Correction: Univ. of Ga. Student Newspaper Revives 'Cheap Jew' Canard

(Correction: the following item is from the University of Georgia's independent student newspaper, The Red & Black, and has no connection to Emory University, as earlier, mistakenly, cited. DB)



Cartoonist Bill Richards' editorial cartoon in University of Georgia's "Red & Black," newspaper on Thursday, November 12, 2009:
http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper871/stills/s5nf7pr1.jpg

Shows two Israeli soldiers standing near a barbed-wire and fenced gate, with a sign overhead calling it "Checkpoint Chaim," reminiscent of the Berlin Wall along what could be presumed as the West Bank security barrier.

The letters, "IDF" are written on the back of one soldier, and a word bubble over the other soldier, with a Jewish star on his helmet, says:

"And to think we got all this great stuff on clearance."

Furious letters to the editor are here: http://media.www.redandblack.com/media/paper871/sections/20091113Opinions.html

From one letter, penned by several organizations:

"In the cartoon, there are three clear anti-Semitic overtones: the use of a stereotypical Jewish name in "Checkpoint Chaim", the placement of the Jewish star on the Israeli soldier's helmet and the suggestion that Jews care most about saving money in the caption.

"To the reader: What did these three references add to the political opinion of the cartoon? The slur in the caption takes an edgy, yet legitimate political cartoon and turns it into an ugly smear.
[...]
"Serving and representing the diverse community of the University of Georgia, The Red & Black should exercise extreme caution in their editorial decisions regarding race or religion, especially in the context of editorial cartoons. We call upon the leadership of The Red & Black to publish a retraction and to condemn anti-Semitism on campus."

Other angry replies are here:
http://media.www.redandblack.com/media/storage/paper871/news/2009/11/13/Opinions/Mailbox-3831597.shtml

The Red & Black's reply?:
http://media.www.redandblack.com/media/storage/paper871/news/2009/11/13/Opinions/Editors.Note.On.Editorial.Cartoon-3831602.shtml

"The Red & Black received numerous comments about Thursday's editorial cartoon.

"We would like to clarify that the cartoon was not intended to be offensive or a comment on any one religion.

"This newspaper staff would never condone that kind of hatred, and we hope students on campus stand up against it.

- The Red & Black editors"

(Video) Fort Hood: Terror Foreseen?

Click on the image for the video.

Eye-opening video: An interview with Palestinian-American author and commentator, Nonie Darwish about the spread of radical Islam in America: http://www.davebrianbender.com.

Darwish is a founding member of an Arab, pro-Israel group: Arabs For Israel: http://arabsforisrael.blogspot.com.

Darwish has lived in the U.S. for three decades and is a regular speaker, and international media commentator on radical Islam.

Bombshell: Ft. Hood terrorist on White House trans. team?

Paper trail of the Fort Hood terrorist passes through - The White House transition team: "Security Priorities for the Next Administration" (original doc - pg. 29): http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/old/PTTF_ProceedingsReport_05.19.09.pdf

(I rarely blog about politics in the United States, don't link to Atlas Shrugged, and frankly, don't particularly care for Pamela Geller's shrill blogging style or pseudo-reporting "scoops."

But this document - if valid - is a truly damning revelation about Nidal Malik Hasan, and an apparent link to President Barack Obama's White House transition team; so give credit where credit is due).

Israeli 'kiddie ride' includes mud, rain, fog & exhaustion

Great blog post from a cyclist colleague in Israel, utterly bustin' it on a week-long children's charity ride:

"I just spent a week riding through mud.

Not the kind of nice warm Dead Sea mud that tourists buy. I’m talking about freezing cold mud. It gets on your arms, your legs, in your nose, and between your teeth. Every day after the ride you take a shower wearing your riding gear to try and get some of it off. But it’s just not possible.

The mud gets on your bike chain and in your gears. It gets in your brakes and clogs your pedals. Your bike weighs a ton no matter how often you try and clean some muck off.

What an amazing week."

The rain was so thick, you could hardly see where you were going. Then it started to get cold. Yael reminded me of the article I wrote before the ride about how we should just accept the inevitable and embrace the rain.

I told her to shut up."

Read the rest.

Remembering The Fall

Remembering The Fall
Originally uploaded by Dave Bender

Slightly "futzed with" cellphone image of the remains fallen autumn leaves on the hood of my car. "Remembering The Fall" is about the autumn, and a fall from grace of an all-too-brief Israeli autumn to present - albeit temporary - circumstances.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

CNBC on Israeli Biz Model: 'It Just Works'

"Dan Senor, co-author of 'Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle,' discusses with CNBC how Israel has managed to become a leader in business innovation."

Israel: Getting Beyond 'Exhaustion' & 'Puppy Love'

An elderly man taking a break on his morning walk, leans against the security barrier in Jerusalem's southern Gilo neighborhood. The several mile long concrete wall protects residents in the facing apartments from gunfire from Arab Beit Jala (see in in the distance), adjacent to Bethlehem. This barrier is not the same as the disputed "Security Barrier," that snakes roughly along the 1967 cease fire line in parts of Judea and Samaria, also known as "West Bank," but was erected for similar reasons: to stop bullets from reaching civilians and schools (in this photo, there's one directly behind the camera) More on this story here. (Photo: Dave Bender, All Rights Reserved)

A powerful pairing - or pairing off - of opinions about the Jewish State:

In "How I’m Losing My Love For Israel," Jay Michaelson, writing in The Forward admits:

"To paraphrase a recent Jewish organizational tagline, I’ve “hugged and wrestled with Israel” for 20 years now. At first, it was all embrace: Zionist songs and culture nourished me like mother’s milk, and on my first trip to Israel I kissed the tarmac at Ben Gurion, as did the other USY (United Synagogue Youth) kids.

"Eventually, the wrestling came to the fore, particularly as I became more conscious of Palestinians, settlements and religious-secular divides. In 2002, I wrote about being “a leftist and a Zionist” and how difficult it was to maintain those dual political identities. And for several years, I’ve argued for a more nuanced approach to Israel advocacy and education than the hail of falafel balls and the bludgeon of Taglit-Birthright.

"But lately I’ve noticed that I’m becoming a candidate for advocacy myself. I’ve loved Israel for decades, lived there for three years, and studied in detail the subtleties of its society and conflicts. And so it is with the sadness that accompanies the end of any affair that I notice my love is starting to wane."

Daniel Gordis replies:

"The truth is, you and I agree about a lot. We’re both worried about some of what’s happening to Israeli society. We’re both tired of all the equivocating (though probably for different reasons). We’d both love some real leadership around here. We’d both like peace. And we’re both exhausted."

"Maybe it’s time we all moved beyond puppy love and ventured into something more mature, a sort of love that knows that the object of our love cannot, and should not, remain unchanged year after year, decade after decade."

Very worth reading.

Israel 'Powering an Alternative Roadside Attraction'

Illustration courtesy of Innowwattech

Read my first story for Mother Nature Network:

Innowattech is touting what they call, “parasitic energy harvesting,” a system that exploits the motion of vehicles rolling over sturdy, flexible pads buried beneath the roadway. Company officials say their technology also works on airport runways, railway tracks and pedestrian sidewalks.

The company says their patented piezoelectric generators produce “energy from weight, motion, vibration and temperature changes.”

Hey! I Got Mail! (Israeli Martial Arts Video)

One of the biggest comment draws on my YouTube video collection page is a clip, which I titled: "Hebrew Hammer Meets His Match."

It's about a group of religious martial arts aficionados practicing, "Abir," apparently a Yemenite take on the well-known "Krav Maga" fighting style.

There are many, and mostly fascinating comments about the video by those in the know about martial arts, all discussing - some arguing - over fine points of technique, what's similar or different from other styles and schools, and so forth. I often join in, and it's fun and informative as you can read there... and then there's the hate mail:

"AliHolland87 heeft een reactie geplaatst op 'Hebrew Hammer' meets his match:

'Death) the Zionist entity, we will kill you all"

I get these sort pretty often, usually after violent events between Israelis and their neighbors.

Most are frighteningly imbecilic, some just frightening, a few nauseating, and then there are the ones like this: Just plain murderous. Just to remind me about other kinds of martial fan clubs.

It's good though, in a twisted way: it reminds me what we're all up against, and to be alert. The wave is coming this way.