[Apologies for the double posting today โ This however was too timely to ignore] Lindisfarne is a small island off the coast of Northumberland, north of the Farne Islands in the United Kingdom. Linked to the mainland by a causeway exposed only at low tide, it is the site of a church and monastery founded... Continue Reading →
Thatโs the way it is โ Wednesday April 16, 2025
AKA What happens when grown-ups leave the room A reader recently directed me to Oregonโs Bay Area on Facebook, a most interesting connection. While I had another project in development I thought this marvellous summary of whatโs happening in the US deserved my, and your attention today. I am reminded of CBS News anchor Walter... Continue Reading →
Red Alert โ Changes at the National Security Agency are concerning, and dangerous
Reprinted from Olivia of Troye on Substack Ignore this story at your own risk While Trump's tariffs hammer the economy and dominate the headlines, rightfully capturing attention as Americans watch their 401ks drop, something perilous quietly unfolded in the shadows. A significant shift in the national security apparatus occurred that barely made a blip. It... Continue Reading →
Democracy is not a spectator sport โ Advice to Americans from one Canadian
[Ken Gray] Today, I have joined the ranks of the disheartened. FAKE NEWS, though I am stymied by the number and severity of the many horror stories I discover daily. With so many different fronts on which to report, attacks on the leadership of the National Security Agency, potential threats to peaceful protest, the destruction... Continue Reading →
Penguins marching in April
[As reported by CBC News in Canada] An uninhabited Antarctic outpost populated by penguins โOne of the smallest economies in the world. An Arctic archipelago with more polar bears than people. To quote Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, it really does appear that "nowhere on Earth is safe" from U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs.โ... Continue Reading →
Can this tide turn?
From Rawstory.com Seventy days after his return to the Oval Office, Donald Trump is finding his second presidential term honeymoon collapsing as the administration officials make embarrassing mistakes, key allies turn on him and more Republicans are publicly balking at some policies. According to a report from Jonathan Lemire at The Atlantic, the president is... Continue Reading →
Putting feet to prayer — Anne Lamott on the “American Spring”
From Anne Lamott on Facebook(Some of us are still there . . .) [Anne Lamott] โNow is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their country, even medium-good people with bad feet and attitudes, like me. Now. This week. Some of you voted enthusiastically for Donald Trump and still believe... Continue Reading →
Letโs chat together โ The meme-stream today
In a fit of adaptive ethical enthusiasm regarding Mark Zukerbergโs collusion with Donald Trump, our family decided to move our FamChat conversation from FB Messenger to a new platform, unknown to me at the time, Signal. We felt good about our decision. It worked well. So take that Zuck: We will communicate another way. Well... Continue Reading →
Addressing political cowardice — Senator Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders on the US Senate floorMarch 25, 2025LONG . . . but worth the time and effort Here is his fiery speech, word for word:Mr. President,In the last couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to travel in many parts of our country. And I have been able to talk to folks in Nebraska,... Continue Reading →
Blue Jays Baseball โ Letโs play ball
John Yates was mad about baseball. Having lived much of his working life in Ontario he was one of many loyal fans who would make the trek down to Florida each February for Blue Jays spring training camp. He later moved to Sooke BC where we met in the early 1990s. From our house just... Continue Reading →