Wynton Marsalis just stepped down as the managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, which he founded nearly 40 years ago. He shares his thoughts on the state of democracy in the US presently using the craft he knows so well, Jazz, to illustrate his points. TRANSCRIPT (Generated; check against delivery) [Wynton Marsalis]... Continue Reading →
Most North American political watchers applauded the award of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to the Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado. With many others, I originally sighed with relief that Donald Trump was unsuccessful in his brazen attempt to add the Nobel trophy to his glittering oval office junk shop. Advised by friend and... Continue Reading →
Trump didn’t dismantle democracy. He rewired how we participate in it—and what we expect from it. James B. Greenberg on Substack Jul 04, 2025 Donald Trump didn’t just bend the powers of the presidency to his will. He reshaped the cultural ground it rests on. The transformation wasn’t limited to policy or institutions. It reached... Continue Reading →
Re post from Holy Incongruence with thanks to Connie Foss Moore THE MOMENT WE HAVE FEARED HAS ARRIVED: Donald Trump is set to deploy ICE tactical units to five Democrat-run cities amid the protests in Los Angeles as Gavin Newsom blamed his administration for inciting the California chaos. The military-style units are set to storm... Continue Reading →
[Ken Gray] On this my 67th birthday I wanted to write something myself about the state of the world, of North America, and of Canada. A few ideas are in development, but for now, the words below published by Robert Reich today are best shared here. They answer a question many Canadians and Americans ask... Continue Reading →
Tis the season for books, for my comments and recommendations for you, loyal readers of books I have read in the past year, and my own suggestion of titles for the year to come. Now half way through Who We Are: Four Questions For a Life and a Nation by Murray Sinclair I want to... Continue Reading →
The US presidential race game board gains another chess piece in Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, a sort of Midwestern America all round good guy, an army and national guard man, dog and cat lover, former member though now critic of the NRA, almost identical in age to Ms. Harris though looking at them you... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 