Bill Cunningham at work (and play) Two photographers, one living, one no longer with us, documenting our world, brilliantly. It has been some time since I have blogged on photography. It has been however one of my priorities since launching takenote.ca. Today however, I return to photography. Two recent news articles highlight the work of... Continue Reading →
UPDATE: No decision yet on some Western Canada concerts including West Kelowna. TYEE article here. Thanks friends from Summerland United Church for the share below. With the support and encouragment of "Christian" churches who should know better, steadily far right ideology is now creeping into Canadian public spaces. Kelowna, BC - Advocacy Canada is expressing... Continue Reading →
Photo composite: KJG Silence in the Face of Gaza’s Starvation is Absolute Betrayal of Holocaust VictimsBy Orit Kamir Shared by Robert Reich Jul 29, 2025 In her childhood, my mother was starved by a dark regime. When the Nazi army occupied Poland and Jews were pushed into ghettos, they were forced to make do with... Continue Reading →
Closed: Trump Admin Officially Shuts Down the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services Source: Trevor News — Jul. 17, 2025 July 17, 2025 – The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has officially terminated the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program. Starting today, contacts who reach... Continue Reading →
Travelling in Nova Scotia last year Kathie and I both enjoyed our visit to Africville, the site of a close‐knit Black community in the north end of Halifax for over 120 years. And I have the T-shirt to prove it. The City demolished Africville in the 1960s, and its residents have been fighting for justice... Continue Reading →
Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday placed restrictive conditions on the recognition of a Palestinian state, stressing the need to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the ongoing violations in the West Bank, while simultaneously rejecting any future Palestinian government that includes the Resistance movement Hamas,... Continue Reading →
A stylized black and white image of the U.S. Capitol building beneath cloud-dotted skies. Photo by Nicolas Raymond, Creative Commons licensed. SPOILER ALERT — Long, but worth a careful read. In the words of Gilbert and Sullivan: “Never, say never.” Reposted from The Tyee -- Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee. We... Continue Reading →
Amongst other gifts and duties, deacons preach in congregations as they connect us with the wider community In fact, no sermon at all today. As I now only preach on the first and third Sundays of each month today is truly a day of rest. Instead I share a reflection on sermons as an art... Continue Reading →
Almost-six-year-old Labradoodle, Juno, is a famed dog blogger. Follow her here for her thoughts on dog park politics and canine pedigree. I was one of eight or so members of a litter of Labradoodles born at a Kamloops area breeder almost six years ago now. MaPaw and PaPaw came up shortly after we were born... Continue Reading →
Years ago I suggested to a justice-seeking colleague that we should investigate the role of humour in our social and ecological justice advocacy. We can be awfully serious, I said. Off-putting even. She replied that the context — human rights abuse; the climate crisis; avaricious market hegemony — didn’t lend itself well to comedic treatment.... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 