Saudi Arrested for Offering “Free Hugs” (video)
With a plan to take to the streets with cuddles, the police decided it was better to arrest a Saudi man and his friend before their “plot” to give out free hugs began.
Japan’s Sou Fujimoto Re-Imagines Doha with Modular Stacked Arches
Qatar is undergoing a massive change, and many of the world’s top architects are hoping to become a part of the action. Zaha Hadid and AECOM have weighed in with the Al-Wakrah stadium, and now Sou Fujimoto has re-imagined Doha with a series of modular stacked arches.
Polio in Syria, Israel and Egypt Puts Middle East on Edge
Polio,or Poliomyelitis has not been a serious medical issue ever since the first wide scale vaccines were developed by Dr. Jonas Salk in the early 1950s. Within the past few years, however, the often debilitating virus has began to return to epidemic proportions in many parts of the world. This includes the Middle East.
Gnrgy Buys Better Place for the Price of an Apartment in Tel Aviv
At a bargain basement price tag of only $450,000 the Israeli startup Gnrgy has bought the assets of the failed electric car company Better Place. Will the third time be the charm? Two other companies have tried to buy Better Place but failed. Gnrgy makes the most sense so far.
Bees Trained to Detect Cancer and TB on Human Breath
It turns out that bees are not only essential to global food production, they also make amazing sniffer “dogs.” Which is how Portuguese designer Susana Soares is able to train Apis mellifera to detect cancer and tuberculosis on human breath.
Arab Restaurant Offers 50% Discount When Cell Phone Is Off
An Arab-owned restaurant in Abu Ghosh, Israel has come up with a brilliant new Slow Food marketing campaign that may get people eating better: restaurant owner Jawdat Ibrahim has promised a whopping 50 percent off your bill if you turn your cell phone off when dining. Ibrahim, 49, owner of the restaurant called Abu Ghosh, tells […]
Solar Energy Women Wanted East!
Women in the Middle East are being encouraged to take up a career in renewable energy, thanks to a new initiative. The Women in Solar Initiative is aimed at engaging more women into roles within engineering, as significant growth and change takes place within the sector.
Oil-Rich Qatar Takes Eco Expertise to Philadelphia’s Famous Greenbuild
The Qatar Foundation is distinguishing itself as a leader at Greenbuild, the world’s largest gathering of green building pioneers in Philadelphia, where Hilary Clinton will deliver the 2013 keynote address tomorrow.
Obamacare: Amman, Jordan Style
Green Prophets burn lots of calories trying to make the planet a better place, but you can’t do much do-gooding if you’re dead. I’ll share a day in my week as a cautionary tale (and offer a peek into Amman’s excellent, and sometimes culturally surreal, medical system).
Better Place Investor Michael Granoff To Write Tell All Book
With almost a billion in financing and electric battery charge and change stations in place nationwide, at its critical hour Israel’s electric car company Better Place failed. It went bankrupt this year. One of its first investors, and biggest backers Michael Granoff will be writing a tell-all book. He speaks with Green Prophet.
Garden of Eden’s Mesopotamian Marshlands in Iraq May Get An Eco Uplift
Middle East architects Raya Ani and Zayad Motlib first told us about their plans for Mesopotamian Marshlands ecosystem and community earlier this year, and now they’re presenting their ideas to the first AIA Middle East conference in Dubai.
Tunisia’s Mohammad Ali Is Transgender Against Muslim’s Societal Odds
Tunisian female footballer Fatima Maleh announced on national radio that she is now a man, legally registered in civil records as Mohammad Ali. One not-small step for this man; and a giant leap for Tunisia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
5 Steps to a Carbon Neutral World Cup in Qatar
Qatar has promised a carbon neutral 2022 World Cup, but we know from the Masdar City experiment how hard that is to achieve. Still, here are five dubious steps AECOM and Zaha Hadid Architects are reported to be taking to support that goal with their joint design – Al-Wakrah Stadium.
5 ways to lighten knee skin naturally
Kneecaps darkened by repetitive prayer in a kneeling position just ain't pretty. Even if your gams aren't publicly paraded, it's not a look most of us want to achieve. You can slather on harsh chemical bleaching creams, but how about trying an eco-remedy instead?
Israel’s Mapal Promotes Peace by Treating Palestinian Sewage
Finding a solution to the problem of raw sewage reclamation in rural Palestinian communities continues to be an ongoing issue. A new peace project between an Israeli treatment company Mapal Green Energy and the Palestinian Authority could sweeten tensions behind a stinky problem.