In the 25th Nov 2012 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Another success for Israel’s new “wonder medication” – this time for juvenile diabetes.
· Astonishing facts on how Israel, under fire, continues to supply Gaza and treat its sick.
· Two Israeli universities have made breakthroughs in the storage of solar energy.
· Israel has embarked on building three large thermo-solar power stations.
· Breakthrough in water conservation – a super-efficient filter that makes polluted water drinkable.
· Another natural gas discovery, plus plenty of international business, keeps the economy healthy.
· Last week’s JPost Israel Good News descriptive summary
Click here for “Normal Service Despite the Crisis”.
Page Down for more details on these and other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
AAT medication works wonders. Last week it was curing bacterial lung infections and preventing implant rejection. Kamada’s latest trial of its Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) protein shows that it can halt the progression of juvenile diabetes. Remember, AAT is the active ingredient in Kamada’s Glassia , used to treat emphysema.
NSTI trials effective. Israel’s Atox Bio announced the success of Phase Iia clinical trials of its AB103 treatment of Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections (NSTI). NSTIs are life-threatening bacterial infections with significant morbidity and high mortality rate.
500,000 successful operations. Israeli Medical Device Innovations on display at Medica 2012 in Dusseldorf included HemaClear's innovative tourniquet technology, which has now been put to use in more than 500,000 operations.
Biological pacemaker. More media publicity (this time in the UK) for Technion’s breakthrough technology that uses stem cells from a patient’s own skin to regenerate damaged heart muscle tissue.
Figuring out our brains. Hebrew University researchers have proved that we are able to solve maths problems and read phrases unconsciously. These results bring us closer to solving one of the biggest scientific mysteries of the 21st century: What are the functions of human consciousness?
Reading makes changes in your brain. (Thanks to Israel21c) A study initiated by Israeli brain science researcher and Bar Ilan University professor, Michal Ben-Shachar has identified complex changes in brain connections, as children learn how to read.
Israeli researcher wins Marie Curie prize. Dr Sarit Sivan, from Israel’s Technion, won the prize in the 'Innovation and Entrepreneurship' category. She has developed an innovative treatment for lower back pain resulting from the degeneration of discs in the spinal column.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Treating Gazans in Israeli hospitals. Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center is taking care of a baby girl in the nephrology department, two children in oncology and an adult in urology. Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem has six Gazan patients. At Tel Hashomer a Gaza girl is in the same room as a boy injured from a Hamas rocket.
Still supplying Gaza. Unbelievable – whilst Gaza terrorists were firing hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians, Israel was still sending in truckloads of food and medical supplies. Israel provides Gazans with five million cubic meters of water every day and 125 megawatts of electricity from the power station in Ashkelon.
Israel takes care of asylum seekers. Positive information about Israel’s policy for allowing genuine asylum seekers into the Jewish State.
President’s award for IDF hospital volunteers. Officers and soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces have been volunteers in Schneider Children's Educational Center for the past 11 years. This year the unit, known as “Shatal 121”, was awarded the 2012 "President's Prize for Volunteers".
Training for disasters. Israel’s Magen David Adom has been hosting doctors and paramedics from eight countries to pass on experience regarding dealing with mass catastrophes. The participants were from hospitals in the USA, England, Italy, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Australia, South Africa and Haiti.
President of Ghana thanks Israel. President John Dramani Mahama congratulated the Israeli government for sending in experts in rescue mission to assist in efforts to help people trapped under the debris of the collapsed Achimota branch of Melcom Shopping Mall. The eight member team included sniffer dogs and high tech equipment including life detectors, sensors, cameras and drilling equipment.
India & South Korea want the Iron Dome. (Thanks to Herb) Indian and South Korean defence planners are keeping a close watch on the performance of Israel's Iron Dome that has been countering Fajr V rockets fired by Hamas terrorists from Gaza at Israeli cities. Iron Dome has intercepted 87 per cent of the short-range rockets.
http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/india-looks-to-israel-s-iron-dome-to-counter-short-range-rockets-9665.html http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000799298&fid=1725
Water technology for Massachusetts. A delegation of 48 executives from the Massachusetts water industry cluster travel to Israel in December to develop Israeli partnerships to help satisfy the world’s thirst for water. They will run a competition to bring Israeli executives to the USA to meet potential customers and investors.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Storing up solar power at the Technion. How do you convert solar energy into a fuel that you can use when there is no sun? A project team at Israel’s Technion is developing a solution that traps the energy as light in solar cells and then uses it to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
And also at Ben Gurion. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev (BGU) have developed a radically new design for a concentrator solar cell that, when irradiated from the side, generates solar conversion efficiencies that rival, and may eventually surpass, the most ultra-efficient photovoltaics.
New Israeli thermo-solar energy plants. Israel Corporation is to build a 60MW solar power station at Kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh in the Negev. It comes hot on the heels of announcements of a 120MW thermo-solar energy project at Kibbutz Zeelim nearby and agreement on a 121MW facility at Ashelim.
Israeli team in US robotics challenge. U.S. Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has just launched its Robotics Challenge with the participation of researchers from Israeli universities and leaders from the Israeli robotics industry. Israel was the only foreign team accepted to develop control software for the robot.
Israeli satellites are out of this world. Israel leads the world in research satellites. Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz reported that Israel has launched 13 satellites that have collectively accumulated 66 orbiting years and achieved 100 percent orbit mission successes.
International prize for Israeli birdman. The Bruno H. Schubert Foundation of Frankfurt awarded its annual prize for excellence in natural sciences to Israeli ornithologist Dr. Yossi Leshem for his contributions to the research and preservation of birds in Israel. Dr Leshem works in Tel Aviv University’s zoology department.
Solving the world’s water shortage. (Thanks to Israel21c) Israel’s Advanced Mem-Tech has a solution to the shortfall in global water supplies. Using technology from Israel’s Technion, it has developed a “high permeability” polymer membrane filter that requires far less energy than existing membranes.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel’s economy is still growing. The Bank of Israel's Composite State-of-the-Economy Index for October 2012 increased by 0.1 percent from its September level. The Gaza conflict did little long-term damage to the economy. Residents and businesses impacted within 40km of Gaza and those directly hit will be compensated.
Orbit soars on satellite contract. Israel’s Orbit Technologies announced a $150 million contract for hundreds of its Ka-Band communications systems with one of the world's largest satellite ventures, a consortium of carriers, which provide satellite high-speed broadband communications to billions of peoples.
Confidence in New Tech. The government of Israel is to continue to support Israel’s water sector through the pioneering Israel NewTech program, which has been extended until 2014. When Israel NewTech began its activity in 2006 Israel’s water exports stood at about $700 million. In 2011 water exports reached $2 billion.
Another gas discovery. A further major natural gas deposit has been discovered off the coast of Israel. The Karish 1 prospect is offshore from Nahariya, and close to the existing Leviathan deposit. Estimates of the size of the gas deposit are approximately two trillion cubic feet.
Internet for Mozambique. Israel’s Ceragon Networks has received $6.5 million worth of follow-on orders from Mozambique Cellular to expand the carrier's microwave network, providing the only broadband connection available to millions of Mozambicans.
Services to Aus and NZ. Israel’s International Software Solutions specialist Retalix will provide system support for more than 3,000 Woolworths locations and 25,000 point-of-sale (POS) terminals, serving more than 24 million customers every week across Australia and New Zealand.
Add a splash of Soda. Israel’s Sodastream International is really bubbling with enthusiasm over its latest joint venture with Campbell’s Soups. Campbell’s V8 Splash and V8 V-Fusion fruity drinks will be converted into carbonated drinks and sold as a new flavour by the popular Israeli fizzy drinks maker.
EU OK’s Teva P&G joint venture. The European Commission has approved the joint venture between Teva and Procter & Gamble for their over-the-counter (OTC) medicines business.
Rome comes to Israel. The Italian Trade Promotion Agency, an Italian government group, along with the Israel-Italy Chamber of Commerce and a slew of banks, government agencies, and start-ups, held the first-ever Italian start-up event in Israel, “Italian Innovation In The Start-Up Nation.”
Israeli investment fund is one of world’s largest. The Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) fund is Israel's leading venture capital fund and one of the top 10 most successful funds in the world. JVP manages $900 million in six different funds. Israeli business newspaper Calcalist analysed 143 companies and 716 funds.
Turkey wants Israel's gas. A very strange comment by senior Turkish official Mithat Rende seemed to signify a thaw in government relations with Israel. “"Construction of a pipeline to Turkey is the best way to export Israeli gas”. Also Turkish remarks during the recent Gaza conflict were very restrained. Hmm...
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli-Arab rapper looks to make it big. ‘I’m the American Middle Eastern dream,’ says Sameh Zakout, aka SAZ, a Ramle boy who dreams about making it big in Los Angeles after his stint on an Israeli reality show. Zakout has an American professional coach, an Israeli manager, an Arab booking agent, and high hopes.
Plenty to do in Israel. For those tourists who realise that Israel is as safe as ever, here are 10 top recommended events. Highights include two jazz concerts; an Ethiopian photo exhibition in Netanya; Israel Museum’s “Modern Judaica” exhibition; and a Negev tour “In the footsteps of Ben Gurion”.
THE JEWISH STATE
Ask what you can give to your country. Lev and Svetlana Hazant, both in their 80s, moved from the Ukraine to Israel 11 years ago but have just finished selling their foreign home. They decided to donate the proceeds to fund the renovation of an IDF outpost on the Israel-Egypt border. “What we have is enough”, they said.
Broaden the conversation. Israeli Consul General of New York, Ido Aharoni, has been encouraging people like me to build relationships with Israel via through its creative contributions. Hi-tech, agriculture, dance, fashion and TV programs as areas of Israeli creativity that can be inspiring to international audiences.
On-line schooling in bomb shelters. Just because hundreds of rockets are falling on Israeli homes doesn’t mean that kids have to stop learning. Israelis put such an emphasis on education that the classroom has gone virtual. This new program is from World ORT and is called the Schulich Canada Smart Classroom Initiative
http://www.timesofisrael.com/war-no-excuse-to-miss-school-thanks-to-innovative-smart-classroom-tech/
Technology helps life under fire. Call it a silver lining, maybe, but videos and websites are help Israelis stay safe and inform the world about what life is like for Israelis under attack.
