Yourish.com

Israel researchers at Technion—the Israeli Institute of Technology—put the entire Jewish Bible on a square .5 millimeters—smaller than the head of a pin.

Technion researchers have succeeded in putting a full version of the Hebrew Bible, with vowel points, on 0.5 square millimeters – an area smaller than the size of a pinhead. It’s the world’s smallest Bible. And it was created by those wily Jews.

The nano-Bible was written as part of an educational program developed by the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute. The program aims to increase interest, on the part of youth, in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The idea to write the entire Bible on an area smaller than a pinhead was conceived of by Prof. Uri Sivan, head of the Nanotechnology Institute. The project was managed by physics’ doctoral student Ohad Zohar, the institute’s scientific advisor for educational programs, together with Dr. Alex Lahav, former head of the FIB laboratory in the Wolfson Microelectronics Research and Teaching Center.

The nano-Bible was written using a scientific device called FIB – Focused Ion Beam. With the aid of this device, it was possible to send focused beams of tiny particles (gallium ions) towards a specific object. When the particles hit the object, they cause the atoms of that object to bounce off of it, thus etching it. This is similar to digging a small hole in the earth using a water jet from a hose.

The nano-Bible was written on a silicon surface covered with a thin layer of gold (20 nanometers thick). “When we send the particle beam toward a point on the surface, the gold atoms bounce off of this point, thus exposing the silicon layer underneath. The diameter of the exposed point is about 40 nanometers. When we look at the written example using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the exposed silicon point looks darker than the gold surrounding it. By sending a particle beam towards various points on the substrate, we can etch any pattern of points, especially one that represents text,” explains Ohad Zohar.

I wonder how many angels could dance on it? Mind you, they wouldn’t, out of respect for what it contains, but hey, if the medieval Catholics can wonder, so can we.

As reader Eric, who sent me this story, says: Now all they need to do is develop a teeny-tiny yad so we can read from it.

Zvi Barel in Ha’aretz

Can a military operation succeed where sanctions have failed? This is precisely the moment to remember that the Qassam rockets and arms smuggling via the Philadelphi route tunnels did not start after sanctions were imposed. They were there when the Israel Defense Forces fully controlled Gaza, when targeted and non-targeted liquidations were the rule, and when Israeli intelligence knew where every car was headed. The IDF’s reentry to the Strip, with all its armor and aerial might, assumes that this time the result will be different – without a convincing explanation.

This argument is specious.

Sure there were Qassams while Israel still held Gaza. But as the graphic at This Ongoing War shows, the frequency of Qassam attacks greatly increased after disengagement. Clearly, giving up control of Gaza has harmed Israel’s security.

So what can Israel do? Yoel Marcus writes why Ariel Sharon did not take decisive action:

Sharon was surprised when the Qassam fire resumed after the evacuation of Gush Katif. Shortly before he suffered his stroke, he considered the option of aerial bombardment of the areas from which Qassams are launched, but dropped the idea when it was made clear to him that anyone who starts indiscriminate bombing of a civilian population is liable to end up in the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Noah Pollak writes that there may be a different calculation made to keep the retaliatory strikes limited:

I suspect that Israeli strategists are pursuing a rather clever policy of eliminating Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror leaders in order simultaneously to suppress rocket and mortar fire, and to pressure the terrorists to engage in face-saving, but ineffective, retaliations. The Israelis do not want to deal such a devastating blow that Hamas seeks a cease-fire, which Israel would be pressured to grant, and which would only be used as a hudna, or quiet period, for re-arming and re-organizing. Hamas and IJ will want to mount serious attacks in the weeks preceding Bush’s visit so as to discredit the peace process and steal media and diplomatic attention from the Bush-Olmert-Abbas love-in. We’ll know soon enough if the terrorists’ strategy will work, or whether the IDF will be able to keep Gaza, working externally, at bay.

(And see what Elder of Ziyon – or here observes about the pinpoint nature of Israel’s responses.)

Not surprisingly when the MSM covers the Qassams, there’s someone who will minimize the threat.

Israel has been carrying out frequent airstrikes and ground incursions into Gaza since Hamas seized control of the area in June. Hamas has not been heavily involved in the cross-border attacks, but Israel holds it responsible because it allows other armed groups, including Islamic Jihad, to operate with impunity.

“Hamas has not been heavily involved!!!!” What does it take not to second guess Israel? Residents of Sderot have a minute to find cover and hide once an incoming Qassam is discovered and the reporter writes about the culpability of Hamas. Even a leftist like Yoel Marcus agrees that the situation is intolerable.

And that final clause gets it wrong. Israel doesn’t hold Hamas responsible. Hamas is responsible by any objective, legal measure.

Israel is fighting the Qassams and by taking great care to avoid civilian casualties is putting its own citizens at risk. To minimize the guilt of Hamas and Israel’s other enemies is unconscionable.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.