I am away from church today, a rare space of rest from preaching and presiding. On such days I have more time to read and write. I am currently reading "East West Street: On the Origins of "Genocide" and "Crimes Against Humanity"" by Philippe Sands. It is a memoir and history of the origins of... Continue Reading →
Men on the moon, plus Caroline Leavitt โ A fantasy
[Ken Gray] For the record, I do not support human travel to the moon. I think itโs a waste of time and money. Sure, people enjoy what my generation witnessed in 1968-9 as the Apollo Program proved we had the technology and the expertise to land on the moon โ and we did it โ... Continue Reading →
I haven’t done my own work on this yet – I am curious, and very hopeful
Christopher Lamb on CNN Pope Leo XIV says control of artificial intelligence must not remain in the hands โof a fewโ while warning that technology is fueling world conflicts, setting out his proposals in the first major theological document of his pontificate. These include protecting the distinctive โgrandeur of humanityโ amid rapidly changing technology and... Continue Reading →
Call the Midwife — Kindness on full display
Credit: Neal Street Productions/BBC Posted by Michelle Collins on May 12, 2026 via NPR SOME SPOILERS โSometimes, our new beginnings have been yearned for. We have chosen them. Others lie in wait...โ Jennifer Worthโs words (as spoken by Vanessa Redgrave) kick off the season finale. This final episode offers a deeply moving look at what... Continue Reading →
Finally, someone now says what I have been thinking
Calvin Sandborn Apr 25, 2026 Victoria Times Colonist - Thanks M for the suggestion A commentary by an Anglican, retired law professor, Kingโs Counsel and author of Becoming the Kind Father, a book about men and anger. He lives in Brentwood Bay near Victoria, BC โOpen the Fโ-nโ Strait, you crazy bastards, or youโll be... Continue Reading →
โIf we stay silent, no one will hear usโ Palestinian creative non-violent resistance
Reposted from Aljazeera [Introduction by Sylvia Keesmaat] โThis is what creative non-violent resistance looks like: Holding a Freedom school in the face of barbed wire and the hovering threat of violence. One thing that the increasingly tyranny and violence around the world has demonstrated is that those without power know how to band together and... Continue Reading →
Violence begets violence — Some leaders have not learned this yet
Ed Cyzewski Apr 17, 2026 on Substack - With thanks to Norma Hill for the nudge There are a lot of different ways to live your life as a person and to exist as a society. For better or worse, in America, we tend to โliveโ by the economy and market. There are a lot... Continue Reading →
Such a good news story
Reposted from The Independent Sunday 19 April 2026 NPR (National Public Radio/US) received its largest-ever donation from a living donor this week when billionaire philanthropist Connie Ballmer gave $80 million to the media organization. Ballmer โ a former member of the NPR Foundation's board โ told the Wall Street Journal that she poured money into... Continue Reading →
โGod does not listen to the prayers of those who wage warโ Pope Leo XIV
How the first American pope is reclaiming Christian values from the Trump administration By Christopher Lamb at CNN Flying to Algeria at the start of his landmark tour of Africa on Monday, Pope Leo had a choice. He could ignore Donald Trumpโs extraordinary overnight social media tirade against him, or he could tackle it head... Continue Reading →
Rise up, you calm and quiet American voices
Artistic rendering of Donald J. Trump by KJG We all know them; whether we live in the US, or hail from north of the Canada/US border. The late Allan Fotheringham (1932-2020) whose column appeared on the final page of Macleans Magazine for decades, used to describe Americans as individually, the nicest kind of person you... Continue Reading →