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.
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.
After more than a decade of planning, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews has finally risen where the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland once stood. Designed by Finland’s Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects, this beautiful new building aims to educate, commemorate, and display Polish Jewish history from the Middle Ages to the present.
Later today the winner of the World Architecture Festival 2013 Best Building of the Year will be announced, and the unusual underground Sancaklar Mosque designed by Emre Arolat Architects from Turkey, is one of the contenders.
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:
Gnocchi or kofteh? I’d always thought of kofteh as meatballs of one kind or another. But in this recipe, I discovered that a dumpling may go by that name too. And how delicious the dumplings – gnocchi – or kofteh are.
Based on bulgur and seasoned with spices and herbs, the little hand-rolled mouthfuls cook in a lentil and chickpea soup. The result is a spicy, stick-to-your-ribs main dish that’s perfect for the chilly evenings coming up as autumn meets winter. Wouldn’t it be amazing if a reader were to cook it in a solar cooker like this one?
We’re very much in favor of grain and pulse-based soups, here on Green Prophet: like the Moroccan Wheat Soup or the Lebanese Lentil Soup. This Turkish soup is only one of the many intriguing dishes found on the fabulous Delicious Istanbul website, authored by Olga Irez.
Prep 20 Min
Cook1 Hr 20 Min
Total1 Hr 40 Min
Serving: 6
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare bulgur gnocchi (köfte) dough: In a large mixing bowl combine very fine bulgur and boiling water. Set aside for the bulgur to puff up as you handle the rest of the preparation (chopping etc). In 15-20 min add the rest of the ingredients to the bulgur and knead well until the dough comes together – it will still be a bit sticky so just dust the dough ball with a bit of flour.
Shape bulgur gnocchi (köfte): Prepare a tray and sieve in additional 1/2 tbsp flour: this is where you will be releasing your perfectly shaped bulgur gnocchi-köfte. Now divide the dough into 4 parts: take one part to a clean flat surface and with your hands roll it into a log – index finger thick. Cut into 0.5 cm (0.2 inch) wide pieces. Dust your hands with flour and one after one roll the pieces into small balls – size of a hazelnut or a large chickpea. Release the ready balls into the and continue making the gnocchi/köfte until the dough finishes. Now toss the tray energetically (back-forth; back-forth): the gnocchi/köfte will be sliding back and forth and getting completely covered in the flour. Set aside. Congratulation – the harder part is over!
Prepare the the soup: Simmer the onions in the butter until translucent (3-5 min), add garlic (I love using unpeeled cloves), leeks and chard stems and cook until the vegetables soften slightly and the moisture evaporates (5 min). Then stir in the tomato an pepper pastes and let them caramelize (about 2-3 min). Now add the hot water / warmed up stock, bring to boil and add the cooked green lentils. Let simmer covered on high heat so the lentils start falling apart (30 min). Add the bulgur kofte, cooked chickpeas and seasonings; reduce heat to medium and let simmer covered until the köfte are soft and cooked inside (30 min, or try and you will know for sure).
Note: If you reduce the servings skip the egg altogether and reduce amount of flour used. Skipping the egg will make the recipe pure vegan and replacing butter with vegetable oil will make the recipe vegan friendly.
You’ll enjoy these additional Turkish recipes:
There is a new report out underscoring the amount of renewable energy being developed in the Arab world with Morocco, Jordan and Egypt coming out as the big winners in the region. We report on the highlights.
Who isn’t in love with Moroccan decor – the amazing colors and designs that enliven any room? Well, Justina Blakeney certainly is. So much so, she decked out an entire AirBnB popup home in Los Angeles with decor from our favorite North African destination.
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.
Meb Rure’s latest line of furniture is so bright, stylish and unique that it’s hard to believe they are made with almost all recycled materials.
A man who belongs to Ethiopia’s chapter of the Global Power Shift youth environmental activism network biked nearly 500 miles in just two months in order to draw attention to the nation’s shrinking forests.
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 a hapless ram took the hit for young Ishmael (it was Abraham and his son Isaac for the Jews), who went on to enjoy a long life writ large in the Qur’an and the Torah and the Bible.
It’s my third year in Jordan and I’m starting to think like a Bedouin, relying less on clocks and calendars and more on senses and sight. So, formal proclamations aside, how do I know Big Eid’s a-coming?
Fluffy herds of sheep and goats flanking the airport highway are the first giveaway. In capitol city Amman, urban shepherds lead animals to every patch of green chasing last-minute fatten-up opportunities.
Flocks swell in gypsy compounds.
Cartoon rams appear on billboards, promoting Tkiyet Um Ali, the Jordanian NGO that provides, among other services, holiday meat to the kingdom’s underprivileged. The message is clear – it’s the Feast of the Sacrifice, four-legged food products beware!
(Read here about Green Prophet’s journey to an Eid sacrifice in Jaffa, Israel)
Animal sacrifice is at the core of Big Eid festivities, with some estimates projecting that as many as 100 million animals will be slaughtered over two days. For context, over 45 million turkeys are killed for America’s Thanksgiving feast. Secular meat eaters wreak comparable animal havoc.
The festival of Eid Al Adha also marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Green Prophet will cover the end of all those animals in another story.
Image of sheep readied for slaughter from Shutterstock
Israel’s Ormat Technologies has brokered a deal with eBay to power the online auction giant’s new data center in Utah using Recovered Energy Generation (REG) – a groundbreaking project made possible by new energy legislation.
Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but piety may prove lethal. So say global health officials as they warn travellers to take special precautions when on Hajj, where a mysterious virus knowns as MERS threatens a concentrated pilgrim population expected to exceed 3 million.
Over a year has passed since the first case emerged of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). MERS has since infected 135 and killed 58, yet questions on the origin and transmission patterns of the disease remain.
Hajj (here’s how you can make it green) is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the largest annual gathering of Muslims in the world. One of the five pillars of Islam, it is a religious duty which must be performed by all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to do so at least once in their lifetime.
Medical experts are concerned that large scale international travel might accelerate virus spread.
Many opt for gruelling bus travel (drive time from Amman, Jordan to Mecca exceeds 12 hours). Once there, a strenuous series of rituals begin to symbolize the lives of the Prophet Ibrahim and his wife Hajar. Consider desert climate and rough accommodations, and see why the pilgrimage is difficult.
This year, KSA announced new limits to religious tourist visas, emphasizing ongoing construction at the Holy Mosque as the constraining factor. Belgium’s National Flu Commissioner, virologist Dr. Marc Van Ranst, advised Belgian Muslims to pass on the pilgrimage. Margaret Chan, secretary-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), pulled no punches with her proclamation that MERS posed a “threat to the entire world.”
KSA medical experts have suggested that the elderly, young children, pregnant women and people with compromised health do not make the pilgrimage. Particular caution is aimed at those with suppressed immune systems. But, regulation-wise, the bottom line is that people are free to travel to Mecca as per usual: WHO has issued no travel warnings to the Middle East relative to MERS.
While not believed to be easily transmitted in the general population, the MERS coronavirus can spread between people in prolonged close contact, hence the risk to pilgrims living and traveling in crowded conditions. The American Center for Disease Control (CDC) website offers some guidelines (link here).
Epidemiology aside, mass gatherings have always been linked with unique health risks. The Saudi Ministry of Health mitigates some by requiring all pilgrims to be vaccinated for meningococcal in order to receive Hajj visas. The CDC recommends polio boosters and vaccination against hepatitis A, B, and typhoid for travel to KSA, in addition to routine vaccines (such as measles, pertussis, and flu).
Stomach flu and diarrhea are common during Hajj, partly due to unfamiliar food prep and unreliable refrigeration. After Hajj, men are required to shave their heads: unclean blades can transmit disease, so men are urged to use officially designated centers where licensed barbers use disposable, single-use blades.
Autumn temperatures in Mecca can exceed 100°F, putting heat exhaustion, sunburn and heatstroke on the menu of maladies.
Finally, human stampede is a major risk in any gathering, exponentially worsened by the millions of assembled hajjis. Stampedes at previous Hajj events have injured or killed hundreds, inciting the KSA government to invest over $25 billion to help control crowds and minimize risk.
This year, Hajj is expected to occur from October 13 through 18; the exact duration is dependent on moon sightings. As a non-Muslim, it’s improbable I’ll ever experience it. Instead, I watch my friends glow at the prospect of participating in this mind-blowing celebration and I wish that, Insha’Allah, they return rejuvenated in spirit, mind and body.
If you want to make the Hajj more green, read our green guide to Hajj here. And here are four steps to a greener Hajj. Share these with all pilgrims everywhere.
Image of pilgrims at the Kaaba from Shutterstock
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