Jewish Blogmeister: 12/01/2009

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Stuffy Noses: Remedies that work

I seem to have a stuffy nose the problem is I'm not sure of the cause. Is it an allergy or simply a cold of some type. In any event what is the best remedy for a cold? Some strange ideas I've seen:

Ingredients: 1/3 Cup Jalepeno Pepper Juice
2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
A big glob of Horse raddish
A pich of Salt
Butter **USED SEPERATLEY**
Instructions: Add all the Ingredients (EXCEPT THE BUTTER) in a small to medium sized sauce pan and Fill the rest with water. Let it come to a rolling boil. Put the pan on the table make a tent over your face with a Towel and inhale deeply untill the steam is gone. The smear Butter inbetween your eyes and let it sit for 5 minutes. It smells absolutley wretched but it not only clears out your sinuses at that time but it will keep them clear for a few hours to come. Trust me on this one people. I have been a certified hippie for 31 years.

I just tried inhaling steam and that seemed to do the trick. If it that doesn't work I can always try squirting salt water up my nose but I'm not looking forward to it.

What have you used that works?

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Texas: Census-Growing and could help GOP

I'm not a political buff but this news may be good news for Republicans: NY is growing at a very slow clip (3.2%) while states like Texas have added more than 3.9 million residents during the 2000s.This means Texas will perhaps get 3 more seats in the house while Ohio would lose two House seats. Losing one each would be Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts , Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. States gaining one seat would be: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Washington. It's interesting to read older articles about the current census and perhaps in retrospect NY did better than expected? It would seem that the current census will give the GOP an edge that it so desperately needs to turn things around. One can only hope...

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Tropper Scandal and Houston Texas

Being a Houston resident I was subjected to the horrible news about a woman who was looking to convert and was abused by the Rabbi who was overseeing her conversion. The Rabbi in question is Rabbi Tropper from Monsey, founder of the Eternal Jewish Family. The organization helps to set uniform standards for conversions that would be accepted worldwide and focuses on halachic conversions of non-Jewish spouses. Besides the horrible allegations and ramifications this case has, it also begs the question: could this have been prevented? There are seemingly abuses of power going back quite a ways. Rabbi Tropper set a new precdent in halacha when he revoked a woman's conversion becuase he found out she wore pants and occasionally uncovered her hair which is even made more suprising as he is quoted as saying you can't revert a conversion. Perhaps this should have been the first indicator of his abuse of power? Not to mention other allegations that he made false pormises and perhaps even tricked people into conversion. It's hard to believe that no one thought something was off about Rabbi Tropper to allow it to get to this point. Perhaps people knew but had no evidence to speak of. Any way you cut it this story is down right disturbing and has many people calling for the end of EJF. According to the EJF's website Rabbi Chaim Blum, EJF's liaison will serve as interim director. At the same time Rabbi Rav Reuven Feinstein will be taking a more active role in overseeing all of the halachic nuances of EJF in assuring that all universally accepted conversions are in compliance with the highest standards of halacha. The RCA has submitted it's own statement regarding these recent developments. There have been allegations that the woman involved in this story had her children thrown out of school and that she was barred from her shul both of which are entirely false. I hope there will be some shaking up on some level and that this story will not be simply swept "under the carpet". Stories like these only prove that more has to be done to put a stop to abuse from people in positions of power.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Kosher Product Review: Cream Cheese

Moving from NY to Houston takes a little getting used to. It's great living here but the amenities in the kosher department are not as great as the big apple. We have no kosher Chinese restaurant and the pizza could be better. I however try to find the diamond in the rough and I think I stumbled upon something . That something is cream cheese by Lucerne. Lucerne is a food manufacturer for private labeling and they do a lot of business with Safeway stores. Randall's carries these lines and you can't get this stuff on the east coast. Lucerne has a whole line of cream cheeses as well as limited editions such as pumpkin spice. My favorite are their vegetable which comes in regular and whipped versions. I got an 8 oz. package on sale for just 99 cents. This product taste just as good if not better than the high end cream cheese they sell in bagel stores for $4-$5 a pound. I also tried a mix berry flavor whipped and it is out of this world. There were some other flavors that were interesting such as cranberry orange. Move over philidalphia make way for Lucerene!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Buy a Raffle Ticket and Help Jewish Outreach!

Just a little plug for the Jewish Outreach program here in Houston, Texas: Torch. They are having a fantastic raffle with some great prizes including a trip to Israel for 2 with a 5 day hotel stay. Please check it out by clicking here. If you purchase a raffle make sure to put in the comment section Jewish Blogmeister for a free gift.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Recycle and Help Jewish Outreach

As previously mentioned, Torch is the Jewish Outreach organization in Houston and has many different facets including the Houston Kollel. Now you can donate to this great organization by just recycling! Click here for more information.

Monday, December 07, 2009

Singing Lipa Schmeltzer song: a bit different

I stumbled upon this video looking for the song" binyan adei ad" by Lipa Schmeltzer. Coming across the video I was a bit surprised. After a little investigation as to who the singer in question in this video is,I found out: His name is Nolan Jackson and he is one of the sound engineers that assist Calev Stratton who is both a guitarist and has his own sound company. The video was supposedly taken by Eitan Kantor (bassist) who just couldn't believe that Nolan could sing the song so accurately.

Sunday, December 06, 2009

The Upsherin is Done!

My son recently turned 3 so we flew in to NY for his upsherin , a ceremonial haircut which is not to be confused with ushpizin the guests that arrive to visit us on sukkos ( a little Yiddish humor). My wife's grandfather had actually managed to evade the Nazis by being a barber.It was therefore befitting to make the trip and allow her grandfather the nachas (joy) of cutting his grandson's hair.

My son was greeted by a new pair of tzitzis and yarmulke thus giving him the look of a "big boy" and he was given many a toy (which we now have to shlep back). All in all a very joyous and momentous occasion that we all enjoyed.