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Wibbitz and Oramed featured @ The Israel Conference in LA
by Elran Tsabag
Between updating a facebook timeline, tweeting updates on life, and obsessively checking our email, it’s sometimes difficult to believe how far we have come technologically in the last decade. Just then, we hear about another start-up that is on the forefront of astounding breakthroughs in their field. That’s what happened at this year’s ‘The Israel Conference’, held on May 30-31, 2013 in Los Angeles.
The overwhelming energy between entrepreneurs, companies, and venture capitalists was enough, but then I came across companies making huge strides in their fields. Amongst them was Wibbitz, a company that recently developed the technology that converts online news articles into narrated videos. Although text-to-video technology has been around for a little time, Wibbitz has taken it viral by making it feasible to turn any text based article, post, or feed into a video.
Since users are consuming an increasing amount of videos as a percentage of their online usage, brands are under pressure to keep up with demand. The company prides itself on being the “play button for the web.” Instead of reading an article, users can listen or watch to a video generated by a summary of the text converted into voice narration. Currently, the company is targeting publishers of online content – chief among them, news outlets and sites. Their team is in the midst of creating an optimization feature for videos to be shared through social media – when users share the link to the article, the video narration can be played on social media outlets. Since videos are amongst the web’s most monitizable platforms, Wibbitz can capitalize on the technology most efficiently.
Another company showcased at the conference was Oramed, a biomed start-up currently working on developing the technology for the oral delivery of drugs traditionally administered through injection. Think of diabetes patients, for instance, having to inject insulin every few hours, at times even being directly connected to a delivery device on a daily basis. Oramed has developed the technology to deliver these drugs orally, making it easier and more convenient for patients to receive the pharmaceutical care they need.
You may have heard of Oramed’s flagship product: an ingestible insulin capsule currently in Phase 2 of FDA clinical trials. The drug will be the first of its kind, making waves amongst not only the medical tech field, but changing the way certain medical problems are being treated. Hearing about the company’s work leaves no doubt that Oramed is on the track to revolutionize the treatment of various medical diseases.
Wibbitz and Oramed represent the plethora of companies and technologies showcased at this year’s ‘The Israel Conference’. Stay tuned for what next year’s conference has in store.
PICTURES + VIDEO: Yom HaShoah in Israel
Israel is commemorating its Holocaust Memorial Day to remember the millions of Jews who perished during the holocaust. Ceremonies are taking place throughout the day.
Below some pictures and a video from the 2 minute moment of silence that occurred at 10am Israel time
Video by SDM Contributor Arsen Ostrovsky
RECIPE: Peas and Pasta in the Middle East
It’s no secret that there is one special place in the world that, for centuries, has been the centre of attention for both positive and negative reasons. I prefer to focus on the positive reasons, and to name a few, the history, vibrant culture and amazing landscapes make Israel top on my list of places to return to at every opportunity.
A number of years ago, I took my mother with me on a visit to Israel. She hadn’t been there since the mid- 70s, and though she had fond memories, she remembered the food to be simplistic. Boy was she is for a surprise! As the country developed, including the amazing agricultural advances that turned desert landscapes into fertile lands, so too did the country’s gastronomy. The melting pot that is Israel’s dining landscape makes for an incredible muse for a cookbook.
Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, an Jew and an Arab, teamed up to bring this melting pot of food together in an amazing cookbook, Jerusalem.
The amazing thing about the Mediterranean diet is that it seldom includes pasta and other simple carbohydrates (no wonder all those gorgeous Israelis have such killer figures!). However, there is one pasta recipe in this entire cookbook, and obviously it was the first one I decided to try!
Being that it was the first time I made, it, I tried to stay as true to the original recipe as possible. I had to hunt down the main spice in the recipe, aleppo chile (aka aleppo pepper), which I found at a local international grocery store, but decided to cut down on it drastically (1 scant tsp instead of 2 tsp). I also bought Israeli feta cheese, which makes ALL the difference compared to the pre-packaged Tre Stelle you can find in the dairy section of the grocery store, and I cut down on the olive oil. I’ve included the original, unedited recipe below, so feel free to use it as is, or adjust it to suit you tastes, as I did. The best tip I can give you on this one is to be sure that you defrost the peas fully before blending them.
I will definitely be trying plenty more recipes from this book, so be sure to come back for more!
Conchiglie with Yogurt, Peas and Chile
2 1/2 cups (500g) plain greek yogurt
2/3 cup (150ml) olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1lb (500g) fresh or thawed frozen peas
1lb conchiglie pasta (I used large shells)
scant 1/2 cup pine nuts
2 tsp Turkish or Syrian chile flakes (aleppo pepper)
1 2/3 cups basil leaves, coarsely torn
8oz feta cheese, broken into chunks
salt and freshly ground white pepper
- Put the yogurt, 6 tbsp of the oil, the garlic, and 2/3 cup of the peas in a food processor. Blitz to a uniform pale green sauce and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente.
- As the pasta cooks, heat the remaining olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and chile flakes and fry for 4 minutes, until nuts are golden and the oil is deep red.
- Heat the remaining peas in boiling water, then drain.
- Drain the cooked pasta into a colander, shake well to get rid of the water, and add the pasta gradually to the yogurt sauce; adding it all at once may cause the yogurt to split.
- Add the warm peas, basil, feta, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp white pepper. Toss gently, transfer to individual bowls, and spoon over the pine nuts and their oil.
SDM’s own Anne-Darla, the next MuchMusic VJ? WE SURE HOPE SO!
by Anne-Darla
Hello beautiful reader’s of Size Doesn’t Matter. I would like to remind you that Size Does NOT matter. I am a good example of thus. Being 5 foot 1, what I lack in height-I make up for in personality and ambition.
I am participating in the Much Music Vj search 2013 and made a really great video. My friend Marc & I worked really hard on it and unlike most competitors I tried to tell a story-because that is what I do best. I had approximately a day to make it/edit and the night I was editing it FINAL CUT PRO crashed on me and made me start over from zero. I wanted to cry. But nonetheless, I pulled through. I am proud of the final result, being from Montreal I also made it a point to write SUBTITLES IN FRENCH because I do live in a bilingual province after all.
I am not your typical contestant. I am not that girl who will simply stand there, look pretty and cover things in a superficial manner. I have a purpose in life and that is to empower. Young women & men today are more insecure then they have ever been and Hollywood/the entertainment industry is one of the main reasons for such. That is what I want to get my foot in the door. I want to switch things up and flip the whole place upside down. As a public figure you can trust that every single video I make and every single interview I conduct I WILL find a way to make it resonate deeper.
We all know Justin Bieber’s tour dates, we all know Drake is collaborating with such and such but WHY do they do it? Why did Drake at the age of 25 decide to go back to school? What do they have to say to the hundreds of thousands of kids out there that dream of becoming rappers and stars? Is it a viable option? Is it the best option? Is is a recipe for failure? This is what I want to know. I am not here to kiss anybody’s ass, I am here to ask questions and make a difference. So I might be too much for Much music, but it’s always worth a try because I am convinced that they could benefit greatly from having someone like me on their team. I have a lot to learn, I am not perfect, I make mistakes but I am young, I have drive and I am dedicated in bettering myself and bettering the world.
So if you believe in what I believe VOTE FOR ME, watch my video and share the link it would mean the WORLD <3
http://www.muchmusic.com/vjsearch/profile/anne-darla-lucia-d/342196/
Another face of World Jewry by Andrew Lee
by Andrew Lee
I have studied world Jewry for about 5 years now and last weekend I had the privilege to meet, in Israel, a Jew from China.
Although I have heard about the Jews living in China, I never attempted to find out more about them and their culture and thus, when I arrived to the planned destination point, I was shocked to realize that she looked Chinese. If I had just casually met her on the streets I would have never guessed that she was a Jew. Hailing from the region of Kaifeng, in the Henan province of China, she was one of the first groups of Chinese Jews, thanks to Shavei Israel, who preformed aliyah and began their reintegration with the Jewish community. I have been residing in Israel for 7 months; however, every time I am out and about Israelis assume that I am a tourist and attempt to speak broken Chinese to me, thus reinforcing the feeling of being an outsider. Therefore, I automatically presumed that she also is exposed to the same treatment and I poised a question that went, Inwardly you are a Jew, however outwardly you appear to be Chinese, how has assimilating into Israel been for you? Her answer baffled me. She replied, right when I left the plane, and knowing nothing about both Jews and Israel, I felt an extreme sense of returning home. Afterwards, I began to think about her answer and I realized that for her and the rest of the Jewish world, Israel is home and thus, regardless of how people receive you, it does not diminish it. Even if people forevermore assume that she is a tourist it does not matter because she will always be a Jew and therefore Israel will always be her home
An ARTIST featured: SDM’s ONE-on-ONE with Ester Rada
She gracefully combines Ethio-Jazz, funk, soul and r&b, with mixed undertones of black grooves, her music is not only inspirational, it makes you wanna dance! Ester Rada is one of Israel’s up-and-coming stars. Ester is currently on her first North American tour, she will be in Canada from March 19th-21st, so don’t miss her! info: http://www.sizedoesntmatter.com/ester
Who is Ester Rada ?
Ester Rada is Ester Rada. I write music, i love music, i write songs, i perform. I am what i am, i am true to myself. I love. I live!
Tell us about your style of Music, what’s your process ?
I don’t like to label my music. My music is what comes directly from my soul, I write words on the paper, compose music with my guitar, and then produce it with my favourite producers.
What Artists are you inspired by ?
Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Laryn hill, NNeka, Erykah Badu, Ayo, Outcast, Mulatu Astatke, Mahmoud Ahmed, Stevie Wonder, Keziah Jines, Corinne Bailey Ray, India Arie.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be ?
all of the living above, but Damian Marley could be very very nice…
If you could play anywhere, where would it be ?
Difficult, i want to play all over the world! South, West, East and North, Asia, Australia, Europe, America and Africa!… all over! I want to play Festivals, Clubs you name it! just book me and i will come!
You must be very proud of your recently released EP, tell us about it.
I am very excited about it. It is my debut release, and it was great recording it with two of my favourite producers Kutiman and Sabbo, who did an amazing job.
A lot of the inspiration came from the Ethiopian golden age, the 70s, with a spice of something fresh and new, mixed with Soul, Jazz, RnB and Funk.
You are heading to SXSW and CMW, are you excited? Anything you want to tell your Canadian fans ?
I am super excited! It’s my first North American tour. I hope to meet new people gain new fans and visit great places!
and to my canadians fans – I love you! COME CHECK ME OUT!
What’s next for Ester ?
Everyday something amazing happens, I hope to finish my first album soon, there is a Europe Tour coming up, and we plan on being in Asia and Australia this year too, so many things to come…but as my song says : Life Happens! you never know what’s coming next.