What I learned today
 

Someone told me that when he was a kid, he'd have to bring something that he learned that day to the dinner table to share with his family. If he didn't learn anything, he would look a word up in the dictionary right before dinner, just so he'd have something to share. I always thought that was a cool idea. After hearing this, I kept a log of what I learned each day (which is either lost or tucked away somewhere in this house).

So, I am going to start with yesterday, because it was quite eye-opening for me. I am sure plenty of you knew this, so don't laugh at me, but I just learned it yesterday - that most of the (non-pork) processed food in your pantry is "Kosher". There are several dozen (hundreds?) of Kosher symbols that appear on everything.

I was at Heimdhal's house, having some super awesome and absolutely not Kosher smoked pork when he told me about this Kosher nonsense, which I also learned and am completely convinced is a tax. I picked up the BBQ sauce on the table, yep, Kosher. I looked at the baby food on the table, yes, it was Kosher too. I stared at the corn chip bag for a really long time and couldn't find the symbol, but Heimdhal found it - yep, Kosher. I went around to everything I saw laying on the counter, and had to resist actually digging into his pantry. I really wanted to though. The only container that I found that was not Kosher was the baked beans, and that was because it contained pork.

So, what did you learn today?

And here's what I learned today - not as amazing as yesterday, but still, I learned it today:

If I tie my shoelaces in a double-knot (which I do), I can still untie them easily by pulling one string. I feel silly for not having known that.

I learned that this is likely the most adorable thread is GS.us history.

I will contribute when the time is right! (I'm learning new things everyday, at an alarming rate)

From Snopes.com

Origins: Folks search for proofs of their darkest imaginings everywhere, including on the shelves of grocery stores. Packages bearing marks whose meanings aren't readily apparent to the average shopper have been interpreted by those always on the sniff for a Jewish conspiracy as signs that Big Business is in league with the Jews.

The rumor that the presence of those mysterious markings signifies that the manufacturers of those products have paid a secret tax to the Jews of America has been afoot for decades; the quoted above is merely a recent manifestation of this age-old canard. The claim is wholly false, and we wonder at the twisted minds that would advance such a slander. There is no "Jewish Secret Tax" and never has been.

The markings pointed to in the rumor are real; however, their purpose is entirely different from the one asserted by the rumormongers. They do not signal that a secret tax has been paid or that corporations have succumbed to blackmail; they are there to indicate to members of a particular faith that such items have been vetted as having met the strictures their religion imposes. (If the notion of a religion imposing dietary requirements upon its followers sounds like an outlandish proposition, keep in mind that only in recent times have Catholics taken to eating meat on Fridays, and that Muslims still eschew pork.)

As to what those markings mean:
The letter "K" simply means "Kosher." Kosher, in Hebrew, means fit or proper, and is generally used to describe foods that are prepared in accordance with special Jewish dietary laws. These laws are stringent and almost incomprehensible to those not versed in them.
The small "u" in a circle or ("OU") stands for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations and shows that the food underwent rabbinical supervision in its preparation. (An "OUD" marking shows that the package contains dairy products, while an "OUM" indicates the presence of meat.)

"Parve" (also "pareve") is Yiddish for "neutral." The presence of this word on packaging signifies that the contents of the package contain neither milk nor meat and thus can be combined with other ingredients in recipes. (Jewish dietary law forbids the mixing of meat and dairy, thus a packaged food that contained cheese could not be combined with, say, hamburger.)

This variety of markings used on packaged foods alert consumers that items contained therein either meet the strict dietary constraints imposed by Judaism on its followers or that the contents of the package can be mixed with other foods or can touch them. Not all Jews keep kosher, nor even among those who do are the strictures always adhered to rigorously, but those determined upon being truly pious are aided in this endeavor by the presence of those markings. The devout go so far as to maintain two separate sets of utensils, cookware, and cutting surfaces so that meat and dairy never encounter one another in their kitchens. It is for their benefit that otherwise puzzling kosher certifications on non-foodstuff items are there (e.g., certifications are placed upon dishwashing liquid because dishes used for dairy cannot be washed using a soap made from animal fats).

Less observant Jews do not bother themselves overly much about the kosherness of everyday items; they avoid the out-and-out no-nos such as pork and shellfish but don't lose much sleep over the animal fat content of their washing-up liquid, nor do they fret that cold cuts might now be resting upon a plate that had months earlier been used to serve cheese. The proponents of the "Jewish Secret Tax" slander often assert that a sub rosa Jewish cabal forces large companies to comply via the threat of a nationwide boycott, backed by the underlying presumption that all Jews can be marshalled into turning their backs on products that fail to display kosher certification marks. That is not the case; Jews buy and use non-kosher items too, so although lack of kosher certification keeps the ultra-conservative crowd from buying certain products, it doesn't prevent the less stringent from making such purchases, nor would a "don't buy that because it's not kosher" directive have much effect even if there were a secret Jewish cabal to issue it.

Those seeking kosher certification for their products have to adhere to kosher practices through the manufacturing process, use only kosher ingredients, and have their facilities regularly vetted by qualified inspectors. Kosher certification companies do charge for this service, which is the backbone of the "secret tax" claim it costs money to obtain and maintain kosher certification, thus this is an extra expense a manufacturer must bear if he's determined upon having that certification. Where the rumor and reality part ways, however, is where the money goes. Fees paid to kosher certification companies go to keeping those businesses afloat with the profits siphoned off by those companies' owners; they do not flow off into some special Jewish fund used to advance Zionist causes. These are businesses, not charities, and those who run them do so with every expectation of making a living, in the same manner that someone who owns a hardware store does so with the notion of making enough from the endeavor to support himself and his family.

Does certification add to the price of a product? Certainly, but the amount is miniscule, especially compared to the advertising, packaging, shipping, research, testing, admin and finance-related costs, and a myriad of other components that contribute to the process of bringing a product to market or making it better appeal to consumers. One might as well rail against the costs associated with selecting the ink colors and style of lettering used on a package it's all legitimate business expense, even though no one ever rails against the "Secret Red Ink Conspiracy" or rants about the "Helvetica Font Tax."

Barbara "heading for Helvetica in a handbasket" Mikkelson

Oh so snopes says it's not true, well I'm sold. /s

The Kosher Tax is an outrageous example of Jewish control on our everyday lives. Go to your cupboard and examine your food’s packaging; it’s very likely you will find a circled U or K on each package. These symbols are not to be confused with the circled C or R, which are copyright and registered trademark notices; they are symbols that indicate that the product has been “blessed” and that you have paid a tax for this service. The “fee” for the blessing, is paid by the corporation that manufactures the product, and must be paid for each product made, so a company like General Foods can pay hundreds of these “fees” each year. These “fees” are passed on to you, the consumer, regardless of whether you are Jewish or not.

La Voz de Aztlan receives quite a few “news tips” per week from our many subscribers and readers. Some we dismiss immediately but a very few catch our attention. Last week we receive an e-mail asking us if we knew the significance of the small encircled letter “U” or letter “K” that can be found printed on many food cans, food packages and on other kitchen products. The message gave us some clues and suggested that we do some research into the subject. What we found certainly was “news” to us and it both shocked and angered us.

For many Gentile consumers, it comes as a shock to realize that they pay a Jewish tax on each and every pre-packaged food item with a “U” or “K” stamp on the package, with some of these fees possibly going to support Zionists in Israel. The Union of Orthodox Jews (symbolized by the “U” within a circle) and the Circle-K (for Kashruth or, Kosher) are the two main organizations within the United States that issue Kosher-certification and its accompanying tax, though there are 273 other Kosher-certification organizations that have other symbols within the U.S. alone.

We needed a little more verification so we called two major companies to ask some questions. We chose Proctor & Gamble that markets the Folgers Coffee and the Clorox Company that manufactures the Glads plastic zip lock sandwich bags. Each of the two companies, as well as most others, have 1-800 telephone numbers printed on their packages for consumers to call in case they have any questions about their products. When we asked the Proctor & Gamble representative what the (U) meant on their Folgers Coffee container, she asked us to wait until she consulted with her supervisor. She came back and informed us that the mark meant that the coffee was “certified kosher”. We than asked her how and who certified the coffee to be “kosher” and whether it cost any money to do so. She refused to answer these and other questions. She suggested that we write to their Corporate Public Affairs Department. We than called the Clorox Corporation to ask what the (U) meant on the package of their Glads plastic sandwich bags and she also said that the (U) meant that the plastic bags were “kosher” but refused to answer questions concerning payments the Clorox Corporation has to make in order to be able to print the (U) on their products.

Source: http://www.wethehumanrobots.com/2011...x-on-most.html

Who Receives The Kosher Food Tax Money?

In 1960 there were only 225 companies paying the kosher food tax. This jumped to 475 in 1966 and 800 by 1975. Jewish promoters of kosher labeling say there now has been a “kosher food explosion” today with over 16,000 products now paying rabbinical organizations for their “stamp of kosher approval.” Kosher products retail sales today amount to $30 billion a year according to “The Chicago Jewish Sentinel” of July 7, 1988. **Note: In the year 2000, this is now a trillion dollar racketeering scheme, in which every nation on Earth pays the KOSHER TAX.

Canadian Kosher products are stamped with the letters “COR” that stands for “Council of Orthodox Rabbis”. This is a front group for the powerful Canadian Jewish Congress, which actually receives all the money from this tax. The Jews in Canada are so united they do not allow any competition which is not the case in the U.S. Here a number of Orthodox rabbis have split away from the major groups to go into the kosher racket for them.

If you are a typical non-Jewish reader, it is easy to see that both these statements are true, not false as the ADL claims. Have you personally desired such markings? And, if it is not a “secret” of sorts, why do they not display a symbol that makes it clear that a fee is indeed paid to a Jewish organization for kosher certification?

This is strictly a religious tax, which millions of non-Jews unknowingly pay each time they buy a basket load of groceries! What would happen if a group of Christian ministers or priests got together and demanded that all companies pay them a similar tax? They could use a “C,” symbol (for Christian), or a cross, (for Christ), threatening that those who refuse to print such a label on their products would be boycotted by Christians. If that happened you would hear an enraged outcry from the ACLU, American Jewish Committee, Jewish Anti-Defamation League, etc. They would be filing suits to stop this “violation of the Constitutional provisions providing for the separation of Church and State.” But, because of the Jews’ centuries old claim of being “a poor persecuted people” along with the Christian fear of being accused of “anti-Semitism,” there is a deafening silence.

What I learned today is that over the course of 5 - 6 years Kaos doesn't read the threads.

I certainly can't argue with you about Snopes. The site is probably Kosher too.
But they did say there is a charge to certify all these foods, which is the same as a tax to me.
It is amazing that all the food manufactures do/pay this to satisify only 2% of the population.

Add: Yep the founders of snopes David and Barbara Mikkelson are Jewish.

I learned that I am not the only person in the neighborhood that thinks a fellow neighbor, his wife, and child are bat shit fucking crazy.


I also learned I'm not the only one with totaly insane tactile aversion to certain textures and viscosities and that apparently, I make pretty good 'que as tested by Q Master Liberty Tree and Avid Food Aficinado K-os! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/smiley.gif


Its been a good couple days http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.gif

I just found the COR letters surrounded by a circle on a bag of Ruffles potato chips i was eating.

Damn near puked i did.

How depressing is that?

I swear to GOD that it's fucking criminal that gsus members don't know about the kosher tax. Fucking really pisses me off.

People say they're aware and don't know shit.

http://www.ottawaskeptics.org/images...r_symbols1.jpg

What I learned today is that olive oil worked into my fingers helps remove Red Guard--a rubbery pepto pink, slimy substance which turns fire engine red after it dries, waterproofing brush applied product-- from my fingers and nails etc., in particular. I also learned I have a short streak of fire-engine red in my thinning pate. Oh well.

Thanks for asking, K-os. (Hi, LT)



beefsteak

Gundelscheim barrel sauerkraut, imported from Germany, is likely not kosher. Nowhere on the glass barrel or the label indicates a symbol that indicates kosher certification.

I learned about the "kosher" symbol scam several years ago, while it may not be a direct tax, it's certainly an indirect one, and with jews such a very small percentage of the total population, why would it even be necessary?

Eat Hebrew National hot dots as they appear to be non-Kosher.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/0...8HICXD20120618

According to the complaint, Omaha, Nebraska-based ConAgra marks Hebrew National packages with a "Triangle K" symbol, and represents that the contents are kosher "as defined by the most stringent Jews who follow Orthodox Jewish law."

But the plaintiffs said in the complaint that AER supervisors "did little or nothing" to address employee complaints that the meat processed for ConAgra was non-kosher. They also said Skokie, Illinois-based AER fired or threatened retaliation against those who complained.

I learned on Sunday that a Head Professor in Belarus University makes around $300 per month,

and a guard in the town square $10,000.

LOL, that snopes entry had to be the most kosher denial I have ever read.

Packages bearing marks whose meanings aren't readily apparent to the average shopper have been interpreted by those always on the sniff for a Jewish conspiracy as signs that Big Business is in league with the Jews.

The rumor that the presence of those mysterious markings signifies that the manufacturers of those products have paid a secret tax to the Jews of America has been afoot for decades; the quoted above is merely a recent manifestation of this age-old canard. The claim is wholly false, and we wonder at the twisted minds that would advance such a slander.

There is no "Jewish Secret Tax" and never has been.




HAHAHAHAHAHA! I am trying NOT to laugh, but it's not working!!!!!!!!!!

last thing i learned is that the amount of brains you get from an animal is just enough to tan the said animal's hide....

http://www.braintan.com/articles/furs/miller3.html

When the animals life is taken it gives you a complete tanning package as a bonus. Every critter has enough brains to tan it's own hide, except buffaloes (and some people I know).

a great catfish bait is ivory soap.