Amstaff Dog Attacks, Moderately Wounds Toddler in Kiryat Ekron Near Rehovot

"An amstaff dog on Saturday attacked a 2-year-old in a Kiryat Ekron public park, leaving the toddler moderately wounded and with major cosmetic damage. Ya'ara Medani was walking with her father in the park, when she noticed two of her neighbors, 16-year-old boys, with two amstaff dogs. The toddler asked her father, Ronen Medani, if she could pet them. Medani said he asked the dogs' owners if the dogs would attack or bite, and was told they would not. Medani said he also asked the owners to hold onto the dogs' collars while his daughter pet them.

Medani said he picked his daughter up so she could pet the dogs, when one of them leaped from its collars and attacked the little girl. "Apparently the collar had loosened on one of the dogs, and it attacked my daughter. He bit her and ripped her cheek," Medani said. The toddler also suffered from scratches on her neck.

The toddler was taken to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot, where she received first-aid in the children's emergency room. She is in stable condition and conscious, the hospital reported, but the wounds on her face will leave her with much cosmetic damage and in danger of infection. Doctors have begun treatment to prevent infection, and have said the girl will mostly likely be given plastic surgery.

The teenagers and their dogs were taken to the Rehovot police station for questioning. Police say the dog who attacked the toddler was not wearing a muzzle at the time. The teenagers have been released for the remainder of the investigation, but their failure to take precautionary steps with their pets has been recorded on file. The offending dog was removed from its owner and put into isolation."

Source: Yuval Azoulay. Amstaff dog attacks, moderately wounds Kiryat Ekron toddler. Ha'aretz.com (22 October 2005) [FullText]

Lineage Trees for Cells: Molecular Biology Tools Advanced by Rehovot Weizmann Scientists

"Some fundamental outstanding questions in science: “Where do stem cells originate?” “How does cancer develop?” “When do cell types split off from each other in the embryo?” might be answered if scientists had a way to map the history of the body’s cells going back to the fertilized egg. Now, a multidisciplinary team at the Weizmann Institute of Science has developed an analytical method that can trace the lineage trees of cells.

This accomplishment started with a challenge to common wisdom, which says that every cell in an organism carries an exact duplicate of its genome. Although mistakes in copying, which are passed on to the next generation of cells as mutations, occur when cells divide, such tiny flaws in the genome are thought to be trivial and mainly irrelevant. But research students Dan Frumkin, and Adam Wasserstrom of the Biological Chemistry Department, working under the guidance of Prof. Ehud Shapiro of the Institute’s Biological Chemistry, and Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Departments, raised a new possibility: Though biologically insignificant, the accumulated mutations might hold a record of the history of cell divisions.

Together with Prof. Uriel Feige, of the Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Department, and research student Shai Kaplan, they proved that these mutations can be treated as information and used to trace lineage on a large scale, and then applied the theory to extracting data and drafting lineage trees for living cells.

Methods employed until now for charting cell lineage trees have relied on direct observation of developing embryos. This method worked well enough for the tiny, transparent worm, C. elegans, that has around 1000 cells, all told, but for humans, with 100 trillion cells, or even newborn mice or human embryos at one month, each of which has a billion cells after some 40 rounds of cell division, the task would be impossible.

The study focused on mutations in specific, mutation-prone areas of the genome known as microsatellites. In microsatellites, a genetic “phrase” consisting of a few nucleotides (genetic “letters”) is repeated over and over; mutations manifest themselves as additions or subtractions in length. Based on the current understanding of the mutation process in these segments, the scientists proved mathematically that microsatellites alone contain enough information to accurately plot the lineage tree for a one-billion-cell organism.

Both human and mouse genomes contain around 1.5 million microsatellites, but the team’s findings demonstrated that a useful analysis can be performed based on a much smaller number. To obtain a consistent mutation record, the team used organisms with a rare genetic defect found in plants and animals alike. While healthy cells have repair mechanisms to correct copying mistakes and prevent mutation, cells with the defect lack this ability, allowing mutations to accumulate relatively rapidly.
Borrowing a computer algorithm used by evolutionary biologists that analyzes genetic information in order to place organisms on branches of the evolutionary tree, the researchers assembled an automated system that samples the genetic material from a number of cells, compares it for specific mutations, applies the algorithm to assess degrees of relatedness and from there outlines the cell lineage tree. To check their system, they pitted it against the tried and true method of observing cell divisions as they occurred in a lab-grown cell culture. The team found that, from an analysis of just 50 microsatellites, they could successfully recreate an accurate cell lineage tree.

While the research team plans to continue to test their system on more complex organisms such as mice, several scientists have already expressed interest in integrating the method into ongoing research in their fields. Says Shapiro, who heads the project: "Our discovery may point the way to a future ''Human Cell Lineage Project'' that would aim to resolve Fundamental open questions in biology and medicine by reconstructing ever larger portions of the human cell lineage tree."

For additional information see http://www.weizmann.ac.il/udi/plos2005

Prof. Ehud Shapiro's research is supported by the M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research, the Dolfi and Lola Ebner Center for Biomedical Research, the Samuel R. Dweck Foundation, the Benjamin and Seema Pulier Charitable Foundation, the Robert Rees Fund for Applied Research, Dr. Mordecai Roshwald and the Estate of Klara (Haya) Seidman. Prof. Shapiro is the incumbent of the Harry Weinrebe Professorial Chair.

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world's top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to 2,500 scientists, students, technicians and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.

Source: Lineage Trees for Cells. Weizmann Institute Science News. Rehovot Israel (28 October 2005). Contact Yivsam Azgad for additional info: (972 8) 934-3856/52, yivsam.azgad@weizmann.ac.il or news@weizmann.ac.il

Rehovot Spring Bliss

by Erin Israel

"Sometime last Wednesday night, spring rolled in, and, ever since, it's been sunny and about seventy degrees, here. Cafes have stowed their heaters and tied up the winter awnings; families have started to picnic, out on the lawn, again; and there's the cheerful delirium, wherever you go, of Israelis running away from winter.

"Don't stow your blankets and scarves just yet," the Visiting Scientists liason warned me when I visited the office, yesterday. "It will be ridiculously hot and cold until the end of March." I nodded politely, left the office, and then spent two hours lying outside in the sun, watching two clouds move gradually from north to south, like giant steamboats.

Others are less pessimistic. The corner grocer greeted me in an ebullient mood, and showed me cell-phone pictures of his children. Two tiny faces, pale and blue-tinged from the digital screen, looked out: a one-year old little girl with a shock of white-blond hair, and a twelve-year-old boy, wearing glasses. "She looks Scandinavian," the grocer said, pointing at his daughter.

"Is her mother Scandinavian?" I asked (logically, I thought).

"No, no, no." He laughed uproariously. "We're both Israeli. Born and raised here. But we're white." Here he poked at his skin, which was really more pinkish than white. "My parents came here in the Seventies, from the old....Russia. The Soviet Union." He shrugged. "But we are from Israel; the children are from Israel."

"Spasiba!" he called to an elderly woman, who was leaving the store. (It means "thanks" in Russian.)

"Do you speak Russian?" he asked, when I returned to the checkout stand with my things.

"No, but a little bit of Czech," I replied.

"Oh. Really?" The grocer adjusted his yarmulke and blinked. "Tell me something in Czech." He paused to shout out greetings in Hebrew to the Tibon Veal man, idling in the street in his truck, then called back something in Russian to the woman who runs the deli at the back of the store.

This is an average day of shopping. My grocer speaks at least three languages fluently; probably more, for all I know. He makes an effort to greet shoppers in their own language; since the grocery is a block from the Institute, he's an international one-man band of "Hello, how are you, strawberries are on sale!"

# # #

About two weeks ago, when it was still blustery, and spring was an illusion, I began seeing triangle-shaped cookies called hamentaschen stacked in the front cases of bakeries, alongside the usual rows of burekas and other feats of phyllo dough. The cookies herald the coming of Purim, and their name means "Haman's pockets". (The triangular shape of the cookies echoes Haman's tri-corner hat.) In the supermarket on Herzl, the bakery had three trays of these perched on the counter, but I couldn't read the flavors listed in Hebrew.

("Do you speak English?" I politely asked the Russian bakery worker in Hebrew, and gestured to the cookies.
"Lo," she said, frowning, and crossed her arms.
So no hamentaschen for me.
"Well, the Cold War is over!" I said, and huffed off.)

Who is Haman, and what is Purim? I didn't know, either.

The Judaism 101 site notes that Purim involves some serious celebrating: "According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between 'cursed be Haman' and 'blessed be Mordecai,' though opinions differ as to exactly how drunk that is." Someone ought to tell the supermarket bakery workers that it's supposed to be a festive occasion."

Source: Erin Israel. "A-VEEV." "Spring." Rehovot.blogspot.com (last viewed 26 October 2005) [FullText]

Rehovots' Hi-Tech: Card Guard, Humana in Telemedicine Joint Venture

"Card Guard AG (SWX: CARDG) and Humana Innovation Enterprises, a subsidiary of Humana Inc. (HUM), announced today that they have formed Sensei Inc., a new company designed to offer personalized monitoring services for wellness and disease management. Sensei, which is 50% owned by Card Guard AG and 50% by Humana, will be operated mainly as a wireless information platform, on which subscribers will be able to receive personalized nutrition, weight loss information, fitness notifications and medication reminders through their mobile phones and/or PDA's. The company's first services are scheduled to be available to subscribers in the first half of 2006.

Card Guard chairman and CEO Yacov Geva said, "Card Guard will provide technical know-how and experience to Sensei in order to construct a multimedia platform that answers the health, wellness and disease management demands of 21st-century consumers around the world."

The Sensei platform will be marketed through wireless carriers, weight loss companies, fitness centers, consumer electronic companies and web portals. By 2007, the platform is also expected to include monitoring for hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, stress reduction, and asthma, among other conditions.

Sensei CEO Terry Minton said, "Sensei is well positioned to capitalize on the vision and resources of Humana and Card Guard to positively impact consumer behavior."

Israel's Card Guard became a Switzerland based company in 2001. Card Guard is now headquartered in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland, with subsidiaries in the US, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, the UK, Switzerland and Israel. Card Guard Scientific Survival, the fully owned Israeli subsidiary of the company, is located at the Rabin Science Park in Rehovot."

Source: Card Guard, Humana in telemedicine joint venture. Globes.com (19 October 2005) [FullText]

The Sperm’s Journey Studied By Rehovot Scientists

"A study from Israel has found the site where sperm pause in their journey through the female genital tract is cooler than the site where the egg lies. Sperm use this temperature difference as a navigational tool, heading from their cool hangout where they are waylaid for a brief maturation period to the hotter site of the egg, says Michael Eisenbach, lead author of the study and a professor of biochemistry at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel. The finding appears in the Jan. 31 issue of Nature Medicine.

Two-degree difference. Eisenbach and his colleagues hatched their theory about the role of temperature differences in fertilization when they came across previous studies that noted a two-degree difference in the genital tracts of rabbits and a 0,9-degree difference in pigs. However, it was unclear whether the egg heats up or the sperm storage site cools down. In their own experiments in rabbits, Eisenbach and his colleagues determined the temperature around the egg was closest to normal body temperature, meaning it's the sperm storage site that gets chilly.

Heat-guided missiles. In the lab, researchers then created a special chamber that mimics the temperature difference in the genital tract. They watched rabbit sperm swim, and sure enough, the sperm made a beeline from cool temperatures to the warmer climes. Sperm, acting like little heat-guided missiles, sensed temperature differences as small as 0,5 degrees, the smallest difference tested in the study. "This gives us important new understandings of the mechanism of fertilization," Eisenbach says. Researchers later placed human sperm in a similar chamber and saw the same reaction.

The sperm’s journey. When sperm enters the female genital tract, they embark on a long, complicated journey that's fraught with hazards. After passing the uterus, sperm cells enter the woman's fallopian tubes. Once inside a tube, sperm attach themselves to the tube's wall, where they pause for "storage" during a maturation process that prepares them for penetrating the egg. The maturation process can take about 20 minutes, Eisenbach says. From there, the sperm detaches themselves from the wall and leave the storage site. If ovulation has occurred in the preceding 24 hours, releasing an egg ready for fertilization, the mature sperm head for it.

Chemical substance released. Previous research by Eisenbach found the egg calls upon the sperm by releasing a chemical substance. However, the chemical signal can attract the sperm only across a short distance, Eisenbach says. Since the tube normally moves in a wavelike motion, the chemical cannot spread effectively through the entire tube and therefore cannot call to the sperm over long distances.

Temperature just one factor. The distance between the vagina and the egg fertilization site is about seven centimetres to 10 centimetres, says Dr James Grifo, director of the Division for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at New York University Medical Centre. The distance between the sperm storage site and the egg is a few centimetres. "It's been known that there's a chemical attraction from sperm to egg," Grifo says. "People had suspected other factors could play a role. These researchers have found temperature could also contribute. From a basic scientific perspective, it's a very interesting finding." Grifo says the new knowledge will probably not improve in vitro fertilization, because the egg and the sperm are placed so close together the sperm hardly need to navigate at all. In some cases, the sperm is actually implanted into the egg. – (HealthScout News)"

Source: Sperm like it hot: Like moths to the flame, sperm are guided to the egg by heat, new research says. Health24.com (Last viewed 22 October 2005) [FullText]

Bar Mitzvah Gift Builds Rehovot Soccer Field

"When Mathew Groveman counted the kitty from his bar mitzvah gifts; he realized he was sitting on $80,000.

A New York City resident, Mathew is a member of a prominent family. He decided he prefers to donate the funds to assist those less fortunate and with the assistance of his parents and a local Federation, the money was sent to Rehovot to build a soccer field for the local youth, comprised primarily of members of the Ethiopian community.

On Thursday, in the presence of Rehovot’s mayor and local sport notables, the new field including 200 seats for spectators will be dedicated. Money was also given to purchase jerseys for the area’s young soccer players."

Source: Bar Mitzvah Gift Builds Rehovot Soccer Field. IsraelNN.com (19 October 2005) [FullText]

Airport Security Arrangements. Just Take it Easy

By Erin Israel, Rehovot.blogspot.com

"Yes, these are my bags. Yes, I know a little Czech. And he's right over there! No, haha, just kidding. My husband is already in Israel. I speak English.

Yes, I stayed with family in Prague. Yes, I can tell you their address. Yes, here's my passport. Yes, I'm American.

What does my husband do? I don't think I really have the math background to explain it. I can barely spell "Banach". No, not "Bach"; "Banach."

Mathematics, not music.

Me? I write.

Um, poetry?

Oh. Well, since you ask, thanks. Yes, last year, in a small--but good--journal.

I don't know. I think it's based in Oregon.

Yes, here's my passport. Ok, and my ticket, too.

What?

I don't know. That's the ticket the travel agent issued us. The ticket here was electronic.

Where?

What? These are my bags. I packed them this morning. That passenger at the other table said he gave his bags to a porter. I was my own porter. They were never out of my sight for a second.

Where are we going?

Sure, you can x-ray the bags.

Ok, it's been half an hour. Can I go check in now?

You want me to WHAT? But I just packed everything this morning. I guarantee you that it'll explode if I try to repack it.

NO, NO, I didn't mean it that way! I just meant that it's all squished in there. But you just x-rayed everything.

In the hallway? You expect me to just go sit there while you go through my stuff?

No, I don't want any water.

That's a blender. My aunt-in-law gave it to me while we were in Austria. They're really expensive in Israel. I think we'll use it for gazpacho or something.

Yes, Austria. By train.

Because I like gazpacho.

Yes, this is my computer. No, I don't know what that little hole is for. This is a USB port, that's another one, this is for headphones, this is for the power cord, this is the phone line. NO, DON'T OPEN THAT!!! That's the battery pack. Please, if you'll let me...

Would you like to see my Master's thesis?

Well, yes, it's a little obscure. Is that all you need with this? Ok, could you maybe NOT keep pushing that button? It runs down the battery.

Why are you taking everything out of my suitcase?!

Those are dirty socks.

Well, I did warn you, didn't I?

Why is all of my stuff going in that laundry basket? You're not going to do my laundry, are you? Is this some first-class upgrade that I've stumbled on?

Ok, well, you didn't have to slam the door that hard.

Um, yeah, it's been another half an hour; I'm kind of hungry--HEY, why is my laptop bag emptied out?!? I'm never going to get this stuff repacked?

Are you joking?! You really want to attempt packing MORE stuff into my suitcase, from my laptop bag? Listen, I don't know much about physics, but there's not a whole lot more you can squash into that space.

Right, so I appear to be the only passenger you're doing this to. Oh, sorry, I mean me and the two Arab guys also in the hallway.

You can't give me any explanation as to why you're treating me like a criminal? Is it because of my electronic ticket? Is it because I'm not Czech? Not Israeli? A woman? An American? Because I didn't even vote for him, you know!

Wow, two hundred crowns in the airport cafe. That's real compensation. Hey, maybe you'll help me repack my stuff; forget the crowns, just start shoving those socks in the suitcase."

Source: Erin Israel. "Et ha-KOL buh-TAK-see." "Put it all in a taxi." Rehovot.blogspot.com (27 June 2005) [FullText]

A Movie, Tefillot and Study Night in the Rehovot Community Sukkah

The following events are planned to take place inside the Community Sukkah, located in front of the Havaya Matnas in Rehovot, on Sereni Street (across from Miller Street). All residents of Rehovot (and the surroundings) are invited.

1. Beit Midrash Patuach (Open House of Study). 8-9:00 a.m., every day of hol hamoed Sukkot (19-24.10.05).

Enjoy eating fruit (on the house, in the Sukkah) and learning about the arbah minim (four species), the holiday of Sukkot and most anything else you wondered about.

2. Tefillot ala Tzohar (Prayers with Explanations). 9-10:00 a.m., every day of hol hamoed Sukkot (19-24.10.05).

Participate in the traditional sukkot prayers, with explanations, in the spirit of the Yom Kippur service which took place at the Community Center this year.

3. Ushpizin: The Movie. 20:30 on Wednesday, 19.10.05. Enjoy one of most sensitive Israeli movies in recent memory. The story takes place on Sukkot in the Haredi section of Jerusalem. Ushpizin are holy guests who are traditionally invited into the Sukkah. The movie focuses on the lives of Moshe and Mali, as they receive some rather strange ushpizin into their sukka. Check out the details on the movie's official website, then greet "Ushpizin" in
the Rehovot Community Sukka!

4. Tikkun Leil Hoshana Rabbah (Hoshana Rabba Study Night). Sunday evening, 23.10.05, from 20:00 to midnight and beyond. Topics include "The Religious Experience and Philosophy," "Judaism and Psychology," "Judaism and Science: Conflicts and Resolutions," and "Judaism and Nature: The Significance of Chag Ha'asif." Put this date on your calendar!

Source: A Movie, Tefillot and Study Night in the Rehovot Community Sukkah! Rehovot Mailing List Posting by Rehovot Tzohar, 18 October 2005

Rehovot Supermarkets: "Mega" Grocery Amusement Park

by Erin Israel, Rehovot.blogspot.com

"I go to the aptly named "Mega" grocery store this morning, and the place is a madhouse, just like the day before Thanksgiving, except these people are running around with carts of apples and honey instead of yams and mincemeat. Incidentally, Mega's carts are one and a half times the size of normal carts, so steering them is impossible, as the handle lies somewhere around your sternum. Most shoppers careen around the store with no more control of their vehicles than one has in a bumper-car ring. Attention, Israeli mechanical engineers: the grocery-cart industry needs you.

There's a giant sucking sound coming from the onions and potatoes stand. I wander over, and an employee with a green-and-white striped Mega vest is vacuuming the onions.

That's right, running a hose over the onions, swooshing out the skins. As I gaze in amazement, the employee, a man in his forties with a deep tan, pauses to hand me an onion, since I am evidently too dazed by such cutting-edge produce technology to reach in for one. A co-worker totters over and unloads a crate full of more onions onto the pile, and two fall out and land on my toes. When I go to clutch my digits in pain, I whack my head on the cart.

The employee with the vacuum hose clucks something sympathetic in Hebrew, leans over, and tries to help me with one hand; meanwhile, the hose starts sucking up the strand of plastic bags hanging from a spool over the onions. Flailing around with the hose, the employee yanks a whole line of bags off the spool, and then the fun really begins. The vacuum hiccups on one bag, and the employee, in grand Mega-style, weaves around the bags with the hose like Fred Astaire elegantly dodging Ginger Rogers' sleeves.

Everyone in the produce section, which is the size of a small suburb, stops to watch, carrots and cabbages poised above bags. Finally, the second employee dashes over to a large machine behind the green peppers bin and hits a button. The line of bags floats to the floor, and the first employee wipes his forehead.

What's the Hebrew for "slapstick"? For a five-shekel cart deposit, it's not a bad morning's entertainment, if you discount the injuries.

I replace the two offending onions, heave my cart away from the onion bin, and limp off. The rest of the shoppers in the produce section are shaking their heads and laughing; the two Mega employees are doing the same.

Nevertheless, not exactly the kind of moveable feast I was looking for..."

Source: Erin Israel. "ETS-ba ha-REH-gel." "The toe." Rehovot.Blogspot.com (2 October 2005) [FullText]

Remembering Superman and His Visit to Rehovot

"That to my great surprise,

Israel is a warm and relaxed place.
I didn't fear coming here. The pictures we see in the media
show terrible things happening here, terror attacks
and casualties - the things that make headlines.
What we don't see is the normalcy, the day-to-day life, and
this certainly needs to be shown to the world."

- Christopher Reeve

"Christopher Reeve would have been very pleased to be just an actor. But it was his fate to be a real Superman. On screen and off. The actor who convinced global movie audiences that a son of Krypton could fly, later inspired millions to believe that a paralyzed man could walk again. Reeve, who was a strong supporter of Israel, died Sunday at a New York hospital. He was 52. His family was at his side at the time of death.

Reeve, immobilized from the neck down in a 1995 horse-riding accident, fell into a coma Saturday at his New York home after experiencing a heart attack. The film star was transported to the hospital, but never regained consciousness. Reeve was being treated at Northern Westchester Hospital for a pressure wound, a common complication for people living with paralysis. In the past week, the wound had become severely infected, resulting in a serious systemic infection. His death, at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, was described as sudden.

After his accident, he became an advocate for spinal cord injury research which included a solidarity visit to Israel last year. Enduring months of therapy to allow him to breathe for longer and longer periods without a respirator, Reeve emerged to lobby the US Congress for better health insurance protection against catastrophic injury and to move an Academy Award audience to tears with a call for more films about social issues.

Christopher Reeve arrived in Israel in July of last year to appeal for urgent research to help those with spinal cord injuries. Reeve had defied US State Department warnings to avoid travel to Israel, warnings which have seriously hurt Israel's economy. Reeve's visit had done more for Israel's sagging and limited public relations efforts than one could imagine. During his stay in Tel Aviv CNN's Larry King interviewed the super star with millions worldwide watching. Recently, super star singer and actress Madonna followed in Reeve's footsteps, visiting Israel over the Rosh Hashana holiday after completing a global tour in Lisbon. The PR benefits of Madonna's visit have already been felt with in an increase in tourism and businessmen coming to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. US tourists and businesspeople do not qualify for travel insurance due to the US State Department warnings. In her visit to Israel, Madonna had stated that "Israel was as safe as New York."

Israel is a leader in the field of spinal injury treatment, as well as stem-cell research. The US government has limited stem-cell research because it often involves the use of human embryos and placentas. Israel has no law regulating embryonic stem cell research. Reeve has been critical of the U.S. policy. Reeve is visiting Israel because its advanced research - particularly in stem cell therapy which offers hope to those like himself with spinal cord injuries...

The visit to Israel lasted for five days, and over the course of his stay, Reeve met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shalom. He also visited the Western Wall and the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem and met with injured Israel Defense Forces veterans.

Reeve opened his tour of Israel with a visit to the Weizmann Institute of Science, then went on to visit doctors and patients, including terror victims, at the Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer. Reeve said at Rehovot: "That to my great surprise, Israel is a warm and relaxed place. I didn't fear coming here. The pictures we see in the media show terrible things happening here, terror attacks and casualties - the things that make headlines. What we don't see is the normalcy, the day-to-day life, and this certainly needs to be shown to the world." Reeve met Steven Averbach who was paralyzed from the waist down in a terror attack in Jerusalem last year.


Reeve said: "The Weizmann Institute, for me, has always been a symbol of the best in research. It was founded by a man with a true vision for all the sciences - from biology, to chemistry to mathematics, and others. On this campus, there are around 2000 people working together in different disciplines to advance science." About his great esteem for Israel in general, and the Weizmann Institute in particular, Reeve gushed: "Israelis are famous for their curiosity, their intellect, and their desire for knowledge, and that is very evident here, on the campus of the Weizmann Institute." Reeve added, "But there's also a personal aspect to my visit, because, after my injury, I had the honor of meeting Professor Michal Schwartz. She told me about a theory she had. A lot of people thought that it was a crazy idea, but most of the great ideas that have succeeded were at one time considered to be crazy, so I was fascinated by what she had to say. I have tracked her progress over the years and her success is exemplary. I simply wanted to come here and express my gratitude and admiration. There's a phrase in Hebrew; it says something I 've believed ever since my injury: 'Hakol Efshari' - Everything is possible."

Reeve had returned to directing, and even returned to acting in a 1998 production of "Rear Window," a modern update of the Hitchcock thriller about a man in a wheelchair who becomes convinced a neighbor has been murdered. Reeve won a Screen Actors Guild award for best actor.

"I was worried that only acting with my voice and my face, I might not be able to communicate effectively enough to tell the story," Reeve said. "But I was surprised to find that if I really concentrated, and just let the thoughts happen, that they would read on my face. With so many close-ups, I knew that my every thought would count."

In 2000, Reeve was able to move his index finger, and a specialized workout regimen made his legs and arms stronger. He also regained sensation in other parts of his body. He had vowed to walk again.

"I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. I don't mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting actually is very helpful toward recovery," Reeve said.

Reeve's support of stem cell research helped it emerge as a major campaign issue between President Bush and John Kerry. His name was even mentioned by Kerry earlier this month during the second presidential debate.

His athletic, 6-foot-4-inch frame and love of adventure made him a natural, if largely unknown, choice for the title role in the first "Superman" movie in 1978. He insisted on performing his own stunts.

Although he reprised the role three times, Reeve often worried about being typecast as an action hero.

"Look, I've flown, I've become evil, loved, stopped and turned the world backward, I've faced my peers, I've befriended children and small animals and I've rescued cats from trees," Reeve told the Los Angeles Times in 1983. "What else is there left for Superman to do that hasn't been done?"

Though he owed his fame to it, Reeve made a concerted effort to, as he often put it, "escape the cape." He played an embittered, crippled Vietnam veteran in the 1980 Broadway play "Fifth of July," a lovestruck time-traveler in the 1980 movie "Somewhere in Time," and an aspiring playwright in the 1982 suspense thriller "Deathtrap."

More recent films included John Carpenter's "Village of the Damned," and the HBO movies "Above Suspicion" and "In the Gloaming," which he directed. Among his other film credits are "The Remains of the Day," "The Aviator," and "Morning Glory."..."

Source: Joel Leyden. Israel Mourns Death of "Superman" Christopher Reeve. Israel News Agency (11 October 2004) [FullText]

Rehovot Hi Tech: Nova Measuring Instruments Provides Positive Outlook for the Third Quarter of 2005

Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. (NASDAQ: NVMI), the market leader of Integrated Metrology systems, today announced that it expects its revenues for the third quarter of 2005 to increase by more than 15% over those of the second quarter of 2005, strengthening the Company's confidence in its continued revenue growth
expectations.

The Company reported that the increase in revenues over the previous quarter is attributed in particular to repeat orders of integrated metrology with customers in the US and in Asia Pacific, primarily for copper CMP.

The Company also reported that it expects to continue its revenue growth trend in the fourth quarter of 2005, although visibility in the market is still limited.

Dr. Giora Dishon, Nova's President and CEO, said: "As we expected, we continued on our strong revenue growth trend this quarter. This was achieved by leveraging on our wide product portfolio and existing integrations, as well as by expanding our service organization. In particular, we our proud of our success in achieving a wide penetration into high volume manufacturing ofcopper CMP at two major customers, US and Asia Pacific."

Dr. Dishon continued, "Our recent introduction of the NovaScan 3090 is now available on all the process equipment of our business partners. This new system, combined with the factors that led to our success during the quarter, we believe, provides us with greater prospects when looking forward to the coming quarters."

Nova's final results for the third quarter of 2005 will be released and discussed during the second week of November.

About Nova: Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. develops, designs and produces integrated process control systems in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Nova provides a broad range of integrated process control solutions that link different semiconductor processes and process equipment. The Company's website is http://www.nova.co.il

Company Contact: Dror David, VP Finance, Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. Tel: +972-8-938-7505, E-mail: info@nova.co.il, http://www.nova.co.il

Source: Nova Measuring Instruments Provides Positive Outlook for the Third Quarter of 2005. Nova Press Release. PRNewswire-FirstCall (11 October 2005) [FullText]

Rehovots' Yom Kippur: Mourning Day or a Day of Fun?

by Erin Israel, Rehovot.blogspot.com

"During the twenty-five hour fast of Yom Kippur, the country ceases to function: radio and television stations stop broadcasting, the airport shuts down, and nearly every vehicle sits motionless. A day without the incessant blaring of car horns!

It's far more quiet than Christmas morning in the U.S. But only for a few seconds.

Because traffic of any sort stops (except for ambulances), kids take to the street in screaming hordes with bikes, rollerblades, and lungpower.

"It's just one night," J. said, when I complained.

"But I thought it was a day of mourning," I said. (After wishing a friend "Happy Holidays!", I was informed that, while the others this month are joyous, this one was not.) "Why aren't these kids fasting and atoning?"

My husband looked at me incredulously. "They're just kids!"

"Well, when my brother and I were kids, we couldn't just run around the neighborhood screaming," I said pompously.

"But this is Israel," J. reminded me. "Parents let their kids do anything."

(This, on the surface, appears to be true: Israeli parents happily report that the country is so safe, their children can walk around town at night with no problem whatsoever.

I, however, prefer not to see eleven-year-olds strolling down the street at midnight in packs, trying to look twenty-five. It may be possible to do this safely, but why would you choose to let your child do this?)

Now, however, an hour after sunset, everyone appears to have been whisked inside for the breaking-the-fast feast, and it really is blissfully silent."

Source: Erin Israel. "Al yadh ha-ram-ZOHR." "At the traffic light." Rehovot.Blogspot.com (13 October 2005) [FullText]

A 15-year-old Girl From Rehovot Was Raped by a Teenager She Met Through the Internet

"After corresponding through ICQ for past few weeks, rape suspect invites 15-year-old girl to his home; apologetic message to be used as evidence

A 15-year-old girl from Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv, was raped Monday night by a teenager she met through the Internet. The 19-year-old suspect convinced her to meet him at his home, where he apparently attacked and raped her.

Later, the suspect tried to contact the girl through the ICQ computer software and apologized for his acts. The apology message was discovered by police investigators and will serve as court evidence against the young man.

The girl arrived at the Rehovot police station at around midnight, and early Tuesday the station's detectives detained the suspect. On Tuesday he is expected to be brought in for an extension of his detention at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's court.

Police officials have already warned long ago that the Internet presents many dangers, especially for youths who are tempted to meet strangers. According to police estimations, this is what happened to the 15-year-old girl, who had been corresponding with the rape suspect through ICQ for the past few weeks.

Suspect detained in early morning hours

After winning her trust, on Monday the suspect offered her to meet him at his home, and the girl agreed. During the meeting the teenager asked the girl to massage his back, and then to have sexual intercourse with him. When she refused, he attacked and raped her, before fleeing the scene. The girl arrived at the Rehovot police station and filed a complaint, but could not point to the suspect's exact home address. Police investigators managed to discover the suspect's computer address and were then able to identify the apartment's location and arrested him in the early morning hours. Chief Superintendent Alon Levavi, commander of the Rehovot police station, said that "the suspect has tied himself to the incident." "He is a young man who had won the minor's trust, and raped her once they met," Levavi said."

Source: Eli Senyor. Teen suspected in Internet rape. YNetnews.com (11 October 2005) [FullText]

Haaretz Writes about Rehovots' Yavne Road Restaurant Oro

"Even though Oro is tucked into a petrol station on the Rehovot-Yavne road, this restaurant is obviously striving to bring the sophistication of the big city to the provinces. From the point of view of design, this attempt succeeds well, the large physical space made intimate by the wise use of French drapes, an appealing array of whites, beiges and dark brown and well-thought-out lighting, providing an appealing dimness even during the daytime. In fact, from the physical point of view, with its attractive bar, attractively set and generously sized tables and service that while naive is friendly and responsive, this restaurant could fit as comfortably in Tel Aviv as it does on a country road.

From the culinary point of view, this is a restaurant best categorized as specializing in Mediterranean food with a distinct leaning toward the cookery of Morocco. My choice for a first course was slices of goose liver, sprinkled with coarsely ground black pepper and sea salt before being seared on the grill. The generous portion of liver lacked the richness one hopes for in this usually luxurious offering, perhaps because the goose liver was not best quality - the meat was grainy and not as smooth as it should have been and perhaps because of the exigencies of kashrut the liver was somewhat overdone, robbing it even further of its richness. The liver, garnished with a confit of shallots cooked in red wine, was set on a bed of thick eggplant slices, which had been fried with whole garlic cloves, coriander and a hint of chili pepper. The combination was more than a bit exaggerated, the palate being confused by sweet and bitter flavors that never seemed to come together as a coherent whole.

My companion's starter was figs filled with chopped lamb, pine nuts and mint, accompanied by a jam of red onions. The dish was spoiled only in that the combination of the figs and the sauteed onions made it a bit too sweet.

The first of the main courses we sampled was the tagine Casablanca that had been prepared by slowly stewing head meat in a lightly spicy red tomato sauce, tossing that with garlic cloves, chick peas and coriander and then spooning this over a generous bed of couscous. The couscous itself was excellent, but the meat left a great deal to be desired, some of the cubes being soft and full of flavor, others being undercooked and yet others with too much gristle. What dealt the death-knell to this dish, however, was that it was far, far too salty. The chicken Marrakesh we tried was far better, chicken breasts filled with ground lamb and pieces of pistachio, all being seasoned with cinnamon, cardamom and ginger before being coated with seasoned bread crumbs and fried. Crisp on the exterior, soft and moist on the interior, the chicken was full of flavor and served with a smooth, rich puree - this was a lovely dish.

We went on to try two desserts. The mahlabi, with raspberry syrup and rosewater, was quite good. Two ma'amul cookies served with the dish were lovely but a whole date that was also served with the dish, cooked in a sugar syrup proved far too sweet. The other dessert we tried, rather pretentiously named a "carpaccio of pineapple" was nothing more than disappointing slices of pineapple coated with a sugar syrup, and they tasted more lijked tinned fruit than fresh. The Calvados that was said to have been used in preparing the dish was unfelt.

Including espresso with which we closed our meal, our food bill for two came to NIS 240 to which a bottle of the good Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon of Galil Mountain added NIS 95. Despite its charm and good service, this restaurant, in terms of its culinary offerings, is not good enough to be worth a trip from the big city.

Oro:In the Alon Petrol Station, Moshav Galia, on the road between Rehovot and Yavne. Open Sunday-Thursday 12:00-24:00, Friday for lunch and Saturday after the close of Shabbat. Tel. (08) 931-6617. Kosher.

Source: Daniel Rogov. Dining Out / In the provinces. (11 October 2005) Haaretz.com [FullText]

Rehovot Interior Ministry Office Closing for Three-month Renovation

"Beginning on Wednesday, October 26th, the Rehovot population registry office of the Interior Ministry will be closed for renovations. During the three-month renovation period, area residents will be permitted to receive ministry services in Ashdod, Rishon L’Tzion and Ramle. In addition, one may turn to the nationwide ministry information number, *3450 or 12-223-450."

Source: Rehovot Interior Ministry Office Closing for Sukkot. IsraelNN (11 October 2005, 8 Tishrei 5766) [FullText]

Yavne Youth Stabs Classmate Who Owed Him Five Shekels for Tobacco

"A 16-year-old Yavne high school student stabbed Sunday morning his classmate that owed him five shekels (a little more than one dollar) for hookah tobacco. The wounded student was rushed to Kaplan hospital in Rehovot in moderate condition after he was stabbed in the abdomen twice and once on the wrist. Police arrested the assailant. Police say that the assailant had brought a knife to school with the intent of stabbing his classmate.

During recess the assailant asked for his money back, and when he was refused he stabbed his classmate. A school security guard warded off the assailant and called in police. Police say that they are treating this incident seriously because of the premeditated nature of the crime. "We have no doubt that this kid came in order to settle the score," superintendent Zvika Ronberg said.

Source: Yuval Azoulay. Youth stabs classmate who owed him five shekels for tobacco. Haaretz (9 October 2005) [FullText]

Shana Tova, Rehovot!

by Erin Israel, Rehovot.blogspot.com

"It's finally fall, here. You can tell in the way the sun falls behind the apartment buildings on the west side of Herzl Street earlier, with longer, darker shadows, and in the evening chill that follows.

The Drive-By Rabbi, zooming past the Alkali Cafe (the Saturday Night Cafe) on Herzl Street, is also another indicator of seasonal change. Just a couple of months ago, the Drive-By Rabbi would crawl through midday traffic on Herzl in his white LandRover, equipped with a megaphone on top, broadcasting gloomy anti-disengagement messages from beneath his broad black hat, gripping a microphone with one hand and the steering wheel with the other.

This afternoon, as we were sitting at the Alkali, the LandRover appeared on the corner and slowly began to make its way down the street. The rabbi leaned forward over the wheel, and reached for the microphone. I braced myself for thunderous warnings of indeterminate Hebrew.

Instead, the megaphone barked, "SHANA TOVA LE COL LECHEM!" "Happy New Year to you all!" Everyone in the cafe set down his macchiatoni and turned around. Even the cats at the base of the tree sat up. The rabbi appeared to wave to the cafe-goers, and clipped the median strip in his festive glee.

No orange ribbons? No political message? Nope. Holiday wishes.

Rehovot's eccentrics, however, make up for any loss of unpredictability the town may have suffered as a result of the rabbi's overtures of normalcy.

Crazy Man Number One can now be seen perambulating along the streets of downtown, having been confined previously to captivity on campus. This gentleman's characteristically slow, monotonous gait and wide stare mark him from blocks away. If he had collected pledges for each kilometer he's walked, he would be a millionaire by now. Perhaps he already is. If so, he should invest in an image consultant, and maybe buy some smaller headphones so he does not so closely resemble a giant insect.

Crazy Man Number Two is in a whole other league. A spry, slightly tanned man with wiry muscles and cropped gray hair, he scampers around downtown, talking excitedly to himself and anyone in his path. Because Rehovot is full of state-supported pensioners, shopkeepers and cafe owners welcome him as they would anyone else, and perhaps more warmly than anywhere else I've seen. Alkali Cafe supplies him with a soda, a pat on the back, a seat at the bar, and respectful listeners--regulars who don't shy away from him as everyone else does.

Crazy Woman Number One is the only mean one, although, God knows, she probably has good reason to be. However, I don't see why I was so unfortunate as to become her latest target. Last week, as we came out of a tiny bakery on Herzl, a woman in her seventies, with white curls askew, sitting in a chair outside, demanded, "Ma sha'a?" "What time is it?" Since I didn't have a watch, I showed her my wrist and said, "Ani lo yodat." "I don't know."

She glared at me, and then asked, "Cigaria?" I shook my head. She shook her head imperiously, and said, in Hebrew, "HMMph."

This bakery, it must be said, sells some of the best tiny savory and sweet pastries in town; the savory ones are burekas, filled with cheese, spices, and mushrooms, in one case; the sweet ones are filled with cream cheese and dusted with powdered sugar or chocolate sprinkles. Two racks of symmetrical, joined pastries are always warm and cheap. A weekend breakfast of these for two costs about NIS 4.

I stopped by on Thursday morning and went inside. Someone was talking distractedly near the door, but I didn't notice who it was until I came out and tried to reshuffle my gear: books for the Book Club, a yoga mat, a bag of groceries, and a paper bag of breakfast pastries. The chatter increased, and seemed to be directed at me.

"Gveret! At lo [unintelligible]! Rak "shalom" ve at lo [also unintelligible]!" The same woman from last week, clad in the same clothes, sat in a different chair, yelling and shaking her fist at me. The bare minimum I understood of her tirade was, "Lady! What's wrong with you? You can't even say "Hello"?"

I dumped my stuff on a chair and glared at her. People hurrying by, and standing just beyond, at the bus stop, turned to listen. As I considered the irony of this woman criticizing me at the top of her lungs for being impolite, my yoga mat toppled off the chair.

Well, what would Ghandi do?

Ghandi, perhaps, would take a seat at one of the bakery tables nearby, sip espresso and nibble placidly on a cheese pastry, nodding kindly in the direction of the obviously-insane woman while she frothed at the mouth.

So that's exactly what I did. Pacifism via pastry. I feel confident that this philosophy contributes significantly to the irrepressible zaniness of Rehovot. Now all I need is a LandRover and a microphone to broadcast my message of passive resistance--and preferably a helper to lob bonbons at bystanders."

Source: Erin Israel. Beer-tso-NEE leen-SO-a DEH-rekh ha-EER luh-sha-AH. I would like to drive through the city for an hour. Rehovot.Blogspot.com (7 October 2005) [FullText]

High gas prices: Researchers at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot have found energy through the extraction of hydrogen from zinc compounds

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, 95 percent of oil production and about 85 percent of gas production in the Gulf of Mexico was halted. Damages from Hurricane Rita are still being assessed as well.

High prices have left consumers looking for other ways to get around. Economics professor Stephen Karlson said he has seen a change in the DeKalb community. "Drivers have already been making substitutions. I’ve seen a lot more bikes on campus this fall, and a lot of parents are asking their kids to use the school buses rather than haul them around in minivans," Karlson said. Karlson gave testimony Wednesday to the House Republican Task Force on Motor Fuel Prices. He stated the reasons for higher prices and what substitutions can be made. He said the recent hurricanes are only a temporary problem. The damage will be repaired, workers will return and companies will compete once more for customers. An Exxon Mobile press release reflected that Tuesday. "Within two weeks, all major import facilities and product pipelines were operating at full or only slightly reduced rates. All but about 5 percent of U.S. refining capacity had returned, and all but 15 percent of U.S. oil, and 6 percent of gas production, had been restored," said Rex Tillerson, president of Exxon Mobile Corporation. Karlson’s main concerns centered around India’s and China’s growing need for more oil. As the countries demand more, prices rise. "The real permanent reason is the economic growth elsewhere, with India and China, in particular, increasing their fuel use of all kinds, as well as replacing coal and wood with petroleum products," Karlson said.

Although the price at the pumps returned to pre-storm levels, consumers worry about larger, more permanent effects. "The hurricane was just icing on the cake," junior economics major Terrance White said. Due to rapid demands in China and India our supply has diminished. Prices have increased, except for the recent drop in price after the U.S. government released part of the nation’s oil reserves. The prices should stay stable for the time being, but the nation needs to find alternative energy sources, and people need to change their driving habits and learn how to conserve fuel, White said.

Asia’s demand is likely to increase, which leaves the U.S. the opportunity to discover fuel substitutes. Illinois has been researching the use of ethanol from corn. However, this incurs other costs such as fertilizer, pesticides, and machinery. Foreign researchers such as those at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel have also found energy through the extraction of hydrogen from zinc compounds.

"Alternatives to fossil fuels might have their value, but taxpayers ought not be swayed by special pleading, whether from the ethanol coalition or petroleum interests," Karlson said. The technology is still not viable for widespread use.

Source: Tim Scordato. High gas prices force some to find other transportation. Metro News (5 October 2005) [FullText]

Small Quake Rattles Israel Jordan Valley

An earthquake registering 4.3 on the Richter scale shook Israel on Monday morning. No injuries or damage were reported. "I don't think we need to worry," said Ephraim Levy, the acting director of the Geophysical Institute of Israel. The earthquake originated in the Jordan Valley and was felt in cities including Nahariya, Haifa, Tel Aviv and Rehovot, Israel Radio reported. The Jordan Valley lies along the Syrian-African rift that runs from Syria through Lebanon, Israel and Jordan through the Red Sea and into Africa.

Source: ICEJ News. Small Quake Rattles Jordan Valley (3 October 2005) [FullText]

Moderate quake shakes Rehovot, Israel. No damage reported

An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale caused tremors throughout the northern half of the country at 7:10 a.m. Monday. The quake was felt at the same time in Nahariya on the Lebanese border and in Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv, Monday morning. The Israel Police reported that no one was injured and no damage was sustained in the quake. According to the Seismological Department of Israel's Geophysical Institute, the epicenter was approximately 30 kilometers north of the Dead Sea.

Source: Yakoov Katz and JPost.com staff. Moderate quake shakes Israel, no damage reported. JPost.com (3 October 2005) [FullText]

Demand for apartments: "Rehovot is on the verge of a boom"

"Jewish year 5765 (2004-05) is drawing to a close, making a retrospective of Israel’s residential property market in order. The year saw high demand for lots zoned for high-density housing, which increased competition and prices for these lots. Demand for residential lots spread from the center of the country north to Netanya and south to Ashdod. A recent Israel Land Administration (ILA) tender for four lots zoned for 616 housing units in the Ir Yamim neighborhood in Netanya attracted 23 leading contractors. Gmul Real Estate (1999) Ltd. won the tender, offering $72,000 per land per apartment, plus $18,000 for development costs. Other contractors were astonished, since Gmul will have to sell the apartments for $260,000-280,000 each to make a profit, considered very high for the area, especially given the large supply of apartments.

In Ashdod, YH Dimri Construction & Development Ltd. and a partner took the market by surprise when they bought a 277-dunam (69.75-acre) seaside lot near the marina for $57 million in cash.

The common denominator between Ashdod and Netanya is that both are coastal cities and a focus of attraction by French investors and immigrants with euros to spend and growing purchasing power, making an investment in Israel no big deal. Rising anti-Semitism in Europe and the improvement in Israel’s security climate are also factors boosting demand for, and construction of, seaside residences.

Another city attracting Diaspora investors, this time mainly Americans, is Jerusalem. The city’s residential market has been flourishing over the past year, and many projects, dubbed “white elephants” during the intifada, are now generating handsome profits for their owners. For example, Isras Investment Co. Ltd. (TASE: ISRS) and Rassco Rural and Suburban Settlement Co. Ltd. were able to market a quarter of their luxury YMCA project 42 apartments at an average price of $725,000 per apartment for a gross profit of NIS 80 million.

Ashdar general manager Shraga WasemanYitzhak says that the difference in demand for lots between outlying areas and central Israel widened last year. “Today, developers in general aren’t interested in deals in outlying areas. Demand for apartments in Tel Aviv was stable this year at $90,000 per room. I think that Rehovot is on the verge of a boom. I expect to hear that what happened in eastern Netanya will occur in Rehovot, now that Rabin Highway (Highway No. 6), also known as the “Cross Israel Highway” has made it accessible.” Ashdar is a subsidiary of Ashtrom Properties Ltd. (TASE:ASPR).

“Petah Tikva is also undergoing a boom, especially in the Em Hamoshavot neighborhood in the eastern part of the city, which has land for 10,000 housing units, of which 3,000 have been built and sold for an average of $210,000 per four-room apartment. Em Hamoshavot isn’t branded as part of Petah Tikva, but as a suburb of Tel Aviv and Hod Hasharon.”
Hod Hasharon has become and interesting city in the past year. The Haifa residential market went into hibernation this year, except for one significant deal, in which Africa-Israel Investments Ltd. (TASE:AFIL; Pink Sheets:AFIVY) bought land for the construction of 1,050 housing units in the Ramat Haviv neighborhood at the city’s southern entrance.

Source: Guy Yamin. Ashdod, Netanya focus of residential interest: Foreign investors are very interested in Jerusalem, but the slump in outlying areas shows no signs of letting up. www.Globes.com (2 October 2005) [FullText]