Life

Consider this: 68 per cent of customers who experience poor customer service will not come back, and most who leave do not take the time to provide their feedback after having a bad experience. Whether customer service is a key part of your business or not, customer experience can spread like wildfire and proliferate through [...] Read More »

As a Chamber of Commerce, we often say that we’re the “voice of business,” which is a simple definition for our overarching role. While we don’t have the resources or mandate to advocate for all issues within our community, we do focus on those that have a direct correlation to our vision, mission, membership and [...] Read More »

Medicine Hat is in the middle of a commercial building boom. Construction in the south end alone runs into the $100-million range. Add in the projects downtown and at Box Springs Business Park, and the number goes even higher. A quick rundown of work announced and underway only serves to illustrate the depth and breadth [...] Read More »

CNW TORONTO Are vacations where people completely disconnect from the office a thing of the past? Research shows “workations” may continue to be common for some professionals today In a recent survey from staffing firm Accountemps, 33 per cent of Canadian workers said they typically check in with the office at least once or twice [...] Read More »

Bootstrapping is truly one of the most effective and low risk modes to start a business. While the term bootstrapping may sound old world, there is nothing outdated about it. Among methods of starting a business, bootstrapping, which leverages personal savings and the selling of products or services to fund initial business operations, is a [...] Read More »

We are so incredibly fortunate to live in such a beautiful location with so much wonderful weather especially in the summer. I really have no desire to travel away in the summer months when right here is the best place to be. In fact, I’m flying to Newfoundland for a Dietitian’s Conference this week where [...] Read More »

Some of you may have heard of an amazing project that came out of the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank this past year. It was called Food First and they partnered with Community Food Connections Association, Community Foundation and Starks Plumbing. Each of the 11 families identified by the food fank received a freezer [...] Read More »

Every September since I started writing my column in 1999 I’ve talked tearfully about my four boys as each started school, then returned to school every new school year. This fall was the hardest school year yet with all four leaving for university and yes for the first time we experienced “the empty nest.” We [...] Read More »

With the start of spring comes that glorious scent of outdoor barbecues. I took my dog for a walk on the weekend close to supper time and could smell a variety of delicious meat grilling in people’s yards. Their are lots of fabulous foods to barbecue and one common main course is chicken. Chicken is [...] Read More »

“Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail, hippity hoppity Easter’s on its way!” Just three short sleeps until Good Friday and the beginning of Easter celebrations. Believe it or not I still do Easter baskets for my four boys. I love all the holiday celebrations. I have decorations for all of them and [...] Read More »

When you are young it is easy to dismiss the dangers of the sun. It is only when it is hard, if not impossible, to reverse the signs of sun damage that we wish we had limited our exposure to the sun. If you’re not convinced that it will catch up with you I suggest [...] Read More »

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, remarked, “There are no boy philosophers.” Fortunately, most of us do get wiser as we age. However, it’s never been a top priority of mine to rush into old age so I could be a wise, elderly, medical journalist philosopher. Could I be wrong? Consumer Reports on Health says there are [...] Read More »

At the moment most of us would feel a little strange about having a computer interpret our laboratory tests and make a diagnosis. We have placed our confidence in highly educated pathologists who determine what the laboratory sample reveals. There have been instances where that was not 100 per cent accurate — all of the [...] Read More »

How should hockey star Sidney Crosby, or my own child, be treated if he suffered a brain concussion? To answer this question I interviewed Dr. Andrew Saul, Editor-in-Chief of the Orthomolecular Medical News Service, and a world authority on nutrition. Dr. Saul confirmed what I suspected, that bruised brains are not receiving the treatment they [...] Read More »

A friend recently asked, “Giff, what’s happened? You’ve lost weight.” He was wrong, as my weight has remained the same for years. But this is not the first time this has happened. It’s because I’ve never liked dress shirts with tight collars. Loose collars exposing the neck convey the impression of weight loss. But surprise! [...] Read More »

I am often surprised when someone tells me that they are or aren’t doing something because they are concerned about another’s person’s reaction. They don’t want to cause anger, sadness or fear in the other person so they change their own behaviours thinking that this will alleviate trouble. Well, there are a number of things [...] Read More »

Can you believe that summer break is almost here? Time sure flies fast when you’re having fun! June has been a busy month for the Health Foundation. You may have heard about our most recent event, the third annual MyKids radio-a-thon in support of C.H.A.D.S. C.H.A.D.S is an acronym for Children’s Health and Developmental Services. [...] Read More »

Germany is a miracle. Today Germany is a country admired around the world. An economic powerhouse. A name synonymous with quality and efficiency. Germany, one of the leaders in transitioning to green power, making honest very costly efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. Germany, an anchor of the European Union. For all the faults of the [...] Read More »

It has become common to see children playing with electronics or being in front of a screen. Often electronics seem to be a lifesaver in our busy lives, keeping children occupied while we do other tasks or household chores. Long periods of time spent in front of a screen has a direct effect on our [...] Read More »

Medicine Hat News A number of schools in the Medicine Hat area were recently responsible for the distribution of $10,000 to a variety of charities through the Youth in Philanthropy program, a project of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta (CFSEA). Students research various charities as part of learning about philanthropy, community need and challenges [...] Read More »

Steve MacNaull Special to the News Naomi and Cheryl’s enthusiasm is contagious. I’m already stoked the morning is warm and the sky is blue and cloudless. But when I meet fellow runners Naomi Garrish and Cheryl Gillson by the Okanagan River in Oliver, B.C., they are bubbling, much like the waterway. They want to tell [...] Read More »

Leslie Martin For a quick, exciting, informative getaway for the whole family take a quick trip north on Highway 21 to Sceptre’s Great Sandhills Museum then south 10 km to the Great Sandhills of Saskatchewan. The museum was an incredible surprise, considering the population of Sceptre is under 100 people! Sceptre is also known for [...] Read More »

Ernest Fode It was the King of the Wild Frontier, the Duke and an old Spanish mission that brought me to San Antonio, deep in the heart of Texas. San Antonio today, the seventh largest and fourth fastest growing city in the U.S. has a population of close to 1.3 million. As a kid, back [...] Read More »

Steve MacNaull Special to the News Head tilted skyward, the rim of the glass hits my lips and the Malort slams into my mouth in one violent shot. I grimace, my eyes water slightly and I finally gag a bit. The disgusting taste lingers. Malort, a Chicago invention of vodka-meets-wormwood to create a foul-beyond-belief liqueur, [...] Read More »

Leslie Maltin If you’re ever in Yuma Arizona make sure you mosey on downtown tocheck out the historical and architectural marvel that is the Hotel San Carlos. It was built in 1930 by the owners of the San Carlos of Phoenix as a couples retreat. Yuma was then known as the “Wedding Capital” of the [...] Read More »