Pinned
January trees just after sunset. The cold is deepening and the sun is fading, but just for now, not forever.
Hold on, build fires, gather until the light returns
Hold on, build fires, gather until the light returns
Reposted by @Shamlet
The momentum of dissent starts with an example. The thanes turn, and are able to turn quickly, because Macduff has led the way and given them permission, a model --
That, by the help of these (with Him above / To ratify the work), we may again / Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights, / Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives, / Do faithful homage, and receive free honors, / All which we pine for now.
Macbeth, 3.6.36-41
Macbeth, 3.6.36-41
January 27, 2026 at 6:19 AM
The momentum of dissent starts with an example. The thanes turn, and are able to turn quickly, because Macduff has led the way and given them permission, a model --
The momentum of dissent starts with an example. The thanes turn, and are able to turn quickly, because Macduff has led the way and given them permission, a model --
That, by the help of these (with Him above / To ratify the work), we may again / Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights, / Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives, / Do faithful homage, and receive free honors, / All which we pine for now.
Macbeth, 3.6.36-41
Macbeth, 3.6.36-41
January 27, 2026 at 6:19 AM
The momentum of dissent starts with an example. The thanes turn, and are able to turn quickly, because Macduff has led the way and given them permission, a model --
Secret English teacher skill that is no longer the fashion in an age of tech: handwriting recognition of pieces turned in without names
January 27, 2026 at 1:56 AM
Secret English teacher skill that is no longer the fashion in an age of tech: handwriting recognition of pieces turned in without names
When the lake is snow-covered and frozen enough to drive on, it's hard to believe that winter won't last forever. But a few short months from now, on a warm summer night, it will look like this.
Just in case you needed to renew your faith in the possibility, the inevitability, of positive change
Just in case you needed to renew your faith in the possibility, the inevitability, of positive change
January 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM
When the lake is snow-covered and frozen enough to drive on, it's hard to believe that winter won't last forever. But a few short months from now, on a warm summer night, it will look like this.
Just in case you needed to renew your faith in the possibility, the inevitability, of positive change
Just in case you needed to renew your faith in the possibility, the inevitability, of positive change
If you're looking for a musical world to escape into for a while, times being what they are, I highly recommend Night Tracks.
BBC can only be accessed live outside of the UK, but it's on now
BBC can only be accessed live outside of the UK, but it's on now
BBC Radio 3
Night Tracks
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
Night Tracks
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
January 25, 2026 at 10:14 PM
If you're looking for a musical world to escape into for a while, times being what they are, I highly recommend Night Tracks.
BBC can only be accessed live outside of the UK, but it's on now
BBC can only be accessed live outside of the UK, but it's on now
Life in Canada: developing a heightened appreciation for irony when you go out to work the shovel and snowblower when it's -20, and you end up sweating like it's +30 while your fingers and toes are frozen and ready to fall off 🥵🥶
January 25, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Life in Canada: developing a heightened appreciation for irony when you go out to work the shovel and snowblower when it's -20, and you end up sweating like it's +30 while your fingers and toes are frozen and ready to fall off 🥵🥶
Fair warning -- this one will bring tears to your eyes, and that's precisely why you should read it
If pure poetry is the deepest things you feel amplified by just the right words, this is pure poetry
If pure poetry is the deepest things you feel amplified by just the right words, this is pure poetry
As I said last night, I hope a day comes soon when this isn't the appropriate leadoff poem for my reading. Here is the one I dedicated to good people like Alex Pretti in Minnesota and elsewhere actually doing what Jesus would do.
January 25, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Fair warning -- this one will bring tears to your eyes, and that's precisely why you should read it
If pure poetry is the deepest things you feel amplified by just the right words, this is pure poetry
If pure poetry is the deepest things you feel amplified by just the right words, this is pure poetry
A function of this is refusing to believe lies. Yes, they do leave the banquet at Lady Macbeth's behest and wish "better health" for the king, but they don't really buy it, and by 3.6 his lies are being mocked with sarcasm and the thanes are switching sides in earnest.
Macbeth's power crumbles when his fear campaign fails because the thanes will have none of it
January 25, 2026 at 2:25 PM
A function of this is refusing to believe lies. Yes, they do leave the banquet at Lady Macbeth's behest and wish "better health" for the king, but they don't really buy it, and by 3.6 his lies are being mocked with sarcasm and the thanes are switching sides in earnest.
...’tis true that we are in great danger. / The greater therefore should our courage be.
Henry V, 4.1.1-2
#ShakespeareSunday
Henry V, 4.1.1-2
#ShakespeareSunday
January 25, 2026 at 5:26 AM
...’tis true that we are in great danger. / The greater therefore should our courage be.
Henry V, 4.1.1-2
#ShakespeareSunday
Henry V, 4.1.1-2
#ShakespeareSunday
That, by the help of these (with Him above / To ratify the work), we may again / Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights, / Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives, / Do faithful homage, and receive free honors, / All which we pine for now.
Macbeth, 3.6.36-41
Macbeth, 3.6.36-41
January 25, 2026 at 4:01 AM
That, by the help of these (with Him above / To ratify the work), we may again / Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights, / Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives, / Do faithful homage, and receive free honors, / All which we pine for now.
Macbeth, 3.6.36-41
Macbeth, 3.6.36-41
At the end of Othello, Emilia sheds her unwitting complicity and speaks out against hideous, corrosive lies:
’Twill out, ’twill out. I peace? / No, I will speak as liberal as the north.
Her courage and conviction hurls Iago headlong into utter ruin
’Twill out, ’twill out. I peace? / No, I will speak as liberal as the north.
Her courage and conviction hurls Iago headlong into utter ruin
January 25, 2026 at 2:49 AM
At the end of Othello, Emilia sheds her unwitting complicity and speaks out against hideous, corrosive lies:
’Twill out, ’twill out. I peace? / No, I will speak as liberal as the north.
Her courage and conviction hurls Iago headlong into utter ruin
’Twill out, ’twill out. I peace? / No, I will speak as liberal as the north.
Her courage and conviction hurls Iago headlong into utter ruin
January trees just after sunset. The cold is deepening and the sun is fading, but just for now, not forever.
Hold on, build fires, gather until the light returns
Hold on, build fires, gather until the light returns
January 25, 2026 at 12:24 AM
January trees just after sunset. The cold is deepening and the sun is fading, but just for now, not forever.
Hold on, build fires, gather until the light returns
Hold on, build fires, gather until the light returns
O Curler, thou must untangle this, not I. / It is too hard a knot for me t’ untie.
Twelfth Night, 2.2.40-41
(I did change one word)
Twelfth Night, 2.2.40-41
(I did change one word)
January 24, 2026 at 8:24 PM
O Curler, thou must untangle this, not I. / It is too hard a knot for me t’ untie.
Twelfth Night, 2.2.40-41
(I did change one word)
Twelfth Night, 2.2.40-41
(I did change one word)
January morning light -- so still, so cold, so peaceful and fearful all at once
January 24, 2026 at 5:24 PM
January morning light -- so still, so cold, so peaceful and fearful all at once
And just in time to whet your appetite for the Winter Olympics, the 2026 Canadian Women's Curling Championship, aka the Scotties, is underway!
In technical curling parlance, an array of stones like this is known as a hot mess 🥌
In technical curling parlance, an array of stones like this is known as a hot mess 🥌
January 24, 2026 at 2:52 AM
And just in time to whet your appetite for the Winter Olympics, the 2026 Canadian Women's Curling Championship, aka the Scotties, is underway!
In technical curling parlance, an array of stones like this is known as a hot mess 🥌
In technical curling parlance, an array of stones like this is known as a hot mess 🥌
'Tis now the very witching time of night / But it's January and -20 / So all the witches are staying indoors
Hamlet, Canadian edition
Hamlet, Canadian edition
January 24, 2026 at 1:40 AM
'Tis now the very witching time of night / But it's January and -20 / So all the witches are staying indoors
Hamlet, Canadian edition
Hamlet, Canadian edition
Striking to me how he used AI to write emails, but when he had a problem with the company he insisted on interacting with a real person
And "these tools were not developed with academic standards of reliability and accountability in mind" is, um, hardly a revelation
And "these tools were not developed with academic standards of reliability and accountability in mind" is, um, hardly a revelation
January 23, 2026 at 12:37 PM
Striking to me how he used AI to write emails, but when he had a problem with the company he insisted on interacting with a real person
And "these tools were not developed with academic standards of reliability and accountability in mind" is, um, hardly a revelation
And "these tools were not developed with academic standards of reliability and accountability in mind" is, um, hardly a revelation
Thursday night marking music: Pat Benatar, apparently singing about Canada's new approach to international relations
Love Is A Battlefield
YouTube video by Pat Benatar - Topic
youtu.be
January 23, 2026 at 3:42 AM
Thursday night marking music: Pat Benatar, apparently singing about Canada's new approach to international relations
Iago: a guy who convinces you that a bunch of lies are actually true, and that you should do something about them, about how horribly you actually haven't been treated but yes you have, I said so
January 22, 2026 at 11:39 AM
Iago: a guy who convinces you that a bunch of lies are actually true, and that you should do something about them, about how horribly you actually haven't been treated but yes you have, I said so
In Act Two of Death of a Salesman, Happy tells Biff to appease their father, a mercurial and deeply troubled salesman, by telling him what he wants to hear.
Wisely, Biff says "But it'll go on forever!" -- and he's right. It will just go on and on, cycles of pointless pacification
Wisely, Biff says "But it'll go on forever!" -- and he's right. It will just go on and on, cycles of pointless pacification
January 22, 2026 at 12:03 AM
In Act Two of Death of a Salesman, Happy tells Biff to appease their father, a mercurial and deeply troubled salesman, by telling him what he wants to hear.
Wisely, Biff says "But it'll go on forever!" -- and he's right. It will just go on and on, cycles of pointless pacification
Wisely, Biff says "But it'll go on forever!" -- and he's right. It will just go on and on, cycles of pointless pacification
If only Duncan had yelled out "wait, I have a framework for a deal" the second Macbeth entered the chamber
January 21, 2026 at 11:27 PM
If only Duncan had yelled out "wait, I have a framework for a deal" the second Macbeth entered the chamber
The most consequential speech from a Canadian Prime Minister in my lifetime
Pierre Trudeau proclaiming the War Measures Act in 1970 is a bit before my time, but this is comparable in gravity and broader in scope
Pierre Trudeau proclaiming the War Measures Act in 1970 is a bit before my time, but this is comparable in gravity and broader in scope
If you study rhetoric with your students, this one's hot off the presses and will reward classroom analysis
Read Mark Carney's full speech on middle powers navigating a rapidly changing world | CBC News
Read the full text of Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech about a shakeup of the global order and role of middle powers at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
www.cbc.ca
January 21, 2026 at 4:52 AM
The most consequential speech from a Canadian Prime Minister in my lifetime
Pierre Trudeau proclaiming the War Measures Act in 1970 is a bit before my time, but this is comparable in gravity and broader in scope
Pierre Trudeau proclaiming the War Measures Act in 1970 is a bit before my time, but this is comparable in gravity and broader in scope
If you study rhetoric with your students, this one's hot off the presses and will reward classroom analysis
Read Mark Carney's full speech on middle powers navigating a rapidly changing world | CBC News
Read the full text of Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech about a shakeup of the global order and role of middle powers at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
www.cbc.ca
January 20, 2026 at 11:23 PM
If you study rhetoric with your students, this one's hot off the presses and will reward classroom analysis
Marking papers all night, and I know which band I'll be listening to 😢
Midnight Oil drummer, co-founder Rob Hirst dead at 70 after fighting pancreatic cancer | CBC News
Australian band Midnight Oil announced on Tuesday that Rob Hirst, their powerhouse drummer and co-founding member, has died at age 70.
www.cbc.ca
January 20, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Marking papers all night, and I know which band I'll be listening to 😢
I'm not saying I'm middle-aged, I'm just saying that the possibility of going to sleep and waking up with an ache or pain that appeared magically through the night has never been greater
January 18, 2026 at 6:30 PM
I'm not saying I'm middle-aged, I'm just saying that the possibility of going to sleep and waking up with an ache or pain that appeared magically through the night has never been greater