{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Micro.blog - Roger Wm. Bennett","home_page_url":"https://micro.blog","feed_url":"https://micro.blog/posts/ReaderJohn","_microblog":{"about":"https://micro.blog/about/api","id":"10256","username":"ReaderJohn","bio":"Retired lawyer, homo adorans (as an Orthodox Christian).\nFor better or worse, autodidact in much of what really matters in life (despite ample formal schooling).\nMy posts are pretty eclectic, but tend toward religion and cynicism about politics.","pronouns":"","is_following":false,"is_you":false,"following_count":206,"discover_count":0},"author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/avatar.jpg"},"items":[{"id":"92440964","content_html":"

@jonah Instinctually (for I’m not now nor ever have been an expert on international law) I’d say that qualifies as a crime against humanity, but get in line behind hundreds of other Trump/ICE crimes.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92440964","date_published":"2026-06-18T18:14:28+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"18:14","date_timestamp":1781806468,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92440773","content_html":"

@JohnBrady @ablerism Digression alert:

\n

“Becoming a parent is like swallowing a solar system” immediately evoked our Orthodox Lenten Theotokion:

\n

…
\nof whom God was incarnate and became a child
\nHe made your body into a throne
\nand your womb He made more spacious than the heavens
\n…

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92440773","date_published":"2026-06-18T18:09:46+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"18:09","date_timestamp":1781806186,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92385599","content_html":"

I’ve been thinking more about the Pew typology we batted around on Monday. This is the result (so far and probably the end of the line): Can we, should we, “keep religion out of government”?.

\n\n

It includes a bibliography I’d be prouder of if I hadn’t had AI compile it for me.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/17/ive-been-thinking-more-about.html","date_published":"2026-06-17T21:17:44+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-17 21:17","date_timestamp":1781731064,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92354542","content_html":"

@thedimpause I really like the Black & White here (“here” being your whole series).

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92354542","date_published":"2026-06-17T12:28:22+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-17 12:28","date_timestamp":1781699302,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92286504","content_html":"

@eastbrad I could spend all day watching basketball, but I don’t, and the NBA is part of what I don’t watch - until playoffs. Your reflections seem spot-on. I might even watch the Spurs regular season next year.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92286504","date_published":"2026-06-16T13:22:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-16 13:22","date_timestamp":1781616120,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92284179","content_html":"

I have enjoyed and purchased his music, but knew nothing of the biolgraphy of Abdullah Ibrahim. He and Ahmad Jamal gone within a very few years of each other.

\n

RIP

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/16/i-have-enjoyed-and-purchased.html","date_published":"2026-06-16T12:30:53+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-16 12:30","date_timestamp":1781613053,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92246664","content_html":"

With a little help from my digital “friend,” I migrated more than 2100 old journal entries from text and markdown, as old as 1993, to DayOne. This runs contrary to my “plain text” bias, but, well, I love DayOne.

\n

Now I’m gradually retracing my steps in the late 90s from Calvinism to Orthodoxy.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/15/with-a-little-help-from.html","date_published":"2026-06-15T21:19:47+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 21:19","date_timestamp":1781558387,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92246420","content_html":"

@ablerism I don’t know about homemade granola beating Costco Ancient Grains.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92246420","date_published":"2026-06-15T21:13:10+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 21:13","date_timestamp":1781557990,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92246342","content_html":"

@Ozzie48 Does the ocean ever get old? I feel longing every time I see a (non-terrifying) ocean scene.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92246342","date_published":"2026-06-15T21:11:05+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 21:11","date_timestamp":1781557865,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92246292","content_html":"

@JohnBrady Passed that along to my frugal wife, who exclaimed “Hah!” approvingly.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92246292","date_published":"2026-06-15T21:09:41+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 21:09","date_timestamp":1781557781,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92246218","content_html":"

@KyleEssary That’s where I ended up, too.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92246218","date_published":"2026-06-15T21:07:04+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 21:07","date_timestamp":1781557624,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92229579","content_html":"

Pew has a new political taxonomy with a test to see where you fit. I guessed correctly where I would fit, but man, did I ever hate about half the questions. I’m too aware of trade-offs.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/15/pew-has-a-new-political.html","date_published":"2026-06-15T16:50:21+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 16:50","date_timestamp":1781542221,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92219345","content_html":"
\n

The machine appeared
\nIn the distance, singing to itself
\nOf money. Its song was the web
\nThey were caught in, men and women
\nTogether. The villages were as flies
\nTo be sucked empty.
\nGod secreted
\nA tear. Enough, enough,
\nHe commanded, but the machine
\nLooked at him and went on singing.

\n
\n

R.S. Thomas, Other

\n

(Thomas also has a poem titled “The Other.” This one I found in a Tweet, concluding that The Other couldn’t be, in context, what my muse was referring to.)

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/15/the-machine-appeared-in-the.html","date_published":"2026-06-15T14:02:48+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 14:02","date_timestamp":1781532168,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92216227","content_html":"

@canneddragons At last I have the answer to a question that hasn’t been nagging me for decades: what is suitable beach reading for a sociology major? ;-)

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92216227","date_published":"2026-06-15T13:06:38+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 13:06","date_timestamp":1781528798,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92211617","content_html":"

@JohnBrady Good point

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92211617","date_published":"2026-06-15T11:12:57+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 11:12","date_timestamp":1781521977,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92211293","content_html":"

@canneddragons Weber or Christie?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92211293","date_published":"2026-06-15T11:07:55+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 11:07","date_timestamp":1781521675,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92178151","content_html":"

Reading Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. 📚 One of those extremely influential books that many allude to (i.e., “Protestant work ethic”) but few, I think, have read.

\n

Also finished Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Akroyd – my first Agatha Christie. #BucketList?

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/14/reading-max-weber-the-protestant.html","date_published":"2026-06-14T19:48:11+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-14 19:48","date_timestamp":1781466491,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92169221","content_html":"

@JimRain I’ll drink to that. Much better than some things being celebrated today.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/92169221","date_published":"2026-06-14T16:30:47+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-14 16:30","date_timestamp":1781454647,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92111974","content_html":"

With all the UFO/UAP stuff flooding popular media lately, it was time to update my vaccination.

\n\n

So I poked around in Fermi Paradox and the physics of interstellar transport. Added metadata and then went to file it digitally.

\n\n

I had no apt folder, but settled on “Travel.”

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/13/with-all-the-ufouap-stuff.html","date_published":"2026-06-13T15:36:36+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-13 15:36","date_timestamp":1781364996,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92103556","content_html":"

Power came back after 20 ½ hours. I should have bought enough generator to power the air conditioner.

\n\n

Internet was down over much of the city as well. It seems that Metronet has a virtual monopoly on Internet in my fair city. They got that back up before we got power.

\n\n

A reminder of fragility.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/13/power-is-back-after-hours.html","date_published":"2026-06-13T12:34:08+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-13 12:34","date_timestamp":1781354048,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92051208","content_html":"

We have been without power for almost 16 hours now (we have a household generator that powers the basic necessities) and also without Internet. (That brief storm did a heck of a lot of damage.) So I will be watching things here even less than usual.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/12/we-have-been-without-power.html","date_published":"2026-06-12T16:49:22+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-12 16:49","date_timestamp":1781282962,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91983911","content_html":"

The Department of Defense de-Christianizing the LDS Church was clumsy, but they were working in an area where it’s hard to be sufficiently agile. The Legal Spirits podcast explains (and the explanation is mercifully short).

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/11/the-department-of-defense-dechristianizing.html","date_published":"2026-06-11T17:34:08+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-11 17:34","date_timestamp":1781199248,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91971249","content_html":"

@jabel I don’t do cold brew and hadn’t thought about the caffeine. So I asked Claude.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91971249","date_published":"2026-06-11T13:31:55+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-11 13:31","date_timestamp":1781184715,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91967392","content_html":"

@grmr I checked the ESPN app and saw the Spurs big lead (after 1st quarter), watched second quarter live, went to bed happy and confident.

\n

For sheer basketball drama, that was an epic game.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91967392","date_published":"2026-06-11T12:16:47+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-11 12:16","date_timestamp":1781180207,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91944682","content_html":"

@grmr Well, so much for a sweep. Spurs aren’t looking the least bit green tonight. There is hope.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91944682","date_published":"2026-06-11T01:59:58+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-11 01:59","date_timestamp":1781143198,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91857037","content_html":"

@JohnBrady Well, that‘s intriguing. It can supplement Pieper’s Leisure: The Basis of Culture.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91857037","date_published":"2026-06-09T20:22:11+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-09 20:22","date_timestamp":1781036531,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91782792","content_html":"

@ablerism My grandson graduated H.S. a few Sundays ago. I wanted to confiscate some air horns or implant them in unmentionable places.

\n

I guess the “party” style has reached flyover country, too.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91782792","date_published":"2026-06-08T21:11:05+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 21:11","date_timestamp":1780953065,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91765530","content_html":"

I’m kind of enjoying this dumb free Grug app.

\n\n

\"\"

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/08/im-kind-of-enjoying-this.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T16:45:54+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 16:45","date_timestamp":1780937154,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91754879","content_html":"

Granted, I’m a fan of Apple, but I draw the line at sitting through the WWDC. A I need to know I’ll learn from news reports and changes to the product lineup at their website.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/08/granted-im-a-fan-of.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T13:12:57+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 13:12","date_timestamp":1780924377,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91750709","content_html":"
\n

Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea on Monday for a state visit. The Chinese president’s first overseas trip this year will showcase China as a global power capable of friendly relations even with troublemakers.

\n
\n\n

Economist World in Brief.

\n\n

Ummmm, like China and North Korea share a border, right?

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/08/xi-jinping-arrived-in-north.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T11:54:04+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 11:54","date_timestamp":1780919644,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91747869","content_html":"
\n

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, formally known as the Secretary of Defense, warned on June 6 that Europe faced what he called an invasion of dangerous ideologies arriving by sea, linking immigration to the legacy of the D-Day landings in remarks in Normandy.

\n
\n\n

Ummmm. Like, Normandy is in Europe, right?

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/08/secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T10:48:09+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 10:48","date_timestamp":1780915689,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91747418","content_html":"

@jonah I’d never heard that story before, nor was I aware of the official CofE stance.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91747418","date_published":"2026-06-08T10:37:38+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 10:37","date_timestamp":1780915058,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91747294","content_html":"

@aa We had a lot of fun in public elementary school with flag football. Meanwhile, the Catholic elementary school kids were suited up playing the contact sport. #50s

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91747294","date_published":"2026-06-08T10:32:30+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 10:32","date_timestamp":1780914750,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91747167","content_html":"

@canneddragons Well, it’s a pretty lousy icon, but as secular art it has some appeal to me.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91747167","date_published":"2026-06-08T10:26:27+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 10:26","date_timestamp":1780914387,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91650792","content_html":"

@grmr I’ve got YouTubeTV set up to record playoff games, but I sat up past 11 pm for the first two, rooting laconically for the Spurs. I don’t think I’ll sit up again unless the series tightens greatly.

\n

Wemby has disappointed, and the Spurs show signs of needing more seasoning. I fear a sweep.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91650792","date_published":"2026-06-06T14:17:20+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-06 14:17","date_timestamp":1780755440,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91532237","content_html":"

@adders Yeah. AI is terrific at stuff like that.

\n

Claude helped me, an aging doofus with no knowledge of CSS sheets, to spiffy up my MB posts when viewed on the web.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91532237","date_published":"2026-06-04T14:58:44+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-04 14:58","date_timestamp":1780585124,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91525172","content_html":"

@JohnBrady That’s perfectly analogous to my thinking when we built. The Nave was designed for a standing capacity of 180. It was not designed for expansion (though the non-worship space was so designed).

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91525172","date_published":"2026-06-04T11:45:07+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-04 11:45","date_timestamp":1780573507,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91524439","content_html":"

@bbowman Interesting. New folks are beating down our doors. I’d advocate boosting a second Orthodox Church in the area. Building capacity aside, how many souls can one Priest really “pastor”?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91524439","date_published":"2026-06-04T11:16:26+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-04 11:16","date_timestamp":1780571786,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91467896","content_html":"

Indiana and Tennessee Declare June as Nuclear Family Month.

\n\n

Not Invented Here: The late Patriarch Ilya of Georgia declared a Day of Family Purity and Respect for Parents, which ended up, and may have begun, opposite an International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/03/indiana-and-tennessee-declare-june.html","date_published":"2026-06-03T14:32:01+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-03 14:32","date_timestamp":1780497121,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91462093","content_html":"

@JohnBrady All us bien pensants are in opposition. It’s hard keeping track of who coined what.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/91462093","date_published":"2026-06-03T12:51:14+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-03 12:51","date_timestamp":1780491074,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91461777","content_html":"

If your right-hemisphere doesn’t recoil instinctively from the Arc de Trump, I’m not sure these left-hemisphere arguments will sway you.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/03/if-your-righthemisphere-doesnt-recoil.html","date_published":"2026-06-03T12:40:55+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-03 12:40","date_timestamp":1780490455,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91461594","content_html":"

I’m furious with Bret Stephens (NYT) for beating me to “President Ozymandias.”

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/03/im-furious-with-bret-stephens.html","date_published":"2026-06-03T12:35:17+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-03 12:35","date_timestamp":1780490117,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91390859","content_html":"

Michael Jochum, The Lounge Act at the end of the Empire.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/02/michael-jochum-the-lounge-act.html","date_published":"2026-06-02T12:40:46+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-02 12:40","date_timestamp":1780404046,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91327879","content_html":"

Mark your calendar for yesterday. Rod Dreher is back in the USA, and is surprised to be so giddy about it.

\n

How giddy? An entire post where not once was the sky about to fall! That’s how giddy.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/06/01/mark-your-calendar-for-yesterday.html","date_published":"2026-06-01T14:21:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-01 14:21","date_timestamp":1780323719,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91222615","content_html":"

There sure are a lot of enthusiastic people watching Arsenal vs. Paris Saint Germain live. Who knew?

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/05/30/there-sure-are-a-lot.html","date_published":"2026-05-30T17:32:31+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-30 17:32","date_timestamp":1780162351,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91169956","content_html":"

I’m a boomer from the subset that, at age 77, can sit in front of the computer, catching up on paperwork and reading, with Crosby, Stills, Nash (and sometimes Young) playing, fairly loud, but it’s background music to my ears. I know I can because that’s what I’m currently doing.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/05/29/im-a-boomer-from-the.html","date_published":"2026-05-29T19:42:37+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-29 19:42","date_timestamp":1780083757,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91152955","content_html":"

I will never presume to write another word about UFC on the White House Lawn, because I’ll never top Kevin D. Williamson.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/05/29/i-will-never-presume-to.html","date_published":"2026-05-29T15:39:41+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-29 15:39","date_timestamp":1780069181,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91143293","content_html":"

My hard-working slacker grandson graduates HS Sunday. He turned off his alarm and went back to sleep this morning, and would have missed a job interview at Loews had my son not noticed. He wants to become an F1 mechanic.

\n

Peggy Noonan, Becoming Who You Are Ain’t for Sissies, was a balm for me.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/05/29/my-hardworking-slacker-grandson-graduates.html","date_published":"2026-05-29T12:39:55+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-29 12:39","date_timestamp":1780058395,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91097416","content_html":"

If I were worried about grocery bills (and I suspect that some on MB are worried), I would print and pore over How to Eat Well on the Cheap - The Dispatch (gift link).

\n","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/05/28/if-i-were-worried-about.html","date_published":"2026-05-28T19:57:06+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-28 19:57","date_timestamp":1779998226,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90984623","content_html":"

Ohmigosh! I’ve known of Christian Wiman as a poet for many years now, but (1) I’m not sure I’ve really sampled him and (2) his poems collected in the volume Christian Poetry in America Since 1940 has really whetted my appetite. For instance:

\n\n

ALL MY FRIENDS ARE FINDING NEW BELIEFS

\n\n

All my friends are finding...

microblog.intellectualoid.com","summary":"","url":"https://microblog.intellectualoid.com/2026/05/26/ohmigosh-ive-known-of-christian.html","date_published":"2026-05-27T02:27:42+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Wm. Bennett","url":"http://intellectualoid.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2FReaderJohn%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"ReaderJohn"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-27 02:27","date_timestamp":1779848862,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}}]}