Tuesday, 28 April 2026

Go West

 

In 1854 Horace Greeley, a New York newspaper editor, gave Josiah B. Grinnell a famous piece of advice. "Go West, young man, and grow up with the country," said Greeley. Grinnell took Greeley's advice, moved west, and later founded Grinnell, Iowa.


Widely held rhetoric of the nineteenth century suggested to Americans that it was their divine right and responsibility to settle the West with Protestant democratic values. Newspaper editor Horace Greely, who coined the phrase “Go west, young man,” encouraged Americans to fulfill this dream.

The song's title is attributed to the 19th-century quote "Go West, young man" commonly attributed to the American newspaper editor Horace Greeley, a rallying cry for the settlement and colonization of the American West, but also an invitation to pursue one's own dreams and individuality.

political in nature, cold war era song originally by the Village People (the YMCA group), borrowing sounds from the Soviet National Anthem and reforming them into a piece about how great and easy life could be if you abandon restricting and cruel communism 


"Go west" is an idiom primarily meaning to die, or for an object to be lost, broken, or ruined. Frequently used in British English as a humorous or euphemistic phrase, it originates from the sun setting in the west and has been used to describe death since the 14th century, particularly during WWI.



Tony Franciosa

 

Anthony George Franciosa  October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006) was an American actor most often billed as Tony Franciosa at the height of his career. He began his career on stage and made a breakthrough portraying the brother of the drug addict in the play A Hatful of Rain


After relocating to Hollywood he made numerous feature films, including A Face in the Crowd (1957), The Long, Hot Summer (1958), and Career (1959), for which he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor. In television, he played lead roles in five television series: the sitcom Valentine's Day (1964–65), drama The Name of the Game (1968–71), Search (1972–73), Matt Helm (1975), and Finder of Lost Loves (1984). Later in his career, he acted primarily in Europe, starring in the erotic drama The Cricket (1980) and Dario Argento's giallo Tenebrae (1982).



Goin’ Out West - Song by Tom Waits ‧ 1992

 

I'm goin' out west where the wind blows tall'Cause Tony Franciosa used to date my maThey got some money out there, they're giving it awayI'm gonna do what I want and I'm gonna get paidDo what I want and I'm gonna get paid
Little brown sausages lying in the sandI ain't no extra, baby, I'm a leading manWell, my parole officer will be proud of meWith my Olds 88 and the devil on a leashWith my Olds 88 and the devil on a leash
I know karate, voodoo tooI'm gonna make myself available to youI don't need no makeup, I got real scarsI got hair on my chest, I look good without a shirt
Well, I won't lose my composure in a high-speed chaseWell, my friends think I'm ugly, I got a masculine faceI got some dragstrip courage, I can really drive a bedI'm gonna change my name to Hannibal or maybe just RexChange my name to Hannibal or maybe just Rex
I know karate, voodoo tooI'm gonna make myself available to youI don't need no makeup, I got real scarsI got hair on my chest, I look good without a shirt
I'm gonna drive all night, get some speedI'm gonna wait for the sun to shine down on meI cut a hole in my roof, the shape of a heartAnd I'm goin' out west where they appreciate meI'm goin' out west where they'll appreciate meGoin' out west where they'll appreciate meGoin' out west where they'll appreciate me
Goin' out westGoin' out westGoin' out westGoin' out westGoin' out westGoin' out westGoin' out westGoin' out west


Heading West - Song by Cyndi Lauper ‧ 1989

 

I drop my hatTo a restless windThis time I'm not gonna chase it againIn a jigsaw dream with soft spoken words
I woke up crying and no one heardYou're looking through me like I never was realYou say you love me but you won't let me feelSo I'm gonna take a chance this time
I'm gonna find myself some place where I can healAnd I'm heading westWithout a sad goodbyeAnd I'm heading west
I'm like a letter with no addressJust like a book I readI'm heading westI said my name
Under my breathHe turned down a twisted roadI won't forgetI'm gonna fly my kite and let out all the string
Hold on to hope, let go everythingI can't stop laughing and it's nothing you saidThe altitude of freedom seems to go to my headAnd if I fall down on my knees I'm gonna get back up
I'm gonna get back up againAnd I'm heading westWithout a sad goodbyeAnd I'm heading west
I'm like a letter with no addressJust like a book I readI'm heading westAnd I'm heading west...Just like a book I read...


Go West - Song by Pet Shop Boys ‧ 1993 : Village People - 1979

 

Come on, come on, come on, come on(Together) we will go our way(Together) we will leave someday(Together) your hand in my hands(Together) we will make our plans(Together) we will fly so high(Together) tell all our friends goodbye(Together) we will start life new(Together) this is what we'll do
life is peaceful there(Go west) in the open air(Go west) where the skies are blue(Go west) this is what we're gonna do(Go west, this is what we're gonna do, go west)
we will love the beach(Together) we will learn and teach(Together) change our pace of life(Together) we will work and strive
I know you love me(I want you) how could I disagree?(So that's why) I make no protest(When you say) you will do the rest
life is peaceful there(Go west) in the open air(Go west) baby you and me(Go west) this is our destiny (aah)(Go west) sun in wintertime(Go west) we will do just fine(Go west) where the skies are blue(Go west, this is what we're gonna do)
There where the air is freeWe'll be (we'll be) what we want to be (ah, ah, ah, ah)Now if we make a stand (ah)We'll find (we'll find) our promised land (ah)
there are many ways(To live there) in the sun or shade(Together) we will find a place(To settle) where there's so much space(Without rush) and the pace back east(The hustling) rustling just to feed(I know I'm) ready to leave too(So that's what) we are gonna do(What we're gonna do is)
life is peaceful there(Go west) there in the open air(Go west) where the skies are blue(Go west) this is what we're gonna do(Life is peaceful there)Go west (in the open air)Go west (baby, you and me)Go west (this is our destiny)Come on, come on, come on, come on(Go west) sun in wintertime(Go west) we will feel just fine(Go west) where the skies are blue(Go west) this is what we're gonna do


S.O.S. Song by Go West ‧ 1985

 Watching your window

Across the street we shareEyes on your shadowYou are unaware, unaware
Picture a strangerFootsteps in gabardineYou sense the dangerSomething unforeseenBurning fires on your shoreNever opened any door
I’m wasting my timeYou don’t hear my S.O.S.The perfect crimeTo answer your S.O.S.
Leave you in silenceChange my identitySecond appearanceI will set you freeBurning fires on your shoreNever opened any door
Watching your windowAcross the street we shareEyes on your shadowYou are unawareBurning fires on your shoreNever opened any door

 

Should you sit upon a cloud you would not see the boundary line between one country and another, 

nor the boundary stone between a farm and a farm.


It is a pity you cannot sit upon a cloud


 

What shall i say of these save that they too stand in the sunlight, 

but with their backs to the sun?


They see only their shadows, 

and their shadows are their laws



Monday, 27 April 2026

 

You can't avoid pain, 

but you can choose to overcome it


Sunday, 26 April 2026

 

You would know the secret of death.

But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?

The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day 

cannot unveil the mystery of light.


If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, 

open your heart wide unto the body of life.


For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;

And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.

Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.



Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.

Is the sheered not joyful beneath his trembling, 

that he shall wear the mark of the king?

Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?



For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?

And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?



Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.




 

For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them to morrow?


 

Man will be on the path to perfection 

when he feels that he is one with space that knows no bounds and with the ocean that has no shores; 

when he becomes that undying fire, 

that ever-gleaming light,

 that still air or that violent storm,

 those clouds charged with lightning, thunder and rain,

 those rivers merry or sad,

 those trees in bloom or shedding their leaves,

 those lands that rise up into mountains or slope down into valleys, 

those fields under seed or lying fallow.



 

Yesterday is but today's memory, 

and tomorrow is but today's dream.


 

If we were all to sit in a circle and confess our sins, 

we would laugh at each other for lack of originality


Saturday, 25 April 2026

 

 a human being does not die at once, but in a way, we die in pieces; 

whenever a friend departs, a piece dies,

 and whenever a lover leaves, a piece dies,

 and whenever a dream of our dreams is killed, a piece dies, 

then finally, the greater death arrives, 

only to see all our pieces long dead, 

so he picks them up and departs.


 

Said a philosopher to a street sweeper, 

"I pity you. Yours is a hard and dirty task."


And the street sweeper said, 

"Thank you, sir. But tell me what is your task?"


And the philosopher answered saying, 

"I study man's mind, his deeds and his desires."


Then the street sweeper went on with his sweeping and said with a smile, 

"I pity you too.”





 

measure time according to the movement of countless suns; 

measure time by little machines in their little pockets


 

The sun teaches to all things that grow their longing for the light. 

But it is night that raises them to the stars.


Friday, 24 April 2026

 

Our world is so complex that we take for granted engineering processes that would dwarf any of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World; 

we ride railroad tracks that do not follow faithfully the curvature of the earth, for the train would jump the tracks if they were level. 

We pass skyscrapers whose stress and strain are figured to the millionth of an inch, yet take for granted that the Empire State Building actually sways constantly many feet.



 

We always have a tendency to see those things that do not exist 

and to be blind to the great lessons that are right there before our eyes


Thursday, 23 April 2026

 

Faith is not Desire. 

Faith is Will. 

Desires are things that need to be satisfied, whereas Will is a force.

 Will changes the space around us,


Wednesday, 22 April 2026

Hannibal Lector

 

He doesn't feel sorry as he has no empathy or sympathy or any other recognisable emotion as we understand them 

He wanted Cordell to push Mason in and this is how he got him to do it, by persuasion 

"Hey", a friendly call 

"Cordell" addresses him by his first name 

"Why don't you push him in" , suggestion

 - triggers what Cordell actually wants to do 

"you can always say it was me" 

- removes all fear of consequence 


while the script ending has been changed from the book, the writers here share Mr Harris' masterful understanding of the human mind and how Hannibal is able to manipulate people this way 

Remember he talked to Miggs in the cells and persuaded Miggs to kill himself - that's how powerful he is 

As Jack warns Clarice

 "you don't want Hannibal Lector inside your head"



When we first meet him in Silence - the second book but the first film in Mr Hopkins trilogy, he had been down that dark dungeon for several years 

If someone wasn't mad before they would be totally insane after that much time, faced with the prospect of never leaving alive, never seeing the real world again 

A cross between a tarantula and a crocodile, as he is described 

When we see him as Dr Fell in the third film, we see through the mask, as does Patsi, as we know who he is 

The TV version of Hannibal is before his capture when, like Dexter, he knows how to appear human and blend in 

It it is a different way of playing the younger version, and more opportunity to explore and develop the character 

Like Clark Kent in Smallville, a depth not been used before for the character's pre Superman years 

Just as Anthony Hopkins was the best actor to play his version, Mads is the best actor to play this one 

I couldn't think of anyone better for the film trilogy or the series than the two men who played him .


The pigs smell Hannibal and pass him by 

Simplest explanation - they can smell fear, as they do on the screaming men they attack, and Hannibal has no fear 

Scary explanation - they are trained to attack humans - they smell Hannibal and they realise he is not human .




 

Rock stars rack up high numbers when they do tours 

Each town they are at the are girls from the show who want to go back to the trailer or hotel with them 

That means new women, several at a time, on each stop 

Jon Bon Jovi on the first tour talks about having all these girls back at the trailer "you first, you second, you third" 

David Lee Roth would have girls selected from the audience and taken back by his roadies

 VInce Neil at a Motley Crue concert would "fuck ten girls before the show and ten after" 

Tom Jones estimates he fucked 250 women a year during his "heyday" of touring and partying

 Keep in mind when these guys got experienced it would be orgy style - they would get hard, move from girl to girl and not cum until the end of the "event" 

when you consider planned orgies as well, these guys would be fucking maybe ten girls at each event - even one party a month you would fuck over 100 a year easily

 - a thousand in ten years 

- so when there is more than one party a month, or even a week, in different locations, you can see how 2000, 3000 in ten years, 6000 in 20 years, etc becomes achievable 

Gene Simmons famously claimed 6500 women, and that was when he was older and the band tours had stopped - which does sound possible 

The problem beyond a certain points is the repeats - end up with someone you have been with before but don't remember - which messes up the count

 If Rock stars do this on tour, it is likely wrestlers and other athletes, football, etc all do as well .



Bon Jovi

 

Richie dated a lot of celebrities 

Jon never dated any celebrities 

he fucked a lot of groupies and admitted to over 200 during the tours 

a lot for a regular guy, but compared to the rocks stars who get well into four figures, quite modest 

he fucked groupies on tour and never took it any further, never made anyone regular 

Dorothea married Jon and they had the house, had the kids, had the private life 

She accepted Jon was doing stuff on tour, just didn't want to hear about it

 Bed Of Roses references this in particular, on Keep The Faith .



Planet Of The Apes

 


The relics in the dig show the earlier society when humans were dominant and more advanced

 Why would an ape make a human doll that talks 

Dr Zeus had been as far out as the statue 

He could see it was a human face 

Which gave some hint at what New York was and how far advanced they really were 

He warned Taylor about what he would find 

Zeus thinks Taylor is from a tribe of mutants, probably similar to the ones the do find below the city on film two 

He doesn't believe the space travel story 

He knows when Taylor finds the statue he will know that the great human society destroyed itself

 As the scroll warns He will make a desert of his world and yours

 And he did


---------------------------


For those who never read the book, which is pretty much anyone who has ever been on here, this is closer to the book ending Notwithstanding the frame story with the two "people" who turned out to be apes reading the manuscript of course The book is in French and this is set in France not America The astronaut, who actually is a lot like Taylor, flies his ship, with his wife and child back from ape planet to what he thinks is his own world Think start of the third Roddy McDowell film Escape From The Planet Of The Apes when they arrive in the ship in 1970s A jeep drives up he sees the officer driving is an ape So yes they finally made a monkey out of him

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The original book by Pierre Boule is La Planète des singes, published in English as Planet of the Apes in the U.S. Monkey Planet in the UK Ulysse is the name of the astronaut, who Taylor is based on Nova is the human female he mates and has a son with, and they fly back to Earth in his ship They land by the Eiffel Tower look the same a jeep pulls up and the officer driving is a gorilla Ulysse and Nova take off in their ship, leaving Earth behind



-----------------------------


For those claiming to have read the book By Pierre Boule It is in French Set in France and they end up in Paris On the ape world they do not speak French He has to learn the ape language to talk to them You need to either claim to speak French or claim to have an English translation Otherwise you are embarrassing yourself talking about the book When all you are doing is prove you haven't read it


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Most people have never read the book A percentage of those people say they have Like the people who have never read Dracula and do the "Alucard" bit to make it seems like they have Which proves they haven't



There is a "thing" where idiots would say "in the book he calls himself Alucard, which is Dracula spelt backwards" this is not in the book it was invented as a way to catch out people who claim to have read the book but haven't


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James Bond

 

Bond really needs to be rugged, have a strong body to do the things he does 

A Naval Officer, he is a proper sailor and as a 00, basically also a commando 

Connery and Craig made that work 

Dalton did to a certain point 

Moore and Brosnan seemed too slight, almost wimpy

 Lazenby did OK


Highlander

 


Duncan cut the hand off Xavier so we know from that a limb can't be regrown 

Whether you could hold it in place and have it magically reattach is another matter 

If you look at the limits of a healing power, it is different between Highlander, Deadpool, Wolverine, and Clare in Heroes 

Clare can regrow a severed part 

 Wolverine had his legs ripped off and reattached

 Deadpool was ripped in half by Juggernaut and slowly regrew the bottom half



the higher limits of the healing power are not regularly explored in any of the shows or stories, so the writers would have to decide how it works when they get the chance to go there 

With Xavier, we see him come back with the human mercs who gun down the immortal and drive off so he can take their head 

He can no longer sword fight so invents this "cheat" method 

It's a good storyline and relies on the concept being a severed hand can't be regrown 



 

Anyone who lives in their own world is crazy. 

Like schizophrenics, psychopaths, maniacs. 

people who are different from others.


On the other hand,

you have Einstein, saying that there was no time or space, just a combination of the two. 

Or Columbus, insisting that on the other side of the world lay not an abyss but a continent. 

Or Edmund Hillary, convinced that a man could reach the top of Everest. 

Or the Beatles, who created an entirely different sort of music and dressed like people from another time.


 Those people--

and thousands of others--

all lived in their own world.




Tuesday, 21 April 2026

 

God knew what he was doing when he drew their attention to the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

If he hadn’t wanted them to eat it, he would never have mentioned it.


Monday, 20 April 2026

 

In life, a person can take one of two attitudes: to build or to plant. The builders might take years over their tasks, but one day, they finish what they're doing. Then they find that they're hemmed in by their own walls. Life loses its meaning when the building stops.

Then there are those who plant. They endure storms and all the vicissitudes of the seasons, and they rarely rest. But unlike a building, a garden never stops growing. And while it requires the gardener's constant attention, it also allows life for the gardener to be a great adventure.

Gardeners always recognize each other, because they know that in the history of each plant lies the growth of the whole World.


Sunday, 19 April 2026

Psyche








 

Psyche

 

Psyche is the Greek goddess of the soul, known for her arduous journey from a mortal princess to an immortal wife of Eros (Cupid). Her story, famously told in Apuleius’s The Golden Ass, symbolizes the soul's purification and triumph through love and perseverance after surviving tasks set by Aphrodite. She is often depicted with butterfly wings.
Key Aspects of the Myth:
  • The Mortal Beauty: Psyche was so beautiful that she rivaled Aphrodite (Venus), prompting the goddess to send her son, Eros, to make her fall in love with a monster.
  • Marriage to Eros: Instead of a monster, Eros fell in love with her, bringing her to a magical palace where he visited her only at night, telling her she must never see his face
    .
  • The Betrayal: Persuaded by her jealous sisters, Psyche lit a lamp to look at her husband. A drop of oil fell, waking Eros, who fled, stating that love cannot exist without trust.
  • The Trials: Searching for her husband, Psyche fell into the hands of Aphrodite, who forced her to complete four impossible tasks, including sorting a massive pile of seeds and retrieving beauty from the underworld.
  • Immortality: With help from unexpected sources, she completed the tasks. Eros, still loving her, persuaded Zeus to make Psyche immortal, allowing them to marry permanently