I share three things in common with the newly elected Archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev. Cherry Vann. We were both born in 1958, she in Leicester, England, and me in Victoria BC, Canada. We were also students at the Royal College of Music in London in the late 1970s where, as a colleague reminds... Continue Reading →
I often wonder how I can assist the victims of the Gaza genocide. Sure, I make information available to my blog followers. What more can I, and you actually do? Well we can pray, in particular with Palestinian residents throughout the Middle East. We can join the Sabeel Wave of Prayer. Sabeel is an ecumenical... Continue Reading →
Adolph Hitler congratulates Albert Speer Albert Speer was Hitler’s architect. His designs embodied Hitler’s racist vision of a perfect and dominant society, efficient, powerful, and white. Speer’s ghost now lurks in the corridors of Trump’s White House, itself built as a mansion for a president and never a palace like Hampton Court or Versailles. Trump’s... Continue Reading →
Bill Cunningham at work (and play) Two photographers, one living, one no longer with us, documenting our world, brilliantly. It has been some time since I have blogged on photography. It has been however one of my priorities since launching takenote.ca. Today however, I return to photography. Two recent news articles highlight the work of... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church, Penticton BC — The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, August 3rd 2025 —The Very Rev. Ken Gray Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." I remember the death of my mother’s parents, my grandparents, Maxwell... Continue Reading →
UPDATE: No decision yet on some Western Canada concerts including West Kelowna. TYEE article here. Thanks friends from Summerland United Church for the share below. With the support and encouragment of "Christian" churches who should know better, steadily far right ideology is now creeping into Canadian public spaces. Kelowna, BC - Advocacy Canada is expressing... Continue Reading →
Photo composite: KJG Silence in the Face of Gaza’s Starvation is Absolute Betrayal of Holocaust VictimsBy Orit Kamir Shared by Robert Reich Jul 29, 2025 In her childhood, my mother was starved by a dark regime. When the Nazi army occupied Poland and Jews were pushed into ghettos, they were forced to make do with... Continue Reading →
Closed: Trump Admin Officially Shuts Down the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services Source: Trevor News — Jul. 17, 2025 July 17, 2025 – The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has officially terminated the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program. Starting today, contacts who reach... Continue Reading →
Travelling in Nova Scotia last year Kathie and I both enjoyed our visit to Africville, the site of a close‐knit Black community in the north end of Halifax for over 120 years. And I have the T-shirt to prove it. The City demolished Africville in the 1960s, and its residents have been fighting for justice... Continue Reading →
Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday placed restrictive conditions on the recognition of a Palestinian state, stressing the need to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the ongoing violations in the West Bank, while simultaneously rejecting any future Palestinian government that includes the Resistance movement Hamas,... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 