Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's speech on the 25th anniversary of the 911 terrorist attack ~ Sep 11, 2026 at Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador https://youtu.be/sw-CzpbjA6E Formatted here as a poem, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's speech is one for the ages. Infused by his typical fighting spirit, though graciously offered, his words are a paean to... Continue Reading →
International demand for Canadian maple syrup surges amid U.S. trade war | CBC News A quintessential Canadian product is finding its way to more store shelves and breakfast tables around the world. Canadian maple syrup exports are trending upward, generating $844.2 million in 2025, up 17.2 per cent over the previous year, according to Statistics... Continue Reading →
[KJG] Some years ago I was in a meeting with Sierra Club of BC leaders. Along one side of the room was a very large digital printer. I enquired why they required such a large device. They explained that if they arrived at a meeting with a map, their own map, they often controlled the... Continue Reading →
That's the message from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, marking 1 September as both the start of the Orthodox ecclesiastical year and the Day of Prayer for the Protection of the Natural Environment, an observance the Ecumenical Patriarchate established in 1989 and which now brings Christian communities together worldwide: "a symbol and practical promotion of the unity... Continue Reading →
I have written so much recently about the Bald Range wildfire which forced the evacuation of our little town of Summerland on Friday night, August 7, 2026. A search on my blogsite will bring up many different perspectives of our amazing story. Additionally, I photographed from a number of unique angles a gathering in our... Continue Reading →
by Jim Hodgson - Reposted from Unwrapping Development More than 42 years after my first visit to Haiti, I can’t disagree with that assessment. It was offered June 16 by UN secretary general António Guterres near the end of his one-day visit to Port-au-Prince. The visit came 40 years after the fall of the Duvalier family dictatorship;... Continue Reading →
From The Guardian daily newsletter, Monday, Aug 31, 2026 - Hettie O’Brien, FIRST EDITION Over the weekend, rescue workers in Nepal and Tibet raced to find people who are still trapped in villages affected by catastrophic flash floods. As of this morning, the death toll stands at 903, and more than 4,000 people are missing.... Continue Reading →
A Poem on Hope It is hard to have hope. It is harder as you grow old, for hope must not depend on feeling good and there’s the dream of loneliness at absolute midnight. You also have withdrawn belief in the present reality of the future, which surely will surprise us, and hope is harder... Continue Reading →
A reflection from the late John O’Donohue For the First Day of the Season of Creation 2026 Also our first experience of the Feast Day of Creation in the calendar of the Christian Church Listen to John’s beautiful reflection here https://vimeo.com/203378234?fl=pl&fe=cm Video transcript: I'm John O'Donohue. I'm a writer. I live here in the west... Continue Reading →
Chef Ned Bell (left) and Farmer Thomas Tumbach started the Summerland Sauce Project to turn veggies into help - Photo: Summerland Sauce Project Casey Richardson - Aug 29, 2026 / From Castanet A project that bought crops from Okanagan farmers impacted by the Bald Range wildfire and turned them into seasonal sauces and preserves raised... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 