GOOD NEWS FROM AMAZING ISRAEL: MICHAEL ORDMAN
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Tests success for Israeli universal flu vaccine. Israeli biotech BiondVax announced that tests prove its universal flu vaccine matches all six pandemic strains in the world today. They include bird flu strains H5N1 and H7N9, which have spread to humans and killed hundreds of people.
392 people saved by organ donors in 2013. Last year 90,000 Israelis signed new ADI donor cards, bringing the total of registered holders to 787,087. 109 of those who received organs were advanced in the queue because they carried the card. In addition, 769 people received cornea transplants giving them the gift of sight.
http://www.jpost.com/Health-and-Science/Israel-Transplant-Center-reaches-all-time-high-in-number-of-transplants-potential-donors-338655 www.itc.gov.il/eng/contact.html (to join)
Genes that cause aging. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a computer algorithm that identifies genes involved in the aging process. The findings could lead to the development of medication that transforms cells from a diseased state into a healthy one.
What causes Schizophrenia? Scientists at Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Universities have found that an important cell-maintenance process called “autophagy” is reduced in the brains of schizophrenic patients due to low levels of the protein beclin 1. Medication to boost beclin 1 levels could offer a new way to treat schizophrenia.
Israeli stem cells treat muscle injury. Israel’s Pluristem announced that patients treated with PLX-PAD stem cells had a greater improved change of maximal voluntary muscle contraction force than the placebo group. The Phase I/II clinical trial shows that PLX cells can help repair orthopedic injuries including muscles and tendons.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
A millionth the size of an ant. Dr. Yuval Golan of Ben Gurion University explains a nano-particle and the exciting possibilities in the world of nano-technology. They include storage systems, contact lens sensors for diabetics, protective clothing, water purification, renewable energy and ultra-fast computers.
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/cio-in-action/nanotech-in-the-negev-israeli-scientists-see-big-opportunity-in-tiny-tech/#. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25776927
Google’s new notebook has Israeli fast chips. Israel’s Altair Semiconductor has won a deal to install its 4G communications chipset in the new Chromebooks produced by the in partnership of Google and HP. The 4G chip accesses the Internet at ten times the speed of 3G chips.
Strike out. (Thanks to Nevet – www.BroaderView.org) The Economist (not known to be Israel-friendly) has praised Yossi Leshem of Tel Aviv University. Yossi’s research led to a radar system that detects possible aircraft collisions with flocks of birds. It has helped the Israeli Air Force reduce bird strikes by two-thirds.
Iron Beam – a light to the nations. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems will unveil its Iron Beam laser air-defense system at next month’s Singapore Air Show. Iron Beam is a high-energy laser based system against rockets, mortar, and airborne target attacks. It complements Iron Dome by intercepting very short-range rockets.
A collapsible camping grill. Israeli Roee Magdassi (a student at the Bezalel Design Academy in Jerusalem) has designed the Stakes camping grill that folds up to the size of a paper towel when not in use. His IDF service inspired him to make a lightweight alternative to the ones he had to carry in his army backpack.
Boost your Wi-Fi signal. Israel’s Wi-Fi chip manufacturer Celeno is to deliver its unique “implicit beamforming” technology into the hardware of global company broadband company Ubee. The effect will be to extend the coverage and boost the Wi-Fi signal to any device, whether laptop, tablet or smartphone.
Cheap electronic circuits. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Yissum, the Research and Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has developed low-cost oxidation-resistant copper nano-inks. They can replace expensive silver inks that make up circuits in RFID-tags, solar cells, sensors and electrodes for displays.
Two insulators meet in the lab. Something weird happens if you place two electrical insulators together. The bit in the middle conducts electricity. Scientists couldn’t investigate further until Dr Shahal Ilani built a nanotube-based sensor that could see below the surface. It has opened up a whole new field in physics.
April launch for students’ satellite. Forty students at Herzliya High School have built a low-cost micro-satellite to be launched by Russia in April. The 10cm cube will circle the Earth every 90 minutes and form part of a network of international satellites designed to provide a cell phone lifeline to travelers in remote areas.
Israel snaps up the photo app market. There are almost 13,000 photo apps on iTunes and Google Play. Almost the entire top ten originate from Israel. The reason is probably due to the fact those apps are the hottest trend in the smartphone market right now. And Israelis are the biggest users of smartphone apps in the world.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Software AG needs Israel’s creativity. Software AG acquired Sabratec in 2005. In 2007, the company bought SPL and Jacada. Together, the Israelis’ free and open start-up culture combines with the German company’s well-organized and methodical culture to make Software AG’s Israeli R&D center into a very effective unit.
Haifa prepares for China tourism boost. (Thanks to Stuart Palmer) Haifa’s Mayor Yona Yahav has signed an agreement with tourism officials from 3 major Chinese cities. 200,000 workers from Shanghai, Sanjin, and Chengdu will be offered low-cost vacation packages to Haifa.
What would you like to watch next? (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Tel Aviv-based Jinni has teamed up with California’s Ooyala to deliver a “new level of video personalization”. TV providers can deliver personalized channels, recommending films and TV shows suited to your mood. Jinni is also now expanding into Spain.
Angels bearing cash for start-ups. 28 “angel” investors will descend on Herzliya in February to meet Israeli start-ups looking for funding. Nathan Low, President of the Investment Bank Sunrise Financial Group, has organized the event. Low has made 60 angel investments in Israel and has also set up the Ziontech fund.
Starting up? Try the pub. Hillel Fuld regularly helps start-ups over lunch at Jems in Petah Tikva by dining, listening, coaching and connecting the dots with those who want to share their plans and receive his advice. Hillel also mentors and lectures at the IDC, plus at accelerators such as Google, Microsoft, and The Junction.
Larry King to promote Israeli high tech. Former CNN host Larry King and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology are establishing the Israel Silicon Valley Chambers of Commerce. King and Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie will serve as the presidents of the ISVCC.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Take the “Israel-Apartheid” test. Use Seth Segal’s academic tool to examine the intellectual integrity of the apartheid allegation.
Wounded Syrians treated in Israel. A Syrian couple, from the embattled town of Daraa, arrived at Poriya Hospital in Tiberias with gunshot wounds in their legs. Two months ago, their two-week-old daughter died tragically because Syrian troops wouldn’t allow them to cross a checkpoint. Days later, at the same hospital, surgeons had to amputate the leg of a 19-year-old Syrian who had already lost his other leg in the civil war.
Al-Jazeera praises IDF. In a debate on the Al-Jazeera’s Arabic service, the presenter and a guest question an Assad supporter as to why the Syrian army, Hezbollah and other Islamic military groups cannot be more humane like the Israeli and French armies. Please inform the UK’s Guardian, Independent and the BBC.
Nairobi poor to get on-line. The makers of the $7 Israeli-developed Keepod “thumb drive” have launched the first project in their program to “enable” some of the world’s 5 billion people who don’t have access to a computer. Via Crowdsourcing, you can help give 1500 of Nairobi’s slum dwellers a new chance in life.
Welcoming Canada’s PM. Canadian Premier Stephen Harper has arrived in Israel. Though Canada has always been a friend of Israel, under Harper’s rule there has been a significant strengthening in support for the Jewish state which some have called the most dramatic shift in the history of postwar Canadian foreign policy.
Africa hopes Israel makes malaria breakthrough. (Thanks to Nevet – www.BroaderView.org) There is much interest in the research being conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem into solutions to the malaria parasite. The deadly disease is responsible for more than one million deaths each year.
http://www.ghanamma.com/israeli-scientists-begin-search-for-solution-to-new-deadly-malaria-parasite/
Israel signs security accord with Kazakhstan. (Thanks to Herb) Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and his Kazakh counterpart, Adilbek Dzhaksbekov have signed a security cooperation accord formalizing military and defense industrial ties between the two nations.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Rose the singer. Israel’s Ministry of Interior has confirmed that Rose Fostanes, winner of Israel’s X-Factor, has been given granted a full work permit for artists that will enable her to sing for her livelihood. Rose was previously only allowed to work as a Filipino caregiver but now can pursue her singing career in Israel.
More great Israeli music. Thursday’s Kol Cambridge playlist from DJ Antithesis on Tel Aviv’s Radio TLV1 featured new releases from Daklon, Shlomi Shaban, Alma Zohar, Eti Ankari, Gad Elbaz and Yaakov Shwekey & Shlomi Shabat in a fantastic duet.
AnyRoad Israel. (Thanks to Janglo) For those seeking off-the-beaten-track tours of the Jewish State, have a look at https://www.anyroad.com/Israel. For more details of founders Daniel and Jonathan Yaffe, see this link.
Good book & good cause. 200 Anglos attended the book launch for “Like Dreamers” by Yossi Klein Halevi. The venue was the Jerusalem old train station. Saul Singer, co-author of Start-up Nation, interviewed Halevi. The event raised money for Jerusalem Village, which supports new immigrants in Jerusalem.
Pamela Anderson’s honeymoon at the Dead Sea. Just several days after secretly remarrying her ex-husband Rick Salomon, Hollywood star Pamela Anderson chose to celebrate her honeymoon in Israel.
THE JEWISH STATE
Renewed life in ancient Shiloh. 36 years ago seven young families and a handful of yeshiva students came to the site of the Biblical Shiloh to renew Jewish Life in the very first capital city of the Biblical Jewish Nation.
Today well over three hundred families of all ages and backgrounds live in Shiloh.
That’s what I call a great speech! Please read Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s address to the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) during his historic visit to the Jewish State.
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