Just A Few New Stories

I have to remember to try and write my new kind of Blog story.  As I expressed, I want to try and do things a little bit differently now. Don't worry though, I will still write about what I think is important and give you my opinion on each subject.  It is just that I am going to be more cautious about what I write and try and write about as broad a network of articles as I can.

Accordingly, here are some articles that I will let you know about today.

BEST WISHES TO ME

I received a number of friendly emails from companies whose websites on Facebook I have joined giving me happy birthday wishes.  I have received quite a number both on Facebook and off-line from people whom I know. Now that is something for which I am grateful.

Just to let you know, I was treated by a few of the companies quite nicely since they offered me presents. As a few examples, I received a note from an ice cream company offering me a free "ice cream cone." Now that is something I like. Another one offered me a free drink (perhaps including an alcoholic one) or a "food item."  I have eaten at this place before so you know that I'm going to be buying a meal!  And naturally, something new for me, a huge chicken sandwich except it is from a company that does not have a local outlet here!

Family members of course were gracious in how they treated me.  They know that I am a bit awkward at this time of year considering that I keep letting them know not only that I am still alive and well but I hope that I am treating them in the best way that I possibly can.  Naturally, I don't let them do very much for me since I am much older than they are but they never listen and give me special treats.

Just to be a bit personal, since I should not be talking about this anymore but I cannot help myself, I am just so thrilled that I am still alive and, to be honest, in such a good condition. While I do have difficulties that I know I never will be able to overcome because of conditions of my illness, I am so thrilled that I have done so well especially because of the help my wife and children and many other good people have given me to recover. 

It is all over now. I just added another year to my birthday numbers and am hoping that I will be able to add a lot more over the many years that I trust that I will be around.

UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS

I believe that this is the 2nd month that I have written a note such as this. I just am doing it because I am not so sure that when one does the math the unemployment answer is as good as the story suggests.

Here is what I mean by the "good" suggestion:

"Windsor’s jobless figure rose by a fraction of a percentage for the month of April, according to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada." (Dalson Chen,Windsor Star, May 11, 2018) 

Our unemployment rate went from 5.2% to 5.5%. In other words, an increase of .3%.

However, when one looks at the numbers from a different perspective, the percentage increase is rather significant. Using a formula, the unemployment increase from month to month is actually at the rate of about 5.8%.

I would rather see please a decrease in the next month if that can be done!

CATCHING A BUS

I am sure that it is my fault that I never knew this. I don't remember reading a story about this matter before. I always thought that it made more sense from an economic perspective not to use diesel buses anymore. Rather, one should be buying a lot of hybrid buses. Just so you know:

"A hybrid electric bus combines a conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system." (Wikipedia)

Here's what I mean about the fact that I have just read:

"Hybrid buses use less fuel but Delmore said the 29 buses they already have in the fleet already cover the routes with stop and go driving - where the hybrids save fuel.

He said buying additional hybrid buses - at a cost of $750,000 per bus - wouldn't be cost effective because they would then run on long run routes where they are not any more fuel efficient than the diesel buses." (CBC News, May 11, 2018) 

I have to admit that I don't remember seeing this information before. It tells me that I would have known that Transit Windsor saw no sense in transferring the purchase of more diesel buses to hybrid ones.  Oh well, now I have the correct information.

HOW POSITIVE IS OUR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

I should be positive about our unemployment rate in our area. Sure, as I said above, the unemployment rate increased from 5.2% to 5.5%. However, in a story that I just read, I saw this:

"A month ago, I wrote that Canada was close to full employment, or the state at which everyone who wants a job has one.

I only was echoing the central bank governor, and all Stephen Poloz had done was remark that the lowest unemployment rate in at least four decades — 5.8 per cent — suggested there probably weren’t many jobs left.

Statistics Canada confirmed Friday that Canada continues to edge closer to the theoretical version of economic nirvana. The jobless rate was 5.8 per cent for the fourth time in five months in April, cementing Canada’s recent hiring bonanza as one of the most impressive in the country’s history. Before this year, the unemployment rate had touched its current level only once, in October 2007." (Kevin Carmichael, Windsor Star, May 11, 2018) 

Presumably then, everything should be fantastic in our area because our unemployment rate, even with the recent increases, is lower at 5.5%. Yet, does it feel that way to you? It certainly does not to me.

Labour matters just seem to bother me so much here. One minute something seems to look very good and then, in the next minute, it just seems to be in trouble.  Here are some of the employment matters that bother me:

•    --What is the real unemployment rate in our area? Oh sure, I know what is reported but how many people have not found jobs for a very long period of time so that they have stopped looking and dropped out of the process. Effectively they are excluded when new unemployment numbers are determined so the percentage may seem to be better than it really is.

•    --Here is a statistic that is interesting also: "Another “pocket” is younger workers; about 57 per cent of Canadians aged 15 to 24 are working today compared with about 59 per cent before the crisis." Sure it's only a few percent difference now but how much bigger is it going to be in the future.

•    --Let us assume that the numbers are good ones. Except, what are the jobs that people are getting these days? Are they the jobs that one should expect people with their educational background have with the pay rates that they should be receiving with these jobs? Or are they low paying jobs at the minimum rates that people are taking because they cannot find anything better?

•    --Is Ford going to have a good future with the vehicles it is going to be manufacturing and those that they will no longer produce? Or will it face an economic mess if the economy changes significantly and people want fairly small vehicles? Interestingly, at one of the Ford dealers the other day, I saw a relatively smaller SUV than I had before, an EcoSport. Perhaps, this vehicle is meant for smaller families or just for just a husband and wife or 2 people who live together who don't need the larger SUVs.

To be direct about this, to me, all of the good news that seemed to suggest that we are going to pick up economically very significantly and very quickly just seems to have disappeared. I hope that I am completely wrong and everything will turn out well very quickly.