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 →
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 →
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 →
Canada eh!
Resistance to the Trump/Musk horror show is growing. In the US, social media now includes a variety of mea culpa statements by Trump voters. Many are hard to verify and may be fakes. That said, I am reminded of that stupid woman who admitted on the BBC a day following the โleaveโ victory that she... Continue Reading →
Bravo Trudeau โ An appropriate and proportional response to Donald Trump
Now in the last days of his role as Liberal leader and Canadian Prime Ministerย Justin Trudeau speaks intelligently, respectfully, and with gravitas. In future years Canadian historians may describe this time as his golden hour. I provide here the full text of the Prime Ministerโs address [Global News] to Canadians and Americans, and directly to... Continue Reading →
The truth gets uglier, day by day
UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL IMAGES AND A VIDEO "Trump and Vance have revealed to Americans and to Americaโs allies their alignment with Russia, and their animosity toward Ukraine in general and its president in particular. The truth is ugly, but itโs necessary to face it." -- David Frum, The Atlantic, Friday, February 28, 2025 And one... Continue Reading →
News โ A double-edged sword
I am pleased to share a prayer from Irwin Keller, Rabbi, Teacher, writer, hope-monger. Rabbi Keller knows well how the news is a double-edged sword; it informs us about what is happening locally, nationally, and globally; likewise it often upsets us often to the point of despair. Whether we learn of events in the Middle... Continue Reading →
Canada: The Labradoodle of allies
[KJG] Five-year-old Labradoodle Juno is a nationally recognized dog-blogger who lives with her Mawpaw and Pawpaw in Summerland in the BC Okanagan. Her numerous blogs on many topics remain a popular feature of takenote.ca. Today, she digs into US politics. Enjoy. [Juno] Jon Stewart, you nailed it. You have mended my broken heart, an organ... Continue Reading →
May in February
Inside Home Hardware, Osoyoos BC, proudly Canadian [While events have progressed since Elizabethโs writing, the principles she shares remain relevant and potent. While Canada and Mexico now enjoy some breathing room, Trumpโs ambition to annex Canada and enact economic warfare remain as strong as ever.] A message Sunday evening from Elizabeth May, leader of the... Continue Reading →