And We're Back!

Its good to be back in civilization! (by that, I mean a place with a decent internet connection!).

After spending half of one week camping in the woods (with minimum to no cell signal) and most of last week in the boonies helping out family (rabbits and dears and bears--but no bars for my phone?) I can say that having broadband connection really does make all the difference (especially when you need to send a critical email!).

Anyways, I'll be posting a "recap" of stories I was able to mark up (but unable to post) so stay tuned for later on today, as well as tomorrow!

~Darnell

PS

Perhaps I should invest in a satellite phone? ;-)

Want More Kosher News? Subscribe To Kosher Highlights!

Ever since launching IsraGood, I have been fortunate enough to come across many interesting articles highlighting very impressive (and quite often unparalleled) technologies, medicines and yes, even sports regarding Israel.

Unfortunately there is not enough time to highlight all of them, something I attempted to do over on IsraPundit. While it makes me smile that more news agencies in Israel are reporting on some of the worlds best kept secrets, the sheer number of them has gone beyond what I can blog about here.

That is why I am launching Kosher Highlights, which you can view by visiting the homepage of IsraGood.com.

Basically whenever I come across an interesting article, I will highlight it there for everyone to see, which should be much easier than simply posting about it here.

You can subscribe to Kosher Highlights in your favorite feed reader (feed link over here), or via email (although you may want to seriously consider the former as Kosher Highlights will be updated very frequently).

Pimp Your iPhone With IsraGood!

For those of you fortunate enough to have an iPhone, you will be glad to hear that IsraGood is now iPhone friendly!

For those wondering, the mobile site is powered by MoFuse which for about 16 monthly shekels (or $3 USD) is converting all of IsraGood into a format that's kosher for the iPhone.

In order to visit it, users can simply point their iPhone towards http://m.isragood.com/iphone and you can enjoy (and comment) on the site with ease.

For those of you preferring the non-Apple edition, you can direct your phone over at http://m.isragood.com.

Test Post (Permalinks Down)

It looks as if this blog is experiencing some bugs related to permalinks not showing (at least for most of the articles).

Will update post when problem has been fixed.

Update: Permalink errors have been resolved (through no power of my own). Also fixed a few cosmetic errors, although one still remains. Will continue publishing articles for today (and tomorrow).

Update 2: Will begin publishing articles starting tomorrow.

Under Construction: Blog Redesign...

Just a heads up to everyone reading this.

I am not redesigning this sight with a "simpler" look, which should be finished rolling out by the end of the night.

I'll update this post once the update is complete.

Update: Redesign complete. For those wondering what's new on the site (aside from the new template layout), basically I have update my blogroll, although I am using a new feature by Google to spice up the blogroll a bit.

I should also be able to post more frequently thanks to a new feature in Blogger called "future posting," which should help me catch up on some much needed sleep (as blogging is quite addictive).

Posting should resume on Monday...until then, Shalom!

Kosher Highlights Is Up!

Since I have not had enough time to post here this past week, I published the latest highlights about Israel over at Israpundit.

Normal posting should resume on IsraGood later on this week (thanks mainly to Google Calendar) so hopefully I will be able to highlight even more great stories about the holy land.

Also, if any readers would like to see their story/article mentioned in the next edition of Kosher Highlights over at Israpundit (whether yours or one that you stumbled across online), simply email me at IsraGood [at] Gmail [dot] com and I will link to it in the next round.

Now stop reading this post and check out the latest highlights about the holy land. You won't regret it. ;-)

Kosher Highlights: Jewish Cowboys, Glowing Bacteria, And Israeli Doctors Recommending Hugs?

(Note: For some strange reason Israpundit seems to be down on my end. I'm publishing Kosher highlights here, and republish it on Israpundit when I can regain access to it.)

Update: Israpundit is back up for me! You can visit the post over here.

Perhaps I should consider publishing in a different browser (I may consider using Opera as Firefox eats up too much memory, and IE seems slow on Wordpress).

With all that is going on in politics (in the US as well as Israel), sports (note: Go Patriots!!) and work, here are some of the stories that you might have missed while ranting at the TV for whatever reason.

It looks as if Israel is offering Jewish doctors from the US, Canada and U.K. a $60,000 package deal if they choose to make Aliyah. I am not sure whether or not the doctors will consider moving (as many already make a fortune where they live) although their support would be very much appreciated in the holy land.

Speaking of doctors, it looks like Israeli doctors were able to save a mans life in JFK Airport, as well as help out a Kenyan kid needing surgery. Since we are on the theme of "helping thy neighbor," it looks as if an Israeli news agency is attempting to save a 12 year old girls life by paying for her medicine.

Meanwhile it looks as if the Fellowship of Israel and Black America (FIBA) has already kicked off, while the LA Times has an article about the true friends of Israel.

Speaking of friends, did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a passionate supporter of Israel, and that his holiday is celebrated in Israel, as well as America?

Those were some of the major headlines that stood out, and here are the rest broken down by categories.

Health & Science

It looks as if glowing bacteria could help determine if your water is safe to drink, while Israeli doctors have found a simple way to help premature babies strengthen their bones.

Meanwhile Israeli science is shedding new light on memory loss, as well as cancer research, while Israeli doctors are recommending hugs as great medicine. If you think that is good news, you may be thrilled to hear that afternoon naps may not only help you work harder, but stay healthy as well.
Rounding out this section is news that Israeli doctors are looking at desert plants for future cures.

Business & Technology

It looks as if Yahoo! is (finally) taking a second look at Israel, forming alliances to counter Google as well as considering buying out an Israeli company called FoxyTunes.

Meanwhile Google's Blogger (aka Blog*Spot) is embracing Hebrew and TechCrunch highlighted 15 Israeli companies visiting the Golden State (California), which cause a bit of a stir for those wondering why Israel is highlighted so much in the tech industry.

Moving on, it looks as if the Jewish dating site JDate is up for sale (for a lot of cash) while Peres was interviewed by Wikipedia News.

For sports lovers out there, it looks as if a new Israeli startup may shake up sports television while Israel has setup a presence within Second Life.

Governent & Environment

China is strengthing ties with Israel, while the Jewish state may play a critical role regarding an oil pipeline stretching from the middle east, to the far east.

Meanwhile Israel's Tel Aviv promoting electric cars by building "charge spots," while hybrid love (for cars) is spreading throughout the kosher state. This may be due in part to a new "green tax incentive" Israel is considerding, although it probably has to do more with modern Israeli thinking.

Ending this section is news of a solar powerplant hybrid that may make green energy more feasible for today.

Randomness & Humor

A Rabbi appeared on Jay Leno's show with a funny joke to share, while a Jewish violinist has found herself in hot demand within the hip hop/rap music industry in the US.

Speaking of America, it looks as if six Israeli cowboys are riding across the country to help raise Israeli awareness, while the manager for the NY Mets visited Israel recently, as well as Jewish actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler (who starred in the HBO serious The Sopranos).

Thanks for reading another edition of Kosher Highlights, brought to you by Darnell Clayton of IsraGood.com. Stay tuned for the next edition of Kosher Highlights, and any readers would like to see their article or blog post mentioned in the next round, they can email me at IsraGood [at] Gmail [dot] com. Shalom!

Random: Picking Up Hebrew

With all the busyness that life throws at you, I've decided to finally bite the bullet and seriously consider learning Hebrew.

I'm signing up with Hebrew Online, although my class officially begins in March of this year (sigh).

This is exciting as it will help me to understand Israel more in depth, as well as help me navigate the country later on this year when I visit (no official date posted, although it probably will be in the fall).

I'll provide updates on how my classes go here, as this is my first second attempt at learning Hebrew, although this time I'll actually have someone who speaks it fluently to help me along.

Note: If any of you are fluent in Hebrew (whether it is your mother tongue or not) let me know as I'll probably need all the practice I can get. :-)

Kosher Highlights: Healing Mushrooms, Aliyah 2.0 And Why Israeli Boycotts Are Unhealthy?

Note: Since it looks as if Israpundit.com is down (for the moment, at least for me), Kosher Highlights will be published here and republished on Israpundit when the server comes back up.

Update: Kosher Highlights has been republished over on Israpundit.

It has been another interesting week (plus several days) for Israel, and despite all that is happening in the political arena (which is mostly saber rattling if you ask me), the sun keeps on shining brightly on the Jewish state.

First off it looks as if Israel 21^st Century (which provides highlights about Israel's tech, science and medicine) is sporting a whole new look.

Speaking of highlights, it looks as if a majority of Palestinians living in Israel prefer to stay in Israel while Judaism may officially receive its own television channel.

Also it seems that large Israeli families are on the rise while more Israeli's have made aliyah last December.

Speaking of aliyah, it looks as if aliyah version 2.0 may in a "beta test" right now.

In other news, a Kenyan runner who enraged his former country (Bahrain) for running in Israel will be running again inside the Jewish state. Perhaps his former country should learn why boycotting Israel can be a bad idea.

Those are some of the brief highlights, now here are some of the other interesting articles broken down by catetories.

Health & Environment

Prostate cancer beware! It looks as if Israeli scientists have rediscovered the healing power of mushrooms while organic kiddie clothes could become the latest fashion for toddlers.

Moving on, it looks like Israel is graciously sending over 60,000 vaccines to Palestine to combat bird flu, as well as actively passing "green laws" to discourage to use of plastic bags (which can be environmentally unfriendly).

Meanwhile it looks as if the solar power plant will finally be built in Negav, while Israeli and Singapore companies are teaming up to fight Hepatitis.

Business & Economy

Techcrunch is reporting that Hooja (a search tech company from Israel) has raised over $1 million, while also informing us that IBM has purchased Israel's XIV for $350 million.

In other good news, Israel's auto industry seems to be doing very well while Nokia Israel's sales reached a billion dollars in 2007.

Speaking of a billion, did you know that trade between Israel and Nigeria also reached a billion dollars? Did you also know that Israeli diamond exports were twelve times that amount last year?

Government & Influence

There seems to be more information out regarding Bush's visit towards Israel while India is seeking to strengthen military ties between itself and the Jewish state.

Israel is also upgrading its ties with America, as well as pondering whether or not to hook up IDF with GPS devices.

Meanwhile two Rabbis seem to be really popular in Ukraine, ranking higher than many foreign ambassadors.

Internet & Technology

It looks as if 90% of Israeli youth are hooking up to the Internet while some new Israeli technology may make laptop power cables go extinct.

Speaking of laptops, Dell notebooks will soon be powered by Israeli tech and the Red Herring lists six Israeli businesses among its top 100 tech companies for 2007.

Last but not least (in this section) Australian Jews seem really excited about backing this agritech fund.

Thanks for reading this latest edition of Kosher Highlights, brought to you by Darnell Clayton of IsraGood.com. If you would like to submit any stories to the next round, simply email me at IsraGood [at] Gmail [dot] com. Thanks for reading and Shalom!

Kosher Highlights Are Up!

For those of you wondering, the Kosher Highlights roundup has been posted over at Israpundit.

Feel free to check it out, and let me know if you want a story/blog post included in the next round. Cheers!

Note: IsraGood And Kosher Highlights Belated

For those of you reading, Kosher Highlights (formally known as Kosher Thursdays) on Israpundit will be delayed until after the Christmas holiday.

You can check out the previous highlight over here.

Also posts on IsraGood will resume after Christmas.

Until then, here is a funny video (in Hebrew) that I came across while surfing YouTube. Enjoy!

Update (12/28): Corrected some grammar.

Update: I'm Still Alive...Plus New Comment Software!

Hey everyone! It's been awhile since I've blogged here. I've mainly been distracted by the holiday season, plus blogging on other sites (my other sites felt neglected by IsraGood).

But don't worry, I shall return Monday night (as I'll be mostly offline during this weekend).

Anyways, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am updating the comment section on IsraGood, to give non-blogger users a bit more freedom in posting their thoughts. See update below.

I'm also going to be post a roundup of good news about Israel on Israpundit, once a week, although I'll be calling it Kosher Highlights instead of Kosher Thursdays, mainly because Thursdays are not working out for me.

Until then I wish everyone a Happy Hanukkah (or is it spelled Chanukkah?), a Merry Christmas or a Solemn Festivus (for those who do not celebrate the other two--yeah, I'm a Seinfeld freak).

Update (12/21): Google has reopened up the comment section to non-blogger users. Converting the comments back to the previous version.

Updating Weblog...

Note: I'll be upgrading IsraGood, or rather changing the skin of this site.

Try not to laugh too hard if the page looks ugly for 10-20 minuets.

~Darnell

Update: It took a little longer than I thought, but I am now finished updating the site.

Unfortunately, I lost my previous poll feature asking why people loved Israel (sigh), but I simply created a new one in the sidebar.

I am debating about changing the header, although I may do that later on today (or even tomorrow).

IsraelPlug: Another Kosher News Weblog

(Hat Tip: Anglican Friends of Israel)



It looks as if another "kosher news weblog" has entered the scene, and by kosher I mean a site highlighting the side of Israeli life that often does not make the small screen.

Called IsraelPlug, this site's purpose is to highlight innovative side of Jews in the holy land. The site has been around since March of this year, and they have already published around 40 articles in this month alone!

Since "kosher news blogs" are becoming more common (either that or I am discovering more of them online) I thought I'd start an official kosher roll (on the sidebar) where readers can browse through other sites similar to this one.

Note: I have about ten listed thus far, although if anybody knows of any others out there, please let me know!

And I'm Back...

It's been a while since I've been able to post here. In fact, I haven't posted on most of my blogs at all for almost a week, if not longer (shame, shame on me).

Well, I'm backlogged with articles to post about, but fortunately other pro-Israeli bloggers have been picking up on many of these stories (so I won't repost them here).

The only IsraGood thing I can report on while I was absent was I was fortunate enough to attend "A Night To Honor Israel" event in the states, (which is sponsored by Christians United for Israel) and I was surprised by the number of people who came to the event (I think 800 total).

Although most of the people there were Christians, there was a considerable size of Jewish individuals, as well as a Druze who showed up to display their support of the holy land, politically as well as financially.

I took some pictures via cell phone (most of them turned out to be horrible) but I'll upload some of them later on, or grab one from a reporter who had a fancy camera.

Sigh...so little time and so much to blog about.

Google Testing...

I am currently testing out a solution to a possible bug on Google that is causing the mysterious 404 error.

I'll be back...

Update: Talking with GoDaddy. I think they see my problem with the Google situation.

Update (1/15): Thanks you Google! It works!

Test Post...

Can you see me?

Google To Bloggers: Shabbat And Shalom!

It looks like Google is allowing blog*spot users to migrate their weblogs onto their servers (as if enough of our life is already in their hands).

This will come in handy as I have recently purchased IsraGood.com.

(Blogger Buzz) The new version of Blogger now supports using a custom domain for serving your blog. If you already own a domain named, say, mysite.com and want your blog to be served at that address instead of at a blogspot.com address, we can host your blog on that domain for you — for free. Your old Blog*Spot address will forward to your new custom domain, so the switch will be seamless for your readers.

I'll be taking a short break from posting as I work out the bugs of this migration. Until then, Shalom!

Finished Revamping Site...

I think I am now enjoying the new look.

Now lets see if I can provide fresh Kosher news for whatever viewers stumble upon the site.

Revamping Site...again...

After taking a brief sabatical from this blog...I've decided to pick up where I left off (especially since I discovered my other weblogs picking up in traffic).

To be continued...