Fact or Fiction: The Relationship of the Scott Family of Medicine Hat to the Famous Explorer Captain James Cook At the request of my good friend Gary Scott and consistent with my unabated enthusiasm for genealogical research, I began to … Continue reading
Author Archives: wanhorn
The Discovery of a Long Lost Relative-The Untold Story of Alfred Borth
Gallery
The Discovery of a Long Lost Relative-The Untold Story of Alfred Borth One of the fascinating aspects of being an amateur genealogist and one of things for which we all aspire is to find or locate a long lost relative … Continue reading
How Many Black Sheep Are In Your Family?
Gallery
The Story of Thomas Medlicott Part of the fascination with genealogy and creating a family tree is discovering various family relationships, which you didn’t know you had. Even more interesting is discovering a distant relationship with a famous person or … Continue reading
“Now Keep The Glory!”-The Story of a Fallen Soldier from WWI
Reply
The Story of a Fallen Soldier from WW1 and Why is important to remember them?
I have always being interested in the study of history and in particular the history of WWI. This keen interest in one of the darkest times in world history was no doubt inspired by my research into the family history of my wife’s family-Medlicott, when during the course of looking through some old photographs, I found pictures of her grandfather and great uncle, who were members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and who both served gallantly in the Great War. Unlike so many others, they both returned home from the war.
More recently, I had occasion to travel to travel to France and Belgium and to visit such historic WWI sites as Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Hill 60 and Ypres. Only in visiting such places does one fully appreciate the full nature and extent of the carnage and the terrible loss of life that occurred as so many young men who heeded the patriotic call and paid paid the ultimate sacrifice. This is a simple but compelling story of a fallen soldier from WW1 and a story which was far too often repeated in the towns and villages throughout the British Empire as the Great War raged on. Read On
DEATH, Toilet Paper and the Coronavirus
True dignity abides with him alone who, in the silent hour of inward thought, Can still suspect, and still revere himself, in lowliness of heart.
William Wordsworth
Death, to be perfectly candid is a bit of a morbid topic and one, which we typically try to push back into the dark recesses of our mind. But despite our best efforts, fear of dying is always present in our subconscious thoughts. As we grow older and particularly now that we are bombarded nightly with the unsettling news surrounding the coronavirus, it is not uncommon to think about one’s own mortality more often.
In an earlier article entitled, “Successful Aging: Develop both a Passion and a Purpose”, I outlined the several key elements to creating an environment of emotional stability as we head down the runway of life-“self-acceptance, positive attitude, creative expression, purposeful living, social engagement and spiritual awakening or connection”. I indicated that we cannot speak about “successful aging” in the context of having a spiritual awakening or connection without addressing our own mortality. We must acknowledge that we all have a shelf life; it is just not clear on “our” label, the actual expiry date. READ ON
North of the Medicine Line
The Origins and History of the Cypress Hills and a Prominent “Metis” Family from Medicine Hat
Having been born and raised in Medicine Hat and having lived there all of my life, I have a keen interest in its history. More recently, I became interested in genealogy and this interest combined with my passion for local Medicine Hat history resulted in an article entitled, “Demons of the Soul: The Origins and History of the Bliss Family of Medicine Hat and the Infamous Bill Bliss”. For those who grew up in Medicine Hat in the 50’s and 60’s, the name “Bliss” surname was synonymous with Saratoga Park, being one of the many Metis families who resided there. By some accounts, as many as 20 or 30 families resided in this area at one time[1]. Other Metis families during this era included names such as Akers, Bray, Demarais, Gosselins, Cayenne, Gaudry, Lawrence, Laframboise, McKay, Oullettes, Quesnelle and Sanderson and many generations of these families continue to call Medicine Hat their “home”.
Interestingly, many in the Metis community of Medicine Hat can trace their origins to the Cypress Hills and the arrival of the NWMP. READ ON
I
|
|
|
Demons of the Soul
The Origins and History of the Bliss Family of Medicine Hat and the Infamous Bill Bliss
Introduction:
Growing up in Medicine Hat, Alberta during the 50’s and 60’s brings back many fond memories and many interesting experiences. As we grow older and reminisce with family and friends about the past, these memories, for whatever reason, seem to take on greater importance in our lives.
I have always enjoyed reading about history and most recently, I became fascinated with the history of WWI. This was prompted by the discovery of pictures of my wife’s grandfather Thomas Medlicott and her great uncle, Edward Medlicott, who were both members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and who served gallantly overseas in the Great War. Both of these brothers were fortunate enough return to Canada from that conflict, while another brother George Medlicott, a member of the British Army, was not as lucky. He paid the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield of France, (Flanders) having been killed in action on the 6th of June 1918.
Recently, I had occasion to travel to France and Belgium and visited the Vimy Ridge Canadian War Memorial and famous WWI landmarks and cemeteries including familiar places or names like Ypres, Passchendaele and the infamous Hill 60, among many others. This evoked an even greater interest and passion in this remarkable chapter of our world history. READ ON
“Flying the Friendly Skies” May Not Be So Friendly Anymore!
Recent anecdotal evidence would suggest that there has been a demonstrable change affecting Canadian Visitors to the United States in the wake of the new legislation regarding pre-clearance sites at Canadian airports.
Being retired, my wife and I are frequent visitors to the United States, having had the good fortune of spending our winter months down south over the last number of years. Although we have never had any difficulty in crossing the border into the United States, the “happy hour” conversations down south invariably give rise to the occasional “horror” story about a friend or acquaintance, who has had “run in” with an overzealous U.S. Customs and Border agent. (“U.S.CBP”), most of which are usually quite amusing but typically are uneventful.
However, a number of recent newspaper articles, including reported personal stories and anecdotes, suggest that there is an enhanced level of inspection and statistically, an increasing number of refusals of entry at the Canadian/U.S. border, apparently as a result of recent changes and amendments to the Pre-clearance Agreement between the United States and Canada.
“Frugality Risk”: How Much Money Should You Spend In Your Retirement?
In an earlier article entitled, “Retirement, Financial Risks and Negative Interest Rates”, I identified and discussed the key financial risks that every retiree must understand and consider in developing a retirement plan. Based upon my own experience and from my observation of others, there is another risk that some retirees must address, which is seldom identified or even discussed.
Frugality is considered by many to be a valuable financial habit and some consider it to be a significant contributor to the establishment of wealth. By definition “frugality” refers to the quality or state of being frugal; the prudent and careful management of material and resources, especially money. Those who consider themselves to be frugal are economical in the consumption of consumable resources such as food, time or money and avoid waste, lavishness or extravagance. READ ON
“Grumpy Old Men”: The Relationship Between Aging and Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence as a field of academic research has been around for several decades but has only recently become a popular topic among corporate executives as they search for new ways to improve talent/recruitment within their organization. The topic first gained notoriety following the publication of the book in 1995 entitled “Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman. Based upon subsequent research and numerous empirical studies, it has been determined that having a high EI is essential in achieving success not only in business but in life itself and that it may be just as important as having a high IQ.
According to Goleman, there are five key elements to Emotional Intelligence:
- Self-awareness.
- Self-regulation.
- Motivation.
- Empathy.
- Social skills.
“Grumpy Old Men”
It is not uncommon these days to discover that there is a general negative perception of seniors and the aging process. Many younger people when thinking about aging associate it with physical decline and diminished cognitive skills. Many seniors are stereotyped as being unhappy and isolated and lacking in motivation. Seniors are often portrayed as “grumpy old men”.
To the contrary, recent studies have demonstrated that as we get older, our emotional intelligence improves significantly and seniors are more focused on positive outcomes as opposed to having negative feelings. They have a tendency to value relationships and work harder at maintaining existing relationships and fostering new ones. They generally have a more positive outlook and a greater sense of optimism, all of which is somewhat surprising to many observers. Studies have found that there is a correlation between aging and an increase in emotional intelligence.READ ON
