Reposted from James B. Greenberg on Substack The confidence game doesnโt begin with a lie. It begins with a storyโone so emotionally resonant it feels like truth. It offers meaning, identifies villains, flatters the audience, andโwhen fully deployedโquietly opens the vault. Donald Trumpโs political rise is not just a break from convention. Itโs a textbook... 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 →
Stop, and smell the roses
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church, Penticton BC on the fifth Sunday in Lent, April 6th, 2025 โ The Very Rev. Ken Gray It is said by those who teach writing that every paragraph should start with a strong opening sentence. In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens opens with... 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 →
Lazy Boy — Definitely not a comfy chair
[Ken Gray] Countless online commenters and analysts have tried to encapsulate the motives of Donald Trump. The explanation I include below is one of the best I have found so far. See what you think. [Shared from Ian Boothby] Heโs cruel. Heโs bigoted. Heโs small minded. So how do we fight this? In a past... Continue Reading →
Dunking Duck and a favourite evening hymn
Now several years into blog creation here at takenote.ca I love to receive feedback from followers and subscribers. One curious reader enjoyed my Dunking Duck blog so much that she has requested a longer video, something akin to the popular and widely available Christmas fireplace, something she could watch when she is frustrated with her... Continue Reading →
Adolescence on Mothering Sunday
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church, Penticton BCFourth Sunday in Lent โ Mothering Sunday, March 30th ย 2025 โ The Very Rev. Ken Gray Happy Mothering Sunday to you all. Since the middle ages, Mothering Sunday has been celebrated in the United Kingdom on the fourth Sunday of Lent. I grew up... 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 →