It's that time of year again: winter. The season of widespread stuffy noses, sore throats, aching, and the rest of the many symptoms people experience while infected with various viruses and microbes. Many of us wake up during the winter feeling generally ill and wanting so so badly to just go back to bed and stay home, but we eventually get up and trudge along through a miserable work/school day. Our initial instinct to go back to bed may be more than just a yearning for rest.

Recent tensions in the Middle East have raised a lot of questions about whether peace will ever be attainable. With Palestinian attacks in major Israeli cities, the terror cells of Hamas, and the threats of Hezbollah and ISIS to the North, the situation doesn't exactly look hopeful. However, even during this tense time, peace efforts are continuing. Some of the main goals are targeting the next generation who may just be our only hope. Two groups leading the way are Games for Peace and Kids4Peace International.

As much as the trucking industry is both helpful and necessary, it's also an enormous pain in the neck. Trucks, which are often empty or not filled to optimum capacity, cause traffic congestion, air pollution and can be a waste of manpower and time. Not only that, but in Europe alone, inefficiency has been estimated to have cost 160 billion Euro. What if we could change something with the trucking industry that not only lowers air pollution and traffic congestion, but also makes transporting goods more efficient and cost-effective? Well it turns out we can.

With the onslaught of recent terror attacks in Israel, it's been hard to feel safe. The person next to you at the bus stop may be hiding a knife in their pocket. Any car on the road may swerve and attempt to ram into you. These attacks are nearly impossible to prevent, as many of them are lone wolf attacks. While technology may not be able to completely prevent these attacks, it may be able to help with the response. Two Israeli startups are helping Israelis get a quicker and more effective response from emergency services.