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SARS-like Mystery Virus Appears in Saudi Arabia, Alerting Haj Pilgrims

Karin Kloosterman

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September 27, 2012

SARS-like Mystery Virus Appears in Saudi Arabia, Alerting Haj Pilgrims

A new SARS-like mystery illness has health authorities alert ahead of the millions-strong Haj pilgrammage to Mecca.

There have been two recent cases of a mysterious SARS-like virus linked to Saudi Arabia. It killed one of its victims from Saudi Arabia. The second who is still alive travelled through the country.

The unknown mystery virus which is not Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (or SARS) which killed 800 people worldwide in 2003, is similar to SARS and is raising concern ahead of the Muslim Haj pilgrimage to Mecca. The new virus can cause rapid kidney failure and with the upcoming Muslim Hajj pilgrimage planned for next month in Saudi Arabia, the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning Saudi organizers to be vigilant.

Recycling Yourself When Green Projects Go Bust

Faisal O'Keefe

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September 26, 2012

Recycling Yourself When Green Projects Go Bust

Live long enough and we all know heartbreak, but what happens when a well-loved sustainable project walks away?

Looking for day trips to explore modern Middle East architecture, I stumbled across Jordan’s The Aqaba House (TAH). This ambitious little house was the first modern home fully based on green building principles specific to its Aqaba location. Oriented to capitalize on sun exposure, with purposeful shading, its terraces offered fantastic views overlooking Aqaba and Eilat across the Red Sea. Recycled graywater irrigated the local flora filling its gardens. Solar thermal heated its water and air conditioning ran on solar electricity. A decent alternative to Aqaba’s swanky resorts, I was ready to pack my toothbrush. The only catch was it closed two years ago.

I learned the sad news after a friendly Dutch guy named Theo answered my emails to their website, explaining some of the backstory. It got me wondering about the people behind these sensitive, small eco-projects. What happens when their hard work and dedication is dashed by economic or political hiccups?

Oxygen Villa is One Giant Prefabricated Mashrabiya Home

Cities

Tafline Laylin

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September 26, 2012

Oxygen Villa is One Giant Prefabricated Mashrabiya Home

Egyptian studio House designed a beautiful prefabricated Mashrabiya home called Oxygen Villa. Comprised of modular boxes with both vertical and horizontal screens, this solar-powered gem provides all of the natural lighting, ventilation and privacy the average Arab family needs. Combining cutting-edge technology such as photovoltaic (PV) glazing modules and decentralized wastewater treatment system with ancient passive design techniques, this young team has conquered the challenge of providing responsible modern housing in today’s resource-scarce context.

Israelis Protest Early End of Summer Time

Faisal O'Keefe

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September 25, 2012

Israelis Protest Early End of Summer Time

Dozens of protestors gathered in Tel Aviv‘s Rabin Square last Saturday night as Daylight Saving Time (DST) was set to end. They claimed Israel’s policy of ending DST prior to Yom Kippur favors the ultra-Orthodox sector of the population over practical interests of the secular and modern Orthodox majority.

Their switch to winter time happens weeks before the USA, Europe and its Middle Eastern neighbors make the change (Europe and Jordan flip on October 28; the USA and Canada on November 4). It prematurely darkens the days and raises temperatures among mainstream Israelis who bristle at this bow to religious conservatives.

Jordan Plunges Itself into a Giant Pit of Oil Shale Hell

Business

Tafline Laylin

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September 25, 2012

Jordan Plunges Itself into a Giant Pit of Oil Shale Hell

Jordan has recently signed on with a Canadian company to plunge the Kingdom into a giant pit of oil shale hell. The Memorandum of Understanding signed with Global Oil Shale Holdings (GOSH) is the fourth mega oil shale deal the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has penned in order to free itself from fossil fuel imports that eat up 20% of the nation’s GDP.

Sadly, even though oil shale is nasty business that contaminates water and land around extraction sites and releases sulfur dioxide, lead and nitrogen oxides into the air, according to the US National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) and scientists have warned that failure to slow global warming now will tip the planet’s climate balance, we’ve seen very little objection to the Kingdom’s goal of burning up its estimated reserves of 40 billion tons.

Cambridge’s Eco Mosque Finally Granted Permission (PHOTOS)

Religion

Arwa Aburawa

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September 24, 2012

Cambridge’s Eco Mosque Finally Granted Permission (PHOTOS)

Years after it was first announced, the Cambridge eco mosque has finally received planning permission.

Back in 2010, we reported that the Cambridge Muslim community was planning to build Europe’s first eco mosque which would minimise carbon emissions and maximise the role faith has to play in environmental protection. Years on and the plans which were drawn up by Marks Barfield Architects have finally been approved. The mosque committee is now in fundraising mode and has already raised 19% of the money needed to build the mosque – or as they put it, 67,832 of the 350,000 bricks needed to construct the mosque have been paid for.

How Arab World Buildings Use Energy (Infographic)

Cities

Tafline Laylin

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September 24, 2012

How Arab World Buildings Use Energy (Infographic)

Tunisian buildings are the most energy intense in the Arab world.

Carboun has released a powerful infographic which details how energy is consumed in the Middle East. Using data received from personal contributions, the World Bank and the International Energy Agency, founder Karim Elgendy has mapped out energy use by country in each of the following sectors: buildings, food production, industry and transportation. An architect and sustainability consultant based in London, Elgendy also breaks down how “resource-rich” and “resource-poor” countries consume energy differently. The results may surprise you.

Medical Tourism Boom in Jordan and United Arab Emirates

Faisal O'Keefe

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September 24, 2012

Medical Tourism Boom in Jordan and United Arab Emirates

Catch some healing sun with your operation? The Middle East’s healthcare industry is booming.

Rising healthcare costs in the United States and increased waiting periods for specialized treatment in Europe are fueling rapid growth in the numbers of medical tourists pouring into the region.

Medical tourism, the practice of crossing international borders to obtain healthcare, has its modern roots in 1980s India, when western-trained physicians returned home to establish specialized practices, replicating facilities and procedures they used abroad at significantly lowered costs.

The combo of quality treatment with current technologies at deep discount to Western prices attracted a steady flow of foreign patients, and other countries jumped about this special tourism train.

Currently, over 50 countries list medical tourism as a national industry.

Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are the region’s top medical travel destinations, according to Josef Woodman, founder of Patients Beyond Borders (self-billed as “the most trusted resource in medical travel).

A Yellow Submarine in Every Garage?

Tech

Brian Nitz

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September 24, 2012

A Yellow Submarine in Every Garage?

The rich and famous are now buying private submarines. Good or bad for the environment? Brian explores.

My search for bamboo yarn took me to an industrial part of Beijing. The air here smelled of hot steel and coal. I walked past some of the warehouses and workshops behind the Made in China label and came upon a group of men huddled around the gleaming metal object. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised to find a miniature submarine here in this dusty megalopolis, 175km from the nearest sea. I quickly stepped past, wanting to believe what I was seeing while avoiding the glare of the welder’s arc. I later learned that this was the submarine Tao Xiangli had built for himself using $4600 worth of barrels and other recycled parts. Tao’s submarine is 20 foot long, weighs 1.6 tons and has a maximum depth of 10 meters.

Who wouldn’t want their own submarine to enjoy the beauty of undersea life without getting cold and wet? Seamagine Hydrospace Corporation of the US hopes their luxury submarines will become the latest must-have toys for the wealthy. Seamagine submarines might not have the character or personal craftsmanship as Tao’s sub, but their Undersea Hunter model can carry up to three people to a depth of 1500 feet (475m). They certainly look like a fun way to spend a million dollars!

For those of us not in that category of wealth, there is another option. There are about 20 tourist submarines in the world. The Sindbad club of Egypt offers trips aboard their Mark III submarine to tourists of this Red Sea resort. There are also tourist submarines in Tenerife and Cyprus.

Shiazo’s Burn and Stink-free Hookah Hits the Streets

Travel

Tafline Laylin

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September 24, 2012

Shiazo’s Burn and Stink-free Hookah Hits the Streets

There’s a new hookah on the street and she leaves without a trace… on your lungs. Shiazo Steam Stone Shisha provides a new smoking experience that uses Pressure Injection Method (PIM) technology developed in Germany to deliver a burn and stink-free smoke that feels and tastes like the real thing. Recently introduced in the United Arab Emirates, this hot, porous new trend is said to provide all the pleasure without any of the numerous health hazards associated with the conventional narghile/hookah/shisha pipes – whatever you call them. In theory, at least.

Electree’s Solar Bonsai Tree to Electrify Our Techno Toys

Faisal O'Keefe

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September 23, 2012

Electree’s Solar Bonsai Tree to Electrify Our Techno Toys

Where’s a charger when you need one? My device-addicted household is always running short on chargers for cell phones and laptops and iPods. I plug in my phone and come back to find it’s migrated to someone’s Kindle. What’s the impact of all this techno-juicing on the environment? A co-worker just nabbed the coolest birthday gift: the Electree solar charger, a sculptural photovoltaic (PV) machine that will keep your gadgets energized in a fully renewable way.

Istanbul Deemed the ‘New London’ for Middle Eastern Investors

Leigh Cuen

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September 23, 2012

Istanbul Deemed the ‘New London’ for Middle Eastern Investors

Turkey is reforming its property laws according to Reuters. Among other changes, new laws will double the amount of land foreigners are allowed to buy in Turkey. Wealthy investors from Russia and the Middle East are taking a new interest in Istanbul. According to the Knight Frank Global House Price Index, Turkish property prices are experiencing the third fastest-growth in the world, outpacing both Russia and Hong Kong.

“Istanbul is becoming a second London for the Arab world,” said Erdinc Varlibas, chief executive of Varyap Meridian. Varyap Meridian is building massive towers, luxury residential property, in what developers hope will become a financial district on Istanbul’s Asian side.

5 Ways Yom Kippur Can Green The World

Miriam Kresh

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September 23, 2012

5 Ways Yom Kippur Can Green The World

Miriam talks of Yom Kippur and the power of consciousness.

The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur is a day of introspection and prayer. In Israel, it’s a day of closed business and empty streets. The great soul-searching that began on Rosh HaShana climaxes at sunset on this holiest of days, when we seek to connect to the Creator as closely as humans can. We put physicality aside for an entire day, refraining from life-sustaining and life-creating activities as an expression of faith and reliance on the one who made the world.

Which is not to say that Jews don’t love, and celebrate, life’s good things: Le-chaim! is the toast that Jews say when raising a celebratory glass of wine. It means: to life! And as life is a precious gift rooted in the spiritual world, it’s people’s job to release the spiritual spark in everything that lives.

Sounds so esoteric, right? How in the world do you manage that? The answer is: by honoring and protecting creation. Spiritual comes down to the physical. For example, even if you don’t fast, here are some suggestions on how to repair your eating habits. And others on atoning for environmental sins.

Abu Dhabi Turns to Natural Gas Green Transport

Faisal O'Keefe

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September 23, 2012

Abu Dhabi Turns to Natural Gas Green Transport

Abu Dhabi cars to run on compressed natural gas.

The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has converted 20 vehicles in its fleet of 500 to run on compressed natural gas (CNG). It’s part of their commitment to reduce harmful emissions and their press release says they’ll convert about 20% percent of the total fleet to CNG by the end of 2015. Read more about this initiative and all about how Abu Dhabi is leading the region’s green revolution.

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