In other BDS News: SodaStream shares skyrocket on 'most successful quarter' ever

Doug Henwood, writing for Mondoweiss (no, I don't link to hate-sites) once asked the question  SodaStream: is BDS hitting where it hurts?

The answer is a resounding NO.

The Israel-based company, the subject to BDS ire for daring to promote peaceful co-existence and engagement said sales of sparkling water makers increased 22 percent, to over 1 million during the quarter.   Sales of gas refill units grew 17 percent, to a record 9.7 million.

This week, SodaStream stock rose 26 % after its successful earnings report.

  

According to Investors Business Daily:

Profit spiked 78% to $1.14 a share on 31% revenue growth to $171 million, according to Zacks Investment Research. SodaStream earnings and sales crushed consensus for 71 cents a share and $149 million. It was the fourth straight quarter of accelerating sales growth.

The stock had its best day in over two years.

Empirical Evidence of BDS fail

In a note to investors SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum wrote  "We are extremely pleased to be reporting the most successful quarter in our Company's history" 

BDS rears its ugly head (again) at the Park Slope Food Coop

BDS has reared its ugly head again at the Park Slope Food Coop,  promoting a Sodastream boycott with a rather Orwellian twist of language. How can you not marvel at the twisted  mental and moral gymnastics required to call the boycott  " food justice"  for "people of color",  when the reality is exactly  the opposite?

 The Sodastream boycott has already cost 950 Arabs their jobs and their livelihoods.

From the Park Slope BDS Facebook Page. The timing was particularly interesting, as Sodatsream is scheduled to move to a new factory later this month.

The coop meeting was characterized by all the vitriol we've come to associate with BDS inserting its ugliness into our beloved neighborhood institutions and  civic organizations. This time, it was the aftermath that made it particularly special.

Writing in the Independent, a local BDS hole blamed the failure of BDS at the Park Slope Food Coop on (you guessed it) the Jews.

From the New York Daily News:

The fact that some people spoke up stridently against the boycott didn't sit well with BDS proponent Ann Schneider, who lamented in a post at the Indypendent:

"I talked to my friend, another long-time member, Carol Lipton. She reminded me that the Coop had a membership drive in the 90's and reached out to Borough Park, rather than Red Hook, Sunset Park or Brooklyn's Chinatown.

"While we have worked for four decades to create a community based on cooperation, equality, diversity, organic farming and sustainability, ‘we've incorporated members whose core values are the antithesis of ours, except for the common denominator of concern for healthful and cheap food,' Lipton said."

In other words: Those damn Borough Park Jews ruined everything.

It doesn't take a lot of effort to see the dark core of anti-Semitism in the heart of the BDS movement

Sodastream: Be careful what you wish for

Be careful what you wish for.

Anti-Israel activists are essentially parasites, willing to sacrifice everything, including their host, to advance their cause. Sadly, most anti-Israel activists are also willing to sacrifice the Palestinians- the very people they purport to help

Although the 900 Palestinians employed by Sodastream, by most accounts are very happy working there, the home carbonation device has long attracted the ire of the hate Israel cru, because it is located on the ‘wrong” side of the mythical green line.

In 2015, SodaStream will be moving to the Negev, leaving the Palestinians once happily employed there without work.

This is being touted by BDS activists as a major victory.

The Palestinians employed by Sodastream may feel differently.

"Those who seek to help the Palestinians end up hurting us,” commented Nabil Bashrat, 40, a resident of Ramallah who worked at the SodaStream factory. ”(The factory) provides income to hundreds of families, entire villages. Peace is what happens here inside, and not outside. Those who are abroad don’t understand the relations and actually sabotage the process. The factory draws us closer. Even in times of instability, as was during the war in Gaza, everything was as usual here.”

 

Sodastream. Maybe not BDS fail. Maybe BDS irrelevant?

There is an elitist attitude amongst anti-Israel activists- a core belief that their cause alone is at  the center of the universe.  They use their accompanying self-righteousness as justification for all sorts of bad behavior. This “end justifies the means” mentality involves a dismissal of all standards of societal norms of behavior and leads to a baffling moral inversion     The pro-Israel camp has seen their speakers  shouted down,  their facilities vandalized, and their activists  targeted and harassed.  Those  "progressives" who dare deviate face the wrath of the gatekeepers of political correctness.  One of the corollaries of this  egotistical  “center of the universe” attitude is that all that happens is seen through the lens of their warped belief system.

Several months ago, Sodastream stock took a tumble.  The BDS cru declared victory.  The fact that Coca Cola was considering creating its own home carbonation device couldn't possibly have anything to do with the stock prices.  This was the result of their efforts. They were winning.  Even Scarlett Johansson couldn’t save Sodastream.

 In the warped world view  of the anti-Israel activist, there are no routine business decisions   Its all about BDS. 

Yet this week Sodastream stock prices soared.   Are the BDS’ers wearing sack cloth and ashes and wringing their hands over the failure of their efforts?   Are they bemoaning the abject failure of their cause?

Strangely enough, no.  Apparently only events that support their allegations bear notice- everything else can be conveniently ignored.  Why the uptick?   Starbucks is considering buying a portion of Sodastream. This  has led to the surge in stock prices. Maybe it isn't really a BDS fail. We should call it what it really is, and what its been all along.

BDS irrelevant.

Earth Day BDS Fail. Sodastream giveaway on the Ellen Show

Its enough to make the BDS holes see...green.

The fabulous (and fabulously popular)talk show host Ellen DeGeneres gave away Sodastream home carbonation units to her studio audience in honor of Earth day.

It was an informed and  sensitive choice.  After all, the average American family will save over 2,000 bottles and cans every year by switching to SodaStream.

From the Sodastream website

Because SodaStream uses water straight from the tap, the system makes traditional store-bought beverage bottles obsolete. That means less plastic manufactured, less plastic waste is created, and fewer bottled beverages must be transported from manufacturers to distributors to stores to homes.

 Globally, 206 billion liters of bottled water were consumed in 2008 (Zenith International Global Bottled Water Report, 2008). The energy required to make water bottles in the US only, is equivalent to 17 million barrels of oil (Container Recycling Institute, 2002).

 According to the US Recycling Institute, more than 80% of bottles in the US do not get recycled and end up in landfills. Also, an estimated 4.7 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions were produced in the process of replacing the 134 billion bottles and cans not recycled in 2005.

First Scarlett Johansson, now Ellen DeGeneres. Plus you and me. Sodastream is making friends in all the right places.

Sodastream give-away. Earth day BDS fail

Presbyterians visit Soda Stream, declare it "Good for Peace"

We've known it for years. Not only is the home carbonation device Soda Stream great for the environment, its great for peace.  More political, cultural, and economic interactions are the key to peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Not isolation and boycotts.  And now the Presbyterians know it , too. The  Soda Stream factory employs 1300 employees. 500 are Palestinian Arabs. 450 are Israeli Arabs and Jews The company sees its factory as an oasis of peace, and provides full benefits, and equal wages for all its employees.

 From Arutz Sheva

 A delegation of 14 leaders from the Presbyterian clergy, a church that in the past supported boycotting Israeli products manufactured in Judea and Samaria (Shomron), arrived last week to visit Israel.

The visit was organized by the America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL); the delegates' goal was to discover Israel personally and to better understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Representatives from the Presbyterian Church, which has an estimated six million followers, visited the Soda Stream factory which is located in Maaleh Adumim, east of Jerusalem. They spoke to representatives from the management and several employees.

 The Presbyterian delegates told representatives from Soda Stream that the visit to the factory strengthened their belief that the location of the factory enhances the business as well as the interpersonal relations between the Israelis and Palestinians and that they will express their support of Israel to the church administration and followers.

Is this why normalization is such a dirty word for anti-Israel activists?  Are they terrified that people will see the real Israel, and that the house of cards they've built on a foundation of lies will crumble?

Ruby Shamir, Executive Director of AIFL Israel, stated, "These days when there are many voices calling to boycott Israel both in the business and academia regions, it is crucial to bring leaders and influential figures to change these ideas and to help form a positive and supportive opinion about Israel. This is yet another step towards the mission of the AIFL which is to strengthen the relationships between the American and Israeli people."

Canada minister Jason Kenney thanks the "nutters" at Oxfam for his new Sodastream

Canada's Minister of Employment, Social Development & Multiculturalism Jason Kenney  gave an interview on Sun news, ByLine with host Brian Lilley:

"I'm going right from the studio to Home Hardware where ever it is to get one of these deals here. I didn't know Oxfam was involved in crazy politics like this so I have to make a confession I 've given money to Oxfam in the past because I thought they were there to help poor people not marginalize Israelis and make Palestinians unemployed. I'm dropping Oxfam as a charity and I'm picking up Sodastream as a new customer.  Thanks very much to all the nutters at Oxfam  for marginalizing the Palestinian people who are getting good paying jobs 4 times more working at Sodastream in the West bank than they would at other Palestinian run businesses there."

Watch the whole interview here:



And in more Sodastream News:

The Sodastream commercial featuring Scarlett Johansson has officially gone viral with over 8 million views since Jan 27.

And from the Christian Science monitor, more proof that "Palestinian Civil Society" rejects the BDS agenda, as Palestinian Sodastream employees express their concerns with the boycott
  

...those most familiar with the factory – Palestinians who work there – largely side with Ms. Johansson.

“Before boycotting, they should think of the workers who are going to suffer,” says a young man shivering in the pre-dawn darkness in Azzariah, a West Bank town cut off from work opportunities in Jerusalem by the concrete Israeli separation wall. Previously, he earned 20 shekels ($6) a day plucking and cleaning chickens; now he makes nearly 10 times that at SodaStream, which also provides transportation, breakfast, and lunch.

As a few dozen men in hoodies and work coats trickle out of the alleys to the makeshift bus stop where they wait for their ride to the factory, another adds, “If SodaStream closes, we would be sitting in the streets doing nothing....”

Speaking anonymously on a largely deserted street, with no Israeli SodaStream employees present, all but one of those interviewed said they opposed the boycott, given the lack of alternative job opportunities in the West Bank. That underscores Israeli claims that a boycott would be counterproductive, undermining the cooperation and prosperity that could boost peace prospects in the region.

UPDATE
Jason Kenney has gleefully tweeted out that he is the new proud owner of a Sodastream.

Jewish voice for peace gets it wrong. Again.

Determined to keep the BS in BDS, JVP's already tenuous grasp of reality is fracturing further.

Poor Jewish Voice for Peace is still trying to come to grips with superstar Scarlett Johansson's decision to remain as the celebrity spokesperson for the Israeli home carbonation device, Sodastream.   In a marvelous act of fantasy or perhaps simply delusion the team at Jewish Voice for Peace has declared victory over the same incident they bemoaned as a loss just 12 hours earlier.

Last night , JVP wrote on their facebook page "Oxfam's inaction allows Sodastream shill Scarlet Johansson to quit ambassador role, rather than be held accountable for promoting policies Oxfam staunchly opposes".  Its still there.

( Hmmm. Scarlet's been taking about peaceful coexistence and economic cooperation. Why does this upset JVP and Oxfam so much?)        

Yet today's email from Sydney Levy  at JVP declares this a boycott victory,  and claims that Oxfam dropped  Scarlett over "Sodastream ties".

Not quite, Sydney, not quite.

If Sydney (JVP's director of advocacy) had actually been following the news,  he might have seen this:

Scarlett Johansson Cuts Ties With Oxfam Over Differences on BDS Movement
or perhaps this:
Johansson steps down as Oxfam ambassador
or even this:
Scarlett Johansson Cuts Ties with Oxfam Over BDS


 Later, JVP's executive director  Rebecca Vilkomerson added her own unique bit of spin , claiming the superstar's decision to thumb her nose at BDS was proof of the "growing power" of BDS worldwide. Alright, then...

Let me be the first to wish them many more such "victories".

Sorry to burst your bubble, BDS. Scarlett Johansson has parted ways with Oxfam

 Beautiful AND Smart.

Citing “a fundamental difference of opinion” over the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Actress Scarlett Johansson has ended her relationship with Oxfam International, an organization with a history of distortions and half-truths on the Israel/Palestine issue. Johansson had served as a global ambassador for Oxfam since 2007.
 
“Scarlett Johansson has respectfully decided to end her ambassador role with Oxfam after eight years,” her statement said. “She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. She is very proud of her accomplishments and fundraising efforts during her tenure with Oxfam.”
 
Earlier this month  the 29 year old actress signed on as the first global brand ambassador of SodaStream International Ltd.. She's been under fire ever since. The continual harassment included disgustingly sexist remarks from Seattle blogger Richard Silverstein and his supporters via social media

And in your face harassment from  anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace

In response to the criticism, Johansson said last week 

 "I remain a supporter of economic co-operation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine," said Johansson. "SodaStream is a company that is not only committed to the environment but to building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine, supporting neighbours working alongside each other, receiving equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights."

Jewish Voice for Peace turned on both Oxfam and Scarlett Johansson after the decision was announced.

In response, social media erupted with the inevitable "Even when we lose, we win" announcements.

Her Sodastream debut will be during Super Bowl -Sunday Feb. 2. Preview it here.



 Its been out for two days, and its been viewed over 4 million times. I'd call that a BDS fail.

KQED capitulates to Bullies

During Friday's morning pledge drive, local radio station KQED offered the home carbonation system, Sodastream, as a thank you gift for subscribers.

The BDS cru saw blood.

Via social media, an organized campaign began to bully KQEd into capitulating to their demands. While the pro Israel community were busy at their day jobs, the "Don't they have a life?" contingent began the process of pressuring the station.

Here's the quick and dirty anatomy of the attack.

Anti-Israel agitprop site Electronic Intifada issued a call to arms.

Dr Hatem Bazian, who infamously called for an intifada in America  encouraged people to call KQED.

 Eyad Kishawi, of the extremist Al Awda movement also jumped on the bandwagon

Soon, others were spamming the KQED Twitter feed, 

as well as their facebook page

Rather than do independent research, KQED simply capitulated to the bullies, tweeting to anger management poster child Deppen Webber   "Controversy surrounding Sodastream would undermine our unbiased message"

Interestingly, according to the Electronic Intifada  the station had  been "unaware" of the controversy surrounding Sodastream until this incident.  What does that say about the alleged "momentum" of this "movement"?  After years of letter writing, emailing, "twitter storms", "thunderclaps" "culture jamming", protests and flash mobs,  the BDS 'holes had not yet succeeded in propagandizing a Bay Area progressive radio station

If only KQED had taken the time to really examine this issue.

Sodastream Successes Burst BDS bubbles

Sorry to burst your bubble, BDS holes, but A lister Scarlett Johansson will be staring in a new Sodastream ad, scheduled to debut during the 2014 Super Bowl broadcast.

In a phone interview with the  New York Times Daniel Birnbaum, chief executive at SodaStream International described the ad: 

“It’s more of a love story between a brand with a purpose and a passionate user,” Mr. Birnbaum said, adding that Ms. Johansson has been “a SodaStream user for four or five years” who has given machines “as a gift to friends.”

Everyone loves SodaStream

Sodastream, a home carbonation device has been fetishized by anti-Israel activists who refuse to let pesky and inconvenient facts stand in the way of their irrational hatred.

From Haifa Diary:

In the last 40 years of operation the company has been on a significant growth rate climbing from 8 to 46 markets and sales up to $500 mill per year. If that was not impressive enough, the business plan calls for sales to increase to $1 bill in the next 3 years, a truly exceptional rate of growth.

The BDS campaigners should eat their hearts out.

Out of a work force of 1300 employees. 600 are Palestinians who travel in daily from Palestinian Authority controlled areas and a further 450 are from East Jerusalem. Salaries are between 4 to 8 times higher than those in the Palestinian areas and health care is provided by the company. A pity that the so-called "human rights activists" minds are so closed to the reality of life here.

There was plenty of opportunity to talk to the employees and among the comments heard were "This is the greatest company" and "you wouldn't get treated like this anywhere in the Arab world".

Faced with SodaStream's rising sales, soaring stock prices, and international recognition, BDS holes have been encouraged by Command and control to spam the ratings system of Amazon.com by "Voting up 1-star reviews so that they are more prominently featured."

And the BDS holes responded, but its too little, too late. People just love their Sodastreams.

Jewish Voice for peace: The Censors cry "Censored!"

Its beyond chutzpah. Jewish voice for Peace possesses a narcissistic obliviousness that borders on pathological. This self described "Jewish wing of the Palestinian solidarity movement" isn't actually Jewish, but rather are "guided by Jewish values"   These values would be unrecognizable to the average Bubbe or Zayde.

This is a group that regularly orchestrates the disruption of Jewish community events, yet reacted violently when the tables were turned on them.  This is a group that screams loudly about being silenced, yet eliminated the comments sections of their blog- effectively silencing  and censoring any opposition. And  now, this is a group that has launched an attack on the respected retailer of high end kitchen wares, Sur la table, for daring to sell the spectacularly successful Israeli owned home carbonation device, Sodastream 

After encouraging their minions to spam the Sur la table website with political comments, JVP acted with self righteous indignation when the irrelevant comments were taken down.   Not permitting comments on a website.  What unmitigated gall. Who would do such a thing?

Jewish Voice for peace promotes spamming of Sur la table website

The JVP harassment of this respected retailer didn't end there. They provided sample scripts- can't leave anything to chance, not when your constituency involves classic antisemites and conspiracy theorists- and encouraged their followers to ratchet up the pressure by calling the customer service number of Sur la table.

Jewish voice for peace harassment of retailer

JVP the censor decrying censorship. From a  group that sets the standard for pure unbridled hypocrisy, this surprises no one.

Buycott Target to counter anti-Israel extremists

From our friends at San Francisco Voice for Israel, the Bay Area's direct action Israel advocacy group:

ACTION ALERT: BUY-COTT EVENT TO COUNTER ANTI-ISRAEL EXTREMISTS NEXT SUNDAY DECEMBER 1

On Sunday December 1 from 3-4 PM, anti-Israel extremists from a group called QUIT (Queers Undermining Israeli Terror—yes, an LGBT group that tirelessly advocates the destruction of the only society in the Middle east where they themselves wouldn’t get shot or hanged!) will be holding a protest at the Target store in San Francisco located at the Metreon (789 Mission St). The specific object of their rage that day will be the highly successful Israeli company Sodastream, because it dares to have a factory across the Green Line in which it employs Palestinian Arabs at Israeli wages and with Israeli-level benefits.
 

If you haven’t already seen it, there’s a wonderful 8 minute video that shows how the company actually helps bring Jewish and Arab workers together, and even sets aside a room and time for the Arab workers to pray; you can see it here:



Coexistence with the Jewish state, of course, is what fanatical groups such as QUIT hate the most.

Now groups like this claim that their protest is solely because Sodastream has a factory across the Green Line. But their goal is not a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians that will turn that territory into a Palestinian state, because they resolutely oppose the existence of a state of the Jewish people within any borders whatsoever. Their efforts are made not in the name of peace, but in support of the 65+ year jihad against the Jewish state.

The best strategy against this type of hatred isn’t going onto the streets to confront them; it’s to enrage them by making a special effort to buy THIS product from THIS store at THIS time. Nothing will ensure that Target will continue to carry Sodastream products better than a record day of sales!

So if you were thinking about buying a Sodastream device, go to the Target on Mission Street this Sunday and buy one. If, like me, you already have one, then at least buy a bottle or two of the soda mixes; and maybe even buy a Sodastream for a Chanukah gift for friends or family. You can even organize a group from your synagogue to make a mass purchase. And whatever you buy, make sure that you walk by the protestors and hold up your purchases—so they can see how they actually caused MORE sales of Sodastream products that day!

Many of you may prefer to shop at smaller locally owned stores rather than large chains such as Target. In that case, we’re happy to suggest that you buy Sodastream products at Cliff’s Variety at 479 Castro Street (between 17th and 18th), a locally owned business that has also been targeted by the same hate group.

UPDATE

Target Fights back and delivers a happy smiling "F**k You" to the BDS Cru. The front page of their flyer features Sodastream among the  "Best gifts ever".  Smooth move and right on Target

Tis the Season: Latest day o' rage against Sodastream

Anna Baltzer and Ramah Kudaimi of the US Campaign  have announced the latest anti-Israel days of rage, and they are directed towards retail giant Target, because it dares sell eco-friendly Sodastream.

From their Facebook page

This holiday shopping season, keep SodaStream off the shopping list and on the boycott list! Friday, Nov 29 marks the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People as well as Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Cyber Monday is Dec 2 and Tuesday, Dec 10 is Human Rights Day.

Your group can pick the most comfortable and context-appropriate time to take action ANY DAY(s) between Nov 29 and Dec 10. This period is when SodaStream traditionally amps up its promotional efforts as holiday shopping goes into full swing. Your activities and reports can unfold, one after another, during this exciting period!

The primary CORPORATE FOCUS of the Days of Action will be Target. For more than a year, from Sacramento, CA to Washington, DC, Palestine solidarity organizations have been challenging Target and other U.S. vendors asking them to stop selling SodaStream products, which are produced in an illegal Israeli settlement through the exploitation of Palestinian land, labor, and resources. Last month, Friends of Sabeel sent a letter to the CEO of Target, outlining these grievances. Other faith communities from the Interfaith Boycott Coalition and beyond have signed on in support.

 Sodastream, a home carbonation device for do-it-yourself soda making has been phenomenally successful and is carried in stores as diverse as Walmart and Sur la table.   Sodastream employees a both Palestinians and Israelis  in its production facilities, and this seems to infuriate the haters.

Target  touts an ethical policy saying "We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards, and we expect our partners to do the same."  Watch this, and you'll know why Target is a proud seller of Sodastream



After years of BDS rage against Sodastream, surely the company is taking a pounding.  Right?  RIGHT?
Umm. No.

 

From Motley Fool

....SodaStream third-quarter segment sales were up 157% for CO2 canisters, 53% for flavoring, and 12% for soda machines at retail locations. While these numbers are approximations, they're regarded as being very accurate.... As you can see, the company is performing admirably pre-holiday in all categories;

Sodastream. Another BDS fail

BDS fail news of the Week.

More BSD fail news this week:

Sept. 28 was declared a "National day of Action against Sodastream".  Our friends in the UK were more than ready.

From  Sussex friends of Israel , a group dedicated  to developing greater support, awareness and understanding of Israel through education, communication and community partnership

Supporters of Israel came together today, to hold a Bagels Against Bigotry party outside Brighton’s environmentally friendly refill store Ecostream, to counter a planned day of action and demonstration by BDS, the anti Israel group Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.

The bagel themed party started at 11.30am outside the Ecostream store on Western Road Brighton, with supporters offering home baked cakes and salmon filled bagels for passers-by to enjoy as they visited Ecostream.

According to the Police just 45 members of the anti-Israel ‘BDS’ group attended the event billed by them as a national day of action.

Within 20 minutes of their arrival the Police moved the protesters to the opposite side of the road, where their protests were not only drowned out by the passing traffic but also obscured by regular Brighton and Hove double decker buses.

This week the Ecostream store has reported its best ever week of sales since opening in Brighton last year. During the event today there was a constant flow of customers refilling their oils, vinegars and environmentally friendly detergents, stocking up with dry goods, as well as purchasing their brand new Sodastream machines. 

Sussex Friends of Israel organiser Simon Cobbs said: “The turnout from supporters of Israel, from across the country today has been superb, we outnumbered the anti-Israeli groups by at least two to one, and at the same time we had a party. I want to thank everyone for their support today, it just shows what can be achieved when the community comes together to counter bigotry and eat bagels.

“Our cross-denominational supporters, have been baking cakes, filling bagels and, most importantly, at the same time supporting the trade of Ecostream, one of Brighton’s greenest and most environmentally friendly shops.

“We were really surprised that the national day of action only generated 45 protesters, and despite their shouting and screaming, they didn’t interrupt our ‘Bagels Against Bigotry’ party, while Ecostream reported brisk trade throughout the day, which capped a record breaking week of sales”.

 Congratulations to Sussex friends of Israel for this successful example of the Buycott, as an ethical counter to the ugliness of the BDS  boycott.

And a huge, massive, epic  $130 million dollar BDS fail:


Israeli technology, research and innovation is coming to China. The Li Ka Shing Foundation from China has pledged  $130 million to Israel’s Technion. The funds will be used both at  Technion campus in Haifa and to establish the Technion Guangdong Institute of Technology, a joint venture with Shantou University in Guangdong Province in southern China. This is the largest ever donation to the Technion and one of the biggest in the history of Israeli higher education.

“If you love the bubbles, set them free”

The BDS’ers are just livid over the success of Sodastream.

According to a mean estimate of eight analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, SodaStream sales rose 37 percent last year to $425 million. The homemade soda machine is now available in stores as diverse as Sur la table, Walmart and the eclectic Cliff’s Variety, in San Francisco.

And the BDSer’s are fighting back.  They’ve responded with  lame song and dance routines. Biting shopkeepers. Petitions.  And now- they are releasing their ultimate weapon.  Tremble before it.
Twitter.
Yes, Twitter.

This is just pitiful.

Having failed to coerce CBS into dropping a 30 second ad from Sodastream, to be broadcast during the 4th quarter of the Super bowl the BDS holes are turning to Twitter

 “Tweeting turns out to be one of our best ways to counter the millions they've spent on the ad. If you Tweet, or would be willing to learn, you could help immeasurably.  For your own tweeting, consider these hashtags: #SodaStreamParty and #BoycottSodaStream.”

Yeah, that’ll show them....

Turned out the Sodastream commercial’s controversy extended way beyond the BDS movement.  The scheduled clip was dropped by CB, who felt it portrayed Pepsi and Coke, two huge sponsors, in a negative light. A different commercial will be shown.

What do you think?



“If you love the bubbles, set them free”

If you are having a Super bowl party, send us photos of how your Soda stream enhances the experience, and tweet them out using the #Sodastreamparty hashtag. Have some fun with it

And yeah, the 49'ers are going to kick butt on Sunday.

Why you should shop at Cliff’s Variety in San Francisco

In the summer of 2009, a small group of anti-Israel activists took it upon themselves to vandalize Israeli products at Trader Joes.

Trader Joes made it perfectly clear what they thought this, and highlighted their Israeli products with special promotions and displays.

Consumers throughout the nation fought back- and a successful "buycott" campaign was launched. There was no Israeli couscous to be found for love or money in any Trader Joes across America. The stores sold out.

The BDS holes slunk away, tails between their legs, and Trader Joes fell off the boycott list. Never to be mentioned again. Yep. BDS fail.

The lesson for the rest of us?

When we fight back we win.

Fast foward 3 years. The latest object d'ire of the BDS holes is now Sodastream- a phenomenally successful home carbonation machine. Green. Economical. Fun. Its available all over- from Walmart to Sur la Table- from the big box stores like Costco to venerable Mom and Pop businesses like Cliff's Variety in San Francisco Whats not to love?

To the BDS ers- only one thing matters. Sodastream is an Israeli company.

From Jon at Divest This:

Why you should shop at Cliff’s Variety

Well I was hoping to post some of my own BDS Christmas carols to give our tone deaf (in every meaning of the phrase) friends in BDSland something to work with other than their own contrived and butchered rhymes.

Unfortunately, everything I came up with was sung to the tune of a Gilbert and Sullivan number (no doubt an artifact of a childhood reading Mad Magazine “Sung to the Tune of…” features). So my long-delayed BDS musical will have to wait until better inspiration strikes.

Especially since the best piece of inspiration I’ve received this holiday season comes from this little shop that could, not in Bethlehem, but San Francisco:





Two things I found inspirational from this episode of the type of BDS Christmas abuse mentioned previously include:

◦For those who occasionally feel overwhelmed by perpetual propaganda attacks on Israel, check out the video to see the true face of BDS at one of its Ground Zero locations (San Francisco), a face both pinched and self-righteous, with a fat mouth singing incomprehensible lyrics out of tune. If that is what we are fighting (which we are, at least on the domestic front), is it any wonder that we’re winning?

◦And check out the guys and gals who work in a variety store to make their daily bread (vs. the BDSers who seem to enjoy a lifestyle that gives them plenty of time to abuse Cliff’s shoppers during the holiday season). As far as I can tell, the guys who introduced the BDS Bozos to the pavement outside their store were not motivated by Zionist affiliation. Rather, they were simply insisting that they were not going to serve as props (or, in this case, have their store serve as a set) for someone else’s demented morality play....

What can we do to help?  First of all, visit Cliff's Variety at  479 Castro Street San Francisco.

If you own a Sodastream, consider buying your flavorings and refill equipment there.  Even if you dont, Cliff's is a beloved  neighborhood institution- its a great place for housewares, hardware, art supplies. Visit Cliff's- show them some love, and thank them for not giving in to bullies.

When Black Friday Comes: Ignoring the Hate

Black Friday is the next day o'rage for the Bay Area Israel haters, and Soda Stream is the main object of their wrath. Ignoring the chance to be with family and friends, the haters chose to spend their time venting their anger against the only democracy in the Middle East, and specifically against a carbonated beverage maker headquartered  there.

Their schedule follows:

San Francisco  Boycott Soda Stream, Bed Bath & Beyond, Larkspur Landing, 10:00 a.m.
San Francisco  Women in black vigil, Union Square, 12:00 p.m.
San Francisco  Boycott Soda Stream, Macy’s, Union Sq, 1:00 p.m.

San Francisco  Civic Centre (meet at City Hall steps), 2:00 p.m.
San Francisco  Israeli Consulate, 4:00 p.m.

What do you need to know about Sodastream?

 SodaStream has a production facility in "Area C" in the disputed territories, which according to the
Oslo agreements signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority remains under Israeli authority until a
final agreement is signed by both parties.

SodaStream is one of the largest employers of Palestinians in a region with a 20% unemployment rate. (Notice how the Palestinians are not boycotting Sodastream ) SodaStream pays its Palestinian employees wages that are on a par with Israeli ones and are 4-6 times the local wages. SodaStream also provides all their employees with full benefits .. Palestinians and Israelis work for SodaStream side by side.

Sodastream has been hugely successful, despite the deliberate campaign of misinformation surrounding it.

From Bloomberg Reports: June 2011

SodaStream, based in Airport City, Israel surged 6.1 percent to $37.60 by the close in New York, the highest since March 12. The shares have advanced 15 percent in 2012 and trade at 17.9 times estimated earnings.   

The stores can't keep the products in stock.

The number of Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. that are out of stock or have a limited number of the company’s soda makers has grown every week since June 4, according to the e-mailed Moness Crespi report dated today. Inventory of SodaStream products also decreased at Target Corp. and Macy’s Inc. following Father’s Day, the report showed. 

Sodastream is doing well financially,. More and more stores are carrying it- from major retail outlets to boutique gourmet stores. Its' featured predominately in many Christmas catalogs. Its a product that's fun, economical and ecologically sound.   Whats not to love?

The concentrated BDS campaign against Sodastream has accomplished nothing, affecting neither consumer sales nor retail confidence in the product. Nothing. Nada.  Zero. Zilch.  A tactic which has produced nothing in years  but a scattering of youtube moments  is irrelevant  For this reason,   local pro-Israel activists have chosen to ignore the cheap theatrics directed against Sodastream,  We're going to stay home instead, eat leftovers, and enjoy the ones we love. 

For this, we're all thankful.

Palestinians Reject BDS, find jobs at SodaStream

With the already discredited PennBDS conference approaching, and their ubiquitous claim of being supported by Palestinian civil society, I just need to ask "Does the Palestinian civil society we keep hearing about include the workers of Sodastream"?

Sodastream, a beverage carbonation system is widely available at stores such as Costco, Bed Bath & Beyond and Sur La Table. It is under attack because one of its production facilities is located in Mishor Adumim. Yet of the 700 employees at least 160 are Palestinians.

The Palestinians working at Sodastream receive full social and health services in accordance with Israeli law. This includes pension contributions and insurance. Labor law in Israel requires an employer to pay wages and contributions 4 times higher than those required by the Palestinian Authority. In addition, SodaStream also provides benefits that include daily hot meals, clothing, transportation and overtime pay up to 200% as required by Israeli law.

Do the 160 Palestinian Sodastream workers really want you to boycott their company? Do they want their livlihoods put at risk?

Sodastream has been one of the objects of the BDS'er ire recently, but apparently the flash mobs had zero impact on consumers.

From the Sodastream Form 20-F(Annual and Transition Report -foreign private issuer
(Filed 06/30/11 for the Period Ending 12/31/10)

"We currently sell our products through more than 40,000 retail stores in 41 countries, including 25 new countries that we have entered since the beginning of 2007. We distribute our products directly in 12 countries and indirectly through local distributors in our remaining markets."

The song and dance routine and repeated spamming of retail websites clearly doesnt play in Peroia. Or Paris, for that matter, as Sodastream continues to grow and expand.

"From 2008 through 2010, our revenues grew at a compound annual growth rate of 26.8% from €99.9 million to €160.7 million. We had net income of €530,000, €7.1 million and €9.7 million in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively. Similarly, from 2008 through 2010, our revenues from soda makers and exchangeable CO 2 cylinders grew from €31.4 million to €74.2 million, while our revenues from sales of consumables grew from €59.8 million to €80.4 million. Although we are only in the early stages of our United States marketing investment plan, our sales in the United States have increased from $4.4 million in 2007 to $39.8 million in2010, more than doubling in each of 2009 and 2010 as compared to the prior year."

If the American and European activists leading the jihad against home carbonation really cared about the Palestinians, why are they encouraging this boycott? A growing, prospering Sodastream will provide new opportunities for Palestinian workers. A rising tide raises all ships.

And yes, of course. BDS fail. Again.

Soda stream grows 38%. BDS fail. Again.

Kiss my BDS.
A brief message to the BDS cru.
You've failed. Again.

After months of planning, and organizing and conspiring, this years object of hate for the Israel bashers is SodaStream, "a smarter way to enjoy soda". It seemed like a good choice. After all, with that $99 price tag, it would be hard to counter with a buycott. And how many seltzer machines would one family need anyway? And flash mob after flash mob after flash mob were planned, each goofier than the last. Older, flabbier, sadder. After all their efforts, what have they achieved?

From the famed investment advisers at Motley fool:

"SodaStream's growth has been undeniable. It grew revenue by 38% -- and adjusted earnings soared 161% -- in its most recent quarter. The product's popularity continues to grow, evidenced by its financial metrics and its broadening retail last year. Bed Bath & Beyond (Nasdaq: BBBY ) and Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM ) began stocking SodaStream starter kits and flavor concentrates last year, and the product is growing beyond housewares retailers with this summer's rollout at Best Buy (NYSE: BBY ) . "  

BDS fail. BDS epic fail.