OK, even we’ll admit that the NY Post may be exaggerating a bit with this headline. But not by much.
Remember the great reception that greeted In Treatment? CBS’s new show “The Ex List” has a tough act to follow, but we’re sure it’s up to the task. And there are plenty of other great ideas on Israeli TV just waiting for their turn on the American small screen.

In honor of Israel’s 60th birthday, CNBC aired some impressive segments on life in Israel and about some of Israel’s many accomplishments.
In this segment learn about how you can be a part of Israel’s economic growth. Listen to the experts discuss why you should invest in Israel.

In honor of Israel’s 60th Anniversary, Israeli-American violinist/conductor Itzhak Perlman narrates a fascinating video about the country, which will make its U.S. premiere tonight on Channel 13.

WLIW New York’s acclaimed Visions series makes an aerial pilgrimage to Israel, the world’s only Jewish state – home to approximately 7.2 million and the Holy Land of the three main Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Set to ethnic music with informative narration, stunning high definition aerial footage showcases Israel in all its diverse glory, flying over sites where Jewish rebels gave their lives; where Egyptians, Greeks and Romans built outposts to their empires; and where Jesus Christ performed miracles. Witness the magnificence of the country’s many holy sites, including the Western Wall, the Temple Mount and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, alongside such modern achievements as the ingenious irrigation system that actually helped make a desert bloom.

Visions of Israel premieres nationwide on PBS in June 2008. For more information, visit www.visionsof.org.

Watch a preview of the show now!

While it has long been known that embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into any kind of tissue-specific cells, the exact mechanism as to how this occurs has heretofore not been demonstrated. Now, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and elsewhere have succeeded in graphically revealing this process, resolving a long-standing question as to whether the stem cells achieve their development through selective activation or selective repression of genes.

The collaborative research group, which included Dr. Eran Meshorer of the Department of Genetics at the Silberman Institute of Life Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has revealed that the embryonic stem (ES) cells express large proportions of their genome “promiscuously.” This permissive expression includes lineage-specific and tissue-specific genes, non-coding regions of the genome that are normally “silent,” and repetitive sequences in the genome, which comprise the majority of the mammalian genome but are also normally not expressed.

When ES cells differentiate into specific cell tissue-types, they undergo global genetic silencing. But until this occurs, the ES cells maintain an open and active genome. This might very well be the secret of their success, since by maintaining this flexibility they maintain their capacity to become any cell type. Once silencing, or genetic repression, occurs, this ability is gone.

Thus, one can say that the ES cells stand at the ready until the “last minute” — prepared to engage in selective activation into specific cells — holding “in abeyance” their ability to become any kind of cells at the point and time required.

To reveal the process as to how this occurs, the researchers created the first full-mouse genomic platform of DNA microarrays. Microarrays are glass-based chips that allow simultaneous detection of thousands of genes. The microarrays used in the study were not confined to specific genes only but spanned the entire genome.

Hundreds of such microarrays were required in the study to cover the entire genome in different time points during stem cell differentiation. It was by observation of these sequences that the researchers were able to establish exactly how and at what point the stem cells developed into specific tissue cells and when the silencing occurs.

The project carried out by the researchers appears in the latest issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell. The collaborators in addition to Dr. Meshorer who participated in the project include Tom Misteli, Ron McKay, Stuart Le Grice, Sol Efroni and Kenneth Buetow of the US National Institutes of Health, Thomas Gingeras of Affymetrix Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., and David Bazett-Jones of The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.

This month, Hollywood’s best and brightest will be saluting Israel in celebration of its 60th Anniversary, in a project initiated by the Consulate General of Israel in New York and Nancy Spielberg (sister of famous director, Steven). Their personalized video greetings, wishing Israel a “Happy Birthday!” are being broadcast on both the Nasdaq and Reuters electronic billboards in Times Square (43rd St. and Broadway).

The A-list celebrities include: Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Brooke Shields, Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, Ashton Kutcher, Michael Douglas, Dakota Fanning, and many more. Not to mention, New York’s very own Donald Trump, who also joined the lineup.

The celebrity greetings will air throughout May, every hour at approximately 15 minutes and 45 minutes after the hour. Next time you’re in Times Square, look up!

You can read more about the videos on JPost. To see the visuals, watch this CBS-TV report.