Not long after firing its replacement CEO, the Israeli electric car company Better Place has alluded to Forbes that it will likely close its its North American and Australian operations. Evan Thornley was the CEO of Better Place in Australia and was hired to be the global CEO of Better Place soon after the company’s visionary founder Shai Agassi was sacked last October. A third and acting CEO is now in place to put the pieces of the ailing startup car company back together. In an aim to cut costs, Forbes is reporting that Better Place‘s global ambitions to electrify the world have now shrunk to two countries only – Israel and Denmark – as Better Place looks to funnel its investment resources into these two markets.
Better Place EV Car Company to Close North American and Australia Operations?
Visiting Jerusalem’s Old Abused Mount of Olives Camel
This is how the camel looked back in February, 2012. Cold, wet and miserable
Our stories on animal abuse have included severe abuse of circus animals in Lebanon, neglect and abuse of zoo animals in Egypt, and even rampant abuse of pigs in (supposedly) kosher Israel. Always considered as “silent victims” these animals have suffered severe neglect and abuse in many Middle East countries, particularly during Egypt’s 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
Chairs for Abu Dhabi: a Giant Hollow Mountain for Art Fans
Images of Tadashi Kawamata’s extraordinary installation entitled Chairs for Abu Dhabi has been circulating the blogosphere the last few days. A follow up of a similar project featured in France, the piece consists of hundreds of chairs – mostly vintage and recycled – stacked on top of one another like a giant hollow mountain of seats. Or a beehive.
Tel Aviv City Workers Busted for Fake Handicap Sign and Fine (VIDEO)
If we hadn’t seen the footage, we would never have believed that Tel Aviv’s municipal workers would paint a fake handicap sign around a woman’s parked car in order to collect on the illegal parking and towing fines they then levied. Even worse, they believed they would get away with it.
Unluckily for them, they picked on the wrong woman. Hila Ben-Baruch has been using the same parking spot on Yehuda Halevi street for well over a year, so on the day in question, when municipal workers eventually had her vehicle towed and charged her over $350 for the privilege, she got herself some evidence, The Jerusalem Post reports. See below for the video.
Download Moroccan Recipes Based on Argan Oil
33 exotic Moroccan recipes from the women who make and cook with argan oil.
The argan tree is a Berber identity icon, and production of its oil is traditionally a woman’s job. But as with many folkways, interest in argan began to dwindle. It’s a finicky process with low yield. Unless marketed wisely, it’s hardly worth the effort to produce.
The Slow Food Foundation of Biodiversity, funded by Italy’s Piemonte Regional Authority, established argan oil workshops in Morocco, reviving the ancient skill and giving village women an opportunity to earn money. Read how argan oil is empowering Moroccan village women.
Argan oil is now considered a culinary and cosmetic treasure in upscale homes world-wide. Consequently, preserving the native argan forests has become an important economic issue in Morocco – just in time to prevent erosion of their environment. Recent successful efforts to cultivate the argan tree in Israel also improve the species’ chances for survival.
Hopefully this cookbook, written in charmingly accented English and lavishly illustrated with beautiful watercolors, will inspire you to do some exotic argan oil cooking.
Historical notes and traditional stories polish the recipes, which cover sauces, salads, couscous, soups, tajines and desserts. Scattered throughout the text are little gems like advice on how to tell if saffron is good quality; how to cook with a tajine pot; what oudi butter is (a type of ghee, or smen).
You can download the PDF for The Gold of Arganeraie by clicking on this link. <—update 2021, and the link no longer works. And to give you a taste, here’s a simple dessert.
It would make a good finger-food for a party too.
Dates Filled With Cheese and Walnuts
Adapted from The Gold of Arganeraie
For 15 dates
15 stoned dates
30 grams walnuts, finely chopped
100 grams ricotta cheese
80 grams Roquefort cheese
1 teaspoon argan oil
salt
Preparation time: 1⁄2 hour
Mix the ricotta with the Roquefort and argan oil using a whisk. Salt to taste.
Add half the chopped walnuts and put in a pastry bag.
Fill the stoned dates with the cheese mixture and finally decorate with the remaining walnuts.
Some surprising Moroccan recipes:
Images from The Gold of Arganeraie.
Greenpeace Assesses Jordan’s Energy Future Without Nuclear Option
Greenpeace Jordan recently launched its first report specific to the Arab World entitled Jordan’s Energy Future (pdf link) to a packed audience of environmentalists, activists and political stakeholders in Amman. The report demonstrates Jordan’s potential to achieve full energy independence through renewable sources whilst campaigning against kingdom ambitions to develop nuclear energy. “This report shows the renewable power scenarios that can be implemented in Jordan without the need of a nuclear power plant. [It also] shows the obstacles and risks that can face the nuclear power plant in Jordan if implemented, “said Safa’ Al Jayoussi, Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner in Jordan.
Skin Cancer Risk Goes Up In the Afternoon Sun
A new study has found that afternoon sun is five times riskier than than sun caught in the morning hours.
Are you one of those people who slather sunscreen all over your face come high noon, but remove the T- shirt later in the day to catch those warming, vitamin D-making rays? Well if you are one of those people (which was me until I read this study) who take joy in basking in the “safe” late day sun drinking a beer or sailing your sailboat, be warned: according to a relatively recent study published in PNAS (links to PDF), afternoon sun ups your risk of getting skin cancer five fold.
And it’s not because of anything the sun did: according to the researchers it’s all about our internal circadian clocks and our DNA’s ability to fend off the damaging effects of UV radiation. It turns out that our DNA is less protected to mutations late in the day. Simply put: our body works less good after a long day on the job. The bad news: more DNA damage is found to occur. This damage can result in skin cancer.
SodaStream’s SuperBowl Ad Challenges Coke and Pepsi’s Winning Streak
Once just a small company with a negligible following, SodaStream has caused a resounding splash with its recent Super Bowl advertising debut. Following up on its earlier strategy of comparing its brand to soda giants like Coca Cola and Pepsi, which waste billions of plastic bottles every month, the Israeli company made a bold move by targeting the companies on one of their biggest selling days, an American institution, the Super Bowl.
Their advertising agency Pale Dot Voyage initially featured both Coke and Pepsi products in the original advertisement, but CBS, concerned to offend their advertisers, banned it. SodaStream was forced to submit an advertisement featuring generic products instead but the impact was still clearly felt. The central message? By using their carbonated machines instead of coke or pepsi, consumers can save 15 million plastic bottles on game day alone.
LEED-Seeking Google Tel Aviv is About as Cool as Offices Come
Unreal. That is the first word that swims around our heads when we look at images of Google’s new offices in Tel Aviv.
While some plebes schlep to work amid carpet covered cubicles and everlasting beige, Google’s employees have an indoor orange grove reminiscent of Jaffa’s longstanding industry, a wall covered in a giant giclée of the Negev desert, a dining room that mimics the city’s effervescent cafe culture and even a meeting room that pays respects to local surfers.”
What’s more, these offices are not relegated to just one floor of the Electra tower. Instead, there are eight all decked with the same playful, mostly nature-oriented decor that has catapulted Camenzind Evolution‘s reputation as a leader of the interior design world.
New Israeli Strains of Chickpeas Promise Higher Yields And Even Better Nutrition
The Hebrew University in Jerusalem improves one of the world’s most important food staples.
In a world where rainfall is no longer predictable and droughts hold sway, even affecting politics in the Middle East, we are less and less complacent about food security.
Developments like wine produced under desert conditions and pest-resistant wheat brighten the picture, but we’re still far from feeling safe about tomorrow’s plate of food. Now new strains of chickpeas that don’t rely on winter rains hold out a good promise for this drier planet.
France Says “Oui” to Masdar Renewables Deal
Masdar CEO Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber signed a joint declaration with the French government, paving the way for new collaboration on advancing clean energy projects in France. The deal facilitates co-development of new technology and allows for easier transnational exchange of expertise and experience. In also underscores existing cooperation on the Global Atlas of Renewable Energy. France plans to produce 23% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, a strategy also intended to boost the national economy. At present, France’s wind energy capacity ranks sixth in the world.
“France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are equally committed to address energy security and sustainability,” Al Jaber told AMEInfo. “The two countries are making bold investments in large-scale renewable energy projects and developing carbon reduction strategies.”
Casablanca’s Cinema in the Hands of One Man
The commercial capital of Morocco is catching up to the western world through a series of dedicated governmental initiatives, putting old institutions like ABC Cinema on Boulevard Mohamed V at risk. Made famous by the romance starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca is a bustling metropolis with a brand new tram line that connects all of its main neighborhoods.
By some accounts this is good. Quality of life has improved for some people, the place is modernizing. But this new world order has not only created environmental hazards such as poor waste and water management, it has also dealt cinema the death knell. And one man is valiantly trying to forestall its complete demise.
50 Gulf Companies Voluntarily Cut Energy and Water Use
A host of private companies in Dubai and other emirates that have joined a voluntary initiative to reduce their energy and water consumption have experienced enormous success, demonstrating that it’s not impossible to do so.
Last week the Emirates Wildlife Society – World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF) recognized five firms in particular for exceeding energy and water conservation targets set as part of the Heroes of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) environmental initiative in a country that currently has one of the world’s highest per capita carbon footprints, The National reports.
IRENA Produces Free Global Renewable Energy Atlas
It’s a sea-change for a region so linked to the hydrocarbon, but new clean energy initiatives are heating up the Middle East.
Thanks to the 2013 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (we were invited to), some new development partnerships between United Arab Emirates renewables company, Masdar, and both the Jordanian and French governments were formed; Greenpeace released Jordan’s Energy Future, their first report specific to the Arab world; and now Green Prophet’s learned that the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) based in Abu Dhabi just launched a Global Renewable Energy Atlas.
The new atlas shines a light on the world’s wind and solar infrastructure and, by cataloging resources into an open-access web-based tool, aims to accelerate adoption of clean energy technology. The Global Atlas is the most comprehensive information platform on the potential of renewable energy.
Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki Says “Leave the Birds Alone”
If you’re looking for some light reading from the Middle East, something peppered with the region’s wit and satire, then look no farther than Abu Dhabi and Sultan Saeed al Darmaki, presently a businessman running the construction-based Al Darmaki group. He has published his first official book, entitled Leave the Birds Alone. It was a highly personal endeavor, as the content is simply a collection of some of the wittiest or thought-provoking ideas and observations he has accumulated throughout his lifetime.