June 7, 2026

ROUTINE:

June 7, 2026

A Prayer for the Grace of Ordinary Things (Vicar, 6/07/26, Country Squire)

I have been thinking lately about the grace of ordinary things. Not the grand gestures or the great events, but the small, steady, faithful routines that hold our lives together. The kettle boiling at exactly the same time each morning. The robin that sings from the same branch of the apple tree. The way a well-oiled gate swings shut without a squeak. These things ask nothing of us but attention. And in return, they give us something precious: the quiet assurance that the world still works, still turns, still offers its small mercies to anyone with eyes to see.

The countryside teaches this lesson better than any sermon.

Russia

THERE IS NO BEAR IN THE WOODS:

June 7, 2026

Erdogan and Putin, the End of an Unlikely Partnership (Gonul Tol, 6/07/26, NY Times)

Ukraine has already been capitalizing on the Iran war by cultivating closer military ties with Gulf states. When Iran attacked neighboring countries with Shahed-136 kamikazes, the same drones that Russia has used in Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky quickly sought to leverage Ukraine’s experience, dispatching air defense teams to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey, which has strong military ties with the Gulf, sees Ukraine’s growing role as a complement to Ankara’s relationships that will allow it to expand what it’s offering. For Russia, which has spent years developing closer economic and security ties with Gulf monarchies, the shift is yet another setback. [….]

It’s clear that Ankara is no longer balancing between Moscow and NATO and is tilting the field against Mr. Putin. Russia’s decline has given Turkey, after a decade of deference to Moscow, the freedom to pursue its interests. Ukraine is the beneficiary.

Energy

YOUR NEXT PLANE WILL BE A VOLT:

June 7, 2026

Flying car industry turns to solid-state batteries for commercial takeoff (Bojan Stojkovski, Jun 07, 2026, Interesting Engineering)

In the long run, battery technology is emerging as one of the most important factors shaping the future of aerial mobility. Su noted that solid-state batteries will play a central role in enabling the next generation of flying cars by delivering both the energy density required for longer flight ranges and the safety standards needed for commercial operations.

Religion

That Hideous Narcissism: All in all, the modern self is remarkably free and remarkably miserable. Liberated from limits and boundaries, we find we are not walking toward anything — only away from something. (Eddie LaRow, June 1, 2026, Mere Orthodoxy)

So here are some ways the narcissistic self is expressed today.

Authenticity

The person seeks their true self within themselves not from without. “Be yourself.” “Find your truth.” “Live authentically.” Lionel Trilling, in Sincerity and Authenticity, observed that authenticity has come to mean moving against the current of conventional moral authority rather than with it. To do what is expected is insincere; to transgress is to be truly oneself. Part of this is the effect of Critical Theory, which views even self-expression through the lens of power dynamics. The self as authentic interior dominates conversations around gender and identity — the true self is hidden within and needs to be expressed outward.

The entirety of morality consists of suppressing the authentic self.

ROUTINE:

THERE IS NO BEAR IN THE WOODS:

YOUR NEXT PLANE WILL BE A VOLT:

NEVER BE YOU:

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THE rIGHT IS THE lEFT:

RUNNING THE GAUNTLET: