I posted this last commentary because several of my intelligent liberal friends voted for Biden because they found Trump to be vulgar. When I ask them about Cuomo they talk about Trump and when I ask them what they think about Biden now they tell me how pleased they are that he has brought dignity to The White House. They see no border crisis and duck the idea of children in cages.
They are intelligent, they have been successful in varied careers and yet, they act like they can't bring themselves to wake up and smell the petunias. I find it painful and truly amazing the lengths theoretically bright people will go to defend their questionable judgement.
They also claim they are considerate of others, are compassionate and try to do right .
And:
Another revered icon seems to have fallen on his sword. Fauci, the genius in charge of viruses and the revered CDC ain't looking so good these days. We locked down an entire nation and would have been infinitely better off if Fauci had gotten lock jaw.
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Just another Democrat canard used to create chaos and posture about the most sacred right that separates America from totalitarian nations:
https://www.dailywire.com/news
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This week's positive
Israel newsletter is full of Israeli innovations and activities that benefit
the planet. They include positive coronavirus vaccination information, Covid-19
treatments and global support; medical breakthroughs, advice and humanitarian aid;
alternatives to animal testing, animal slaughter and non-disposable waste;
microchips for outer space and pan-global satellite connectivity. And there are
signs in the skies over Israel that the pandemic may soon be over.
Best regards
Michael
-
In the 14th Mar 21
edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israel re-opens to millions of
vaccinated and recovered Israelis.
· Israeli researchers have
successfully implemented an alternative to animal testing.
· An IDF medical team is on its way
to treat victims of explosion in Equatorial Guinea.
· An Israeli diaper cleaning system
protects the environment.
· Israeli cultured beef will help
Brazil cut greenhouse gas emissions.
· After a century, Israel’s Moshav
farms are still going strong.
If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
5 million vaccinated. Israel’s five millionth recipient of the Covid-19 vaccine
was a pregnant 34-year-old from the Tel Aviv suburb of Petah Tikva,
Restaurants, cafes, attractions, hotels, event venues, places of worship, most
school grades 7-10, and more, have opened. Only 3% of serious Covid-19 cases
had received a 2nd shot.
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/1615223985-israel-s-vaccination-drive-passes-5-000-000-mark
https://www.timesofisrael.com/less-than-3-of-serious-covid-cases-are-fully-vaccinated-proving-effectiveness/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKdoAsxY8KE
Learning from our mistakes. One of Israel’s Health Medical
Organizations (HMOs) accidentally used a half-sized needle to apply the first
Pfizer vaccine into 1,000 Israelis. But when 60% of them were tested three
weeks later, they were all found to have high levels of antibodies. The US CDC
was pleased to hear the outcome.
https://worldisraelnews.com/right-injection-wrong-needle-israel-accidentally-finds-out-if-the-corona-vaccine-will-still-work/
SARS-Cov-2 treatment subsidiary. Israeli biotech Pepticom
(reported here previously)
has raised $2.6 million to establish a company that can treat SARS-Cov-2 and
its mutations. It will implement AI technology to design, discover and develop
novel peptide molecules.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3897696,00.html https://pepticom.com/
Helping Covid patients to breathe. Israel's Sheba Medical Center is
partnering Israel’s Inspira Technologies in trials of its new respiratory
treatment for Covid-19 patients suffering from acute breathing difficulties.
The Augmented Respiration Treatment (ART) directly oxygenates blood while the
patient remains conscious.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3894246,00.html https://inspira-technologies.com/
A natural treatment for Covid? IDC Herzliya researchers at Israel’s
MIGAL laboratory, with Icelandic scientists, have identified that spirulina
algae can reduce the cytokine storm that kills Covid-19 patients. The algae was
supplied by Israel’s VAXA (Iceland based) who have EU funding to find natural
cures for Covid-19.
https://www.newsrael.com/post/-MUZUMu2rI9dtUFz07He https://www.vaxa.life/
https://www.jpost.com/health-science/israeli-researchers-say-spirulina-algae-could-stop-covid-19-deaths-660064 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10126-021-10020-z
Breakthrough in protein synthesis. Arab-Israeli Professor Ashraf
Brik (see here previously) of
Israel’s Technion and his team have overcome a 60-year technical problem to
synthesize plectasin, a peptide with promising antibiotic results against
multi-resistant bacteria, and linaclotide, to treat irritable bowel syndrome.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2021/02/six-decades-old-protein-synthesis-problem-solved-at-technion/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21209-0
New way to diagnose neurological conditions. Scientists at Ben
Gurion University have confirmed the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease,
epilepsy, traumatic brain injury and stroke from electroencephalogram (EEG)
patterns. Analysis of changes in brain blood vessel pathology can provide fast
diagnosis of those conditions.
https://www.israel21c.org/scientists-discover-new-way-to-diagnose-neurological-conditions/
Eliminating animal testing. Hebrew
University researchers have developed a chip containing human tissue with
microscopic sensors to precisely monitor the response of the kidney, liver and
heart to specific treatments. It is believed to be the first treatment to be
submitted to the US FDA for human trials without animal testing.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israelis-create-cancer-drug-using-human-simulating-chip-instead-of-animal-tests/ https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/13/582/eabd6299
Fast glaucoma treatment in trials. Israel’s Belkin Laser
(reported here previously) is
conducting a large-scale clinical study of its Eagle laser glaucoma treatment
in Europe and Israel. Patients at more than 10 sites are testing the
computer-guided device that uses healing lasers far less intrusively than
currently approved devices.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-glaucoma-treatment-that-only-takes-seconds/
Transforming ophthalmic surgery. Israeli startup ForSight Robotics
is developing a microsurgical robotic platform for eye surgery. The platform
will exceed human surgical capabilities with unprecedented dexterity and
maneuverability to within only a few microns.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3897656,00.html https://www.forsightrobotics.com/
Minimally invasive hysterectomies. (TY Nevet) Some 600,000
hysterectomies are performed annually in the US. The US FDA has just approved
the Hominis Surgical System, developed by Israel’s Memic. The surgeon operates
using the Robotically Assisted Surgical Device (RASD) via tiny incisions in the
patient’s body.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-robotic-arms-get-fda-nod-for-minimally-invasive-hysterectomies/
https://www.memicmed.com/
Israeli women saving lives. Four women from Israel’s diverse,
inclusive society enthusiastically speak about their life-saving work as
volunteer paramedics with Israeli emergency service United Hatzalah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQyaVKKgUFE
Ask me anything. (TY Nevet) Tel Aviv
University Professor Neta Erez made the unusual offer on Reddit.com to answer
any questions in one day, about her specialty of cancer research. She answered
61 tough questions.
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/lws8ge/askscience_ama_series_hi_i_am_tel_aviv_university/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Helping Israeli women get technology jobs. “AI for Women” is a
project set up by Bella Abrahams, director at Intel Israel. It uses artificial
intelligence tools to analyze and group career advice. A vital resource to help
Israeli women launch or boost their tech career and get better paid employment.
In Hebrew only.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/women-at-intel-israel-are-using-the-power-of-ai-to-boost-other-women/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1qbfsrEMN4 https://aiforwomen.supersonas.com/
The women that harvest the land. (TY JNS) This article
highlights some of Israel’s female agricultural pioneers, plus those that
currently grow vegetables, milk cows and make artisanal olive oil, cheese and
wine.
https://www.israel21c.org/meet-the-women-breaking-barriers-and-harvesting-the-land/
Giving back to their communities. (TY UWI & TML)
Former Vogue cover model Israel’s Michaela Bercu helped develop the app Tribu
to optimize the world of volunteering. The App matches 800,000+ Israelis with
hundreds of local projects all over Israel on days and hours that are
convenient for each volunteer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAVMZP0U05c https://www.we-tribu.com/?lang=en
National library exhibit of Bedouin culture. The National Library
of Israel is displaying the Clinton Bailey Archive of Arab Bedouin Culture. It
includes 350 hours of interviews, digitized in English, Arabic and Hebrew, plus
hundreds of images, slides and video clips documenting Bedouin tribal culture
over the past half-century.
https://www.jns.org/clinton-bailey-archive-of-bedouin-culture-comes-to-national-library-of-israel/
Vaccine rollout to Palestinian Arab workers. (TY Hazel) Israel’s
vaccination program was successfully trialed last week by 700 grateful
Palestinian Arab workers. The program will now be rolled out to the 87,000 PA
Arabs with Israeli work permits, plus another 35,000 that work for Israelis in
Judea and Samaria.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-delay-vaccination-of-palestinian-workers-in-israel-to-kick-off-monday/
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/palestinians-line-up-for-israeli-shots-amid-covid-19-fears-pa-failure-661480
Israeli-Arab social hackathon. Tel Aviv non-profit “Israel-Is” is
co-sponsoring the first Abraham Accords Virtual Social Hackathon to be held
March 23-25. 25 mixed teams of four, each from Israel, Bahrain, Morocco
and the UAE, will develop social products focusing on peacebuilding at a
societal and grassroots level.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-hackathon-hopes-of-new-ties-between-young-israelis-and-arab-peers/
Helping Africa develop a vaccination strategy. (TY IsraPundit) Israeli
charity IsraAID has launched the first of several missions to help African
countries build their COVID-19 vaccination program. Seven IsraAID volunteers
are in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) on invitation from the Eswatini
government.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/covid-stricken-african-nation-brings-in-israelis-to-prepare-its-vaccine-strategy/
Medics to treat injured in Equatorial Guinea. (TY Hazel) An Israeli medical team has landed in
Equatorial Guinea, following blasts at a military camp that killed over a
hundred and injured more than 600. The team of 50 IDF medics and 10 civilians
includes intensive care physicians, pediatricians and other specialists.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-team-lands-in-equatorial-guinea-to-help-after-deadly-munitions-blasts/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Microsoft Israel Ignites interest. At its annual Ignite Conference,
Microsoft revealed many of the developments emanating from its Israeli R&D
center. They include digital tools that integrate into Microsoft Teams;
comprehensive organizational data snapshots and a Data Loss protection service.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3896435,00.html
New head of Israel’s IBM Research. IBM has announced that its
new Director of the IBM Haifa Research Lab is Aya Soffer. She also continues in
her role as IBM's VP of AI. Soffer is one of the most influential people in
Israeli tech because of her positive impact on the local and global AI
ecosystem.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3896570,00.html
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3885814,00.html
Out of this world. Israel’s Ramon.Space develops small, low-power,
high-capacity space super-computers and systems. Their remotely programmable
radiation-hardened microchips can withstand extreme temperatures and have been
deployed in over 50 international missions, including to the Sun, Mars and Jupiter,
with zero failures.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3894650,00.html https://www.ramon.space/
Reaching remote communities. Israel’s Spacecom (reported here previously)
has partnered with Ignite Power, to provide remote telehealth and educational
services across Africa, using its Amos-17 satellite. The platform can function
as a “school” in the morning, a “clinic” in the afternoon, and as an “internet
cafe” in the evening.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3896750,00.html
An electric train on wheels. The Israeli city of Ashdod is the
first city outside China to test a new electric land train that could
revolutionize the world of public transportation. The train can carry up to 500
passengers, and travel semi-autonomously, following road markings - the “driver”
just controls the speed.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298187
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miwMp3LJWF0
Foretellix partners Volvo for autonomous testing. Volvo Autonomous
Solutions is partnering Israel’s Foretellix (reported here previously) to
develop the testing of self-driving solutions that operate on public roads and
in confined areas. The system will be adapted to test scenarios from highways
to mines and quarries.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3896337,00.html
3D printing from dentistry to car parts. Israel’s Nexa3D prints
dental accessories without lab work and multiple teeth molds. Nexa3D’s printers
produce car parts, protective face shields, drones and more. Its clients
include BMW, Subaru Lexmark, Motorola, Keystone, BASF and Siemens. TED talk
from Nexa3D’s founder.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/israeli-startup-takes-3d-printing-out-of-the-workshop-and-into-the-factory/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TITuM3_yeF4 https://nexa3d.com/
https://www.ted.com/talks/avi_reichental_what_s_next_in_3d_printing?language=en
Your personal digital photo album. Israel’s Pomvom uses AI image
recognition technology to enable event operators in the entertainment and
attractions industry to offer guests the chance to capture images that would
have previously been impossible. They can then view and order content from a
personalized digital album.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3896690,00.html https://pomvom.com/#home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H_rFDeLMus
An AI automated camera. Israel’s Pixellot has launched Air, an
AI-automated camera co-developed with FC Barcelona. Portable and lightweight it
provides performance analytics to players and coaches. 12 hours of play can be
recorded and instantly uploaded without the need for a camera operator, electricity,
or even Internet.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3896657,00.html
Next-gen video analytics. Israeli AI chipmaker Hailo
(reported here previously)
has partnered Amazon Web Services, Leopard Imaging and Socionext to launch
EdgeTuring - a next-generation AI processing solution for video analytics.
Applications include smart retail, smart devices, industrial automation, and
more.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3896666,00.html
A safe shower. Israel’s Safe Shower has developed a shower head
with a continuous disinfection unit that minimizes the risk of Legionnaires’
disease and other bacteria-born diseases. Safe Shower’s device was chosen as
one of 50 promising inventions in the 2020 Blue Tulip Awards.
https://nocamels.com/2021/02/israeli-startup-hopes-to-reduce-risk-of-legionnaires-disease-with-safe-shower/
https://www.s-shower.com/
A mini diaper washing machine. Some 258 billion used diapers are sent to landfills every
year. Now Israel’s Alon Cohen has invented a cleaning and storing system for
reusable diapers. PIKA doubles as a diaper bin and can wash and sanitize 1-10
diapers. No pre-cleaning or soaking necessary. Also provides a nutrition
analysis.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-mini-diaper-washing-machine-for-reusable-diapers/
https://www.pikadiapers.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulLPyZxOR_s
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Another rise in currency reserves. Israel’s reserves of foreign
currency reached another record level at the end of February. The total of just
over $185 billion was $5.59 billion more than the total at the end of January.
https://www.boi.org.il/en/NewsAndPublications/PressReleases/Pages/07-3-21.aspx
Israel’s robust tech ecosystem. The recent IVC report on the
Israeli tech ecosystem from 2015 to 2020 reveals that Covid-19 hit the Startup
Nation hard in the first half of 2020. But investments bounced back in the
second half, so that 2020 investment in Israel exceeded 2019 by 31%. And
the key reasons were very encouraging.
https://www.israel21c.org/miracle-nation-5-year-report-reveals-robust-health-of-israeli-tech-ecosystem/
https://www.ivc-online.com/
The skies begin re-opening. El Al’s 8th March flight from Tel Aviv
to New York carried 280 passengers of which 168 were fully vaccinated. The
others, mostly children under 16, took a rapid Covid-19 test developed by
Israel’s Sheba Medical Center that gave the results 15-20 minutes later.
Everyone passed the test.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/el-al-trials-rapid-covid-testing-for-passengers-prior-to-flight/
The Next takeover. Just three months after acquiring Denver-based
Juniper Labs, Israel’s Next Insurance is buying another US company - digital
insurance agency AP Intego. The acquisition will double Next’s annual revenue
to some $400 million, add 160 employees to its current 400 payroll and bring in
75,000 new customers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3896533,00.html
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-next-insurance-buys-ap-intego-doubling-revenue-1001362844
Bringing cultured beef to Brazil. (TY WIN) Aleph Farms
(reported here previously) is
partnering Brazil’s BRF, one of the largest meat producers in the world, to
jointly develop cultivated meat and bring it to Brazilian tables. Livestock
production causes high emissions of greenhouse gas, which Brazil must cut by
43% by 2030.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-aleph-farms-and-meatmaker-brf-to-bring-cultured-steak-to-brazil/
PayPal acquires Curv. PayPal is to acquire Israeli crypto security
Curv (reported here previously)
for nearly $200 million. Curv will join PayPal's newly formed blockchain,
crypto and digital currencies business unit.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-paypal-buys-israeli-digital-asset-security-co-curv-1001363282
Another Unicorn. Israel’s Aqua Security (reported here previously)
has just raised $135 million at a market valuation of $1 billion. This
makes it another Israeli company with the financial status of a “Unicorn”.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israeli-co-aqua-security-raises-135m-at-1b-valuation-1001363589
Investment in Israeli startups: Snyk raised $300 million; Aqua Security raised $135 million; Optibus raised $107 million; Xsight Labs raised around $100 million; Massivit raised $50 million; Identiq raised $47 million; Ibex Medical raised $38 million; Demostack raised $13.3 million; Forsight Robotics raised $10 million; retrain.ai raised $9 million; Pepticom raised $2.6 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Take a zoom photo walk of Jerusalem. (TY Sharon) Contact Sharon
to enjoy a guided tour on zoom of the lesser-known Jerusalem sites in the
comfort of your home. Available for family groups of up to 10 people. Plus, you
can see venues and hear about events not usually open to the public. Choose
History, Nature or Tailored.
http://rjstreets.com/jerusalem-photo-walks/ Contact sharon@rjstreets.com
Israel Women Museum. Later this year, curator, art historian and TV
producer Yael Nitzan plans to open Israel’s first museum dedicated to women in
a former Haifa private school building. It will showcase at least 100 women who
played - and continue to play - important roles in the history and culture of
Israel.
https://www.israel21c.org/new-museum-to-showcase-the-women-who-helped-build-israel/
Top culinary destination. Prestigious American magazine Food and
Travel chose Tel Aviv in its six most recommended culinary destinations around
the globe. It said, “The difference between Tel Aviv and the other cities is
the seriousness and depth with which the chefs treat the dishes and the
richness of the local flavors.”
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/03/07/tel-aviv-named-among-top-6-best-culinary-destinations-in-the-world/
International Jazz award. Israeli trumpeter Itamar Borochov’s blend
of Mideast-North African & classic jazz has won him a 2020 LetterOne Rising
Stars Jazz Award, ahead of 700+ candidates. When festivals resume, he will
receive the services of a professional team to arrange his appearance at seven
top international jazz events.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-trumpeters-unique-east-west-sound-wins-jazz-prize/
Israeli joins NBA Rising Stars World Team. (TY JNS) The US National
Basketball Association has selected the Washington Wizards' Israeli rookie
forward Deni Avdija (reported here previously) to
the 2020-21 NBA Rising Stars World Team roster. https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/03/04/respect-israeli-rookie-deni-avdija-selected-to-nba-rising-stars-world-team-squad/
THE JEWISH STATE
We are family. Twins Gili and Nadav Dekel have just together
completed the commander's course in the IDF Artillery Corps. Twins Ben and Tom
Sorer also completed the course together. Ben and Tom’s parents both served in
the Corps. Finally, the Corps’ Lieutenant Ben Kitzoni awarded his sister Liel
her Sergeant’s rank.
https://www.newsrael.com/post/-MUJWpabDnk2WQe3rZLE
Mum, look what I found. Ancient artifacts can be discovered all
over Israel. 11-year-old Zvi was hiking with his family when he stumbled upon a
pottery figurine at Nahal Habesor in southern Israel. The Israel Antiquities
Authority identified it as a 2,500-year-old iron-age amulet and awarded Zvi a
certificate of appreciation.
https://www.israel21c.org/11-year-old-stumbles-on-ancient-fertility-amulet-while-hiking-with-family/
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