Photo credit: Association of fundraising professionals [An earlier post from takenote.ca sets the scene for today's follow-up blog. KJG] By Ibrahim Hirsi, Truthout Published September 17, 2026 Documentation projects are capturing the brutality of the ICE crackdown and the grassroots resistance that followed. Sabrina Rucker wasn’t just focused on protecting her immigrant neighbors and coordinating... Continue Reading →
A report from Christian Climate Action UK - Some criminals deserve our upmost respect and support [KJG] Rev Sue Parfitt was one of four people on trial this last week for their actions with Insulate Britain. Today the trial ended with the jury being dismissed when they failed to reach a majority verdict. Each morning... Continue Reading →
Daniel Lewis, Sept. 16, 2026 The New York Times Annie Dillard, who as a young American writer walked into the woods and came out with a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on the wonders and horrors of creation, the modern classic “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,” died on Tuesday at her home in South Wellfleet, Mass. She was... Continue Reading →
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 →
During a cuddle with our newborn grandson yesterday, I said to the assembled entourage that we should watch an episode of Call the Midwife together. Why not, I thought, as our daughter and partner did benefit from the services and friendship of a local midwife. So why not check in with one of BBC’s most... 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 You also have withdrawn belief in the present reality of the future, which surely will surprise us, and hope is harder...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 →
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 →
Friends, I’m very sad to report the death of one of the people I’ve idolized since I was old enough to idolize anyone: Dolly Parton. To me, Dolly Parton represented the very best in America. Her kindness, compassion, laughter, love of life, hardscrabble beginnings, humanity, ambition, and extraordinary talent were what this country is —... Continue Reading →
I have always imagined a “fireside chat” as the place where two people enjoy conversation and libations in front of a roaring fireplace in an English country house. or a remote Canadian cabin. I have enjoyed both over the years, where the conversation included politics of all sorts and stripes, religion, photography, biography, literature, music.... Continue Reading →
An archival shot from Cartwright Mountain, an area likely destroyed by the Bald Range wildfire. Resources and thoughts assembled by me, the Very Rev. Ken Gray, all in light of the Bald Range Wildfire in and around Summerland, BC as we and over 20,000 others are evacuated from our homes and community for an indefinite... Continue Reading →
