Going to give it a try tomorrow.
Hope it goes well for you 🤞
🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE ISLAND LIFE-
The Holy Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, Iran, is one of the most revered religious sites in the Islamic world. It serves as the burial place of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia Imam, who holds immense significance in Shia Islam. The shrine complex is an architectural masterpiece, featuring stunning domes, minarets, courtyards, and intricate tilework, reflecting centuries of Persian art and craftsmanship.
This sacred site attracts millions of pilgrims annually, who come to pay their respects, seek blessings, and engage in prayers. The complex also houses a museum, a library, and seminaries, making it a center of cultural, religious, and educational activities. Mashhad itself is named after the shrine, with "Mashhad" meaning "place of martyrdom," highlighting its profound historical and spiritual importance.
Credits Goes to the respective
Author ✍️/ Photographer📸
🐇 🕳️
#Bitcoin #Satoshis #Freedom #Apocalypse #Music #Movies #Philosophy #Literature
#dogstr
Hope you can push through and make it a good one brother. 🧡. Coffee cures all 😆
🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE ISLAND LIFE-
'Every Breath You Take' by The Police
Did you know?
What began as a moment of personal crisis at Ian Fleming's writing desk would become the most-played song in radio history. "Every Breath You Take," The Police's haunting 1983 masterpiece, is perhaps the most famously misunderstood song of all time - a stalker's anthem masked as a love ballad that would define both the band's legacy and the 1980s itself.
The story begins in Jamaica, where a recently separated Sting had retreated to escape public attention. In a stroke of poetic circumstance, he found himself writing at the same desk where Ian Fleming had penned his James Bond novels. There, in the middle of the night, the song's iconic opening line came to him. Within thirty minutes, he had composed what would become The Police's signature hit and his personal gold mine.
The song's genesis was deeply personal. Written in the aftermath of Sting's separation from his first wife, Frances Tomelty, it captured the darker elements of love - obsession, jealousy, and surveillance. While many would later embrace it as a romantic dedication, Sting himself described it as "a nasty little song, really rather evil," chuckling at how frequently it was misinterpreted as a love song and even chosen for weddings.
The recording process was anything but smooth. By 1983, The Police were at their commercial peak but personal relationships within the band were fraying. The sessions at George Martin's AIR Studios in Montserrat were marked by tension, particularly between Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland. The band tried multiple arrangements, including a reggae version, before finding their sound.
The breakthrough came from guitarist Andy Summers, who contributed what would become one of rock's most recognizable guitar riffs. Inspired by Béla Bartók, Summers created the arpeggiated guitar part in a single take, transforming what had been a Hammond organ-driven song into a guitar classic. Yet this contribution would later become a point of contention - in 2023, Summers revealed he was still pursuing a "contentious" battle with Sting over songwriting credits.
The song's distinctive sound was crafted through meticulous production choices. The drums were recorded piece by piece, with Copeland forced to tape his drumsticks to his hands in the studio's sweltering dining room. The haunting bridge, with its hypnotic single-note piano line, was the result of extensive experimentation and debate.
The black-and-white music video, directed by Godley & Creme, drew inspiration from Gjon Mili's 1944 short film "Jammin' the Blues." Its sophisticated cinematography won MTV's first award for cinematography and helped establish the song's cultural dominance. The video's mysterious window washer added another layer to the song's themes of surveillance and observation.
The impact was immediate and lasting. "Every Breath You Take" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, becoming 1983's biggest hit. It won two Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, and the prestigious Ivor Novello Award. In 2019, BMI recognized it as the most-played radio song in history, with nearly 15 million plays, dethroning "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" after a 22-year reign.
The song's influence extended well beyond its era. In 1997, Puff Daddy's tribute to The Notorious B.I.G., "I'll Be Missing You," heavily sampled the track, topping charts worldwide and introducing it to a new generation. Sting, who wasn't consulted about the sample beforehand, ultimately embraced the adaptation, even performing it with Puff Daddy at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Today, "Every Breath You Take" generates between a quarter and a third of Sting's publishing income. Its legacy is complex: a masterpiece of musical ambiguity that manages to be both menacing and beautiful, a commercial triumph born from personal turmoil, and a testament to The Police's artistic peak even as they were falling apart.
The song's enduring popularity and frequent misinterpretation perhaps speak to its greatest strength: the ability to sound comforting while conveying something unsettling. As Sting himself noted, "I think the ambiguity is intrinsic in the song... I enjoy that ambiguity." It stands as a reminder that sometimes the most powerful art comes from life's darker moments, and that meaning, like beauty, often lies in the eye of the beholder.
Credits Goes to the respective
Author ✍️/ Photographer📸
🐇 🕳️
#Bitcoin #Satoshis #Freedom #Apocalypse #Music #Movies #Philosophy #Literature
#dogstr
🧡 Have an amazing day Romeo ☕
Fantastic 🙏. just been out walking the coastline, plenty of fresh air and feeling fine hope you're good too 👍
🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE ISLAND LIFE-
A day walking along the coastline and away from the screens, no internet today.
Here are some photos of the rugged and deserted views on the East coast.
Pura Vida 🏝️
Credits Goes to the respective
Author ✍️/ Photographer📸
🐇 🕳️
#Bitcoin #Satoshis #Freedom #Apocalypse #Music #Movies #Philosophy #Literature
#dogstr
🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE ISLAND LIFE-
V for Vendetta (2005), directed by James McTeigue and based on Alan Moore’s graphic novel, is a visually arresting and thought-provoking political thriller. Set in a dystopian future, the film explores themes of resistance, freedom, and the power of ideas through its enigmatic protagonist, V, played with gravitas by Hugo Weaving.
The story unfolds in a totalitarian England where civil liberties have been stripped away under a fascist regime. Natalie Portman delivers a compelling performance as Evey Hammond, a young woman who becomes intertwined with V’s mission to ignite a revolution. Weaving’s portrayal of V—a masked vigilante with a Shakespearean flair—is mesmerizing despite the lack of facial expressions, demonstrating the power of voice and physicality in storytelling.
The film’s narrative is a masterful blend of personal vendetta and collective uprising. V's meticulous plans to dismantle the oppressive regime are interwoven with poignant flashbacks, offering glimpses into his tortured past and the origin of his ideology. The movie’s adaptation strays slightly from Moore’s original vision but retains its core message about the fragility of freedom and the dangers of apathy.
Visually, V for Vendetta is striking. The production design captures the bleakness of a dystopian society, while the iconic imagery of V's Guy Fawkes mask has become a universal symbol of rebellion. The climactic sequence, featuring an explosion set to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, is both chilling and exhilarating.
Dario Marianelli’s haunting score elevates the tension and emotional depth of the film, while the screenplay by the Wachowskis is rich with quotable lines, such as V’s iconic declaration: "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
Though some critics argue the film simplifies complex political ideologies, V for Vendetta succeeds as a call to question authority and embrace the transformative power of ideas. Its relevance remains enduring in today’s sociopolitical climate, making it a must-watch for fans of intelligent, provocative cinema.
Credits Goes to the respective
Author ✍️/ Photographer📸
🐇 🕳️
#Bitcoin #Satoshis #Freedom #Apocalypse #Music #Movies #Philosophy #Literature
#dogstr
A shitload for sure. 😜. Just an approximate guess though.
Well,.in Thailand these numbers are famous.
The word for 5 in Thai is 'ha'. So that 555 would sound like 'hahaha'. 😂
It's used as a kinda fun expression and all Thai people would 'get it'.
Maybe it has another meaning though.
In numerology perhaps?
The dude been smoking too much and watching 'Total Recall'.
🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE ISLAND LIFE-
"I always had this fascination with the man in isolation, against the bureaucracy, against society, and also I've always had the constant fear that we're becoming a numeralized society more and more, and that for the individual, the rebel, shall we say the 'arrogant individual' to survive and keep his self respect, there has to be a certain amount of fighting against the system."
Though born in America, Irish actor Patrick McGoohan rose to become the number-one British TV star in the 1950s to 1960s era. His parents moved to Ireland when he was very young and McGoohan acquired a neutral accent that sounded at home in British or American dialogue.
While working as a stand-in during screen tests, McGoohan was signed to a contract with the Rank Organization. After some clashes with the management, the contract was dissolved. Soon after, production executive Lew Grade approached McGoohan about a television series in which he would play a spy named John Drake.
Having learned from his experience at the Rank Organization, he insisted on several conditions in the contract before agreeing to appear in the programme: all the fistfights should be different, the character would always use his brain before using a gun, and, much to the horror of the executives, no kissing.
The series debuted in 1960 as "Danger Man"; production lasted a year and 39 episodes. After this first series was over, one interviewer asked McGoohan if he would have liked the series to continue, to which he replied, "Perhaps, but let me tell you this: I would rather do twenty TV series than go through what I went through under that Rank contract I signed a few years ago and for which I blame no one but myself."
After he had also turned down the role of Simon Templar in "The Saint", Grade asked him if he would like to give John Drake another try. This time, McGoohan had even more say about the series. "Danger Man" (US: "Secret Agent") was resurrected in 1964 and scripts now allowed McGoohan more range in his acting.
The popularity of the series led to McGoohan’s becoming the highest-paid actor in the UK, and the show lasted almost three more years.
In the face of McGoohan's intention to quit "Danger Man", Grade asked if he would at least work on "something" for him. McGoohan gave him a run-down of what would later be called a miniseries, about a secret agent who resigns suddenly and wakes up to find himself in a prison disguised as a holiday resort. Grade asked for a budget, McGoohan had one ready, and they made a deal over a handshake early on a Saturday morning to do "The Prisoner". Apart from being the star, McGoohan was the executive producer, forming Everyman Films with series producer David Tomblin, and also wrote and directed several episodes, in some cases using pseudonyms.
The originally commissioned seven episodes became seventeen.
The title character of "The Prisoner" (the otherwise-unnamed "Number Six") spends the entire series trying to escape from a luxury island prison community called "The Village", and to learn the identity of his nemesis, Number One. The Village's administrators try just as hard to force or trick him into revealing why he resigned from his previous job as a spy, which he refuses to divulge. Many believe that Number Six, is, in fact, John Drake; indeed, at least one character from "Danger Man" (Potter) appears in an episode of "The Prisoner." However, McGoohan had since 1967 been adamant Number 6 is not John Drake.
Credits Goes to the respective
Author ✍️/ Photographer📸
🐇 🕳️
#Bitcoin #Satoshis #Freedom #Apocalypse #Music #Movies #Philosophy #Literature
#dogstr
🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE ISLAND LIFE-
2,100-Year-Old Inscription Sheds Light on Pre-Roman Europe
An extraordinary discovery in northeastern Spain has revealed an ancient language that may be connected to modern Basque. Found on a hand-shaped amulet dating back 2,100 years, the inscription offers a rare glimpse into the linguistic landscape of Europe before Roman influence. Experts believe the text is written in a Vasconic language, once spoken in the region before Roman conquest, making this find a significant contribution to our understanding of Europe’s early cultural and linguistic history.
Credits Goes to the respective
Author ✍️/ Photographer📸
🐇 🕳️
#Bitcoin #Satoshis #Freedom #Apocalypse #Music #Movies #Philosophy #Literature
#dogstr
🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE ISLAND LIFE-
In a remarkable turn of events, archaeologists have stumbled upon a captivating relic from the depths of antiquity on the sun-kissed soils of Crete. Nestled atop Papoura Hill and dating back to the enigmatic era of 2000-1700 BC, just before the Minoan civilization reached its dazzling heights during the early Palaeopalatial period, this discovery has sent ripples through the world of archaeology.
The labyrinthine edifice, revealed during what was meant to be a routine radar installation for an upcoming airport project, boasts an astonishing design of eight concentric stone rings that converge upon a grand circular structure, stretching an impressive 157 feet in diameter and encompassing roughly 19,375 square feet. Among its intricate pathways lie four distinct zones, with Zones A and B particularly intriguing, teeming with a wealth of animal bones that tell tales of vigorous human activity.
This groundbreaking find stands as the first of its kind ever unearthed on the island, illuminating the architectural wonders of the Bronze Age and hinting at the rich cultural tapestry woven throughout the ancient Mediterranean. As efforts intensify to unearth more secrets and safeguard this extraordinary glimpse into history, one can only wonder what other mysteries await discovery in this hallowed ground.
Credits Goes to the respective
Author ✍️/ Photographer📸
🐇 🕳️
#Bitcoin #Satoshis #Freedom #Apocalypse #Music #Movies #Philosophy #Literature
#dogstr
🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE ISLAND LIFE-
"Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle" by Arnold Böcklin (1872)
Location: Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany
The Story Behind the Artwork
In 1872, Swiss symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin unveiled "Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle," a compelling exploration of mortality and the artist's confrontation with his own impermanence. This work was first exhibited at the Kunstverein München, establishing Böcklin's reputation within Munich's artistic community. The painting reflects Böcklin's fascination with death, a recurring theme in his oeuvre, and serves as a poignant reminder of life's transience.
Symbolism and Details
The composition features Böcklin himself, depicted with a contemplative expression, as he pauses from his work. Behind him looms a skeletal figure personifying Death, playing a single-stringed violin tuned to G—the only string on the instrument. This imagery evokes the medieval concept of the "Dance of Death," symbolizing the omnipresence of mortality. The intimate proximity of Death, seemingly whispering into Böcklin's ear, underscores the inevitability of life's end and the artist's awareness of his own mortality.
Why It Matters Today
"Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle" remains significant for its introspective examination of human mortality and the fleeting nature of existence. Böcklin's portrayal invites viewers to reflect on their own lives and the universal reality of death. The painting also exemplifies the power of art to confront profound existential themes, encouraging contemplation and dialogue about the human condition.
Your Take
How does Böcklin's depiction of Death as an intimate presence influence your perception of mortality? In what ways does this artwork resonate with contemporary discussions about life, death, and the role of art in exploring these themes?
Credits Goes to the respective
Author ✍️/ Photographer📸
🐇 🕳️
#Bitcoin #Satoshis #Freedom #Apocalypse #Music #Movies #Philosophy #Literature
#dogstr
🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE ISLAND LIFE-
Jodorowsky’s acid-laced, 1970s fever dream that was destined to transform humanity…until it wasn’t.
The audacity and creativity that went into this project were staggering, as captured in the documentary film Jodorowsky’s Dune.
Credits Goes to the respective
Author ✍️/ Photographer📸
🐇 🕳️
#Bitcoin #Satoshis #Freedom #Apocalypse #Music #Movies #Philosophy #Literature
#dogstr
🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE ISLAND LIFE-
"Fear is the greatest enemy of civilization" and "We must become the future we wish to inherit."
Isaac Asimov's "Foundation"
Visionary perseverance shines through phrases like "The universe is a pretty big place, if it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space" and "To succeed, planning alone is insufficient; one must improvise." Salvador Hardin's leadership emphasizes resilience, stating "The fall of Empire, gentlemen, is a massive, complicated process.
" Courageous determination echoes in time"
"Fear is the greatest enemy of civilization" and "We must become the future we wish to inherit."
Knowledge empowers progress: "Knowledge is the key to survival" and "The advancement of knowledge guarantees progress." Leadership responsibilities include taking risks, guiding instead of commanding and embracing uncertainty. Hari Seldon emphasizes, "The burden of responsibility is yours, always."
Asimov's visionary spirit encourages resilience, innovation and forward thinking, embodying timeless wisdom.
Credits Goes to the respective
Author ✍️/ Photographer📸
🐇 🕳️
#Bitcoin #Satoshis #Freedom #Apocalypse #Music #Movies #Philosophy #Literature
#dogstr