Good News

Saving Lake Victoria

{image_1}Israel and Germany have signed a letter of intent for a first-of-its-kind joint cooperation effort, with the goal of saving Lake Victoria in Kenya. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second largest in the world and is being threatened by a severe ecological disaster. Half of the fish species in the huge lake—410 kilometers (255 miles) long and 250 kilometers (150 miles) wide—have already become extinct. About 30 million people make their living from the seaweed-filled lake that has low oxygen levels. Lake Victoria is one of the sources of the Nile, which is also suffering from the lake's ecological disaster.

Power to the People

{image_1}The Israeli government has opened a digital “suggestion box”—an Internet site (www.shituf.gov.il/) where anyone can register their opinion about bills placed before the Knesset (Parliament) and suggest amendments to government regulations, ordinances and laws. (Actually, some Israelis have gone straight to the top, sending 45,000 e-mails to the prime minister over the past year with suggestions as to how he should run the government.) Such input will be fed to the relevant authority, although no official response is promised to senders.

On the Lighter Side… And The Walls Came Tumblin’ Down….

{image_1}A massive 14-meter-long (46 feet-), six-meter-high (20 feet-) stone wall at a Jaffa (near Tel Aviv) building site collapsed overnight, burying more than nine parked cars under the rubble. What made this freak accident enticingly newsworthy?

IDF Develops New Navigation System

{image_1}Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers will soon receive outside help navigating on foot in the form of an electronic system the size of a matchbox. “We have learned that the navigation systems that exist today— the map and the GPS—do not supply all of our needs, so it was necessary to develop a new system,” Lieutenant-Colonel Zalman Adar told Ynet. The system was developed over the last two years by Elbit and the IDF. Army sources say it does not require satellites or aerial photographs to work. “The system…works by documenting steps or movement,” Adar explained.

16% Increase in New Immigrants

{image_1}More than 19,000 olim [Jewish immigrants] chose to make their home in Israel in 2010. There are significant increases in the numbers of olim from Latin America, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand, Switzerland, and even India.

Intel Invests $2.7 Billion in Israel Facility

{image_1}In an unstable business environment, when US companies are scaling back and weathering bad times, Intel has made a surprising business move. The chipmaker announced in January that it will invest US $2.7 billion in its Israeli plant in southern Israel, which will produce next-generation 22-nanometer chips.

Israel Shatters Tourism Record

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Israel announced they broke the record for incoming tourists in a year, with 2010 passing the 3 million-tourist-mark in November. The Tourism Ministry is predicting a total of 3.4 million tourists for 2010, which would eclipse the previous all-time high set in 2008 with 400,000 tourists.

Israeli among Top Game-changers

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Israeli educational executive Shai Reshef was awarded the 12th spot in a poll answered by 3 million readers of popular American news blog site Huffington Post as one of the Ultimate 12 Game Changers. These were defined as people considered by readers to be global innovation leaders who have significantly changed the way we live or view the world.

IDF Training Base Goes Green

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Last year, the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] inaugurated a new officers' training base near Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev. At the same time, a new US $275 million program was announced by the IDF to protect the environment and also fund environmental education at all IDF bases and training areas.

New Jerusalem Skateboard Park

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“Jerusalem will be joining leading cities around the world with a modern and professional skate park that will attract many visitors,” Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat announced recently. The state-of-the-art skateboard park, to span 0.7 acres [0.3 hectares] at an investment of about US $1.3 million, is to open in the capital by the end of 2011 in Jerusalem's Liberty Bell Park.