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Did You Know?

Israel engineers are behind the development of the largest communications router in the world, launched by Cisco.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Printing Food: Israeli Start Up Could Revolutionize the Way We Eat

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Israeli company White Innovation is currently developing an entirely new and remarkably fast way to prepare food from the comfort of your kitchen, Israel’s Channel 10 reported on Saturday.
Its product, known as “Ginny”, is essentially a souped-up printer that is small enough to fit on any counter. To create a meal one places a capsule of raw ingredients into one side of the machine. Then, olive oil, milk or water is injected. It then marinates for about thirty seconds and voila: a delectable feast awaits.
The developers behind Ginny claim that printed food has, “tremendous potential as a way to eat cheaper and healthier.” In theory, products like Ginny could revolutionize the food market, Channel 10 said. However, the vast potential is currently only on paper as Ginny is still undergoing a final series of tweaks before making a public debut.
Recently, the device was put to the ultimate test when acclaimed Israeli chef Israel Aharoni was invited to sample the printed food. While Aharoni came away impressed, he does not think Ginny will replace homemade cooking anytime soon. Rather, he sees it as a valuable addition to culinary innovation.
Having nibbled on some of the food, the veteran cuisinier noted that all the foodstuffs he tasted, “Were not completely accurate [representations of the original] and had a uniform texture. However, each item had its own distinct flavor. I believe that [Ginny] is the beginning of a very interesting process and I’m curious to know where it will lead.”
Watch a report (Hebrew) on printed food below:

Postcard of Israel - Spring in the Negev Desert



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When spring rolls round, Israel's Negev desert turns into a sea of color as flowers erupt everywhere.
Every year thousands of people go to take part in the Red South festival.

Video by Avi Kanner for ISRAEL21c.
Music: Freemusicarchive.org - Podington Bear "Good Times"

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Disabled Israeli swimmer breaks world record

Itzhak Mamistvalov sets new world record (Archive Photo: Razi Barkat)

Itzhak Mamistvalov takes first place in 100-meter heat, stopping clocks at 1:03.80 minutes. During competition, he claims two more gold medals.

Swimmer Itzhak Mamistvalov, an athlete at the Israel Sports Center for the Disabled and member of the Paralympics squad has set a new world record in the 50-meter freestyle at the Denmark Open swimming tournament for the disabled.
 
Mamistvalov, who competed in the S1 category, the class for swimmers with the most severe disabilities, and is trained by Noah Ram, clocked 1:03.80 minutes, an improvement of 13 hundredths of a second on the previous record.

During the competitions, in which some 200 swimmers from 15 countries took part, Mamistvalov added two more gold medals to his career medal count, when he won the 100-meter heat with a time of 2:21.57 minutes, and the 200-meter heat with a time of 5:18.7 minutes.


Habima Square, the cultural hub of Tel Aviv



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A theater, performing arts hall and art museum surround "Orchestra Plaza" at the intersection of two of Tel Aviv's most happening thoroughfares.

Tel Aviv's Habima Square is not just a popular meeting point in the White City -- it's a gateway to a whole lot of culture.

That's because the square -- also known as Orchestra Plaza -- is surrounded by major institutions such as the Habima National Theatre, the Charles R. Bronfman Auditorium (home of the Israeli Philharmonic) and the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art.

The sunken garden and reflecting pool are favorite hangout spots for families, couples and kids. And because Habima Square is located at the intersection of Rothschild Boulevard and Dizengoff Street, visitors always have plenty of choices in eateries and entertainment, thanks to outdoor buskers.

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Celebrating Five Innovative Israeli Water Technologies for World Water Day

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In honour of World Water Day, we have put together a list of five hot Israeli tech companies that focus on water! Situated on the edge of the desert with limited access to fresh water, Israelis have leveraged cutting edge technologies to improve and ensure access to water while sharing these technologies around the world. In 2012, exports of water technologies totaled $2B, representing an increase of 170% over six years. In no particular order:
The company that invented drip irrigation innovation through smart drip and micro-irrigation solutions is now leading the way with greenhouse solutions to foster growth in arid and otherwise challenging climates. From potatoes in China to pomegranates in Israel, tea in Tanzania, and cotton in India, this firm is succeeding in growing a range of key crops in all corners of the world.
A world leader in water treatment, this company specializes in all aspects of water desalination, from development and engineering to the construction and operation of plants. Through the work of companies like IDE, the prospect of Israel becoming a country with a water surplus becomes a very real possibility!
This company is in the business of developing novel methods for storing, preserving, and moving water for use in various industries such as construction and mining and in emergencies and disaster relief.
TACount recently won the Massachusetts water industry competition, Water Export Technology (WET) Revolution. Global Water Intelligence ranked TACount in the top 20 most viable water technologies, and the Office of the Israel Chief Scientist selected it as one of Israel’s most promising start-up companies. Their proprietary technology allows for real-time microbial detection, massively improving delivery of data, with typical technologies taking days or even weeks!
Amiad has been on the water tech scene for more than 40 years, working to develop state-of-the-art filtration technologies. Their unique technology is environmentally sound, using no chemicals, polymers, minimal back flush water, and reduced energy. Some of their systems do not even require electricity.

Kite Surfing in Israel…pretty awesome!

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Israel is home to many amazing beaches, and some pretty awesome water sports too!

Check this out…


Rolling Stones confirm June 4 Israel show!

Rolling Stones - Confirmed
On March 13th, we reported that the chances of a Rolling Stones concert in Israel this summer were growing. Today, Israeli producer Shuki Weiss confirmed that the Legendary British band finally has set a date for a concert in Tel Aviv for their 14 on Fire World Tour, on June 4!
Tickets for the concert are to go on sale on Sunday, March 30, at 9 am. The tickets cost NIS 695 ($200) for the cheapest spaces, NIS 1,790 ($515) for the “golden ring”, and NIS 2,850 ($820) for VIP seats.
“For the first time in my 35 years in the business I have no words to express the size of an event of this kind in Israel,” Weiss told reporters as he announced the concert.
Regarding the ticket prices, Weiss said that they were cheaper than the sums the band charged in other places around the world, and that the concert would boost tourism to Israel. “We are expecting thousands of tourists to come to the show,” he said.
He pointed out that Rolling Stones tickets for other venues that went on sale yesterday had already been sold out.
Ynet reported two weeks ago that Yarkon Park had been reserved on June 4 as the venue for the legendary British rock group’s performance, and that the date had been approved by the band’s representatives.
The previous date requested by the band members, in late May, created a problem for the Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan municipalities, as Justin Timberlake‘s concert had already been set for May 28 and, in favor of the area’s residents, major events cannot be held at the park on dates so close to one another.=
Other than Weiss, several leading producers, including Marcel Avraham and Gadi Oron, had been fighting for the privilege to bring the Stones to Israel. The lucky winner gets to produce the prestigious show for an estimated $5 million.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Facebook opening direct marketing office in Israel

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The U.S. company is also tapping Ginger Software chairwoman Adi Soffer-Teeni to lead its team in Israel.

Facebook is opening a direct marketing office in Israel, augmenting the Israelis who work out of the company’s offices in Dublin, the U.S. social-networking giant said Monday.
Leading the efforts at Tel Aviv suburb Ramat Gan will be Adi Soffer-Teeni, who has been appointed head of Facebook Israel. Soffer-Teeni, currently chairwoman of Ginger Software, will be putting together her own team.
“Millions of people in this country use our service every day; they connect to one another and share what’s important to them,” Soffer-Teeni said on Facebook. “Businesses are discovering the value of being part of this … both major brand names and small and medium-sized businesses.”
Before Ginger Software, Soffer-Teeni was director of the business-to-consumer division at 888.com, an online casino and poker website. She was also chief executive of the Kidum Group, a private education company.

Israel Ranked as Best Country for Women in Middle East

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World Economic Forum poll puts Israel way ahead of its Muslim neighbors in terms of women’s basic rights and freedoms.

Israel is the best country in the Middle East for women’s rights and freedoms, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap survey concluded this week.
The survey, which has been conducted since 2006, ranks 110 countries in terms of gender equality and inequality, using a variety of factors including demographic data, socioeconomic figures, and a close look at women in the legal system.
In 2013, Israel ranked #53 for women’s rights worldwide – up two places since 2012 – but top for the Middle East overall. Middle Eastern and Muslim countries ranked lower on the list, possibly due to their lower human rights records overall.
Thomson-Reuters noted recently that several Middle Eastern countries – Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and others –  have a poor track record for violence against women, reproductive rights, as well as the treatment and role of women. Egypt bottomed out the list.
The report noted that the Comoros Islands have the best track record for treatment of women in the Arab world; while the tiny nation did not appear on the WEF list, Oman – which ranked second for the Arab world in the Reuters poll – ranked 122nd in this week’s survey. Kuwait, which ranked third on the Reuters list, stands at just 118.
The survey’s results were published in honor of International Women’s Day, which was on March 8, and surfaces within days of reports that the Saudi Arabian royal family has been holding princessescaptive against their will for several years.
Israel received the Reducing the Gender Gap prize in 2013 from the European Parliament for its efforts in championing women’s rights.