Shining the Light

Good news doesn't travel fast in the MSM. In fact, it doesn't even travel in the MSM at all.

As covered before here and here, the double whammy would be positive developments coming out of Israel, that are unrelated to war or terrorism.

So here's another dose of "light unto the nations" stuff that would drive the MSM crazy, courtesy of Israel 21C:

1. Israeli company MediTouch are developing an electronic glove to rehabilitate stroke patients and others with hand disabilities. Watch out for this company, as the product looks to become mass produced shortly.

2. The Israeli Agriculture Ministry's Division of Avian Diseases laboratories near Tel Aviv are heavy into research to fight avian flu. Guess who came to visit and learn new diagnosis techniques? Four vets from Gaza. Will this prevent rumours among the shrill of Zionist Avian Flu being used as a biological weapon? Stay tuned.

3. Kudos to Prof. Shulamit Levenberg of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at Technion for his award from Scientific American in the Top 50 hit parade of scientists for 2006. Her work is in the field of tissue engineering, which has nothing to do with how best to prevent kids from putting used Kleenex's back in the box. Read here what it really is about. It's pretty amazing stuff.

4. Israel has its first Bedouin foreign consul, Ishmael Khaldi. He takes up his post in San Francisco in December, having spent his early years in a tiny village in northern Galilee. A great moment and example for a country that provides opportunities for all.

That last one evokes a memory from a visit to Israel a few years ago.

I visited the Knesset where I was fortunate to meet with some MKs including Ephraim Sneh and Isaac Herzog. I was taken on an initial tour of the building, shown around the grand foyer and told much about the history of the building and its artwork.

The most striking moment happened at the start of the tour. The guide introduced himself, "Hello, my name is Mohammed, and I am your guide today".

This to me was uplifting. Here I stood, in the halls of parliament. A parliament in a vibrant Western democracy country. A country surrounded mostly by rejectionist or unfriendly states. A country in the midst of a war with a terrorist non-state. A country defending itself against those who used the Islamism as a catch-cry to wage jihad against the Jews and Zionists.

And my official guide in this parliament is a Muslim. Among the countries in the Middle East, Israel arguably provides the best opportunities for its citizens, regardless of their religion. I suspect this infuriates Israel's enemies.