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Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards: What Happened to the Missing Blog?

Thursday, February 2nd, 2006

As any of you who’ve been following the JIBA slug fest between Aussie Dave and myself here will know, I’ve been pointing out inconsistencies, self-dealing and bias in the Awards for a few weeks now. Now it’s come to my attention that another contention of Dave’s may be unreliable at best.

The blog that never made it into JIBA

I’ve criticized the JIBA rule that blogs insufficiently supportive of Israel could be disqualified according to its rules. To which Aussie Dave has replied that no blogs were disqualified. But a blogger (who wishes to remain anonymous since he/she has a lower tolerance for the type of insults and invective of which Dave is capable) has revealed to me:

I nominated a blog for the “Life in Israel” category – Step By Step. The writer has shown on a number of occasions that she is left of center, and her blog wasn’t accepted…

Step by Step is an intimate, personal account of a woman’s experience of making aliyah to Israel alone and without immediate family. I contacted Yael Kaynan, who writes this blog and she never knew she had been nominated.

I hesitate using categorical statements until Aussie Dave gives us the lowdown on what happened. Given that Step by Step appears a quite interesting and non-threatening blog (at least in terms of its politics), I find it hard to believe it would’ve been disqualified for its politics. But why didn’t it appear in JIBA? At the very least, one might ask how Aussie Dave and the Post guarantee that all nominated blogs actually appear in competition. They’ve either screwed up or deliberately removed Step by Step for some reason. Or the Post’s server “ate” the nomination form submitted by the mystery blogger. Which is it, guys?

One more thing: why were some blogs which were nominated in multiple categories reduced to appearing in only one–while some blogs appear in multiple categories? This happened in at least one case I know about personally. And why wasn’t the decision communicated to the person who nominated the blog or to the nominated blogger?

Knowing of Dave’s level of paranoia concerning every statement I make, I want to assure him and everyone that I have e mails from the mystery blogger in question in which he/she identifies him/herself and his/her blog. I have absolutely no reason to doubt him/her (though Dave might find one or two).

As for my comment about self-dealing above…here’s an interesting tidbit from mystery blogger. One of the JIBA nominated blogs is Treppenwitz. The only problem with this is that Treppenwitz is also featured in the Post’s own blog section. So in effect Treppenwitz has a built in advantage over the other nominated blogs because it receives all that extra promotion from its appearance in the Post’s separate blog section. Furthermore, Treppenwitz’s spouse has designed the JIBA logo (and a nice one it is). But isn’t it a bit odd that the spouse of a JIBA nominee is designing the logo? It’s just a bit too cozy and “I’ll-scratch-your-back-if-you’ll-scratch-mine.” Or as mystery blogger put it:

…Had this been a proper competition, such connections would never be allowed.

Tags: aussie_dave, israeli_blogs, jewish_and_israeli_blog_awards, JIBA, jib_awards, step_by_step
Posted in Blogs-Tech-Science, Mideast Peace | 8 Comments »

Aussie Dave: Call Me “Dickhead,” Don’t Expect Favors

Wednesday, February 1st, 2006

Aussie Dave, august founder of the Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards, has quaint notions of reciprocity. As I wrote in my last post, he sent me an e-mail which essentially called me a “dickhead.” Yet he’s now written me another e-mail in which he wags his finger at me for violating his privacy by quoting him publicly:

…I do not give you permission to publish my emails (including this one, in case you are considering it). That is entirely unacceptable.

Rest assured, I will be respondingly appropriately. And you won’t be getting traffic out of it.

That’s rich. A guy calls you something nasty and you owe him something in return?
Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards Google search screenshot

So here’s the deal, Dave. Consider anything you ever write to or about me as fair game for being made public. Is that clear enough? I don’t owe you any consideration or favors so don’t expect any.

Oh and if you really are concerned about fueling my site traffic, you might want to consider ending our delightful correspondence because every new post I write about you or the JIB Awards will raise my ranking higher in any Google searches for the JIB Awards, your blog or moniker. In fact, you can see in the Google screenshot that a search for “Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards” brings up two of my posts in the number 1 and 2 position, even before your own. By the by, interesting that Google doesn’t seem to pick up any links to the JIB Awards portion of the Post site. Doesn’t the Post want Google hits?

Not to mention Technorati searches you’ll bring my way as well. But it’s your call. You seem to have this testosterone thing going where if you feel slighted you can’t let ‘the enemy’ have the last word. So I doubt this’ll be the last I’ll be hearing from you via e mail or my comments section. Guess you just can’t let it go.

Tags: aussie_dave, jewish_and_israeli_blog_awards, jib_awards
Posted in Blogs-Tech-Science, Mideast Peace | 17 Comments »

Why Does Jerusalem Post Promote Anti-Arab Hate Speech?

Tuesday, January 31st, 2006

The Jerusalem Post is the media sponsor of the Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards. I’ve written in the past about the overload (90-95%) of right-wing pro-Israel blogs nominated in JIBA’s political categories. I’ve also written critically of the Jerusalem Post’s involvement in the program. Today, I’d like to ask why the Jerusalem Post tacitly endorses racist speech by featuring, in the JIB Awards, blogs redolent with anti-Arab hate?

I recently read a critique of Pajamas Media’s failure to create a successful advertising program. One point raised was that many advertisers are leery of associating themselves with blogs which feature (even in the comments section) abuse, insult, invective, racism and verbal threats. I presume that JP has considered this issue and feels it is not important. But I think it is.

Let’s look at one of the megablogs: Little Green Footballs. Here’s what a generally positive (undeservedly so in my opinion) review of the site at Wikipedia said on this subject:

…Critics have interpreted Johnson’s selective posting and retitling of news items related to Islam (e.g., “AP Reveals: Arabs Hate America, Israel”) as a form of hate speech .

Others point to the hyperbolic language…and dehumanizing slurs employed by some commenters (e.g., “Paleosimians,” “Oil Ticks,” “koranimals,” “ragheads”) and charge the webmaster with encouraging groupthink, jingoism, and Islamophobia.

And to bring Wikipedia up to date, here are a few recent headlines at LGF:

Muslim Gang Runs UK Prison
Palestinians Choose Terror (about Hamas’ election victory)
Palestinian Civil War Watch (about friction between Hamas and Fatah)
Hamas Will Keep on Killin’ (about Hamas’ refusal to renounce violence)
Flying Pig Moment of the Day (a demeaning reference to the Muslim custom of not eating pork)
345 Killed in Annual Sacrifice (“It’s time for the annual human sacrifice at the Hajj pilgrimage, as this year’s Hajj stampede kills hundreds during the “Stoning the Devil” ritual…”)
Jihadis Increasing the Kill Rate (“The global jihad’s latest tactic deliberately plays on the West’s worst fears: HIV Bombers.”)
Killed Because He Wouldn’t Convert to Islam
Interview with the Murder Mom (about an interview with a Palestinian mother whose sons became suicide bombers)

Get rid of the A-rabs–bomb ‘em back to the Stone Age courtesy of Atlas Shrugs

But let’s not stop with LGF. Let’s talk about the JIB Awards-nominated Atlas Shrugs, which features a B-52 bomber with the caption: “Take back Jerusalem. Bring on the B-52s” (a ‘jocular’ call for the extermination of Jerusalem’s Arab population).

Here’s some “wisdom” from the JIBA-nominated, Protein Wisdom:

…Exploding Arabs absolutely cannot be good for the environment — what with all that heat and those burning chemicals and what not.

Which means the Jews are to blame for the CO2 blanket, as well — which in turn is responsible for killing furry forest dwellers of all stripes.

A banner spotted at yesterday’s “peace march” in D.C.: “Jews: killers of all things cuddly!”

(Okay, so I made that up. But mark my words: it’s coming…)

And how about Only in Israel’s ‘fabulous’ Rachel Corrie pancake jokes (about the International Solidarity Movement activist murdered by an Israeli bulldozer driver).

So what gives, Jerusalem Post? Derek Fattal, the Post’s director of internet services provided this disclaimer to me:

Inclusion in the competition does not suggest any support for the content – whatever its political viewpoint or religious persausion – by The Jerusalem Post.

Thus the claim is that the blogs’ content has nothing to do with the Post, even though the JIB Awards highlight and promote the very same blogs? The links to these blogs at the Post’s website send new readers their way and advance their hate-filled agenda. If the Post promotes them then how far are we from saying you endorse them? And what does that say about the editorial slant of this newspaper? Derek also wrote to me that the Post holds pretty much to a straight down the center political line. Would you mind explaining to me how promoting these blogs through the JIB Awards gibes with a “centrist” editorial outlook? Perhaps a slight contradiction?

If there was some ideological balance within the political categories I might buy the Post’s disclaimer that it doesn’t endorse the views of any individual blog. But with almost universal right-wing blogs (in the political categories) it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that these blogs promote a vision of pro-Israel advocacy and anti-Arab hysteria in accord with the Post’s.

I’ll be writing to Derek to ask if he wishes to response to this post on behalf of the Post.

Finally, I wonder what the Post makes of its partner and founder of the JIB Awards, Aussie Dave, when he calls critics like this one “dickhead.” Well, actually he didn’t quite come out and say it but we’ll let him speak for himself below and you can be the judge. In a feeble attempt at mockery, he often calls me “Dick” or “Silverstein” to which I replied that those were not names of address I find acceptable. This was his ‘charming’ response:

“Dick and Silverstein are your names. I do not see the need to refer to you by your first name…So deal with it. Just be thankful I don’t give you the middle name “head.”

And while we’re at it, why not mention this little taunt:

That’s nice DICK

So I’d ask the Post, don’t you feel such juvenile behavior reflects poorly not only on the sadsack himself, but on the JIB Awards and by extension the Post?

Tags: anti-Arab, aussie_dave, hate_speech, jerusalem_post, jewish_and_israeli_blog_awards, jib_awards, racism
Posted in Blogs-Tech-Science, Mideast Peace, Politics & Society | No Comments »

“Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards” Sponsor Calls Results “Irrelevant”

Friday, January 27th, 2006

DR, one of my trusty readers has pointed me to this interesting confession by Aussie Dave that he’s a bit peeved at bloggers who are distorting his purposes in creating the JIB Awards. Jesus’ General of course comes in for his share of opprobrium because he has the effrontery to suggest that his readers vote for the few progressive blogs among the nominees:

there are bloggers who have seen it necessary to either disparage other competing blogs, or send their readers to skew the results by voting for selected blogs that conform to their ideology.

Which is of course laughable because the JIB Awards as a whole are largely a competition that conforms to Aussie Dave’s ideology. The only blogs that don’t are the ones that Jesus’ General is promoting.

I come in for my share too though Dave won’t name me (I guess I’m the blog “that dare not speak its name”):

…There have also been those who have tried to taint the entire awards with their baseless accusation and petty jealousies, but I have already devoted wasted enough time on them.

Dave and I have gone round and round on my charge that the JIB Awards are really promoting his own particular political, propaganda agenda. He’s given me further ammunition for this with the following statement:

The JIB awards were conceived…to bring attention to…Jewish, Israeli, and pro-Israel blogs,…which I consider absolutely necessary in light of the mainstream media bias against Israel (and, to some extent, Jews).

So there you have it, Aussie Dave admits in print that one of his main goals is to promote “pro-Israel blogs” and to combat the media’s alleged bias against Israel and Jews. It’s all the fault of those no-goodniks at anti-Israel publications like the New York Times and CNN, don’t you know. As for Di anti-Semitin, there’s one under every rug. They’re just waiting to jump out and bite us.

This too is an interesting admission from Dave about the “meaning” of winning a JIB award:

The results themselves are irrelevant. They may not necessarily be indicative of the quality or worth of the blog. They may very well only be indicative of the blogger’s readership, or their ability to garner support.

Saying the results are “irrelevant” would be like Bert Parks saying it didn’t matter who won the Miss America contest or like Simon Cowell saying it was “irrelevant” who won American Idol. Kind of a strange statement in my opinion. But it kinda makes me wonder whether the JIB Awards themselves are “irrelevant.”

Dave’s finally cottoned on to the fact that Little Green Footballs is of course going to win whatever category it’s in because it has a reservoir of 100,000 daily readers to call upon to support its nomination. Which of course means that mediocrity with a mass readership wins at the JIB Awards every time.

I know I’m gonna rile poor Dave even further by violating his directive but I urge my readers to vote for the few blogs (by following the link) I know and respect in the JIB Awards:

Jewschool and here and here
Orthodox Anarchist and here and here

Tags: anti-Israel, anti-semitism, aussie_dave, jewish_and_israeli_blog_awards, jib_awards, pro-israel
Posted in Blogs-Tech-Science, Jews & Judaism, Mideast Peace, Politics & Society | 3 Comments »

Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards: the Missing Progressive Blogs

Thursday, January 19th, 2006

I’ve raised quite a big stink among conservative Jewish and Israeli bloggers (and some who swear, ahem, that they’re LIBERAL) about the right-wing imbalance in the JIB Award competition. I feel a bit like a reverse Sally Field at the Academy Awards: “Oh, you hate me; you really hate me!” Really it was hate at first site for many of the hellions sent Tikun Olam’s way by Little Green Footballs and Israelly Cool over the past few days.

In the midst of the criticisms in my three earlier posts about the JIB Award, I’ve raised some points for its sponsors to consider in making it more representative (if they really wanted it to be–a position they’ve never embraced). All of which were summarily dismissed by Aussie Dave because I said things about the JIB Awards he didn’t like. Too bad.

I thought I’d add another unrequested two cents into this debate by suggesting progressive Jewish and Israeli blogs ignored in this year’s competition. If JIB Awards does want to represent the entire Jewish blogging world, it would do well to notify these blogs of the contest and allow them to compete should they wish.

Here are some of the best progressive Jewish blogs on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

Lawrence of Cyberia
Head Heeb
Pro-Semitism
Cal Tzedek
Israelblog.org
One Voice
SJ’s Blog
Ariga.com
Dennis Fox’s Weblog
Angry White Kid
Letter from Israel

If these blogs were nominated for competition next year and Aussie Dave did not disqualify any of them, only then would I concede that the competition was not hopelessly unbalanced. But I bet some of them wouldn’t pass Dave’s Israel advocacy smell test. You see not all of them are Zionist (some are, some aren’t) and their “raison d’etre” is not to advocate on Israel’s behalf (that would be one of Dave’s missions for the JIB Awards) but to discuss the Israeli Palestinian conflict without regard to propagandizing for one side or the other.

I hope some of the supporters of LGF & Israelly Cool who trickle in to read this post (these two sites have sent me most of the huge influx, for my blog, of 4,000 visitors who’ve come here in the past three days) and who have not been totally brainwashed in the Arab hate represented there and who pride themselves on having open minds might review these blogs. But if you worship at the shrine of Charles, you’ll be SHOCKED, I say SHOCKED at the ideas represented here. You’ll want to shun them like the plague.

Tags: israel, jewish_and_israeli_blog_awards, jib_awards, progressive_blogs
Posted in Blogs-Tech-Science, Jews & Judaism, Mideast Peace, Politics & Society | 17 Comments »

Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards’ Purpose? To ‘Direct World Opinion in Favor of Israel’

Monday, January 16th, 2006

I haven’t yet gotten Aussie Dave to answer many of my questions about JIB Award procedures here. But he has been exchanging e mails with me. And they raise more questions in my mind than they answer.

First, poor Dave thinks I’ve accused him of corruption:

The point is you come out in public and accuse me of “corruption”, and ignoring the left-leaning blogs. I have been nothing but fair.

“Corruption??” Whatever is the fellow talking about? When & where did I say that? I questioned the political composition & diversity of the categories. I noted questions about whether he could be objective enough in deciding who should & shouldn’t be eligible under the incredibly fuzzy guidelines Derek Fattal quoted to me. I criticized the narrow marketing of the competition. But accusing him of corruption? I think he’s getting a little carried away.

Pro-Israel to the Core

And the following explanation of JIB Award’s purpose clearly indicates there is an ideological bias in the very conception of the competition. Here’s how Dave puts it:

…A role of Jewish, Israeli, and pro-Israel bloggers is to direct world opinion in favor of Israel. And to really stretch the metaphor, the object of these awards is to direct new readers towards Jewish, Israeli, and pro-Israel blogs.

I wrote back to Dave that I have no problem with the 2nd part of the statement–an awards competition that increased awareness of a broad array of Jewish & Israeli blogs would be a good thing. But the fact that he also intends the Awards to “direct world opinion in favor of Israel” perfectly illustrates my problem with it. The purpose of most JIB Award bloggers does seem to be to “direct world opinion in favor of Israel.” But that’s not necessarily the purpose of most Jewish & Israeli bloggers. You could legitimately say that a well-run competition would make the world more aware of Israel. But to have a purpose of promoting Israel really leaves you open to the charge that the JIB Award is meant to justify Israel to the world & to elicit sympathy and understanding for Israel in general & specifically for its policies toward the Palestinians. Why can’t we just have faith that a well-rounded roster of blogs would, in and of themselves increase understanding of Israel. Why do we have to expect that the JIB Award will cheerlead or proselytize for Israel?

While there is much to admire in Jewish life, culture and religion. One feature I do not admire much is a certain insularity that comes from millennia of persecution and bloodletting at the hands of various Jew haters. That’s why much of the Jewish press (including the Jerusalem Post) often seems to be engaged in cheerleading and defense of Israel rather than dispassionately examining the major issues of Jewish life (including Israel).

A blog competition that has an ideological slant which it refuses to acknowledge does no favors for itself or Israel.

How Did Little Green Footballs Get Into a “Jewish Israeli Blog Awards?”

Dave does attempt to explain the inclusion of non-Jewish, non-Israeli blogs like LGF and several others. But his explanation doesn’t satisfy:

“Nothing about having to be Jewish there [in the rules], BTW.”

What about “The Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards?” That implies that the blogs are either “Jewish” or “Israeli.” If the JIB Award intended to include Charles and the others he should change the title to include that notion.

I finally got Dave to respond to my question about whether my own blog would’ve been eligible:

…Your blog would likely have been included

“Likely” isn’t “definitely” but it’s a good deal of the way there. And that does reassure me somewhat.

But again, he loses points for this passage from our exchange in which he talks about Jewschool, one of the nominated blogs:

Mobius, by no means a friend of mine, has told you that the contest is not rigged, and he himself has been a beneficiary of my fairness.

I’ll leave aside what Mobius did or didn’t tell me because I have no right to draw others into an argument I chose to start. But to say that Mobius’ Jewschool “has been a beneficiary of my fairness” sounds condescending beyond words. What–are liberal blogs there at the sufferance of the Grand Pasha Dave, JIB Award sponsor? Dave and the others who’ve criticized me here for my JIBA posts may not like my charges but in many ways their statements only bring it on themselves.

Dave doesn’t like hearing my complaints:

…Quit the bitching.

Were his immortal words. Jews are a people who bitch when they think there’s something wrong with the world that should be put right. And I think the world’s a better place for it. That’s what my intent was. Derek didn’t seem to think there was anything in my criticisms worth taking seriously. Dave apparently believes the same. I guess I just keep bitching a bit more until I hear otherwise.

Dave creates another point of confusion in discussing the process by which a blog may be disqualified. The Post’s representative led me to believe that Dave was handling the nomination process & questions of eligibility. Dave says differently:

I do not decide this myself, as you claim, but with the JPost.

I think it’d make for more transparency if Dave told us how a blog he thought should be disqualified would be handled.

Tags: aussie_dave, blogging, israel, jerusalem_post, jewish, jewish_and_israeli_blog_awards, jib_awards
Posted in Blogs-Tech-Science, Jews & Judaism, Mideast Peace, Politics & Society | 34 Comments »

Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards: Why is There an Ideological Gatekeeper?

Sunday, January 15th, 2006

After publishing my critique of the JIB Awards competition last night, it seems I struck a raw nerve among many of the right-wing bloggers whose material was quoted here. They came at me with both barrels blazing in the comment thread.

After publishing the post, I also asked the Jerusalem Post to comment on it. Derek Fattal provided some interesting background information about JIBA which, while attempting to reassure me, raised red flags regarding the fairness and openness of the nomination process.

My first post on JIB Awards noted that Aussie Dave’s Israelly Cool was a co-sponsor (he, in fact, created JIBA). It also noted that in the only two JIB Award political categories almost all the nominees reflect a similar ideological slant to Israelly Cool (hardline anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, pro-settlements, etc.). I questioned why a competition calling itself the “Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards” couldn’t do a better job of representing the rest of us who are slightly to the left of Ze’ev Jabotinsky.

Well, now Mr. Fattal has provided some of the answer. Apparently, there IS an ideological criteria for being allowed into the process. Getting nominated isn’t the only hurdle. You have to pass a litmus test of sorts. Here’s how Derek described it:

Israellycool…set up the JIB Awards on the basis that they would not include blogs whose raison d’entre was to criticize Israel. I was assured by Israellycool that blogs that included criticism of Israel would not be barred from the nomination process

Which begs the question: when does a blog cross that threshhold from being one which criticizes Israel to one whose “raison d’etre” is to criticize Israel?? Besides, if the process is as democratic as the Post claims, why should they exclude any Jewish or Israeli blog? Anti-Zionist Jewish blog? So what. Let the democratic process winnow out the cranks and extremists. How many people would vote for such a blog anyway? I think that neither the Post nor Aussie Dave has the courage of their supposed democratic convictions to throw the competition truly open.

Here’s an even more distressing fact from Derek noting that none other than Aussie Dave is the enforcer of these ideological criteria:

The nomination side was handled by Israellycool.com…I have not received any complaint from any blogger that their nominations have been rejected on political grounds. As far as I can see your blog would have been included had it been nominated.

You’ll note that Derek grants that my blog would’ve been eligible if he were the judge. But he wouldn’t be, now would he? Aussie Dave would be the judge. So let me throw out a challenge to him. Since I know he despises me and my progressive Zionist perspective on the conflcit, would he deem me eligible? Further, has he disqualified any blogs on political or ideological terms? And what level of criticism of Israel would be impermissible in JIB Awards?

I’d also like to know if Aussie Dave nominated blogs himself and whether he voted in the competition. In my opinion, if he did either he further eroded the openness and fairness of the competition. I’d have no problem with his involvement in this fashion if he were just another blogger. But he’s a full co-sponsor and in fact the founder of the event. I think that sponsors have an obligation to allow others to judge such subjective questions as whether or not a blog is eligible based on political or ideological grounds.

So my problem with all this is that the Post tells me that Aussie Dave doesn’t control who gets nominated or wins. Maybe so. But theoretically, he controls which nominees get into competition by having veto power over that aspect of JIB Awards. Even if he hasn’t used it (note that Derek says he does not know of any such disqualification which is different than saying definitively it hasn’t happened), he could and that alarms me.

Finally, Derek says “the call for nominations was openly publicized to all readers on the Jerusalem Post site.” All well and good. But this competition is not called the “Jerusalem Post Blog Awards.” It’s called the “Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards,” indicating its pretension to embrace the broad diversity of the Jewish-Israeli blog world. Does the Post believe that its readers constitute a broad enough cross section of Jewish opinion regarding which are the best Jewish and Israeli blogs? What would be wrong with publicizing the event to readers of say, Haaretz.com, Nytimes.com or readers of progressive Jewish blogs? My suggestion that the Post make an effort to recruit broader participation in future met with this response from Mr. Fattal: