The city of Amman in Jordan where I live is experiencing a deteriorating level of municipal services, most notably in garbage collection and public space cleaning. The hills of the city are heaped with trash, and the problem extends to other towns and across the countryside. Even Jordan’s natural jewels are tarnished.
Jordan’s Grassroots Efforts to Manage Municipal Trash
Flying Sushi iTrays First Step to Flying Carpets
America’s bumbling fictional super spy Maxwell Smart had a good point when he would say of the villain, “If only he had used his evil genius for niceness.” We’ve heard far too many tragic stories of drones being used as weapons of war. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone figured out how to beat this modern age sword into a plowshare? The people at the Yo Sushi! restaurant have done just that.
Egypt Gets Testy Over Ethiopia’s Giant Renaissance Dam
As Ethiopia continues with its plans to build the Grand Renaissance Dam in order to meet the country’s burgeoning energy shortfall, Egypt is starting to worry that the hastily planned hydroelectric plant will put its own water supplies at considerable risk.
Dubai Sustainability City Phase 2 Awarded to Baharash Architecture
Diamond Developers selected Baharash Architecture to plan the second of four phases of Dubai Sustainable City – a 46 hectare, 500 villa eco-development slated for construction at the junction of Al Qudra and Emirates Roads in Dubai.
Dubai Imports NASA-Developed In’Flector Solar Deflectors for Greener Glass Buildings
Tall glass buildings have come to dominate the Dubai and Abu Dhabi skylines, which makes absolutely zero sense given that summer temperatures consistently burst their seams in the region. But now the UAE has imported NASA-developed transparent panels that deflect heat back into the atmosphere.
Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates Fuels the Shopping Cult
If consumerism is the predominant modern day religion, then this week’s picture shows one our most monumental cathedrals – Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates. According to news reports earlier this year, it is the world’s highest grossing shopping mall.
Zaha Hadid Wins Bid for Futuristic Metro Station in Saudi Arabia
Public transportation is not wildly popular in Saudi Arabia since fuel is so cheap and many households have private drivers to escort them from place to place, but the government is trying to shift public perception of this mode of movement by developing a brand new metro system. And Zaha Hadid has recently won a bid to design a futuristic new station in Riyadh.
All Quiet in Taksim Square, for Now
Central Istanbul looks like a war zone as shells of burnt out vehicles simmer after a long day of confrontations between riot police and anti-government protestors at Taksim Square yesterday.
How Jean Bradbury Makes a Difference a World Away in Jordan
Jordanian craftswomen near the southern Dead Sea are creating unique market bags, placemats and quilts colored with naturally sourced dyes, then painted and embroidered. The project was built by a Canadian woman and artist living worlds away.
Amazon Biosphere Office Combines Plants and People in Missed Opportunity
Online retailer Amazon grabbed headlines with their plan to build a biosphere inside transparent glass orbs which will house its Seattle – based workforce and a forest of plants. Interiors will feature “botanical zones” modeled on earth’s mountain ecologies.
Alexandria Enters PV Solar Project with a Catholic School in Egypt
Once the most powerful seat of learning in Egypt, Alexandria has some catching up to do when it comes to renewable energy. Which may be why the governor has entered into an agreement with a Catholic technical institute to bolster photovoltaic education and installations.
Claesson Koivisto Rune Gives Moroccan Tiles a Lean Scandinavian Touch
Marrakech Design is a Swedish design firm that has combined traditional Moroccan design with Scandinavian minimalism, and now the renowned architectural firm Claesson Koivisto Rune has joined the fray with three new tile designs that are bound to transform even the most dull home.
Lola the Donkey from Middle Eastern Play Runs Afoul of Belgian Police
An “actress” performing at the Arab Cultural Center in Brussels ran up against the law for her odd public antics between shows. Belgian police demanded she be forcibly removed from the theater’s street-facing balcony where she’d been unwinding with a bucket of water and stack of fresh hay.
Pedang the Tiger Gets Acupuncture to Treat Chronic Ear Infection in Israel
After trying the conventional methods of trying to heal a sick tiger with a persistant ear infection, animal therapists were called into the zoo try some alternative methods.
Masdar Buys Inkjet Printer for 3D Printing Solar Cells!
The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) in Abu Dhabi, which is affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has purchased a Fujifilm Dimatix DMP283 inkjet printer – the learning institute’s first step towards printing its very own solar cells!