Sunshine Wanted

Yes, it is only the month of March, but seriously, when are we going to see the sun shining more and the temperature getting higher. And for more than a day or two!

I am probably thinking this way because I have not been able to go outside for nice walks through the entire winter months as I have done in winters past.  It just seems as well that we have had a lot of cloudy weather. In addition, when it has been sunny outside, I have not felt the warmth because of the wind that seems to be around so much this year.

It really doesn't matter what I am thinking because I don't have the power to make any changes. I just have to experience what is going on like it or not. It also makes me wonder whether this is the beginning of some very bad weather conditions that we are going to be experiencing in the future. Is it because we might be ruining environmentally the weather conditions around us because of how we are living or could it be just what the environment would do anyway based on past experience that took place over many years? Regretfully, I have no idea what the answer is.

I have not been keeping statistical results on the weather forecast this year. However, it seems to me that what we are hearing from the different weather bureaus as their predictions quite often does not happen at all.  I have to admit that I don't understand that happening either. How can they be so wrong, so often?

I am not going to give a big list of matters that seem strange to me. There really is no point in doing that. However, since I really like politics, I am intrigued by what is going on in the United States. I just wonder what is going to happen to President Trump. After all, he has been attacked by some of the major news media in the US even before he was sworn in as President. Every day, and it does not matter what the issue is, the media seem to write stories about what he has done wrong again and how many additional mistakes he has made.

I have to admit that I don't think that many people really care what is going on right now. It doesn't matter what the next story attacking Trump says. People just ignore it because the whole subject matter is so boring. Sure, the intention of the authors is the hope that it will force Trump out, but it does not seem to be working yet. After all, shouldn't the possibility of him being accused of acting illegally get everybody worked up? However, it does not seem to do so.

Anyway, dear reader, I still like writing stories as I did before. As I am sure that you have noticed, I do not create as many stories as I did previously, nor do I post them as often. Wait until the warmer weather comes and I am out walking around so much to enjoy the temperature. I am sure that you will notice that I create a lot fewer stories than I am doing now. However, I will still write about issues that are important so do not get too upset at me.

Here are some stories now that I trust you will like.

GOOD NEWS FOR CANADA, FOR NOW ANYWAY

Whew, we are quite fortunate now:

"President Trump defied opposition from his own party and protests from overseas on Thursday as he signed an order imposing stiff and sweeping new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. But he sought to soften the impact on America’s closest allies with a more flexible plan than originally envisioned.

After a week of furious lobbying and a burst of last-minute internal debates and confusion, Mr. Trump agreed to exempt, for now, Canada and Mexico and held out the possibility of later excluding allies such as Australia. But the order, which would go into effect in 15 days, could hit South Korea, China, Japan, Germany, Turkey and Brazil and foreign leaders warned of a trade war that could escalate to other industries and be aimed at American goods.

“The actions we are taking today are not a matter of choice, they are a matter of necessity for our security,” Mr. Trump said." (Peter Baker and Ana Swanson, New York Times, March 8, 2018)

I must admit that I have no idea if this was planned all the way along by the Americans or not.  Alternatively, were they forced to make the changes because of what negative consequences might happen to their business network? Who knows but take this into account:

"Canada and Mexico would be exempt pending discussions with both countries about changes that would address Mr. Trump’s concerns about steel and aluminum and no time limit was imposed on the exclusion. But administration officials said they expect to deal with those two countries in short order. Mr. Trump tied the exclusions to renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which remains bogged down in inconclusive talks, but aides said national security concerns would be important in deciding whether to make the exclusion permanent.

Mr. Trump indicated that the tariffs would go into effect on Canada and Mexico “if we don’t make the deal on Nafta and if we terminate Nafta because they are unable to make a deal that’s fair.”

Given President Trump's background and his seeming lack of connection with a lot of politicians, I must admit that I believe he acts quite differently compared with people like former President Obama. That person was part of the political network in a way that Trump has never been as far as I can see. That is probably why they both act so differently when President.

How long will Canada be safe in its negotiations with the US and Mexico? I wish I knew the answer to that one. Let us at least hope that, no matter what happens, our economy will not be shattered.

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

I am sure that nobody ever believes that our area will ever have a high-speed rail track built between Windsor and London, Ontario as part of a future rail system.

I can still remember when this new system was introduced years ago and everything seemed to end at London. Oh, there were all kinds of complaints made about this area not being part of the high-speed rail system. Accordingly, changes were made so that the program was expected to expand all the way to Windsor, Ontario.

I hardly think that the Windsor area will see a huge amount of money spent to make as part of the new network. We are told this already:

"The proposed rapid rail system — with an estimated price tag of $20 billion — would make London to Toronto a 73-minute trip as early as 2025. The corridor could be extended to Windsor by about 2031, during a second building phase." (Megan Stacey, Postmedia News, March 7, 2018) 

Do you really think, dear reader, that any politician would spend money after 2025 for such a project to come to Windsor? I agree. I don't think so either.

POOR MATTY MOROUN

It is not fair how he is being treated. It seems that the media continuously seems to ignore what his real value is. Once again, here is what is said about him with respect to his economic position:

"Manuel Moroun, 90, is worth $1.6 billion and ranked No. 1477 [in the Forbes billionaires list]. Moroun owns Detroit's Ambassador Bridge, the largest border crossing between the U.S. and Canada." (Jeff Stacklin, Patch, March 6, 2018) 

Sure, that is not too bad. However, for some reason they have not said what he will be worth once his new bridge is constructed.  And what his ranking number ought to become.

I Just Like To Write

It's true. I do so much writing because I like to do so.  I enjoy spending time on here setting out matters that interest me. And, hopefully you too.

Of course, in the last little while, I am writing more stories now than before. The reason for that is pretty simple. It is still so cold outside that I just do not go there. Rather, I stay inside and stay warm. Given all this extra time, I try to use it by helping me from a "brain" perspective by writing these stories.

Accordingly, here are some new ones.

A LOT OF PEOPLE SEEM TO LIKE ME

I think I posted something similar to this before, but here is some information that I just received from Tripadvisor which is a very large, on-site travel website. It gave me credit for so many people coming to their website to read a travel comment I wrote quite some time ago which was put there. Here is my redraft of their email that they sent to me taking out some of the parts in it that are not relevant.

I truly cannot believe how large that number of readers is but I am so happy that it has been posted as an achievement of mine.

MORE DOCTOR RECRUITMENT

There is the need for more doctors in our area, even though it was made to appear as if our medical numbers were quite high. The obvious reason for that is that the number of sick patients in this area is very high:

"Windsor Regional Hospital has brought in some doctors from across the province to help in the emergency department during the busiest winter in the facility’s history.

December, January and February set a record for most admissions ever at the hospital. In early 2018 alone, Windsor Regional admitted 285 more patients than for the same time last year. A total of 2,885 patients were admitted in January and February.

The acute patient days at the hospital spiked at 14,840 in January, compared to 12,135 in August, a 22 per cent increase." (CraigPearson, Windsor Star, March 5, 2018) 

Here is another disturbing matter in the story:

"Besides the trying winter, Windsor Regional has struggled with losing doctors, mostly from emergency medicine, because the Canadian dollar has tumbled. When the currencies were at par, several American physicians joined the local emergency team, though they have since returned home...

“So what we have had to do since, to get our numbers back, is we had to recruit. We have conducted a large recruitment effort in the last year.”

As I am sure that you recall, the actual number of doctors who are hired per year here is rather small. I wonder if it even covers the number of doctors who retire per year. Is it any wonder then that there are problems in the emergency department.

I believe that the medical situation in Windsor and in the small cities in the region is horrific. I do not believe that a new hospital will make anything better if its capacity is only 500 people. We are well over that number now for the 2 hospitals here without a big population growth which is supposed to come to this area. That growth obviously will have a large number of older people in it as well who will require hospital space as they get ill, especially if they live to an older age.  That hospital capacity has to be less so how are the bigger numbers of sick people going to be treated?

Oh, I read that the new hospital can be expanded to treat more people. What will the cost of that be…another billion dollars? If so, who provides that money!

I just have this sneaky feeling that after the next provincial election we are going to see significant changes in what is going to be done for the expansion hospitals throughout this Province. My guess is an easy one… Our new hospital will not be built for many years and our existing hospitals will have to be expanded to deal with all the new patients that will arise in this area.

OUR NEW LIBRARY

I have to admit that I really do not understand how the City of Windsor acted with respect to our Library system.

What I mean is really quite simple. The existing main branch of the Library in Windsor is located now on Ouellette Avenue in downtown Windsor. It has now been sold with its closing to take place in June, 2019. Big deal, you might think. The Library will just move to a new location.

Of course, that is true, except for one small little point.  No site has been purchased where the main branch can be re-located. People are out now looking for such a place. Here is what I mean:

"Library CEO Kitty Pope said they need 75,000 sq. ft., but there does not appear to be any available buildings downtown that fit the bill. 

"So, we need something that has the correct weight load to be able to carry the volume of materials that we put on the floor," Pope told CBC Windsor Morning's Tony Doucette. 

"So far, we've looked at 16 sites, in the downtown and slightly outside of the downtown, and at this point, we can see nothing that we could move into with minor renovations." (CBC News March 5, 2018)

I just find the situation ridiculous. Seriously, what will the cost of the new library be assuming that they can find a proper building location in downtown Windsor. What if that cost will be substantially higher than the amount received on the sale on the other property. Moreover, I would expect that the inside in whatever building is purchased has to be adjusted dramatically to meet the requirements necessary for a library. Who knows, it might be necessary to tear down what is on the new site and rebuild everything. I expect that will cost a lot more than the amount received for the existing building.

Anyway, dear reader, if you live in Windsor, you might wonder how well you think that the Mayor and Councillors who approved this project to go forward have done when it comes time for you to vote in the fall.

Spring Is Coming Soon

How wonderful.  It  just arrived.  Daylight Savings Time began on Sunday, March 11 and our clocks were moved ahead by one hour. Spring is coming closer.

I hope that means also that it will start being very sunny and that the temperatures will rise up from how low they have been this winter. I only was able to go out for a walk just once so far this winter because it has been that freezing as far as I am concerned. I just do not want to take a chance of getting ill because of the low temperatures. It is just not worth it.

I put on a couple of pounds over the winter. Oh sure, I understand that this is easily explainable because I did not go out for walks every day as I do in the warm weather. However, and I really do mean it, I was very upset for a good part of the last few months because of the increase. Honestly, I do try not to eat fattening foods or not to eat too much of anything to watch my weight. Oh sure, I am not perfect but I do try hard to be careful.

The reason for the weight gain was rather obvious but I just had a difficult time accepting it. As you may remember, I have been doing a lot of new exercising over the last few months through a wonderful VON program. To be direct, that exercising put on "muscular" weight that added on those "new" pounds. That had happened to me a couple of times before with other programs that I was doing. I always was upset that my weight was increased, could not figure out why and then learned that it was my new "muscles" that put on the extra pounds. That made me feel better that it was not because of my improper eating, but, nevertheless, caused me some concerns. In those days, as now, it took me some time to accept the fact that I was not doing something improperly.

Yes, I should not be silly about all of this, but I am. I am just trying so hard to watch my weight. What has given me the reason not to be upset about this is when I spoke to a gentleman who seemed relatively slim but weighed around 190 pounds! I could not believe how big he was because he certainly did not look it. His weight gain was like mine, strictly because of exercising. I have not asked him how much he does, but it certainly has to be a considerable amount I would expect.

Accordingly, dear reader, if you are exercising, then do not get upset if you added a few pounds. Be thrilled if you did, because the reason for that gain is all of the muscular activities that you are carrying on!

Let me do some mental exercising now to help increase my brain strength to help me out after my illness a few years ago. Here are some new stories I will deal with today.

WHY A GOVERNMENT BRIDGE WILL NEVER BE BUILT HERE

What is happening here has not been on much of a shock to me. From a logic perspective, it is completely absurd to build a Government bridge in this area. The cost is now going to be around $10 billion to build one. I am sure that this bridge would technically go bankrupt very quickly if it was built privately and not through Government money. There is no way, given the low traffic volume, that enough money would be paid by the users of the bridge to pay its costs. Now, taxpayers will have to pay that money.

If you want to read a very interesting article about all of the delays in building the Government bridge, and why it may never happen, take a look at this one written by Anne Jarvis in the Windsor Star on October 28,2016.   

I will give her credit that it is an excellent article explaining a lot of the circumstances which have taken place for so many years between the parties involved in traffic between Windsor and Detroit. That article was written in 2016 and not much has happened since that time, except for the Ambassador Bridge Company starting construction on their 2nd bridge project!

However, dear reader, there is an explanation that is even easier to understand notwithstanding what was said in the Jarvis article. Just take a look at this article that was written on January 19, 2011.

There, did you read this sentence that explains everything about why the Government bridge was not built before and will not be built now:

"In fact, Ontario is already studying ways to connect Windsor–Essex to the existing Ambassador crossing as a contingency."

That is correct. The Government was forced to give in finally and allow the Ambassador Bridge Company to build their second crossing. Expect though some negotiations allowing the Government to have a role in the new crossing that will justify getting rid of some of the provisions that were inserted in the Ambassador Bridge Company/Government agreement to allow the new bridge to be built now. That situation was just started publicly recently.

Of course, this is not very unusual. There is a precedent for this that has been around for many years. Just go and take a look at the various plans which could have build a new, second bridge in Sarnia some distance away from the existing one. That never happened. All that happened was just adding another bridge right beside the existing one. 

Isn't that what is really going to happen in our area now!

NEW HOSPITAL PROGRAM

I have to admit that, when I saw this story, my recent past medical history influenced my mind. I thought that it was quite commendable to provide information about a person who is a patient.

My only disappointment is that it is not available through one's computer system but one must have, it seems, a system, probably a telephone, which can run various "apps."

"Windsor Regional Hospital has launched a new app designed to help patients and their family members know what to expect during their treatments, so they can play a more active role in their recoveries. 

The WRH My Care Journey App includes an easy to follow timeline and interactive push notification to keep users informed while they are in the hospital, and after they leave. The app uses photos, videos and easy to understand language to let patients know…

the new app also has useful information for family members and loved ones who can now follow along in the journey so they know what to expect at each step. Whether they are caring for their loved one at their bedside or live out town, friends and family members can download the app, and instantly become part of their loved one’s journey." (Liz Thorne,Windsorite.ca, March 2, 2018) 

From what I have been able to find, I am not quite sure how "personal" this information is about a particular person at this time or whether this material is primarily general based on what operation this person is experiencing.  Hopefully, it will become more specific about the person's operation and the results of it.

SAME-DAY GROCERY SERVICE

I saw an interesting story about this service being provided in Windsor by a Company called Instacart. It is a very simple project but still very exciting:

"You will soon be able to order your groceries from the comfort of your home from Zehrs and Real Canadian Superstore and have them delivered straight to their doorsteps in as little as one hour." (Liz Thorne, Windsorite.ca, February 13th, 2018)

The delivery cost to get the service seems unreasonably cheap: $3.99 for an order of $35 or more or no cost after $99 is paid once for an annual fee.

Does this make sense then for you, dear reader, to use this service? If one makes such an order once a week, the cost for delivery is so cheap then why would one even want to go to the store to do shopping? I assume that the person who makes up the order in the store will choose terrific products to send to the customer in order to keep that customer buying through Instacart.

However, here is where the problem may lie for those who phone in for the groceries. The price of the product may well be different depending on where one buys it. One would have to check to see which price is lowest before putting in an order. If it is lower at the RCSS, then one has to be very careful when one buys from Instacart and vice versa.

I expect that the other grocery chains will come up with competitive services. It should be interesting to see what happens then and which grocery company provides the best products at the lowest costs.

When Will Warm Weather Arrive

A few days of much warmer weather have been predicted by different Weather authorities. Unfortunately, on a number of occasions already, we did get the warm weather, but the weather outside was terrible because it often rained or felt quite cold on that day because of the wind. Accordingly, I stayed in the house, again!

I saw a weather forecast recently that suggested that the month of March might not be all that attractive either. That means more staying inside the house for me. I have to admit that I was hoping for something a lot more different as I am sure you can imagine.

Even now I am hardly someone who can handle cold weather easily. I am just not someone who can get dressed up so well that I can go for a walk in the area for a relatively long period of time. That is not something I can do and I have no intention of trying it out either.

I can hardly wait until springtime comes and, with it, warmer weather. I will really like going outside then and watching the grass turning beautifully green. I am looking forward to seeing the leafs starting to fill up all of the trees around here. Can you imagine seeing so many beautiful skies with no rain or snow clouds in them. Naturally, I will have my camera and take more pictures of all the flowers as they start to come out and then bloom.

I am looking forward to going outside again as happened so much in the last few years as my illness declined and really enjoying my life in a much different way than I did before. It may seem silly, dear reader, if you see me on the streets just staring into the sky to look at its blue colour or to see big, fluffy clouds floating over my head.  As I may have mentioned to you before, I really do not remember doing that very much in all of my previous "life." It is just something that is so important for me to do today. And I truly intend to do it and to love doing it!

While it is still so cold, let me offer you some stories to read so that you can pass the time until spring arrives.

MORE BORDER NOISE

The New York Times just did a story about the noise that comes across to Windsor from somewhere in Detroit. So far, apparently, they do not know the source of that noise that bothers people so much. 

Every so often, a story about this subject is printed and even with the negative results, no action seems to be taken to figure out what the cause is and how to stop it.

Is this really why nothing is happening:

"Seeking intervention by government regulators for the hum is difficult because regulations typically address decibel levels that can lead to hearing loss or damage, not those that can affect quality of life, Rebecca Smith, a sound engineer and doctoral student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who researches urban noise, wrote in an email." (Christopher Mele, NewYork Times, February 19, 2018)

There has been one theory about this that has been expressed on a number of occasions:

"The University of Windsor report said the hum’s likely source was blast furnace operations on Zug Island on the Detroit River, which is densely packed with manufacturing. Activists complained that United States Steel, which operates the furnaces, has been uncooperative and secretive. A company spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment."

Regretfully, nothing seems to be done whatsoever in relation to this problem. Anyway, who cares about all this stuff:

"It’s possible that no matter what is done to relieve or attenuate the noise, it might never be enough,” 

Tough luck then to people who are impacted by it because no one seems to want to do anything about it. Just think, it may never be solved.

INFORMATION ABOUT CANADA'S MILITARY POSITION

I just read a very interesting story about:

"2017 Military Strength Ranking 

The complete Global Firepower list for 2017 puts the military powers of the world into full perspective" around the world." (Globalfirepower.com)

The story that I read was on MSN completed by BusinessInsider writer Christopher Woody on February 26, 2018: 

"These are the 25 most powerful militaries in the world — and there's a clear winner"

Naturally, I am not that naïve.  I knew that Canada was not in the #1 position but I expected that we did pretty well. Accordingly, I went through the list so I could let you know, dear reader, what our position was. Amazingly, I was shocked! We were not on that list whatsoever!

That is the reason why I went to the main website of the Company that did the work to find out where Canada was. I calmed down a little bit once I found out what our position was. Sure, we were not in the Top 25 list but, believe it or not, we were #26. Hopefully, we might be able to do something a little bit better next year so that we can be part of that Top 25 list. Or, is it much better if we go into a much lower position? I will let you decide that for yourself, dear reader.

By going to the complete Website about Canada, you will see quite a bit information. I will just give you the topics that were provided that you might want to look up for yourself: the total number of military personnel, Aircraft, Navy and Army strength, our petroleum reserves, the size of our labour force, road and rail coverage lengths, financing items and geographic values.

Just in case you are wondering, the country that was in the #1 position was the United States. And, if you wondered how much their Defense budget was, it also was #1 being the amount of $587.8 billion! By comparison, in Canada, which was #16 for this item, $15.5 billion was spent. 

Could this be why the Americans sometimes experience financial difficulties?  

A COMMENT FROM WINDSOR'S MAYOR

I will let you, dear reader, try and understand what this comment from the Mayor means, and also what impact it may have:

"Obviously, being in the Windsor area we rely on our ability to go across the border seamlessly and frequently. People buy groceries over there, people go shopping for the day over there." (Craig Pearson, Windsor Star, February26, 2018) 

It seems to me that he's telling people over here that owning a retail business in our area may not be all that smart an idea considering that so many Canadians shop in the US instead.  Yet, is he right in what he is saying since what he is describing has carried on in this area for many years and we still have a successful retail market here? Just go out to some of the retail grocery stores in our area and see what I mean.

I will let you make that decision on your own.

Please Watch This VON Video

I hope you enjoy this particular VON video, dear reader. It was something that I got involved in because I am taking part in a program put forward by the Victoria Order of Nurses in our area. I was involved in this program because of the horrific physical injury that I suffered over 3 years ago in my illness where, literally, I had just about died when I entered hospital.

I heard that a local presentation was coming up shortly about their program. I wanted to put in my good word about my participation in the program that was of so much assistance to my physical condition. I wanted not only their staff but also people in this area who need the actual assistance to know how good their program is!

Just so you know, the program in which I am involved is a 12 week one that helps people who have physical issues similar to mine. These issues can be caused by a number of illnesses, not just mine. It is a phenomenal program at this time because there is no charge to people like me who participate in it. Now that is truly wonderful with the results achieved in it.  Take a look at this comment from their website:

"The VON SMART Program (Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together) is a research and evidence based exercise and fall prevention program provided by the VON Erie St. Clair. SMART is designed for community members 55+ who, regardless of current levels of ability, wish to maintain or are deficit in one or more of the following areas: upper/lower body strength, balance and flexibility. The SMART program is ideal for individuals with barriers to traditional exercise groups due to health issues, mobility restrictions and/or chronic disease.  All of our programs are client-focused, and tailored to the needs of participants.  We include an educational component within our exercise classes detailing falls prevention strategies and interventions to help reduce fall risks. 

VON SMART Exercise classes and Fall Prevention workshops are FREE!"

I am not going to go into great deal of detail about the program itself in this article, dear reader. You will learn quite a bit about it and why I started up in it after you take a look at the Video that I will be presenting here.

The person who is my VON rep in the exercise program and who took the video is:

Marvin Edward

Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy Assistant

TEAM LEADER for SMART Exercise & Fall Prevention Program

(Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together)

VON Canada

400 - 4520 Rhodes Dr.

Windsor, ON   N8W 5C2

Office: (519) 254-9301 Ext. 6240

Toll Free: 1-866-354-4866 Ext. 6240

I am setting out all of his information because if you have a problem that needs assistance, then I would suggest you contact him immediately to get the assistance that you may require. He is just an excellent person with whom to discuss your serious matter.

Now please take a look at this video. I trust that it gives you the information that you require.  Go to this website below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY3SFi-onIM&feature=youtu.be

Here Are More Stories For You To Read

I know that I am commenting quite a bit on the weather.  I know that I probably should not do it as much. However, it does fascinate me.

Let me tell you why I say so much about it. I just think that until recently I have never really appreciated what the weather system can do. For all of the number of years previously, I would have to say that I really experienced very little about the weather. I was either in my office when working for a Company or doing work internally at my own residence. In other words, I rarely experienced the outside.

That all changed when I came back from the hospital after my illness was looked after there and then spent several months inside before I could go for a walk anywhere.  My "inside life" changed once I came home because I went out for several walks almost every day when it was warm out. I needed to do that to recover from my horrible illness and to gain energy for the future. In effect, I was doing all kinds of physical activities that I rarely did before.

I definitely was fascinated with the weather previously to my illness. However, I just seem to be more interested in it today. When I look up to the sky, I cannot believe so often now what I see. As an example, I am just thrilled watching the clouds moving across the sky so quickly. I am astounded at seeing storm clouds moving into our area and grow larger just before the sky opens up and the rain comes pouring down. As for the colour "blue," I cannot believe what that colour looks like when there is not a cloud in the sky.

So please excuse me, dear reader, if you think I write too much about what is up above my head. I just love it and am excited by it. Now, let me tell you about some stories that I have seen recently.

PARTNERING WITH MEXICO

It seems that some groups in Mexico would be very interested in partnering with Canadian companies, especially firms in this area:

"The WindsorEssex Development Corporation hosted a luncheon event at the Ciociaro Club where local business leaders attending learned the timing is perfect for Canada and Mexican corporate investors to start working together during the new era of protectionism in the U.S…

“Canada is a safe location for more Mexican business to come compared to the current perception of Mexico in the U.S.,” he said. “Canada also has good relationships with other parts of the world — and you have great talent here."  (Dave Battagello, Windsor Star, February 21, 2018) 

This area is desperate for new business. Why not partner with someone else who wants to invest in North America, but would have difficulty setting up an operation in the US:

"Volpe believes with Mexico shut out presently by the U.S., investors in that country will also look to expand here — with Windsor being a prime choice due to its location on the border."

Why shouldn't the people who are operating in this area consider dealing with companies outside of here to help them set up operations here in areas of expertise that people in our area have:

"Food processing, agriculture, auto, plus tool and die are the primary sectors of interest, MacKenzie said.

“The qualities and efficiencies we have in those industries are second to none,” he said. “Mexico needs our expertise, so will need to invest in companies here."

It will be interesting to watch and see if our companies start changing their operations and grow by partnering with foreign firms.

PERHAPS NOT A FAVOURITE CANDIDATE

It may be that, for the Windsor Star, one of the less favourite candidates running for becoming the head of the Progressive Conservative Party in Ontario, believe it or not, is the daughter of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

The story by Mary Caton on March 3, 2018 in the Windsor Star was quite a bit surprising to me because there were a number of very negative comments made in it about her right at the start. They were pretty small points but there they were at the beginning for the readers to see. Here is what I mean:

-"Breakfast was all but done by the time Progressive Conservative leadership hopeful Caroline Mulroney arrived"

-"Mulroney walked through the door almost 40 minutes late."

-"I’m overwhelmed to see this room so filled at 8 o’clock in the morning,” she said despite the fact it was much closer to 9 a.m. by the time she spoke."

-No one interviewed supported her completely yet although they did look at her favourably.

That did surprise me because the rest of the story was positive about Mulroney.

Based on what I have seen in different stories so far, it appears that Mulroney is in the 3rd position in the PC leadership campaign. I assume that action is supposed to be taken, which will move her up so that she will be the winner of the Party campaign and ultimately will be the Premier of Ontario. Whether that happens or not, we shall have to see.

At the least, even if she does not win and become leader this time around, I expect that she will be given a strong position in the Party either as a Cabinet Minister if the Conservatives win the election or a top Opposition member if they lose.

SAME-DAY GROCERY SERVICE

I saw an interesting story about this service being provided in Windsor by a Company called Instacart. It is a very simple project but still very exciting:

"You will soon be able to order your groceries from the comfort of your home from Zehrs and Real Canadian Superstore and have them delivered straight to their doorsteps in as little as one hour." (Liz Thorne, Windsorite.ca, February 13th, 2018)

The delivery cost to get the service seems unreasonably cheap: $3.99 for an order of $35 or more or no cost after $99 is paid once for an annual fee.

Does this make sense then for you, dear reader, to use this service? If one makes such an order once a week, the cost for delivery is so cheap then why would one even want to go to the store to do shopping? I assume that the person who makes up the order in the store will choose terrific products to send to the customer in order to keep that customer buying through Instacart.

However, here is where the problem may lie for those who phone in for the groceries. The price of the product may well be different depending on where one buys it. One would have to check to see which price is lowest before putting in an order. If it is lower at the RCSS, then one has to be very careful when one buys from Instacart and vice versa.

I expect that the other grocery chains will come up with competitive services. It should be interesting to see what happens then and which grocery company provides the best products at the lowest costs.

MORE BORDER NOISE

The New York Times just did a story about the noise that comes across to Windsor from somewhere in Detroit. So far, apparently, we do not know the source of that noise that bothers people over here.

Every so often, a story about this subject is printed and even with the negative results, no action seems to be taken to figure out what the cause is and how to stop it.

Of course, if this is something that the Ambassador Bridge Company was doing wrong, then you can anticipate what would be said about it, and the demands being made to solve it immediately. That has not been happening at any time for this issue.

Is this really why nothing is happening:

"Seeking intervention by government regulators for the hum is difficult because regulations typically address decibel levels that can lead to hearing loss or damage, not those that can affect quality of life, Rebecca Smith, a sound engineer and doctoral student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who researches urban noise, wrote in an email." (Christopher Mele, New York Times, February 19, 2018)

There has been one theory about this that has been expressed on a number of occasions:

"The University of Windsor report said the hum’s likely source was blast furnace operations on Zug Island on the Detroit River, which is densely packed with manufacturing. Activists complained that United States Steel, which operates the furnaces, has been uncooperative and secretive. A company spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment."

Regretfully, nothing seems to be done whatsoever in relation to this problem. Anyway, who cares about all this stuff:

"It’s possible that no matter what is done to relieve or attenuate the noise, it might never be enough,” he said."

Tough luck then to people who are impacted by it because no one seems to want to do anything about it. Just think, it may never be solved.