Starbucks drops Anti-Defamation league from developing training against bias; Woman’s March head Tamika Mallory denounces the ADL as racist

May 6, 2018 • 10:00 am

Historically, America’s Anti-Defamation League is an organization devoted to fighting anti-Semitism, but it has also defended other groups.  Here’s the list on their web page of  “What we do”:

Wikipedia describes its mission:

The stated purpose of the ADL is to fight:

anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry (in the United States) and abroad, combat international terrorism, probe the roots of hatred, advocate before the United States Congress, come to the aid of victims of bigotry, develop educational programs, and serve as a public resource for government, media, law enforcement, and the public, all towards the goal of countering and reducing hatred.

Historically, the ADL has opposed groups and individuals it considered to be anti-Semitic and/or racist, including: Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, Henry Ford, Father Charles Coughlin (leader of the Christian Front), the Christian Identity movement, the German-American Bund, neo-Nazis, the American militia movement and white power skinheads (although the ADL acknowledges that there are also non-racist skinheads).[7][8] The ADL publishes reports on a variety of countries, regarding alleged incidents of anti-Jewish attacks and propaganda.

The ADL maintains that some forms of anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel cross the line into anti-Semitism. The Anti-Defamation League states:

Criticism of particular Israeli actions or policies in and of itself does not constitute anti-Semitism. Certainly the sovereign State of Israel can be legitimately criticized just like any other country in the world. However, it is undeniable that there are those whose criticism of Israel or of “Zionism” is used to mask anti-Semitism.[9]

It has not been free of criticism, as you can see here, and much of recent criticism, which I’m not sure is justified, centers on its pro-Israel activities, and its claim that at least some of anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, which I more or less agree with. (If you don’t believe that Jews should have the state given to them by the UN as a refuge from persecution, you’re pretty close to anti-Semitism).  But they do engage in the following mission, as described above under “Israel advocacy and education“:

Israel needs people to stand up now more than ever as it faces more threats—from enemy states like Iran, terrorists, and those seeking to delegitimze Israel like the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. ADL helps our supporters understand the complex issues and advocate for a secure and stable democratic Jewish state.

Learn about Israel and its challenges through our website, blogs and resources, which focus on current events relating to the Jewish State. Study ADL’s Israel: A Guide for Activists to find tools for advocating for Israel, information on Israeli history, responses to common inaccuracies about Israel and other information.

All this is by way of me trying to understand what’s reported in a new story on Politico (click on screenshot):

As you may recall, in April two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia branch of the Starbuck’s coffee chain for loitering. They said they were waiting for an associate, but were asked to leave and, when they didn’t, they were arrested. I suspect this was a truly racist incident, as I doubt that two white guys doing the same thing would have prompted a call to the cops.

In response, Starbucks will close 8,000 of its branches on May 29 for “sensitivity training,” which seems appropriate. You simply can’t treat people differently because of their color. The two black men, Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson, settled with the city for a token payment of $2 each, but in return for that settlement the city of Philadelphia also created a $200,000 fund to train young entrepeneurs in the city, and the two men arrested will be on the committee that dispenses these grants. This all seems like a fair and decent outcome.

The bad part of the outcome is that the Anti-Defamation League was supposed to help Starbuck’s develop the anti-bias curriculum, but was apparently dropped after blacks objected.  Politico reports that the ADL is perceived by blacks as both anti-black (I guess that includes Palestinians) and pro-Israeli, which means the ADL is seen as impure.

As Politico reports:

Bowing to pressure from African-American activists, Starbucks excluded the Anti-Defamation League from an upcoming daylong anti-bias training session.

. . . “When Starbucks asked for assistance, we agreed to help,” ADL spokesman Todd Gutnick told POLITICO. “As to whether Starbucks may or may not now want to utilize our expertise, you should ask them.”

Liel Leibovitz, writing today in Tablet, a “a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture,” was less measured in his criticism. “Shame on Starbucks for giving in to bigotry,” he said.

But Starbucks’ Riley denied the company cut the organization loose because of political pressure, saying in an email, “We are architecting a multi-phase approach to addressing bias.”

Almost immediately after the April 17 announcement, activists attacked Starbucks over the ADL’s involvement, citing the ADL’s support for Israel and its arms-length relationship to the Black Lives Matter movement.

And guess who tweeted out denouncing the ADL as racist. Yes, it’s our old friend Tamika Mallory, co-head of the Women’s March, good pals with the National of Islam bigot Louis Farrkhan, and worshiper of sundry terrorists and murderers:

Sorry, but she’s dead wrong about the ADL constantly attacking black and brown people. What’s the evidence?  And speaking of bigotry, Mallory of course implicitly endorses the racist message of Farrakhan as well as the misogyny, homophobia, and anti-apostate bias of Palestine and Islam.  For that she suffers no opprobrium. It’s an embarassment to feminists to have this vitriolic and hateful woman as president of their March.

Politico continues:

 Cat Brooks, the co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project, told ABC News that she agreed with Mallory, saying, “You can’t be a piece of an anti-bias training when you openly support a racist, oppressive and brutal colonization of Palestine.”The Washington chapter of Black Lives Matter, meanwhile, tweeted that the ADL was “ultra pro-cop,” and cited a 2016 letter in which Greenblatt said “ADL has not endorsed the Black Lives Matter movement” because “a small minority of [its] leaders … supported anti-Israel — and at times anti-Semitic — positions.” Greenblatt’s letter didn’t identify the leaders in question.

Starbucks’ exclusion of the ADL from its May 29 training session became apparent on April 24 when a press release about the event failed to mention Greenblatt in connection to it. Instead, it said the company would “consult with” the ADL in connection with longer-term efforts.

Thus Starbucks, while attacking racism against blacks, gets away with booting the prime organization in the U.S. attacking anti-Semitism. Is there any other brand of bigotry besides anti-Semitism that’s politically acceptable on the Left? I can’t think of one.

h/t: BJ

Note to readers (and duck information)

May 6, 2018 • 8:15 am

As always when I’m traveling, I ask readers to hold onto their wildlife photos until I return, and to cut down on the number of emails they send, as they accumulate too rapidly for me to handle. One email every four days or so sounds about right. As usual, though, if I make errors in my posts, feel free to contact me immediately.

 

The final duck news: in an hour or so I will feed Frank, who this morning was sitting on the bank of the pond, staring forlornly at the water. But he’ll have two duck-sitters in my absence, so there are no worries about his care. If I hear of ducklings, I will of course inform you.

. . . . . .

I’ve just fed him, but he’s busy staring at the pond and neglecting his breakfast. Something is going on, as there is nothing on the pond to attract attention, and no ducks in sight. I have no idea what he’s up to, but he’s clearly alert in the direction of the pond. Here’s a photo of him neglecting his breakfast to look at the water. Of course I like to think he’s waiting for Honey, but who knows what’s in a duck’s mind?

Readers’ wildlife photos (and video)

May 6, 2018 • 7:30 am

Stephen Barnard is busy documenting the pair of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) occupying a nest box he put on his garage. Today we have photos and a video, with Stephen’s notes indented:

For two days I’ve been trying to get an in-flight shot of a kestrel flying into or out of the nest box. The plan is to set the camera up on a tripod, record 4K video, and crop the photo from a frame. It’s been very difficult. I’ve tried many different camera and lens combinations and locations, shutter speeds, exposures, and so on. Getting sharp focus and no or little motion blur is a challenge.The settings are manual everything. This is my best result so far, but I expect to do better now that I’ve found the right combination.

Another one of Natasha on the wing:

Here’s a link to a funny video. A European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) lands on the nest box, no doubt looking for a nest site (they’re cavity nesters), and gets a rude surprise when she sees Natasha. I’ve recorded two other occasions when starlings landed on the nest box hole. As soon as they see Natasha face-to-face they freak out.

A Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) and in all likelihood a Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Here’s a link to a video I recorded years ago (with primitive gear) of a Great Blue Heron eating something bigger:

Sunday: Hili dialogue

May 6, 2018 • 6:30 am

Good morning: it’s Sunday, May 6, 2018, and I leave for Paris today. The obliging and amiable Grania will take over Hilis for the eleven days I’m gone, so thanks to her in advance. And of course posting will be lighter than usual. But, like Maru, I do my best. I will try to send photos of each meal.

Appropriately, it’s National Crepe Suzette Day (who was Suzette?)—one of the few French foods I don’t crave (the other is tripe). It’s also International No Diet Day, a celebration of body acceptance. In its honor, I will not be fasting while in Paris (that would be bloody stupid, wouldn’t it?).

On this day in 1536, King Henry VIII ordered that Bibles translated into English be placed in every church, a request fulfilled when the Great Bible was made available.  On May 6, 1757, the English poet Christopher Smart, deemed insane, was placed into the St. Luke’s hospital for Lunatics in London, where he stayed six years.  While confined, he wrote the best cat poem of all time, a fragment of his larger Jubilate Agno called “For I will consider my cat Jeoffrey.” You can (and should) read it here. There is no poem that embodies the catness of cats more than this one.

On May 6, 1877, the great leader Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Lakota surrendered to U.S. troops in Nebraska. He was bayoneted to death by one of his guards that same year. On this date in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was opened to the public for the first time. And in 1915, Babe Ruth, a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, poled his first home run. He was perhaps the greatest hitting pitcher of all time.  On this day in 1937, the German zeppelin Hindenburg, filled with hydrogen, caught fire and immediately burned to a crisp while trying to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey; 36 people died. Here’s the famous film footage with the tearful reporters’ cry, “Oh, the humanity!”

On this day in 1940, John Steinbeck received the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. On this day in 1954, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes. Here’s the film of that achievement with Bannister’s narration. (The current record was set in 1999 by the Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj with a time of of 3:43.13; the woman’s record, held by Svetlana Masterkova, is 4:12.56. ) There’s obviously a limit, but what is it, and how would we know?

Finally, on this day in 1994, Queen Elizabeth II and French President François Miterrand together officially opened the Channel Tunnel.

Notables born on this day include Maximilien Robespierre (1758), Sigmund Freud and Robert Peary (both 1856), Motilal Nehru (1861), Rudolph Valentino (1895), Orson Welles (1915), and George Clooney (1961).  Those who died on May 6 included Henry David Thoreau (1862), Marlene Dietrich (1992), and Farley Mowat (2014).

 Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is enjoying the rapid approach of Spring:
Hili: How quickly everything is changing.
A: That’s because it’s so warm.
Hili: I like it.
In Polish:

From Matthew: An architectural optical illusion (the walking people make it look as if it’s moving):

https://twitter.com/KaptanHindustan/status/991066037687934978

Another illustion from Matthew. How did they do this?

https://twitter.com/necoodisan/status/992718947412684802

Jumping bean cats!

https://twitter.com/invisibleman_17/status/992499303410171906

This video of a squirrel trying to climb up a greased pole to a bird feeder has gone viral. And it is is just CRUEL.

Be sure to watch the video:

The early developmental stages of clams:

From Grania. I have no idea how the artist did this (I imagine some kind of laser sculpture), so if you know weigh in below:

https://twitter.com/41Strange/status/992820694638411776

The Cinco de Mayo “cultural appropriation” warnings begin

May 5, 2018 • 10:45 am

At many sites, including the Spokane (Washington state) newspaper The Spokesman Review, there are reports that a Vice President of Gonzaga University (a Jesuit school in Spokane) sent out an email to students warning them against cultural appropriation and inappropriate celebration on Cinco de Mayo (today), a day that often serving as an excuse for Mexican-themed parties with boozing. Here’s the VP’s email, which appears at Campus Reform:

The Unity Multicultural Center is in fact a Gonzaga University organization. On their Facebook page cited by Vice President Garbuio, you’ll find this list of dictates, including the last one suggesting donations to a social-justice organization. Your’e also supposed to call out your friends if they don’t celebrate with proper respect:

More from the Spokesman:

After Ben McDonald, a Gonzaga student, penned a story about the email for Red Alert Politics, a horde of other popular conservative websites, including the Daily Wire, followed suit.

“Colleges have become havens for the easily offended on campuses across the nation to complain about people enjoying themselves as being ‘offensive to their culture,’ ” McDonald wrote. “Whether it was Yale students getting offended for Halloween costumes or Pitzer College students saying that hoop earrings are racist, Gonzaga is just the next addition to the many other universities who have caved in the face of ‘cultural appropriation.’ ”

Biggs Garbuio told The Spokesman-Review she was surprised to see so many websites sound off on her email. She said she wrote a similar email a year ago and annually sends emails during Halloween about avoiding racially insensitive costumes.

“The intent was purely to educate the students on the history of Cinco de Mayo,” she said. [JAC: No it wasn’t; it was mainly to control their behavior.]

After seeing some schools across the country dealing with the backlash of cultural appropriation in party settings, Biggs Garbuio said she wanted to get ahead of the issue.

Now don’t get me wrong.  There are ways to celebrate the date that are inappropriate and offensive, at least to me: these include wearing fake mustaches or anything that mocks Mexico or Mexicans. Serapes and sombreros are a judgement call; I sure as hell wouldn’t wear one, but you can wear them without the intent of making fun of Mexicans. They are, after all, clothing worn by some Mexicans, and wearing them might be a celebratory rather than a denigrating move, like wearing green on St. Patrick’s day. (Believe me, lots of Chicago-ans without Irish ancestry wear green top hats and bow ties on St. Paddy’s Day—clothing not even worn by the Irish.)

What I object to is that a university takes it upon itself to give students cultural lessons, and even suggest donating to immigrants’ right organizations. That’s something a good liberal would do anyway, but it’s not a college’s function to police your behavior in this way. Let the students learn for themselves if they overstep boundaries, and where those boundaries lie and why.

This all reminds me of Erika Christakis’s response at Yale to an email from the Intercultural Affairs Committee telling students to dress in non-offensive ways on Halloween. Christakis, a housemaster at the university, wrote students an email saying that perhaps they themselves should decide appropriate dress rather than be dictated to by others. Well, you know what happened to her: she was demonized and ultimately hounded out of her job and Yale itself. What happened to her was unconscionable. So let me play Christakis to Gonzaga: Vice President Biggs Garbuio, stop telling students what “cultural appropriation” is and how to behave properly. Don’t police them; let them learn for themselves.

When I was in India at Christmas, there were many parties at which Hindu citizens celebrated the holiday by drinking and dancing. I even met a Santa Claus who was most likely not a Christian but a Hindu (see here). Would Gonzaga write a note to Hindu students, telling them to knock off the revelries at Christmas because, after all, it is a religious holiday celebrating an event sacred to Christians? I doubt it.

For other Pecksniffian policing of the holiday, see here, here, and here.

Waiting for Honey

May 5, 2018 • 10:00 am

The geese have gone for good, I think, and Frank is the sole avian resident of Botany Pond. He sits on the bank a lot and looks around, and I can’t help but anthropomorphize here, thinking that he’s waiting for the return of Honey and her offspring. This is not beyond reason, as sometimes hen mallards go off and incubate their eggs for a month in private. If that’s the case, she should return some time around the third week of May. Stay tuned.

Frank waiting. . .