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This Weeks Sanity Report from Israel

Thanks once again to our friend and colleague :  Michael Ordman-Good News from Israel

The highlights include:

• An Israeli monitor detects early problems in babies on ventilators.
• A rhino is recovering from eye infection thanks to an Israeli-designed mask.
• Israel’s fuel-saving aircraft tow truck is going into service.
• Investment in Israeli companies on Wall Street in 2014 has already beaten all previous records.
• Prayers for rain in Israel seem to have succeeded.

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Detecting preemie respiratory distress. (Thanks to Israel21c) Israeli startup Pneumedicare has developed the Pneumonitor to monitor premature babies on ventilation machines. A ventilator can cause pneumothorax, in which the infant’s tiny air sacs over-inflate and burst. Pneumonitor’s alarm sounds an hour before any problem arises. http://www.israel21c.org/headlines/helping-preemies-breathe-easier/

Discovery of the infertility gene. Tel Aviv University scientists have discovered that the genetic deletion of the protein Interleukin-1 (IL-1) improves fertility. It could help increase the effectiveness of IVF treatment. The discovery was made accidentally during research at TAU into IL-1’s role in the hardening of the arteries.

http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/10/30/tel-aviv-u-study-neutralizing-immune-gene-improves-success-of-fertility-treatments/

Israel funds cancer research. (Thanks to Israel21c) The Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) has made 94 new research grants for the 2014/15 year, totaling a record $3,453,332. Since 1977, ICRF has made 2,115 grants, totaling over $52 million. Successes include 3 top cancer treatments and two major genetic discoveries.

http://www.israel21c.org/news/3-45-million-for-cancer-research/

Violinist continues to improve. Naomi Elishuv made headlines in September when she played the violin while Israeli surgeons implanted two electrodes in her brain to stop her tremors. Doctors say Naomi is recovering impressively and they hope the type of implant will soon be used in other cases.

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=21153

Treatment for prostate problems. BPH won’t kill you – it stands for benign prostatic hyperplasia – but it can make life uncomfortable for 50% of men over 50 years old and 80% of men over 80. ClearRing from Israel’s ProArc Medical can address BPH in 10 minutes by a urologist, with no sedation required, and no complications

http://www.israel21c.org/headlines/hope-for-men-with-bladder-and-prostate-problems/

Treating burns in children. Israel’s MediWound has commenced a Phase 3 study to valuate the efficacy and safety of its innovative NexoBrid treatment for severe burns in children. The study plans to be conducted in around 25 sites in Europe and Israel. NexoBrid removes dead or damaged skin without harming viable tissue.

http://ir.mediwound.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=879786

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

US-Israeli defense relationship is as strong as ever. America’s Dept of Defense clearly knows where to look for promising new ideas in the area of high tech defense. It has teamed up with the MIT Enterprise Forum in Israel to announce the 2015 Combating Terrorism Technology Challenge, with a first prize of $100,000.

http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/11/01/mit-enterprise-in-israel-and-us-dod-announce-100k-terrorism-technology-challenge/

Israeli mask helps rhino ward off flies. (Thanks to Size Doesn’t Matter) Israelis treating Tanda, a two-year old rhino at Ramat Gan safari, for an eye infection have developed a see-through mask to protect the rhino from flies. Thanks to the “no-fly zone” mask, Tanda no longer rubs her eye on trees.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ap-photos-israeli-mask-saves-hurt-rhinos-vision-26672167

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Israel develops the car of the future. (Thanks to Israel21c) All major auto manufacturers, including Volvo, Toyota, Renault, Fiat and BMW, seek after Israeli car-tech. Israel has about 150 companies developing some of the most advanced security and vision systems for the vehicles of today and tomorrow.

http://www.israel21c.org/headlines/israel-develops-the-car-of-the-future-audio/

Ford buys Israeli navigation system. The Ford Motor Company has signed a deal with Israel’s Mishor 3D, which develops augmented reality navigation systems for automobiles. Ford will fit Mishor’s navigation systems into future Ford vehicles. Mishor’s ShadowBox displays vital information onto the car’s windshield.

http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/10/31/ford-picks-israeli-mishor-3ds-navigation-systems/

[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sY1NDSB224&w=520&h=315]

The first smart deodorant applicator. No more smelly armpits. Israelis Gilad Arwatz and Carla Bahri have invented the ClickStick – the world’s first reusable, electronic deodorant applicator. It dispenses precise amounts of any retail deodorant, with eco-friendly refills. Their kickstarter campaign is coming up roses!

http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/11/02/stink-no-more-israelis-invent-automated-deodorant-applicator/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1317482922/clickstick-the-worlds-first-smart-deodorant-applic

[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9dBZ3C10z0&w=520&h=315]

Israeli home security is a winner. The WeR@Home home security system from Israel’s Essence has just won the Broadband Infovision Award for Best Broadband Home Service Innovation. Back in July, WeR@Home also won the European Consumer’s Choice Award for 2014. Besides its alarm facilities, WeR@Home can control more than 1,000 devices and applications including door locks, switches, dimmers, and thermostats.

http://essence-grp.com/news-and-events/news/essence-awarded-best-broadband-home-service-innovation

http://essence-grp.com/news-and-events/news/essence-we-are-home-is-european-consumers-choice-2014

One-tap messaging. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) MIRAGE is a one tap instant messaging app that lets users share photo, video, text and voice messages that disappear after a few seconds. Tel Aviv’s Mobli Media has just launched version 2.0 of the platform.

[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_TVN3bXGtw&w=520&h=315]

Israeli towing system approved for Boeing 737 jets. The Boeing 737 narrow-body jet has been certified in Europe and Israel for airport towing by the TaxiBot system developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It will save over 1200 liters of fuel per take-off. In-service evaluation begins next month at Frankfurt airport.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/03/us-israel-aerospace-taxibot-idUSKBN0IN0TU20141103?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews

Transforming the desert. In southern Israel, the next generation of Jewish pioneers is making the desert bloom. A group of young, Zionist, idealistic adults known as the Young Farmers Incubation Project are cultivating a previously uninhabited area in the northwest Negev on Israel’s borders with Egypt and Gaza.

http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2014/10/30/israels-new-pioneers-work-to-transform-the-negev-desert-through-farming#.VFa0tSh8uTA=

Israeli agro-tech is a winner. Israel’s AutoAgronom was one of the 25 finalists in the prestigious Massachusetts-based MassChallenge 2014. Chosen from 128 participants and thousands of companies that applied, AutoAgronom’s intelligent irrigation system was the only agricultural technology in the contest.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-start-up-goes-for-the-silver-at-masschallenge/

[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=v49wIrkQKe8&w=520&h=315]

This Weeks Sanity Report from Israel

France holds Israeli Innovation Day. UBIFRANCE is hosting its 3rd annual Israel-France Innovation Day in Paris on 16th December. It will focus on finance and e-commerce, e-health and personalized medicine, and Big Data to help cities get smarter. Israeli companies will link up with potential French partners.

http://www.israelscienceinfo.com/en/international/innovation-day-france-israel-3eme-edition-paris-16-decembre-organisee-ubifrance/

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Record year for Israeli companies on Wall St. 2014 has already set a record in offerings by Israeli companies in the US capital market (IPOs and secondary offerings by public companies). So far 26 Israeli offerings have raised an all-time record of $3.6 billion, breaking the previous record of $3.3 billion set in 1999.

http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-2014-israeli-offerings-in-us-set-all-time-record-1000982553

Israelis bring “magic” to Los Angeles. The 2014 Israel Conference in Los Angeles covered Israeli activity in everything from cybersecurity to the Hollywood film and television industry. One of the purposes of the conference was to “show the power and strength of how the Israeli economy is touching the world.”

http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Israelis-bring-magic-fairy-dust-to-LA-conference-380506

Israeli-UAE sporting tie-up? Leading UK soccer club Arsenal FC has signed a sponsorship agreement with Markets.com the online Forex, CFD and binary options company. It is a little ironic that Markets.com is owned by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi and Arsenal’s home ground is the Emirates Stadium.

http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-sagis-marketscom-in-1m-arsenal-sponsorship-deal-1000983034

Israeli delegation begins 50-day visit to Japan. A delegation of 30 senior Israeli representatives has set off for Japan aiming to deepen economic ties between the two countries. It will present Israeli technology to large Japanese corporations, in an effort for greater cooperation timed ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/186956#.VFdvG2cYiAY

A web boost for restaurants. Israel-based website building tool provider Wix.com is acquiring OpenRest, another Israeli start-up that specializes in on-line ordering and mobile solutions for restaurants. The move will help smaller restaurants attract hungry customers without paying hefty fees to third parties.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-wix-acquisition-a-life-raft-for-small-restaurants/

CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT

Israeli wins French book prize. (Thanks to Hazel) Israeli author Zeruya Shalev won the 2014 Prix Femina Étranger, a French literary prize for foreign novels, for her book “What Remains of Life,” which tells the story of relationships in Israel throughout several generations and was published by Keter Books in 2011.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4587803,00.html

Kite surfers in Tel Aviv. Imagine yourself in the Mediterranean beaches of Tel Aviv, riding on a surfboard while holding on to a specially designed kite, using the wind for propulsion. That’s kitesurfing, and you’ll see many Israelis and tourists having fun with this extreme sport nearly every day of the year.

This Weeks Sanity Report from Israel

[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJOqdT-N3cE&w=520&h=315]

THE JEWISH STATE

McDonald’s – it’s not what you think. One of my local synagogues was featured in the Jerusalem Post Metro supplement.

http://www.jpost.com/Metro/McDonalds-Not-what-you-think-380249

Winter has arrived. We started saying the winter version of the blessing for a good year on Oct 30th and the heavens opened. The first rains began whilst we were praying for rain during the festival of Shemini Atzeret. The level of the Kinneret has started rising, and a (harmless) waterspout appeared off Tel Aviv beach.

http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Rainy-weekend-leaves-parts-of-Israel-flooded-380482

[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGKHzIeD-8w&w=520&h=315]

Kindness on the light railway. Jacob Richman has written this heart-warming article about a security guard on the Jerusalem Light Railway late night run, who feels that it’s his duty to ensure security personnel at each station get a hot drink to warm them during the cold Jerusalem nights.

http://www.jr.co.il/articles/the-train-ride-that-i-will-never-forget.htm

This Weeks Sanity Report from Israel