It seems that most people meet online these days, not just in bars or through family connections or through friends. Norma Hill and I met online, not on a dating site as we are both happily married, though not to each other. One early email exchange is dated November 8, 2023 though our relationship feels... Continue Reading →
We must balance compassion with accountability โ A Health First collaborative approach for Victoria
Like most cities, large and small, the City of Victoria in British Columbia still struggles how best to harmonize the lives of rich and poor, of those who live comfortable lives with those who live at great risk, on the streets or elsewhere in the community. Despite massive amounts of money spent on programs, no... Continue Reading →
Robert Reich hopes Trump’s Plan to invoke the Insurrection Act will not come to pass โ I donโt share his optimism
Robert Reich on Substack, Oct 06, 2025 Friends, The direction weโre going is either martial law or civil war. Americans from so-called โredโ states, with the backing of their Republican governors and legislatures, are on the brink of using lethal force against Americans in so-called โblueโ states, whose Democratic governors and legislatures strongly oppose the... Continue Reading →
How a โSanctuary Communityโ REALLY operates
[Ken Gray] Today I feature a story of how one community frustrated the efforts of ICE agents in one American city. I think it worthwhile to demonstrate particular resistance actions, hopefully to encourage others to implement similar actions elsewhere. The struggle continues; it is nowhere near over. Not at all. Robert Reich received the information... Continue Reading →
Here is a book worth reading โ A focus on Francis
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Church, Penticton on Sunday, October 5, 2025 [St. Francis transferred from Oct 4) by the Very Rev. Ken Gray โPreach the gospel at all times, and when absolutely necessary, use wordsโ Attributed to St. Francis, these words embody the thirteenth-century Italian whose greatest honour was to be... Continue Reading →
Meet my friend Ken
Moving in to our Summerland home in October of 2022 the first piece of art we broke out of its packing box was a watercolour painted by my friend, Ken Faulks. It Is a lovely plein air painting from the Dewdrop Plateau in Kamloops, our former home. Its size, style, and mood perfectly complement the... Continue Reading →
The โenemy withinโ meets stunned general silence
Prelude to Military DictatorshipThe โenemy withinโ and the militarization of American politicsJames B. Greenberg on Substack โ Oct 01, 2025 I watched the CBS coverage in stunned silence. Trump stood before a room of military officers, invoking โthe enemy withinโ and proposing that American cities be repurposed as training grounds for domestic combat. The words... Continue Reading →
A cavalcade of incompetence or deceit? โ You decide
The indictment of former FBI director, James Comey continues to raise eyebrows and tempers. For good reason. A formal charge of a serious crime by a US grand jury is no trifling matter. That said, the speed with which the clumsy and manipulative process is a story that needs to be told. First, here is... Continue Reading →
Food for thought, in a time of tariffs โ AKA Farmaggedon in the fields
Charlie Angus / The Resistance -- Trump Delivers Farmaggedon -- Sep 26, 2025 I used to look forward to the first shipments of Iowa sweet corn at the grocery store. It was a sign that BBQ season had arrived in the north. Not this year. When I saw the big bins of MADE IN USA... Continue Reading →
Decisions, decisions, decisions
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland, Canada โ The sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 28, 2025 โ The Very Rev. Ken Gray We heard some months ago Jesusโ declaration of blessing and woe: โBlessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you... Continue Reading →