of this i am certain

I am sure of me
and my slip sliding certainty.
gjs

no titile

I've the soul of an artist
      with no talent to express
I've the heart of a lion
     yet no hunger for the test
I've the love of a mother
      though no succor are my breast
I've the faith of the saintly
      but no god will I profess
I've the fear of the dying
      still the ending I obsess
I've the peace of the martyr
      uncertain of my quest

gjs

 "The Graveyard"

While standing here among the tombs,
a mortal soul licks mortal wounds,
and sees before another's fate
"November 10, 1908"

Beyond this barren shrine there loom
glad mourners in their finest gloom.
Another soul has met his fate.
Another tomb. Another date.

A noble end for deaths' new groom,
sad flowers in their finest bloom
'round mourners come to contemplate,
Another's end. Another's fate.

As somber thoughts embrace these tombs,
and feed on grief and death and doom.
my mortal soul does mourn its fate
Another tomb. Another date.

gjs

"Frieda"

Just saw this movie. A very good and entertaining film. Music and visuals were outstanding, and the story rekindled my affection for Marxism. For as Trotsky inferred, the failure of Stalin and ultimately the collapse of communism to capitalism was the power being held and abused by the bureaucrats. But yet, in capitalism, the power is held by the capitalist who are shielded by the bureaucracy. In a reference to another great flick, "A Bridge Too Far", the communist Revolution failed because they parachuted in to the final bridge and the bridge they bypassed, the bureaucrats, cut them off from the people. And its hard to have a "Peoples Revolution" when you leave the people behind.
VIVA LA REVOLUTION!

Oh math--I do not know what i am talking about, but-----

The idea of infinity has always intrigued me. I guess it started with the idea that, as good Christians, we would go to heaven and live forever in happiness. Now the thought of happiness did not bother me. And the thought of hell did not necessarily scare me much. But the thought of eternity was something I just could not deal with! This topic came up again later in math. "As the answer approaches infinity....", the teacher said as if she was talking about an interesting topic like love or lunch.. And then she went on to show that mathematicians had used this concept in math equations. I was dumbfounded; a situation that I find myself in often,but intrigued to no end. And this is one of those "no ends".
Given that infinity can be used in certain math equations with the realization that the answer could not change much because the numbers used in part of the equations would be so small or so big as to not effect a difference.But this has to also mean that the distance between the larger numbers, or the quantity between the numbers must be different than the distance or quantity between more serviceable numbers. If this is true, then a standard number line cannot be a straight line, but must bend slightly at very large or very small numbers. (I do not know whose theorem this belongs too; I steal thoughts and anything that's not tied down.
And you must admit this idea is a thought and is definitely not tied down!)
Taking this one step further, would it not be just as evident that these numbers would eventually become so small as to become negative numbers, forcing both ends of a standard number line below the reference line.
I imagine the standard number line as being an extremely stretched out bell shaped curve, which eventually
mirrors itself along the x reference line. To travel along the number line, as any equation must do, it eventually has to return to its original starting point. In our world, numbers can be negative or positive, but in reality, our world is only our time. Time, as I see it, causes our equations to work. They would not be functional in another time. This thought would also give credence to alternate universes. But for future generations, perhaps, different formulas for differing time will allow space travel and glimpses into different universes.

Russia-The new Fatherland??

I have seen reports and documentaries of Russian president Putin. Is anyone out there as concerned as I am about the freakish similarity of Putin's reach for popularity and power and that of Adolph Hitler? Both came to power after the prestige of their country had been decimated and their population forced to accept an outcome that they felt they did not deserve. Both played on the return to glory of their countries, and the racist disregard for humanity followed. Do you get the feeling from Russian leaders that the return of Russian tyranny is a foregone conclusion.  Are the Soviet camps being given to youth the answer to the "Nazi youth party"? Are they the Russia's "brown boots"?
I don't know either, but I think I will be keeping an eye on Russia and hope I'm wrong again, like usual.