Archive | 2010 | December | 21

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – A hospital in Israel has begun using Apple’s iPad to enable medical staff to help treat patients, provide consultations and study X-rays and CT scans from afar.

The Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center, located in the largely ultra-orthodox Tel Aviv suburb Bnei Brak, said on Tuesday it is the first hospital to program the high-resolution, touch-screen iPad to interact with Microsoft Corp’s Chameleon software used by hopsitals.

The hospital’s computer department programed the iPad with the help of an external technology company.

“We now have the same program and the same database for treatment in the hospital on the iPad,” Dr Yoram Liwer, chief executive of Mayanei Hayeshua, told Reuters. “The patients’ data are in the computer … so physicians who are out of hospital but on call can see X-rays and ultrasounds through their iPad and give more intelligent advice to staff in the hospital.”

For example, a patient recently arrived in the emergency room with a broken hip and ultimately needed a full hip replacement.

The doctor on duty consulted with a senior orthopeadic surgeon who was not in the hospital and who offered advice on the treatment after studying the X-rays and CT scans. The senior doctor was also able to follow up immediately after the surgery to see the results.

“The high resolution of the screens enables good viewing of the X-rays and also the iPad is fun to work with,” Liwer said. “People like to carry it with them wherever they go. They don’t take a laptop but the iPad is with them all the time so we get better and more intelligent consulting.”

Source: Reuters.com

Renowned Japanese judoka: I hope the Israeli and Palestinian children will learn and experience many things and nurture friendship.

Israeli and Palestinian teenagers are gathering in Japan to participate in a judo tournament as organizers hope to promote world peace through the sport, a renowned Japanese judoka said on Monday.

Yasuhiro Yamashita, 53, gold medalist in the open category at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, said he had invited them to the one-day tournament on Sunday in Fukuoka, western Japan.

“Through exchanges with Japanese and overseas participants, I hope the Israeli and Palestinian children will learn and experience many things and nurture friendship,” Yamashita told a news conference.

“One of the most important things in the spirit of judo is to respect an opponent, who is not an enemy but someone who helps you improve yourself,” Yamashita said.

During their trip, supported by a group that Yamashita founded in 2006, the children will also join other programs and visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum tomorrow.

The invitation came after Yamashita and Kose Inoue, another celebrated Japanese judoka, visited Israel and the Palestinian territories in July to hold a workshop for children.

During their visit, the two judoka trained 32 Israeli and 25 Palestinian students, and more than a dozen of them arrived in Japan last week.

Source: Haaretz.com

DEVIN HEROUX IN ISRAEL

The concept is an electric car, but it’s so much more.

It was an interesting morning in Tel Aviv that brought into question the idea of the entrepreneurial spirit of a country. Prior to this trip I had been fortunate enough to travel on four Canadian delegations around the world (Panama and Costa Rica, Brazil, Australia, and Malaysia) discussing this very issue. While the focus of this program, without question, is an analysis of the tensions that exist in the area, as a group we’ve found that narratives of reflection on our own problems in Canada have also arisen.

How we got on the topic of entrepreneurial spirit (and it’s everywhere in Israel) is byway of a presentation we were given this morning. The idea/place is called “Better Place” – the premise is electric cars; a pretty novel concept considering the dialogue of environmental awareness. I have never in my life seen such a stunning, well put together marketing campaign then the one we were given.

The physical building where all the magic happens is inside an old water-tank. Everything inside the building is recycled, reused, and VERY energy efficient.

The concept: Quite simply, to make electric cars the norm in Israel AND around the world. The presentation does a flawless job (including a theatre-like performance that includes a stage change that spins an electric car on stage) in selling you on the idea. Unlike going to the gas station to fuel up, you now just plug it in. We even got to drive one of these electric cars. The actually pick-up is faster then a fuel engine because there are now gears, you can barely hear the car, and the cars are equipped with the latest technology of the day.

The one flaw from a Canadian perspective was in the infrastructure – these cars can only travel on one battery for 160kms. Doesn’t help when I need to travel from Regina to Saskatoon and back. (They have a pre-emptive plan of attack for this issue which will work itself out.)

So when I’ve traveled on these past Canadian delegations we’ve talked about whether or not a country “gets it”. Whether their young people reflect an entrepreneurial spirit that will propel them into greater things domestically and internationally.

Israel gets it. Perhaps they conversation of cultural landscape needs to be introduced. After speaking with many Israelis (and I’ve talked about it previously) there is a zest for life… because the reality of it is, is that this a people that doesn’t take much for granted, and realizes just how precious life is. *speaking generally of course. There’s an attitude of wanting to  take risks here. An electric car to the world may seem like a pipe-dream… not for the Israelis. They are willing to take chances and step outside of the box.

There’s also support to be creative and express ideas from the top; Politicians, business leaders, academics and the like all share this collective cultural want to explore the unknown. It moves the ideology of a country forward.

I’ve spent the better part of the day reflecting on whether or not we do this in Canada. Up until today, I would have said we were doing a pretty good job (and make that argument on my previous international trips) but now I wonder how good we really are.

Look, I want to live in a world that allows me to take chances, to go beyond what is, and push the limits… I don’t think we really appreciate this in Canada. Sure you’ll find pockets of the entrepreneurial dream in Canada, but as an overarching theme – I think we need to be doing more.

In 2008 the Conference Board of Canada called young Canadians “mediocre” and I took great offense to that. But let’s be blunt – we are, and continue to be. If we want to be recognized as a country making meaningful advancements in the international community it starts with the youth – and it starts by taking risks and not being afraid of being rejected by the thinking heads in power right now.

It starts by understanding this calculated yet excited and passionate approach the Israelis take in new ventures.

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