A piece for the daily show

Posted on May 3, 2007 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Social | Tags: | 1 Comment

Here is something that all the major media should have published, but won’t. I would even love for Jon Stewart to get the word out. Unfortunately, the media gets jaded and its feeling on the middle east is, been there, heard that. But, if you pay attention closely, this guy is not your average hate spewer. This is a hate spewer with authority and power. Sheik Ahmad Bahr, acting Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, must have been interrupted while watching the Borat episode where the crowd joins in with Borat’s chant “Throw the Jews down the well” because he made sure to spread his own version of the episode. He did so in a mosque in the Sudan, calling on Allah to, and I quote,

“Oh Allah, vanquish the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, count their numbers, and kill them all, down to the very last one. Oh Allah, show them a day of darkness. Oh Allah, who sent down His Book, the mover of the clouds, who defeated the enemies of the Prophet, defeat the Jews and the Americans, and bring us victory over them.”

Read more of this Hamas leader/official/spokesperson’s calls of murder and annihilation.

 

Solving the unsolveable for NATO

Posted on May 3, 2007 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Technology | Tags: | Leave a Comment

According to The Jerusalem Post, NATO has called upon Israel’s Technion Institute to protect water supply systems. The Technion has already reported solutions such as how to neutralize hazardous chemicals found in water. Now they just need to create the devices and then they’re ready for the next project. Bring it.

 

Photos capture real life in Israel

Posted on May 2, 2007 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Art and Culture, Social | Tags: | Leave a Comment

Photos have a way of reminding us that we live somewhere special. All it takes is for you to recognize a truly Israeli scene from a photo and feel like if you had been walking in that spot earlier that day, you would’ve had a chance at fame - or at least be in a picture. I recently stumbled across photographer Emma Mrejen, who captures wonderful snippets of daily life in Israel. Warning: the site is in French, but the pictures have been translated into… pixels.. for all to enjoy. Here’s a personal favorite taken on Yom Ha’atzmaut. I need to remember that not everywhere in the world can you get soaked with fake snow on Israel’s independence day.

 

Schizophrenia or just daily life in Israel?

Posted on May 2, 2007 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Social | Tags: | Leave a Comment

Living in Israel can feel like an emotional roller coaster. On a personal level, Israelis are the first to shove you to the ground when it comes to waiting in line, but they’re also the first to pick you up when you’ve fallen off your bike and will stay with you until you’re ok, and maybe even invite you for a Shabbat meal. On a national level, you feel like you could hug and squeeze Israel when it builds new medical devices to help people with Parkinsons’ Disease. But, just as you’re feeling good, you find out about the Winograd report and want to punch the state in the face. Blogger Ouriel eloquently points out that he lives in Israel but feels like he’s living in two different countries. He says, “I really like this country, and each time i am asked i have the same answer. no regret i came here. the opposite. But i am still wondering how on earth such a country is still outperforming economically with such a disastrous political situation. Is this a miracle? ”

Now that I think about it, I’ve never been on a roller coaster in Israel.. do they even have any here? Maybe Israelis get their thrills from daily life so they never thought to build an amusement park. I vote to bring Six Flags Great Adventure to Israel.

 

Virtual reality goes from popular arcade game to helpful Israeli-built medical device

Posted on May 1, 2007 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Technology | Tags: | Leave a Comment

CCMag reports:

Israeli scientists have created a small, wearable virtual reality device that combines auditory and visual feedback to improve walking speed and stride length in patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease.

According to lead researcher Professor Yoram Baram of the Faculty of Computer Science, the device combines a wearable, cell phone-sized audio component – which measures body movement, processes it and sends feedback to the user through earphones – with a visual feedback apparatus he developed for Parkinson’s patients 10 years ago.

The visual component presents users with a virtual, tiled-floor image displayed on one eye via a tiny piece that clips onto glasses worn by the user. This allows the user to distinguish between the virtual floor and real obstacles, making it possible to navigate even rough terrain or stairs.

…“Healthy people have other tools, such as sensory feedback from muscles nerves, which report on muscle control, telling them whether or not they are using their muscles correctly,” says Baram. “This feedback is damaged in Parkinson and MS patients and the elderly, but auditory feedback can be used to help them walk at a fixed pace.”

…The integrated device – the first to respond to the patient’s motions rather than just providing fixed visual or auditory cues – is already in use at a number of medical centers in Israel and the United States, including the University of Cincinnati and the State University of New York.

“Virtual Reality Helps MS Patients Walk Better” CCMag, April 30, 2007

 

« Previous Page

Search

Subscribe to israelplug

Categories

Sponsors

 

FlickrIsrael