The Right Way to Eat an Apple (video)
Well, your mom has been teaching you wrong. The right way to eat an apple is not from its sides. There is another more complete way of eating an apple, a trick you need to teach the kids.
Lifestyle
Saudis Show “Love” Using Car Art Bumper Stickers, With a Twist
Hand-holding, smooches and inter-gender chitchat between strangers are prohibited in Saudi Arabia, as are all public demonstrations of amor. So passionate Saudis stymied by morality laws are turning to their cars to show some love.
4,000 Handmade Hats Collected for Syrian Refugees by this Green Prophet
What started as a few throwaway balls of yarn to a tiny knitter in Jordan’s Zaatari Syrian refugee camp inspired a goofball idea: I asked crafty folks everywhere to toss a few hats in the ring. The reaction has been jaw-dropping. So far we have collected some 4,000 handmade hats for Syrian refugees.
Dubai Prince Snuggles Rare White Tiger Cub in Home Movie (VIDEO)
Is this the right kind of message you should be sending to your kingdom? That large wild felines should be kept in captivity as pets? We ask ourselves these questions all the time, now an almost unbelievable Instagram video of a Dubai prince surfaces.
Pomegranate Seeds Removed in 10 Secs With Wooden Spoon (VIDEO)
Now that winter is here we celebrate the virtues of the pomegranate. Did you know it is a plant of the Koran and it is also celebrated by Judaism? But how does one eat the seeds of this delicious and healthy fruit without spending hours doing it by hand? This video below shows us.
Will Qatari Kids Make Eco Films with Eyes Wide Open?
Young filmmakers from 19 schools in Qatar will be competing in the first ever Junior Environmental Filmmaker Awards contest. Small teams of three and four kids from grades 7 to 9 will be making movies about water.
Happy Islamic New Hirji Year
Happy New Year to all our Muslim readers today. While not everyone agrees on the date, the Hijri New Year falls around now, and on November 3 and 4 this year for most Muslims.
AR Wear’s Anti Rape Underpants (VIDEO)
Rape and sexual assaults on women is just as much a problem in the Middle East as it is in the west, although the “flavor” of assault differs somewhat. Think of Lara Logan, the US journalist assaulted by numerous men while reporting from the streets of Cairo. But with AR Wear, new anti-cut, anti-rape undies, […]
Sex in the Saudi Means Flirting with Arrest
As we’ve learned from this great No Woman, No Cry video by Hisham Fageeh, Saudi Arabian rules ban women from driving. This must drive them and their love interests crazy because provocative eye contact and inter-gender chat between strangers is also taboo. The religious police will arrest anyone caught violating these laws: flirters be warned.
LED Lights Stickman Costume Shows Simple Is Sweet (and Green)
While the Middle East is not a usual haunt for Halloween there are some parents here and there who bring the custom from their native America or Canada. If you are looking for a last-minute costume, now for the fun – a DIY stick figure costume made from LED lights.
Amazing Cakes That Are Out of This World!
Itchin’ to best Betty Crocker by baking up new awareness to the plight of our home planet? Take a page from an Aussie zoologist who’s created an astounding series of planetary cakes with scientific accuracy that goes deeper than sugary frosting.
Sinkholes Transformed into Art by Liliana Ovalle
Mexican designer Liliana Ovalle has created a series of clay vessels based on the geological phenomena of sinkholes as part of a recent exhibition at London Design Festival 2013. The bulbous, irregular shapes replicate the geometry of ground surfaces that have been erased, pulling attention not to mass, but to void.
Kurdish Men Dress In Drag to Support Iranian Feminism
It takes a special man to carry off a skirt. In Iran, a growing group of Kurdish guys are rocking girly frocks to promote a serious message: being a woman is nothing to laugh at. It began when a convicted domestic abuser was sentenced to parade around town dressed in traditional Kurdish women’s clothing.
Jordan’s Tkiyet Um Ali Serves Up Big Eid Eats for All
The smirky little ram gracing billboards across Amman, Jordan is the face of Tkiyet Um Ali, an organization launched in 2006 by Jordan’s Princess Haya Al-Hussein in memory of her mother, the late Queen Alia, who conceived this project to (literally) cater to the needy.
Virtual eScapegoat Lets Jews Atone Online
Digital developments are lessening reliance on traditional architecture. The internet enables us to dine in “restaurants” and sleep in “hotels” that are actually ordinary people’s homes. Our retail therapy is increasingly conducted online in virtual stores. And now a nutty little website is muscling out conventional places of worship.
Oceans Spiralling Downward, Threatening Life on Earth
This is not an Orson Welles-esque prank, but real and scary: An international panel of marine scientists is demanding urgent remedies to halt ocean degradation based on findings that the rate, speed and impacts of change in the global ocean are greater, faster and more imminent than previously thought.
#Crazy Arab Men #Posing #Wearing Nail Polish #WTF
Saudi men are sporting pedicures and manicures and posing hairy legs in tweeted photographs pinging across the Middle East. It’s part of a new Twitter hashtag #صور_كنك_بنت which translates to #Take a Picture of Yourself Like a Girl Does.
Eco Blue Flags Fly at 12 More Green Beaches in United Arab Emirates
Nothing says ‘swim to me’ more than Blue Flags. The international symbol is a prestigious sign that a beach is clean, accessible, and eco-friendly. Where the Middle East is known for its extravagance (think gold-plated Mercedes?), there is also a silver lining that the planet loves:
Vegan Advocate Natalie Portman in Israel For Directorial Debut
Her vegan shoe line may have failed, but Israeli-American Natalie Portman keeps her fans inspired with her brand of animal rights activism, recycled couture and vegan lifestyle. The actress is now in Israel where she is polishing up her directorial skills for a film she is about to direct in Jerusalem.
How Do You Know That Big Eid Is Coming?
Eid Al Adha, also called Big Eid and the Feast of the Sacrifice, is an important Islamic holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honor the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his first-born son as an act of submission to God’s command. Everyone knows the story: God jumped in with a last-minute substitution and […]
Dates, A Global History, by Nawal Nasrallah BOOK REVIEW
In the Middle East, date palms are a natural element of the landscape. The towering trees adorn streets and march down road medians. They sprout out of private gardens and public parks. Come late summer, their gracefully swaying green heads send forth sturdy branches laden with heavy fruit clusters.
The Illustrated Man Could Be a Green Giant
Green Prophet applauds libraries-without-walls and mosques-minus-minarets for their minimalist environmental impact. Does it follow then that we view the tattooed or henna’ed body as the most earth-friendly art gallery?
Wildlife Thrive at Flooded ‘Arabian Canal’ in Dubai Desert
In my last post I described how I had discovered the remains of a defunct development known as the ‘Arabian Canal’ in the desert some 30km outside Dubai. This time I’m featuring one of these remaining waterways which is still, mysteriously, flooded, despite having been abandoned some 4 years ago.
Make Simit, the Iraqi Bagel with Sesame Seeds
Simit (also spelled simeat) are well known throughout the eastern Mediterranean countries, especially Turkey. Despite some differences, they are all shaped as rings and are generously encrusted with sesame seeds. These could very well be the start of what is known today as the Jewish bagel.
Post-Revolution Libyan Kitesurfers Reclaim Their Turf
For years, anyone who wanted to kite surf in Libya had a real challenge: beaches were under government control and many sports were outlawed. But now, 100 or so kite surfers in the country have reclaimed their turf, and even women are getting involved.