Winter Weather Is Over

Probably because of my medical condition, I cannot remember these days the past winter season's weather all that well and whether the winter season weather back then is very similar to what we are experiencing these days. Mind you, I just don't remember in the past the kind of weather we have experienced this winter. It seems to me so different. At least, maybe somebody can argue that our weather in this region, because of location, is never similar to the weather in other areas.

Consider this that may help explain the difference for this year anyway:

"Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center issued the U.S. Winter Outlook today favoring cooler and wetter weather in Southern Tier states with above-average temperatures most likely in the West and across the Northern Tier. This year’s El Niño, among the strongest on record, is expected to influence weather and climate patterns this winter by impacting the position of the Pacific jet stream.

“A strong El Niño is in place and should exert a strong influence over our weather this winter,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center." (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration http://www.noaa.gov/ October 15, 2015 )

What was predicted was above average temperatures. I think this is pretty accurate for our area anyway.

We have had quite a remarkable winter so far. Hardly any snow at all has come down during our winter months. Oh, we had a few large snow falls but the number of them this year has been quite low. Moreover, even though snow has fallen, it has not stayed around very long afterwards.

Even though I did not go outside during last year's or this season's winter very much because of my illness and recovery now, I know that the winter weather was a lot worse before than it is now.  I do believe that the weather people in their prediction were pretty accurate that we would have a much milder kind of weather this year.

The temperature seems a lot warmer although I must admit that living in Tecumseh seems a lot colder than living in Windsor. By a few degrees at least. It may be because I'm still recovering from my illness and my body is having difficulty with its temperature adjustments. However, I do find that the temperature over the last few months is still quite cold outside although the amount of snow total is quite low. 

I thought that I saw some predictions that our summer weather is supposed to be quite warm. I wonder if we will see some negativity because our landscape will not have absorbed enough water that it might need because of the low snowfall this year.

I do like following winter forecasts that we get from the weather people over the media, both radio and television. I do follow it quite closely as seems to be my habit all of the time. I must admit that I have not kept detailed records considering how good or bad weather forecasts have been but it seems to me that weather forecasts have not been particularly accurate this winter. How many times have we seen forecasts that just never developed as was projected? Again, I don't have accurate records but the number of them seemed to be high to me. What I have seen is weather people saying that they cannot give accurate weather forecasting even soon after it is first given because of different possibilities that could take place because of changing conditions. Again, I must admit that this seems to be a new practice that weather people are taking these days.

Just take a look at the weather over the past couple of days. I just can't believe we have seen changes like this happen so often in a winter.  On Saturday, my wife and I walked around for about an hour because the temperature was so nice and warm, in the 60s. On the Sunday evening and Monday morning, the temperature dropped quite low to the point of unpleasantness. We have seen such big differences in weather changing so quickly quite often this year it seems to me.

Oh well, the winter weather technically is over and we are now in our spring state. It will be a very interesting to see how temperature reacts now and then what happens in the summertime. How hot, or cold, will it be and how much rain, or lack thereof, will we experience between now and the end of the summer. 

As our weather develops, just look for stories from me!

Hockey Way To Do Windsor Business

A $$$ question for you, dear reader.

Do you think we should not spend a lot of money for all kinds of  non-Windsor events?

Pshaw, only if  not Windsor City Government people involved.  Here is how the City spends $$$  now:

Our Huge Surprise

When using the bathroom the other day, I saw this weird "A" in the garbage can.

I have to admit that I could NOT figure out who did the layout or even how it was done because I  certainly had nothing to do with it.

I called my wife and asked her what she saw in the garbage can and at first she did not see anything.  Then a shock expression. She saw the amazing "A" in the waste can as well.

"A"  obviously stands for Arditti, which is our family's last name!

This phenomenon that many people often see is called Pareidolia.  Wikipedia defines this as "psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (an image or a sound) wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern of something where none actually exists."

Here is the photo that we saw.  Quite a shocking surprise isn't it:

Even More Interesting Stories

 

I found a lot of very interesting stories in the media over the past little while. I thought I would let you know what some of them are.

ANOTHER COSTLY BRIDGE 

If you think that anyone has the faintest idea about what the cost of a new Windsor/Detroit bridge is, then I think you are wrong, dear reader. In my opinion, it probably will be higher than anyone thinks it will be. Here is an example of a 25% or so increase in price in another project in the area that happened so quickly: 

"LaSalle Bridge Proving Costly

By Ricardo Veneza on March 17, 2016   

The County of Essex is spending almost $100,000 more than it thought it would on bridge repairs in LaSalle.

Administration thought the rehabilitation job for the County Rd. 8 bridge running over the Canard River — also known as the bowstring bridge — would cost about $400,000, but Front Construction got the contract as the lowest bidder at $495,221." (Ricardo Veneza BlackburnNews March 17, 2016) 

Who knows. Perhaps that 5 billion dollar plus cost for a new Government bridge in Windsor/Detroit is still a lot low. 

WILL GOVERNOR SNYDER RUN FOR PRESIDENT SOON 

It won't be this term but it would not surprise me to see him running for President in the next presidential election. After all, the mess in the Michigan State issue with respect to Flint is not his fault now is it. He just wants to fix up everything. Just look what he says in Washington DC in the hearing there in his speech on March 17, 2016: 

"That’s why I am committed to a complete and comprehensive change in state government that puts public health and safety first. 

And it’s why I called for a thorough investigation of the Michigan Department of  Health and Human Services by the auditor general and the inspector general.  

We are taking responsibility and taking action in Michigan, and that is absolutely essential here in Washington, too. Inefficient, ineffective, and unaccountable bureaucrats at the EPA allowed this disaster to continue unnecessarily...

I am grateful to have been elected to serve the people of Michigan. I understand their anger.

I’ve  been humbled by this experience. And I’m going to make Flint and every community in Michigan a better place to live. We have a lot to learn, and a lot to do. 

I close with a simple plea … 

Partner with me in fixing this" 

LET'S BUILD TOLL ROADS 

What the heck. Never mind using tax money to build roads. Let's just charge people toll money to do so. 

What a nice way for some private firms to make a ton of cash to build these roads and to manage them over the years. Of course, the main responsibility for these roads will be the Governments involved who will have to raise the money to do so since they will be owners. 

Let's do some tolls in Toronto first to demonstrate what a great idea it is to build these kind of roads. Then, when everything looks so fabulous, new toll roads can be built all over the place. Just see what the Globe and Mail wrote in their Editorial on March 16, 2016: 

"It’s a mystery why Canada has something of an allergy to toll roads. There are many tolled highways in the United States, including quite a few of the interstates; fully 26 states have them, often known as “turnpikes.” When the idea is raised in Canada, it’s often decried as a socialist plot or a government tax grab. It’s actually as free-market as can be. Want to drive on the road? Pay for it. Highway 407, a toll highway just outside Toronto, is a rarity. 

As for Toronto itself, the crumbling eastern section of the Gardiner Expressway is in no condition to continue as it is. It would make eminent sense to finance its repair and replacement – which will cost at least $2.5-billion – and that of the related Don Valley Parkway, by levying charges on its drivers, rather than raising the money from the city’s long-suffering taxpayers." 

DETROIT/WINDSOR TUNNEL REQUIRES LOTS OF WORK TO FIX UP 

Just like the Ambassador Bridge, it looks like the Tunnel also needs to spend a fair bit of money to fix up. It should be interesting to find out how much it really costs. It looks like the money will have to be spent no matter what it ultimately is since the Tunnel has gotten old from its initial construction: 

"The Windsor-Detroit Tunnel will be closing overnight five days a week beginning in August for replacement of its original concrete roof. 

“It’s a scheduled project and if you look at tunnels in the United States and Canada they have a lifespan, just like the roof on your house has a lifespan, and so this is just a scheduled replacement,” said tunnel president Neal Belitsky. 

The roof replacement will be part of extensive renovations to the tunnel which will begin in May... 

The tunnel will be closed from 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. from Sunday through Thursday." (Chris Thompson, Windsor Star March 16, 2016)

 

Another Dell Laptop Computer

I do hope you like coming to my blog and taking a look at the various reviews I have done on Dell computers. It is always my intention to give an honest review and of course, letting you know if there are any negatives to be aware of. However, in my experiences using Dell products, I have nothing but positive things to say.

Here is the interesting side of all of this work from my perspective. I am hardly a computer expert. Yet, that does not trouble me nor do I consider that it should hurt you either. I'm the kind of person who has learned how to carry out different kinds of computer tasks by undertaking them over a period of time. To be honest, that should be helpful to you. When I do my report, I try to do an article with respect to the computer that I have been given based on the way a person with my expertise, which is not that of a "professional," who gets one to use for his or her purposes might be used to doing so. I just want to make sure that I can use the computer in a progressive manner and not have any difficulties with it when describing it to you as something you might want to consider to purchase.

So what do I have for you today? Well, I received the Inspiron 15 7000 series 2-in-1 computer to work with over a couple of weeks ago and so here are my thoughts.

It is a good upgrade from the computer I reviewed before on November 30, 2015 "A new world of technology with Dell" http://tecumsehcityblog.blogspot.ca/2015/11/a-new-world-of-technology-with-dell.html

Obviously, the screen on this computer is larger at 15.4 inches than the other models that have the 13 inch screens that I have written about. While I really liked the 13 inch screen, especially for watching short news clips and surfing the web, I find that the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series 2-in-1 computer is a perfect sized computer.

With this size, the laptop is quite useful for when one uses the laptop for business and educational needs as well as entertainment needs. It is easy on the eyes. As an example, word processing can be done quite well on this size of a laptop and is easier to read a lot of font styles/sizes that are on the screen. Of course, it is also extremely useful for non-business matters since it is a great unit for entertainment purposes, such as watching a movie, listening to music, or even playing fun online games (my daughter got me hooked on Candy Crush Soda Saga!) alone or with another person beside you.

Once again, it can be opened in 4 different ways. In other words, now you have a combination of:

-a regular laptop computer that can be opened up normally or "backwards"

-a computer possibility that can be opened up just so that the graphics side can be viewed in a triangular shape

-a "tablet" mode version that can fold up the computer to make it appear as if it is just a tablet.

I just find that these options are remarkable choices for a laptop computer that is so inexpensive! Having these options make it a great way to transform your work station. I like how the triangular shape can be positioned in the kitchen, so all you foodies can watch your favourite chef online or follow a recipe tutorial. Of course, it can be completely folded into a tablet so that a movie can be watched on it if one holds onto it or it is put into a location that is really designed as a relaxation point.

Again you will notice with the upgraded software that there are some added features on the Windows main page that were not present before to make it easier for you to do basic computer work. That's part of the software upgrade.  As before, Windows 10 just loads on start-up so much more quickly than previous versions of Windows. I think that is a real privilege. It also closes quickly as well, so there is rarely any lag issues to report.

The colours on the screen are quite superb as well. While there is a "touchpad," that works all right, I would prefer to buy a mouse as an option to use. The touchpad is quite useful when the laptop is used for non-business purposes. If it is used for a business purpose though, I think that a mouse is the more effective way since you can type out a document and make any required changes, instead of reaching up to touch the screen to make adjustments.

Is the Inspiron 15 7000 series 2-in-1 computer a well-built one?

"Keys to success: We test commonly used keys for 10 million keystrokes and touch pad buttons 1 million times with no failure." I would say that is a definite yes.

Just so you know as well, the keyboard has back-lighting that goes on for the typing service and type keys. I must admit that I cannot remember if the older unit had this feature but it is clearly a great option for those who are in dim-lighting or prefer a darker atmosphere.

Effectively, the laptop I used before has been upgraded for some new features now. It seems to be typical of how computers are changing so quickly over such a short period of time. As soon as you buy one, something even more advanced comes out. It is hard to keep up!

It does not mean that the unit purchased previously will be out of touch with today's demands, but it's important to assess your needs frequently to make sure the technology you have is working at the most optimal level for you. The Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series 2-in-1 computer surely does prove that each new model does its best to offer the most enhanced features with ease and durability, in order to ensure satisfaction to each and every Dell customer.

Spring Has Sprung

Now that we are past the important day in March, we are officially into the Spring timetable.

I'm pretty excited that Spring is here because I'm always tired in Winter. I know that we have not had very much snow fall this year, but it has been quite cold on many days. I can generally cope with the hot weather a lot better, although I have to admit that temperatures around 85° or more in the summertime makes it difficult for someone like me to walk around very much during the day.

Of course, this is a very special and important Spring for me. It was in this time period a year ago that there was a very significant change for me in my life. As you may recall, last year I was quite sick around this time and was in the process of recovering from my very difficult illnesses that changed the nature of my life when I was in hospital during the winter. That meant that effectively I missed physically the first part of Spring and only started going outside on a significant basis after we moved to Tecumseh towards the end of May. I was able then to start walking again and was gradually able to increase the amount of time that I was outside, as I walked generally 3 times per day i.e. right after all of the meals. As time went on, and as we walked in the summertime, my walks per day lasted over 2 hours. I sure exercised a lot!

In my first year here, a number of people did see me walking around the area, accompanied by my wife Marsha. I don't think that many people knew what I was recovering from and why I was walking around all the time. The good part though is that no one seemed to be negative in dealing with me, but were rather quite supportive and welcoming.

Of course, living in the environment in my condominium is quite useful for my wife and me. Unlike the massive property where I lived in my old house, I don't have a whole bunch of property that requires lawn cutting every week. Rather, it requires no outside maintenance since we pay for gardeners as part of our monthly condominium expenses. This is a real perk!

I have pretty much "retired" from working at least at this stage of my life and certainly enjoy the life I'm living now. I had to learn how to deal with this new environment after my illness and recovery because it was not the kind of existence we were living before at all. I think we have done a pretty good job of adjusting.

I can hardly wait for warmer weather to come. I really do want to do all kinds of things early in the year that I could not do very well last year because of my physical condition. I must admit that I am not sure exactly what I am going to do in the garden. I am hardly a great gardener in any event. I will be allowed to do some flower gardening work provided that a lot of it is done in my own flowerpots. I actually bought one last year for some flowers and with masterful watering was able to keep them blooming for a good part of the summer. It will be fun to try to do it again this year.

Believe it or not, my walking really worked out last summer. Towards the end, I was walking several hours per day all around this area when the weather was good to get some great exercising for myself. Actually, my wife became very fit as well over the summertime because she accompanied me on all of these walks. I was very impressed with her. She looked so fantastic as well.

Yes, we were the "older couple" holding hands as we walked down the street. Now that is something as I have mentioned before that I have rarely seen many older couples do. Oh well, maybe people thought that this couple of 41 years were actually newlyweds.

Naturally, with my fantastic BBQ in the backyard, I will be doing a lot of the cooking this year. Meat, chicken and even some fish will be prepared by me, as long as the weather is good because it is just a task I really enjoy. Naturally, I have to prepare hot dogs as well and hamburgers too. They taste so good after being barbecued. Who knows what else I might try and learn how to cook. There are so many kinds of food that I can experiment with.

Sun-tanning by sitting outside or going for a walk, swimming at the Condominium's pool, sharing snacks and drinks with neighbours around here and even having some BBQ treats with friends and family in our unit behind their house are all activities that I hope that my wife and I will be pursuing as time goes on. I would also like to schedule visits with people that have been in contact with me from the time I was hospitalized to now. I really appreciate all the on-going support and everyone who takes a moment to read my blog posts. This helps with my recovery and getting emotions out, while re-connecting to the world.

So there you have it. Yes, it is the new life that I'm just starting after a lot of the misery that I went through last year. Fortunately, I have a fantastic partner, Marsha, who helped me so much and continues to be by my side. I am hoping that there will be plenty more memories to make this year for all of us.

More Stories To Read

I've been doing a lot of reading online and in newspapers. In doing so, I find all kinds of interesting stories some of which I want to let you know about. 

WILL CITIES FAVOUR TOLL ROADS 

It really should be interesting if politicians will support toll roads themselves or will their civil servants effectively be the ones who will suggest strongly that the roads are introduced with no other real alternative.   

I'm not sure that politicians necessarily want taxpayers to pay the costs. They may try to impose fees instead on the users of the highway rather than having taxpayers pay for the road using their taxes.  Take a look at this story about what may happen in Toronto: 

"Toronto studying road toll technology for Gardiner, DVP

A consultant will look at various road pricing scenarios for the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway.   

Road tolls being studied would be designed to recover the estimated $2.5 billion cost of rebuilding the east end of the Gardiner Expressway, and potentially reducing congestion and raising money for other infrastructure projects.  

Politicians, including Toronto’s mayor, don’t like them. But the prohibitive cost of rebuilding the east end of the Gardiner Expressway means the city is moving forward on a study of road tolls... 

The tolls, which would be a tough sell on city council, would be designed to recover the estimated $2.5 billion cost of rebuilding the east end of the Gardiner and potentially reducing congestion and raising money for other infrastructure projects. 

A mayor’s spokeswoman reiterated Tuesday that John Tory doesn’t particularly like the idea. 

“A broader discussion around new ways of raising revenue will begin in April when the city manager presents his long-term financial plan. Road and congestion pricing will almost certainly be part of that as one item on a long list of possibilities,” said Keerthana.  

“The mayor does not wish to pre-empt that discussion but his views on road tolls are well documented: it would not be his preferred way to pay for road infrastructure,” she said."  ( Tess Kalinowski, Toronto Star, Mar 15 2016 ) [NOTE: problem opening Star websites now.  Will make a link later]

HOW TO GET LOW HOUSE INSURANCE RATES 

Here's a very interesting story that you ought to go and read for yourself about how to obtain a low price for House insurance rates: 

"Home Insurance Savings Guide: 21 Things That Impact Your Rate

Save money. Compare your rates 

Your home is probably your biggest investment and the best protection for that investment is home insurance. Your home insurance policy is basically broken down into two main components: coverage for your property (e.g. the home itself, your contents and possessions) and liability (e.g. if someone slips and falls on your stairs and they sue you for lost wages). There are varying levels of coverage from the very basic to comprehensive, and the more protection you have the more you'll pay in premiums. 

But what specifically affects your home insurance rate? As you make your house your home, we break down some of the things that may influence the rate you pay for your home insurance coverage." 

Go out and check the Kanetix.ca website to find out some very interesting information. Just go here to do so ( https://www.kanetix.ca/home-insurance-savings-guide?utm_source=Kanetix.ca&utm_campaign=436f5b9649-MY_KX_March_NL_03_15_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_74fcb583d3-436f5b9649-122899297 )

Their website also shows stories about "Tips for preventing water damage" and "Fire prevention tips."  Speaking about fire, the website claims that there were about 24,000 house fires per year across Canada. 

PROBLEMS FOR SENIORS ARE STARTING TO GROW 

There is no doubt at all that if people are living longer to a much older age than before, then we are going to see a lot of new medical problems arising. If those problems are to be solved, they will require big dollars to do so because new approaches will have to be found and new equipment purchased. Yet, at the same time, we're spending lots of money to deal with present medical needs while at the same time are cutting back funds for a number of medical needs in general and especially for hospital costs. 

How many times have we seen that money for hospitals are being cut back significantly? Yet, there are also new approaches that require funds to be found for them to be introduced to help out patients especially older ones because people are living longer.  

Will private funds be the solution to some of these problems: 

"A new report from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce says the province needs to tap into the private sector and take a serious look at how to deal with changing demographics. 

It found nearly four in five Ontarians are worried our health-care system isn’t sustainable. 

The number of seniors in the province is projected to double in the next 20 years. Although health spending is nearly half the provincial budget, it’s not increasing with inflation or growing to meet needs of an aging population, according to the report. 

The report outlines several key challenges facing Ontario’s health-care system: an aging demographic suffering from chronic illnesses, unsustainable growth in costs, a disjointed system where knowledge isn’t always shared and a growing life and sciences sector lacking investment." (Carolyn Thompson, Windsor Star, March 15, 2016)  

DOES ANYONE REALLY KNOW WHAT OUR UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS ARE 

Frankly, I just find this all very confusing. I don't really remember people telling us that the Federal Government unemployment information may not be right. It just seems to come when Windsor's data seemed more positive. 

It appeared as if Windsor's unemployment rate dropped so that it did not have the worst rate in Canada again. Well, when you read this, it could be that this information was not correct at all: 

"Economists disagree on true meaning of Windsor's jobless rate

Statistical fluke or the result of increased manufacturing exports 

As the latest unemployment figures rolled in Friday, Windsor shed its title of being the unemployment capital of Canada. 

The southern Ontario city has long held the top spot on the country's jobless list, so it's no surprise city officials celebrated when Windsor recorded a 7.7 per cent unemployment rate. 

That figure is down from the 9.3 per cent rate reported last month. But there are differing opinions about what the numbers mean.

One economist calls the drop a statistical fluke, while another says Windsor is finally reaping the benefits of increased manufacturing exports. 

Economist Mike Moffat says he doesn't want to be "Dr. Buzzkill," but he cautions officials about celebrating just yet because of the small survey sample that Statistics Canada uses to come up with the monthly unemployment rates. 

"We'll need to wait a few months to find out whether or not this is real," he told CBC News. "Almost always when there's a sudden, unexplained changed in a city's employment figures it reverses itself in a few months." (CBC News Mar 12, 2016)  

That theory doesn't sit right with economist Ian Lee, associate professor at Sprott School of Business. He "respectfully" disagrees with Moffat, suggesting that Windsor is finally reaping the benefits of a low Canadian dollar and rising manufacturing exports." 

I just don't get it. Here we have conflicting statements about Windsor. Is this really the way we function with the statistical information? I don't remember anybody talking about this when our rates kept on increasing making us the number one unemployment city Canada. The negative point of view seems to have come out when Windsor's information looks positive.

More Interesting Stories

 

I found a lot of very interesting stories in the media over the past little while. I thought I would let you know what some of them are. 

ANOTHER COSTLY BRIDGE 

If you think that anyone has the faintest idea about what the cost of a new Windsor Detroit bridge is, then I think you are wrong, dear reader. In my opinion, it probably will be higher than anyone thinks it will be. Here is an example of a 25% or so increase in price in another project in the area that happened so quickly: 

"LaSalle Bridge Proving Costly

By Ricardo Veneza on March 17, 2016   

The County of Essex is spending almost $100,000 more than it thought it would on bridge repairs in LaSalle. 

Administration thought the rehabilitation job for the County Rd. 8 bridge running over the Canard River — also known as the bowstring bridge — would cost about $400,000, but Front Construction got the contract as the lowest bidder at $495,221." (Ricardo Veneza BlackburnNews March 17, 2016) 

Who knows. Perhaps that 5 billion dollar plus cost for a new Government bridge in Windsor/Detroit is still a lot low.  

WILL GOVERNOR SNYDER RUN FOR PRESIDENT SOON 

It won't be this term but it would not surprise me to see him running for President in the next presidential election. After all, the mess in the Michigan State issue with respect to Flint is not his fault now is it. He just wants to fix up everything. Just look what he says in Washington DC in the hearing there in his speech on March 17, 2016: 

"That’s why I am committed to a complete and comprehensive change in state government that puts public health and safety first. 

And it’s why I called for a thorough investigation of the Michigan Department of  Health and Human Services by the auditor general and the inspector general.  

We are taking responsibility and taking action in Michigan, and that is absolutely essential here in Washington, too. Inefficient, ineffective, and unaccountable bureaucrats at the EPA allowed this disaster to continue unnecessarily... 

I am grateful to have been elected to serve the people of Michigan. I understand their anger.

I’ve  been humbled by this experience. And I’m going to make Flint and every community in Michigan a better place to live. We have a lot to learn, and a lot to do. 

I close with a simple plea … 

Partner with me in fixing this" 

LET'S BUILD TOLL ROADS 

What the heck. Never mind using tax money to build roads. Let's just charge people toll money to do so.

What a nice way for some private firms to make a ton of cash to build these roads and to manage them over the years. Of course, the main responsibility for these roads will be the Governments involved who will have to raise the money to do so since they will be owners. 

Let's do some tolls in Toronto first to demonstrate what a great idea it is to build these kind of roads. Then, when everything looks so fabulous, new toll roads can be built all over the place. Just see what the Globe and Mail wrote in their Editorial on March 16, 2016: 

"It’s a mystery why Canada has something of an allergy to toll roads. There are many tolled highways in the United States, including quite a few of the interstates; fully 26 states have them, often known as “turnpikes.” When the idea is raised in Canada, it’s often decried as a socialist plot or a government tax grab. It’s actually as free-market as can be. Want to drive on the road? Pay for it. Highway 407, a toll highway just outside Toronto, is a rarity. 

As for Toronto itself, the crumbling eastern section of the Gardiner Expressway is in no condition to continue as it is. It would make eminent sense to finance its repair and replacement – which will cost at least $2.5-billion – and that of the related Don Valley Parkway, by levying charges on its drivers, rather than raising the money from the city’s long-suffering taxpayers."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/why-give-drivers-a-free-ride-bring-on-the-road-tolls/article29266448/

DETROIT/WINDSOR TUNNEL REQUIRES LOTS OF WORK TO FIX UP
 

Just like the Ambassador Bridge, it looks like the Tunnel also needs to spend a fair bit of money to fix up. It should be interesting to find out how much it really costs. It looks like the money will have to be spent no matter what it ultimately is since the Tunnel has gotten old from its initial construction: 

"The Windsor-Detroit Tunnel will be closing overnight five days a week beginning in August for replacement of its original concrete roof. 

“It’s a scheduled project and if you look at tunnels in the United States and Canada they have a lifespan, just like the roof on your house has a lifespan, and so this is just a scheduled replacement,” said tunnel president Neal Belitsky. 

The roof replacement will be part of extensive renovations to the tunnel which will begin in May... 

The tunnel will be closed from 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. from Sunday through Thursday." (Chris Thompson, Windsor Star March 16, 2016)

 

My Wife Marsha

I think that it is time that I provide to you, dear reader, some more information about my wife Marsha. Oh sure, her name has been mentioned many times in the various articles I published on this website and I have told you about some of the things that she has done over the last one year plus to help me recover from my illness. However, I have not really told you about how important she has been not only in looking after our kids who were coping with what was going on but also looking after me as I recovered from the serious illness that I had.

She and I had some chats over the last few days and I learned some information from her that I never knew before from the time of my recovery. Obviously she did but never thought there was a reason to tell me about it. I am sure that you will learn what that was as we go through this article. 

Do excuse me but I'm not going to talk about in this article how well she did with my children ensuring that they were okay and not suffering too much because I was so sick. Naturally, as I assume everyone knows by now, she acted superbly. None of us had gone through something like this before in our family. The risks that I was carrying were serious ones that put pressure on my family members. Because of her and the way she carried out what was necessary to look after me, it made them able to face the mess that I was in and to deal with it. It now means that they will be able to handle any kind of terrible situation that may fall on me if I am to be seriously ill again. She needs to be congratulated for the strength that she had provided that helped my children live through the tragedy that they faced because of me. 

I hope that you now understand that this article is nothing other than my praise of her because she has done so well in living through this horrible situation. Clearly, because of her, I was able to do so well. She was able to hide for so long all of the concerns that she faced in looking after me in order to help me recover so well!  Not just my issues but those that she might suffer as well. 

Like many women, for all of her married years, her role was looking after the family as her main responsibility. The duties with respect to getting a job, making and then saving money, paying down the bills especially the mortgage, looking after the household's money and being the leader of the members of the family generally were the responsibility of the husband.  Or so it seemed. 

Clearly, I know now that women like Marsha speak with their husbands in the background so that they have an important role, even though not necessarily the seemingly most important one or the most public one, in the resolution of any matter in a family.   

I'm sure that you know already how important Marsha's role was in having me enter into the hospital and dealing with initial care at the time. While others may well have thought that my life was over, I found out from Marsha that this was not her thought at all. Ever. She knew that I was going to recover and she was going to help me do it even after I was suffering so much because no one really knew at that time what my illness really was.  It was just something that started in such a poor basis from the moment I was admitted to hospital.  I literally was days away from dying if I was not looked after properly. Nothing really troubled her and she was so positive.  That reaction is truly unbelievable for almost any person male or female and I am so grateful for her actions personally. 

What I did not know, and I never really thought about it too much, was how important her role was for the next month when I returned home.  As you know, dear reader, I knew nothing about what happened for that time period.  I was under constant heavy drug treatment until the middle of February. I cannot recall one thing that happened then because I was under so much medical care. I know now that she had a big role to play and it was not just for outside workers to look after.  She was responsible for medical concerns, understanding what my illness was carrying so she could carry on techniques to help solve my problems, looking after me, meal making, bathroom assistance and so on plus all of  her other usual jobs. Of course, she needed to help out her kids all of the time too.  

Her role was extremely difficult because she had responsibility for someone who needed a great deal of care. She had the obligation to look after someone who suffered greatly in the hospital and was brought home now for the first time. 

As you know now, she did a superb job. She told me recently that she never told me much about it because, after I went off of the drugs at the time, it was all over from a time perspective. She felt that she had no reason in her mind that she needed to reveal any information to me about it because it could cause me some concern especially at the time when I was doing a massive recovery.  Even recently, she really did not want to tell me very much about it because she was concerned that it could hurt my feelings. 

Frankly, one of Marsha's most important functions was learning about the operation of our home since she had not done most of this previously. I had done this as the "male" who did all of this when I was well and secure. Again, she had to learn how to do a lot of this very quickly on her own --- being responsible for taxes, water and electrical utility operation, upkeep outside, all of our different kinds of bills that had to be paid monthly, banking operation and so many other matters. Oh, I heard about some of the problems that she faced early on but wow, did she ever learn quickly how to handle these matters! Moreover, any outside official who thought they could push her around learned very quickly that they had better not even try to do that. I know several cases where she just moved up to a more senior level in the organization and got the problem solved exactly as SHE wanted it done and not how some junior level employee tried to impose on her! I have found out subsequently how terrorized people became of her if they were doing something wrong. They learned very quickly how tough she was and not to try to impose any solution on her to which she was opposed. 

Let me talk a little bit about house moving. She and my daughter believed that Marsha and I needed a new home. The one that we lived in just was too big for us at this time, especially when no one knew what my state would be. Having a two-story house was making little sense at the time when it appeared that I had significant walking problems. When she could early on, she began looking for new place for us to live. Unfortunately, she did not find very much because she was involved more in looking after me than having the time to go around looking for a new place. Just to jump forward, when she was able to discuss the situation with me, as I reported before, I absolutely refused to accept her advice to go to a condo or townhouse to live for a whole bunch of reasons. She, Melissa and I had a very strong conversation about it and they backed off to support what I wanted to do eventually. 

Fortunately, I changed my mind overnight after that decision was made and accepted everything that Marsha had been advocating the day before. She was absolutely right. I was completely wrong. 

As you know, I called our real estate agent about the house deals, selling our old one and buying a new one.  They were done so quickly at that time, both within a week once  placed on the  market. It was exactly doing what she really wanted to have done for our benefit at the time. Moreover, Marsha was the one who chose our new place to live in a very short period of time. She was the one who was able to go around with our agent to choose our new place of residence because I was unable to walk around very much at all at this time. She was the decision-maker about where we were going to live in the future. It took her all of about a few days to do the deal. Again, she was completely 100% correct in her decision-making. As usual. 

There is so much to talk about what she has done to salvage so fantastically what could  have been a horrific event.  I am not going to detail too much more of it in this article since I  could write many additional pages about it.  What she did though generally included: being in charge of the buying and selling of homes for our future, arranging for older furniture to be sold, retaining a moving company to arrange for the movement of furniture to the new house and  making sure that everything was done properly.   

She made sure that after we moved that I knew where our new place was located so I would not get lost.  She set up meetings with our neighbours whom I could meet while she helped me walk for hours a day so that my physical life was getting better.  Naturally our food at meals was so superb and she personally made sure our residence was well taken care. 

Of course Marsha still looked after me from the medical perspective and made sure that  I attended all necessary meetings with the various doctors to make certain that I was  healthy.  I did have a few strange medical effects taking  place that she ensured were not  serious or  permanent by having a doctor get involved as quickly as was required. 

I wish I could write a whole bunch more about how Marsha looked after me and our kids  in this very trying time.  However, I have given you enough info about her general activity so you will know how superbly she did.  She made me feel so great by looking after all of the important, and even less important, matters, so well. 

How do I thank her?  There are many ways that I can do it but I chose what I believe to be the best one. It is really very simple. I started it initially when I started doing my walks to make sure that I was protected against falling. What I do every time is hold her hand when we go out together. That is generally not something that long-married people do these days. However, I'm going to do so from now to forever while we are both still together. I can't think of anything better than what we shall be doing indefinitely while we are both alive and well. It is the way that we will show everyone that the two of us are together as one, supporting each other so positively. 

Thank you Marsha for doing everything in your life to help bring back mine.  You have done it so very well!

Easy Sandwich Making

I thought that I might do a very short article about the new sandwich preparing skills of both my wife and I that we developed recently.  

For the past couple of weeks, we've been using an electrical appliance that we have had bought but had stored away for a very long time and hardly ever used.  Our approach respecting this unit now has changed so dramatically. We seem to be using this appliance almost every day now as our sandwich lunch–maker.  I don't know how to describe it but it seems that, no matter what we use as a filling for it, the sandwich tastes superb. I want to let you know how simple it has become to create a tasty meal for lunch. 

 

As an example, I have used tuna as the basis for a number of sandwiches recently.  To be honest, before, I generally did NOT care for the tuna taste and usually ignored buying it no matter what the cost was.  However, once tuna with the additional ingredients is prepared with the appliance that we are using, it is absolutely superb! I have to admit that this result really shocked me in such a good way.  I can also substitute tuna with salmon that I always have eaten in a sandwich for so many years and once it heats up with all the other ingredients, it is wonderful.

 

Of course, I want you to know that I am talking about the CUISINART GR-1 PANINI AND SANDWICH PRESS.

 

 

 

It is an appliance that Marsha and I bought a number of years ago to use but unfortunately we did not use it very often. Given my change of lifestyle, I have the need to look for new ways of making food and all of a sudden the Cuisinart Sandwich Press became a very valuable cooking tool for us to use once we made the actual decision to do so.

 

It is so easy to use and creates a meal quickly for us. It has non-stick grill plates and another benefit is how simple it is to clean.  Of course, there are now several upgraded units made by Cuisinart which offer more features than the one that we use, but we are very happy with this unit.

 

Let me give you just one example to show you how easy it is to do. We make this sandwich so often at lunch. All we do is lay down a piece of whole grain bread or an artisan bun, spread a type of sauce that we want, add in various types of ingredients, such as: mushrooms, lettuce, cheese, meat, salmon, tuna, etc... then top with a final piece of bread or bun. Then you close the lid and turn on the unit for about 5 minutes to warm up the sandwich. Once it has those fantastic grill marks, it's ready to distribute onto a plate to serve. That's it!

 

Whether it's a grilled-cheese sandwich or something more elaborate, you can experiment in so many different ways with the CUISINART GR-1 PANINI AND SANDWICH PRESS. Go be your own chef and have fun!

 

Bon Appetit!

By the way,  here is what we had for lunch today.  Was it ever tasty too:

 

Starter Plates

 

CUISINART GR-1 PANINI AND SANDWICH PRESS

 

Loaded with 2 units for Marsha and me

 

Cooked

 

Great plates now for lunch

 

Yum sooooo tasty

 

One for each of us

 

Such a great meal for us both!!

 

More News Stories For You

 

One of the things that I like doing is writing articles dealing with various matters that I have read or heard about and wish to share with you, dear reader.  Instead of writing a long article, what I try to do is to select an important part of that article and then let you see it as I give my comment on it. 

Here are some articles that I found interesting that I now wish to let you know about. 

CITY OF WINDSOR WANTS TO OUTSOURCE JOBS 

I don't get it. Why would the City of Windsor want to do this considering what happened only a few months ago. Are certain Senior Officers effectively telling people that they will be ignored and have their decisions changed if they don't do what these Senior people want: 

"The original motion to contract out caretaking services was defeated on November 16, 2015, after some public and a lengthy debate.  

The City of Windsor is once again considering outsourcing its caretaking work. 

A report prepared by administration suggests the city could save more than an estimated $900,000 annually by outsourcing the work at several facilities. It will be presented at council Monday night." (CBC News March 4, 2016)  

CUPE stated the following which makes good sense to me: 

"The original motion to contract out caretaking services was defeated on November 16, 2015, after some public and a lengthy debate. 

After more than two tense hours of presentations and debate, the motion was defeated 6-5. 

"We live in a democracy. Council spoke and voted to invest in public services by keeping the caretaking services in-house," Rob Kolody, president of CUPE Local 82, said in the same release. "One cannot just revisit an already defeated motion within weeks and repackage it and reintroduce it to council within months of a defeated decision so it can be approved. This is not how democracy works." 

ANOTHER MESSY TOLL-FREE PHONE NUMBER 

My wife was doing some work when she received a toll-free phone number phone call. As seems to be quite common with these numbers, it rings but when answered there is no response. She may say "hello" several times so that the caller can hear her and respond but quite often there seems to be no one on the other side and the call just ends all of a sudden on its own. 

When my wife searched the "888" number to see who the caller was, there was no one who was connected with the phone number. It is not the first time that this happened to her and it gets rather annoying to be disturbed this way. 

In any event, she decided to try and track down the phone number and used the site "Caller Complaint" to do so.  Using their section "Fight Back Against Annoying Telemarketers!" unfortunately did not help out. As you can see, there was no connection to any company so she could know who contacted her. 

Here is their section dealing with this Company. (We deleted the actual phone number) They know nothing about it or its phone number:

 

Regretfully, expect these kinds of phone calls to keep on coming. At least, what happened is better than actually talking to the people who work for companies such as this.

A NEW OUTER SPACE DISCOVERY 

It is truly remarkable. Many of the stories that the media reports with respect to matters coming from outer space are so awe-inspiring. Take a look at this one: 

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/astronomers-just-saw-farther-back-in-time-than-they-ever-have-before/ar-BBqlYAJ?li=AAggNb9 

"Astronomers just saw farther back in time than they ever have before  

To look through the lens of a telescope is to peer back in time.

The light we view through it has spent hundreds, millions, even billions of years crossing the vastness of space to reach us, carrying with it images of things that happened long ago.

On Thursday, astronomers at the Hubble Space Telescope announced that they’d seen back farther than they ever have before, to a galaxy 13.4 billion light years away in a time when the universe was just past its infancy."

Apparently, it is quite a significant site to examine:

"Since the light from GN-z11 has traveled 13.4 billion years to reach us, that means it’s been traveling for 13.4 billion years, so its source must be 13.4 billion years old."

It appears as if it is one of the first galaxies ever to be discovered so far away 

 

WHY IS WINDSOR NOT INCLUDED

I must admit that I do not understand why the Province did not include Windsor as part of its new plan. In my opinion, I think it is probably because they think that all we know about is the automobile industry and nothing else so why bother with us:

"The provincial government has designed a region focused on research and development that stretches from London and Waterloo through Toronto to Ottawa, according to the 2016 budget released Thursday afternoon.

The Innovation SuperCorridor is touted as “Canada’s most innovative region, with dense pockets of startups, research institutions and world-class talent...”

“I was disappointed that Windsor wasn’t included in that consortium because I believe we have a lot to offer,” said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens. “In this city we have a huge manufacturing cluster that already exists. It’s been our bread and butter in this community and we’ve got a world-class university right here.” (Carolyn Thompson, Windsor Star February 26, 2016)

It seems that no one outside of this City understands that we are very progressive in this area. I wonder what this Mayor is doing to change that and to make outsiders aware of how advanced this Area is:

"Matt Marchand, president and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce, said Windsor does have a strong tech sector and many successful entrepreneurs.

“If the message about our great entrepreneurs and tech sector hasn’t reached the ears of Queen’s Park, certainly it’s our responsibility to make sure that happens and it happens in a very aggressive and meaningful way, sooner rather than later,”

I saw this interesting story which is just another example of how the rest of the Province ignores us:

"young people are being told, “if you can’t find a job, create one,” said Arthur Barbut, the Accelerator’s managing director. “That’s where the next big push in jobs is going to come front,” he said, adding his organization has shared that pro-entrepreneurial message with thousands of local high schoolers."  (Doug Schmidt, Windsor Star March 2, 2016)

It is a nice suggestion to have but we also see in the article how we are ignored. What is anybody here going to do to change this:

"The city and the province “absolutely” need to increase support for Windsor’s Accelerator at 720 Ouellette Ave., said Natyshak. Given the types of innovative companies and organizations already active locally, he said it was “a big mistake” for the Liberal government not to include Windsor in its budget announcement last week of an Innovation SuperCorridor whose southern terminus is London.

“Hearing your (city’s) name in the provincial budget means a lot,” said Natyshak. By not mentioning Windsor, he added, “you’re sending a signal … that this is an area that doesn’t deserve a lot of attention.”

Places like the Accelerator and the jobs they create, he said, help the host city with greater economic diversity and make local economies more resilient.

“It’s a missed opportunity to not see the potential that’s there in Windsor and Essex,” said Natyshak."