Author, composer and professor Fr. Michael Joncas holding a June 2024 letter from former U.S. president Joe Biden by the bookcase where he framed and displayed the original 1976 score of "On Eagle's Wings," in his apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota, May 2026. (NCR photo/Camillo Barone) by Camillo Barone, NCR staff reporter By the mid-1970s, Fr.... Continue Reading →
Bob Blackmore — Texada’s master storyteller has spun his last yarnBy Isabelle Southcott in Powell River Living, February 2009With thanks to fellow dog park companion, Dena Wilson He was an adventurer, a bushman, a marksman, a photographer, a journalist and a master storyteller. He wasn’t motivated by money but rather by a burning desire to... Continue Reading →
I still miss Chris Lind, very much. Aged 61, he died far too soon during his time as director of the Sorrento Retreat and Conference Centre. Decades earlier he was my ethics professor at the Saskatoon Theological Union. Later we served together on the General Synod EcoJustice Committee. Finally, when I was in Kamloops we... Continue Reading →
On Saturday, June 13, 2026 Summerland United Church with St. Stephen Anglican Church hosted the first ever PRIDE parade in our little town. Sure, such events have been a regular feature on the coast since the 1990s. They have also become a staple event in larger centres in the BC interior such as Kamloops and... Continue Reading →
So help me out here, please. Roman visitors today can tour the Colosseum for just under $50 CDN. Described by one reviewer the tour is “very informative. Fascinating history. Very thorough Worth the price, and the Colosseum is awesome to actually be inside and see it.” As they say, when in Rome, do as the... Continue Reading →
Natalie Kyriacou | “How Will History Judge Us?” | Democracy, Climate & the Future Australian author and environmentalist Natalie Kyriacou delivers a powerful and deeply provocative address at the Reclaiming Democracy Together launch event. Opening with the question, “How do you think we will be written about in history books?”, Natalie reflects on the contradictions... Continue Reading →
And what must be done to stop it Reposted from Robert Reich, Jun 11, 2026 [Ken Gray This post from Robert Reich is long, but essential reading. A coup presses inexorably on, silently, though comprehensively. Even if the House and Senate change after the midterms, resistance will simply take a different form, supported by actions... Continue Reading →
From the Sabeel online newsletter Confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah continue despite the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, with Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon killing so far 3,613 people, including UNIFIL peacekeepers, and injuring 11,072 others. The violence has expanded regionally, with Iran and Yemen launching missiles toward Israel and Israel responding with strikes on Iran. God... Continue Reading →
By Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press Last Updated June 7, 2026 7:41 am. OTTAWA — Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed says he’s proud of how Gov. Gen. Mary Simon used her time in office to seek a balance between her dual identities as an Inuk woman and the Crown’s representative in Canada — roles... Continue Reading →
by Jim Hodgson at Unwrapping Development “The U.S. government is going crazy with its shameful war on Cuba,” writes Medea Benjamin of CodePink. “Every week, there’s a new sanction, a new restriction, a new way to punish the Cuban people.” She goes on to describe measures directed against U.S. travellers and solidarity groups. Here, I want to... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 