punch.

This is wildly disappointing and a huge drop in quality.

They also certainly don’t look like the packaging either anymore! Needless to say Arnotts is on our household Do Not Buy list now.

-

Tell me I’m not imagining things!

🪦 RIP Nostalgia

So, I’ve read the 2026 and some previous years’ publications. Some of the spicy facts appear to be:

1. Our education is not yet a disaster, but an average student today seems to have absorbed two full years worth of education less by age 15 than an equivalent student would have by the same age twenty years ago. This is shocking. (Reading: 528 → 491, −37; Maths: 524 → 478, −46; Science: 527 → 509, −18. ~2006 vs 2026)

2. Drivers: deteriorating behaviour, more teacher time away from teaching time, (41% vs 30% OECD average), lack of reading in childhood, looser national curriculum and increasing absenteeism. This last one: why?

3. Socioeconomic equity is a good news story: only 9% point difference is explained by socioeconomic status vs the OECD’s 12%. Schools and teachers must be doing an extraordinary job. Thank you for that!

4. State ranking mirrors NAPLAN numbers: ACT, VIC, NSW/WA, SA and somewhere further down QLD and Tasmania. Living and working in Brisbane I won’t challenge this.

5. Private is good because of where they are and who can afford them. On the surface the private and the government gap exceeds 50 PISA points or 2.5 nominal “school years”. Madness. But then you start controlling for 31.5% low socio-educational-background students, versus 13.7% in private schools, attendance, indigenous, remote, disability adjustment requiring students and ta-da: the difference effectively disappears (shrinks to non-statistically significant and in both ways, depending on the subject).

So all in all there is hope but much needs to be done.

And once again: thank you to you teachers for keeping us from falling behind further.

Testing found higher than acceptable levels of bacteria in the product. The bacteria identified was Pluralibacter gergoviae.

Contaminated products with Pluralibacter gergoviae can potentially result in serious infections, particularly for patients with broken skin or weakened immune systems.

If you have purchased one of the above batches of the product, do not use it. Return the product to the place of purchase or contact Mentholatum Australasia for further advice.

Please contact Mentholatum Australasia on (03) 9763 0322 for further information.

https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/recalls-and-other-market-actions/market-actions/deep-heat-extra-strength-100g-cream

Currently still online here at https://radiohead.frontiertouring.com/

And no, I am not buying fast track tickets.

"The welfare of fish within those pens is directly adversely affected by stocking density, biomass and the environmental conditions within each cage,"

the complaint said.

"Atlantic salmon are typically slaughtered by percussive stunning followed by gill cutting and exsanguination (bleeding). 

"Where stunning is ineffective or incomplete, fish may remain conscious or regain consciousness before or during bleeding, exposing them to unnecessary pain, suffering and distress."

Biosecurity Tasmania is the statutory authority responsible for protecting the state's agricultural industries and enforcing the Animal Welfare Act. It forms part of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The ABC asked if it'll be investigating the claims raised by Animals Australia — the department said it has received the complaint and the matter is "currently being considered".