The World According to Glissando

Category: Uncategorized

  • War

    Alcohol. We all know it’s plentiful downsides, but also why people consume it. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, also known by the acronym PTSD, was first diagnosed as an illness in 1980, an all too real and often debilitating, even disturbing illness. Here’s the thing, though, PTSD has always existed. We just didn’t recognize it until 1980.

    I cannot truly understand what it means to actually fight in a war, but, I have really tried to understand the best that I can. War is a profound hell. It can eviscerate a human mind, soul and body. I think about the copious miseries, indecencies, and atrocities a soldier experiences and it boggles my mind. Then, you have the sudden loss of a friend who stood next to you, alive, seconds ago, a cycle which repeats over and over. War is unimaginable unless you have had to fight in one.

    Prior to the recognition of PTSD, treatment was extremely limited. Accessing help today can still be a real challenge. The unimaginable, horrific memories of war…how do you escape them if you actually are able to survive a war? Well, for many years, alcohol was and still is a prescription. Lots of alcohol. As you quite understandably try to rid yourself of the ongoing, hellish nightmares, that bottle of alcohol isn’t a mere drink, it has medicine written all over it. Too often, the local legion is still the health clinic.

    I tell you all of this because we should always honour and assist our war veterans, who have paid a very high price in surviving war. If you have an opportunity to help a veteran, or a veteran’s family, in some way, you should do it. There is nothing glorious about war and we should recognize this, especially since humanity doesn’t seem to to want to stop fighting them. War is a profound hell.   

  • Astronauts

    As the holiday season is coming to a close I was self-reminded of the plight of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, whose Gilligan’s Island “eight day tour” in space became an involuntary half year “adventure” and counting. Think of it this way; here on earth imagine yourself being stranded in Antarctica for an indefinite period of time. Not for me, thanks.

    These two astronauts are, of course, remarkable. They’ve handled the situation with great calm and aplomb. This is why astronauts are special people who are chosen because of their character and talents. They lead the way in expanding our knowledge and understanding of the universe on a very human scale.

    So, Happy New Year Sunita and Butch, and all the other people currently residing at the International Space Station. You are truly amazing. No matter what country you come from, you are doing important work on many levels to make our world a better place. Let’s also remember the “International” in Space Station. Space is for all humankind, not just countries or factions. May we never fight over possession of this realm, as is the nature of the human species.

  • AI2

    We all think it’s cute in the commercials where someone asks Siri, the Apple AI Assistant, a question and Siri answers. Isn’t that wonderful or cool, we think? Here’s something you may not realize though. Everything you ask Siri is recorded by Apple. It goes further. Sometimes you inadvertently and unknowingly activate Siri and everything you say is recorded by Apple. Apple will then disclose this information to marketers, advertisers and who knows who else. It is my understanding that Google Assist performs similar AI activities. Apple has just settled a class action lawsuit for $95 million over privacy issues involving Siri. In settling the claim, Apple was able to deny any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.    

    It used to be that the biggest privacy concerns were directed toward government. However, with the advent of AI, our privacy can now be tracked by a much larger potential pool of listeners. I’m not a conspiracy theorist; truth is what matters to me. What I am saying though is that this is what’s happening in our digital age with the advent of AI. I simply think people should be aware of this. You should also be aware that it is possible to disable these functions on your phone. As Don Henley sang: “This is the end of the innocence.”  

  • Zealism

    Zealism. I don’t know if this is a real word, but it is my term to describe someone who is extremely passionate about anything. This can be a good thing. It can be applied to someone working to create the next miracle pharmaceutical. Or a world class Olympic athlete in training. Zealism can also be a terrible thing.

    In the United States, there was a New Year’s Day mass murder in New Orleans. The term terrorist attack is already being used to describe the attack. This article is not about the approval or disapproval of any particular group or faction. It’s about zealism itself.

    The problem with any extreme zealism is its destructiveness, intolerance, and the blocking of free thought and speech. With zealots, you cannot have thoughtful discussions. You cannot dissuade them from their position. They have shut their minds. It’s their way or the highway, or much worse. This type of zealism, therefore, does not result in peace, love, harmony and respect for everyone. Disagree and you could be dead.

    How is the world to find peace and hope when you have groups of extremists who have no desire for peace? This has been a blight on humanity from the very beginning. Fighting can never end if the involved parties blindly hate each other and don’t have the desire to talk and start fresh. Still, I always hope for elusive peace. You cannot ever give up on this hope.       

  • Goodbye

    Life never takes a holiday. On Christmas Day, a neighbor of mine in the block I live in passed away at a son’s place. He was a nice, pleasant man. One of my artistic vocations is as a singer/songwriter. A new song quickly imposed itself on my brain; not a sad song per se, but, a song that is bittersweet and hopeful. Following are the lyrics for this song. I have not included the title purposefully…this blog is about the power of words and not for any self-promotion of any kind. Integrity is key to this blog. This is what is important to me. That’s why there are no links etc. Please note though, that these words are copyrighted through SOCAN. I hope you find meaning and hope in the words I am about to present.

    Goodbye good neighbour

    Sorry you had to go

    You were a nice man

    Always happens here though

    Goodbye good neighbour

    Known so many here

    Goodbye good neighbour

    Let’s not dwell in fear

    Goodbye good neighbour, goodbye

    Goodbye good neighbour, goodbye

    Goodbye good neighbour, goodbye

    Goodbye

    Life’s bittersweet

    Any time of year

    So unrelenting

    Do your best while you’re here

    Goodbye good neighbour

    Known so many here

    Goodbye good neighbour

    Let’s not dwell in fear

    Goodbye good neighbour, goodbye

    Goodbye good neighbour, goodbye

    Goodbye good neighbour, goodbye

    Goodbye

    Life is a mystery

    Lost in the sands of history

    Goodbye good neighbour

    Known so many here

    Goodbye good neighbour

    Let’s not dwell in fear

    Goodbye good neighbour, goodbye

    Goodbye good neighbour, goodbye

    Goodbye good neighbour, goodbye

  • AI

    Today, many Canadian seniors thought they were going to get a one-time payment of $2,500 from the Government of Canada to compensate for the increased cost of living. When I first learned of this, it sounded the proverbial “too good to be true.” I quickly contacted the Federal Government who advised there is no such program currently in existence.

    When I did a Google search reading “$2500 for canadian seniors is this true”; up popped on my screen at the top, first and foremost, an AI Overview of this program confirming its existence and various details followed. No wonder people thought this was true. There it is right there in front of me confirming the program. It’s not hard to understand why seniors were really excited about it. Unfortunately, for millions of seniors, it was not true. The AI information was totally false. And that’s the rub.

    This is just one example of the inaccuracy and potential misuse of AI. AI is the acronym for Artificial Intelligence, which is generated by computer/digital applications. This created a huge problem. Millions of people believed they were going to get $2500. This is just the start of the problem of trying to figure out what the truth really is. Ten years from now, good luck.

    It’s time for everyone to realize that evil people will use AI for evil purposes. Count on it. Just to be clear, I do not believe there was any attempt by Google to mislead anyone in this particular case. AI is still very much in its infancy of development, albeit at an alarmingly quick rate. But, we must recognize its potential for evil purposes, humankind being what it is. This accidental, inaccurate AI event clearly demonstrates the burgeoning power of AI.      

  • News

    Some people are saying to abandon the “Legacy Media,” which is the term used for the traditional news media. The supporters of this concept say Legacy Media is not truthful. They are biased and constantly lie. So, who is saying this? The answer: people who don’t like the truth or want to control what the truth is via social media platforms.

    Why are they saying this? Of course, money, power and control are some of their objectives. Remember, online truth is actually difficult to find. You have to be discerning and know your sources well enough to trust what they are reporting as news. And that’s the problem with rejecting the traditional news media.

    Look at it this way: if you eliminate traditional media, you have less sources of potential news, not more. Sure, if you want to put your faith exclusively in online platforms, that’s your right, but, eliminating traditional media gives you less options to discern the truth. You are actually losing an element of free speech and freedoms.

    Those who seek cultural control, control of the masses, money, or power are always empowered by restricting or controlling the sources of information, be it online, traditional or other media. These people want to control the news. However, unlimited, freely accessed news is imperative for your rights and freedoms, and for democracy. Think about any authoritarian country and they have one thing in common: they control all news media.

    So, I say, don’t abandon traditional media. It invites news media control. They are a source of information, which you may or may not like, but, they should have the right to present information the same as any online platform. When you eliminate a source of information, you are losing some of your rights.   

  • Truth

    Elon Musk says to forego all other news apps and sources except for X (Twitter) because X is the only source of true news. Don’t do what Elon says. You need every source of news and the discernment to know who to believe and who not to believe. If Elon had his way, Tesla would be the only car to buy in the world. Truth needs many lenses. His goal is to make money and maybe rule the world some day.

  • Power

    In Canada, not yet the fifty-first American state, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lost his wife and is about to lose his Liberal Party backing and leadership. The question I ask, and have continually asked, is this: “Is power really worth it?” Many people constantly strive to acquire more and more power and money, but in the end, you cannot take any of it with you. You may well have inflicted pain and suffering on many others, as well, as you seek to gain and maintain your power and money.

    As you sacrifice everything, including integrity and empathy; deep down, what does your heart and soul really say to you? You bury it, but, we all do have feelings, even sociopaths. One hundred years from now, who will really remember who you were? People cannot remember President’s from thirty-five years ago. No one will care who you were, possibly including your own family. And what about the rest of eternity? Is power and money really worth it?

  • Banks

    Banks

    Banks. They portray themselves as your friends. “We’re here to help.” This is what the power brokers behind the banking system and the power brokers behind the economy want you to believe. And, we believe it because that is what we are told from the day we are born. Sorry to have to break the news to you, but, this is not true. At best, banks are immoral and unethical; at worse, they are criminal.

    Banks are not our friends. They are only our friends when we have money. If you don’t, they won’t give you the time of day, let alone a dollar. What is so bad about banks and the banking system? Let’s start with everyday loans, credit cards, and mortgages. I think it is fair, if they loan you money, they should charge you interest. However, what’s immoral, unethical, and criminal is the way you pay them back.

    Over and above the interest they charge for loans, credit cards, and mortgages, they front-end load the interest charges when it comes to paying them back. Logically, if someone loaned me money with interest over a 10 month payback period, I would pay this back with the same ratio of principal to interest. For example: if I had to pay off a $100 loan at 10 percent interest for a total of $110 over 10 months, I would pay $11 a month; 10 dollars principal and $1.00 interest.  That’s not how it works.      

    When you pay them back, your first payment of $11 would break down to $1 toward principal and $10 toward interest. Initially, when you pay off a loan it’s the interest you’re paying for. Very little is put toward the principal. “So what, you say?” It is this type of re-payment practice that causes you to pay $250,000 for a house that you paid $100,000 for. The result, you have actually paid 250 percent of the value of that home. And, if you try to pay off the mortgage early, in addition to penalties and fees, the principal is much larger than it would be if you were paying the logical same ratio of principal to interest. You would owe the bank much more money than you should.

    Banks are not the friend of everyday, real people. Yes, others have already put forth this issue, but, I decided to, as well, because I have decided not to give up on trying to make the world a better, more equitable place for everyone.

    This is only the tip of a vast economic iceberg. I have no problem with people doing business fairly and honestly; and making a profit, even a good profit. I do have a problem with dishonest business practices that is foisted upon an unsuspecting public because we are brainwashed from the day we are born that this is the way economics should work. This message is enhanced by the various types of media. Remember, for the most part, media is owned by power brokers, so their independence only goes so far. It’s time for change!