It started as a peaceful protest against mall construction in Gezi park in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, and it quickly led to a full-blown protest – Arab Spring style – against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey’s Environment Protest Swings to General Protest Against PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Conjugal Sex Rooms, Unplanned Pregancies, and STDs in Syrian Refugee Camps
When aid workers with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) speak to women inside Syria – many of them displaced from their homes and living in cramped collective shelters – they say they would rather do anything than get pregnant.
Egypt Has Highest Rates of Early Onset Colorectal Cancer – Internet Fast-food, Pesticides?
A new study adds to a small body of research, through which a picture is emerging: colorectal cancer, commonly known as colon cancer, strikes younger people in Egypt far more frequently than it does in Europe or the US, making it much more lethal and socially destructive.
Beirut Highway Will Destroy What is Left of Last Green Space, Activists Warn
Activists warn that a planned highway in Beirut will ruin what little is left of the city’s remaining green and historic spaces at the same time that tens of thousands of people are swarming streets throughout Turkey following a violent government crackdown on Gezi Park protestors.
One Dies in Istanbul as Thousands Protest for Turkish Nature Preservation
The social protests currently sweeping through Turkey started with a dozen men and women who parked their tents in Gezi Park – one of the last remaining green spaces in central Istanbul – to protest a shopping mall development. One woman has died. (Update: We haven’t been able to confirm this with any major newspapers or organizations).
Ancient Egyptian Jewels Crafted from Fallen Meteorites
A giant meteorite that fell out of the sky must have held special significance for ancient Egyptians, who scientists have recently confirmed banged out a tube-shaped piece of jewelry from nickel-rich cosmic rock!
Netafim Drip Irrigation Recognized by Stockholm Industry Water Award
Drip irrigation technology is a key component of Israel’s agricultural success, and Netafim is one of the industry’s leaders. Founded in 1965 and currently operating in more than 100 countries, the company recently received the prestigious 2013 Stockholm Industry Award.
Ocean’s Garbage Patches Cleanup Tackled by Teen Boyan Slat
Nineteen-year-old Boyan Slat plans to clean the ocean, whereas most teenagers can’t even tidy their rooms. The aerospace engineering student devised a method to siphon off plastic garbage patches bulging in our seas.
Another Sustainable Development Report from Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi has been a leader in harnessing the power of the sun, clean technology and alternative sources of energy in the past few years. A new report form the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has shown that efforts are progressing quite positively for the Arab Gulf country.
Long Public Bus Converted into $300,000 Un-green Luxury Home
We were so excited to learn that an Israeli pair transformed an old bus into an attractive luxury home, until we saw what materials they used. Looking for an opportunity to make some money, Tally Saul and Hagit Morevski used such carbon-intensive and toxic materials as cement, concrete and formica to complete their ungreen conversion.
Neither Saul nor Morevski are untrained fly-by-nighters looking for a get rich quick scheme.
Saul is a psychotherapist , according to Xnet, as well as a former marketing executive, while Morevski is an ecological pond water treatment specialist and a CEO partner of Goglass.
They decided to do the bus conversion after Saul read about alternative housing, and soon found themselves with a junked up Dan bus that measures 2.5 by 12 feet. See below.
After staring at the thing for several days uncertain how to proceed, the duo decided to stick as close to the original spirit of the bus as possible.
With help from Ward Design, they sunk into their interior plan, which was largely dictated by the awkward dimensions; they eventually decided to keep the windows, wheels and handles and fill up the vast spaces between with luxury furnishings.
The new floor resembles the old somewhat, and they had to level out the slope with some carpentry, and they even managed to preserve and restore pieces of the old to furnish the new – including a suite of aluminum frames and the original doors.
But then the project takes somewhat of a kitsch turn.
Instead of breathable natural materials befitting to such an enclosed space, like bamboo, for example, the design team added orange vinyl diner-styled seating, formica finishings in both the bathroom and kitchen, a velvet-covered couch and other such weirdness.
Their intentions were pure – if you can call a $300,000 price tag lobbed on the final result pure, but we wouldn’t want to be trapped inside with all those materials off-gassing.
:: Xnet
Images via Lior Danzig
World Sees Scary Transition to Seas Full of Jellyfish, Not Fish
Every summer the surge of jellyfish seems to be getting worse and worse in the Mediterranean Sea. A new UN report says that may start seeing a future where jellyfish overtake fish in our great big seas. Ready for a jellyfish stirfry?
North Africa Coast Will Rise 60 Percent More than Previous Projection: New Study
New scientific reports suggests that coastal flooding for Middle East and North African countries will be much worse than estimated six years ago. What countries are bracing for the severe effects of climate change? Egypt sets the stage.
No Bake Date Squares Recipe
Wouldn’t it be great if recipes for high-energy, healthy snacks required no cooking or baking? Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret: date squares are made with neither a stove nor an oven. The lesson I’ve learned after watching the video demo: Never underestimate the power of a food processor.
And what’s more, these squares (triangles or stars…really, whatever your cutting preference) are the product of just two ingredients: dates and oats, both of which can readily be found in organic form.
Dates are probably the sweetest staple food of the Middle East, but that doesn’t mean they’re not healthy. Dates are rich in such minerals as iron, potassium, calcium, and manganese. They’re also an excellent source of dietary fiber and antioxidants. Suffice it to say that, combined with oats, they’re a great choice for breakfast, snack time, or pre-exercise routines, especially for endurance sports like running and biking.
Date trees are also under threat, as a newly introduced beetle from Far East Asia, the red palm weevil is decimating date trees around the Middle East.
So eating dates may be able to support the industry which may need to fight to survive.Making these date squares is a no-fuss ordeal.
Here’s how to to make no bake date squares:
- Medjool dates are the best kind, in my opinion. Take the pits out of the dates, if the dates aren’t already pitted.
- Soak the dates overnight.
- The next day, transfer the dates into your food processor, along with the water they were soaking in.
- Turn the food processor on, and add raw oats through the chute. Add as many as desired, until they seem blended with the dates in a thick consistency. A couple fistfuls of oats for one cup of dates is a loosely suggested proportion.
- Turn off the food processor, and use a spatula to empty the contents into a baking dish or pan. Smooth over the top. You may want to add some more oats here for aesthetic value. Refrigerate.
- This part will be difficult: Wait several hours to let your creation harden. (But of course, if you’re like me, you will have tried some of the “batter” right out of the food processor, before refrigerating!) Then cut the sheet to your liking.
No offense to Chewy bars, but these date-oat bars are hard to beat for the health factor, convenience, and “homemade” label. The pseudo-cooking or -baking process is short, and so sweet.
MENA Will Need 120 Gigawatts of Energy by 2017, Masdar Expert Warns
The Middle East and North Africa region is going to need 120 gigawatts of energy by 2017, according to a leading figure at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) and board member of the Emirates Solar Industry Association (ESIA).