The Jewish State in its true light.—
In the 3rd Jan 2016 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· An Israeli portable ventilator is saving thousands of lives.
· Disabled Israelis are receiving free hands-free smartphones.
· Israel was the first country to send aid to flood victims in Kenya.
· An Israeli device can reduce the noise from snoring.
· A versatile Israeli mobility scooter folds up into a trolley.
· An Israeli company broke the record for most takeovers this century.
· A Jerusalem concert in a cave dug by King Hezekiah 2700 years ago.
Page Down for details on these and more good news stories from Israel. Thank You to all who have sent me links to many of these positive news articles. Please use IsraelActive to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
A treatment for migraine. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Teva is partnering with Japan’s Heptares to develop small-molecule calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonists discovered by Heptares for the treatment of migraine. Migraine affects 36 million people in the United States and 10% of people worldwide.
Brain link to diabetic foot ulcers. Researchers at Ben Gurion University have discovered that sufferers of diabetic foot ulcers frequently also have substantially impaired cognitive function. Systemic vascular changes affect the whole body including the feet, heart and brain. The researchers propose new treatment strategies.
Unique brain imaging study with UCL. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Teva has begun a unique study with University College London (UCL) to use PET scans of the brain in order to analyze the role of inflammation of the brain on dementia and other neuro-degenerative diseases.
Portable ventilator is saving lives. The Israeli-invented Pocket BVM (Bag Valve Mask) mini-ventilator has saved US soldiers in Afghanistan and is now being used to treat thousands of people at disasters, as in Nepal. It is also carried on many El Al planes. (See http://www.israelifirstaid.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/
Transforming patient care. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Zebra Medical Vision has signed a multi-year agreement with Dell Services to deliver its screening and diagnostic decision support platform to hospitals worldwide. Zebra’s systems can identify patients at early risk of osteoporosis, cardiac disease, liver disease etc.
An app to lower your stress level. (TY SDM) Israeli startup Eco-Fusion has developed Serenita – an app that measures and can lower your stress level. Cover your smartphone lens with a finger to measure heartrate, blood flow, and respiration. Serenita’s 5-minute personalized breathing exercise then visibly reduces your stress.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Safer ingredients. Israel’s Frutarom has launched a new line of natural food extracts compatible with new EU regulations prohibiting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other contaminants in food supplements. Frutarom’s patented EFLA HyperPure technology purifies raw materials susceptible to contamination by PAHs.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
“Ability” technology. Israeli accelerator A3i is developing ‘ability’ technology to help millions with disabilities. Setup by Israel’s PresenTense, Beit Issie Shapira, the Ruderman Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, A3i focuses on ideas to improve the lives of challenged individuals.
Hands-free smartphone for free. Israel’s Sesame Enable is giving away its specially-designed smartphone to those who have limited or no use of their hands. Co-sponsors of the initiative are Israel’s organization for the disabled Beit Issie Shapiro and Google. See here and here for previous newsletter features on Sesame Enable.
Where Jews & Arabs work side-by-side. There are close to 350 businesses and factories in the Mishur Adumim Industrial Park near Maale Adumim. Some are Jewish owned and some of them are Arab owned. Most of these factories have Jews and Arabs working side by side.
More Israeli Arabs do National Service. 4.500 Israeli Arabs volunteered for National Service in 2015 – an increase of 13% on 2014. Israeli Arabs are not drafted, but can volunteer for the IDF, or can serve the State by doing National Service. By doing so, they receive rights and benefits similar to those of IDF soldiers.
Israeli customs officer saves Gazan merchant. A merchant from Gaza suffered a heart attack at the Erez crossing into Israel. An Israeli customs officer, who had paramedic training previously, began resuscitation using a defibrillator. Magen David Adom paramedics transported the Gazan to hospital where he underwent catheterization and regained consciousness. http://www.israelhayom.com/
Jerusalem Art Club – for Jews, Muslims and Christians. (TY Hazel) The Art Club, organized by the Machol Shalem Dance House and funded by the Jerusalem Foundation, brings together East and West Jerusalem teens (aged 13-15), to create art and break down barriers.
Helping farmers in Ethiopia. Israeli nonprofit Fair Planet, is giving smallholder Ethiopian farmers access to cutting-edge seed technology and showing them how to get the most from these seeds with minimal changes to their traditional practices. The farmers can increase their productivity five times and income up to eight times.
Water for peace? (TY Michelle & Barbara) In 1967, only four of the 706 Arab towns captured by Israel had running water. Today, Israel supplies clean water to 96% of Palestinian Authority Arabs. In thirsty parts of the Islamic world there may be a chance that Israel could now trade “water for peace”. Hope springs eternal.
Beer for Germany. Israeli brewery Herzl Beer of Jerusalem has been chosen to make a joint Israeli-German beer to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot, Germany‘s and perhaps the world’s first beer purity law. The new brew will be introduced at the Munich Jewish Museum in April 2016.
Jerusalem is 11th Best City. Jerusalem scored 84.715 out of 100 to earn 11th place in Conde Nast Traveler’s “Best Cities of the World”. The cities were selected from the 128,000 comments of Conde Nast readers.
Relief to Kenyan flood victims. The Israeli Government has donated food and humanitarian supplies to Kenya to help flood victims in Migori county. Aid included blankets, water tanks and mosquito nets. Israel was the first country to respond to requests for assistance in mitigating the effects of El Nino rains.
Liberia thanks Israel for helping to eradicate Ebola. Liberia’s senate president Armah Zolu Jallah, is making the first visit to Israel by any head of his country’s parliament. He thanked Israel for its help in wiping out the fatal disease Ebola in Liberia. Israel sent mobile clinics and medical experts who trained Liberian medics. http://www.jpost.com/
Israel’s high education standards. The OECD’s “Education at a Glance 2015” report shows Israel well above the OECD averages. Its high school dropout rate was just 14.6% compared to the OECD average of 24.7%. Israel is one of the few states to increase education spending during the global financial crisis.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Still nothing. (TY 12TribeFilms) I reported about Silentium’s Anti-Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology in previous 2013 and 2014 Newsletters. Here is an update in a video from the CES 2015 event in Las Vegas.
Snoring? Not a problem. Another Israeli startup Silent Partner has developed a device that uses Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) – this time to reduce the sound of someone snoring. It works irrespective to the reason for the snoring. Silent Partner has raised over $210,000 of funds on Indiegogo (its target was just $40,000).
Monkey makes a spear. (TY Nevet) For the first time, a scientific study by Itai Roffman of the University of Haifa, has observed bonobos (an analogous race to chimpanzees) making and using tools to search for food. One bonobo even fashioned a spear from the branches of a tree and used it to threaten Mr. Roffman.
Never hit a red light again. The Israeli app Green Wave tells drivers the ideal speed to drive at, in order not to have to stop at a red traffic light. Green Wave came third in Hyundai’s i-Way hackathon, winning 15,000 shekels. The app uses municipality data and a crowdsourced database.
Finding the lowest prices. The Israeli app Pricez is helping the hundreds of thousands who have downloaded it to save money by directing them to the stores where the products they need are the cheapest. It uses location data, plus the database that Israeli stores must by law update automatically direct from their cash registers.
A green and sustainable new city. The town of Harish, east of Hadera is being developed into a major city (see previous newsletter Sep 2015). Buildings will be built according to official Israeli Standard 5281 for green, or sustainable, construction. The Israeli government has allocated NIS 9 million to build new schools.
Technology to let robots “see”. Intel Haifa’s RealSense is using Israeli 3D tech and the Israeli-developed Skylake microchip to give robots sight. (See previous Sep 2015 newsletter). Intel bought Israel’s Omek in 2013 to help develop Intel’s 3D cameras and infrared lasers so that robots can interact with their environment.
Protecting airport runways. Israel’s Xsight has been busy since installing its Foreign Object Debris detection system at Ben Gurion airport in May 2013. RunWize / FODetect now operates at Seattle, Boston and Bangkok airports. Xsight has also installed FODspot at Paris Charles De Gaulle and launched BirdWize and SnowWize.
Keep your pets healthy. (TY SDM) Israel’s PetPace has developed a hi-tech pet collar to track the health of your pet cat or dog. Its non-invasive sensors monitor temperature, pulse, respiration, activity level, positions and calories. If the collar detects any abnormalities, an alert is sent in real-time to owners and veterinarians.
Revolutionary mobility scooter. “Be like everyone else” is the motto of Israel’s Moving Life – developer of the Atto, the world’s first trans-folding freedom scooter. This versatile scooter folds into a trolley to wheel or put in a car or plane, transforming the lives of the disabled, elderly or those who just have problems walking.
The street can tell you where to park. I have featured many apps where crowdsourcing or municipality data helps find a parking space. But Israel’s Spaceek uniquely uses road reflector sensors to detect one. It alerts relevant drivers and the first to “select” the space has a few minutes to reach the spot before the alert resumes.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Record Balance of Payments surplus.
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