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 wasnโt just focused on protecting her immigrant neighbors and coordinating... Continue Reading →
The climate conversation is finally changing at the Royal BC Museum
by Eden Chipperfield September 13, 2026 CHEK TV NEWS A new exhibit at the Royal British Columbia Museum explores how climate change is reshaping British Columbiaโs ecosystems and impacting communities within the province. The exhibit explores connections between climate, people, wildlife, and landscapes through interactive displays, archival photographs, and specimens to show how human activities... Continue Reading →
AI Enterprise โ Yes? No? Dunno
So I ask you, dear reader: How many times has the original Star Trek series prophetically anticipated technological innovation in your life? โ the communicator/cell phone; Dr. McCoyโs external diagnostic monitor/blood sugar or temperature readings; cafeteria food production/air fryers, instant pots, and other countertop appliances. The only undeveloped technology for us now โ something which... Continue Reading →
I am still waiting to be discovered by a rock star
Photographer Tom Hicks was discovered by a rock star, a huge talent, of Led Zeppelin fame and later paired with Alison Krauss. What a fabulous combination. Two brilliant artists, collaborating โ Plant wrote an introduction to one of Kicksโ book. Wow. You will ask what does Hicks shoot. Certainly not the North Sea waves of... Continue Reading →
A new map projection changes the global conversation
[KJG] Some years ago I was in a meeting with Sierra Club of BC leaders. Along one side of the room was a very large digital printer. I enquired why they required such a large device. They explained that if they arrived at a meeting with a map, their own map, they often controlled the... Continue Reading →
Hear me out: Please
I walk into a room. Around a table sit three people engaged in lively conversation. I want to join the chatter so I sit down and pay attention to each speaker in turn, even when one talks over the other, excitedly. Itโs hard to keep up as the topic shifts quickly from a family story,... Continue Reading →
โWalking into a living universeโ
A reflection from the late John OโDonohue For the First Day of the Season of Creation 2026 Also our first experience of the Feast Day of Creation in the calendar of the Christian Church Listen to Johnโs beautiful reflection here https://vimeo.com/203378234?fl=pl&fe=cm Video transcript: I'm John O'Donohue. I'm a writer. I live here in the west... Continue Reading →
Local research tracks how Meta’s Canadian news ban and a decade of wildfires have eroded trust in the information Canadians rely on during fire season
[Ken Gray - As evacuated Summerland residents continue to receive news of safe return, social media channels are rife with misinformation, some mischievous, some ignorant, some ill-informed, and some raw with anger. The research described below offers analysis and possible solutions.] First published by UBC Okanagan News August 5, 2026 On August 1, 2023, a... Continue Reading →
Picture this — Wildfire
These images were created prior to our evacuation from Summerland late Friday night. Given our hurried packing there was no time to take shots of the fire itself though we did witness the Cartwright Mountain Ridge (our dog walking area) fully aflame. Many such images are sprinkled throughout social and news media. Our evacuation story... Continue Reading →
The Don of Dung
From Victoria Buzz by Mike Kelly It turns out horse manure can be worth $1,800โyou just need a canvas, some charcoal and the right subject. A portrait of US President Donald Trump created partly with horse manure was quickly snapped up at the Sooke Fine Arts Show, selling on Saturday, July 25, the exhibitionโs first... Continue Reading →