Mussar: Breaking Free from Imprisoning Thoughts

From RRW

http://www.aish.com/sp/pg/Breaking-Free-from-Imprisoning-Thoughts.html?s=fab

Israel's achievements -- Start with these‏

From RRW

Thank you to Rabbi Dov Fischer for this

Israel – a R&D and manufacturing powerhouse
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, "Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative"
Straight from the Jerusalem Boardroom #207, September 18, 2015 http://bit.ly/1KrxVd4

While global economic slowdown and insecurity have reduced consumption, export and growth throughout the world:
1. Microsoft acquired Israel's cyber security startup, Adallom, for $320mn. Adallom exposed the break into the security server of Microsoft Office365. In recent months, Microsoft also acquired Israel's cyber security company, Aorato, for $200mn, Equivio for $200mn and N-trig for a few scores of millions of dollars.  In 2009, Microsoft acquired Israel's 3DV Systems for $35mn (Globes, July 20, 2015).
2. The Framingham, MA-based Heartware acquired Israel's Valtech Cardio for $360mn, which could surge to $860mn, provided that milestones are met (Globes, September 3).
3. Medtronic, the Dublin and Minneapolis-based world's largest stand-alone medical technology development company, is launching – along with IBM and Israel's Office of the Chief Scientist – a digital medicine incubator in Israel. In April, Medtronics invested $2mn in Israel's DreaMed Diabetes (http://www.fiercemedicaldevices.com/, September 15). 
4.  According to Frans van Houten, the Chairman and CEO of the global Dutch giant, Phillips: "Israel has a major record of achievement in innovation, which Phillips is a partner to through our extensive R&D investments in Israel." Van Houten inaugurated a joint incubator, in Israel, with Israel's TEVA Pharmaceutical Industries – a $25mn investment by each company.  The joint incubator, Sanara Ventures, will be the home of digital health, monitoring and imaging early-stage startups.  In addition, Phillips operates a research & development center, in Israel, which employs 850 people. Phillips is also manufacturing special elements for its imaging systems in Israel. During the last three years, Phillips experienced a 60% expansion of its Israeli operation (Globes, September 11).
5. In 2014, Israel sold $6bn cyber-wares – 10% of global sales – compared with than $5.7bn in arms sales. The number of Israeli cyber-security companies has doubled over the past five years to 300.  Eight of them were sold to foreign investors for a total of $700mn. Israel's CyberArk is traded on NASDAQ at a $2bn valuation (The London Economist, August 1).
6. Switzerland is acquiring, from Israel's Elbit Systems, six "Hermes 900" medium-size unmanned aerial vehicles for $250mn (Israel Hayom, September 8). India is purchasing 10 missile-armed Israeli drones, the Heron TP, for $400mn. It will significantly advance India's cross-border military strikes capability against Islamic terrorist bases.  Previously, India purchased Israel's Harpy unmanned aerial vehicles, which are self-destructing systems, aimed at enemy radar and missile positions (India Economic Times, September 11). Russia acquired 10 Israeli intelligence-gathering drones, the Forpost.  In 2011, Israel delivered to Russia 12 drones at a cost of $400mn (Jerusalem Post, September 8, 2015). Oshkosh Corporation won a $6.75bn contract to build 17,000 new light trucks to replace aging Humvees for the US Army and Marine Corps. Israel's Plasan, one of Oshkosh's subcontractors, is expected to get $1bn of the transaction. Plasan develops, manufactures and assembles custom-built vehicle armor systems for lightweight military vehicles, protecting most US military vehicles, including in Iraq and Afghanistan (Yedioth Achronot, August 27).
7. China's Hebang acquired Israel's Stockton, a world leader in the development and manufacturing of bio-pesticides, for $90mn (Start Up Israel, July 10).
8. The CEO of Turkey's natural gas company, Turkiye Petrolleri: Importing natural gas from Israel – which is cheaper than the natural gas in Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan – would be a win-win transaction.  Irrespective of the deterioration of Turkey-Israel diplomatic ties, their trade balance has grown (Globes, August 12).
9.  Japan's Samsung Ventures co-led an $18mn round of private placement by Israel's StoreDot (Globes, August 20).  Minneapolis-based Norwest Venture Partners and London-based 83North (formerly Greylock Partners) co-led a $14mn round by Israel's Elostrata (Globes, August 27). Israel's Intec Pharma raised $27mn on NASDAQ (Globes, August 5). Johnson & Johnson, Adams Street Partners and China's Sino Biopharmaceutical participated in a $27mn round by Israel's LifeBond (Globes, August 6). 
 

The facts about Israel

Geography: 

·         Israel is only 1/6 of 1% of the landmass of the Middle East.

·         Israel is roughly half the size of Lake Michigan.

·         The Sea of Galilee, at 695 ft. below sea level, is the lowest freshwater lake in the world.

·         The Dead Sea is the lowest surface point on earth at about 1,373 feet below sea level.

·         Israel is the only nation in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees.

·         Jericho is the oldest continuously inhabited town in the world.

·         The Mount of Olives in Jerusalem is the oldest continually used cemetery in the world.
 

Demographics: 

·         Israel's population is half the size of Metro New York City.

·         Israel has only 2% of the population of the Middle East.

·         Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees per capita in the world.

·         Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation in the world - by a large margin.

·         Israel has the highest number of scientists and technicians per capita in the world - by a large margin.

·         Israel has the highest number of engineers per capita in the world.

·         Israel has the highest number of PhD's per capita in the world.

·         Israel has the highest number of physicians per capita in the world. 

·         Israel has the largest percentage of its workforce employed in technical professions in the world.

·         Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation in the world, per capita.

·         Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population has grown over the last 50 years.

·         Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christians, Muslims and Jews are all free to vote.

·         Israel is the only cou n try in the Middle East where women enjoy full political rights.

 

Economics: 

·         Israel has the largest number of startup companies per capita in the world.

·         Israel is the world's largest wholesale diamond center surpassing Antwerp in the 1970's.

·         Most of the cut & polished diamonds in the world come from Israel. 

·         Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies outside of the US and Canada.

·         Israel was the first country to have a free trade agreement with the United States.

·         Apart from the Silicon Valley, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world.

·         The cell phone was developed in Israel at Motorola's largest development center.

·         The Voice Mail technology was developed in Israel. In the early 80's, IBM chose an Israeli-designed computer chip as the brains for its first personal computers.

·         The first anti-virus software for computers was developed in Israel in 1979.

·         Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed in Israel by Microsoft.

·         Both the Pentium-4 and Centrino processors were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.

·         The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel.

·         Israel has the highest number of home computers per capita in the world.

·         The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ was developed in 1996 by 4 young Israelis.

·         Israel was the first Middle Eastern country to launch a satellite, the Ofek 1, on September 19, 1988.

 

Culture: 

·         Hebrew is the only case of a dead national language being revived in all of world history.

·         Hebrew had not been spoken as a native tongue by anyone for centuries.

·         Today it is the native tongue of millions of people.

·         Israel has more museums per capita than any other nation in the world.

·         Israel has more orchestras per capita than any other nation in the world.

·         Israel publishes more books per capita than any other nation in the world.

·         Israel publishes more books translated from other languages than any other nation in the world.

·         Israel reads more books per capita than any other nation in the world.

·         The most independent and free Arabic press in the Middle East is in Israel.

 

Military/Security: 

·         Israel has the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the US.

·         Israel has the world's most impenetrable airline security.

·         Israel spends more money per capita on its own protection than any country in the world.

 

 Misc: 

·         Israel's dairy cows are the most productive dairy cows in the world. They average 25,432 pounds of

       milk per cow per year, compared to just 18,747 pounds from American cows; 17,085 from Canadian cows; 

      13,778 from European Union cows; 10,207 from Australian cows; and 6,600 from Chinese cows.

·         Israel has more in-vitro fertilization per capita than anywhere in the world, and it's free.

·         Israelis, per capita, are the world's biggest consumers of fruits and vegetables.

 

Despite all of the above, of the 175 UN Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.

Of the 690 UN General Assembly resolutions voted on after 1990, 429 were directed against Israel. This, for protecting

its people and its land from continual attacks from the surrounding Arab nations who have sworn to destroy it.

 

Through December at the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem, 44 indispensable Israeli inventions are being displayed and demonstrated. Curator Varda Gur Ben-Sheetrit tells Israel21c that hundreds of ingenious inventions were considered for Inventions, Inc., which offers visitors a chance to learn more and try their own hand at coming up with something new.

She emphasizes that many other Israeli inventions are deserving of being included. “We were, of course, constrained by space limitations, and also not every company we invited to exhibit responded,” she says.

Another feature of the exhibition is the Transparent Studio, where graduates of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design conduct a course on innovation in the area of light and lighting design. Visitors can observe their work-in-progress and share their ideas and suggestions with the designers.

Here, ISRAEL21c gives Israel’s top 44 inventions highlighted at the exhibition, in no particular order.

1. Given Imaging, a world leader in developing and marketing patient-friendly solutions for visualizing and detecting disorders of the GI tract, is best known for its PillCam (aka capsule endoscopy), now the gold standard for intestinal visualization.

2. Netafim is a worldwide pioneer in smart drip and micro-irrigation, starting from the idea of Israeli engineer Simcha Blass for releasing water in controlled, slow drips to provide precise crop irrigation. The kibbutz-owned company operates in 112 countries with 13 factories throughout the world.

3. Ormat Technologies designs, develops, builds, owns, manufactures and operates geothermal power plants worldwide, supplying clean geothermal power in more than 20 countries.

4. Pythagoras Solar makes the world’s first solar window, which combines energy efficiency, power generation and transparency. This transparent photovoltaic glass unit can be easily integrated into conventional building design and construction processes.

5. Hazera Genetics, a project of two professors at the Hebrew University Faculty of Agriculture, yielded the cherry tomato – a tasty salad fixing that ripens slowly and doesn’t rot in shipment.

6. BabySense is a non-touch, no-radiation device designed to prevent crib death. Made by HiSense, the device monitors a baby’s breathing and movements through the mattress during sleep. An auditory and visual alarm is activated if breathing ceases for more than 20 seconds or if breath rate slows to less than 10 breaths per minute.

7. EpiLady, the first electric hair remover (epilator), secured its leading position in the international beauty care market and since 1986 has sold almost 30 million units.

8. 3G Solar pioneered a low-cost alternative to silicon that generates significantly more electricity than leading silicon-based PV solar modules at a lower cost per kilowatt hour.

9. MobileEye combines a tiny digital camera with sophisticated algorithms to help drivers navigate more safely. The steering system-linked device sounds an alert when a driver is about to change lanes inadvertently, warns of an impending forward collision and detects pedestrians. MobileEye has deals with GM, BMW and Volvo, among others.

10. Leviathan Energy innovated the Wind Tulip, a cost-effective, silent, vibration-free wind turbine designed as an aesthetic environmental sculpture, producing clean energy at  high efficiency from any direction.

11. Rav Bariach introduced the steel security door that has become Israel’s standard. Its geometric lock, whose cylinders extend from different points into the doorframe, is incorporated into doors selling on five continents.

12. BriefCam video-synopsis technology lets viewers rapidly review and index original full-length video footage by concurrently showing multiple objects and activities that actually occurred at different times. This technology drastically cuts the time and manpower involved in event tracking, forensics and evidence discovery.

13. GridON makes the Keeper, a three-phase fault current limiter developed at Bar-Ilan University. The device, which blocks current surges and limits the current for as long as required to clear the fault, won an Innovation Award from General Electric’s Ecomagination Challenge and is of interest to major utilities companies around the world.

14. Intel Israel changed the face of the computing world with the 8088 processor (the “brain” of the first PC), MMX and Centrino mobile technology. Israeli engineers at Intel in the 1990s had to convince skeptical bosses to take a chance on MMX technology, an innovation designed to improve computer processing. It’s now considered a milestone in the company’s history.

15. Disk-on-Key, the ubiquitous little portable storage device made bySanDisk, was invented by Dov Moran as an upgraded version of disk and diskette technology through the use of flash memory and USB interface for connection to personal computers.

16. TACount real-time microbiology enables the detection and counting of harmful microorganisms in a matter of minutes, rather than the conventional method of cell culture that takes several hours to a few days. The technology applies to the fields of drinking and wastewater, pharmaceuticals and food and beverage production.

17. Solaris Synergy innovated an environmentally friendly and economically beneficial way to float solar panels on water instead of taking up valuable land, generating energy while protecting and limiting evaporation from reservoir surfaces.

18. HydroSpin is developing a unique internal pipe generator that supplies electricity for water monitoring and control systems in remote areas and sites without accessibility to electricity.

19. The Volcani Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development aims to improve existing agricultural production systems and to introduce new products, processes and equipment. Basic and applied research is conducted at six institutes and in two regional research centers by more than 200 scientists and 300 engineers and technicians.

20. Rosetta Green, a 2010 spinoff of the agro-biotechnology division of Rosetta Genomics, develops improved plant traits for the agriculture and biofuel industries, using unique genes called microRNAs.

21. Mazor Robotics’ Spine Assist and other surgical robots are transforming spine surgery from freehand procedures to highly accurate, state-of-the-art operations with less need for radiation.

22. The optical heartbeat monitor developed by Bar-Ilan University’s Prof. Ze’ev Zalevsky is a revolutionary medical technology using a fast camera and small laser light source.

23. Elya Recycling developed and patented an innovative method for recycling plastic based on a specialized formulation of natural ingredients. Making the new raw material for handbags, reusable totes and lumber products requires 50 percent less energy than current recycling methods and 83% less energy than virgin manufacturing.

24. Like-A-Fish unique air supply systems extract air from water, freeing leisure and professional scuba divers, as well as submarines and underwater habitats, from air tanks.

25. Itamar Medical’s WatchPAT is an FDA-approved portable diagnostic device for the follow-up treatment of sleep apnea in the patient’s own bedroom, rather than at a sleep disorders clinic.

26. Zenith Solar developed a modular, easily scalable high-concentration photovoltaic system (HCPV). The core technology is based on a unique, proprietary optical design to extract the maximum energy with minimal real estate.

27. AFC (Active Flow Control)was developed at Tel Aviv University as an intelligent gas-air mixing system to replace all existing mixing technologies.

28. The Space Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) unit of Elbit Systemsmakes a “space camera,” a compact, lightweight electro-optic observation system for government, commercial and scientific applications.

29. Turbulence, the world’s first hyper-narrative, interactive movie, is also the name of the company developed by Prof. Nitzan Ben-Shaul of Tel Aviv University. The technology allows the viewer to choose the direction of the film’s plot by pressing buttons on the PC, Mac or iPad at various moments in the action.

30. Decell Technologies is a global leader in providing real-time road traffic information based on monitoring the location and movement of phones and GPS devices. Swift-i Traffic, Decell’s premium product, is incorporated in leading navigation systems, fleet management services, mapping operations and media channels in several countries.

31. NDS VideoGuard technology is the pay-TV industry’s advanced suite of conditional access (CA) solutions. It protects branded service from piracy and ensures that consumers will have the choice and flexibility they demand in broadcast and on-demand content.

32. PrimeSense revolutionizes interaction with digital devices by allowing them to “see” in three dimensions and transfer control from remote controls and joysticks to hands and body. It is the leading business provider of low-cost, high-performance 3D machine vision technologies for the consumer market.

33. Takadu provides monitoring software to leading water utilities worldwide. The product offers real-time detection and control over network events such as leaks, bursts, zone breaches and inefficiencies.

34. Hewlett Packard (HP)’sIndigo digital printing pressesfor general commercial printing, direct mail, photos and photobooks, publications, labels, business cards, flexible packaging and folding cartons print without films and plates, allowing for personalized short runs and changing text and images without stopping the press.

35. Cubital’s solid rapid prototyping machines craft 3D models of engineering parts directly from designs on a computer screen. They’re used in the automotive, aerospace, consumer products and medical industries, as well as engineering firms and academic and research institutions.

36. The Zomet Institute in Jerusalem is a non-profit, public research institute where rabbis, researchers and engineers devise practical solutions for modern life without violating Sabbath restrictions on the use of electricity. Zomet technology is behind metal detectors, security jeeps, elevators, electric wheelchairs and coffee machines that can be used on Shabbat, as well as solutions requested by the Israeli ministries of health and defense, Ben-Gurion Airport, Elite Foods, Tnuva Dairies, Israeli Channel 10 Television and others.

37. The EarlySense continuous monitoring solution allows hospital nurses to watch and record patients’ heart rate, respiration and movement remotely through a contact-free sensor under the mattress. The system’s built-in tools include a wide range of reports on the status of patients, including alerts for falls and bedsore prevention.

38. TourEngine significantly reduces fuel consumption and harmful emissions by common engines through a sophisticated thermal management strategy. It can also be easily integrated with future hybrid engines, further improving their efficiency and environment-friendly attributes.

39. The superconducting fault current limiter (FCL), designed for limiting short currents, comes out of a $2 million project developed over two years by RICOR Cryogenics and Vacuum Systems with theInstitute of Superconductivity at Bar-Ilan University.

40. Heliofocus led an industry trend to provide solar-energy boosting for existing coal or gas power plants, reducing carbon emissions and overall costs.

41. Transbiodiesel makes enzyme-based catalysts (biocatalysts) used in the production of biodiesel.

42. SolarEdge makes a module that optimizes every link in the solar PV chain, maximizing energy production while monitoring constantly to detect faults and prevent theft.

43. The 3D tethered particle motion system developed by three professors at Bar-Ilan allows for three-dimensional tracking of critical protein-DNA and protein-RNA cell interactions in the body.

44. Panoramic Power provides a current monitor solution that enables enterprises and organizations to reduce their operational and energy expenses using a breakthrough power flow visibility platform.

This article originally appeared on Israel21c.org