Hey everyone, welcome to this week's edition of Laura's Links. It was another busy week in real life – another very "sandwich generation" week for me as well. I still feel very much on the hamster wheel of life, balancing family matters with work while still trying to take at least as good care of myself as I do for others and doing as much good for others as I can. I've always lived by the phrase "busy people always have time", and that's worked well for me so far. But I'm getting older and I still keep trying to fit too much of everything on my to do list for the day. Then day rolls into night, I pull the blinds and the curtains down in the house as the sun goes down and then I start to moderately torment myself for the things I didn't manage to get done, instead of congratulating myself on the things I did accomplish.
None of these accomplishments are things that one would find in a Guinness Book of World Records. There are no prizes awarded for these things. They are not singular events and can't really be quantitatively or qualitatively measured. Most fall within the realm of the silent accomplishments of a life well lived and the efforts put in by Mr. C and myself to raise a family according to Jewish tradition, to raise good children. And I'm certainly proud that my children are good souls, that they never missed a meal, that they always had clean clothes in their drawers and a lunch in their backpacks and two parents under the same roof. These are real blessings.
I've previously mentioned the Jewish concept called "shaliach mitzvah", a messenger or agent of a mitzvah (a commandment, or colloquially also less accurately translated as a good deed). Our sages say that when a person is an agent of a good deed, no harm will come to them. This is why Jewish people give travellers a small amount of money for charity to disperse when they get to their destination. As an agent of a good deed (giving charity) no harm should come to them. Whenever I get the chance, I like to put people together, I'm kind of a fixer. But it's especially gratifying if I get the blessing of making them an agent of a good deed.
This week, I want to give a big shout out to our very own Andrew Lawton who was my partner in crime to fulfill a little mini-make-a-wish type of day for a friend's son, a teenager with Cerebral Palsy who is interested in all things media. Another journalist friend, Sheila Gun Reid did the same for this little guy. These are good people.
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I like listening to the stories of entrepreneurs and business owners and I especially love hearing about how people built their fortunes or empires. There's a really cool Instagram account that I follow called something like "The School of Hard Knocks", and a young guy interviews affluent people from all kinds of industries and asks them in what field they made their money, the best advice they were ever given, what they would advise young people trying to make it in business, and also what the largest amount of money they made in any one year! It's a really thoughtful account and there are some real gems of advice within the stories. I'm actually often shocked at how candid people are about how much money they have made (assuming it's not embellished). Anyway, one guy was interviewed and he had a real corker piece of advice when asked for his best financial tips. He said "now" is the most expensive word in the English language.
THUNK. That's a keeper! And not just for finance, but obviously for finance. "Now" is the most expensive word for everything in your life. There is a real art to being patient and not impulsive. There is reward in planning and saving, in thinking before acting. Now is for toddlers but there are way too many adults who are all about the NOW NOW NOW.
Anyway, I thought that was a really brilliant little bit and I'm going to remember it for a looooong time.
And now, I'm really fading. Take care of yourselves. Do good. See you in the comments.
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North America:
Cernovich on the Epstein cover up.
Jodie Foster: Yah, millennials are tiresome a-holes.
Ideas for the counter revolution.
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The Great Walkbackening, Reckoning and Accounting:
GOOD.
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Israel and Jews:
"Do you have any other places to live?"
The gutless cowards in black robes in Israel (really good).
All about the Cairo Geniza. This is a MASSIVE JEWISH HISTORY GEEK OUT.
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The Formerly Great Britain:
Meet the "Inspired Revert" (someone on Twitter/X called this "Gingers for Jihad". I can't believe I didn't think of that first!!!
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Christianity:
The genocide of Christians in Africa.
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Europe:
Please remind me why France "needs" African migrants.
Please remind me why Germany "needs" African migrants.
How do you say "Honk Honk" in German?
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Wokestapo, Trans and the American Mafia of Mediocrity:
Claudine Gay and the mafia of mediocrity.
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Human Grace:
Playing piano for my autistic brother (if you can get through this without getting weepy you have no heart – I'm a mess).
Sage advice. I really liked this essay.
"Grieve deeply, and leave room for the light.
"I think you're kind of cute TBH.
It's open thread time! Log into SteynOnline and let Laura know what you think of these stories or other happenings from week that was. Commenting privileges are among the many perks of membership in The Mark Steyn Club. While going off topic is permitted on Laura's Links, do stick to the other rules as you engage: no URLs, no profanity, and no ad hominem attacks.