Sunday, June 8, 2008

Boycott Starbucks!


Starbucks

  • Starbucks was founded in 1971 and has over 4,700 locations around the world.
  • It is traded on Nasdaq since 1992, and has a current market capitalization of $7.8 billion.
  • In addition to coffee, Starbucks sells tea, pastries, ice creams, other food and beverages, and coffee accessories. The company also has an on-line store as well as selling directly to restaurants, businesses, airlines, and hotels.
  • Howard Shultz, the chairman of Starbucks is an active Zionist.
  • In 1998 Howard Schultz was honoured by the Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah with "The Israel 50th Anniversary Friend of Zion Tribute Award" for "playing a key role in promoting close alliance between the United States and Israel". Activities of Aish HaTorah’s Jerusalem Fund include:
  • Sponsoring Israeli arms fairs, which aim "to strengthen the special connection between the American, European and Israeli defense industries" and "to showcase the newest Israeli innovations in defense".
  • The Aish HaTorah Centre in Jerusalem, a right-wing religious institute which also funds propaganda materials for Israel. These materials include a video belittling the 1400-year-long Islamic connection to Jerusalem, and a handbook insinuating that the Occupied Territories are "disputed territories".
  • Starbucks has also sponsored a number of big fund-raisers for Israel organized by Elie Haller, including a bowl-a-thon and a barbecue. Money raised goes to help families of IDF soldiers, through the One Family fund..
  • ... The key to Israel’s long-term PR success, Meir(*) believes, is on the campuses of North America and Europe. Wealthy Jews like Howard Schultz, the owner of the Starbucks chain, are helping with student projects, including seminars held in both Israel and North America, in which students hear Israeli presentations on the crisis...."

  • Gideon Meir, the official in charge of the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s PR effort.
  • Both the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs have issued statements praising Schultz for his loyalty to the Zionist cause. Starbucks donated a store for US troops in Afghanistan and 50,000 pounds of free coffee beans for soldiers in Iraq, Kuwait, and AfghanistanAnd new in Nov. 2006:
  • British-based charity Oxfam International calls on US hot drinks giant Starbucks to stop "bullying" the poor in Ethiopia in a row over the trade-marking of coffee beans:
  • It sort of gives the lie to Starbucks’ claim to promote "fair trade" coffee. See the
  • Organic Consumers Association’s Starbucks campaign home page at:
  • Hotels with Starbucks:
  • Hyatt Hotels
  • Marriott Hotels
  • Starwood Hotels (Sheraton)

Source:

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/friends.asp
http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/timeline.asp

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