Lots Going On

I just don't get it anymore. Weather temperatures seem to go all over the place these days.  I am doing some of the work on here today, Sunday, and the temperature is supposed to get to around 70°F. On Monday, when I post this, the weather prediction is even slightly higher.  Then the temperatures drop, although not at least too far down for the next few days.

Please do not come back and tell me that it is springtime so we should expect the temperatures to go up and the snow to disappear.  Here is what I saw in a story a few years ago:

"That warm spell is expected to be short-lived, with the potential for snow early next week.

The forecast probably won't firm up for a few more days but, if it were to snow, it wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary.

"On average, Toronto sees 4 cm of snow during the month of April," says Weather Network meteorologist Brian Dillon.

"The seasonal daytime high for the region is 11°C, but it's not uncommon to see temperature dips and snow accumulation this time of year." (That warm spell is expected to be short-lived, with the potential for snow early next week.)

The forecast probably won't firm up for a few more days but, if it were to snow, it wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary.

"On average, Toronto sees 4 cm of snow during the month of April," says Weather Network meteorologist Brian Dillon.

"The seasonal daytime high for the region is 11°C, but it's not uncommon to see temperature dips and snow accumulation this time of year." (Cheryl Santa Maria, The Weather Network, April 9, 2014)

Not very much that anyone can do about this but by looking at these news articles, we can see what people can and cannot do!

WILL WE SEE THIS IN WINDSOR SOON

I wish I knew what was going to happen to the Windsor Star given all of the massive changes that can be seen already in so many major newspapers across North America. In fact, changes are being made in the Star already since many of the senior people are retiring.  I do not subscribe to the Star anymore and am rather surprised every so often when I get a copy of the newspaper to see how small the Star newspaper now is.

There is no doubt at all that newspapers are in a tough financial position.  What will happen to them? More importantly, how will newspaper readers be able to get their information? I would not be too excited about the TV channels taking over and providing news over the media in their place since Bell Media just reduced staff:

"In a statement issued on Tuesday, the company said it has reduced a number of broadcast positions at Bell Media local TV stations in London, Kitchener, and Windsor.

“The restructuring is a response to the challenges we and other Canadian media companies are facing on multiple fronts" (Scott Monich and Matthew Trevithick, AM980 London, March 28, 2017)

You might want to take a look at this article that provides an alternative that might happen: "What happens when Postmedia finally dies?"

Whether one agrees or not with what is said does not matter to me at this time. What needs to be done is to consider the various alternatives that might take place so that the general population is still provided with the means to obtain required news information.

WE OLD-TIMERS ARE IMPORTANT

Like it or not, dear reader, you ought to be thrilled that we old-timers are still around. I have come to the realization that, at my age, I am reaching that part of my life. People like me are able to do so many interesting things because of our past experiences that we can take action to resolve present-day problems.  If we really want to do so that is.

I saw this interesting New York Times article that I think more people who are retiring from their workplaces now ought to think about when they are considering how they are going to spend their time for the next 20 or 30 years. They just don't have to do a lot of gardening work to pass the time or take more trips just to get longer vacations every year:

"To Be a Genius, Think Like a 94-Year-Old

(Pagan Kennedy, New York Times, April 7, 2017)

In 1946, a 23-year-old Army veteran named John Goodenough headed to the University of Chicago with a dream of studying physics. When he arrived, a professor warned him that he was already too old to succeed in the field.

Recently, Dr. Goodenough recounted that story for me and then laughed uproariously. He ignored the professor’s advice and today, at 94, has just set the tech industry abuzz with his blazing creativity. He and his team at the University of Texas at Austin filed a patent application on a new kind of battery that, if it works as promised, would be so cheap, lightweight and safe that it would revolutionize electric cars and kill off petroleum-fueled vehicles. His announcement has caused a stir, in part, because Dr. Goodenough has done it before. In 1980, at age 57, he coinvented the lithium-ion battery that shrank power into a tiny package.

We tend to assume that creativity wanes with age. But Dr. Goodenough’s story suggests that some people actually become more creative as they grow older. Unfortunately, those late-blooming geniuses have to contend with powerful biases against them."

Now that personally made me feel a lot better. I still hope that I have some good ideas about things that could be done and how to do them. Heck, I'd like to try to do so and make a few dollars as well. No, I don't want a full-time job but I do want to be to do things based on the experience that I have gained over so many years working.

I found this thought of his to be quite appropriate especially for older people like me:

"When I asked him about his late-life success, he said: “Some of us are turtles; we crawl and struggle along, and we haven’t maybe figured it out by the time we’re 30. But the turtles have to keep on walking.” This crawl through life can be advantageous, he pointed out, particularly if you meander around through different fields, picking up clues as you go along. Dr. Goodenough started in physics and hopped sideways into chemistry and materials science, while also keeping his eye on the social and political trends that could drive a green economy. “You have to draw on a fair amount of experience in order to be able to put ideas together,” he said."

AMALGAMATION AFTER OUR NEXT PROVINCIAL ELECTION

Will we see the City of Windsor joining together with all of the smaller communities in Essex County after the next provincial election?  Absolutely as far as I am concerned, whether our local politicians want it or not. I really don't understand why we need so many municipal governments now with so much money being spent to keep them operating.

To be direct about it, it would not be necessarily an advantage to where I am living now, in the Town of Tecumseh.  After all, we are well governed with good people in office. More importantly, our municipal taxes are not skyrocketing upwards even though major projects have to be undertaken here. Nevertheless, I expect that our Town will be required to join up with Windsor and all of the other communities around here.

Here is just one small example of what is taking place these days:

"Leamington is launching a public transit study that may eventually link to Kingsville and Wheatley.

Mayor John Paterson said he’s had informal talks with Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos and Chatham-Kent Mayor Randy Hope to see if there’s any interest in expanding Leamington’s service to its neighbouring communities." (Julie Kotsis, Windsor Star, April 4, 2017)

Who knows if I am right or not, but if I am, it would not surprise me to see that our Mayor might become the head of the new municipality in this part of the Province.  He is that good as far as I am concerned.  Just consider this action that he took recently as just one example why he would be a superb leader:

"TECUMSEH MAYOR SPEAKS OUT ON CUTS TO GREAT LAKES PROTECTION

On World Water Day, the Town of Tecumseh’s Mayor is speaking out about proposed cuts to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). He is calling on politicians in Canada to join him in encouraging members of the U.S. legislature to reject the cuts and continue the work underway.

“This is unacceptable, not only for those of us living in the Great Lakes basin but to everyone around the world,” said Mayor Gary McNamara. “We have a global responsibility to protect these irreplaceable resources, for now and the future. These cuts make no sense. All of the work that has been done to date will be lost and all of the strides we’ve made to clean up the Great Lakes will be gone.” 

The Mayor sent letters to elected officials in Canada and the U.S.—including the Prime Minister and Premier of Ontario and members of their cabinets—urging them to add their voice on cuts to the GLRI.”

WINDSOR STAR PROMOTES AMBASSADOR BRIDGE COMPANY

Amazing. It is virtually free advertising provided by the Newspaper to the Ambassador Bridge Company in a newspaper article so that the Company can gain more customers. And more money too. What a wonderful way to make new friends for the media outlet and hopefully to get more advertising business for the newpaper in the future from their new buddies:

"Bridge company announces duty-free incentive plan

Regular commuters using the Ambassador Bridge will have an opportunity to save on tolls by purchasing gas or other products at the border crossing’s duty-free stores.

The bridge company has launched a new program that allows travellers to save based on how much they spend at the Ammex Duty Free Store in Detroit or Ambassador Duty Free store in Windsor." (Dave Battagello, Windsor Star, April 5, 2017)