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 โChinese grocery stores.โ I especially remember one on the corner... Continue Reading →
J B Pritzker, Governor of Illinois to Donald Trump — Do not come to Chicago — You are not welcome here; you are not needed here
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.โwhere crime was at a 30-year low before he took... Continue Reading →
Pope Leo and the witness of the Algerian martyrs
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 →
Connecting for life
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. Iโve told him a hundred times, โDad, you donโt need to do that. I can order everything online. One click, and itโs... Continue Reading →
Downtown Victoria: A “psychologically necessary” vision
[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 →
Truth spoken here
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 โ I lasted about three lessons): Right hand only โ C D E - E F G - switch fingers 5/4 -... Continue Reading →
Hell hath no fury like a pissed-off Labradoodle โ Juno is shocked and disheartened
Dog-blogger, Juno, a six-year-old Labradoodle, lives with her MaPaw and PaPaw in beautiful Summerland in the British Columbia interior. She is a healthy, happy dog, but today we see a side of her few people or animals witness. When she gets angry, well, look out. Hello everyone. I hope you are enjoying August as much... Continue Reading →
Such a cloud of witnesses
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen Anglican Church, Summerland BC - Sunday, August 17th, 2025 โ The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - The Very Rev. Ken Gray A woman approached me after a sermon I recently preached in Penticton, quite upset, as I intentionally contrasted the love of the Good Samaritan with the... Continue Reading →
Fun and games — a Blogscape Scavenger Hunt
Something totally different today. A test of memory for all my loyal readers, and those who arrive at this page by accident. (Lucky you.) An investigative challenge for those who enjoy the variety of personalities named in the over 680 posts viewed 103,000 times by over 64,000 visitors. This year, 2025, the volume of traffic... Continue Reading →
Ballroom dancing โ Albert Speer visits the White House
Adolph Hitler congratulates Albert Speer Albert Speer was Hitlerโs architect. His designs embodied Hitlerโs racist vision of a perfect and dominant society, efficient, powerful, and white. Speerโs ghost now lurks in the corridors of Trumpโs White House, itself built as a mansion for a president and never a palace like Hampton Court or Versailles. Trumpโs... Continue Reading →