From Facebook Every night, a history professor in Maine writes a newsletter explaining American politics. Over 2.6 million people read it daily. For many, her words feel like rescue from chaos. Midcoastal Maine, sometime after dark. Heather Cox Richardson sits at her desk near the ocean. Outside, America is screaming. Breaking news alerts flood phones... Continue Reading →
AI and ME โ A photographic quandary
AI generated image by KJG Reading Phillip Toledano in the Washington Post has me thinking about my own photography. I wonder if it is time for me to up my game, to try something different, possibly to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into my workflow. While I try to avoid AI everywhere else โ in word... Continue Reading →
Songs in Season โ Lady Gaga and Bruce Springsteen
The music says it all. Enjoy, and please share. https://youtu.be/GDaPdpwA4Iw https://youtu.be/e3o5FIXoK84 Visit the takenote.ca HOME page for a colourful display of hundreds of other blogs which may interest or inspire you
The true value of creation and the hidden cost of its destruction
Michelle Cyca, The Narwhal โ Via BC Assembly of First Nations [Michelle Cyca] "The latest power struggle over the future of the Canadian economy โ a hypothetical new pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast โ has devolved into a rote debate: are First Nations blocking economic progress? Coastal First Nations โ an alliance of... Continue Reading →
Rupture of the world order — The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney
Here is the full text of a speech by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at Davos, Tuesday January 20, 2026. It's worth reading in its entirety. Possibly one for the ages, especially this particular age. "Itโs a pleasure โ and a duty โ to be with you at this turning point for Canada and for... Continue Reading →
Crawford and Crossley do it again: Okanagan jazz group excited about release of latest tunes
Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for the Penticton Herald [Keith Lacey] Several of the regionโs most accomplished jazz musicians have once again teamed up to release a new recording featuring their favourite vocal jazz compositions. The Crawford/Crossley Group has been performing and recording together since 2015. At the heart of the ensembleโs work are... Continue Reading →
Inspiration for the New Year
On New Years Day I typically share W. H. Audenโs poem New Year Letter, a truly imaginative and insightful piece I commend to you once again. This year however, I want to share something different, a sort of what I got for Christmas this year kind of report. I have almost finished "Joyride: A Memoir"... Continue Reading →
What could be worse? Don’t ask
Andrew Coyne writes in The Globe and Mail I wish I could say I told you so. A point I have tried to make over the last year or so is that Donald Trump can only get worse: that however corrupt or incompetent or dictatorial or treasonous or insane he may appear at any given... Continue Reading →
The Most Dangerous Corporation in America — A match made in Mordor
Please help spread the word Robert Reich on Substack - Dec 02, 2025 Friends, The most dangerous corporation in America is one you may not have heard of. Itโs called Palantir Technologies, a Silicon Valley tech company that may put your most basic freedoms at risk. Palantir gets its name from a device used in... Continue Reading →
I always wondered why Radar left M*A*S*H before the show ended โ Now I know
From This Day in Historyโs Post Gary Burghoff stood on the M*A*S*H (henceforth MAS*H) set in October 1979, holding a teddy bear that had become as famous as he was, and told the producers he was done. Not for more money. Not for better storylines. He was leaving because playing Radar O'Reillyโthe role that made... Continue Reading →