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May 2019

POLITICS Comments turned off

The Florida Democratic Party’s Own Muslim Anti-Semite Rasha Mubarak believes Israel has no right to defend herself. Joe Kaufman

By on May 13th, 2019

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273741/florida-democratic-partys-own-muslim-anti-semite-joe-kaufman

Anti-Semitism is quickly on the rise within the Democratic Party, and the poster children for it are two high-profile freshmen US Representatives, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Florida, too, has its own Democrat Islamist anti-Semite, anti-Israel activist Rasha Mubarak. Mubarak is on a mission to destroy the Jewish state, Israel, and she is taking the Florida Democratic Party with her.

Elected in November 2018, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are the first Muslim women to serve in the US Congress. Recently, both have been cited for making anti-Semitic statements, relative to the issue of Israel. And while no one suggests that criticism of Israel is out of bounds, the statements that these women have made have crossed the line. This includes bringing up the ‘dual-loyalty’ canard, which has been used against Jews for millennia, and suggesting that Jewish money is buying off politicians. These assertions and more have led to both Omar and Tlaib being reprimanded by the Simon Wiesenthal Center and members of their own party.

Minnesota and Michigan are not the only states where Democratic Party leaders are spouting anti-Semitism. It is happening, as well, in the Sunshine State and in a big way.

On April 9th, the Florida Young Democrats (FYD) released, in part, the following message: “We are excited to officially welcome Rasha Mubarak to our FYD Board as Central Florida Regional Director. Though a new addition to our board, Rasha has already been hard at work with chartering a new Osceola Young Democrats, working on this year’s Campaign Academy programming and leading our 2019 Convention planning in Orlando.”

In Mubarak’s statement accepting the role as FYD Central Florida Regional Director, she announced that she was ending her two-year term as President of the Young Democrats of Orange County (YDOC).

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POLITICS Comments turned off

The Impeachment Con is Killing Dem 2020 Chances They won’t stop trying to destroy Trump even if it destroys them. Daniel Greenfield

By on May 13th, 2019

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273717/impeachment-con-killing-dem-2020-chances-daniel-greenfield

The Democrats have become a cult of anti-personality.

The ‘anti’ phenomenon is not unique. Past Democrat generations had built their identity around hating Goldwater, Nixon, and Reagan. But the internet monetized the cult of anti-personality in a big way.

And Democrats are paying the price.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Dem House leadership have tried everything possible to stop the talk of impeachment. But nothing that she and her deputies can do has made a dent in the madness.

In a sign of pure desperation, Pelosi has begun insisting that impeachment is a Trump conspiracy.

“Trump is goading us to impeach him,” she actually claimed.

The Dem House leader is hoping to dissuade her faction from its self-destructive orgy of Trump hatred by tapping into that hatred to convince them that impeaching Trump is exactly what he wants.

And it won’t work.

Impeaching Trump is the obsession of a narrow slice of the Dem base. But it’s the one that provides much of the money and the manpower. The Democrats wouldn’t have won in 2018 without the Trump-haters, but they won’t be able to win in 2020 with them. Their fanaticism proved crucial in midterm elections where Democrats traditionally suffered from low voter turnout. But in a presidential election, voter turnout will be high. And the Democrats will need to win over independent voters.

A majority of Americans opposes impeachment. But impeachment fever turned otherwise obscure Dem politicians like Rep. Maxine Waters, Red. Ted Lieu and Rep. Adam Schiff into resistance celebrities.

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WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

South Africa:2019 Election results: No real hope for an End to Abuse and Corruption

By on May 13th, 2019

https://www.thesouthafrican.com/2019-south-africa-election-results-national-provincial-all-votes/

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ruling ANC won re-election on Friday with an absolute majority in parliament, results showed, but with diminished support, complicating economic revival and anti-corruption efforts.

From ballot papers running out, scanners malfunctioning and allegations of double voting, more than half of the parties contesting the 2019 elections have vowed to take action against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

Nonetheless, after a lengthy counting and auditing process, the results are out. Well, almost. The IEC first said they expected to reach the 90% counting mark by 21:00 on Thursday, but that turned out to be widely ambitious.

Then, they expected everything to be concluded by midnight on 10 May. After that clock struck, there were a few carriages yet to turn into pumpkins.

But the completion was at nearly 99% by 00:12 with Gauteng, one of the most hotly contested provinces, having the largest number of voting districts outstanding, the total vote count completed was 91%.

The rest of the results were pretty clear, however.

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POLITICS Comments turned off

Democrats Need Rehab from Trump Investigation Addiction By Roger L. Simon

By on May 13th, 2019

https://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/democrats-need-rehab-from-trump-investigation-addiction/

We all know the horrors of addiction—lives destroyed, families shattered. It wrecks the fabric of society. Unfortunately, the Democrats have contracted an extraordinarily virulent form—investigating Donald Trump has become crack cocaine to them with maybe fentanyl and methamphetamine thrown in.

The likes of Jerrold Nadler and Adam Schiff seem to be sucking on this pipe for dear life, day and night, giving them barely time to breath or eat. Even when getting a rare touch of sleep, these putative public servants clearly have Trump on the brain. They never think of anything else—or, seemingly, do anything else.

And they are far from alone. Legions of Democrats and their media lackeys suffer from the same addiction.

A thousand Mueller reports, all unredacted with full access, everyone who ever met Donald Trump or even attended one of his rallies or ate one of his benighted steaks or drank a soy latte in the Tower Starbucks, testifying under oath in front of fifty congressional committees, many dozens of these witnesses going to jail for process crimes or having their careers ruined, forcing them to flee to Kathmandu to work as busboys in an ashram snack bar, would not cure those junkies. They’d still be dragging themselves through the streets at dawn, in Allen Ginsberg’s words, “looking for an angry fix” (i.e, something, anything, that might make Donald Trump look bad).

If you’re unclear what Democrats stand for in the 2020 election—other than wildly outdated socialism and some creepy anti-Semitism—this could be, indeed undoubtedly is, the reason. All they do is investigate.

In the interest of a two-party system, an intervention is definitely needed—followed by rehab.

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MY SAY: Comments turned off

MY SAY :THE IMAM’S PRAYER IN CONGRESS

By on May 12th, 2019

Omar Suleiman, founder and president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research in Texas, was invited by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas-District 30). Rep. Johnson, a former registered nurse, has a history of animus to Israel, for which she got a 3+ in 2012 from the Arab American Institute.

On Thursday May 9th in Congress: Suleiman delivered peaceful blather.

This is how he speaks to his congregants: “How befitting that the 3rd Intifada starts on the 27th night of Ramadan as worshippers are denied prayer in Masjid Al Aqsa. …God willing on this blessed night as the 3rd Intifada begins, the beginning of the end of Zionism is here. May Allah help us overcome this monster, protect the innocent of the world, and accept the murdered as martyrs. amen.”
The man is a virulent racist and only Rep.Lee Zeldin (R- NY-District 1) took him on. Nancy Pelosi whose father was a great friend of Zionism and Israel, stood behind him looking reverential.
But, this is not an isolated incident. Increasing numbers of militant Moslems are elected to Congress who share the Imam’s Koran driven agenda. Ilhan Omar is just the tip of the sword.

MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN

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NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Contrary to Democrat Talking Point, The Economy is Working for Everyone Alfredo Ortiz

By on May 12th, 2019

https://townhall.com/columnists/alfredoortiz/2019/05/12/contrary-to-democrat-talking-point-the-economy-is-working-for-everyone-n2546152

With the unemployment rate at its lowest level in 50 years and wages growing at their fastest pace in a decade, even Democrats cannot deny that the economy is booming. But in an attempt to downplay President Trump’s economic success, they are claiming that these economic gains are merely going to the rich.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week that “the evidence shows that most of the economic gains continue to benefit those already well-off.” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer claimed, “wages aren’t growing fast enough to allow millions of workers to keep pace and feel that real economic security is within reach.” And Sen. Cory Booker broadly asserted that “Americans are struggling.”

This Democratic characterization of Trump’s economy is not new. Earlier this year, Kamala Harris said, “The economy is not working for working people.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer complained that “the state of the Trump economy is failing America’s middle class.” And for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the economy is perpetually “rigged” — whatever that means.

This diversion tactic fails on its merits. Start with unemployment rates, which are at or near record lows for Hispanic, black, female, and young workers. The unemployment rate for Americans without a high-school education, supposedly a group that’s been shafted in today’s economy, is hovering near a record low. The rate for those with disabilities has fallen by more than 20 percent over the last year to a mere 6.3 percent — the lowest level on record.

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ANTI-SEMITISM Comments turned off

Jordan Peterson: When the left goes too far — the dangerous doctrine of equity They don’t care that there are well-documented reasons for unequal outcomes in occupational choice and pay in addition to whatever role genuine prejudice plays

By on May 12th, 2019

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jordan-peterson-when-the-left-goes-too-far-the-dangerous-doctrine-of-equity

In this occasional series, Jordan Peterson writes from his international speaking tour for his book, 12 Rules for Life.

The mantra of Diversity, Inclusivity and Equity (DIE) perhaps constitutes the primary identifying factor of the tiny minority of radical collectivist ideologues that nonetheless have come to dominate the humanities and social sciences in Western universities (and, increasingly, the HR departments of corporations). Of these three, equity is the most egregious, self-righteous, historically-ignorant and dangerous. “Equity” is a term designed to signal “equality,” in some manner, and is a term designed to appeal to the natural human tendency toward fairness, but it does not mean the classic equality of the West, which is equality before the law and equality of opportunity.

Equality before the law means that each citizen will be treated fairly by the criminal justice and judicial systems regardless of their status — and that the state recognizes that each individual has an intrinsic value which serves as a limit to state power, and which the polity must respect. There is likely no more fundamental presumption grounding our culture.

Equality of opportunity is a doctrine of openness predicated on the fact that talent is widely distributed although comparatively rare. This should come as no surprise to anyone, given that some people are much better at doing a given task than others and, because of that, it is in everyone’s selfish interest to allow such talent to come to the fore so that we can all benefit. This means that no one should be arbitrarily denied the possibility of their contribution for reasons unrelated to the task at hand. This is also a fundamental principle of Western culture, particularly in its free-market guise.

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MOVIES AND TELEVISION Comments turned off

Tolkien – A Review By Marilyn Penn

By on May 12th, 2019

http://politicalmavens.com/

What a wonderful relief is was to watch a current movie that is meant for viewers who are articulate and appreciate a script that has not one vulgar four-letter adjective to precede every noun. After the rave reviews of The Long Shot, a film that is soaked in slime in which highly educated people sound like they walked off the set of The Sopranos, Tolkien was a return to inspiration from brilliant and creative characters whose dialogue matches their intellectual talents.

Both Tolkien and his love interest Edith are orphans who have pursued their respective interests – language (philology) and music – notwithstanding the difficulties in their lives. This biopic of the famous scholar and writer goes back to his early friendship with like-minded schoolmates who form a club dedicated to changing the world through their art. In keeping with this theme, the set designer of the movie has provided perfect examples of period furnishings and William Morris wallpapers, not to mention the beauty of the outdoor landscape and architecture.

The scenes in the trenches of WW I are horrific but we see the brutality of the firepower foreshadowing the dragons and beasts that will surface in Tolkien’s future masterworks. The cast, headed by handsome Nicholas Hoult and beautiful Lily Collins, along with a welcome cameo by Derek Jacoby are as picture-perfect as the other details and despite the complaint of some critics that this film is too “slow,” I urge you to see it and be reminded of the joys of literacy, determination and accomplishment.

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

GOOD NEWS FROM ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL ISRAEL…SEE NOTE PLEASE

By on May 12th, 2019

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com 

Israel is always under attack….Sometimes it is rockets lobbed from Gaza into schools and homes, sometimes it is arson, sometimes it is murder of civilians,…..but it is always under attack by the hypocritical and morally stunted boycott and divest groupies. In spite of this, there is no other nation in the world that has made and continues to make such outsize contributions to the health and welfare of the entire world. Israel is indeed “a light unto the nations” even to those that are a “blight unto the nations.” My friend Michael Ordman contributes these headlines every week. Bless him!….rsk

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Treatment pathway for fatal epilepsy. (TY Nevet) Dravet syndrome is an epileptic condition with a 15 to 20 percent mortality rate and resistant to current medications. Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered that the DHODH gene is key to triggering such adverse neural activity and that Terflunomide can inhibit it.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-scientists-discover-potential-new-epilepsy-treatment/

Treatment hope for Williams Syndrome. (TY Josie) Tel Aviv University scientists have linked gene Gtf2i to Williams Syndrome (WS) and the thinning of the myelin layer that protects neurons in the brain. In lab tests they managed to reverse some WS symptoms using the FDA-approved antihistamine clemastine fumarate.
https://socsci3.tau.ac.il/boazbarak/research/
http://news.mit.edu/2019/neuroscientists-reverse-symptoms-williams-syndrome-0422

Micro pancreas for diabetics. I reported previously (Dec 2015) on Israel’s Betalin Therapeutics, which has developed an insulin-producing micro pancreas that can be implanted into the body of diabetics. Betalin has since won startup awards in Tel Aviv and China and has just raised funds to help start human trials this year.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-diabetes-treatment-co-betalin-therapeutics-raises-25m-1001283394
http://www.betalintherapeutics.com/most-promising%20startup-in-Israel.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpnYAW490NA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM9AtvczFMk

US approval for opioid overdose spray. The US FDA has approved the generic naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray developed by Israel’s Teva. Commonly known as Narcan, the medication can stop or reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The emergency treatment can be administered even by those without medical training.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/fda-approval-teva-generic-nasal-spray-opioid-overdose/

FDA prioritizes Alzheimer’s therapy device. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (see here) on the NeuroAD cranial device from Israel’s Neuronix. It already has European approval and is now being urgently reviewed in the FDA’s Expedited Access Pathway program for breakthrough devices that target vital unmet needs.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/alzheimersdisease/78739

Successful blood test trial. I reported previously (see here) on Israel’s Sight Diagnostics’ device that can perform full blood tests using just a few drops of blood. Sight Diagnostics has just completed a successful trial which should help it obtain US FDA approval. The device is already marketed in Europe and Israel.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-sight-diagnostics-successful-in-clinical-trial-1001281957

Pumpkin seed extract treatment for BHP. A recent study of Go-Less® Men (EFLA®940 – an extract from pumpkin seeds) to be effective in the treatment of symptoms of BHP (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). Go-Less is marketed by Israel-founded Frutarom. A previous study showed Go-Less to relieve incontinence in women.
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jmf.2018.0106
https://www.frutaromhealth.com/clinical-study-shows-high-effectiveness-of-go-less/ https://www.go-less.com/

MDA ambulance number 12. I reported previously (2nd Sep) when retired surgeon Norman Rosenbaum was awarded by UK PM Theresa May for helping to buy 11 ambulances for Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom. Norman has just fundraised his 12th ambulance for MDA who awarded him Humanitarian of the Year.
https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/community-hero-who-raised-funds-for-12-ambulances-honoured-by-mda/

Weizmann Institute battles to conquer cancer. At Israel’s Weizmann Institute there are over 60 research groups focusing on beating cancer and over 40% of the Institute’s life sciences research is cancer-related.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KegBnx3WNVo

Helping surgeons prepare. US-Israeli startup Theator uses computer vision and machine learning algorithms to help surgeons prepare for procedures by reviewing previous cases. Its Minute system edits videos of surgical procedures to highlight the key steps and “outcome-critical” components to reduce medical errors.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760803,00.html https://www.theator.io/how-it-works

How ultrasound treats tremor. (TY Nevet) This article gives an excellent description of the process used by Israel’s Insightec to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s and Essential Tremor patients. The technology is being used in over 50 medical centers around the world and has treated over 2,000 neuro-patients.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-startup-uses-ultrasound-waves-to-reduce-parkinsons-tremors/

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

Advice to female entrepreneurs. I reported previously (16th Feb) on the wound care system from Israel’s Nanomedic Technologies. Nanomedic CEO and mother of three, Chen Barak, advises female entrepreneurs to get support from their family and not to give up or compromise on their career.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dont-compromise-do-what-you-love-nanomedic-ceo-tells-female-entrepreneurs/

Number of Israeli-Arab hi-tech students doubles. The number of Arab Israelis studying high-tech subjects at Israeli universities and colleges has doubled in six years. In 2018, 3,778 Arab students (12% of Israeli students) were studying high-tech subjects for BA degrees.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/number-of-arab-israelis-studying-high-tech-doubles-since-2012/

Israeli-Druze doctor honored on Independence Day. Ziv Medical Center’s Dr. Salman Zarka was head of “Operation Good Neighbor” in which, for six years, Israel provided critical care to thousands of Syrian victims of its civil war. Dr. Zarka was given the honor of lighting a torch on Israel’s Independence Day (see below).
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israeli-doctor-honored-for-saving-thousands-of-syrian-lives/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIp0062jlPk

Finland is a hi-tech partner. (TY UWI) The Israel-Finland Pilot Program has been launched by the Israel Innovation Authority and the Helsinki Business Hub. It will help Israeli and Helsinki-area companies to co-develop technologies, products and services including digital health, smart mobility and communications.
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-and-finland-launch-digital-health-collaboration/

500 multinationals in the Startup Nation. “The State of Innovation,” published by Start-Up Nation Central (SNC) and PwC Israel, reports that over 500 multinational corporations from some 35 countries are active in Israel. It says they seek the ideas and the entrepreneurial culture emanating from Israel’s 6,000 plus startups.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/500-global-corporations-35-countries-in-israel/
https://lp.startupnationcentral.org/mnc2019/

London Uni students see Israeli tech up close. 52 students from 30 countries (including Saudi Arabia and Sudan) studying at Imperial College London, had an eye-opening tour of tech sites in Israel. These included Mobileye, IBM, Barclays Techstar, OurCrowd and the Technion and Weizmann Institutes.
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-tech-trip-attracts-52-students-from-30-countries/

Israeli and UAE jets exercise together. The Israel Air Force, along with pilots from the United Arab Emirates, United States, Greece, Italy and Cyprus took part of Iniohos 2019 – Greece’s largest military exercise.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-Air-Force-in-Greece-as-part-of-Iniohos-2019-585993

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

New record for renewable energy production. On 23rd April, the Israeli Electric Company broke its 13th Feb all-time-record (reported here) for energy produced from renewable resources. The production capacity was 1,326 megawatts, accounting for 19.3% of IEC’s total energy production. https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Electric-company-produces-record-amount-of-green-energy-587695

Israel is 2nd most scientific. (TY Nevet & WIN) Israel is the second most scientific / innovative nation in the world, in a report compiled by engineering firm RS Components and published in the U.K.’s Daily Mail. Israel is ranked after the U.S. and ahead of South Korea. R&D spending and researchers per capita were key factors.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6787391/The-scientific-powerhouse-capitals-world.html
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=did-you-know%2Fmost-scientific-countries-in-the-world

Celebrating Israel’s hi-tech achievements. The IVC (Israel Venture Capital) Research Center (founded in 1997) celebrated Israel’s 71st Independence Day by summarizing Israel’s current high-tech industry’s status and its achievements since IVC’s foundation in 1997.
https://www.ivc-online.com/Portals/0/RC/POSTS/Israel’s%2071st%20independence%20day%20post.pdf

Intel’s 9th generation processors designed in Israel. Sired from its Haifa team, Intel has launched the 9th Gen Intel Core – its “most powerful generation” of mobile processors for laptops. It is for powering games and heavy workloads like video editing and will be in new Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and MSI laptops.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/intel-launches-its-most-powerful-laptop-processors-sired-by-haifa-team/

A “pop-up”, foldable playground. Israel’s POPIN Playgrounds has developed a foldable in-home playground that enables large play structures to pop-up for playtime and take up minimal space when not in use. The car, kitchen, playhouse and pirate ship table are made of strong, eco-friendly materials and are easily transported.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/child-play-israeli-startup-foldable-home-playground-toys/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/popinplaygrounds/popintm-indoor-pop-up-playgrounds
https://www.popintoys.com/

Security for a connected world. Our environment is increasingly reliant on embedded devices and the Internet of Things (IoT). These are highly vulnerable and at risk of a future massive attack. Israel’s VDOO Connected Trust has developed security automation for embedded devices and has just raised $32 million of funds.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/vdoo-raises-32m-to-revolutionize-security-for-embedded-devices-and-iot/

Making sense of the documentation. Israel’s Amenity Analytics uses natural language processing to rapidly process complex text documents into actionable insights. Amenity’s technology analyzes texts ranging from regulatory filings and earnings transcripts to social media content. Amenity has just raised $18 million of funds.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760475,00.html https://www.amenityanalytics.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HUUre0V2VM

Giving self-awareness to drones. Israel’s Sightec has developed an artificial intelligence and computer vision-based spatial navigation system for fully or partially autonomous aerial vehicles. The system allows the vehicle to analyze its surroundings without depending on exterior communication, including cellular networks or GPS.
https://www.sightec.com/technology/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHX5XWR5GSI

RAF deploys Israeli emergency beacon. The Emergency Personal Locator Beacon (EPLB) from Israel’s Elbit has begun operations for the UK’s Royal Air Force. The EPLB is attached to the pilot’s life jacket and emits two types of alerts if the pilot ejects or crashes. The all-weather device operates even if the pilot is unconscious.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/emergency-locator-beacon-enters-service-with-the-royal-air-force/

Cultivating the desert truffle. Scientists from Israel’s Ben Gurion University have developed a successful method for cultivating the sought-after desert truffle (Terfezia Leonis fungus). They discovered the symbiotic relationship between the truffle and its host plant and are now producing up to 150kg per hectare.
https://nocamels.com/2019/04/rare-israel-cultivate-desert-truffles-worth-more-than-uranium/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3733326,00.html

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Economy still improving. The Bank of Israel’s Composite State of the Economy Index for March increased by nearly 0.3 percent. Highlights were Goods exports, Goods imports and Industrial production.
https://www.boi.org.il/en/NewsAndPublications/PressReleases/Pages/30-4-19.aspx

Massive hi-tech investment. Israeli startups raised a huge total of $1.55 billion during the first quarter of 2019. It represents a 28% increase on the first quarter of 2018. The strongest sectors were software and life sciences.
https://worldisraelnews.com/israeli-hi-tech-investments-1-55-billion-in-first-quarter-of-2019/

Europe offers favorable credit to Israeli firms. The European Investment Bank, as part of Horizon 2020, is offering credit enhancement services and financing under favorable terms to Israel companies. The agreement was initiated by Israel’s Peninsula Growth Fund to assist medium-sized Israeli companies.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760834,00.html

New record for currency deposits. Israel’s reserves of foreign currency increased by half a billion dollars during April to another new record of $118.7 billion. https://www.boi.org.il/en/NewsAndPublications/PressReleases/Pages/7-05-19.aspx

Promoting startups in rural Israel. The Israel Innovation Authority has allocated $50 million for setting up innovation incubators to encourage local entrepreneurship in Israel’s rural areas. The incubators in Israel’s periphery will provide workspace, support from academic institutes, mentors and links to investors and clients.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760694,00.html

Trawling for maritime startups. I reported previously (24th July) on Israel-based maritime startup accelerator TheDock Innovation Hub which offers startups funds, offices, mentors and networking with partner companies. TheDock has added Singapore-based port operator PSA International to existing partners that include Maersk.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760238,00.html

New York event promotes 80 Israeli startups. 120 entrepreneurs from 80 Israeli startups attended Calcalist’s Mind the Tech conference at the New York center of Tel Aviv-headquartered innovation hub SOSA. They presented to industry leaders including Amazon, American Express, Comcast, Goldman Stanley, and TechStars.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760662,00.html

Every company can get “the Amazon effect”. I reported previously (Jul 2017) on Israel’s Bringg when it began dispatching and tracking orders for US caterer Panera Bread. Bringg now helps Panera process over a million orders a month. It has just raised $25 million of funds to “level the playing field in the age of Amazon”.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/amazon-effect-israeli-startup-bringg-level-playing-field/

Best Buy stocks Israeli diagnostic kits. US retail electronics chain Best Buy has partnered with Israel’s TycoCare. US customers on-line and at stores in 4 states can purchase TycoCare’s all-in-one digital diagnostics kit consisting of thermometer, stethoscope, otoscope, tongue depressor and remote consultation service.
https://www.israel21c.org/tytocare-home-diagnostics-device-now-sold-at-best-buy/

Walmart to sell Israeli-selected products for kids. Walmart has partnered with Israeli-founded Kidbox to sell customers $48 boxes of leading children’s fashion brands at 50% discount to their regular retail price. The Israeli-developed software assesses the child’s preferences and taste, the time of year, and the latest fashions.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760891,00.html

Protecting Central American coasts. (TY Hazel) Israel’s ELTA Systems has won several contracts in the Caribbean (for Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados) to upgrade national coastal surveillance systems and provide radar systems to offshore oil rigs. ELTA also is to supply radar systems to Mexican offshore oil rigs.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/IAIs-ELTA-systems-to-upgrade-Caribbean-maritime-coastal-surveillance-systems-586501

Cash to leave your car at home. The Israeli Transportation Ministry is piloting a scheme, initially with 500 drivers, to try to reduce traffic congestion. Each driver can earn up to NIS 2,000 if he/she doesn’t drive during the rush hour. More money can be obtained by giving lifts to carpoolers and by using public transport.

https://www.israel21c.org/israel-tries-battling-traffic-jams-with-cash-handouts/

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

Defensible borders in the Middle East. Yoram Ettinger

By on May 12th, 2019

https://bit.ly/309eO3F

Defensible borders’ key feature, in the Middle East, must be the capability to confront the shifty, volcanic and violent reality of the region, which has been top heavy on worst-case scenarios, highlighting clear and present lethal threats.

Realistically, Israel’s defensible borders should not be based on well-meaning, peaceful coexistence (best-case) scenarios – cushioned by eloquent statements, agreements, assurances and guarantees – which have been detached from the blustery Middle East inter-Arab and inter-Muslim reality since the 7thcentury.

Defensible borders are not based on a state-of-peace; defensible borders, in the Middle East, should be able to overcome an abrupt military violation of a state-of-peace.The most critical feature/test of defensible borders in the Middle East is their capability to fend off realistic (worst-case) scenarios.

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