Very Good News Israel- Mar 17

– Israeli researchers are using cancer cells to help fight cancer.

– Ethiopian-born Miss Israel has a dinner date with the US President.

– An Israeli female professor won the computer industry’s “Nobel Prize”.

– With Israeli software, you can control your smartphone using just your eyes.

– In a noisy room, Israeli voice recognition software can read your lips.

– Barbara Streisand is to perform in Israel for the first time.

– Israeli windsurfer Lee Korzits won her 3^rd consecutive world championship.

Last week’s JPost Israel Good News descriptive summary

– Click here for “The Jewish State makes Perfect Sense”  (text only, no adverts).

Page Down for more details on these and other good news stories from Israel.

Using cancer to kill cancer.  Researchers at Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center have enhanced the immune system using proteins from melanoma (a severe form of skin cancer).  T-cells in the immune system are stimulated to produce cytokines, which can fight other cancers in the body.

Success in trials of stem cells for blood cancer.  (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Early trials of NiCord (umbilical cord stem cells) from Israel’s Gamida Cell have proved successful in maintaining the health of patients with high-risk hematological malignancies.  The treatment was safe and reduced the time to recovery period.

Colon cancer rates decrease.  Israel is fourth among Western countries in the prevalence of colorectal cancer and 15th in the death rate from the tumor. However, the number of cases has declined in the last two decades – by 17 percent in men and 13 percent in women – largely due to early diagnosis and treatment.

A pacemaker for the arteries.  Israel’s Enopace Biomedical is developing an endovascular micro-stimulator, which reduces the strain on the heart by expanding the arteries to accept incoming blood.  It is implanted by catheter in a 30-minute procedure while the patient is awake and is an alternative to a heart transplant.

Australia approves Israeli robotic spinal surgery.  Israel’s Mazor Robotics has obtained approval from Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the import and sale of the company’s Renaissance navigation robot for spinal surgery.

The missing LINC to deafness. (Thanks to NoCamels.com)   Half of all hearing losses are due to genetic mutations.  Tel Aviv University Professor Karen Avraham found that mutations in the LINC cells of the inner ear of an Iraqi family with a history of deafness could lead to new treatments.

Gaza weekly deliveries:

The Keren Shalom crossing reopened after Hamas closed it last week and 1,118 trucks delivered 31,338 tons of goods. It included three trucks from Turkey – the first since the Mavi Marmara incident. In February, 140,348 tons of goods went to Gaza from Israel on 4721 trucks.  109 trucks of Gaza produce were exported via Israel.

Equal treatment.  Orit served as a medic in the Israeli army and saved the life of a Palestinian Arab boy caught in machinery.  Then she had to treat a notorious terrorist in prison.  She gave him IV fluids and medication – everything he needed, since she was trained to treat those in need regardless of their moral standards, regardless of nationality.

Improving Arab prospects is good for Israel.  Israel’s six-year project to improve its Arab community’s job prospects will also help to bolster slowing economic growth. Manuel Trajtenberg, who helped to draft the plan, said in an interview, “There is a huge potential there for economic gains, economic benefits, first of all for the Arab community itself and for the Israeli economy at large.”

How Israel treats Arab women.  This image sums up the situation very aptly.

Dinner date for President Obama.  The new Miss Israel, Ethiopian-born Yityish Aynaw from Netanya, spoke about her invitation to the exclusive gala dinner in honor of the US leader. “Ten years ago I was walking around barefoot in Ethiopia and I never imagined that one day I would be in the Land of Israel, meeting the Israeli president and the president of the United States.”

Women are more than equal in the IDF.  Data released by Israel’s Central Bureau for Statistics (on International Women’s Day) revealed that in the Israel Defense Forces, 57% of all officers are women.

The sky has no borders.  At the Hot Air Balloon Festival in the Jezreel Valley, the balloons came from the USA, UK, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

Green religious freedom in Jerusalem.  The first International Jerusalem Symposium on Green and Accessible Pilgrimage begins on 21^st April. It combines interfaith dialogue with urban sustainability.

A summit to make a difference.  Tel Aviv’s third annual summit for non-profit organizations, AMUTA21C, helps non-profit professionals learn best practices in every discipline and express why they work tirelessly to make the world a better place.

Welcome.  Five new ambassadors (Chile, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia) presented their credentials to the Israel’s President Shimon Peres, marking the start of their service in Israel.  They also expressed their hope to develop technological and strategic connections.

Entertaining children in Kenya.  Israeli celebrity chef Omer Miller cooked a special shawarma meal for 200 Kenyan orphans from the Tumshangilieni Mtoto school in Nairobi.  The meal was served up by members of the Israeli embassy and spiced up with a festive appearance by Israeli percussionist and composer Gilad Dobrecky.

Israeli professor wins Turing Prize.  Professor Shafi Goldwasser of Israel’s Weizmann Institute was joint winner of the 2013 Turing Prize for her pioneering work that brought about computer cryptography – securing transactions on the Internet.  The Turing Prize is considered to be the “Nobel Prize” of computing.

Israeli farmer invents solution for lemon rot.  Rafi Koren, a lemon farmer from Moshav Avigdor near Kiryat Malachi has invented a product that prevents the spread of Mal Secco, a fungal disease affecting citrus trees that has been known to kill entire lemon groves.

Greener soil.  The commercial arm of Israel’s Weizmann Institute has developed a system to protect soil and groundwater from contamination from pesticides. Environmentally friendly substances called prophyrins act as catalysts to dissolve toxic substances into harmless ones after they have served their pest-killing purpose.

Greener roads.  Israel’s Dimona Silica Industries has developed a road asphalt compound that uses old tires for strength and safety.  The new compound, RuBind, recycles many of the 50,000 tires disposed of every year, and is already in use in Israel’s Beit She’an Valley.

Snake robot for Obama.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will show President Barack Obama a series of technological products by Israel’s high-tech industries in a special exhibit set up in the President’s honor.  The products are in the fields of renewable energy, accident prevention, medicine, search and rescue, and robotics.

The eyes have it.  (Thanks to NoCamels.com) The new Samsung S4 will include eye-tracking technology from Israel’s Umoove.  It will allow the smartphone user to scroll through text on the screen simply by gazing down.  The S4 launched on 14 March in New York. Watch this space.

Voice recognition that doesn’t need your voice.  Israeli startup VocalZoom has developed an optoelectronic microphone that is able to extract a person’s voice from almost all surrounding noise – including other people’s voices.  Its optical microphone “reads lips” by sensing vibrations on the face of the person speaking.

Ohio buys $42 million Israel bonds.  In the largest single government purchase of Israel Bonds in U.S. history, the State of Ohio has increased its investment in Israel’s economy to a massive $80 million.

Unlimited coffee.  Israeli start-up CupsTelAviv has a unique deal – all the coffee you can drink, from any of over 40 coffee shops in Tel Aviv.  All for NIS 169 per month (about $45).  I’ll drink to that.

Israeli entrepreneurs start young.  Venture capital firm Jerusalem Venture Partners held its sixth annual “practice session” for Jerusalem kids entering June’s “Young Israeli Entrepreneur” contest. The winner will represent Israel in the Junior Achievement-Young Entrepreneurs Company of the Year Competition next July.

Israeli cooking is the best.  An Israeli cookbook called Seafoodpedia won “Best in World” in its category at the renowned Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris, dubbed “the Oscars of international cookbooks.”

Jerusalem’s biblical zoo – A modern day Noah’s Ark.  The Asian lion, Syrian brown bear, Nile crocodile and Persian fallow deer are among the animals mentioned in the Bible that have been saved and are thriving thanks to Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo.

Barbara is to sing in Israel.  Jewish singing legend Barbara Streisand will perform in Israel for the first time ever.  She will sing at Israeli President Shimon Peres’ 90^thbirthday on June 18 at the opening of the Presidential Conference.  She will also perform twice at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv on June 15 and 16.

The best gigs are in Tel Aviv.  The line-up for 2013 includes Ravi Coltrane (Apr 23-24). Shuggi Otis (May 1), Depeche Mode (May 7), Liars (Jun 15) and Alice Keys (July 4).  Check http://www.touristisrael.com/

Yanni’s first Israeli concert.  The legendary composer and pianist, Yanni will be making his first ever performance of Jazz, classical and soft rock in Israel, on June 19 at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv.  This video is of a 2006 performance of the aptly named number (in view of Israel’s recent abundance of water) “Rainmaker”.

“Only for him.”  Israel’s entry for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest on May 15^th will be Moran Mazor.  You can listen here to her singing “Only for him”.

World champion windsurfers.  For the third consecutive time, and the fourth in her life, Israeli windsurfer Lee Korzits took first place at the RS-X World Championships in Buzios, Brazil on Tuesday.  Fellow Israeli Maayan Davidovich won bronze.  It was the first time that two Israelis stood on the winners’ podium.

One of the best countries to retire to.  A report, by Natixis Global Asset Management (NGAM) puts Israel as the 12^th best place in the world for retirees.  Using UN and World Bank data, Israel comes ahead of Canada, the USA and the UK in the “safety net” the government provides to pensioners, to live better and healthier lives.

The Argan tree of the Negev.  Yoni and Shoshana Rappaport moved to Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev and their lives are now focused on turning the desert green by planting many thousands of the amazing Argan tree.  It can survive on minimal rainfall yet produces a healthy oil from its fruit.  Please support their work.