Sunday, January 12, 2020

More Good News. Dollar General "Deplorable's" Department Store.


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Ordman  and Israel. (See 1 edited below.)
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Salena writes about Dollar General as part of Americana.  It is the "deporable's" department store. (See 2 below.)
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Dick
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1) Israel is definitely on the up. This week's positive Israel newsletter confirms that 2019 was a record-breaking year for the Israeli economy, investment and tourism. Meanwhile, just two weeks into 2020 we see Israeli medical breakthroughs, international awards for debating and technology, and Israeli support for disaster victims in Australia and Puerto Rico. There are major Israeli developments in autonomous vehicles, renewable energy, defense systems and cybersecurity. And archaeological discoveries continue to link the Land of Israel to the Jewish people


Best regards
Michael
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In the 12th Jan 20 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

  • Israeli scientists make a molecule to prevent viruses spreading from rodents to humans.
  • Israel sends aid and volunteers to combat disasters in Australia and Puerto Rico.
  • Israeli innovations win awards and praise at CES 2020 in Las Vegas.
  • An Israeli startup is developing a waste-to-energy system.
  • A record number of tourists visited Israel in 2019.
  • A million Israelis watch the start of the 3rd season of Israeli TV series Fauda.
  • Archaeologists find 2nd Temple period coins and stone measuring table.
 

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Decoy molecule neutralizes dangerous viruses. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute and at Tel Aviv University have engineered a molecule called Arenacept to fool and destroy viruses that migrate from rodents to humans. Arenacept binds strongly to the virus, acting as a decoy. It also triggers the immune system’s defenses.
https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/chemistry/decoy-molecule-neutralizes-range-viruses

US Government buys Israeli wound treatment. As per its 2015 contract with Israel’s MediWound (see here), the U.S. Department of Health (HSS), is stockpiling $16.5 million worth of MediWound’s NexoBrid burns treatment. HSS has options on another $50 million of NexoBrid.
http://www.globenewswire.com/fr/news-release/2020/01/06/1966319/0/en/BARDA-Initiates-the-Procurement-of-NexoBrid-for-Emergency-Response.html

Lowering the cost of X-rays. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Nanox is an Israeli/Japanese cooperation that has created the world’s first commercial-grade digital X-ray source for medical imaging applications. Nanox’s novel technology can significantly reduce the costs of medical imaging systems.
https://www.nanox.vision/

Program benefits patients and doctors. Since 2015 Bar-Ilan University’s ETGAR program requires its med students to visit patients at home after discharge from hospital. A study shows patients benefit significantly, especially those who are poor, isolated, understand little Hebrew, or lack education. Future doctors also benefit.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-hospital-stay-disadvantaged-patients-show-benefit-from-med-student-visits/

Lessons learned tackling measles in Samoa. The Israeli team of nine doctors and nurses from Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer has returned from helping Samoa combat its measles epidemic. The team emphasized how vital a vaccination program was in preventing similar outbreaks.
https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-team-who-treated-measles-patients-in-Samoa-Get-vaccinated-612185

Attorney leaves $15 million to Israeli hospital. Although retired attorney Daniel Jacobson led a modest life, he bequeathed 50 million shekels (approximately $15 million) to Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital.  It will cover 10 new operating rooms and other major upgrades to the hospital.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-mystery-millionaire-makes-massive-donation-to-israeli-hospital/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdJAPK2lPwg


ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

Government funding for all citizens. This article highlights Israel Innovation Authority funding for women, ultra-Orthodox and Israeli-Arab entrepreneurs. The startups featured include a medical device to protect the eyes of diabetics; the world’s first property management computer and a platform for smart beauty tips.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3776732,00.html

Coexistence in Israeli mixed cities. In every Israeli mixed Jewish-Arab city there is close cooperation between Jews and Arabs at every level of municipal administration and activity. 81% of Jewish residents said relations with Arab residents were good and 89% of the Arab residents said relations with Jewish residents were good.
https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/cities-with-mixed-populations-are-breaking-down-barriers/

Training PA and Gaza nurses. 16 nurses (11 from the Palestinian Authority and 5 from Gaza) took part in a four-day medical simulation course at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan.  The program also featured sessions on managerial skills, focusing on how to deal with tense situations.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-nurses-hone-their-skills-at-israeli-medical-institution/

Israelis win debating championships again. For the 3rd time, an Israeli team has won the World Universities Debate Championship. It was the first Israeli women’s team to win, defeating 750 international contestants in the English Second Language (ESL) category, in Bangkok, Thailand.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israelis-take-the-Gold-defeat-750-people-at-World-Debating-Championship-613457

Israel sends aid for fire-injured Australian animals. Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo has raised money to donate veterinary medical supplies to treat animals suffering from the fires raging in Australia. The items include burn creams, milk replacers, wound sprays and hydration concentrates to be used in Victoria's East Gippsland region.
https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/nature/australia-fire-animals-israel-humanitarian-aid
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Jerusalem-Zoo-sends-money-to-help-fire-injured-animals-in-Australia-613203   https://www.causematch.com/en/jerusalemzoo/

Aid to Puerto Rico. Volunteers from Israeli NGO IsraAID were still helping Puerto Rico recover from 2017’s Hurricane Maria (see here), when the island was struck by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. Over one million people have no electricity and water, and an estimated 300 are homeless. IsraAID is conducting a needs assessment.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-ngo-rushes-to-provide-relief-after-puerto-rico-quake/

Surprise for Israeli in Sweden. Israeli Noam Shalev was worried when a Syrian refugee waitress in Sweden asked where Noam was from. He said “Israel” and rushed to the exit. But the waitress and her sister stopped him and thanked him for Israel’s medical treatment that saved their mother during the Syrian civil war.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1213903643897946112.html

Video of the decade.  Some of Israel’s major achievements in the last 10 years, summarized in 2 mins 18 secs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CByPSI-bmOA


SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Israeli innovations at world’s largest technology fair.  Three dozen Israeli startups exhibited at CES 2020 in Las Vegas (Jan 7 – 10) It is the world’s biggest technology fair with 175,000 attendees. There were 22 startups in the Israeli pavilion. El Al even added an extra flight to arrive on the morning of the first day. It was sold out.
https://www.israel21c.org/20-israeli-companies-to-get-excited-about-at-ces/  https://www.israelatces.com/
https://nocamels.com/2020/01/israel-tech-ces-las-vegas-2020-statement/

A PA for the blind and deaf. At CES 2020, Israel’s OrCam launched an upgraded MyEye 2 with AI and voice commands. It has become a wearable Personal Assistant for the visually disabled. OrCam also won the show’s “Best Innovation” award for OrCam Hear, for the hard-of-hearing to follow a conversation in a noisy room.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3777402,00.html

Watergen wins major award at CES. Israel’s Watergen, the company that turns air into drinking water, was named Energy Efficiency Product of the Year at the 2020 Smart Home Mark of Excellence Awards at CES Las Vegas. Each year, the Consumer Technology Association’s awards recognize the top smart home innovations.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israeli-tech-company-producing-water-from-air-earns-honor-in-Las-Vegas-613623  http://nocamels.com/2020/01/water-air-generator-genny-watergen-ces-award/

Enjoy the ride. At CES 2020 Israel’s Mobileye released this video of a ride through Jerusalem’s busy streets in an autonomous car controlled by Mobileye’s 12-camera sensor suite. It negotiates road works, unprotected left turns, busy roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and some very heavy traffic.  And it doesn’t put a foot wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCWL0XF_f8Y
http://nocamels.com/2020/01/ces-2020-mobileye-mapping-robotaxi-partnerships-autonomous-car/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/watch-mobileyes-self-driving-car-on-streets-of-jerusalem/

A decade of Israeli innovation. One of many articles highlighting the major technologies and inventions of the past 10 years. Waze, Moovit, Watergen, MarginProbe, Iron Dome, ReWalk, OrCam, 3D-printed heart, NanoGhost, DayTwo and SpaceIL’s Beresheet.  All featured previously in this newsletter (see here).
https://www.timesofisrael.com/celebrating-a-decade-of-life-changing-israeli-inventions/

How microbes decompose biomass. Ben Gurion University Professor Itzhak Mizrahi has already received two European Research Council grants for his research into how microbes degrade plant waste. Now he has received a third one – this time from German research funder Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/osr/pages/news/ItzhakMizrahi_ERC.aspx
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/mizrachi_erc.aspx

Breakthrough in laser defense systems. Following a “technological breakthrough,” Israel’s Defense Ministry has re-started development of a laser beam system (see here) capable of destroying incoming rockets and small drones, to complement Iron Dome. The new system is expensive but will have negligible operational costs.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/defense-ministry-announces-breakthrough-in-anti-missile-laser-development/

 Cybertech is back. Cybertech 2020, the largest annual cybersecurity event in the world outside the US, takes place in Tel Aviv Jan 28 - 30.  Hundreds of Israeli startups are exhibiting and some 18,000 attendees from over 80 countries are expected to attend. Startups will also compete in Cybertech’s Startup Innovation Challenge.
http://nocamels.com/2019/12/israel-cybertech-conference-2020-expo-tel-aviv-cybersecurity/

Turning garbage into energy. One of the recipients of the latest joint US-Israel BIRD foundation grant (see here) is Israel’s Exency. Together with US Brayton Energy they are developing “a low-cost and high-efficiency solid biomass and solid waste fueled electricity generation system” in the Israeli town of Sderot.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/waste-not-israeli-company-turns-garbage-into-energy/


 ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Israeli growth tops all Western countries. Israel’s economy, measured by its GDP, grew by 3.3% in 2019. This was the highest rate among Western countries and almost double the OECD average of 1.7%.  Israel’s GDP has risen 44% in the past decade. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3776899,00.html
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-economy-gdp-idUSKBN1YZ0SE
https://lifeserv.bgu.ac.il/wp/imizrahi/

Israeli foreign reserves rise by $3.64 billion. Israel’s foreign currency reserves soared in December by a record $3.64 billion to end the year at a new all-time high of just over $126 billion. In 2019, the Israeli Shekel appreciated against all major Western currencies and became the world’s strongest currency.
https://www.boi.org.il/en/NewsAndPublications/PressReleases/Pages/7-1-2020.aspx
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3777323,00.html
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-why-the-shekel-is-the-worlds-strongest-currency-1001296566

Record year for digital health. The 580 Israeli digital health startups raised $662 million in 2019 - a 32% increase on 2018. Israel is unique, as all citizens are members of a health company, each with some three decades of (anonymized) digitized data, available for startups to develop breakthrough systems and devices.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3776538,00.html

A booming decade. Just one of many articles summarizing Israel’s economic achievements of the last 10 years. It highlights that there are more than 6,400 startups and 362 multinational companies operating in Israel today.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/startup-nation-looks-back-at-booming-tech-decade-and-the-challenges-that-remain/

Record 4.6 million tourists. (TY WIN) A record 4.6 million tourists visited Israel in 2019 - 12% more than in 2018. Most were from the US, followed by France, Russia, Germany and Britain. Tourism contributed some NIS 22.5 billion ($6.6 billion) to the economy in 2019. Tel Aviv is one of Google’s top trending destinations.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/record-4-9-million-people-visited-israel-in-2019-12-more-than-2018/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3777400,00.html

Direct flights from Moldova. Every airline seems to want to fly to Israel.  The latest is Moldovan low-cost airline FlyOne, which in April launches a twice-weekly route between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport and Moldova’s capital Chisinau. Air Moldova, Israel’s Arkia and Israir already fly the route during peak season.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3776496,00.html

Israeli Unicorns doubled in 2019. (TY Janglo) Israel has 20 Unicorns, privately-held companies worth more than $1 billion. Only the US, China and the UK have more. The new ones are Riskified, InMode, Monday.com, Vayyar, Fabric, Lemonade, Next Insurance, Lightricks, Hippo, Trax and SentinelOne. (See here).
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-doubles-number-of-unicorns-in-2019-1001312322

Tesla starts up in Israel. (TY Hazel & Jacques) US electric carmaker Tesla has opened a store in the Ramat Aviv mall for shoppers to register for a new Tesla car. Tesla Motors Israel has been registered as a fully owned subsidiary company in Israel and a 2000 sq. meter Tel Aviv showroom already has several Tesla Model 3 cars.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-tesla-to-open-pop-up-store-in-tel-aviv-mall-1001313004
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3777390,00.html
http://israelbetweenthelines.com/2020/01/09/tesla-enters-israeli-market/

The first Israeli accelerator for Italian startups. The Italian Embassy in Israel and Italian Bank Intesa Sanpaolo has selected 7 startups to join its first accelerator program for Italian startups in Israel, based in Eilat. The Italian Ambassador praised “the Startup Nation’s extraordinary and dynamic ecosystem”.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/italy-to-launch-accelerator-program-for-italian-startups-in-israel/

The largest cybersecurity exit. Israel’s Armis (see here), maker of Internet of Things (IoT) security software, is being acquired by US-based Insight Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm, in a cash deal that values the Israeli firm at $1.1 billion. The deal is the largest ever for a private Israeli cybersecurity company.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-largest-israeli-cybersecurity-deal-insight-buys-armis-at-1-1b-valuation/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3777203,00.html

Roman Abramovich buys $58 million Tel Aviv offices. Israeli-Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has bought a beach-front office building in Tel Aviv for NIS 200 million. The property could be converted into a hotel or a residential building. Abramovich (see here) is also building a $27 million mansion in Neve Tzedek.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3776642,00.html


CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT

Another smash hit season of Fauda. The first episode of the third season of the Israeli hit drama “Fauda” was viewed by about 1 million Israelis. The TV series, about an IDF commando unit, is in Hebrew and Arabic. Netflix aired its first two seasons with English subtitles. The third season will be shown on Netflix during 2020.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/fauda-a-smash-in-3rd-season-as-1-million-israelis-watch-debut/

Things to do in Israel in January. This month’s events include The Batsheva Dance Company performing Ohad Nahrin’s “Venezuela” in Tel Aviv; the Eilat Chamber Music festival and the Israman Triathlon.
https://www.touristisrael.com/things-to-do-in-israel-in-january/3792/


THE JEWISH STATE

The top finds of 2019. Another “best of” 2019 article this time focusing on the most important archaeological discoveries in Israel over the past year. They include the ‘Ikkar Ben Matanyahu’ and Adoniyahu seals. Goliath’s city, the Pilgrim’s Path, 5th century synagogue mosaics, a 7000-year-old sea wall and Biblical beer.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/digging-the-land-the-top-10-holy-land-archaeology-stories-of-2019/

 Growing Biblical plants in Israel. Between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, 20,000 plants are cultivated on the 2-acre Balm of Gilead Farm. They include species mentioned in the Bible, such as frankincense trees and myrrh bushes. Many of these plants were lost to the Holy Land for centuries and are now beginning to flourish again.
https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/293833/biblical-plants-israel
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2)

Dollar General is a part of Americana 

By Salena Zito

TARR, Penn.- “No one at Dollar General will argue that its stores have the same nostalgic charm that Woolworths held within its wood-planked floors or charming lunch counters, but the premise is the same, with one exception: It was hard to find examples of any town councils wanting to restrict their citizens from shopping at Woolworth's within their city limits back then.“
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Click here for the full story.


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