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I was recently at Sobeys buying some groceries which included chicken breast and ground beef. At the till, the cashier went to individually bag the two different kinds of delicious meat before putting them in a larger bag that had an assortment of other groceries. I said to her “You could probably just toss those into a bag with everything else.” to which she replied “I can’t, not supposed to.”

My question is, what could really happen if meat was not individually bagged? I get that the packaging for the meat might come loose and leak, but how likely is that? I have never had an issue before with leaky meat packaging, and the only other things often put into a bag with meat are cereal boxes, milk containers, canned goods, or maybe fruits and vegetables that generally have their own individual bags anyway.

My rational is that when I go home, I immediately take the meat out of the bags and put it in the freezer. Then what? The bags are too small to really do anything else with, so they just end up being trashed. I am sure mostly everyone else is of fairly like mind. Obviously putting food in the same bag as rat poison is a little extreme, but what is wrong with all perishable food in one bag, boxed or canned foods in another, and cleaners/deodorants in another. I would at least like the choice to say no to wasting more bags than necessary…


I felt myself obliged to weight in as the Medicine Hat Police Service website issued a new poll and article on their site entitled “New Car Decals” with a vote/poll on the new design. While I was strongly wanted to vote “no” instinctively to the whole thing, I felt it in the best interest to issue my opinion in a less “black or white/yes or no” type fashion. To clarify though, I’m not necessarily saying the design and branding is bad or anything subjective like that, rather just bringing up a question about designing for differentiation. To begin, I offer the following comparison in branding and design aesthetic.

Which version of “Police” actually says Police or law enforcement/something important to you:

Police Branding

This town, like a lot others, are filled with businesses and companies doing complete decal and vehicle coverings to promote their business, full of gradients, text effects, backgrounds, photography and whatever else is relevant or (in most cases) irrelevant to their companies. You’ve probably seen the car dealership vehicles driving around city with complete decal coverings advertising themselves. Most cities have keyed into this and designed their Police cars accordingly, using the same typeface treatment as well as colour usage as they have always used to promote recognition but also to signify they are “different”. While most consider the aesthetic boring or “dated”, it works, in a visual communication point of view. Consider this next example:

Ambulance Example

Obviously I’m stretching a bit here, but my logic, I think, is intact. A lot of the recognition is intrinsic to the car make and model, but, I like to think, in the field that I work in, that design accounts for at least, something. Anyways, what do you think?

http://www.medicinehatpolice.com/feature-new-car-decals.html


Book Cover

Shamus Ghillie U.S. Secret Service In Medicine Hat Book Cover

I would like to bring to your attention, a recently released novel by Native American author David Walks-As-Bear relating to Medicine Hat:

Overview: ( Historical Fiction )
Shamus Ghillie is a half-Choctaw-half-Irish elite ex-Confederate soldier who is, also, a man of the wild and untamed West. But, he’s also a man of rare and unusual skills as a hunter of both animals and men. It is Ghillie, with his unique talents, that President Grant wants to secretly enlist to handle the trouble along the boundary of the newly formed nation of Canada, just north of the Montana Territory. But, men like Ghillie don’t come easily, and, if they come at all, they don’t come cheap.

http://www.walks-as-bear.com/

Amazon Book Link


As much as we all try to deny it and as much as we dread its arrival, it has arrived. The horrible cold-to-the-bone six month winter has undeniably made its presence known. For most of us that means changing out the wardrobe, winterizing vehicles and RVs, and of course stocking up on hot chocolate. However, there is additional preparation required for those people of the world that have furry friends, and wish to keep them from becoming furry ice cubes. Even though dogs have fur that doesn’t mean they don’t need a little bit of winter help. It is true that breeds such as Huskies and Malamutes are a little bit more cold-equipped (they have practice from running all those dog sled races), but even they need a nice warm shelter. Below I’ve listed a few tips for keeping your best friend a happy puppy while the winter rears its ugly head.

  • All dogs that spend any more than ten minutes outside at a time do require a heated shelter. For my three Golden Retrievers (Amber, Rocco, and Herc) I have a dog house with an overhead heater that keeps them comfy as well as a heated pad for Amber, who is old and hates winter as much as the next Florida Retiree. Of course, living inside the house is preferable but obviously this isn’t realistic for people like myself with three large dogs that get very rowdy.
  • I know we’ve all seen those ridiculous pampered little pooches with fluffy jackets strolling down the streets, or god forbid in their owner’s purse. As hilarious as they look, breeds with short hair do appreciate a little bit of extra warmth when it is cool outside. Such breeds include, Chihuahuas, Miniature Pinschers, Whippets, and Greyhounds. Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) some dogs just prefer the au natural look and will refuse that jacket like the plague. Don’t bother pushing it, it will be mostly fruitless.
  • Booties! Another seemingly ridiculous accessory that really does serve an important purpose. If your dog will tolerate them (I know mine wouldn’t) these silly little shoes will protect your puppy from dangerous hidden objects in the snow, give them a better grip on ice, and protect from getting frostbitten pads.
    THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

Mad Jake's Pub & Grub

Mad Jake's Pub & Grub

I’m a little bit late on posting this one, but the pub/bar previously known as Stillethos and Tantric recently had a promotional campaign entitled “Name Our Pub” which ran a contest to rename the business under the new management and owners, Ryan & Nola Besplug and Kary & Darcy Oshynko. They are no longer an adult-orientated bar and boast lower drink prices and a new selection of “grub”. Their original promotional site, aptly named, “NameOurPub.com” now just forwards you over to their new site here. The pub is now named “Mad Jake’s Pub & Grub”, as suggested by Shea Karcha. There was tons of choices as shown in the Facebook group post.

I’m more or less posting this here because it’s a great effort on the new owner’s part to try something like this. Being in the semi-traditional market that Medicine Hat is, this new form of marketing and advertising rarely shows up in this town. Most of the contest, discussion and promotional all happened on Facebook – something else we don’t see a lot of; people in this city embracing new (and free) media to their advantage. I also agree with the change from an adult/lingerie bar to a more neutral, classy place. I never was in Stillethos or Tantric before, but now, I will definitely stop in there in the near future.

Mad Jake’s Pub & Grub Website
Facebook Group


I was in Lethbridge this weekend after the big blizzard that just roared through southeast Alberta.

On Sunday after shoveling the walk and the two foot drift of snow by the garage, Taylor and I took to doing some errands around town. We figured by this time the plows must have been out during Saturday evening and Sunday morning so there would not be an issue.

We noticed that the main roads were plowed but despite being out for about an hour and a half, we never saw a plow working, but unexpectedly we saw bucket trucks out en masse hanging Christmas decorations on the lamp posts along the busier streets, going so far as to push two lane traffic into one lane.

It just seemed kind of silly to me that if you go to a residential street there are big snow drifts and people are getting stuck, we even saw one person driving a quad down the street with a plow on the front, and meanwhile there are Christmas decorations being hung… I hope city workers in Medicine Hat were more concerned with snow removal than wishing everyone who got stuck a Merry Christmas.


I have heard some tell around town lately that some credit card scams have been going on around our southeast Alberta lately, and more specifically in Calgary during Grey Cup.

The scam involves someone approaching you in a situation much like when you are at a gas station filling up your vehicle. They claim they have not deposited their latest pay cheque yet and need some cash, so they will offer to pay for your gas with “their” credit card in exchange for your cash. The card will be accepted, but since it is not actually their card, someone else ends up being charged and the scammer makes off with the cash.

Just something for everyone to be on the lookout for.


No Audience

No Audience

Quick introduction… My name is Justin Quinton, I have lived in the Hat almost 6 years, originally from Newfoundland (although my accent has all but been repressed) and I have been digging through this city since day one to find a ‘scene’. Any scene. Music, art, theatre… even a pretentious artsy group that won’t give me the time of day. This has led me to discover two things; Yes there is enormous amounts of talent here! And no, not a lot of people care.

I know within this blog I’m probably speaking directly to the people that do care. And you probably already believe that media deserves more recognition in southern Alberta. What I came up with over a year ago is a concept for an arts magazine. I spent a weekend brainstorming and planning and left it at that. About a week ago while surfing I stumbled upon Medicine Hat Media and seen that it was reflecting a lot of the ideas that I wanted to do with the magazine. Instantly my spark renewed and I wanted to put forth a concept for a magazine I call “No Audience”. It’s about art, music, and life here in Southern Alberta and to bring forward the best works of our local artists in a professional glossy magazine.

I myself am a musician, photographer and ‘graphic design dabbler’ here in the city. I don’t claim to be the best nor do I do any of those things for profit (I have another job, 3 kids and a mortgage). What would be really cool is if the right people see this, want to work on it, want to contribute, take it to where it needs to go, and be a showcase for all too see our local talents… to create a scene!

Thanks for your time. This is the cover I designed to spark interest in the project. The model is a local girl named Robyn Homans and I did the photography.


A bold title, but what other conclusions would someone jump to while reading a news article about a dozen businesses opposing the idea of a homeless shelter on South Railway Street?

Despite the shelter planning to operate between 8PM and 8AM, some parents are concerned for the safety of their children. What is a homeless person going to do? Kidnap your children and sell them back to you for a ham sandwich? If nothing else, these potentially dangerous people would be kept off the street, and away from children. If I was homeless, I would hope I was in a city that cared enough to put up a homeless shelter for the frigid winters. However, it seems most people are so blinded by the belief that homeless people are inherently evil that I would not invest much hope in a shelter.

It seems to me that the band NOFX has written a song about the shameful attitude of many Hatters toward homelessness:

THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »


Have you ever received a parking ticket that you felt was unwarranted and you do not want to pay the fine? Well with a little research, some photographs and a nicely typeset report, you have a chance to get out of it, but only if you are in the right.

My story begins a couple of years ago. One day I parked in an the alley of a parking lot – a place I have parked many times without consequence – outside Vaughn and Dusty’s place. A few hours later when I left, I had a ticket that stated I was in violation of Section 3.2 of Bylaw 2324, which begins with “No person shall park a motor vehicle in an alley unless he [sic] is actively engaged in:” followed by the summary “(3.2) The loading or unloading of goods or passengers from a vehicle for no longer than 5 minutes as long as the vehicle does not obstruct traffic.”

The thing about the alley I parked in does not 100% conform to the dictionary definitions of an alley, one of which is: “A narrow back street.” It was not narrow enough that my parking was obstructing traffic, as it still allowed people to back in and out of the parking lot spaces and still could allow two-way traffic with ease. Furthermore, there was not a “No Parking” sign to be seen, allowing me to refer to the fact that most urbanites do not have all city bylaws memorized, so there was no way to know that parking was not allowed in that area.

THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »


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