How to solve issues.

Greetings, gentle readers.
Any of you that live within a CFL field of my apartment know that I haven't been feeling that well for the past few days. Anyone watching the wildlife twitch uncontrollably and fling itself under the nearest automotive vehicle in a fit of pure revulsion should suspect that there is infection present. That being said, I am off to England on 10th May 09. I'm also off to lie down right now. Good night.

—mARKUS

Reach for the Top Returns

Greetings, gentle readers.
The new Canadian national finals to find the high school students with the greatest knowledge of trivia in the country are in the works. Even as we speak, stories of last year's exploits are being bandied about. Well, in the next few weeks, I'll try and tell the stories of the games that were played last year, the characters that changed those results, and how you can bet with your friends for this year's competition. Figuring largely in this mélange are such figures as John Clarke, Peter Burton, and Michael Zawalsky. I just wish that they all worked for the company for which I work.
In any event, I will start documenting last year's finals in an effort for everyone to understand the growth of the younger players, and the nature of the players.

I read all of my emails and I'm at least one chemist short.
Somebody please send me an e-mail resumé. Need more employees.

Cheers,
—mARKUS

A quick reflection and comparison.

The Dalai Lama gives us the following advice:

If you know that someone is speaking badly of you behind your back, and if you react to that negativity with a feeling of hurt, then you destroy your own peace of mind. One's pain is one's own creation. One should treat such things as if they are wind behind one's ear. In other words, just brush them aside. To a large extent, whether or not one suffers pain depends on how one responds to a given situation. What makes a difference is whether or not one is too sensitive and takes things too seriously.

What's interesting to note is that Marcus Aurelius echoes that sentiment, although he said it some 1800 years ago:

When any shall either impeach thee with false accusations, or hatefully reproach thee, or shall use any such carriage towards thee, get thee presently to their minds and understandings, and look in them, and behold what manner of men they be. Thou shalt see, that there is no such occasion why it should trouble thee, what such as they are think of thee. Yet must thou love them still, for by nature they are thy friends. And the Gods themselves, in those things that they seek from them as matters of great moment, are well content, all manner of ways, as by dreams and oracles, to help them as well as others.

Odd that Stoics preceded Buddhists, and that the Roman Empire appears more brightly in history, considering Tibetan difficulties. Perhaps a few legions could set that right.

—mARKUS

Who Knew?

Greetings, gentle readers.
Who would have thought that the music that I once scorned as a child would now cause this senile old wretch to wane misty-eyed over power chords but seriously wonderfully poetic lyrics. Guess I couldn't hear them over the soaring guitar solos and power-strumming of the over-amplified rhythm guitars. Rather than burden you with anything too mind-bogglingly exhaustive, I'm just going to cite some verses, and if anyone recognizes these lyrics without the benefit of internet search engines, those individuals will be singled out for praise.

1. Someday love will find you
   Break those chains that bind you
   One night will remind you
   How we touched
   And went our separate ways
   If he ever hurts you
   True love won't desert you
   You know I still love you
   Though we touched
   And went our separate ways
2. Neither could change
   Their headstrong ways
   And in a lover's rage
   They tore another page
   The fightin' is worth
   The love they save
3. And being apart
   Ain't easy on this love affair
   Two strangers learn to fall in love again
   I get the joy of rediscovering you
   Oh, girl, you stand by me
   I'm forever yours
   Faithfully
4. Those crazy nights, I do remember in my youth
   I do recall, those were the best times, most of all
   In the heat with a blue jean girl
   Burnin' love comes once in a lifetime
   She found me singing by the rail road track
   Took me home, we danced by moonlight
5. The same hotel, the same old room
   I'm on the road again
   She needed so much more
   Than I could give
   We knew our love could not pretend
   Broken hearts can always mend.

This sort of open and honest rock lyric cannot be found just anywhere. The dolorous tone is indicative of a doubtful, tragic mind that is conspicuously absent from any contemporary rap, hip-hop, "soul," or "R&B." What society considers those particular classes of pieces of words and tortuously manipulated tonality is irrelevant. By and large, they deal with level one or two of my scale. Aggravation of the value of the songwriter's status, assertion that those that contend that value are of a lesser stature, and yodelling meaninglessly all fall into the category of someone who cannot really put his heart into his lyrics and confess hurt, confusion, and devotion to ideals despite the situation.
Here are some examples of similar stanzas in rap songs:

1. It's like I tell my niggaz, keep your eyes on these bitches
   They love to G a nigga young dumb and gettin riches
   What the fuck you think a trick is nigga
   Nigga done stick and wet his dick
   and then get tricked out all his riches by a -- BITCH!
2. Now I can make it happen
   My rappin' is similar to muthafuckers
   When they scrappin'
   Blast and watch em' back up
   Notorious biggie killer
   Affiliation with death row
   Niggaz get their caps pealed back
   Fool this the west coast
   Fuck a misdemeanor I'm raisin hell like felonies
   Mr. Makaveli straight outta jail to sellin' these
   Intoxicated we duplicated but never faded
   Now that we made it my adversaries is player hatin'
3. Whassup Boo? Swear I'll never call you bitch again
   You ain't fuck with me, hehehe
   I swear I'll never call you bitch again
   (All I just wanna say is um, if I fuckin apologized)
   I swear I'll never call you bitch again
   (I ain't mean to call you a bitch)
   I'll never call you bitch again

All of the above have been copied and directly pasted into this blog. Any reasons that I would have to do so is to either show the writer as a pillock or a compassionate human being. I do so in an academic manner, and allow my reader(s) to make his or her own informed analysis.

Until next, cheers , prost, etc.
—mARKUS