LAST LINES by: Emily Brontë (1818-1848)

NO coward soul is mine,
No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere:
I see Heaven's glories shine,
And faith shines equal, arming me from fear.

O God within my breast,
Almighty, ever-present Deity!
Life--that in me has rest,
As I--undying Life--have power in Thee!

Vain are the thousand creeds
That move men's hearts: unutterably vain;
Worthless as wither'd weeds,
Or idlest froth amid the boundless main,

To waken doubt in one
Holding so fast by Thine Infinity;
So surely anchor'd on
The steadfast rock of immortality.

With wide-embracing love
Thy Spirit animates eternal years,
Pervades and broods above,
Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates, and rears.

Though earth and man were gone,
And suns and universes ceased to be,
And Thou were left alone,
Every existence would exist in Thee.

There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void:
Thou--Thou art Being and Breath,
And what Thou art may never be destroyed.

Thoughts:  I'd be interested in knowing what sustained a person like E. Bronte.  From what I've read --the family seemed close-knit.  Probably had to be living where they did.  But, there had to be something more -- the woman's spirit seems of iron.  Perhaps the Deity she speaks of is the Christian?

The Old Stoic by Emily Bronte

Riches I hold in light esteem,
And Love I laugh to scorn;
And lust of fame was but a dream,
That vanished with the morn:

And if I pray, the only prayer
That moves my lips for me
Is, "Leave the heart that now I bear,
And give me liberty!"

Yes, as my swift days near their goal:
'Tis all that I implore ;
In life and death a chainless soul,
With courage to endure.

Wuthering Heights

This is a wrapper for the Classics Illustrated comic #59 found at http://www.tkinter.smig.net/map.htm or http://www.tkinter.smig.net/ClassicsIllustrated/index.htm   

Also, for audio renditions of the book check out the Librivox recording and my how to make a TTS book.

Download:
http://www.box.net/shared/itizbxnobk

SCREENSHOT:

The Mysterious Island

What a great read!

GoogleBooks:
http://books.google.com/books

...General google search:
Google The Mysterious Island...

Librivox audio:
http://librivox.org/the-mysterious-island-by-jules-verne/

Here's a wrapper for images of the Classics Illustrated comic book:
http://www.box.net/shared/r48bidzdq5

SCREENSHOT:

WinSQL .wwb from toolbar not menu

It's been a little while since I'd been in WinSQL. I'd forgotten this. When you have a work book file (.wwb) to open -- you have to open, it appears, from the toolbar vs. the menu.

Watching 'Master of the World' : Verne and Universal Peace

Watch on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/114695/master-of-the-world

Isn't it _interesting_ how stories repeat themselves? Is it just me, or does anyone else see similarities in Verne themes with recent 'Star Trek'?  

-Anti-hero's name: 'Nero'(vs. 'Nemo' from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea') 
-Fly's an enormously - powerful spaceship vessel from the future(vs. the 'Albatross' in this film) 
-is driven to destroy all military power on earth (and the Federation)

Regarding the movie: Performances in the film are well played. I'd thought Henry Hull's performance as the elderly manufacturer somewhat over-blown, and his daughter and her fiance under-played; but, in thinking about it -- they balanced the story and the stronger performances by Charles Bronson and Vincent Price.  

Regarding the story: In terms of the ships power & construction - I enjoyed that there was _just enough_ science to indicate the _possibility_ of what we observed. Again, I think this was Verne's way. The recurring theme of Universal Peace brought about by a 'strong man' seems to be a recurring them in Verne's books (here and in 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas). I think this probably stems from France's revolution and their sense of egality (French national motto: Liberté, égalité, fraternité). Robur seems a maturer, more fully realized 'Nemo'. Nemo was the Captain of the Nautilus -the undersea vessel from 20,000 Leagues was written 30 years earlier. At that time Verne's publisher Hetzel thought the character too controversial. Verne had made him Polish -- Hetzel had him rewrite and make him Indian and the theme less political(at the time France couldn't afford to offend Poland). Robur stands apart.

Verne's novels still read well today. And, the story in Robur the Conqueror and Master of the World is interesting & enjoyable to read ~ watch.  Good film. I'll watch again and recommend.

The characters & story in this film are actually based two stories by Verne...
 
'Robur the Conqueror':  
http://tinyurl.com/yzjbmd6 
... & 'Master of the World': 
http://tinyurl.com/yfuccyj 
You may enjoy the 'Classics Illustrated' stories:
http://www.box.net/...CI Robur The Conqueror.hta
http://www.box.net/...CI Master of the World.hta