Greetings to one and all and welcome to this week's edition of Laura's Links.
As you know Mark and an incredible group of VIPs and guests are gaily cruising through Europe. There have been tons of receptions, activities and live shows, so happily, we will have shiny, brand new episodes of The Mark Steyn Show from the cruise uploaded right here to SteynOnline in the coming days and weeks.
For better or worse, that is also the reason why you have gotten a double dose of me this week.
Yesterday, it was an honor to guest host the Live Q&A Around the Planet. If you missed the live show, you can listen to the recording at your leisure here.
Judging from some of the bits and pieces that cruisers are posting on X, one of the topics under discussion has been the decline of the United Kingdom and the decades long "grooming gangs" sexual abuse and rape jihad that has seen thousands upon thousands of young British girls and women victimized by "Asian" (i.e mostly Pakistani Muslim) men. Of course, Mark has been talking about this for years.
Over here in Canada, our compatriot Ezra Levant has also been keeping an eye focused on the United Kingdom as well. Why? Not for sentimental Commonwealth reasons, but because as he puts it, it is simply a way of looking into the future of Canada - basically like a crystal ball. The future of the West is on a dark trajectory. Global geopolitics are shifting tectonically. Alliances are forming and breaking.
There is no doubt that something very big and irreversible is happening. As Mark has noted many times, the main question is what's coming next?
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I follow this gorgeous Israeli American ba'allabusta named Sivan on Instagram. Her recipes are fantastic, her sense of colour and style are amazing and also her voice is absolutely mesmerizing. I would literally listen to her reading a dishwasher manual.
Her parents, if I recall, had a bakery in Israel so she bakes and cooks expertly. Her husband, Avi is also quite the chef himself. Anyway, I was scrolling one afternoon and came across this video, where Sivan says that her husband Avi is going to make tongue, and she's happy that he's making something he loves but that she will not be eating it. I laughed so hard as I have a long and storied history with tongue. Now, I'm getting older so I don't know if I have shared this previously - forgive me if it's on repeat.
When I was very young, we used to go to my Bubbie and Zaidie's for brunch and meals. They used to make a variety of Polish/Ashkenazi delicacies like grieben (fried fat), mushroom barley soup, fricassee (with chicken feet). I know this is why Polish food seemed so oddly familiar to me when I visited - like it was literally in my genes.
Anyway, sometimes she would make tongue and everyone would lap it up. One day we went during the day, i.e., before dinner, and I opened the fridge and saw a massive, u-shaped, red and pink piece of meat with disgustingly gross bumps all over it that looked-wait for it - LIKE A TONGUE. I said "Bubbie, what is that?", and she looked at me incredulously - and I can still hear her rolling her eyes in my brain - and said LAHHHHRA! THAT'S A COW TONGUE. I think I was only about 5 or 6 years old but I realized how dumb I had been not to know that tongue was actually, you know, tongue. I never ate it again.
Fast forward to being married, some thirty years later when tongue was painstakingly made by my Persian mother in law. I swear I would have eaten it if nobody had said HAVE SOME TONGUE. It looked like brisket. But I couldn't do it once they said the magic word: TONGUE. I tried to take a microscopic slice and then bury some under my chicken schnitzel BUT FOR REAL AND NOT FOR JOKING YOU CANNOT HIDE ANYTHING ON YOUR PLATE IN A PERSIAN HOUSEHOLD. I got the rep of an uber-precious Ashkenazi rube but I still couldn't eat it. My kids? GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE.
I have recently mostly gotten over my aversion and I think I would probably be able to eat the tongue made by Sivan's husband, just saying.
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Lastly: A PSA. Please everyone who lives in non-sunny places, please check your Vitamin D levels. I have been kvetching for ages about being tired and by happenstance ran into a woman I know, who out of the blue started telling me her tale of fatigue (and hair loss) and how she was given the run around by her doctors until she insisted on getting a Vit D blood test and she was profoundly low. Guess what - it happened to me as well even though I was taking some. Got tested and was profoundly low. Taking additional Vitamin D has made a remarkable difference for me. So if you feel crazy tired, please get checked. This is also a cool story about Vit D.
OK FOLKS. That's it for now. Thank you to the great Mark Steyn, PBUH (Pocket squares Be Upon Him) for continuing to tolerate me and for the privilege of letting me speak to you all via the Live Q&A!
Happy Passover to all our Jewish readers and I'll see you in the comments as I'm able.
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North America:
As I've been saying for years: Canadian Jews need to understand that the golden age of Jewish life in Canada is over. Kaput. Finito. The writing has been on the wall for a long time.
Bill Ackman on Trump's tariffs.
Tariffs and the American Dream.
Good. Is it just me or has Secretary Rubio really evolved?
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Jews and Israel:
The Missionary Who Converted to Judaism
A terrible look. Disgraceful (and part of the security deep state/judicial junta against Netanyahu).
Jerusalem and Athens meet in Manhattan.
Interesting. Yes, lots of monopolies still reign supreme in Israel. Remnants of its inglorious socialist past.
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Middle East:
HISTORY GEEK OUT: Deciphering the world's oldest writing system
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The Formerly Great Britain:
"My father was devoted to me."
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The Great Walkbackening, Reckoning and Accounting:
Please explain to me why Britain "needs" Egyptian rapists.
Alternate theory: it was not in error.
The UK is doomed.
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South America:
This is all pretty spectacular.
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Kooks:
LGBs need to drop the T's and Q's and + STAT
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Europe:
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Human Grace:
This is absolutely outstanding. Hopefully, they get a miracle for their little guy.
It's open thread time! Log into SteynOnline and let Laura know what you think of these stories or other happenings from the 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.
