PHOTOGRAPHS: BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM; WWW.WIKIPEDIA.ORG
WILL CANADA USE HATE
CRIMES LAW AGAINST BDS?
Hebrew University, Jerusalem
LONG-LIFE VEGGIES
Israeli scientists believe they have found a way to keep leafy green vegetables fresh for much longer than is currently possible, without harming their appearance, taste or texture. Dr Rivka Elbaum of the Hebrew
University has identified a liquid that stops the vegetables from turning
bad. By immersing the leaves in the solution, her team of scientists managed to change the chemical balance of the plant tissue and prevent it
from “starting the death processes” at the normal speed.
The solution, an approved food additive which is natural in origin,
changes the shelf-life of the vegetable from days to weeks, according to the research. According to Dr Elbaum, “It’s completely safe and
there’s evidence that it’s a (health) benefit.” Dr Elbaum made her discovery by accident, describing it as a “by-product” of other research.
According to experts in agricultural development, a major reason for
poverty in Africa and India is that farmers cannot get their products
to market before they rot, because of a lack of adequate transport
infrastructure. The Israeli discovery has the potential to lift millions of
agricultural workers out of poverty.
CHRISTIANITY DECLINES, JUDAISM
RISES – BUT NOT AS FAST AS ISLAM
The Pew Research Center’s newly released 2014 US Religious Landscape
Study revealed that while the Jewish population in the US increased by
0.2% from 2007-13, the fastest-growing religion in the US is currently
Islam, with 0.5% growth during the same period. Islam is followed by
Hinduism, which had 0.3% growth.
Non-Christian faiths as a whole, according the survey, grew by 1.2%
during those years. Meanwhile, those who are unaffiliated with a particular faith, including those identifying as atheist or agnostic, grew by
6.7%. The population of those identifying as Christian went down by
7.8%, with the largest decline reported in the Evangelical population.
Among non-Christian religions, the survey said, Jews and Hindus are
reported to be the most educated religious groups in the US. Fiftynine percent of Jews and 77% of Hindus reported to have academic
degrees. Those two religious groups are also reported to have the
highest average household incomes, with 36% of Hindu families and
44% of Jewish families earning more than $100 000 annually.
Article courtesy of Matzav.com
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has indicated that his government may use hate crime laws
against Canadian advocacy organisations that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)
movement against Israel.
This could affect religious organisations such as the
United Church of Canada and the Canadian Quakers,
as well as campus groups, civil society organisations,
labour unions, and others. However, civil liberty
groups say the move would be challenged under
Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Bill of Rights.
In January, former Canadian foreign minister John
Baird signed a “memorandum of understanding” with
Israeli authorities that committed to fight BDS, and
described the movement as “the new face of antiSemitism.” Currently, Canadian government ministers
have indicated they are taking a “zero tolerance” approach to groups participating in BDS.
“I can tell you that Canada has one of the most comprehensive sets of laws against hate crime anywhere
in the world,” said Josee Sirois, aide to Canadian
Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney. “We will not allow hate crimes to undermine our way of life, which is
based on diversity and inclusion.”
DIAGNOSIS TECHNIQUE CAN TRANSFORM
COLON CANCER DETECTION
An Israeli start-up may transform the diagnosis of
colon cancer, one of the harshest of cancers which
is today often identified only when it is too late for
treatment. Medial, established by Israelis – some of
whom are alumni of the IDF’s prestigious 8200 intelligence unit – developed an algorithm that can be
used to analyse the results of standard blood tests
and predict the likelihood of colon cancer about
three years before the disease strikes.
Medial’s algorithm requires the lab results from completely routine blood tests, and the prediction relies
on maths rather than advanced testing technology.
The technology can easily be introduced and implemented in hospitals.
Typically attacking people after middle age, colon cancer can go unnoticed for years and then be discovered
at the onset of abdominal pains which the p