Opinion by Robert Reich reposted from Facebook Let me just come right out and say it: I love Bernie Sanders.While many in the Democratic Party appear to be asleep, Bernie is leading the charge against the Trump regime. His "Fighting Oligarchy" tour is spanning the country and drawing massive crowds in Republican leaning districts. He's... Continue Reading →
Room at the table — A Sermon
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland Anglican ChurchThe 3rd Sunday of Lent โ March 23, 2025The Very Rev. Ken Gray Let me tell you about my recent trip to the hairdresser. We used to call these persons โbarbersโ; we still have some of these in our little town of Summerland. Over the... Continue Reading →
Hobbies and side-hustles
I am looking forward to visiting with others who graduated from Victoriaโs Oak Bay High School fifty years ago, the Class of 1975. As interest spreads my guess is that around fifty of us will show up at a Victoria hotel in early June, hoping that we are recognizable and we will recognize others. I... Continue Reading →
โCar for Saleโ โ Hereโs why
I do not drive a Tesla. Our family does not own a Tesla. I donโt even drive. So I have no skin in this particular consumer decision game. I cede the argument to Goddess Mia who makes her case on Facebook. The โcommercialโ is beautifully filmed and carefully reasoned. โCar for sale.โ The value of... Continue Reading →
Jane Philpott โ A very personal and faithful politics
Spirituality and Health Care: An interview with Dr. Jane Philpott [Ken Gray] I first became aware of Dr. Jane Philpott as she stood beside Jody Wilson-Raybould, then Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, both eventually fired from the Liberal cabinet of the day by Justin Trudeau. They took their stand on principle as the most significant... Continue Reading →
Canadians are cancelling U.S. trips as Trump sours relations
Ken Gray, with content from The Washington Post (Democracy dies in darkness) [Ken Gray] Some friends recently asked if I thought boycotts were getting the attention of Americans, especially legislators and business leaders. Itโs hard to say. With, for instance, groceries, changes in buying behaviour are obvious. There are some excellent bargains on American fruit... Continue Reading →
Pay attention, and fall in love โ Honouring Phil McIntyre-Paul
By Michael Shapcott Phil McIntyre-Paul is practically royalty in the beautiful Shuswap in the central interior of British Columbia. He helped create the Shuswap Trail Alliance more than two decades ago. Over that time, he has helped nurture more than 350 greenway trail projects โ drawing in fifteen Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, three levels of... Continue Reading →
Protecting Liberty, again
Ours is not the first generation to take up the cause of the protection of liberty. Whether Canadian or American, we are likely not the last. We typically associate such struggles with failed states often in the global south and elsewhere--Myanmar, South Sudan, Russia, El Salvador, China. We have memories of two world wars from... Continue Reading →
Panic and polished fingernails — Anne Lamott
Here's an inspiring piece by Anne Lamott published a few days ago in the Los Angeles Times. A cartoon in the New Yorker decades ago showed two prisoners chained to the wall at the wrists and ankles, well off the ground, in a jail cell, in a cave. One man turns to the other and... Continue Reading →
No Dog for Donald โ Ten reasons why Donald must never have a dog โ by Juno
Juno is very popular five and a half year old labradoodle who lives in Summerland in the Interior of BC, Canada with his owner-friends, PawPaw Ken and MawPaw Kathie. Juno is a prolific blogger and astute political analyst. Answering the question I was asked the other day, โshould Donald Trump have a dog?โ I answered,... Continue Reading →