Author Archives: The Jewish Lady

Supreme Court Sides with Masterpiece Cakeshop

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The Supreme Court has finally weighed in on the “Gay Wedding Cake” saga, issuing a 7-2 ruling in favor of baker Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop. 

Because homosexuality is so polarizing, reactions have been understandably vocal. Those who oppose the decision are outraged and want this bakery closed forever, while supporters are celebrating with cheers, hugs, balloons, tears of joy, and prayers. One fan requested “God Bless America and Masterpiece Cakeshop” on the cake pictured above.

I’ve always felt this case was about religious freedom, not discrimination. Mr. Phillips never refused to sell the gay couple a ready-made cake, he only declined to create a custom cake—big difference. 

We must have an exemption for personal beliefs, particularly for those running food businesses that may be subject to dietary laws. Jewish and Muslim bakeries won’t bake pork pies; most Hindu restaurants serve no meat at all. Should they have to violate their standards to serve every member of the general public? Of course not!

Mr. Phillips was motivated by his Christianity, but there have been other instances when cakes were refused on secular terms—Walmart stopped selling Confederate flag decorations. A ShopRite grocery store in New Jersey refused to make one that would’ve read “Happy Birthday, Adolph Hitler Campbell.” 

There are businesses that cater to the needs of every community, including gay folks. Wouldn’t it make more sense to patronize a bakery that supported their lifestyle, rather than target a religious bakery that didn’t? I certainly wouldn’t file a lawsuit to force someone to observe Kashrut in their non-Kosher eatery. 

Reasonable accommodations are fair; forcing a baker against his will is not. A wedding cake isn’t an emergency situation. No one will die if they can’t have it made. It was never about inclusion, it was about forcing acceptance and that can’t be done. 

Every person deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. But those who don’t agree with gay marriage shouldn’t be forced to participate. 

Joy Reid Scandal Proves You Can’t Erase Everything Online

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TV commentator Joy Reid has finally come clean: Her blog’s supposed hack never happened. After being confronted with controversial posts—written a decade ago—she initially evaded, then denied, and eventually bold-faced lied to everyone, claiming she was victimized. 

Currently employed by MSNBC and a self-identified liberal, the content seemed to be very out of character with the ideas she now professes. It ranged from anti-Gay, anti-Israel, anti-Immigration, 9/11 conspiracies, and even stooped so low as to compare Senator and war hero John McCain with a mass shooter. 

When Joy originally started her blog, back in 2005, she wasn’t a household name, and had a lot less scrutiny. She could write opinions without worrying that it would turn off viewers or advertisers, since her platform was small. Understandably, as her reach grew, she became more sanitized, and eventually dropped blogging altogether in favor of other opportunities. 

What she didn’t realize is that simply shutting down a website doesn’t erase it.

For those who aren’t aware, almost everything being written online is archived through Wayback Machine. It is possible, in theory, to opt-out by restricting certain material as private, but it is never guaranteed. In one famous case, the Scientologists were able to remove negative commentary about their group, but it took hiring a very aggressive lawyer to do it. 

There are quite a few other bloggers, now well-known, that have reinvented themselves into totally different people who shy away from discussing their humble beginnings. One deal blogger, in particular, comes to my mind. Her original blog was fanatically religious, preaching that wives should always submit, husbands should always be the provider, homeschool was the only right way to educate, and family size should never be restricted artificially.

Fast-forward to today and that lady has a house husband, kids in public school, no plans for more pregnancies, and prides herself on being a mogul, totally devoted to her empire of products and the huge team that works for her. The majority of her fans have no idea how narrow-minded she used to be. If they did review the archives, it could seriously compromise her current earning ability, just like with Joy Reid. 

As a blogger, I have to be careful about what I write. In the short term, because it could hurt or mislead someone today, and also in the long term, if I choose to grow my brand into other directions.  

Just as we shouldn’t speak unkind or crazy things—especially in the heat of the moment—the written word should always be used cautiously. (I’m not advocating censorship, just common sense.) Over time, people can learn and grow, and who we are at age 20 isn’t who we are at age 40. I’m pretty settled in my own beliefs, but I am not infallible. If I found out I had taken the wrong position, I would definitely own it. But it would be outrageously fake for me to create a new persona that was opposed to everything I’ve blogged about as The Jewish Lady. 

What’s inside Joy Reid’s heart is known only to her, but from outward appearance, it seems she is an opportunist, who cares more about cash than integrity. Her past eventually caught up with her, something most everyone will have to grapple with at some point. It’s better to admit to our mistakes, rather than create a laughable cover up. 

Nobody is perfect; we’ve all done stupid and embarrassing things. Rather than pretending it never happened, just admit it and move on. If you’re fired because of it, that job wasn’t the right fit anyway. 

Super Savings Saturday – 6/2/18

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Welcome to another edition of Super Savings Saturday.

This week revolved around preparing to move—cleaning, sorting, donations, meeting with 3 realtors, landscaping, and a bunch more! (Gosh, I’m tired just writing that out. It’s a never-ending process lately.) The idea is to have our place on the market within 2 weeks. While it’s listed, we also have to scout for a new home and then coordinate a sale and a purchase. Not an easy task for sure, but it needs to be done. 

On the shopping front, I’m not stocking up too much for obvious reasons. I did find a few deals that were too good to pass up and had one epic fail at a consignment shop. 

Shaw’s:

2 Shady Brook Farms ground turkey, sale price $2.49. I used 2 $1.00 manufacturer’s coupons. Total: $2.98! (Made into decent-tasting burgers. I prefer beef, though.)

Signature Farms chicken thighs, clearance price $0.39/lb. I used a $1.25 MyMixx digital coupon. Total: $0.81. (I have never, ever bought a family pack of meat this cheaply. Looking for Manager’s Specials, BOGO deals, and markdowns are the best ways to save.)

Rite Aid:

2 Men’s Daylogic razors, sale price $5.00. Total: $10.00 plus $10.00 Plenti Points. (Because I rolled points, it cost nothing out of pocket.)

Children’s Orchard: 

I’ve had good luck buying a few things here in the past. Selling, however, was a nightmare. I filled my Pathfinder to the brim with toys, baby equipment, clothes, shoes, and books. After hauling everything inside, I was told they were short staffed and it would take 2 hours for an evaluation.

Because they’re across the street from the mall, I said okay and walked around aimlessly, waiting. Upon returning, they offered me less than $30.00 for everything—not even $1.00 per item. I have no problem with a slight markup, but that’s just ridiculous gouging. Needless to say, I sold nothing, had to bring all that junk back home and now will look into a yard sale. Ugh…

Fuego Box:

On the same day I scored at Shaw’s with the meat deals, a huge box of condiments was delivered for me to review. (Even though I’ve been blogging for many years, I still get excited by every single package.) Talk about a nice assortment of hot sauce, sandwich spread, spicy honey, and a dry rub! The Jalapeno & Garlic is extra awesome. I would definitely recommend these products if you enjoy spicy foods. Plus, for each Chili Cause Crate sold, a donation is made to Prostate Cancer research. 

 

Have you found any good deals lately? Feel free to share or link. 

5 Easy Ways to Improve PB&J Sandwiches

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Creamy Jif peanut butter, Smucker’s Concord Grape Jelly, and Wonder Bread—the sandwich loved by littles. PB&J is a popular kids’ lunch, for sure. (I’ve probably made thousands!) There’s nothing wrong with the original, but a few tweaks can reinvigorate the old stand-by. Here are 5 easy ways to improve PB&J sandwiches:

1. Switch up the bread

Plain white loaf is the standard, but it’s not the only option. Challah, raisin bread, English muffins, bagels, croissants, pita, and wraps are all tasty. Cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters.

2. Fruit

Try adding thinly sliced bananas, strawberries, or apples. Prefer dried? Try raisins, apricots, or cranberries. 

3. Crunchy

Add some texture with crushed pretzels, flaked coconut, sunflower seeds, or granola. Like sweet and salty combos? Try crushed potato chips. Use saltine crackers and skip the bread entirely.

4. Sweet treat

Feed your sugar cravings with honey, Nutella, mini chocolate chips, marshmallow fluff, or sprinkles.  

5. Chewy

Try toasting the bread before adding the filling or make PB&J French Toast (dip prepared sandwich in egg with cinnamon sugar and vanilla extract, then fry).

While PB&J isn’t the healthiest food available, it is something that kids will eat without complaint that’s affordable, and takes almost no effort to prepare, making it a decent choice. (If you’re truly lacking time, they can even be frozen ahead.) I serve mine with carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks for extra nutrients.