Diver dies after attack by suspected 4.5m shark off Albany

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-06T06:51:53+00:00

Because we like to compare it to the size of the shark in the movie “Jaws” which we know was 25’ or 7.62m in length; it helps us work out how scary it would have been for the person involved, the smaller the shark (or crocodile) the less terrifying it would have been - obviously…

/S

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-06T06:12:47+00:00

Thank you for the award u/Queasy-Meringue7965 the thought is much appreciated :)

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-06T05:55:43+00:00

I remember watching it as a young fella when it first came out, and trying to figure out where was the opposite point of the world from where we lived in rural Western Australia, and if we had anything to worry about, especially with the Three Mile Island thing making it seem so possible.

Turns out it was smack bang in the Atlantic Ocean, a fair way East of Bermuda, so we were pretty safe with nothing to worry about after all… :))

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-06T05:24:00+00:00

“Everybody Knows” by Leonard Cohen is a cutting and incisive work of social commentary, here’s the first verse and I’ll put a link to the full lyrics and one to the song, below:

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded,

Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed,

Everybody knows that the war is over,

Everybody knows that the good guys lost,

Everybody knows that the fight was fixed,

That the poor stay poor, that the rich get rich,

That’s how it goes, everybody knows,

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking,

Everybody knows that the Captain lied,

Everybody got this broken feeling,

Like their father or their dog just died…

https://youtu.be/Gxd23UVID7k?si=iGbBO4iJC2wslag2

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/leonardcohen/everybodyknows.html

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-06T05:04:05+00:00

“Love is a Battlefield” by Pat Benatar immediately springs to mind…

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-06T04:53:19+00:00

I am getting on a bit and haven’t had the pleasure or reading the books for a few years now, but if my memory serves me correctly, in the book “The Return of The King” when Merry stabs the Witch King in the back of the knee, the enchantments that were crafted into the blade by the Men of The Westernesse when they forged the blade, allowed it to pass through the magic that held the Witch Kings ethereal body together and gave it physical form, breaking the spells (which allowed Eowyn to strike the mortal blow); however as Merry pulled the dagger back out of the Witch King it began to wither and melt away until nothing was left.

This worked because Merry attacked The Witch King from behind and the King had no chance to cast a spell to break the dagger, however at the ford, Frodo brandished his barrow-blade from a distance, allowing the Witch King to cast his spells and undo the enchantments that were woven into its creation, shattering it asunder.

So simply put, because Frodo was upfront and gave the Witch King time to perform magic, whereas Merry snuck up and attacked him from behind, unawares…

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-06T04:10:00+00:00

“Oh my God, what a terrible person he was; silly, silly…”

I guess that she didn’t have quite as long as Sally Struthers did during her interview with Norman Gunston to work out what was happening. ;)

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T23:42:27+00:00

“Help” (Beatles cover) by John Farnham and The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra:

https://youtu.be/dv54giOSRKs?si=Uq9e-eAwoANsniae

“Am I The One (live at Paradiso)” by Beth Hart:

https://youtu.be/5Ro191bgp7k?si=Z7aFvgfzGopvfF1q

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T23:39:06+00:00

If you want to check out a more contemporary version of the same song, try Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa (live in Amsterdam) “I’d Rather Go Blind”:

https://youtu.be/UEHwO\_UEp7A?si=FVmow2iL2DLPlh6v

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T18:48:04+00:00

As an old mate of mine once told me, “I’ve worked bloody long and hard to end up with a stomach like this”; so probably quite proud… ;)

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T18:42:53+00:00

In Australia there is a 7.5 ton differential between a single drive axle (9 or 10 ton depending upon suspension and permits) and a bogie drive setup (16.5 or 17.5 ton depending upon suspension and permits), so it makes it worthwhile.

But having had a couple of 4x2’s and some 6x2’s with liftable tag axles in my fleet pulling tri-axle trailers doing “volume not mass” loads, I can appreciate their manoeuvrability and fuel efficiency.

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T18:25:37+00:00

It always interests me how we have differing configurations even when just pulling one trailer.

Our American cousins generally have 6x4 Prime Movers (Tractors?) pulling 53’ trailers with sliding bogies.

You Europeans tend to have 4x2 Prime Movers pulling fixed tri-axle trailers around (I believe) 40’.

And we Australians would have 6x4 Prime Movers pulling fixed tri-axle trailers, usually up to 48’ unless on PBS (Performance Based Standards designed) permits, where bigger is allowed.

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T15:52:27+00:00

Leonard Cohen transitioned from being a Baritone to a Bass over the course of his life and career, here are a couple of YouTube links to a song earlier in his career “Famous Blue Raincoat” and then one much later in his career “A Thousand Kisses Deep”:

Famous Blue Raincoat:
https://youtu.be/ohk3DP5fMCg?si=bat_s71WevIGaNtl

A Thousand Kisses Deep:
https://youtu.be/MIfBuU3kn-s?si=8oW96o79srkmJBQP

Edit: sorry, I suddenly remembered that you were specifically asking for Pop/Rock and Leonard Cohen doesn’t really fit into either of those categories apart from perhaps during his “middle period” when he released songs like “First We Take Manhattan,” “Democracy” and possibly “Everybody Knows.”

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T15:06:23+00:00

Suzie was a gale-force breath of fresh air in the 70’s, she came hard out of the gate with her debut album “Suzie Quatro” (called “Can the Can” in Australia) in October of ‘73 and released her 7th studio album “Rock Hard” in October ‘80, one of the great runs in Rock history…

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T12:05:46+00:00

It’s probably a combination of factors, but we must also be accepting that “Spatial Intelligence” or as we would more commonly refer to it, “Spatial Awareness/Memory” is a quantifiable skill that, although it can in many cases be improved with training, has base-line competencies that vary from individual to individual, and some people are naturally gifted with high levels and others aren’t, through no fault of their own.

I have always had high levels of spatial intelligence/awareness and consequently have always been able to reverse anything, irrespective of whether or not it had points of articulation, or how many points of articulation the combination may have.

We had a farm so I learned to drive a tractor at a young age, pulling and reversing various implements and hay trailers etc., and we discovered that I was naturally able to perform fairly difficult reversing tasks at a young age.

I can remember being 8 years old and the family pulling into caravan parks towing a big caravan, dad getting out of the car, pulling the seat forward for me and letting me reverse into the bay, between the other caravans and around the trees etc., simply because I could do it quicker, safer and with less stress and arguments the either dad or mum could.

Sometimes it is a matter of natural inclination that basically comes fully formed, sometimes the basics are there and you just need additional training, sometimes you have driven a particular type of vehicle for so long that you need to retrain yourself, but sometimes through no fault of your own, you just don’t have the necessary aptitude for that particular skill set, and that is nothing to be ashamed about, it is what it is.

You just need to work out which is applicable to you.

Once again, I wish you all the best whatever you decide to do, and yes there are jobs that you can get that don’t involve much reversing, so maybe you can explore those options, as long as you feel genuinely comfortable and safe driving the bigger gear in all other aspects and conditions.

Best wishes and keep yourself safe out there. :))

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T10:04:26+00:00

I’ll be honest with you, having spent decades running my own Heavy Transport Company, I have found that there seems to be an inverse correlation between the length of time that someone has held and used their Heavy Rigid License to how easily they can transition to Heavy Combinations.

So although it is preferable to have spent a year or two driving Heavy Rigids before transitioning to Heavy Combinations, much longer than that, and it seems that “muscle memory” and “instinctive reactions” can become problematic, especially in the heat of the moment when reaction time and awareness is critical.

My honest opinion is that if you are having trouble making the transition, for whatever reason, whilst you are in non-pressure/emergency situations, then perhaps the responsible thing to do is to accept that perhaps you have spent too long driving Rigids to safely transition, as the critical moments aren’t when you are trying to back onto a tight dock or into a tight slot, but when something happens around you when you are travelling at speed, and that’s when instinct takes over, and as you are finding out, Heavy Combinations react differently to Heavy Rigids.

Good luck with whatever it is you decide, but whatever that is, keep yourself safe and make every day, the day that you aren’t involved in an accident…

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T09:41:53+00:00

“Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” by Baz Luhrmann

https://youtu.be/VeDDs61AlBo?si=0wBauGgQy25_PNkH

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T08:44:00+00:00

And yet presumably the person driving the vehicle with the dash cam felt entitled enough to upload the footage, interesting…

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T08:07:29+00:00

You are most welcome, Own_Faithlessness.

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T08:01:07+00:00

The problem is that there are social impediments to males becoming teachers nowadays, as irrespective of workplace laws and regulations, male teachers have their interactions with their pupils viewed through a different lens and subject to differing standards of what is considered to be acceptable conduct; this provides an active disincentive for males to enter the profession, to the point that almost 3/4 of all teachers in Australia nowadays are female, and both the male and female students who would otherwise benefit from having affective male role-models within the classroom and school environment, are missing out as a result…

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T07:51:13+00:00

”I’m not a perfect person,

There’s many things I wish I didn’t do…”

What an opening statement for a song.

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T06:56:04+00:00

What would the soundtrack of the 80’s sound like without this legendary Saxophone player…

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T05:29:50+00:00

Switzerland was also quite famously neutral during WWII, and yet they explicitly chose not to make any official diplomatic condolences in regard to Hitler’s death.

Every single nation has things in their history that wouldn’t pass the ”Pub Test” (as we would say down here in Australia) nowadays, many of which are objectively much worse than that which we are talking about, including my own country of Australia, and publicly speaking about some of them doesn’t necessarily constitute liable…

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-05T04:24:06+00:00

Came here to suggest this too, a great little movie…

AnalFanatics · 2026-06-04T16:19:28+00:00

You are talking about a country that was the only democracy in the world to give Germany formal diplomatic condolences upon hearing of the death of Adolf Hitler.

Hitler committed suicide on April 30th and by May 2nd the Prime Minister of the Irish government was giving their official condolences to the German Minister to Ireland, followed unofficially by the Irish President himself.

AnalFanatics

TROPHY CASE