Israel is a World Cup Winner

http://blogs.jpost.com/content/israel-world-cup-winner

http://blogs.jpost.com/print/5530

The media often uses major sporting events, such as the current FIFA 2014 soccer World Cup, to provide audiences with a little light relief from the seemingly endless stream of bad-news stories.  In contrast, I present you with a blog of positive news featuring some of the recent achievements of the Jewish State’s world-class team.

I’ll begin, however, with the tournament currently taking place in Brazil.  Israel’s world-leading Unmanned Air Vehicles and cameras were demonstrated simultaneously in the skies above Rio de Janeiro. A Heron UAV made by Israel Aerospace Industries, fitted with a heat-sensing camera from Israel’s Elbit Systems helped Brazilian police capture a criminal gang leader, to prevent violence during the World Cup.  The Brazilian Air Force is also deploying Elbit’s own UAVs in the shape of the Hermes 450 and 900, which are conducting safety and security missions during World Cup matches.

Back on the ground, Israel’s global dominance in security systems is in evidence at the 44,000-seat Arena Patanal World Cup stadium in Cuiaba where Israel’s Risco Group has implemented a command and control system.   In another city, administrators serving 24 Brazilian Government agencies will operate the Situator incident management platform from Israel’s NICE Systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LkE3jmp9As

We now leave the world of soccer for the world of medicine to read that Forbes has just produced its list of top 10 world-changing health tech companies.  It contained no less than six Israeli firms - ReWalk, uMoove, Telesofia, Surgical Theater, TotallyPregnant and HelpAround.  Surprisingly, it didn’t include Israeli start-up MobileOCT, which won the 2014 Vodafone Americas Foundation Wireless Innovation Project for its program to help residents in Southern USA detect cervical cancer.  MobileOCT’s additional ability to detect early stage melanomas (skin cancers) was even featured in a program on BBC World.

The flawed United Nations still performs some useful global functions.  It distributes satellite images to rescuers in disaster areas, and will now be enhanced with those from Israeli satellites.   The UN, together with the World Health Organization, also backed Israeli NGO Wheelchairs of Hope, designers of the world’s first affordable, child-friendly wheelchair.  (The video of the Israeli charity is in Arabic with English subtitles.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_w7i7secPY

Israel’s cup is truly running over, due to the water technology that it brings to a parched world.  California is currently experiencing a drought of near Biblical proportions and has turned to Israel to help hydrate its economy.  Trade journal Global Water Intelligence bestowed its top awards on Israel’s IDE Technologies in recognition of its water desalination plants at Carlsbad in San Diego, California and at Soreq in Israel.  In Mexico, Israel’s Desalitech is installing its Closed Circuit Desalination Reverse Osmosis technology.  Israel’s Blue I Water Technologies is installing high-precision water quality analyzers in Beijing, China and also in India and Paraguay.  Israel’s Mapal Green Energy has now been selected to install its wastewater treatment systems, by three of the largest UK water companies serving nearly half the homes in England.

Israel is a world power in renewable energy.  Israel’s Sunflower plans to construct up to five wind farms in Finland.  Israel’s Ormat Technologies will soon be generating geothermal energy in Indonesia and has had its 13th geothermal power plant inaugurated in New Zealand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEdWXbn35kQ

Israel’s parliament building will soon be the most environment-friendly law-making institution in the world, with 4,600 sq meters of solar panels on its roof.  Knesset Director-General Ronen Plot paraphrased a Biblical verse "Out of Zion shall go forth the law of green and renewable energy."

Newly found natural gas deposits have turned Israel into a real power player which even Turkey and Egypt have recognized by promising to purchase supplies.  Other energetic activities include Israel Corporation Power’s recent acquisition of power plants in Jamaica, Nicaragua, Colombia, Chile and Peru. And Israel has even bounced back from the defeat of its electric car project to celebrate the racetrack debut of the Aluminium-air battery developed by Israel’s Phinergy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNauK0Gb1-c

Finally, back to the soccer World Cup.  Israelis have bought more World Cup tickets per capita than any other country without a team in Brazil.  And Israeli soccer fans are not even downhearted that their team didn’t qualify.  Their attitude mirrors the ethos of the Jewish State that always looks to the future and knows that things will get even better.  Just the other week, for instance, Israel came top of their qualifying group and for the first time ever will be heading to the finals next month of the European under-19 Soccer Championships in Hungary.

“Come on Israel.  Champions!”

Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

For a free subscription, email a request to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com

So where is Israel exactly?

http://blogs.jpost.com/content/so-where-israel-exactly

http://blogs.jpost.com/print/5056

 

Locating tiny Israel on a world map can be a difficult exercise. Many people would even be uncertain as to which continent Israel belongs to.  One thing you can be sure of, however, is that you will find Israelis all over the world providing help to millions with innovative products and development aid.

I will start in the medical arena where CNN recently reported that the “robotic trousers” from Israel’s ReWalk are now helping paraplegics to walk at 23 treatment centers across the United States.  Next, following the BBC’s program about Israel’s InSightec curing tremor due to brain defects, InSightec has now revealed that a major UK hospital has bought the company’s ExAblate MRI focused ultrasound device to non-invasively remove uterine fibroids.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has just finished running a conference to analyze how the Jews of pre-State Palestine eliminated malaria.  Lessons learned could help remove the scourge of malaria prevalent currently in Africa.  Israel is also working to develop malaria treatments and innovative methods to kill the mosquitoes that spread the virus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsFaA2uMz4M

Due to Arab belligerence, the United Nations has never been able to place Israel in its rightful geographic group.  But last week, the UN passed an Israeli-sponsored resolution dedicated to sustainable agricultural advancements for developing countries.  138 countries voted “Yes” whilst all the Arab states abstained.  An example of Israel’s earth-shattering agro-tech companies is Rootility, which has a root-growing platform that can increase world crop yields substantially.  It was the star of Israel’s recent AgriVest agricultural conference. In a separate development Ben-Gurion University announced that it is establishing a center for excellence on fertile land erosion.

Israel recently has received world recognition for its humanitarian efforts.  On its Northern border, Israel has been sending water and baby food to besieged Syrian villages.  In addition to bringing injured Syrians into Israeli hospitals for treatment, the IDF has also been using its groundbreaking innovation of freeze-dried plasma in its field hospitals to save wounded Syrians from critical blood loss. Meanwhile, Israel’s IsraAID delegation continues to provide relief to typhoon victims in the Philippines. The team is dealing with trauma and physical health problems, extending its role as other countries pull out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4_oCjc0zXU

Last week three Israeli companies separately announced large contracts with countries on the American continent.  Israel’s Ormat Industries is to build and operate the first-ever geothermal power plant in Honduras, producing 18-megawatts of renewable energy from heat sources deep below the Earth’s surface.  In Peru, Kallpa Generaction, a subsidiary of Israel Corporation, has been awarded the Peruvian government tender to build a 593MW dual-fuel power station.  The agreement is for 20 years and worth $1 billion.  Finally, Israel’s national water carrier Mekorot has signed an agreement with Mexico to help purify and protect the groundwater in Mexican aquifers.

Israeli technology received global attention when Eldad Farkash of Israel’s SiSense won a top prize at the World Technology Awards. Farkash has invented software that allows business users to analyze vast amounts of data at huge speeds using minimal hardware.  Hungry multinational company Apple Inc swallowed yet another bite of Israeli hi-tech when it paid $350 million for Tel Aviv-based PrimeSense, whose revolutionary gesture recognition technology is embedded in Microsoft’s Kinect running on Xbox 360 game consoles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0X67BaOVxc

On the international stage, the Jewish State was recognized for its human rights when the Women in Parliament Global Forum awarded Israel the prize for progress at the European Parliament in Brussels. According to the OECD, Israel is among a minority of 9 percent of developed countries with gender-sensitive institutions in the seat of government.  And Japan’s Cultural Institute awarded Professor Ben-Ami Shillony of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem its annual prize for promoting the understanding between cultures.  Professor Shillony’s book “The Secret of Japan’s Strength” was selected ahead of 74 other works in Japanese.

Finally, proof that perception of Israel changes dramatically for the better when people see the Jewish State close up.  A survey of easyJet passengers from the UK showed that 65 percent of first-time tourists had improved their view of the Jewish State following their visit.  And 82 percent would recommend it to others as a holiday destination.

So if your friends don’t know where Israel is, persuade them to come here and find it.

Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

For a free subscription, email a request to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com

Israel is on the Map

http://blogs.jpost.com/content/israel-map

http://blogs.jpost.com/print/4282

A new Facebook application shows the location of Israeli Clean-tech projects and installations everywhere in the world. So this week I thought that I would share with you some more of Israel’s news stories where Israel appears on the global stage in a positive way.

The world will definitely benefit from two pieces of news from Israel’s Technion Institute.  Firstly, the eNose early diagnostic breath test for lung cancer developed by Technion Professor Hossam Haick is to go commercial.  The Technion has announced a joint venture with Alpha Szenszor Inc. to produce an economically viable, non-invasive, digital screening tool.  The other item is good news for infertile couples.  A Technion research team has produced human eggs using cells from the amniotic sac that surrounds a baby in the womb.  Experts believe that donation of the amniotic sac will be more acceptable than egg donation from fertile women.  No wonder that the goals of Israel’s Technion Rappaport Faculty of Medicine are “To reduce suffering and save lives – for the sake of all humanity.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xevd-oJFI44&feature=youtu.be

The map of the Middle East would appear far less hostile if Israel’s Arab neighbors would appreciate Israel’s efforts to reach out to them.  Nature certainly knows no borders and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies accepts equal numbers of students from Israeli Jews, Arabs from Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan; and international applicants.  And as the World Health Organization’s 2012 report confirms, Israel approved 98.7 percent of Palestinian applications from Gaza to receive medical care in Israeli hospitals. In total, Israel treated 210,469 Palestinian Arabs in 2012.

Two relatively positive articles about Israel were published last week in London’s Arab daily newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. They were written by Dr. Amal al-Hazzani, an assistant professor at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  They attracted a flood of hate mail, of course.  And it was predictable that two Iranian athletes decided to default rather than take the stage with Israelis at the World Judo Championships.  It didn’t upset the Israeli team, who celebrated with two gold medals and a bronze.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3qNI_ZjEGU&feature=player_embedded

In contrast, Japan has just inaugurated a statue honoring the assistance that Israel provided following the 2011 tsunami in one of the hardest hit towns, Yanmei-Sanriku.  Meanwhile, seventy public health professionals from over 20 countries in Africa and across the globe have come to participate in the 2nd Pears International Master's in Public Health (IMPH) Alumni Reunion at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

One of Israel’s best international friends, Canada, sent a group of 11 business schools to Israel to learn about innovation and how to start up new companies.  And in a moving article, Ryan Bellerose – a native of the Métis colony in Northern Alberta, Canada – wrote about Israel’s epic story and his hope that the Metis keeps walking the same road as the Jewish people.

Israel is constantly seeking to improve relations with other nations.  But its latest bridge-building exercise is more literal.  The link from the Ariel Sharon Environment Park at Hiriya to the main thoroughfare leading to Tel Aviv will be constructed from some of the 800,000 aging maritime shipping containers that the world dumps each year.  The bridge even has solar-powered lighting.  Next, a by-product of Tawkon’s mobile phone emissions warning system is that it can create a map of network coverage.  So even if there is insufficient evidence of the dangers of radiation, it can enable better reception and also increase your battery life.

International police forces will now be able to produce a map of crime hot spots, thanks to Professor David Weisburd of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of Criminology. His 16-year study has proved that 50% of city crime occurs in 5% of the streets.  In related news, Israel Technion’s Kira Radinsky and Microsoft’s Eric Horvitz have developed a program that can produce a world map of predicted disease and violence outbreaks with 70 to 90 percent accuracy.

You need to consult an atlas to see the extent that Israeli companies are working across the globe. For example, Israeli communications company Gilat has just won a contract with the Mexican government to supply over 7,000 SkyEdge VSATs to schools and government offices in order to provide thousands of rural classrooms and with Internet connectivity.  And if you were watching the American Super Bowl you cannot fail to have seen the huge TV screens featuring Israeli drinks maker SodaStream.  Finally, Israeli wineries were again showing their world class in the second annual Wine Seven Two kosher wine exhibition in Jerusalem.  Israel was the center of wine production in Biblical times and today it is becoming so once more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UXiPGdCyTKY

To finish, the team behind SpaceIL is confident that in 2015 the Israeli flag will be flying on the surface of the Moon.  And Israel’s largest communications company, Bezeq has backed up that promise by signing up as the project’s first corporate sponsor.

Israel’s achievements span the world – and beyond.

Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing Good News stories about Israel.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

For a free subscription, email a request to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com

Israeli Help When You Need It

http://blogs.jpost.com/content/israeli-help-when-you-need-it