The World According to Glissando

Category: Uncategorized

  • Lantern

    I watch the rain as it comes down

    Like the tears within my heart

    I see madness, it’s all around

    Seen it from the very start

    I want to soar up high in my lantern in the sky

    Levitate from far below, find somewhere for my soul

    I want to soar up high in my lantern in the sky

    Maybe there’s a whole new place filled with love, kindness and grace

    We all need hope to fulfill dreams

    Help keep us moving along

    A life flows like a winding stream

    You have courage, so be strong

    I want to soar up high in my lantern in the sky

    Levitate from far below, find somewhere for my soul

    I want to soar up high in my lantern in the sky

    Maybe there’s a whole new place filled with love, kindness and grace

    I watch the rain as it comes down

    Like the tears within my heart

    I see madness, it’s all around

    Seen it from the very start

    I want to soar in my lantern in the sky

    I want to soar in my lantern in the sky

  • King

    The man who would be King? No, it’s not Donald Trump, its Elon Musk. Musk has set his sights on ruling the U.S., then Europe, then the world, and then space. Right now, he says he wants to make Europe great again. Ultimately, he wants to make the Universe great again. I would add this means he wants to rule the Universe.

    I think he may get some push back from God, but, nevertheless, this is Elon’s goal. Supporting Donald Trump is just the first step in his ascent to being King. And, unlike Steve Bannon and others who got bigger press than Trump resulting in their downfall, Musk is much smarter. He won’t make the same mistake. This is why he panders to Trump. And, he has patience. He’s only fifty-three.

    Speaking of age, apparently Musk and some other billionaires are looking to science to live forever. They are devoting significant dollars to this undertaking (pun intended). I wonder if they have spent any money feeding starving children. Probably not. Sociopaths are not known for supporting anyone but themselves.

    Musk also talks a lot about freedom of speech. The man doth thee protest too much. He is against the Tik Tok ban in the United States as he says it is a hindrance to freedom of speech. But, then he adds, just like his platform X (formerly Twitter) is banned in China and therefore a hindrance to free speech. You have to understand, he says all this not to further the cause of freedom of speech; he does it for the usual reasons…money and power.

    So, will Elon live forever and become King of the Universe? Time will tell, but, I think not. People have been trying to physically live forever since the beginning of time and God is in charge of living forever, despite humankind’s best efforts. As for King of the Universe, the Universe is far too big to be ruled by one minuscule speck of worldly dust.

  • Be

    Why won’t we come to see

    What we must do to be free

    Why won’t we come to see

    What we must do to be free

    My heart churns

    The world burns

    How I yearn

    Can’t we learn

    Why won’t we come to see

    What we must do to be free

    Why won’t we come to see

    What we must do to be free

    So much greed

    Mouths to feed

    Children plead

    Victims bleed

    copyright SOCAN

  • Statistics

    Numbers. I find two things really interesting about them. First: there is only one correct answer. Very objective. Secondly: how numbers are used in percentage statistics. You see, while the numbers remain objective, statistics can be subjective. A simple example: what would you prefer to have, 50% of $100 or 10% of $1,000? The answer, of course, is 10% of $1,000.

    This is why percentage statistics can be subjective. Without context, they are sometimes meaningless. They can be easily manipulated to support a certain viewpoint or claim. Sometimes two parties with contradictory viewpoints on an issue can both use the same percentage statistics to support their position. So, you have to know the context. Another example: cases of pneumonia are up 33% year over year in a specific jurisdiction with a population of 100,000 people. That’s big news. But, unless you know last year there were only 4 cases and this year 6, that’s not such big news after all. The numbers are accurate, but the perception they create is not.    

    Percentage statistics are constantly thrown at us from every direction to justify perspectives. They can be used or misused. You have to know the context of those numbers.   

  • Goodness

    Like many, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the way some of humanity behaves…greed, gossip, selfishness, lack of compassion, hate and so on. But, every once in awhile I am reminded of and renewed in hope by the goodness of another person.

    It can get quite cold in winter where I live. The other day I went to a hospital to visit a friend. After parking the car, I started walking to the hospital’s front entrance. That’s when I realized I forgot my phone in the car. I walked back to get it. I used the remote to open the car, but, the remote would not work. That’s OK. I have a key. When I tried to open the car with the key, it would not turn. I tried a few times with no success. It was bitterly cold, maybe the coldest day of the winter, complete with a howling wind. All of a sudden, I thought a big, “Oh oh!”

    At that moment, a stranger walked up to me and asked what was happening? I quickly explained my plight to him. He suggested the lock might be iced up and said, “I will be right back.” I watched him go to his blue truck and then he came back with a can of lock de-icer. He applied it to the lock and then I tried the key. It worked. I could open the car.

    I couldn’t thank this stranger enough. He told me he was happy to help. People have helped him many times over the years, so he should help others, too. We’re all part of the same Universe after all, so we should always help each other. With that, he continued on his way.

    At that moment, on the coldest day of the winter, my heart was warm and aglow. This gentleman reminded me of all the good people there are in the world, reinvigorating my hope for humanity. There is much goodness in the world even though we get constantly bombarded by its negativity. There still is hope. I gladly continued on my journey to see my friend in the hospital.     

  • Red

    The FDA has just banned the food additive Red Dye 3, a widely used food enhancement made from petroleum to make food and beverages, plus drugs, look a bright cherry red. Please note it is made from petroleum and you’re ingesting it. Approximately 30 years ago a link between Red Dye 3 and cancer was discovered. It’s taken 30 long years for it to finally be banned.

    As we move into an era of less government regulation, or so it seems, this is a concern. No company that I am aware of has voluntarily stopped using this food enhancement product over the last 30 years. Why? Money. Change can be costly in business, like everything else in life potentially is. Business does not want to add expense to their bottom line, even for a changeover that is a short term prospect, even if it makes a product safer for people.

    A couple of things come to mind regarding this issue. One: people who work for the food industry at all levels also consume this petroleum product. Does this not concern you? Two: this begs the question, how can we trust business in a less regulated world? Business rarely takes the high road when it might cut into revenue and profit. Lead and asbestos, long since banned, immediately come to mind, and both are still occasionally found in products to this day.         

    So, this is something to think about. You might say it’s food for thought, but without any artificial enhancements.

  • Giving

    Has it really come down to this in today’s America…people trying to outdo people in the amount of misery they’ve suffered and their worthiness. I won’t say who the case I’m talking about involves. Not only would it be in bad taste, it would be wrong. What I will say is that there was a recent donation to one group of people. Another group of people complained about this. What about them? In both cases, the parties suffered significant trauma. Both are equally deserving.

    But, complain in some way about someone who gives a donation that’s not to you? People donate where they feel they should. It’s a personal choice. There are so many worthy causes. They shouldn’t be criticized for what worthwhile cause they gave to, they should be applauded for their giving.

  • Corruption

    The United States of America was once revered by much of the world. Much has changed though. Maybe the biggest change of all is the widespread corruption, and all the unethical trappings and deceit that come with it. And the corruption is not just in the usual places, it has started to spread throughout the general population.

    The U.S., for the first time, has elected a felon, that’s right, a felon to be President. This is not at all a politically biased observation (political persuasion is not even a metric I used in this matter), it is a fact. What kind of people elect a convicted felon?

    There is a desire for less government regulation. Why? So business can cut corners and do whatever it wants to do. The reason why there is government regulation in the first place is to protect people. Lead, asbestos, toxic chemical disposal, unsafe drinking water; on and on the list goes. If business were given its way, it would not care about these things if it adversely affected revenues. They haven’t cared in the past.

    Then there’s the United States of North America. There seems to be a strong desire by a growing, powerful faction in the U.S. to illegally acquire Canada and Mexico, through one-sided negotiation or by force. These people want all of North America in order to, among many things, expand possession of vital natural resources and potentially increase the cheap labour pool. Why? To make a lot more money and increase their power and influence. Let’s not forget Greenland and Panama, as well, both for much the same reasons.

    These are the trappings of corruption, unethical behavior, and deceit. This also diminishes the capacity to care about one another. You might read this and disagree, and that’s fine. Right now, we have freedom of speech. But, what I am saying is truth, not fiction, which is put forth by the cabal of so many special interests hiding in the weeds.       

  • FBBS

    Facebook. It was a wonderful new way to connect with friends: past, present and future. It was user friendly. You were allowed to “Friend” anyone you wanted to if the other party was agreeable. You received your friends’ posts as they happened in chronological order. Their posts were the primary focus. But, once they got enough people hooked, they changed it. Why? Avarice, of course.

    Today’s Facebook is very different. The priority is no longer connecting, and your friends’ posts, its’s whatever Facebook’s priority is. You can no longer easily “Friend” someone who is a new real life friend. Instead, you have to choose from the choices given to you by Facebook. Content? You can sometimes wait days to see a Friend’s post, if at all. Instead, you are inundated with ads, often by lousy companies; and Facebook chooses all types of posts from anyone they think you might be interested in. Why? The are trying to drive up advertiser dollars, not help you connect.

    Facebook was a great concept, but, like so many other things, it got corrupted by the desire to make more and more and more revenue. I have no problem with companies and people making money. It’s the avarice I have a problem with. For now, I am still on Facebook, but nowhere near as much. It’s because of all the friends I have made in the earlier days of Facebook. But, as I see less and less of their posts, eventually I will stop using the app. Friends were the reason I used Facebook in the first place. I certainly think I am not the only one who feels this way. Facebook…take note.  

  • Canada

    O Canada. “The true north strong and free!” is one of the lines in their national anthem. It is no secret that Donald Trump, and indeed, a number of influential (rich) Americans would like to see Canada as the fifty-first state. Canadians have strongly rejected these overtures, but, here are some unsettling considerations for Canadians.

    Canada is coveted for its abundant supply of fresh water. Some suggest the figure is around twenty percent of the world’s surface fresh water. Remember, fresh water is imperative to the continued existence of humanity and many other forms of life on earth. Next, there’s Canada’s broad spectrum wealth of vital natural resources including oil, gas, and minerals, some of which are considered rare. Land suitable for sustainable agriculture and renewable hydro electricity abounds

    With this in mind, you have to remember that many a war was started by one group wanting what another group possesses. Such is the human condition. Canada has much to offer a potential invading country. But, could an invasion really happen? I believe it could, especially given humanity’s track record. For Canada, their problem is really obvious…it has a huge land mass with a small population relative to size, served by an inadequate armed forces. This is not a knock on the good, world-class people in the military, but rather, it acknowledges the lack of a large armed forces that are often ill-equipped.

    Number one on the potential list of invaders is the United States. They need what Canada has and they are Canada’s next door neighbour. Initially, the “invasion” may come via political channels, but, if push comes to shove, I think there could be a literal invasion. In light of America’s massive military might, Canada should surrender before the opening salvo is fired and Canadian lives are unnecessarily lost. Other potential invading countries include China and Russia. Too far away? Remember, access can be via the North Pole.

    I do hope this does not come to pass. Canada is a sovereign, democratically principled nation, with the right to exist freely. However, world affairs continue to careen everywhere. History is filled with countries that support another country and then reverse that support. Iran and the United States is one example. Russia and the World War II Allies is another. This has happened again and again through all of history. I would suggest Canadians consider that invasion by another country is plausible and make their plans accordingly in the hopes of preserving their great country. And, if it were to happen, there might be strong condemnation from around the world, but, don’t count on receiving help from any nation.