Eric T. MacKnight

ericmacknight@mstdn.ca

Teacher (HS & MS, English, mostly). Have lived in Morocco, Switzerland, Austria, The Netherlands, China, and the U.S. In Canada, North Vancouver, Halifax, and Victoria."Readin' the news, and it sure looks bad." —Joni MitchellIt's the environment, stupid!Non-commercial, ad-free, tracking-free personal blog: <a href="https://ericmacknight.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no">https://ericmacknight.com/</a> Free stuff for English teachers: <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/eric-macknights-tips-for-teaching-english" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no">https://www.<

Posts

Post #4359512
Today's Food for Thought: I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art. —Somerset Maugham
Post #4336079
Born on This Day: James Baldwin, 1924
Post #4336048
Today's Food for Thought: Philosophy at first refutes errors. But if it is not stopped at this point, it goes on to attack truths. And when it is left on its own, it goes so far that it no longer knows where it is and can find no stopping place. —Pierre Bayle
Post #4322969
Trump: Iran War was started by lab leak in China President Trump announced today on Truth Social that he has discovered more documents that were covered up by ‘woke’ elements of the U.S. intelligence services. These shocking documents provide clear evidence, the President writes, that the war in Iran was caused by the same lab leak in China that caused the COVID pandemic. Mr. Trump says that he is demanding an explanation from the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. He has also instructed the Depa...
Post #4250178
Born on This Day: Smedley Butler, 1881
Post #4250167
Today's Food for Thought: Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred. —Vaclav Havel
Post #4166758
Headlines: 1. “Clinton, B.C., set to assess damage after 'apocalyptic' wildfire forces evacuations” 2. "Leaders in northeast B.C. push back against province's plan to fast track new wind farms”
Post #4140234
Today's Food for Thought: The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. —Anatole France, "Le Lys rouge" (The Red Lily)
Post #4119086
Today's Food for Thought: If you hate violence and don't believe in politics, the only remedy remaining is education. Perhaps society is past praying for, but there is always hope for the individual human being, if you can catch him young enough. —George Orwell
Post #4088144
Today's Food for Thought: Central to my conception of a good school and a healthy workplace is community. In particular, I would want to work in a school that could be described as a community of learners, a place where students and adults alike are engaged as active learners in matters of special importance to them and where everyone is thereby encouraging everyone else’s learning. And I would readily work in a school that could be described as a community of leaders, where students, teac...
Post #4088134
Born on This Day: Rosalind Franklin, 1920; Emmett Till, 1941
Post #4068567
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/24/canada-government-mark-carney-block-data-sharing-deal-thomson-reuters-us-ice-avi-lewis
Post #4068126
Today's Food for Thought: Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment. —Robert Benchley
Post #4036995
Today's Food for Thought: Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte. (I have only made this letter rather long because I have not had time to make it shorter.) —Blaise Pascal
Post #3973923
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta5-TZ03O54
Post #3964831
Now that we all know where the Strait of Hormuz is, it is time to learn about the Bab al-Mandab. https://apnews.com/article/yemen-saudi-arabia-maritime-embargo-fd7c4a3911f7eee18251483fc8af768c
Post #3963539
Born on This Day: Petrarch, 1304
Post #3963511
All the Trump-as-clown narratives, and the mocking of him (notably, by Obama at the WH Press Corps dinner) have served only, I fear, to underestimate just how dangerous he is. Latest example: the commentariat’s ridiculing of his address to the nation about attacks on America’s voting systems. No matter how ludicrous his claims, his intentions are clear and, as Jan 6 shows, he is willing to do absolutely anything to carry them out. The Secret Service stopped him from going to the Capitol himself...
Post #3939117
Today's Food for Thought: Peace: A condition in which those who seek power and control are able to achieve their aims without resorting to warfare. —Alex Morgan
Post #3916369
Today's Food for Thought: Willpower can and should be a just cause for pride, much more than talent. Whereas talent develops from the cultivation of a gift, willpower is a victory constantly won again over instincts, over inclinations that must be disciplined and repressed, over whims and all kinds of obstacles, over difficulties heroically surmounted. —Honoré Balzac
Post #3872807
The Reichstag Fire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire
Post #3872776
Well folks, I am listening to Der Fuhrer on C-Span and I am sorry to report that the communists and anarchists have set fire to the Reichstag. Get ready for one-man rule.
Post #3859097
In the narratives of sport, partisans always focus on their team's performance. So if my team wins, I talk only about the brilliant play of my team; whereas if my team loses, I focus only on my team's fatal errors. For example, in the British narratives following England's loss in the World Cup semifinals, the discussion is all about how England failed: either the players became too passive after scoring the first goal, or their coach made terrible substitutions, or both. No one f...
Post #3858860
Today's Food for Thought: The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think. —Albert Einstein
Post #3812826
Born on This Day: Woody Guthrie, 1912; Northrop Frye, 1912; Ingmar Bergman, 1918
Post #3788969
Born on This Day: Wole Soyinka, 1934
Post #3745722
Today's Food for Thought: I cried because life is hopeless and beautiful. —Howard Nemerov
Post #3708274
Happy Nunavut Day! How did the far North become part of Canada? Representatives from Canada, Russia, the United States, Great Britain, and yes, Denmark gathered around a large map of the region. As they looked, the silence deepened. Furtive glances were exchanged. Finally, the Canadian representative threw up his hands. "We'll have none of it!" "Done!" the others cried in unison.
Post #3695248
Today's Food for Thought: We are all so afraid, we are all so alone, we all so need from the outside the assurance of our own worthiness to exist. —Ford Madox Ford
Post #3653112
Born on This Day: Marc Chagall, 1887