Israel: Chicks With Sticks Plus IDF Equals Fuzzy Hats?

(Image Credit: Chicks With Sticks)

Even though Israel is located in a very hot neighborhood (politically as well as temperature wise), the country is also cold enough to receive snow (which is good news for those of you who enjoy snow ball fights).

While some people may enjoy the cold air (at least every once in a while), many soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) may not enjoy it as much--especially if their heads are freezing.

In order to help soldiers stationed at freezing locations combat the cold, a group called Chicks With Sticks (via the A Package from Home organization) has knitted fuzzy hats in order to help keep the IDF heads warm.

(Israel National News) The "Chicks with Sticks" project has distributed more than 2,000 hats so far, each with a special label sewn inside assuring its wearer in Hebrew that it was "Knit for you with love and warmth." They're also knit with special care: each hat must be knit to rigorous specifications set by the IDF that include a certain pattern due to the strict uniform regulations. [...]

It's a tough job, but there are plenty of people out there who are willing to do it. In addition to Israeli knitters, participants have joined the project from as far away as the United States and Canada. Most are Jewish, but not all. Most are women – but not all. Any and all hats that follow the pattern are welcome, says Koppel.

Since knitting is not my greatest skill (as I can barely sew pillows, book bags, and patches onto clothes), I would encourage the pro's to visit A Package from Home for instructions on how to knit these hats together (not to mention donate as well if you have any spare change available).

Israel's Bojam Attempts The Impossible (Music Revolution)

A controversial woman once said "Music--makes the people--come together," and it looks as if one Israeli startup by the name of Bojam is aiming to do just that by allowing artists to collaborate together--even if they are physically separated by mountains, oceans and continents.

(Israel 21^st Century) Covering the world of music, Bojam has created a platform that lets musicians anywhere in the world collaborate on their music. It means a guitar player in Seattle can record with a Chinese zither player in China, while simultaneously working on a recording with a singer in Germany.

Bojam, which was founded in May 2008 and launched in alpha stage at TechCrunch in September, follows a worldwide trend started by Wikipedia and other open-source content and software creators, to make music into a collaborative, community event. [...]

Advanced editing tools, and sound effect tools can be used to clean up the song, which can then be shared for the next musician to play a role in. The result is a mass collaboration of music - a wiki-style platform says the company - for adding song info, lyrics and instrument tabs.

Bojam announced its presence to the world a few months ago at the TechCrunch50 (which allows startups to announce their presence to not only the world, but to investors as well).

While their main goals is to help artists/bands create music together, regardless of their location, Bojam also is attempting to challenge distribution giants such as iTunes and Amazon (which are my favorite places to shop online).

The company is still in beta (as of this post) and it will be interesting to see how much impact this site has on the music industry a year from now (who may see Bojam as a potential threat).

Video: Israeli Doctors Helping Chinese Hearts

(Hat Tip: IsRealli)

After previously helping out children from Iraq and Kenya, it looks as if Israeli doctors from the Save A Child's Heart foundation will be heading off towards the far east in order help out kids in China.

(Haaretz) The Save A Child's Heart medical team, comprising 15 members, said it would try to treat as many children as possible during its stay in China.

This is SACH's eighth mission to China, where Israeli medics working alongside Chinese colleagues have performed surgery on more than 100 children. During the mission, team surgeon Dr. Lior Sasson - who heads the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department at the Wolfson Medical Center - will workd at the Hebei Children's hospital alongside Dr. Han Jiangang, a surgeon trained in Israel last year. [...]

Already in China, word has spread about the event, prompting hundreds to travel by foot, bicycle and train hoping to benefit from the surgical mission, according to SACH.

According to Haaretz, a camera crew will be tagging along in order to document everything that goes on.

Note: Here is a video from one of their earlier missions to China (with subtitles for those of us who have yet to speak Chinese).

Making New Friends: Israel And Indonesia Teaming Up For Emergency Services

If one were to measure how warm relations between Indonesia and Israel with just one word, "frosty" would probably be the perfect description.

Despite the fact that Muslim clerics in Indonesia have begun to warm up towards the Jewish state, the government has thus far kept its distance.

Regardless of the diplomatic feelings (or rather lack thereof), it looks as if medical teams from both countries will be teaming up in order to help the worlds largest Muslim nation meet the medical needs of its citizens.

(Israel 21^st Century) Last week marked another milestone for MDA when Dr. Sudibyo Markus, the head of Indonesia's Muhammadiyah organization, arrived in Israel last week on an official visit to establish cooperation between his organization and Magen David Adom. Official visits between Indonesia and Israel are rare as the countries do not have diplomatic ties.

Markus was the guest of honor at the signing ceremony of a preliminary agreement of cooperation signed by the chairman of the Indonesian Rescue and Emergency Service, Prof. Aryono Pusponegoro, also of the Indonesian College of Surgeons; the chairman of MDA's Board of Directors, Dr. Noam Ifrach, and MDA director-general Eli Bin. Pusponegoro said: "I am 76 years old, and delighted that I have succeeded in fulfilling my childhood dream of coming to Israel." [...]

Muhammadiyah is the oldest and largest Islamic social welfare organization in the world, established in 1912. It is a moderate faith-based group with a mandate to improve civil society, serve the poor, and promote tolerance and pluralism. Muhammadiyah operates dozens of clinics, hospitals, orphanages, schools and universities in Indonesia. It has over 28 million members and has been recognized by the Indonesian government and by international organizations.

This is a good first step between both countries, as it gives the people of Indonesia a glimpse of Israel's medical expertise (not to mention display their more charitable side).

This is not the first time Israel has reached out towards diplomatic enemies, and it probably will not be the last time either. Hopefully this trend will continue, as Israel's medical advances could help heal the divide and open up the Muslim world towards cooperation with the Jewish state.

Image Credit: Rachel from Israel 21^st Century

IsraScience: Using Hormones To Stop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD for short) is a condition that probably affects millions of people around the world who have survived life threatening events (such as war, natural disasters, etc.).

Although a range of treatments has been developed in to help patients overcome PTSD, a group of Israeli scientists from the Ben Gurion University may have found a unique way of thwarting PTSD by using hormones.

(Israel 21^st Century) New research by Israeli scientists from Ben Gurion University and Tel Aviv University, suggests that a large dose of a stress hormone may reduce the risk of PTSD, and its associated symptoms. The researchers, who report successful results in an animal model, are hoping this therapy could one day restore life to people who have experienced trauma. [...]

Using mice, the researchers took a control group and a group of mice presented with a stress stimulus: litter soaked in cat urine. In about 25 percent of the cases, those presented with the cat urine litter exhibited symptoms of extreme stress, such as an increased startle response and behavioral freezing when exposed to reminders of the stress. [...]

The researchers found that those mice that were given high doses of a cortisol-related substance, corticosterone, immediately after exposure to a stressor could be spared from the negative consequences of the stress.

While people may be nervous about using drugs (of any type) to deal with a psychological problem, this drug could work as a "last resort" if other means of treating PTSD fail.

Even though more research has to be done before humans are involved (as their is a lot of "red tape" whenever one deals with the government--unless its paying your taxes), this drug may help soldiers returning from the front lines deal with the trauma that they have encountered (not to mention survivors of floods and tsunami's as well).

iSkoot: The Coolest Android App In Town? (IsraTech)

(Hat Tip: TechCrunch)

Despite the fact that I do not own a G1 Phone (as I can only have one love in my life), I am thrilled with the fact that iSkoot (a San Fransisco/Israel based company) has developed a program connecting Skype lovers with phones powered by Android (a mobile OS developed by Google).

Here is a brief video below.




While I am not sure whether or not iSkoot will be able to dethrone TuneWiki, it does give users one more incentive to "jump ship" from their carrier over to T-Mobile's network.

Note: Since the iPhone is "rumored" to be entering the Israeli market (thanks in part to iDigital's Apple store), does anyone know of any carriers planning of launching Android powered phones in Israel?

Investers Heart Israeli Cleantech

With news of the global meltdown, upcoming worldwide recession and the massive layoffs affecting plans for the holidays, one would figure that most companies would be a little hesitant about investing their money into startups.

While most companies would probably find it impossible (or at least very hard) to find wealthy individuals willing to finance a project, it looks as if Israeli startups within the cleantech (or green technology) industry are still attracting investors in New York and Boston.

(Globes Online) Investors in New York and Boston participated in two meeting of the Israel Cleantech Investor Conference last week for Israeli water and alternative energy technology start-ups and venture capital funds. The Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute and the Israeli economic attaché in New York organized the conferences. Participants said that the conferences were great successes, belying earlier worries that the global financial crisis would keep away potential investors. [...]

Oren added that the economic difficulties currently facing many countries are an opportunity, not an obstacle, for companies offering advanced technologies aimed at solving global problems. "One of the results of the financial crisis will be a significant rise in unemployment in many countries, probably including in the US. One of the usual solutions for dealing with unemployment is government spending on infrastructures. This creates opportunities for cleantech, and the proof is the great interest shown by investors in Israeli technologies."

Most of the startups represented were "water-tech" companies, which included:

• Aquatal: a company who creates water treatment and water dispenser systems.
  
• Cequesta Water: a startup in the business for wastewater treatment (as well as sludge dewatering).
  
• AquaPure: Another wastewater treatment company.
  
• CheckLight: This innovative startup uses glowing bacteria to determine water safety.
  
• En Gibton: Yet another water treatment company (note: are you noticing a trend here *smiles*).
  
• E.P.C.: This company provides onsite water waste treatment (which may separate them from the rest).
  

The second group included energy and geek tech startups such as:

• Coriolis Wind: These guys (and/or gals) have an innovative approach when it comes to wind power (note: hopefully I will be able to do a future post regarding this company).
  
• CQM: This company has found a way to clean heating and cooling towers (with a green twist).
• Leviathan Energy: Uses both wind and water power (hydro and oceanic) to produce green energy.
  
• RealiteQ: According to them, they are "a platform that facilitates the monitoring and controlling of remote distribute devices over public or private networks."
• Engineuity: They are focused on alternative energy sources (although they do not disclose what "field" they are operating in).
  

Hopefully this is just the beginning for Israeli corporations, as the tiny Jewish state has a lot to offer the world (at least as far as green technology goes).

Israel: Water From Aether, Powered By Green Energy

Water, water everywhere--but what about pulling it from the air?

Even though there are many ways to pull water from the air (as anyone with a dehumidifier or an air conditioner would inform you), one company from Israel called EWA (or Extraction of Water from Air) has created a way to not only pull and filter water from aether, but power their device via green energy.

(Israel 21^st Century) Essentially EWA (which stands for Extraction of Water from Air), has developed a clean technology that extracts water from the air, while using little energy in the process. The key is in its unique water adsorption technology - which employs a solid desiccant to trap the water - and a special energy saving condenser that reuses more than 85 percent of the energy input to the system.

Renewable energy sources, such as solar power, biofuel, waste heat or even the heat from organic matter are compatible with the system. [...]

The technology, Bar tells ISRAEL21c, works in three steps: first is the absorption of air's humidity, then the removal of water from a solid desiccant (silica based gel granules) which holds the water, and third, condensation. The absorption of the humidity is an exothermic process (involving heat release), humidity absorption occurs spontaneously, and only minimal energy is used as the air is pumped through the unit. Heat recovery techniques are integrated as part of the condenser, reducing the cost for producing water to a reasonable price, similar to other processes, such as desalination.

Demand for EWA devices is already heating up, with the company predicting sales of $5 million by the end of this year (and a $100 million by 2009!).

EWA's various products (which produce anywhere from 10 liters to 1,000 cubic meters of water daily) may spell the difference between life and death for many regions--many who lack the means to pump water due to lack of electricity or clean streams (or even both).

EWA could also be used for disaster areas (whether they are caused by nature or by war), as power and water can be scarce for regions affected by the trauma (at least in the east).

Note: EWA and other water tech companies (such as Nirosoft and Water Sheer) may help the Jewish state abroad, as the government could heavily promote these technologies in order to help build bridges between "rowdy" countries.

Video: A New Way To Watch Television? (Israel)

(Hat Tip: IsRealli and USA Today)

As anyone who has ever watched baseball or football game, it is usually not until after the game (and your favorite team has lost) that most of the key stats, analysis, etc. are revealed.

While hindsight 20/20 may benefit the announcers (who often annoy you with their "he should have done this/that rhetoric), SportVu has created an innovative way to benefit coaches (and fans) in the present.

(SportVu) Broadcasters are able to show live tactical ("radar") views of the players' deployment on the playing field as well as instantly display statistical performance data through automatic analysis and semantic extraction. In addition to delivering dramatic viewing enhancements, an attractive new platform for sponsors, new interactive advertising opportunities, and other revenue generation options to broadcasters, the system also enables rights' owners to leverage their properties by offering live graphical presentation of the event over the web, on a gaming console, or to a mobile handset. SportVU addresses the major action-oriented, spectator sports: American football, baseball, hockey, basketball, and soccer.

With sports being a major commercial industry in the world (note: as it gives people something positive to focus on--provided your team wins), I would not be surprised to see SportVu's technology (or something similar) being used within every major sporting event within half a decade.

Hopefully SportVu will consider expanding beyond television, as there are plenty of iPhone lovers who would dream of this software within the palm of their hands.

Israel To Construct Joint Airport With Palestine?

First they were cleaning rivers together, then creating operating systems (note: watch out Microsoft!) and last their was that whole industrial park story posted earlier.

Am I sensing a trend?

(Haaretz.com) The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) is considering building a joint Israeli-Palestinian airport on the Poleg beach south of Netanya, authority chairman Ovadia Eli said this weekend.

Addressing an economic conference at Ben-Gurion Airport, Eli said that the airport would be jointly managed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority. To facilitate Palestinian access, it would be connected to the West Bank via a tunnel. "This would be a confidence-building measure that would enable international fund-raising," he said. "There are high-level talks [about the proposal] on both sides. Former British prime minister Tony Blair is also involved in the matter."

Even though this news may not be as entertaining as the West Bank Story, its intention (and overall purpose) is similar--to help bring Israeli's and Palestinians together in peace (as opposed to war).

While there is no word on whether this airport would be international or merely serve the middle east region, its construction could help ease the tensions between both sides (not to mention help bring about peace in the region for at least a season).

CorAssist: Helping Weak Hearts Become Strong (Israel)

Of all the muscles in your body, your heart is probably the most valuable. Without this muscle, it would be nearly impossible for your body to pump the 10 pints (or 1 1/4 gallons) of blood that circulate throughout your veins.

But what happens after your heart weakens through disease or from a heart attack? While there are some "natural ways " for patients to help strengthen their favorite muscle, CorAssist has developed a unique method for treating heart failure by targeting a certain muscle that other technologies may overlook.

(Israel 21^st Century) While some devices to treat systolic heart failure (SHF) are already in clinical trials, no devices to treat diastolic heart failure (DHF) are available. CorAssist's solution presents the first device-based approach to treat DHF, being a one-of-its-kind product in the market.

After a heart attack, or with heart muscle disease due to obesity and other conditions such as genetic defects, the heart muscles have a difficult time squeezing blood to the body (the systolic phase), and then back again into the heart (the diastolic phase). CorAssist is focusing on the second condition - DHF - where a person's heart inadequately relaxes, and is impaired in its capability to return blood from the body back to the heart. [...]

CorAssist's main product is the ImCardia, which works from outside the heart. It's a self-expanding device that attaches to the external surface of the left ventricle. When the heart muscle squeezes, energy is loaded into the device, which absorbs this energy, and releases it to the left ventricle in the diastolic phase. This keeps the muscles elastic, giving it a small "work out" to improve heart health.

While this new med-tech is promising, ImCardia is still in the early experimental stages, as it only has been tested on three people (all which have been successful according to Israel 21^st Century).

CorAssist is currently seeking to conduct a much larger trial, and while they have not mentioned any plans of reaching across the Mediterranean (towards Europe), they do seem eager to enter within the US market.

(Image Credit: Yale University)

BioJerusalem: All Your Bio-Med Companies Should Migrate Towards Us

(Hat Tip: Globes Online)

It looks like the Jerusalem Development Authority has started a program called BioJerusalem, who is currently seeking out bio-med companies (which is med-speak for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device/tech businesses) to migrate towards Israel's eternal capital (which just happens to be Jerusalem).

(BioJerusalem) A half an hour drive from Ben Gurion International Airport and a 45 minute drive from Tel Aviv, the financial hub of Israel, Jerusalem is the only centrally located city in Israel to enjoy national development zone A status. This status entitles technology-based companies and investors to the best grants and tax incentives available in Israel today.

Life sciences companies choosing to launch operations in Jerusalem are eligible for prime financial support incentives and are given special preference. In addition, companies with a presence in Jerusalem can also benefit from a series of municipal incentives offered by the Jerusalem Development Authority which provides support to companies doing business in Jerusalem.

While often seen as a religious/historic city, Jerusalem is home to a thriving biomed community, and it seems as if the local officials want to ensure that the city stays that way (as it could help reshape the cities image globally).

Jerusalem is offering NIS 30,000 (or about $8,000) in grant money per employee, with even more benefits to help convince a few companies (and startups) to consider moving towards the nation's capital (note: can you say tax exempt for ten years).