A few days ago I published a blog describing Pope Leo’s citation of the faithful witness of the Algerian Martyrs during the Algerian civil war between 1994-1996. Mission, the pope insisted, is never “a form of self-display, in opposition of identities, but the gift of self, even to the point of martyrdom, by those who... Continue Reading →
Don’t offer condolences. Act, stop Israel, and hold journalists’ murderers to account. Thank you Jim Hodgson Unwrapping Development for bringing this story to my attention. Eman Hillis, Gaza-based fact-checker, Al Jazeera A year ago, my dear friend and relative, journalist Amna Homaid, was brutally killed, along with her eldest child, Mahdi, 11. She was targeted... Continue Reading →
Taking a rest today from some of the horrible news from down south, and elsewhere. Please find below a truly good news story. Enjoy. Back to the awfuls (new word) tomorrow. Promise. As a child growing up in Victoria through the 1960s I remember the “Chinese grocery stores.” I especially remember one on the corner... Continue Reading →
From Heather Cox Richardson on FacebookAugust 25, 2025 (Monday)Edited for length by KJG This morning, President Donald J. Trump talked to reporters as he signed several executive orders in the Oval Office. [. . .]. At the press opportunity, Trump claimed that he saved Washington, D.C.—where crime was at a 30-year low before he took... Continue Reading →
I first learned of the Algerian martyrs through the movie: Of Gods and Men, a film centered on a true story that happened in the monastery of Tibhirine, Algeria, where nine Cistercian monks lived in harmony with the largely Muslim population of Algeria, until seven of them were kidnapped and assassinated in 1996 during the... Continue Reading →
[Ken Gray] What a title! Today’s post is LONG . . . but worth every second of your time. Trust me on this. So take your time; you’ll be glad you did. Greenberg lays out the best summary to my knowledge of what can feel like a complicated panoply of relationships; he does so clearly,... Continue Reading →
Thanks to Gary Schmidt for this lovely little piece. My father is in his eighties, and every morning he insists on walking to the little grocery store at the end of the street. I’ve told him a hundred times, “Dad, you don’t need to do that. I can order everything online. One click, and it’s... Continue Reading →
[Ken Gray – One way or another; Trump won’t be around forever; this means J D Vance could assume the presidency. Eileen Workman probes this horrible possibility below.] [Eileen Workman] For all my friends who fear that JD Vance would make an even worse leader than Trump, I say: follow the energy that’s already in... Continue Reading →
[Ken Gray] I spent my first nineteen years in Victoria. I return to visit frequently. I have lived in neighbouring communities from Sooke to Sidney and places in between. I know it well. Obviously things change over time; I get that. But what Gene Miller proposes below is a transformative vision which could, if enacted,... Continue Reading →
I started piano lessons when in third grade at school; I was around eight years old at the time. I remember my first lesson. (For Victoria friends, my first teacher was Robin Wood – I lasted about three lessons): Right hand only — C D E - E F G - switch fingers 5/4 -... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 