Good News Friday

It’s time for my latest Good News Friday post, the first of the “summer term”, i.e. after Pesach.

Stephen Hawking

My first item for this week is from the scientific world – but this time it’s not a new invention or clever device. Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned theoretical physicist who is as famous for his physical disabilities as for his knowledge, will be coming to visit Israel this summer:

Hawking will travel to Israel to take part in the 5th annual Israeli Presidential Conference titled “Facing Tomorrow.” […] Past attendees have included former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Google founder Sergei Brin, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.

Despite suffering from a debilitating form of the neurodegenerative disease ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) that has left him completely paralyzed, Hawking has become an international cultural icon for his groundbreaking work in theoretical physics and cosmology. He is also renowned as an author for books such as “A Brief History of Time,” which introduced millions of non-science readers to complicated issues in cosmology such as the Theory of General Relativity, the Big Bang and black holes.

We welcome this announcement of Mr. Hawking’s visit and I look forward to hearing all about his interesting theories and discoveries.

My next item for this week moves from the sublime to the almost ridiculous (h/t No Camels): Carmit Candy Industries have invented a lollipop that will help to lose weight!

Carmit Candy Industries recently unveiled its original line of fortified confectionery products at the Natural Products Expo West industry event in the United States. The innovative lollipops, wafers and toffees are formulated to help shed pounds, boost the immune system and promote bone health.
“Healthier food, and the importance that diet has on health, is a major consumer trend for many years,” says CEO Steve Grun.

“Food manufacturers have been answering this trend with many new products, ranging from reduced fat/sugar/sodium products to products fortified with vitamins/minerals/fiber. We are taking this a step further by combining really tasty candy products with the most up-to-date nutrition ingredients to create products that taste great and deliver a specific health benefit.”

From early on, Carmit did away with trans-fat in its products. Grun tells ISRAEL21c that it was out of necessity in following Jewish dietary laws that the company became an unexpected leader in dairy-free, dietetic and organic confectionery.

“Carmit’s gluten-free confectionery is a spinoff of products we developed for the kosher-for-Passover market, where the use of wheat flour is expressly prohibited. Our non-dairy products are a spinoff from the kosher need for parve [vegan],” Grun says. “Since then, we have deepened our expertise … and are a supplier to leading brands around the world.”

Now, the Israeli candy manufacturer hopes to lead the way with its fortified candy line as well. “This is a natural progression for us,” he says. “The fortified confectionery market is a strategic direction for us and we hope to further establish Carmit as a leading private-label manufacturer for value-added and healthy confectionery products.”

I’m sure we all wish them luck with this great new venture – and write me in at the head of the queue to try out their new lollipops! 🙂

My last item for this week is another family update: Mazal tov to my brother and sister-in-law on the birth of a new granddaughter on the last day of Pesach. The new baby is a second-cousin to my own new granddaughter. That makes two new great-granddaughters for my parents, one born at each end of Pesach, like a pair of bookends. 🙂

May our family, and all the families of Israel, continue to grow and flourish in joy, good health and safety.

Shabbat shalom everyone!