Near-extinct fish reintroduced to Yarkon River

Yarkon Bleak fish, which all but disappeared over last 50 years, again thrives in central part of the river

Some 50 years after the Yarkon Bleak fish all but disappeared from the water of the Yarkon River, it has reappeared in its central area, Ynet has learned.

The Yarkon Bleak, or Acanthobrama Telavivensis, is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family. It is found only in Israel.

The silver fish, which grows to a length of 12-20 cm, once populated all of Israel’s rivers, but has become nearly extinct due to its intolerance of pollution.

The Yarkon River Authority (YRA) was thrilled by the discovery, saying it indicated that the great efforts made to rehabilitate the river’s water, which have suffered severe pollution over the years, are proving successful.

“This is a very significant find. If the fish is able to thrive is means that the water in the part of the river have a high quality,” Jonathan Raz, the YRA’s chief ecologist, said.

The YRA began its Yarkon Bleak preservation efforts in 1999, when it was discovered that only a few hundreds of them were left in the river.

As part of the project, which entailed joint efforts by the YRA, Tel Aviv University and the Israel Nature and National Parks Service, several dozens of them were transferred to special pools in the university’s zoological park, to allow them to safely breed.

The fish was first reintroduced to the river in 2002, but the endeavor met only partial success. A second attempt, made in 2005 in the upper part of the river, met greater success and the fish were able to breed.

According to Raz, the project owes some of its success to the government’s decision to allocate water quotas to river preservation, which helped improve water quality.

Source: Ynetnews.com

UK cricket club visiting Israel

Lords and Commons Cricket Club’s inaugural trip combines original mix of sport, political fact-finding

The Lords and Commons Cricket Club from the United Kingdom is visiting Israel this week for a landmark cricket tour. The inaugural trip will combine an original mix of cricket and political fact-finding.

The tour seeks to highlight co-existence within Israeli society. In line with this, the trip has been coordinated with the Israel Cricket Association (ICA), which was awarded the Spirit of Cricket Award for their Cricket4Peace project at International Cricket Council (ICC) Development Program Awards in 2011.

Cricket4Peace is the first cross-border peace-building project to use cricket to bring together Israeli and Palestinian children from disadvantaged communities.

The UK parliamentarians will travel to Beersheba to play cricket with Israeli and Palestinian children participating in the Cricket4Peace program, through which they will see first-hand the power of cricket in bringing people of different backgrounds, cultures and religions together.

The group will also be playing cricket with Bedouin children in the village of Hura.

A cricket game against an invitational XI assembled by the Chairman of the ICA, Stanley Perlman, and another against reigning national champions, Young Ashdod, have also been scheduled.

Source: Ynetnews

Israel guests at Colombia’s Acodal event

Israeli water technology a hit at Bogota main industry expo; delegates from 16 companies meet with heads of Colombia’s water industry

Israel was chosen as the featured guest country at the 55th event Acodal water event, which took place in Bogota, Colombia, this summer, Israel NewTech reported.

“The Acodal water event in Colombia saw double the number of visitors this year,” Israel’s Economic Attaché in Colombia Netta Bar-El said, adding that the organizers attributed much of the event’s success to the fact that many were curious to see the technologies presented by the Israeli delegation.

The Israeli delegation included Aqwise, BlueI,Dorot, GES, Israriego/John Deere Water, Mer roup, Miya, NaanDanJain, Nirosoft, Pexgol, Plasson, Rafael and Takadu.

Water experts from Israel spoke at the seminar, while the Israeli booth and the representatives of the 16 companies in it met with the heads of Colombia’s water industry.

“Colombia suffers from a variety of challenges in the water arena, from infrastructure, to urban water transport, water loss and more,” Bar-El said.

“The Colombian government invests considerable sources in finding solutions to address these challenges, and Israeli companies have a lot to offer.”
Several Israeli companies already head projects in Colombia, include Nirosoft and Bermad.

Colombian companies have long since recognized the Israeli water industry’s expertise and some of the Colombian companies visiting the Israeli Pavilion included the official water utility companies from Bogota and Santa Marta.

Bar-El told Israel Newtech that the industry with perhaps the most pressing need for advanced water solutions in Colombia is the coal mining industry.

Bar-El further said that another delegation of Israeli water companies to Latin America is currently in the works and will visit Colombia and one other country in the region.

Source: Ynetnews.com

Muslims for Israel - Circassian Sheikh Farok Zinadin

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The Muslim Circassian community of Israel speak of how proud they are to be Israeli and support Israel, especially the Imam, Sheikh Farok Zinadin. These true Muslims know their Q'uran well and know it was promised to the Jewish people by God.

Facebook study shows Palestinians are Israel’s bestfriends on Facebook

Social networks and mobile technology have transformed the way people communicate. This week, Facebook announced there are 1 billion active users, who have created 140.3 billion Facebook connections on the eight-year-old platform.

What do all those friendships look like on an interactive map? Watch the video above to see the interactive map shared by Facebook Stories — a site dedicated to telling “thought-provoking stories” about the community.

The interactive map by Stamen Design shows each country’s closest friendships and possible reasons for the proximity. For example, Facebook users in Jordan have the most bonds with residents in the Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The map focuses on the historical, economic, linguistic and cultural binds that tie two countries together. The map can also be sorted by common languages spoken around the world.

“Immigration is one of the strongest links that seems to bind these Facebook neighbors, as thousands of people pour over borders or overseas, seeking jobs or fleeing violence, and making new connections and maintaining old friendships along the way,” wrote Mia Newman, the author of the interactive map post.

What are the most surprising connections between countries that share strong Facebook connections? Tell us in the comments.

Source: Mashable.com

10 Unknown West Bank Facts

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In only 2-minutes you'll learn the history of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) that you have probably never heard.

Mathematical model may reduce infections from chemotherapy

A new mathematical model suggests that proper risk assessment for the risk of infection with cancer chemotherapy needs to evaluate both the quantity and quality of white blood cells. The model was built by Weizmann Institute mathematicians in collaboration with physicians from the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba and from the Hoffman-La Roche research center in Basel, Switzerland. The study was published in Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Though chemotherapy for cancer can save lives, it also can have severe side effects, including an increased risk of infection. Currently, the major criterion to assess the risk of infection is the blood cell count, where the risk of infection is considered high if the number of white blood cells falls below a critical threshold. Neutropenia occurs when levels of white blood cells, mainly neutrophils, are dangerously low. This condition often emerges after chemotherapy or bone marrow transplant, and severe infections can develop if the immune system does not perform its crucial function of devouring and destroying bacteria.

“Our mathematical model has revealed previously unknown mechanisms responsible for the variability in the vulnerability of neutropenia patients to infections,” says research leader Professor Vered Rom-Kedar of the Weizmann Institute’s Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Department.

The model finds that variety in the effectiveness of neutrophils between healthy people usually has no significant consequences. However, for patients with neutropenia, the individual variability can make the difference between life and death. The study has drawn this conclusion based on analyzing blood from four healthy volunteers, and the analysis needs to be applied to large populations for the model to be used in the clinic.

The model explains why acute infections develop in certain patients after chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant, even if their neutrophil levels have returned to relatively normal levels. Chemotherapy lowers both neutrophil levels and function, so the tissues of these patients are more penetrable to bacteria. The model suggests that this results in a rapid increase in bacterial concentrations that gives a head start to the bacteria, and then the neutrophil recovery is insufficient to overcome the infection.

“Our study suggests that to achieve optimal results in applying chemotherapy, and/or in patients with innate neutrophil dysfunction, it is of value to assess the patient’s neutrophils periodically, as well as the bacterial concentration. Such assessments will help reduce the morbidity and the mortality, as well as the cost, associated with unnecessary hospitalizations and the administration of expensive medications. Moreover, by cutting down on the use of antibiotics, these assessments can help in preventing the rise in antibiotic resistance,” stated Professor Baruch Wolach, MD, of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and one of the study authors.

Source: OncologyNurseAdvisor

6 Canadian Yuk Yuk comedians walk into an Israeli bar… the rest is history…

A Universal Language, documents the exciting once in a life time journey of six Canadian comedians, among them Canadian comedy icon Mark Breslin, as they explore comedy, identity and history throughout the Holy Land and use the weapons of comedy to try and bring laughter to the Middle East.

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Producer/Director/Writer: Igal Hecht
D.O.P.: Elad Winkler
Camera: Elad Winkler, Lior Cohen, Igal Hecht
Sound: Lior Cohen, Elad Winkler, Igal Hecht
Editors: Igal Hecht & Carlos R. Guevara
Music: T. J. Habibi
Co-producer: Richard M. Landau
Executive Producers: Jeff Silverman & Mark Breslin
Associate Producer: Mike Khardas & Lior Cohen
Production Assistant: Tom Rabin

Comedians featured
Mark Breslin
Aaron Berg
Nikki Payne
Rebecca Kohler
Jean Paul
Sam Easton
Mike Khardas
Kandi Abelson

Special Appearance by:

Adi Khalefa
Shahar Hason
Yisrael Campbell
Odelia Yakir
and many more

www.chutzpaproductions.com

Zubin Mehta honored by Peres

President recognizes Indian-born famed conductor for his contributions to Israeli society

Israel’s president has recognized Indian-born conductor Zubin Mehta for his contributions to Israeli society.

Mehta, music director for life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, on Monday received Israel’s Presidential Medal of Distinction. Other winners have included Henry Kissinger.

Mehta has been the philharmonic’s director since 1977. He was also the longest-serving director of the New York Philharmonic.

In 2009, he started a music education program, Mifneh, which is Hebrew for “turning point,” for Israel’s Arab citizens.

Mehta said at Monday’s ceremony that “if you can sing together, you can live together.”

President Shimon Peres, a Nobel peace laureate, praised Mehta for his message of peace.

Peres said, “Israel used to be a drama, you made us into a dramatic symphony without compromising one for the other. You harmonized us.”

Source: Ynetnews.com